My humble apologies for not doing regular Rambles for the last few months but you can rest assured I have not been idle behind the scenes.
I am a senior as you all know and although I am healthy I cannot do as I used to so have enforced a rigid rule where the dogs and I have a Nanny nap everyday. It seems to be working as I can do most things before said Nanny nap and then use the late afternoon for pottering around and catching up on little jobs in the garden.
As you all know I am a one man band in my business and in my house and garden but I am also a bit OCD or whatever can do must do is. I have had to stop doing lists as if it is on the list it must get done so now the list is in my head only and I just reshuffle it as needed. It is amazing how empowering this is as I am achieving so much more using this method.
I have not done a regular monthly market this year just fairs and shows and that also has been good for me. I mostly am doing fairs inside halls as putting up my extra strong gazebo was not an enjoyable experience and there is not always a willing helping hand around when you need one.
Well that is enough about me so now Business News. I have been very busy keeping up with product making to keep the stock on hand ready for filling and packing orders so that they are sent out as early as possible. This month saw 2 new scents in soaps released Patchouli and Ylang Ylang as well as the old favourite Nag Champa both are a lovely scent and I am sure you will like them. Also have some another new one curing but more about it when the time comes to release. I am researching a few new things when I have time to sit at the computer so stay tuned and you will hear all about them eventually.
We have had very little rain but I am lucky that I still have tank water for the garden. I had another downpipe converted to run into the patio tanks so when they are full I pump water from them and the house tank up to the big tank on the shed as it takes a lot of rain to fill that one up. So far it is working but looking at all the farm dams around and the lack of rain things are only going to get worse. I had some beautiful Dahlia flowers during autumn and have since dug them up and planted Blue Corn flowers in those beds. These were a swap as I had excess sweet potatoes and mushrooms to swap with my neighbour. She gave me Cornflowers and some herbs Coriander and parsley as well as some Chinese greens. Love doing swaps. The mushrooms came about from me getting 10 bags of Mushroom Compost straight from a Mushroom farm as I watered the bags and covered them to see if any mushrooms would come up. Lo and behold weeks later I am still harvesting off 7 of the bags and have had around 25 kgs from the seven bags. The other 3 bags I have dug into garden beds and get an odd mushroom pop up. The bags have paid for themselves 3 times over and all the neighbours have been helping me use them.
Mac the Pomeranian is now going one day a week to doggy playgroup and is having a ball. I drop him off at 8am and pick him up at 3. I had been thinking of taking him for socialising for quite awhile but never did anything about it until now. We have new neighbours and they have 2 large Alsatians that bark at anything that moves. Even the screen door sets them off. Mac is also a barker and loves to get out the front and see then bark as well so he has been confined to barracks for a few weeks with pee breaks out the back on a lead, of course this is not good so a day in doggy playgroup seemed like a good idea and thank god they separate the big dogs out from the littlies and have lots of sandpits, slippery dips, toys, tunnels and swingy things to keep even the most fastidious dog happy. Mac is exhausted when he comes home which is a good thing as he is quiet.
Megs is not well as she has been diagnosed with kidney disease. She was that sick a few weeks ago that I was contemplating the big decision of helping her over the rainbow bridge however on the day I was going to she started to eat from my hand and has improved enough that she is having 5 meals a day.
She does not gain any weight but as long as she appears to be hungry and not in any pain I will feed her what ever she will eat.
Well that is all for now so hope all is well in your part of the world and remember be kind to each other.
Blessings