A Busy Couple Of Weeks

Consider the wise words of Mark Twain:
 

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Yesterday I caught a fish!  My first edible fish in 50 years. It was a Flathead in Lake Illawarra. I caught it when Peter and I went out in the boat.

 
We didn't end up eating it. Peter didn't feel it was worth cleaning one smallish fish so we gave it to some other fishermen who had caught a few.


This year for Mothers' day I told my family I didn't want any presents but i just wanted them to come for afternoon tea and to help me dig up the Brush Turkey mound that my neighbour had accused me of dumping on his land.

Everybody pitched in including my brother and my 84 year old mother who wields a mean shovel (- or spade. I'm never sure.) I have a back problem and could only use a trowel but Mum shovelled as fast as anybody. Anyway we moved the Brush Turkey mound and I sent my neighbour a letter to let him know. I attached several articles and pictures about Brush Turkeys and their mounds.

Last Wednesday we stopped in at the Gelato Emporium on the way back from Helensburgh.

I am working my way through the gelatos alphabetically. On Wednesday I had Fig and Ginger. It was delicious. Peter has 2 scoops and I have one. We figured out that next time if we have them all in the same bowl we will save $4. (I think Peter is worried I will steal some of his.)

Being a Fungiphile I was thrilled to find these toadstools in my front garden. I have never seen any of them before.

In the past week or so they have grown quite considerably as you will see below.

 
Bike riding the past couple of weeks has led us past black swans on Lake Illawarra.

It was the first time I had ever seen them on the Lake.

 
There were quite a few swans.

The pelicans were about.

We rode into the sunset along the bike track at Towradgi....

......and another day we could see the Five Islands out near Port Kembla.

 

We also saw some cool skies.

I made my first sale on Platypus Creations 1.

I sold some polymer clay toadstools.

It was quite exciting. I have ordered a whole lot of new Fimo so i can make some toadstools in a variety of colours.


Interesting sites


1.

 Artist builds custom home on truck

Photo source

Tiny house built on diesel truck.Click here to see more.




2.

 Tips to be a better cook

Photo source

Here are 9 tips to help you be a better cook. Click here to read more. 


3.

 Glass toadstools

Photo source

 These glass toadstools are absolutely gorgeous. Click here to see more.

You'll Never Undesrtand Until It Happens To You

I could write a lot about this but suffice to say I never knew what some things were really like until they happened to me. My life has taken a lot of unexpected turns. And sometimes I find myself asking why me? But I have still learned a lot in the process and can empathise with people going through hard times. So I can be helpful.

One good thing is that I have been through the hardest thing I am ever going to go through in my life and come out the other end. I have learned that in God's strength I can be a very strong person. 


Peter and I took a short trip to the Southern Highlands. Even though it is not far from home we decided to stay at Mittagong and have a look around the area.

Our first day took us to Berrima , home of Berrima Jail and Courthouse.

Berrima Jail

One of the things I learned this trip was that Berrima Jail was used as an internment camp for Germans in WW1.

Berrima Court House

We followed the trail along the Wingecarribee River.

We spotted this beautiful fungus. (I am a fungusphile.)

There were a few wombat holes like the one below along the riverbank.

The river was very tranquil.

 

As we walked we came to Lambies Well. The photo below doesn't really do it justice. It was like something out of an Alfred Lord Tennyson poem.

 On our second day we visited Bowral and went for a bike ride around some of the streets.

And stopped for lunch in the mall. I felt like a proper bike rider, eating my falafel roll with our bikes propped up nearby.

We spent  a day at Bundanoon with another bike ride, and our last day just relaxing and checking out the local hardware shop.

We arrived home on Saturday. It was great only having an hour to drive. Peter is very skillful at backing the caravan up the drive which is good because I am absolutely hopeless at directing him.

 

Platypus Creations 1


I have added card making to Platypus Creations 1. So far I am making hand drawn cards in black and white that can be coloured in. Here are 2 examples.

Find these cards and how to order your own names and designs on Platypus Creations 1.

In My Garden

I have been in my garden with my trusty chain saw. I am really trying to give it a total makeover.

The branches are from a native  banksia. . I am not sure what sort. I really want to use the branches and twigs for something. 

