Storing your hand made soap.

I'm feeling guilty as I haven't blogged forever. My health had been suffering due to TMJ joint problems causing chronic headaches. I gave up and had surgery in early May which has a very long recovery time. It's worked very well so far and I can't wait until the recovery process is over (6 months was the time frame I was given). I'm feeling better than I have in years.

Anyway I thought I might as well answer some of the most common questions I get asked at markets in some of my blog posts.

One is "How do I get my soap to last the longest?"

In use the simple answer is to store it on a draining soap dish so it's not sitting in a pool of water. If it's sitting in water then if will soften and dissolve over time.
Many of the modern sinks don't actually have a good spot for this. So buying an inexpensive draining soap dish is a good idea.

Something like this works well.

Another thing is if you use your soap in the shower to make sure it doesn't sit under the shower spray when not in use. Depending on your shower you may be better storing it out of the shower anyway. Some showers stay quite humid and the soap doesn't dry out between use. I find this is particularly a problem in hot weather.

If you buy multiple bars then the ideal spot to store them is somewhere cool, dark and dry. So all those soaps being used to scent underwear drawers and linen closets are in the perfect spot.

Why cool, dark and dry? The scent and colours will last longer. Heat causes fragrances to evaporate. Many colours are light sensitive and fade over time. Also like the oils they are made from soap can oxidise. Especially if the soap has lots of short shelf life oils like canola, soy or hemp. Light, heat and moisture can accelerate this process. How do you know if your soap is oxidised? It will smell off and may develop soft orange spots. I'd suggest if you find soap like this you throw it out. I tend to avoid using these oils in the soap as I make I prefer to use longer lasting oils like olive oil and coconut oil.

The soap that has been used to scent a cupboard and faded pull it out to use. It will be very dry and last for ages in use. It's quite likely the once you start using it and wash off the outer layer that there will be some scent left in the centre.

Remember that myself and any other soap makers would love to make you more. After all a cup of coffee costs around $3.50 - 4.50 and is gone in 15 minutes. A bar of $6 soap can give a month or more of pleasure.

Nightjar Market 2012

I decided to try something new this year and went along to the Twilight market that is held in Torquay in January on Thursday nights, the Nightjar market.

There were lots of food vendors to choose from for tea, including perennial favourites such as hot, potatoes, BBQ sausages to Nepalese vegetarian and the coolest looking cones of calamari and traditional lemonade. And a licensed area for the adults to enjoy a quiet drink or to as well.

Lots of live music and street performers were around. The street artist playing with flames was a particular hit with the kids. There are some more of the night shots on Nightjars facebook page. I was busy at my stall them and unable to get away to take photos.

As usual there were quite a few resellers of handmade imported goods.

But amongst the stall holders we had a decent number of locally talented people to. A few that caught my eye included these cute little owls made out of kimono fabric by Sonia at sohsoh she had cute dolls and adorable handmade little birds on twigs as well.

Grant from Jungle Rain was beside me for all 4 nights and I was kept entertained by the antics of the teenagers trying out the extra hot chilli sauces he had. He grows the chillis and makes the sauces all himself as well. His very adorable little kids were well behaved to.

Andrea from Antigone.K had some very fun affordable handmade jewellery made from jigsaw puzzle pieces that she hand decorates.

Michelle from Unmatched candles was there with her all her soy candles in vintage teacups and glassware along with the more modern jars. Michelle provides refills to her customers to so they can keep on using their favourites. She didn't have her dinner plate clocks along as it was just too windy at the site.

Then of course I with Alchemist's Grove's handmade natural soaps as well. I had a lot of fun and will probably do at least one of these markets again next year.

Pepper Joins the Family

Last week I spotted a sign free rabbit and hutch. Well we'd been thinking of getting the kids a new pet. I stopped in and checked out the little fellow. His owners were moving and were unable to take him with them. He's 2 and has been spoilt, used to being handled and as friendly as anything.

I arranged to pick Pepper up on Friday. We went to the library and both kids read the books they picked up on how to look after rabbits. We picked Pepper up on Friday and the kids are over the moon about him.

Pepper

Cuddles and pats

Yum, runner beans

Exploring

Home. sweet, home

Finished exploring I'm tired

Just relaxing

My indigenous garden — familiar but not quite the same

Australia has a lot of very unique plants. But we still have a fair range of those that would seem familar to overseas visitors.

Native forget-me-nots

Some that I have in my garden that occur locally are native forget-me-nots. Believe me the seeds are a thousand times more annoying and sticky than the common garden variety. It is also as tough as anything in a dry garden.

