Daisy Chains and Picnics

  Scott came home the other day with some homegrown basil so I set about making a pesto sauce for pasta. Darren and I are the only ones that like pesto so it's not a thing I make often. Ingredients 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 packed cups fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup grated parmesan 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 garlic clove, chopped 5-6 tbsp olive oil Method 1.  Dry toast (no oil) pine nuts over a medium/high heat until light brown. Remove from pan immediately, leave aside to cool slightly. 2.  Place all ingredients, except olive oil, in a blender or food processor. Blitz until finely chopped. 3.  While motor is running, slowly pour in olive oil. Blitz until smooth, add more oil or water if required. Stir through cooked pasta or enjoy as a dip with crackers or vegetables.

This easy salad nutritious salad can be enjoyed on it's own with crackers, as a sandwich filling or stuffed into the avocado shell and eaten like that. It would also be delicious as a filling for a jacket potato.  Ingredients 1 Avocado 95 g tin tuna, drained 1/4 cup diced red capsicum 1/4 small red onion, diced 1 tbsp fresh jalapeno, diced 1/2-1 tbsp lime juice salt and pepper to season Method 1.  Cut avocado in half, remove the stone. Scoop flesh into a small bowl, mash with a fork. 2.  Add tuna, capsicum, onion, jalapeno, lime juice. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

  I was in Big W today and spotted this gorgeous Florence Broadhurst 12 piece dinner set at a bargain price. On clearance from $79 to $23.70, a saving of $55.30, I just loved the colour and design, so now we have a new dinner set. 

Spotted this beauty on one of my plants enjoying a late lunch, hopefully she will consume all the greenfly!!

Remember that free damaged cacti I got in October 2021 while visiting a plant sale, see  here . Well, we decided it was time to propagate the pups in the hope that they grow into healthy cacti. They had not grown any more for a while and I was worried they may not be getting enough nourishment from the parent plant so on 14th March, Cerys and I set about removing the pups. I will leave them for a week or so to callous over before potting them in cacti and succulent mix. There is still one tiny bud that has been there for a while now, hopefully come spring I will see new buds growing on these damaged cacti.

  This bad boy here had a staggering ten well developed pups so today we decided to attempt propagating some in the hope of growing more (fingers crossed 🤞🤞). Using tongs and a very clean sharp knife, I sliced the pup off the parent plant. I cut off six and left four on the parent plant, these will be left for a week or so to callous over before planting them in cacti and succulent mix. I put the parent plant in the cabana to keep it dry as I didn't want the 'wounds' to get wet before they have a chance to callous. This guy is just 1 inch away from being 2 ft tall!