Roof for the Deck

Ever since we got our deck built a few years ago we have been debating what to do about the roof. 

Deck Without Roof

Whilst lovely to enjoy al fresco dining and look up at the clear blue sky, it is also a bit annoying when you have dinner planned outside and just as you sit down there are a few drops of rain and the whole evening goes into abort mode.

We saw a lovely covered outdoor area with a vine running over the beams a couple of months ago and we decided we would like something similar. The carpenter who built our deck assured us that putting on a roof would be quick, cheap and simple - I was completely mislead on all fronts!

Deck with roof

We picked a clear plastic roof so we could let as much sun into the house during winter as possible, this meant more wooden beams needed to go up to ensure the plastic wouldn't bend and crack. 

We also made sure that special screws were used so we didn't get that annoying creaking sound that you sometimes find on covered areas. After a bit of staining action, everything came up really well.

We are hoping to get a little outdoor lounge or some comfy reading chairs to add to the deck along with some solar powered hanging lights and a nice green climbing plant.

Garden Update - May 2015

Alas we are now moving into winter which is always a bit depressing to say the least. We are expecting a high of 7 degrees today! Mr L'Orange walked the dog in sub zero temperatures this morning, luckily Dog A L'Orange had his cosy yet fashionable winter coat on.

Veggie Patch Update - I've planted beetroot and asian greens into the veggie patch after a 3 hour weeding operation, things had got pretty wild in there. 

We also have growing self seeded onions, carrots, spinach and coriander. I've added a couple of bags of chicken manure and I'm ready to finish this off with a nice mulch of fallen leaves which will have the added benefit of tidying up the garden.

Our garden bed alongside the driveway has recently been ripped out and replanted elsewhere to make room for our new cherry laurel hedge.

We have high hopes that this fast growing dark green beauty will screen out our neighbour in no time at all and look fantastic all year round. I've now got a rather top garden expert on board to help me source plants more cheaply and give me some horticultural advice. Things can only get better!

At last, I have found a fruit that I enjoy in abundance - raspberries!

The few little bushes we planted last year have spread and become a rather large clump full of berries which we have been picking daily as a tasty morning snack followed by a juicy sun kissed afternoon treat. They seemed to last from December right through until now.

Compared to everything else that grows in our garden the raspberry bushes require zero attention and appear to actually thrive on neglect - everyone needs to grow them, they are so easy!

At the moment lemons are in abundance on the tree and they are looking fantastic this year, they really are bursting with flavour. Our lemon has to be the smallest tree in the garden and yet it produces a bumper crop every year.

If anyone fancies a bag of lemons, please let me know as there are hundreds that need a home!

Sunday in Orange

We had a very interesting Sunday in Orange which kicked off with yoga in Cook Park. About 50 of us gathered at 9am to start the day with a stretch and some fresh air.

Spot the L'Orange!

The class was hosted by the lovely Emma from Positively Yoga to show off what she does best in a unique setting.

Looking up at the beautiful blue sky and huge trees made the yoga poses all the more enjoyable, Mr L'Orange even gave it a go!

Next stop was Burns and Co for one for their big auctions and where we hoped to pick up some pieces of furniture. I have been honing my auction bargain hunting skills by watching many house renovation and antique shows from the UK and felt ready to put my new found talents into action.

To our slight alarm the auction shed was completely full of keen buyers, however they all seemed to want hunting gear, mowers or kayaks so we had relatively little competition when it came to the furniture and sofas. The downside was that we had to wait 2.5 hours for the bidding to start on the items we wanted! Anyway at least we know for next time, we can go away, get a heap of jobs done and then come back.

I was loving holding up my little card and bidding against people, it was a total adrenaline inducing thrill and we picked up lots of bargains! We have spent so many weekends looking at the prices of furniture that we felt we had a really good idea of what we could expect to pay in a standard shop or on ebay.

To give you an idea, for $650 - we ended up walking away with the following brand new items:
wooden double wardrobe
2 seater sofa
3 cushions (that match the sofa)
wooden blanket box
wooden book shelf with some drawers
3 cube wooden stand
2 cube wooden stand

When collecting everything there were even some cushions left over that nobody seemed to want so Mr L'Orange just brought them home as well. We are thrilled with our garage full of goodies and relieved we could get everything locally rather than making another trek to Bathurst or Sydney.

After all the excitement, we relaxed by doing a heap of gardening and diy tasks before beer and the men's tennis finals to finish off the day.

Garden Excitement

I am very excited to be telling you that I have had a fantastic morning going through the whole of our garden with a professional today. 

Olive trees should all reach over the fence this year - fingers crossed.

After 4.5 years, I now know all the species of tree and plants in the garden and how to help them have a happier and healthier life. This has been seriously overdue!

The Italian Courtyard is starting to come together

Surprisingly, we got a big thumbs up from Jeanette Scott, whose parents have owned orchards and land in the area for years and is the guru of all things plant, tree and garden. According to Jen, our trees are looking really healthy and with some serious pruning over the winter (with the assistance of my new found professional gardener) will be looking fabulous and have fruit we can actually reach next year.

Juicy juicy plums

I now have long list of jobs that include feeding, mulching, thinning, some chainsaw action (stand by Mr L'Orange) and then spraying and pruning in the winter. 

