Good things – Inside and out!

Outside

I am so excited that the new vegie beds are starting to look and feel like ‘real’ growing and production sources. When our children were little I managed to grow most of our food in our own patch, but that all changed as I returned to outside work and kept upping the hours I was not at home, consequently not able to tend to such a commitment. It has been quite a few years since I had the pleasure of reaping most of our food from my own garden and I must admit I’ve missed it more than I can say. I find myself getting so excited because my corn seed is pushing its little green poles through the soils surface,

there are tiny little swellings at the base of the radishes that I know will end up in our salad in a couple of weeks.

Beans are shooting (hopefully this 2nd round won’t suffer the same fate as the first which were eaten by earwigs), Tomatoes are flowering, strawberries are being eaten

and garlic is getting close to being ready to harvest. I can already see the lettuce in my lunchbox and those cucumbers in a Greek style dip. I just love it! Dinner last night was pasta with salsa verde made from Annabel Langbein’s recipe. My parsley, garlic, lemons, egg and combined with a few staples of mustard, olive oil, capers, pine nuts and fish sauce made a great pasta sauce. I roasted  some  cherry tomatoes and mushrooms it was  a gratifying and delicious meal to prepare and eat.

The grass seed that was sown last week is sprouting and looks like it will do OK, the birch trees we planted don’t seem to have stressed too much and because we have had just the right mix of rain and sun, all the topsoil used to level out and lift the back yard  has settled really well.

Inside

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have huge problems selecting the right colour when painting. When I select sample colours from the hardware/paint shop it usually looks nothing like my expectations once it hits the wall. I had a particular colour in my head for the bedroom and because I have difficulty expressing what my ideas are it has been quite a hit and miss process. I wanted a sort of duck egg blue, but not too blue, not too green and not too dense. A colour that was fresh and light and that I would love whenever I wake up  and see it in the morning or when the dimmed light is on at night. I must admit I must have moved forward over the years because I never used to understand that light effected the appearance and I would ‘crack a wobbly’ if outcome of sample wasn’t exactly as I had anticipated. I now understand (much to my husband’s relief!) you just need to find the right colour, and I lightly sigh and continue the search. Because this ‘new old house’ is so dark we need to make the most of every bit of natural light that we can. As chance would have it, I had a colour consultant call in last night who was going to go and think about it and get back to us. Anxious to get the project moving I went to my favourite paint shop in Moe and the assistant just happened to suggest a Taubman’s paint colour called  ‘Rain Cloud’. I immediately knew we were in the right territory and bought a sample pot to try. Bingo! We were both very happy with the sample so I went back and bought 10 litres of half strength Rain Cloud. We spent the afternoon with Mr ATMT painting the ceiling and with me starting the filling, sanding and repairing of the old red cedar skirting boards we removed and will be reusing.

With the final ceiling coat of paint done and 2 coats of Rain Cloud on the walls we can see direction and are very happy with the results.

 Very excited to see what the outcome of this room will be as I am certain I have the exact picture in my head of the end result,  but as all my family have frequently experienced, it is quite likely I will say in true ‘Little Britain style’, “that’s not what I expected. I don’t like it!” Lucky Mr ATMT is a VERY patient man.

Dinner tonight, leftovers? Not quite!

With a sizeable amount of the salsa verde left over from last nights pasta, I thought using it as a topping on chicken with a parmesan crumb might be nice. Freshly picked potatoes,

cooked then added to pan to brown off, some beans and carrots and a grilled tomato on the side. Lightly grilled chicken spread with some salsa verde and I made a breadcrumb and parmesan topping. Under the griller for a few minutes and it was very, very nice.

Bit worried there might be expectations to keep these lovely meals coming. Will just keep Annabel close to hand!