Tuesday 31 October 2017

Prickly yet beautiful!

We have some very beautiful flowers in the backyard at present. I thought they were called Cactus Orchids but when I did a search online for them it seems they are called Orchid Cactus.



Whatever the correct name is they are really stunning flowers. The yellow orchid flowered for the first time today.




Most of the orchids we have are this one which is a really beautiful colour.





Then there is the white orchid cactus. Just as stunning in its own way. It is amazing that such prickly plants can produce so many beautiful flowers. 


We had rain recently and now the 1/2 acre is covered in weeds so much so that I can't keep up with them and the CEO has 'gone off' gardening so he is talking about using Roundup on them. However, Racheal from Birdsong Market Garden had just written an interesting article on her blog about the weed killer so I got him to read it and you might like to read it too Glyphosate, a Major Piece in the Puzzle. That was quite eye-opening!




As the batch of soap in the above photo didn't come out of the moulds very well I grated it for rebatching as I am still experimenting with different ways of rebatching.





I know it doesn't look too good but the bottoms of these soaps are really smooth as I used a teaspoon to push the soap down really hard into the moulds and then kept dipping it into a cup of hot water. Unfortunately the tops didn't come out as smooth but it will still be good soap to use. Just not exactly 'giftable' ...not that it was before rebatching anyway. I will probably give the rebatching a miss for a while and try and concentrate on making the soap look good in the first place and not be too impatient to get it out of the moulds to see what it looks like :-)





I showed you the photo of the gorgeous patchwork bag etc. I received recently from my swap partner from The Home Maker's Forum. Well she has now received my parcel and this is what I sent her. A couple of Christmas Calico Angels, a teacup biscuit cutter, a 2018 calendar of this year's Carnival of Flowers Competition gardens....




...as well as a couple of ribbons to make into Reusable Bows. A friend showed me how to make these and they are really easy and look great.

I hope everyone is keeping well and enjoying life. Have a great week!





16 comments:

  1. We were actually discussing Roundup last week. We don’t use any sprays at all however we also have a standard block too so easier to maintain. We just need to get out there pulling weeds more often. Having cows graze and then eating the meat is something which hadn’t crossed my mind actually. It certainly makes sense though. I wouldn’t want to eat it. I purchase the bulk of our meat from the Farmer’s Market or our organic shop adds my list to their order from a supplier of grass fed meat in Victoria.
    Kylie

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    1. Yes Kylie, I was surprised when I read the article on Roundup although I don't really like it being used here. Sometimes I wish we just had mostly lawn which would be easier for me to look after.

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  2. You have so many beautiful flower Chel. I've never seen those orchids before.
    I love your angels and the reusable bow.

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    1. Thanks Nil. They are certainly vibrant colours.

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  3. I don't use any commercial sprays in my garden at all, Chel. Spraying chemicals around my garden could spell disaster for my little native bees and the honeybees that visit too. I find that between the birds, ladybugs and myself we can keep pests to a minimum and we hand weed our garden and lawn - it's of a manageable size to do that. Mulching also helps keep the weeds down, those that try to get a start in the garden beds. I let the clover that springs up on the verge out front flower because it's a food source for bees too.

    Your gift is really lovely as are your flowers. My mum loves these flowers too. Meg:)

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    1. There is a lot of manure on this property so lots of weeds when it rains. I did a little weeding this morning and am trying to do 15minutes or so at a time to put a dent in the amount of work to be done.

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  4. I haven't had to educate Bluey on the use of sprays. Our neighbour sprays everything. He was telling Bluey how few bees he was seeing and how he was having to help pollinate the pumpkin flowers into fruiting. Bluey took one look at our garden which had bees and native bees happily buzzing around.
    Those cactus flowers are quite stunning. Are they a long lived flower?
    I got a new soap mould for my Birthday and plan on having another go at Tiger strip soap today.

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    1. Jane, I can't wait to see your soap! My last few batches have been flops. The flowers only last a few days unfortunately.

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  5. I'd read about recent research, proving glyphosphate is taken into the molecular structure of the plant, and when consumed, changes the molecular structure of the animal. Sadly they used animals, to get those findings (I hate animal experimentation) but it seems for profit, manufacturers of glyphosphate were happy to promote how safe it was for people.

    I can relate to Rachel's physical state, as I came to the same conclusions with my own. I think I read another research paper too, where gluten intolerance is on the rise - and it has to do with the wheat taking up the glyphosphate. So that consuming it, is akin to consuming poison. It's not the actual wheat kernel or the gluten in it, but how the plant takes up the glyphosphate, causing an immune response.

    Anyway, interesting stuff! Thanks for sharing Rachel's article. It's a shame I didn't get to chat with her at the sourdough workshop. It only dawned on me who she was, when we were packing up. I know you mentioned a Rachel, when I first arrived - but it didn't click it was Rachel from Birdsong, until it was time to go.

    Lovely flowers in your garden, and a timely article on glyphosphate.

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  6. Chris, I wonder if there would be a problem with the flour we use for making our sourdough. That's scary. I didn't realise you weren't aware of who Racheal was. You two would have a lot to discuss I am sure. She writes some interesting articles on her blog and also sells great veggies.

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    1. I've considered the flour in sourdough making, having a similar effect too. I'm sure there must be places which sell organic wheat berries, and just grind your own flour on demand. I've been considering that strategy over the years, but these newest findings, make it all the more urgent.

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  7. Wow, I try hard not to use Roundup anywhere near my veggie garden, but admit to using it out the back when we first bought our home. Nowadays, I hand weed. I remember when a salesman came round to the plant nursery I worked in, selling Roundup and he said "it is so safe you can drink it" - yeah, right. Rather scary to think about that 22 year half life; that means that in over 100 years there is still roughly 3% of what was sprayed still in the soil - what are humans doing to our planet?
    Your cactus orchids are glorious.
    Cheers Lyndie

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    1. Lyndie, it is rather concerning isn't it? I need to get stuck into the weeding seriously so my hubby doesn't get tempted to spray.

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  8. The orchid cactus flowers are beautiful Chel, I am wondering if I can grow them here. I might try and surprise those who receive gifts this year with some superbly wrapped parcels and bows. Thanks for sharing some interesting ideas. Pauline

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    1. Pauline, I would think they would grow better up there than here as they don't seem to like really cold weather. They are really easy to grow.

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  9. They are beautiful - your whole blog is beautiful!

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