Cleardale Gospel Music Festival

In years gone past, Davis and his family have played as a group at various things. This year after many years of not doing anything the family was invited to play at the Cleardale Gospel Music Festival. We all agreed that it would be a great thing to do so each Friday evening we had music practice.

On a Friday morning I look after my niece and nephew and each week they would let me know it was Friday and that meant they would be going to music practice. They seemed to really enjoy the time singing, playing with their cousins and spending time with Grandpa and Grandma.

This past weekend was the weekend of the festival. We only went out for the Sunday, the day we were playing. It was a two hour drive away and with a one hour time difference. Meaning an early start to get out to see groups in the morning. 

Our set went well with feedback letting us know that people were encouraged by the truths that were sung and also by seeing the family playing and singing together.

  

The older four children sung "Who can do anything"

All the adults (bar me, I was child minding)
sung "When we all get to heaven"

I played clarinet for an instrumental of "Be still, my soul"

The men sung several songs together.
They switched instruments and who was singing which part.

The sky was more blue than this most of the time and it was quite warm.

I look forward to spending more time with the Goertzen family in this way.

My Garden

The past months I have been enjoying the warmer weather and being able to work out in the garden. When we first moved in the ground was covered in snow and the garden box was full of dead grass. As soon as the ground was no longer frozen I got to work with pulling out the grass and roots. This was no small job but I got there.

A pile with some of the grass and roots pulled form the garden box

 With the warmer weather came a surprise. In the middle of the garden box sprung a rhubarb plant. This was not a small one and I decided that I would transplant it to leave more room for vegetables. My sister-in-law and her twins helped with this and we got it into its new home. It is growing well and I have already made a rhubarb pie from its produce.

The rhubarb plant as it started to appear from the ground.

Timothy and Lauren helping weed and transplant the rhubarb

The rhubarb doing  well in its new home beside the compost,
which is currently also an anthill.

Once the weeds were pulled, some new good soil mixed in it was time to plant some veggies. After 3 weeks, lots of watering and warm sunshine I have things growing. I am excited to watch them all grow and greatly look forward to when I can pick things to eat. 

The garden with three weeks growth.
Free accommodation when you visit FSJ if you can work out what is planted :-)

The garden out the front of the house. Has beans, along one side,
a flower bush (came out once warmed up) and two tomatoes.

I enjoy spending time weeding so that peas, carrots, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers and beetroot have room to grow and we have lots of fresh yummy things to eat for a time. The cucumber plants did not like the cold snap we had but some may yet survive. I did plant some flower seeds but they are either not coming or taking their time.