Sunday 28 May 2017

Looking into June

Where did May go?  Only three days left and June sails in with its cold wet wintry days.  I think it has been practicing this last week as it has been wet and cold. 

taken this afternoon from the dining room,
yes I know the grass needs cutting!
 But it is not all misery, I love winter as we are able to snug up in our nests and look out at the grey wet landscape and dream plans, crochet, read or knit without feeling we should be gardening.  We can make great steaming bowls of soups and stew, or sit on the sofa flipping through our cookbooks, dreaming of wonderful recipes, if only we had the ingredients.  Yes I admit I am bit of a foodie, I have spats of experimenting with different foods and then fall back into my tried and true recipes.  I love the produce of winter, great bowls filled with apples, pears, oranges, mandarins, persimmons, feijoas, kiwifruit, and of course lemons.


Vegetables also are different from summer, leeks, onions, carrots, parsnips, swede, silver beet, cauliflower, cabbage and kale and all the different types of pumpkin.

Vegetables gathered yesterday from my garden
Talking of vegetables, I need to eat more of them!  I buy or pick them and then have to throw half of them in the compost.  So my goal for June is to eat more vegetables, no more cleaning my vegetable bin out and finding rather limp bits of cauliflower, mushy somethings and sprouted onions and potatoes!  Well that is what I found this morning when I cleaned both my fridge bin and the bin I have in the kitchen for root vegetables.  I took the worst out to the compost bin and made a nourishing soup for my lunch.


I have decided to change my budget period which was fortnightly as that matches paydays to monthly.  I have been finding that there were a lot of food items I need to only buy monthly, such as butter, cheese, cereals, sauces, flours and so on.  I have also reduced the amount as I was having quite a lot of money left over.  So now it is $160 a month instead of $200.  We will see how that goes.  I have friends that can’t believe I lived on $200, so I think I will keep quiet about the $160, lol!  Well one friend has already forbidden me to mention how much I spend in front of her husband!  They know that I eat well from our conversations about meals.

Satay chicken pieces with salad,
the greens from my garden
What I think the difference is that I cook from scratch and have healthy stores; also I grow some of my vegetables, mainly greens this year.  They don’t.  When I suggest that they make from scratch they say that they haven’t the time or roll their eyes.  I do have convenience food in my stores, and homemade ready meals in my freezer for those times when I am not well or too tired to cook, but it is the exception rather than the rule.  I am afraid there is not a lot of commonsense in the world today. 

Also in June I want to do more of my journal pages, I only did one in May; I have taken to painting on old dried teabags using the tea stains to suggest the topic.


I then will use them in my Art Journal like this one below I did last week.  I think the teabag for that one was peach and strawberry herb tea!


I am not sure if this one is finished, we will see.  I am going to give myself a goal of doing one a week!

My crochet lately has been a bit boring, I am making beanies for the Vanuatu men that come over to work in the vineyards and orchards over the winter, there is a group that comes to our church, they don’t speak much English and send all their money back to their families, it is such a poor group of islands that has been hit by some disastrous cyclones in recent years.  They will be arriving next week and will be so cold coming here from a tropical climate.  We look forward to having them in our church as they have such wonderful singing voices and sing with such gusto that it sends chills down your spine.

Haven’t I been rambling on!  It is getting dark and I am starting to wonder about supper, more soup or crumbed fish with coconut rice……

Well, anyways what have you planned for June?

Bye for now
Sharon 
and the Kitties who have the right idea!


7 comments:

  1. Sharon, your artwork is stunning! Wow! You are so talented!

    It's funny to hear about you getting ready for winter when we are getting ready for summer! But you are right - each season brings special joys.

    That's great that you are able to reduce your food budget because you were having too much left at the end of the month (as opposed to having to do it because you need to tighten the belt). Well done, you! Cooking from scratch is definitely the way to go!

    I haven't made many plans for June. I feel I am on a holding pattern, once again, until I know more about the status of my health. So for now, I am waiting to be scheduled for my medical screening tests, maybe get some dental work, and report for jury duty!

    Hope you have a wonderful month in June. I hope you'll meet your goal and do more artwork and that your grocery spending will continue to do well on the reduced budget. Have a lovely week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Bless. i do so hope that your ultrasound is not too far off for you, I am praying for you every day that the lump is scar tissue.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello ... Loved loved your post. So cozy but informative at the same time.. I love trying to reduce my grocery bill and cook from scratch also.. Our Summer is beginning here in Eastern Canada and we are moving to our farm till Fall.. Such a busy time.. Love your creations.. You are such a wonderfully talented person and am happy when I see you have posted.. God bless and I will be praying for your friend also.. I have been there.. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Faye, the in between seasons are the busiest aren't they. Have a wonderful summer on your farm.

      Delete
  4. The view from your dining room is beautiful. I am in Missouri,USA so we are just starting to get into our true summer heat. It will start being hot, 93 degrees this weekend. I am still trying to get annual flowers planted in my yard. I was going to get some into their permanent pots this weekend, but with the heat and sun predicted, I was thinking I may try to shade the plantings with an umbrella so they don't roast in the sun.

    My vegetable habits may be very similar to yours. I usually have a craving for a some vegetable, and then don't manage to get it cooked in a timely manner. After the veg has been in the bin of forgotten vegetables in the fridge for a while by the time I discover it, it is a sad sight to see.

    Enjoy your cooler season as it unfolds. I am glad I discovered your blog tonight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting! That is hot weather you are having, when it is very hot I sometimes get prunings and poke them in the pots to give shade.

      Delete

  5. I know there are still a lot of people suffering from different health issues and are therefore looking for solution. I bring you Good news. There is a man called Dr ROBINSON BUCKLER a herbal practitioner who helped cure me from Genital herpes and shingles, this i had suffered from for the past 2years and i have spent so much money trying to survive from it. I got my healing by taking the herbal medicine he sent to me to drink for about 14days . 14days after completion of the dosage, I went for a medical checkup and I was tested Genital Herpes NEGATIVE. I’m sharing this so that other people can know of this great healer called Dr ROBINSON BUCKLER because I got to know him through a friend he cured from too. I was made to understand that he can cure several other deadly diseases and infections. Don’t die in ignorance and don’t let that illness take your life. Contact Dr ROBINSON BUCKLER through his email........................robinsonbuckler@ ((h o t m a i l.)) com

    ReplyDelete