Friday 26 July 2013

It has begun!

Alright, well technically we started the season on Monday, but I have been too busy to post.

Blueberry picking has begun, which means many a late night in the garage bagging the previous days berries for the freezer.

The kids have been making a killing on blueberry iced tea. We have had a lot of visitors on their way to or from Kilarney lake, stop by for a refreshing drink. They are really enjoying running the stand.

We also had our first day at the Sidney market. It was a rousing success. We are on the north side of Fourth Street, every Thursday until the end of August. Stop by and grab some tasty blueberries or some pepperoni.

It was also a success for our latest round of jams and jellies, as well as our blueberry vinegarette. We sold a fair bit, making the evening almost as profitable as the whole day leading up to it.

Thanks for the support!

Friday 19 July 2013

Building a Lemonade Stand (Part 2)

I managed to find some time this week to get out with the kids to give the stand a good coat of white paint. After the first coat, I hit the jackpot and noticed some cedar roofing/siding in our wood pile. I threw what I could on and here is where we are at:

    

Thursday 11 July 2013

Building a Lemonade Stand

My daughter wants an iPad. Wow. Kick in the wallet. Not going to happen.

My daughter wants to earn money to buy an iPad. Better.

Hannah is determined to save up for her own iPad. She has been saving money from the Tooth Fairy (seriously, when did it become $5 a tooth!?). She has been collecting cans and bottles and helping me sort and count them. She has been selling iced tea or lemonade when we have our busy customer days.

Thursday 4 July 2013

Journey to the Farm

Having wrapped up my story of our journey into this wonderful farm life, I have gone back through and updated the posts with the links to the rest so you can follow through without having to navigate all over the blog. I apologize as I missed Part 8 and then posted it a week after 9 and 10. Hopefully it was not too confusing. Here is the table of contents, so to speak ;)

Part 1: An Unexpected Conversation
Part 2: Gathering Community
Part 3: End of the Line
Part 4: The Fifth Element
Part 5: Intermission
Part 6: Timing is Everything
Part 7: Planning Community
Part 8; Smooth Move
Part 9: Come to the Land of the Ice and Snow
Finale: Enjoy the Silence

I hope the read was as exciting as the journey itself.

I have also opened commenting up to anyone. I will keep it that way until I start getting the spam bots.

Journey to the Farm (Finale) - Enjoy the Silence

Finale: Enjoy the Silence

Once we had settled in that first night, we spent time hanging out and playing games and unpacking our kitchen and dining room. I had an opportunity to step out on the deck in the brisk evening air. It was still light out. I looked across our little valley and marveled at the peace and tranquility around us. I wish I had taken a picture.

Picture this though. You are on a deck overlooking a valley. All around the valley the mountains rise up, covered in trees. No other civilization is visible, not even the city lights. The entire scene is covered in a fresh blanket of pure white snow. Not a sound is heard from wind, man, or animal. Silence reigns.

It would eventually sink in, but I still couldn't fathom that this was now our home.

Journey to the Farm (Part 9) - Come to the Land of the Ice and Snow

Part 9: Come to the Land of the Ice and Snow

Our date of possession was upon us...and so was our first snow of the season. Living in Victoria is nice for the mild winters. We rarely get a lot of snow. This year was one of those exceptions. The day before we took possession, it started to snow. It was supposed to come down heavy overnight. This was cause for worry.

Marc and Katie were moving from their place in Cobble Hill, over the Malahat, which is the main highway connecting Victoria to the rest of the island. They had the moving truck and without them, moving would be slow going as we only had a pickup. We did not want them to have to drive that beast in the mess that was coming.

Tuesday 2 July 2013

Happy Canada Day!

Another year as a nation...however, our second as a Farmily.

We celebrated in farmily style by getting stuff done. Our new sales area is almost complete and we managed to gather a ridiculous amount of firewood, thanks to the kindness of the development next door. We always seem to get a lot done despite the fesitvities that come with most long weekends.