Jam making season

Hello to every one!

We are living very busy lives here and never have time to do the things we truly love!

But today if I can I would like to share a little of what we did.

We have berries growing at the back of our garden and so today I made mixed berries jam and it was a wonderful thing to do.

We do not eat lots of jam but it is always fun to add to the pantry and enjoy on scones with fresh cream.

Here are the steps I took in photos!

My kitchen bench!

weighing the fruit!


making a small batch at a time!


starting the cooking!


Testing if it is set!


Ready for the jars!

Filling the hot jars.

This is Our Sunday!

Yes this is the season!

This photo was from our first years event and this year is our third event and they are bigger!
but I would never say better because the effort everyone puts in is amazing!

And this year the season of joy has been filled with such wonderful moments that I wish such wonders to all!

Santa found the time to visit Kyneton three times this year and yesterday he saw over 300 children and mums and dads.

Santa's cave was filled with "Wonder and Joy" as they came in, The smiles on their faces and the many parents who found just little bit of the child in themselves was a wonder in itself to see.

Santa spent lots of time with each child and then the elf scribe would check the naughty and nice list for their names, The elves were all busy making wooden toys and the fairy was busy too reading wonderful Christmas stories to children who sat with their eye open wide with amazement.

There was the wonder of the elf decorating our big tree going up and down a ladder as fast as elves do! then there was mother Christmas who insisted on taking the photos "O! so just right" for parents and children to take home with them to remember this special day.

Why! some of the children were even lucky enough to hear the reindeer's waiting on the roof in their very magic way! but they didn't fool the children who would say YES! they could hear them.............There were many elves and miss elves and fairies and all the other helpers of course dressed in red who came to help the children have a wonderful day......I even saw the "Queen of hearts" Yes I am sure I did! she came through with a tray of cookies for the children to try!

Yes smiles of joy were in every corner of "Santa's cave!"

I would love to share a few photos with you my dear blogger friends and will add New ones from this year later.

O! AND!

This was our charity stocking and we sold tickets to raise money to help those children in our district who needed a little bit of help. the nice thing about this years winners (were announced last night at our Christmas party) is that they were going to give all the pieces in this HUGE stocking to their Church's charity Christmas appeal so we are very pleased.

But as Santa takes a day of rest here today AND I am sure the elves are still busy filling his big red bag!

I wish you all the joy of this season and may all your hopes and dreams come true in the new year!

This is my day!!

What not another birthday!!

Yes ok! it is my birthday today!

Great breakfast out with husband!

Great look around a food festival!

Great gifts of organic soaps!

great phone calls from family!

and now a great dinner cooked by my husband!

Yes a great day to be "whispering!!!!!!" 59 years old.

This is my Sunday 20th Nov 2011

We love Genealogy!

Putting meat on the bones!

That is what my husband Rob calls it!

It is so wonderful to find something interesting out about a family member from long ago and learn just a little more to add to your family tree!

I know it has been said before but asking the oldest members of our families about anything they remember is so! SO! important.

But just lately I have enjoyed finding families that are part of pieces of history We have that may be unknown to them before today!

Like this piece!! about a month or two back I went for the annual "Woman in our family!" get together and this year it was in Tasmania......looking around the antique stores I found this beautiful remembrance card.

Myrtle Olive Carrie Commons became so real to me and as I hunted down her family I started to wonder what her short little life must have been like. Similar I am sure to those who in my own family back in the 1800's had their lives cut short for many reasons we now would not understand if it happened today.

Well I have found Myrtles family and they now have the copy of this beautiful card and she is once again back with her family and on a family tree that belongs to her and is part of her life and line.

It felt so good connecting them Myrtle and her family together again.

My day is always full of wonder!

If you want something badly enough it will happen!!
this is part of my Saturday!

It is the season for change!

Yes it is time to change my large sideboard in my little kitchen to this lovely Johnson brothers friendly village design.

It is my favourite pattern and it goes so well with the season of joy and hope!

When we moved here from a huge 65 square home to this little vintage miners cottage that is lucky to be 10 squares I isisted that I must keep my sideboard that is made from vintage pine and redgum and is so beautiful.

So here it is the start to a season that brings much joy to my heart.

May this day be yours! as well as mine!

This is My Thursday!

Hello everyone!

Today I remember a great grandfather I never knew!

William Hamilton

1866 - 1915

who lies at the bottom of the sea going down with his battle ship along with many others

in the Dardanelles campaign during world war one.

Leaving behind a young wife and four small children.

Lovely to touch this! my little place to blog! again!

damaged myself "Again!"

I am the worst for cutting myself..........no not intentional but one would think so.

Here is the latest happening about two weeks ago my husbands lodge was having a funeral in their hall and us ladies were doing the wake.

I got there very early in the morning and was rushing about making lovely scones to have halved and topped with jam and cream and made sponges the night before to cut open and use that day.....

Well the scones went well and instead of stopping for just a moment while I waited for others to arrive to help and make myself a cuppa......I decided to rush over to the cupboard and grab a very sharp knife to cut open the sponges and as I put my hand in the box remembering and reading all the signs "sharp knives" be careful I slowed down a bit to get the right knife and took it out of the cupboard and as I turned the handle of the knife got court in the hing side of the door and as it jammed in there My hand slid down the knife blade and yes!! I almost cut off my little finger!!

I looked down to see the blood going in all directions and yelled for the men to help me so what do they do they are all rushing to find a band aid to put on it, I said nope!! bit worse then that and one of them almost fainted while rob gets the car and takes me to the doctors.....now I feel like fainting. An hour later and 12 stitches I am back there in a supervisory roll only until the funeral is over then I collapsed and needed a good strong cup of tea!!!

The stitches are out but I nicked my tendon and cut all the nerves and have very little feeling in most of my finger so now I may have to have an operation to repair that why will know in a few weeks.

This is just a moment in my week my friends! but it could have changed my life for sure.

Hugs to you all on this very wet cold and windy night in Victoria Australia