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…that make you happy to be alive.
The Jacaranda in the backyard is in full bloom.
Nick and I began the day with a cycle to the beach and a swim, before coming home, buying some awesome smoked bacon from the butcher across the road, and having very tasty bacon and eggs.
Simple things. Life is wonderful.
Nick and I scored an absolute bargain today! Currently, our local Woolworths is selling these big pots for very, very cheap. These were $15 each, and the next size up, which are enormous, were only $21. We’re seriously considering going back and stocking up!
These are going to be the new home of our fruit and nut trees. We’ve got a ruby grapefruit, lime, lemonade tree, macadamia and a mulberry. They will be much happier once we put them in these nice big pots!
We also got a few more strawberries today - though they are a bit bitter. Any ideas what we can do to boost the sweetness? I’m thinking there must be some nutrient imbalance, but I’m not sure what it is.
Well, it’s finally home. We’ve just come back from a week-long holiday in Fiji, and it was so lovely to open the door and step back into our own home.
We managed to get the house totally sorted out before we left, and packed those pesky unpacked boxes off into the garage to be worried about in future. The saga of unpacking was helped along enourmously by the completion of the two bookshelves - you should have seen the pile of empty boxes once I unpacked this lot!
Bookshelf No. 2 is currently in our spare room/cello room:
This morning started as all Sunday mornings should - with a cup of tea in bed. Fast forward a few hours, and we have Nick making awesome bacon, mushroom and onion omelettes for breakfast:
The garden is looking great, too. Did I mention that it took us three trips with the 4WD and trailer to get all our (okay, my) stuff from The Rental to here? And that one of those trips consisted solely of plants? Ahem…
The strawberries are going great-guns, and the little mulberry tree has fruit all over it! I can’t wait to tuck into these..
Oh yes, and we finally got ourselves a proper compost bin - it was on sale at K-Mart for $25! We saw it at Bunnings a few days later for about $45. Bargin!
Our backyard is huge, and mostly empty, so I’m hoping to ask the landlords soon if we can make a bit of a vegie garden along the fence - I would be estatic if I could actually finally garden in the ground properly!
Now I’m off to buy myself a pair of knitting needles and some yarn. Yes, I have decided to re-learn how to knit, and join the legion of make-it-yourself knitters. The last time I tried knitting I bought some fluffy, silky yarn which was a nightmare to work with, and started by trying to make a scarf. Needless to say I got fed up - so this time, easy yarn and a small project to begin!
I was very excited this morning when I wandered out onto the balcony, and saw this!!
I have always loved tulips, and this year I thought I’d try to grow some for the first time. And, it seems I have been successful! I was so excited that I ran inside and got Nick out of bed, saying I had to show him something… and when he saw it he said “yes, it’s lovely, I saw it yesterday!”. Next time he’ll know to tell me when a tulip blossoms 
I’m keeping my eye on my other bulbs now - I’ve planted a number of different things in random pots, wherever there was some spare space around another plant. I can’t wait for my other tulips to flower, not to mention the daffodils, irises, and others. Something so bright and lovely is a wonderful surprise 
Okay, my mushroom kit is finally growing!
I followed the instructions on the box… which meant I didn’t open up the casing for a few weeks. I was supposed to wait until the compost turned white, but I got impatient!
So, I spread the casing over the compost, and preceded to spray it every day or two with water, as instructed. I have been spraying for weeks… and finally, some baby mushies are appearing!
I shall photograph and share with you all in the next few days. But I am really looking forward to some fresh mushrooms fried in butter. Mmmm. So unhealthy, but so tasty!
Hi all!
Here is the latest in my photograph series. I love the backdrop of the blue sky, highlighting the silver/grey trunk and branches of this tree. And the time of day, as the sun was setting, gives it a lovely light/shadow contrast…
Enjoy
Nick’s coming home this weekend - finally!!! So that, combined with a big family dinner tomorrow (which will take half a day to prepare - it is a traditional American roast meal, after all) and my general exhaustion after a mammoth week of work, will probably mean my posts will be a tad light on the ground for the next little while.
I’m still waiting in anticipation for my mushrooms to appear… among other things! A garden update is definitely on the cards.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Check out this video! John Patrick shows you how to build a garden that takes water straight off the roof… and it’s a really great idea. Lots of other videos to watch there, too…
Due to the inordinate amount of time I’ve been spending online lately, I have to admit that I have been neglecting my garden.
I walk past it when I go out, and the little plants have seemed to be looking at me forlornly, wondering why I have been neglecting them.
Well, no more. I went for a nice long walk this afternoon, and when I got home I got stuck into the garden. I’ve now planted out a few of my cherry tomato seedlings into the big caged garden bed, as well as a whole lot of sugar snap pea seeds and my nasturtium, which had been starting to look a little sad in its pot.
It felt really good to be digging around in the dirt! It made me long for a place of my own, where I will be able to really get into it and make a proper garden in the ground. Pots are great, and my collection of potted plants has become somewhat mind-boggling… but it doesn’t compare to the ability to just dig in the ground and transform a piece of the earth.
So, my need to garden has been assuaged, for now…
P.S. Apologies if you had any trouble accessing the site yesterday - my host was doing maintenance.
