This week saw us ticking a couple of maintenance jobs off the To Do list.

Firstly, Mr and Mrs Clean Sweep visited and lavished a bit of attention on our aged but tenaciously effective woodburner and, more importantly, it’s flue. The annual visit from Wayne and Karen, who have been in charge of keeping our chimneys clean and safe for longer than we have been in this Homestead, is one of those time bookmarks. It’s June again already?!

Our trees also got some overdue professional TLC this week. His and Hers Tree Care have now ensured our Postie’s car once again has a clear path to the Homestead mailbox and the creaky trees may still creak a bit but we have it on good authority they are doing so in a safe manner.

The tree with the codominant trunk is safe for now and the lake at the end of the drive is now shown up by the now very smart gum tree

Although, as I’m sure I’ve said more than a few times before, spending time and money on maintenance is not my idea of fun, I very much like the reassurance these sort of visits afford me. I’m happy to outsource to the experts and pay for their expertise.

When it comes to preserves though – that I can do myself. This week it was tomato sauce. While there’s definitely not an overabundance (we’re big fans of fresh tomatoes), it is all our own and that supply is limited makes it taste all the better.

One bottle for now, and one for when we fire up the barbeque again, come Spring

and when you wake up with frost on your back, Spring seems a fair way off.