around here...

Even though we have not been on "holidays" it has felt a little like it in Chez Paul.

Nic has been milking very early and joining up with us to have fun days at the beach, the Prom, doing farmy things with the kids, and we're all having a very homey holiday!

I like that.

The old, and let me say.. legendary.. plum tree at the old house (Falls Rd) is dripping in sweet little treasures.  Monty just can't help himself, and neither can his mama! I've made a few batches of preserved plums in my new (old) little beauty below... preserved in a light vanilla bean syrup.  Once the top is popped - there's about a minute to spare before they've all been gobbled up. We also did a batch of runny plum jam. It's delicious, and we all seem to not mind slurping up the extra bits that run off the toast.  

...and into the garden.... Gretta is with our box o' strawberries.  Unfortunately I planted them very close in their original clumps, mulched heavily and subsequently we've filled the slaters bellies with a lot of strawberries.  I'm waiting to spread them out when there is not as many flowers and upcoming fruit on them, but I think we'll be waiting a while.  Nevermind - we all seem to catch a strawberry or two before the little chompers get to them. And let me tell you - they're the sweetest I've tasted. Especially with a little stripey skirted treasure like this one at my side!! 

these are the teeniest tinyist little spiders - no wonder they have such an armor!

Nobody in Australia seems to know what to do with these little things above.. But I do. I've got these two cooked and in the fridge chilling.. just waiting to be scraped with a bit of homemade garlic mayonnaise.   

We've got so much fruit on the trees, growing, colouring, plumping, sweetening.

It's like anticipating a treasure. 

xx ... will put up some farmy bits on Ruby Hills Organics later... 

have a happy day.