Our very mild winter is drawing to an end, and I see hints of spring everywhere in the garden.  We’ve had lingering coughs and colds this winter, so it hasn’t been much fun in that way!

I got some new tshirts (from the op shop!) and a haircut though, which cheered some winter blues away.  Yes, it’s been warm enough quite often to wear a tshirt this winter!

AT HOME: The renovations have returned to go-slow mode as every weekend seemed filled with outings, illness, or must-fix jobs on the farm…  The girls don’t seem to mind about how slow their room’s progressing - they do have the master bedroom right now after all!

I started with some decluttering with a bit of early Spring Cleaning in mind, but the mess seems to pile up behind me!  I have a big to-do list for August, so that’s helping, somewhat.

AT WORK: I’m still writing for my blog and magazine commitments, though struggle with inspiration at times…  Sometimes when I’m so immersed doing the things I love, it’s hard to reflect on them later.

Spiral Garden has lots of new stock, and a few new customers too!  I’m always discovering, learning and creating - my business is a blessing to our lives. I’m not so sure about tax time yet though - one of the less exciting parts of running a business.

ON THE FARM: We had lots of WWOOFers until the end of June, then everyone was so sick that we’ve taken a break.

There’s lots growing in the garden - juicy strawberries, plenty of greens, a few late pumpkins, some delicious new potatoes and more.  Spring promises to be a time of even more abundant harvests too!

We had some bee hives delivered in July.  There’s loads of bees on the pigeon peas, the early macadamia flowers, the pumpkin vines and every flower on the farm and in the forest!  We’re really excited about seeing the process (someone else is doing the work, we’re just watching, and tasting!)

Lots of baby chicks hatched recently and they’re very cute to watch across the lawn, following their mothers and learning to scratch, find food and stay safe.

Sadly, some of our guinea pigs have died in the cold weather.  They had extra shelter, more hay and cosy nests but some seem to have been excluded or something, and were chilled overnight, then died the next day.  It was very sad.

The horses have begun to stand under their shelter occasionally.  They’re being joined by a cow and calf by the end of the month, which will be another steep learning curve and very exciting!

HOME ED.: Tap dancing and Snow White are coming along nicely.  Fortnightly art or cooking classes and trips to the library have been really popular.

Our outings with the home ed group have been lots of fun, with a trip to Dragonglass being the most appreciated so far this term.

Otherwise, life goes on as normal here - everyone growing, changing, doing, playing, being and hopefully smiling! I hope you’re smiling too!