You may have noticed fire cider appear at the local health food shops every autumn & winter. Yet instead of purchasing a store bought version, I urge you to make your own as it is simple and you have more control over making it to your tastes. I have been making fire cider for years now, every Autumn to boost my immune system before the cold of winter comes; though admittingly this year I have left it rather late. So today, on the eve of the autumn equinox, I gathered all the ingredients (minus horseradish as I could not find it locally) and made a quick batch. In recent years there has be ..read more

Spring has come at last to little haven with its beautiful soundtrack of birds chirping and bees buzzing around blossoms, who’s pungent scent drifts through the air with the promise of future sun-filled days ahead, with a few rainy days thrown in for good measure. After a strange, reclusive winter of being in lockdown at home, I’ve had some time to reflect and I realised it has been an entire year since I updated the blog. At first it was because last spring we were so busy with projects around the property. Then in summer the bushfires happened and our whole region was thrown into chaos. The ..read more

So it is that spring has once again returned to little haven. The mornings are still chilly with frost and the ground much too cold to plant spring or summer veg, however the scent of blossoms have started to drift in the slightly warmer air and it is no longer complete darkness when we get home each night. The ornamental pear & cherry plum trees have blossomed into life and are now abuzz with bees, which is music to our ears. Four days into the start of spring one of our little hens has laid their first ever eggs, and as first time chicken owners the level of excitement was very much ove ..read more

I love reading at any time of the year, and usually have a few books on the go at any one time. However, I find that mid-winter is the most perfect time for catching up on all those books I wanted to get to through the busier seasons and nothing is better than a hot cup of tea, sitting in front of the fire with a good book while it rains outside. When it comes to sustainability, environmental awareness and connecting with nature, despite coming from an academic background, I strongly believe that the best way to engage and connect people with these themes aren’t books that aim to scare you or ..read more

Winter has arrived at little haven and the wheel has turned once more, having crossing the threshold of the Winter Solstice. The temperature has dropped below -2 more than once (-4 scheduled for tonight brrr), and the frost in the morning has given the property a beautiful and stark appearance. The birds greet us in the morning, reminding us to throw out some seed and their little bird bath has a thick layer of ice that we need to break for them. The alpacas appear to be loving the cooler weather thanks to their thick, warm fleece. They are together in the paddock now and luckily Voodoo has c ..read more

It was a wonderful Autumn weekend, with the chill in the air warranting the lighting of the wood fire heater for the first time this year at little haven and the cooler weather made gardening outside a pleasant activity for a change, after the long summer heat. On Sunday we decided to put our home chores aside and we headed to the nearby town of Beechworth to visit the cordial factory that had been recommended to us by Tom’s parents. I admit, I do like sweet drinks, yet the idea of a cordial factory is not something I felt that excited about visiting. However, upon arrival I realised how very ..read more

We have had a slight reprieve from the heat wave, so with a milder 32 celsius forecast we decided to head towards Yarrawonga to do some op-shopping and visit the olive farm gate we had heard so much about. We picked up some interesting books at the op shop before heading out towards to Glen Rich Olive Estate. We were not sure really what to expect as it was very dry out that way but between the golden paddocks there it was, a little oasis of green and charm. We headed for the cool inside, not sure really what to expect and were delighted to find olive oil & dressings tastings, beauty prod ..read more

Summer has well and truly arrived at little haven with the bird bath proving to be very popular with the local bird life, heat waves that has seen temperatures soar to as high as 44.c, summer storms with massive downpours, and the paddocks looking so bare it is hard to believe they will ever return to their previous green, flourishing state. (But they do and they will). (Now that the leaking pipe has been fixed hopefully the agapanthas recover as well!) Luckily around the house its still quite green thanks, in part, to the shade of large trees. The alpacas are clearly thankful their fleece has ..read more

Calendula salve is the first salve I ever made so I can attest to how beginner friendly it is & how useful it is to have around the house. It soothes sunburns, dry/itchy skin and is anti-fungal. I was astounded by the prices of calendula salve online & in retail shops, so if it is something you use I really encourage you to make your own as not only will it save you money, the feeling of having created your own product and knowing the origin of each ingredient is well worth it. So first, make sure to check out my post about making calendula oil as that is the essential first step. Once ..read more

The weather has warmed considerably and the paddocks are starting to turn golden, so it was time for our 4 alpacas to be sheared so they would be much more comfortable throughout summer. As new alpaca owners we called a professional to do the job, and at 8am Rob & his lovely wife Pat arrived to give them the much needed haircut. It could have been done much quicker, but it was so wonderful to see him caring for their welfare and ensuring they didn’t get too stressed out. We all pitched in helping steady them on the ground and they had a blindfold to ensure they were as calm as possible. We ..read more