goodbye 2011

good bye 2011 you have had your ups and downs. May 2012 be filled with good times, and happiness for all.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!
see ya

The blessed quiet

Well Christmas is over for another year, presses have exchanged and lots of food and drink has been consumed.
This is the quiet after the storm and I relish it!
I hope you all got spilt and that Santa was extra special for you. As for me, spending time with family and friends was wonderful and I was a good girl and did not over indulge.
Now what to do for new years, I just want to stay home but we have been invited to a friends place so we shall see how we feel.
See ya

An Aussie Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Night Before Christmas in Aussie land

'Twas the night before Christmas; there wasn't a sound.
...
Not a possum was stirring; no-one was around.
We'd left on the table some tucker and beer,

Hoping that Santa Claus soon would be here;

We children were snuggled up safe in our beds,

While dreams of pavlova danced 'round in our heads;
And Mum in her nightie, and Dad in his shorts,

Had just settled down to watch TV sports.

When outside the house a mad ruckus arose;

Loud squeaking and banging woke us from our doze.

We ran to the screen door, peeked cautiously out,

Snuck onto the deck, then let out a shout.

Guess what had woken us up from our snooze,

But a rusty old Ute pulled by eight mighty kangaroos.

The cheerful man driving was giggling with glee,

And we both knew at once who this plump bloke must be.

Now, I'm telling the truth it's all dinki-di,

Those eight kangaroos fairly soared through the sky.
Santa leaned out the window to pull at the reins,

And encouraged the 'roos, by calling their names.

'Now, Kylie! Now, Kirsty! Now, Shazza and Shane!

On Kipper! On, Skipper! On, Bazza and Wayne!

Park up on that water tank. Grab a quick drink,

I'll scoot down the gum tree. Be back in a wink!'

So up to the tank those eight kangaroos flew,

With the Ute full of toys, and Santa Claus too.

He slid down the gum tree and jumped to the ground,

Then in through the window he sprang with a bound.

He had bright sunburned cheeks and a milky white beard.

A jolly old joker was how he appeared.

He wore red stubby shorts and old thongs on his feet,

And a hat of deep crimson as shade from the heat.

His eyes - bright as opals - Oh! How they twinkled!

And, like a goanna, his skin was quite wrinkled!

His shirt was stretched over a round bulging belly

Which shook when he moved, like a plate full of jelly.

A fat stack of prezzies he flung from his back,

And he looked like a swaggie unfastening his pack.

He spoke not a word, but bent down on one knee,

To position our goodies beneath the yule tree.

Surfboard and footy-ball shapes for us two.

And for Dad, tongs to use on the new barbeque.

A mysterious package he left for our Mum,

Then he turned and he winked and he held up his thumb;

He strolled out on deck and his 'roos came on cue;

Flung his sack in the back and prepared to shoot through.

He bellowed out loud as they swooped past the gates-

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, and goodonya, MATES

Christmas eve

Well it's Christmas eve here and I just wanted to say a merry Christmas to all my friends in blog land. Enjoy yor time with family and friends and stay safe.
May Santa bring you all you want.
Have a great Christmas
See you

Summer Solstice

Wishing everyone in the southern hemisphere a happy summer solstice!
and to all our friends in the north, a blessed Yule!

Christmas is coming

since the kids are no longe here and having bad news I was not feeling that christmas feeling. So I decided to get some. I used to love watching this as a kid.
enjoy!

talking solar 2

more questions were asked.
There are no batterys as it is not a stand alone. we are connected to the grid. so all the power I produce that isnt used by us get fed into the national grid. and if I need more power than I am producing I draw it from the grid.
The system cost us $15,000.00 after government rebates. We saved the money and have no borrowing costs.
Once again, free energy isnt the main reason we did this, we did this because we care about the enviroment.
If your only motivation is money then you need to do the math. how long it takes for you to get the money back depends on your energy useage and how much you get charged for it. Also how much the energy company will pay you for the energy you put int the grid.
Our provider pays us 66cents a kilowatt for the energy we put into the grid, we pay 21 cents a kilowatt for the energy we use.
So we try and not use alot of power while the sun is shining and once the sun goes down we turn on the washing machine and dishwasher. that way we will be 40cents per kilowatt better off.
The solar panels have a life of around 20 years, so I think then you have to replace them.
I hope this has answered your questions.

Talking solar

Just thought Id answer some of the questions from the previous post. There really isnt any maintenance needed for the solar panels except for getting up there and giving them a wash every now and again.
As for paying for itself, I dont understand the question really. Everytime you get a bill for the power do get anything back for it? If I buy a new car, or a television do I expect the appliance to pay for itself. so why is it that people always ask this question when you buy a green option?
I have saved my money and purchased the solar panels because yes my power bills will be lower but thats not the primary reason.
I have purchased the solar panels because I feel its an investment in my childrens future and in the future of the planet.
It took me a long time to save the money as I was buying green power anyway, and for some reason that is more expensive than the coal fired stuff we produce.
So yes my power bills will be lower and Im sure if I do the sums I will recoup some of the money in a few years time but it was never my primary reason. after all I have spent thousands over the years with the energy companies and I never really expected anything back but my power so why should that change.
Only now I get some of my power from the sun and if I dont use all I get I sell it to the power company so they can then sell it to someone else, who for whatever reason cannot get  the panels but like me would like to do their bit for the planet and buy green energy.

first power bill

We got our first power bill since the complete solare power and new meter box has gone in. Our average bill here was $300.00 a month, including the shed were we run our business from.
This month the total bill was $30.00. Very excited, Im hopeing to keep it as low as this and maybe even lower.
Will keep you updated, although once the heat gets here, it may go up again as I will run the aircon. Theres being frugal and then there is being silly and in pain.
Hope your all having a great weekend.
see ya