I have a bit of a problem in my backyard. The Brush Turkeys have built a nest over the back boundary of my yard. The new neighbour who owns the land obviously knows little about Brush Turkeys and has accused me of dumping stuff on his land.

I can't afford to get my neighbour off side and luckily it is great mulch and full of worms, so I shall clear it and then tell him I am not going to do it again. The other problem is that I do have a few other things encroaching on his land  so I don't want to suddenly be asked to do a big clean up job.


The herb garden is coming on. 

I bought 3 old sage plants for 50 cents each and turned them into 3 plants plus cuttings.

Sage plants

Sage cuttings

Interesting sites



1.

Lotus Belle Tent

Photo source

 Ever heard of a lotus belle tent? If not, you’re about to be amazed. This man is living inside this gorgeous tent in the forest while his tiny house is being constructed. The tent itself is beautiful, but wait until you see what he’s done to the inside! Absolutely lovely.

Click here to see inside it.




2.

Dangerous talc

Photo source

Johnson and Johnson must pay $72 million after woman's death results from ovarian cancer caused by long term use of talcum powder.

3. 

 3D printed beak

Photo source

Amazing team makes 3D printed beak to help macaw with serious condition eat on her own!

 Click here to read more.

SINGING AND STARTING A BLOG

The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach.
Yutang Lin

It is school holidays. Hooray!!

Time to do gardening! Time to scrub the bathroom! Time to relax.

Question 3 in the Keys to the Heart series is:

3) What makes you sing?

I received a craft magazine in the post today. That makes my heart sing. Being at the beach makes me sing. I love making plans and having something to look forward to. I love camping in the little caravan that P:-) and I own and I sing especially loudly when good things happen to my family and friends. My backyard makes me sing. It is an untidy bush garden but I love it.

My back yard

Clivea blooming in back yard

This morning there was a brush turkey on my deck in my back yard.

Brush turkey on my back deck

Brush turkey

Brush turkey

Brush turkey leaving

I have had a number of requests about starting a blog - some included in the comments from Piggywhistles - so I decided to write some very basic information on it. If you are not interested skip this part.

HOW TO START A BLOG

Let me start by saying I am not an expert at blogging. In fact when it comes to computers I am a bit of a slow learner. My daughter R helped me set up this blog. There are a lot of things I cannot do and have not tried. Anyway here are some points that may be useful.

1.Blogging is free.

Blogging is free if you use Blogspot or Wordpress as your platform. I use Blogspot. You will see various attitudes to free blogs on the internet because of  questions of ownership of material but I am happy with Blogspot. From what I have read it is the simplest to use.

2.No special skills are required

There are no special skills required to start a blog. There is no coding involved. If you can set up a webpage you will be able to start a blog with no trouble. Blogspot and Wordpress provide templates.

3. Choose a platform

I use Blogspot and know very little about Wordpress. I would suggest you check out each one and what each one offers. Go to Blogger or Wordpress and checkout which seems best for you.

4. Where to find information.

There is tons of information on the internet. I did a brief search and came across a tutorial here which looks as though it may be interesting, useful and free. Please note I didn't run through this tutorial so cannot personally recommend it. I'm sure there are plenty more.

There are books available on blogging from Amazon. I used one book which I can't find to tell you the title, but found it wasn't really necessary.

5. Setting up your blog.

When you set up your blog make sure you have a name chosen before you start. Have a general idea of where you want to start and your target audience.

I really can't give you much more information than this. Blogging is great fun. I began mainly to share some of the positives in my life with family and friends.

I hope this is of some help. Blogging is one of those things that you learn by doing. Good luck.



Interesting sites

1.

Photo source

I love this house. I can just imagine living in it. Click here to read more.

2.

Photo source

Bruce Munro's beautiful light show has been set up in Salisbury cathedral and other buildings. Click here to see more.

3.

Photo source

 Click here to go to My Home in a Box, a blog dedicated to houses made from shipping containers.

MR BRUSH TURKEY

My house backs onto a mountain covered in lush, native bush. One of the things I like about living here is the native birds and animals that I see. A very brave brush turkey loves to come up on my back deck. He likes to peck at my window

 Sometimes the brush turkey will startle me when I hear him pecking.

He must have a mound near by where he incubates his eggs. He seems very at home among the houses and sometimes ventures onto the road.