How to make dishwasher powder and Daisy: back to normal.

How to make your own dishwasher powder that works is so easy. Like the laundry powder I was dubious but this stuff is great. It is not a by product of nuclear waste so it will not take off baked on food or clean burnt pots (the best way to clean a burnt pot is to put a thin layer of water on the bottom then leave it outside for the whole subzero winter.  When you have completely forgotton about it and find it in the garden months later, bash out the ice and  it will be clean! My mother used a similar theory but buried them in the garden.)

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Dishwasher Powder

• 1  cup borax
• 1 cup washing soda
• 1/4 cup citric acid

No plastic.  Cheap as. And just before I start a load of dishes I throw in a glug of white vinegar. And like the  home made laundry powder, it is very effective. No artificial scents. Just clean and shiny.  I must apologise though as I have been making this for ages and I just keep forgetting to tell you about it!  Bad miss c.

Daisy was her normal self yesterday.

By morning she was noisy, giving everyone the leery eye, trying to lean over the gate and steal the lambs food (she was on a restricted diet), teasing Queenie out the back, giving lots of milk and generally back to her old self. Thank you so much for all your comments and advice yesterday. The consensus is that it probably was a mild bloat, she did not look bloated but she certainly was in trouble, by this morning all her bodily functions were back in order and you and I have breathed a big sigh of relief.

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I have begin to amalgamate the sheep flocks again. Minty was introduced to Mama’s babies yesterday morning and Meadow was invited across in the afternoon. Today I shall bring in Mia but she is bigger and less patient now so I will be watching. So will Mama. There is plenty of room outside but they do tend to crowd into the big pen. So far so good though. Once  Mama’s flock is back in order all we have to do is wait for spring and they can begin to go out to the fields in one hour increments. We don’t want bloaty sheep either.

The Duke of Kupa and Author have been inspecting next year’s wood.

I asked Triple T and John what they would choose:  a cloudy day with no wind or a sunny day with wind. Hard aye. Bearing in mind that wind here is like Wellington.  Gale force and constant once it starts. I would still take the sun with wind.  After this dark winter I will take all the sun I can get. The native Illinoisians both chose cloudy with no wind which is a good choice for the moisture in the soil. What about you?

I have discovered that if I strain the kefir through a cheese cloth I make a very good sour cream.  A soft cheese. Just like a thickened greek yoghurt. Perfect for on top of just about anything.

I There is another way of making kefir cheese and I shall try this today, you strain it then pop it in the oven on very low to seperate. I read about this ages ago so I shall have to go in search of a recipe.

Kefir does not like to work in the light so until I find a nice pottery jar I cover my glass jar  with Vivs tea cosy.  Now, if you have a  moment – pop over to visit Viv. As you know she is an alarmingly talented poet but maybe you did not know that she has a ridiculously talented husband Jock. Go look. The Duke of Kupa has been immortalised in thread. Beautiful.

Do you see my cardinal? He has come back – soon he will disappear for a couple of weeks then he will return with his wife. He does this every year.

Have a lovely day.  All is well on the farmy for the moment. We can relax – don’t relax too much though. Life is like old glass remember.. it looks solid but it is constantly changing in there, fate is making decisions for us.  I hope we are ready for the next challenge. I hope it is a good challenge with sun in it!

It is 18 (-7)and blowing a gale out there but time I got out into it.

Have a lovely day.

celi

ps. Oh almost forgot to tell you. I tried to felt some of my wool the other day. Naturally it was a failure (not patient enough) so I dried the tattered results anyway thinking they would be useful for something. Yesterday I laid the holey sheets one on top of the other and walked about the house thinking there must be something I could use it for. In the end I just laid them flat on my own pillow and put the pillowcase back on top.  By bed time I had forgotton I had done that and OH what a soft and cosy surprise.  Hairy MacLairy radiating warm and cosy through the cotton onto my cheek.

c