Apple slice

I got the receipe for this apple slice from http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/
The apples came from my freezer, I had stewed them and had them frozen from the bag I got from my MIL earlier this year.
There was no sugar in the apples and I only put the sugar in the dough, but none on top. So it wasnt very sweet. But I liked it like that as I am watching what I eat without acually dieting.
Hubby likes his sweeter so tonight Ill make him some custard to go with it.
it was easy, quick and fun to make. So Ill be making some more soon.
give it a go!
see ya

todays harvest

Ok dont know why blogger doubled up on the photos, buy hey here they are!
cucumbers in the fron, zuccinins in the middle and the tops of the beetroot in the back. I will lightly cook the beetroot leaves and then toss some olive oil and vinigar through them for a nice salad.
The tomatoes have heaps of fruit but because the temps have been low they are not ripening. I have been bringing them in when they turn orange and let them ripen in here.
it really feels like autumn here, not summer and I wonder if I will get alot from the garden. But they are growing well so the heat will have to hit eventually and then it will be all stations on deck to deal with the glutt, I hope.
I am hoping the weather is better in your part of the world, and that your harvest will be plentiful.
see ya

Teddy's first haircut

Here is Teddy being held by wonderson. My wonderful SIL has recently qualified as a dog groomer and has set up a doggie salon at home. I took Teddy to visit his aunty and get a bit of a clean up. I didnt want him shaved or anything drastic. But I did need his face cleaned up as Im sure he couldnt see a thing. Also he was a bit smelly as he is too big for the laundry trough. So she cleaned up his face and his private parts and trimmed his toe nails and clipped the excess fur from his feet. She shampooed and blow dried him and he looked wonderful.
This happened yesterday and he still smells lovely and his coat is fluffy.
The bonus is you can now see his eyes and face!
He wasnt too sure about the clippers, sissors or blow dryer but aunty said he was a good boy and it will get better with every visit.
makes a mummy proud!
see ya

luna no show

well I stayed up to see the moon, unfortunately mother nature had different ideas. She decided that we would miss the whole show. Massive cloud cover and thunderstorms denied us a lookin.
I saw some on the live newsfeed, but I was just too tired to stay up and see it all. Knowing there would be photos on the net. So here is one I didnt take just pinched from the web.
I hope you had a better view than I did, the next total eclipse of the moon is in 2014 so hopefully the weather is better then.
see ya

A new toy

This is our new smoker, we bought it from aldi today. Hubby is having fun looking at receipes and all the different things he can cook in it.
we have a pork roast in at the moment, with hickory,apple,cherry and mesquite wood chips in. We got the woodchips from bunnings, but I will keep my cuttings from my own apple and cherry trees in the future. So it will be even cheaper!
will let you know how it turns out.
dont forget the total luner eclipse tonight. it starts around 11.30pm and will go for a while. Everyone in australia should be able to see it, and for others Im sure if you google the net you will find the map that tells you were you can see it. I saw it yesterday but I dont remember where. sorry if I find it I will post a link.
have a great weekend everyone.
see ya

Not good news

today Leanne, her step mum Bec and I were at the oncologist to get the results of her blood test. Unfortunetly it was not good news. Her count was way up and we have now to go  and get her scans done.
Please pray to whoever  you believe in. we need all the help we can get. She is devastated. I dont know how much more she can cope with.
thank you

An Award

Maas Journal has very kindly givin me this award.
So now I have to pass it on to 5 others, who have less than 200 followers.

♥ Cottage Tails ♥ A blog about the goings on of a normal family homeschooling and living the simple life

grannysgarden  a wonderful lady who is teaching me how to be the best granny ever

Greening the rose another great aussie blog

 Simply Self Sufficiency a blog with lots of great ideas to make your dollar go further.

Sandie's Patch a very crafty lady who loves to garden as well.

Ok heres my 5 so pop on over and tell them I sent you.
see ya

My cat after a visit to the beauty parlor

He is not a happy camper, and he definately will not speak to me. But its his own fault. if hed let me brush him he would not get so knoted that he can hardly walk.
right now he is by the fire, its cold today and with his fur coat gone we would be feeling it, so we have lighted the fire for him.
hell get over it and talk to me soon, he always does.
see ya

Oh Christmas tree

 This years Chrissy tree, I love the smell of a real tree. We have been buying our trees from the same place for 23 years.

 All the pressies around the tree, still have some to get. I have absolutely no idea what to get hubby. He has everything he needs. Its doing my head in this year.

 A shot of the tree at night. doesnt do it justice really.

bet you didnt know that giant snowmen came to see the baby jesus when he was born did you.

Zucchini Galor

 Lots of Zucchinis from the garden so I baked lots today. First zucchini slice for tea tonight.

Zucchini Brownies.

and Savoury Cheese, bacon and zucchini muffins. Still have zucchinis to go so I will cook some up with a cabbage I got gifted and freeze it for use in casseroles.
If anyone has a fav receipe for zucchini please share it with me. all these receipes were from the internet.
see ya

Summer

well its the first day of summer and all I can say it what the!
It rained all night long and it cold. the temp today is only going to be 19 degrees celcius/66.2 fahrenheit. Its overcast and cloudy and feels nothing like summer at all.
The only good thing is it might mean a late summer start could mean a late summer finished so I may be able to get a second crop of summer vegies.
Gotta look on the bright side I say.
It also means christmas if fast approaching. Luckily Im almost finished the chrissy shopping with only little things to get.
I hope the start of summer is better for you than it is here, but I still reserve the right to complain about the heat once it gets here.
see ya