JASPER THE GRAND-DOG

It was great to have some rain this past week. My garden looks very green.

My back room didn't even leak...

... for the first few days. Then there was some extra heavy rain and a couple of small  leaks appeared. P:-) has lined this room and worked very hard to get rid of lots of leaks. He thinks that the lead flashing on top of the roof needs replacing so he will do this at some stage. But he is very close to having it all sorted. He is very clever.

The rain brought some toadstools onto my footpath. The way they appear overnight fascinates me.

I have been trimming some of my trees and I put a pot of eucalyptus leaves in my entrance hall. The pot of greenery really gave the room a lift and it smelt really good. (P:-) thinks trees are for outside!)

My daughter and her husband are away so I have had their little dog Jasper for the week. Here he is below with his bee. He loves this bee and will often put it on his cushion with him while he has a sleep.

I have a very contrary fridge which seems to need to be defrosted (although it is supposedly automatic) every 3 months or so. P:-) takes it onto the deck and swishes water through it with a bucket and it stays there a couple of days while it dries out.

 

Little Jasper won't put a step onto my back deck. I think there is too much of a gap between the boards. He doesn't even like to be carried out there. So Jasper stood and watched P:-) and I working out there, always remaining inside the door.

Jasper spent some of his time watching out the lounge room window.

I came home yesterday to find some cat birds eating a mango on my back deck.

Aha! Mangoes. I peered up into my mango tree. There are mangoes on it!

The mango tree sprang up from compost. I have only ever had three mangoes on it once, many years ago, and they rotted before they could be picked. So it is quite exciting to have a cluster growing. They are too high up to reach but I shall be happy for the birds to have them, especially if it brings them to my deck.

As many of you may know, I was recently made redundant from my job of teaching teenagers with major behavioral problems. There was little chance of me getting another job. I will be 60 this year and have a number of health problems. I thought I was going to have to sell my house, but luckily have been awarded a Disability Support Pension. 

Finances are tight and I am having to shave every bit of spending that I can, especially if I want to keep running a car. I will share some of my money saving tricks with you soon.

But I am really enjoying my retirement. I'm not making the most of it yet. I am a very happy optimistic person but struggle with long term clinical depression. I have been having treatment for this for 20 years. I find one of the worst things with depression is that it saps your energy, especially in the morning.

I have lots of strategies to fight it and live a fulfilling life. I just love being retired. I have so many things I want to do I just can't fit them in.


Interesting sites

1.

Small house on sliver of land in Japan

Photo source

This small house with a triangular floor plan sits on a narrow sliver of lot wedged between a road and a river channel in west Tokyo. Designing the house for a couple and their young daughter, MIZUISHI Architect Atelier maximized the interior space by pushing the walls and roof to the limits of the permitted building envelope. Still, the house has only 55.2 m² (595 ft²) of floor space over two floors, plus a mezzanine loft. The interior appears larger than that though, thanks to sightlines that extend the length of the house and spaces that borrow from adjacent spaces. Click here to see more.


2.

Amazing photos and illusions

Photo source

Click here to see some amazing photos and illusions.


3.

 Floating Mangrove

Photo source

I was surprised to read that this floating mangrove is in Homebush Bay in Sydney. Click here to read about it.