Preparing for Christmas (and other things)

Apart from a bit of baking, I think I am ready for Christmas.  Which is just as well, seeing that it is tomorrow!

I have all the presents.  I hope!

Yesterday morning Lindsey and I went to Wilson's for the veg, and to Coles for the supermarket shopping. There should be plenty of food for the Christmas feast.  We have even catered for Boxing Day breakfast.

We went to Bunnings for a number of things, mostly not Christmas related.

Today should be relatively relaxed.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄


We have had our first proper Sunday lunch at Tani.  Stella was at the last one we had at the old place, and she was here for the first one at the new place.  Lindsey, Freyja and Simon were also here. The omnivores had roast beef. The vegetarian and vegan had a plant based "meat" loaf that I got from Woolworths.  It tasted nice but I think I would slice it and fry it next time, rather than baking it.  I also made Yorkshire puddings for the first time in this oven.  They turned out quite well

First Sunday lunch at Tani.  Freyja is behind the camera

On Saturday, Jim and I bought a push mower for Tani.  I had thought that lawn mowing was something we wouldn't need to worry about until the autumn, but the recent rain has encouraged the grass to grow.  We don't have enough grass to warrant an electric or petrol mower, but it's too much for a pair of shears.  A push mower seemed to be the way to go.

Then Jim decided that he needed a rake. He had run the push mower over the grass but was hampered by lots of twigs and leaves.  Plus, there was all the cut grass. He's raked it over now and it's looking good.

After several cool, cloudy and wet days, yesterday was glorious.  Warm, not too hot, sunny, fairly still. Jim and I sat out on our front verandah in the early evening, making plans for our front garden. We've made  a start in the bed under the windows. We dug out the grassy plants and replanted with lavender and flowers

Now we are thinking what to replace all these agapanthus with

We know this is a rented place and we can't make major changes, but the condition report says that the front garden is stocked with plants.  It doesn't say what kind of plants!  It also says the back garden is stocked with plants.  Apart from grass, there's not a plant to be seen.  There will be though.  We are thinking of making this triangle into a little picnic area and will put some shrubs in to make it pretty

We have bought some wooden boxes made from old crates and have started filling them with herbs and little shrubs, plus we've got one ready to plant some green beans in.  They were $20 rather than the $160 the herb trug cost.  We will contact the box maker after Christmas and see if they've got any more. They make good flower and veg raised beds.

I really hope we get to stay here longer than 12 months.  I think our little garden is going to look lovely.  But most of it will be in relocatable containers, so if we do have to move the garden can mostly come with us.