I just love the weather we have been having here in South Africa, the hottest days and then a generous down pour in the late afternoon… Our garden is looking quite lush and green especially after our cold dry winter…
This is where our seven precious girls (laying hens) live, a while ago we built them a wooden house to live in with laying boxes and perches, they love it, I will blog more about them later in the week…
Richard and Kye high up in our White Stinkwood Tree…
After many months of waiting for our grapes to mature in their wine vats, our wine is finally ready and we have bottled it. It is such a lovely tradition, every year when our grapes on our vine are juicy and ready, our family gets together and we harvest and make our own wine. You can see here for this years harvest. Our children as well as ourselves have learned so much from this experience. This year we added a dry yeast to develop a dry wine…
We are in full swing as far as our One Small Change is going. Yestarday we bought more lamps as we found we didn’t quite have enough, they are really inexpensive and give us so much wonderful glowing light. Erin was helping me to fill them with citronella oil and replace some of the wicks. All lights were out last night, not even our outside lights were on, it felt really magical and cozy. We all sat in the lounge together after we had eaten our lamp and candle lit dinner and I read a story to everyone before bed…
I have been working on Terrance Toucan…
By the way, have you ever tried knitting by lamp light, it is really a wonderful and calming experience I think we will continue to use our lamps long after this month is over…
May you all have a wonderful week…
I love your lamp idea. We should get some oil lamps–although they aren’t cheap here.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for visiting, I have just worked out the conversion from South African Rands to dollars and here the lamps cost us R 20.00 which is $ 2.60, I was amazed at the price when I went to buy them:)
Warmly
Linda
Wow, that is a fantastic price for lamps! I would love it if we could find some here for that price. They look so beautiful. Knitting by lamplight sounds good to me. Your garden looks so green and lush, and I’m jealous that you make your own wine! How cool! Have a wonderful week, Linda!
Hi Joy,
Thanks so much for stopping by:) I know, I was really amazed by that low price. You have a great week too:)
Warmly
Linda
How fun to make your own wine. We have quite a few oil lamps too, my grandparents were antique dealers and gave us some for when the power goes out. The girls love it and we should do this more often as well.
Your garden is gorgeous! It is very cold and snowy here right now, thanks for the warm up photos!
lisa
Is the wine good? I would love to make my own wine. It is fun to see the contrast of your weather to ours, it has been snowing for days and very cold here.
Oh, you. Living in the Garden of Eden – and sending out these postcards to comfort those of us smothering in the bleak whites-to-gray of mid-winter. That lamps should cost so little! How wonderful. I have a few candle lanterns that are quite romantic, but hardly fit for knitting by (at least, not for long if you prize your sight). The green was good on my snowed in winter mountain mind.
Linda I would love to hear all about the chickens. My husband wants to put them in our backyard. I am holding out for buying a farm. I am mostly worried about a lawn full of chicken poop that the kids can’t play in.
Hi Linda, Your yard is beautiful. I will have to get some oil lamps it looks really fun and cozy especially in the evenings. How do you make your own wine?
Stefanie
Hello Lisa
Thanks for your lovely comments:) The oil lamps from your grandparents must be beautiful…
Warmly
Linda
Hello Lisa Anne
The wine is good, last year when we made wine, we used a semi sweet yeast and we made really sweet desert wine, but this year we used a dry yeast, harvested the grapes earlier and it has turned out quite well, not sweet at all. It really is fun to make wine, to tread the grapes like they did in the old days before they had wine presses…
Stay warm,
Warmly
Linda
Your garden is so green and lush … it feels tropical from here. I would love to try knitting by lamplight. It does sound relaxing.
your pictures are so enchanting, linda! i love them. it is so lush and gorgeous where you live.
i absolutely love that you are using oil lamps….and knitting by lamp light, adding that much more magic to your special creations. 😉
The photos of your yard are just beautiful! I am so glad you enjoyed a cozy and magical night by candle light..I still just love this idea!
Suzy
It is so nice to see all of the sunny, green, flowering loveliness outside your home, while we are here surrounded by snow.
You must have some happy hens! What a beautiful home they have. I can’t wait to see more.
And I so so so love your lantern project! Our girls would love it. They wish we drove a horse drawn wagon rather than a car!
What an amazing space you all have created, just looks so peaceful and warm.
I have been looking around the thrift stores for oil lamps, and I really want to join you in making a similar change. Just seems like a beautiful way to save energy
Hello K
It is always lovely to hear from you:) I do love the lamps, last night my hubby and I went and sat in my work room, I knitted and he read, it was all by lamp light and it really did feel magical…
Keep warm…
Warmly
Linda
Hello Stefanie,
Thanks for your kind comments:) To make wine, we bought a wine making kit and some wine vats. First we harvest the grapes and then we walk them to get the juice out, everything including skins from the grapes is placed in a vat and over the next few days, we add yeasts and a few other things. Then we remove all the skins as they all float to the top. After a few weeks we rack the wine (pour it into another vat) and add sugar. This then sits in the vat with an air seal and after a few more weeks we add more sugar. After quite a few months, we test the wine, the fermentation has now taken place and the wine is ready to be bottled… It really is wonderful to do:)
Warmly
Linda
Hello Heather,
It is a wonderful change and we are really enjoying it. It would be lovely for you to join us with the lamps for light. Maby you would be able to find these lamps at camping stores and outdoor stores… Thank you for visiting…
Warmly
Linda
Hello Renee
Thank you so much for your kind comments:) I think my girls would also love to drive around in a horse drawn wagon too 🙂
Warmly
Linda
I think that’s very cool that you make your own wine! Your garden looks lovely.
My goodness! Is there nothing your family can’t do?!?! How lovely to make your own wine. DH’s extended family does it and it’s such a wonderful tradition! Enjoy it and enjoy the magic of candlelight my friend!