organic gardening

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours at a friends house looking at her amazing garden, using all natural compost and mulch for beds. So inspiring, wire cages lined with card and filled with grass cuttings, veg waste and chippings to create rich environments for plants to grow -truly fab and almost free way of making your own compost. The veg plants were thriving and I came home with a car full of roses, iris, leeks, herbs, wild strawberries, vines and many more wonderful gifts. We have planned our next step and will build more large tubs and fill with natural waste, as it rots we top it up and plant straight into the planter in the autumn. To say it was better than Christmas would be very true and the morning was rounded off with a glass of local wine and some smoked salmon. Pure bliss. This morning off to the market in Poggibonsi with my old baby buggy to snap up some cheap veg for preserving and pasta sauces. A very good friend is going to give me the low down on the best buys and the local cheeses etc, as I haven't had the time to really get to grips with all the different types of pecorino yet - only been here 2 years, pathetic time management!!!!!

homeschool today

I have often wondered about homeschooling and would love to be able to learn with my kids everyday but I simply do not have the skills or time away from my work - sadly. Also as we live in Italy it is so important for my children to be learning the language with other local children around them. Today things are different though, today we have the normal Sept sicknesses, T has an ear infection and A a banging headache and temperature, so today we will be at home, reading, curling up and listening to classic old stories on my ipod. I feel some Christmas planning may also be on the list, I love this time leading up to the festive season, so comforting. Of course in between this lovely homeliness I need to put in a good 5 hours work and make beds for grandparents who fly in tonight. Most interesting though is buying enough food for 6 of us for 1 week on 20 Euro, which is all I have until my new cashcard arrives!!!! Looks like I will be rummaging on the veg patch and loitering at the market.