My hibiscus plants also need to be moved as they are trees rather than shrubs (bit of a misunderstanding on my part) and need more space and sunshine. Will be sad to move them but imagine them big and beautiful in another garden.

We also had a look at the Darling Cottage garden which whilst beautiful and established, requires quite a bit of maintenance to keep everything looking neat and maintained. So much for my idea that it would be totally low maintenance! 

I think I'll be spending the weekend spraying white oil, feeding all the azaleas and camelias, then trimming everything back before it grows even more out of control.

Lawn Update - Utterly tired of the useless effect of 'weed and feed' on our lawns we have now purchased some hard core weed killer from the Agricultural Store to try and get the many broadleaf weeds killed off. Will report on the results next week.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Plum Time in Orange

We are feeling rather plumtastic at the moment as our plum tree creaks with the weight of hundreds of super juicy plums. This year sees a bumper crop and you really need to eat them outside as the juice squirts everywhere as soon as you take a bite.

The huge amount of rain we received over the weekend has caused some of the fruit to start to split so it is all hands on deck to pick as many plums as possible. As usual it is a battle with the birds who are having a field day in our garden this year.

We actually don't know what to do with all the plums and I am getting pretty fed up picking up the dropped fruit off the ground and composting it all. I could barely drag the compost bin out to the road for collection yesterday, it was so full.

Dog A L'Orange has a really penchant for ripe fruit and trots around the garden eating everything both on the ground and on the tree, frequently giving himself a severe upset stomach in the process. We then have the joys of dealing with his chronic diarrhoea through the night and half eaten plums scattered all over the garden!

There are only so many plums that you can eat and I seem to lack inspiration when it comes to dealing with this overwhelming amount of ripe fruit. I've resorted to driving around Orange dropping off bags of plums to anyone and everyone I know (plus random strangers) as getting anyone to come over and pick wasn't producing results.

I've also organised for a big bag to go to Orange Food Care for their weekly programme, better they go to someone than end up going to waste.

Hope you have all have a fabulous week.

Summer Garden in Orange

Happy New Year! It has been ages since the last garden update so thought you would enjoy a peak at the progress in the Life A L'Orange garden.

Front garden bed all grown from cuttings

It has been a really hot few months, so fed up with losing half my plants each summer, I've implemented a full on watering system to ensure nothing else is lost - so far, so good! All the trees, shrubs & flowers are thriving although the veggie patch seedlings got wiped out in a super hot spell.

Apricot jam and apricot chutney are fantastic.

The fruit tress have been laden to the brim with apricots, plums, nectarines and peaches. After several past jam disasters, we've realised our preserving skills are completely rubbish and best left to the experts.

Plenty of juicy plums for everyone!

The nectarines and peaches are still ripening up but are almost there, as usual it is a battle to beat the birds, however this is the most fruit we have ever had on the trees.

We have given away most of the fruit but luckily our friends are also exceptional cooks and in return drop in a jar of jam or chutney or something they have in excess in return.

Lemons growing on our little tree - should be ready in May

Over the last few months we have been very fortunate to receive lots of cuttings from friends and random gardeners that live near by. I'm really enjoying watching the little cuttings grow and spread as our garden beds slowly start to fill up and look attractive.

I planted a selection of herbs around the courtyard to fill in some small gaps with the hope that I will no longer have to repeatedly pull out weeds in the future. To compliment the 'Italian Courtyard' theme, I've planted oregano, lemon thyme and varigated thyme for some extra colour.

The herbs are growing nicely along the edge of the courtyard

New bench in the courtyard & lovely aggies!

The hibiscus is getting big - might be time to move one to a new spot

Wishing you all a wonderful week and promise to try and do more garden posts in future. 

The Sugar Mill - Orange

I can honestly tell you dear readers, that I have been waiting in a state of extreme anticipation for The Sugar Mill to open in Orange since September!

At long last, I am pleased to tell you that the doors are open and the selection of homemade cakes, pies and other calorie inducing delights are now available seven days a week – heaven!

I have even found myself taking Dog A L’Orange on a new walking route past The Sugar Mill, so I can stock up on goodies and then work off a few calories on the way home! 

I can highly recommend the lamb, tomato & rosemary pie and also the hazelnut & chocolate cups.

Stacey and Darren, owners of The Old Mill in Millthorpe have opened their new Orange shop in the Summer Centre close to Dan Murphy’s. This brand new space is completely different from those familiar with The Old Mill building which has lots of vintage charm.

You can find all your favourites in The Sugar Mill including, the crowd pleasing lemon meringue tarts, pies, cakes, eclairs although not quite the range and selection as in Millthorpe – I’m sure this will build over the coming weeks.

As a huge fan of pretty much everything sold by The Old Mill, I’m thrilled that I no longer have to drive 20 minutes whenever I want a divine pastry treat. Fingers crossed, the gingerbread stars will be in store soon.

There is seating available should you wish to dine in, everything is bright, modern & tastefully decorated, with the only downsides being the view of the car park & no air conditioning. Also be warned there are lots of mums and babies there during the day so it can get quite noisy.

Located at 82 - 102 Summer St & open Monday to Friday from 7am- 6pm, Weekends from 9am -  4pm.