Pelargonium australe

Another family we have a few of in Australia is Pelargoniums. This one is currently flowering in my garden. It's Pelargonium australe Austral stork's bill.

I also have the outrageously bright pink Magenta Stork's Bill Pelargonium rodneyanum but it's not out at present. It is a small rockery plant that survived the 10 year drought here without any added water.

Native jasmine

I've also got the tiny little scrambling local grassland jasmine. It's flowering right now and has a sweet delicate scent rather than the absolutely overpowering heady scent of some jasmines.

Common everlastings

Some of the other things flowering now are the common everlastings.

Clustered everlastings

The clustered everlastings which are taller and have smaller flowers.

Scaevola aemula

Other locals that are well worth having is the Scaevolas (fanflowers). I've both the Scaevola albida and the Scaevola aemula in the garden. The Sceavola aemula is my favourite but the both flower for months in my unwatered indigenous area of the garden. They are also the easiest thing to strike from cuttings as well. I'd recommend this as they need replacing semi-regularly as they are inclined to be a bit shortlived.

Vegetables can have pretty flowers too

I haven't blogged for a while as I'd picked up some paid temporary work and life was just too busy. I'm finished now so I can get back to all the things I was running out of time for. Including getting ready to have 16 over for Christmas Day.

Naughty chickens on the lawn.

My dear husband built my permanent escape proof chook run for me. Did you know leghorns can scale 6 foot fences even with their wings clipped.

 I finally got my summer garden going a month later than I usually would.

scarlet runner beans

Lots of the vegetables and fruit we grow has quite colourful flowers if we look closely. I put these scarlet runner bean in, just for the flowers it is often too warm for them to set beans here. So they are sharing a frame with purple king beans (yet to flower) which are predictably productive here.

Pepino flowers

The pepino flowers are attractive and I find the plants themselves as tough as old boots and productive in dry conditions. They don't however like frosts much.

Purple tomatillo flowers

Another one from the tomato family purple tomatillo. I haven't tried this one before so I be interested how it goes. The flowers are a really bright yellow.

Chinese celery in flower

These aren't as pretty but are often covered in beneficial insects like ladybirds. 

This is Chinese celery. It is much hardier the normal supermarket stem one requiring less water by far. But it is still very useful to produce that celery flavour in soups and other cooked dishes or to slice a little very finely in a salad. It has the added bonus it self sows in my garden.

Black passionfruit

A couple of fruiting plants flowering in the garden at the moment. 

Black passionfruit, this one is a seedling plant on its own roots. The grafted Nelly Kelly's rootstock is a pain as it suckers a fair bit here.

Pomegranate

And a pomegranate this bush is just starting to flower now. So tough, with such bright flowers that they should be grown as ornamentals alone.

Tree onion

Not a flower but I still find them fascinating. Tree onions, these little ones can be replanted next year and produce pickling size onions with good flavour and a bit of a bite.

My indigenous garden

Olearia sp Twiggy daisy bush

Just a few photos of what's out at the moment for Jo. This daisy bush is very pretty in flower and a fairly neat grey mound out of flower.

Hibertia serica 

The silky guinea flower is in full bloom at the moment. I love their bright sunny flowers. It is also extremely drought tolerant.

Indigofera australis - Native Indigo

I love this indigo it needs tip pruning as it is a bit straggly but it is forgiven every year when it flowers. Besides not much else tolerates dry shade and looks as pretty.

The productive garden

European plum - Coes Golden Drop

It's early spring here so lots of new growth and flowers coming out. Here is one of the European plums. I have two young plum trees last year I had one plum this year they were covered in blossom so I'm hoping for lots more. The rate my kids are eating and growing I need as much as possible.

Garlic

The garlic is growing much better this year. Last years very wet winter rotted out most of it. This year it looks like will be a good harvest.

Variegated sage

The variegated sage I planted out last year is doing extra well. The spot it's in is hot and dry in the summer but is shade all winter. So far from ideal growing conditions. I love this with pork or chicken. Later in the spring it's covered with pretty purple flowers as well.

kale

The kale has done well it's not a family favourite and a lot gets fed to the chickens but I like its looks in the vegetable garden.

Baby figs

I've a small fig tree that I was given that just sat there for years in the drought but has finally taken off in the last couple of years. It's growing on a steep north facing slope that is baking hot and dry in the summer. The slope is a batter on the drive so it's growing in the subsoil and gets no supplementary water. Look at the baby figs. We are not sure what variety it is my Dad gave it to me and thinks it may be Brown Turkey.

New growth on the pomegranate

Who says that fruit trees have to be boring I love the orange new growth on our pomegranate. It's growing in the same conditions as the fig so it is as tough as old boots.