AROUND THE HOUSE AND GARDEN

Around the house

P:-) has been painting my bathroom ceiling. He is wonderful. I only asked him what was the best way to do it and before I knew it he had rubbed in down, done 2 coats of sealer, undercoat and top coat. It looks great.

I am readying my house for selling and I am trying to work on one room a week. Already I am behind with the bathroom, my first room. I have had to clean off a fifteen year old attempt at a stained glass pattern painted on the outside of the shower screen. Luckily P:-) had the clues on how to do this. I was trying to find some sort of material to dissolve it but P:-) soon had it off with a sharp window scraper.

I have inherited a garage full of old and disorganized tools - screw drivers etc all over the place. So I bought myself a compact tool set and I can start getting rid of all the other stuff. (It is a bit pink!)

Compact tool kit

Tools

In the garden

I bought a  small thyme plant to add to my potted herb garden. 

Thyme

I added loads of it to tonight's pumpkin soup.  (I really gave the little plant a haircut - I haven't even repotted it yet.) I baked the pumpkin with it and then took the leaves off about 10 stems and added to the soup before I blended it with a stick blender. The subtle thyme flavour was lovely with the baked pumpkin taste.

The seed pod on my Macrozamia palm has burst.

Macrozamia plant

Burst seed pod

Close up of inside of pod

Seeds fell out in pairs

Seeds

Cat birds have been frequenting my backyard. But I am having trouble photographing them. Here are a couple of dodgy photos just to show you.

Catbird

Catbird

These birds peck at my window and make a lot of noise but they don't sit still for long. I have to get faster if I want some good photos.



Interesting sites

1.

Photo source

Sleep in a giant wine barrel room overlooking the Black Forest. There are 5 barrels and each one is named after the wine that was aged in it. Click here to red more.


2.

Photo source

 Doesn't this castle look wild? This is Swallow's Nest Castle, perched on a cliff in the Crimea.
Click here to view some very interesting and historical photos.


3.

Photo source

 Black and white photos can make everyday things look really dramatic. Avid photographer Keith Dotson has a passion for black and white photography. Click here   to see some excellent examples.