LIFE IS NOT MADE OF MILESTONES BUT OF MOMENTS

 Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.
George E. Woodberry 

Art around the house.

As I continue to sort piles of folders and papers I came across there cute prints that my younger daughter R did many years ago, before cupcakes were so fashionable.

Cupcake print - ink on paper

Cupcake print - ink on paper

I think I was very spoiled with the amount of creativity at home in those days. I should have had these framed on the wall. I have packed them away for future reference.


The building

P:-) and I bought some 3 metre plasterboard just to practise maneuvering it into the house and down the stairs to the back room. It was very difficult. We both have bad backs and the thought of moving 15 more sheets, 10 of which will have to be 3.6 metres long is a bit daunting. We will have to give it some thought. I am thinking of hiring some young fit men to do the moving when the delivery finally comes.

However, P:-) did get the first length of plasterboard up so I just had to show you.

Plasterboard at end of backroom

A longer view of backroom

WOW! This room was begun before the beginning of the millennium. A divorce and lack of funds prevented it from being finished. P:-), a retired builder, is very generously finishing it for me.

The Helensburgh house


Over a year ago I wrote in my blog of P:-)'s daughter's house. This was how it looked.

September 2011

Helensburgh house interior Sept 2011.

Here is the house today. My mother provided M and B with the agapanthus plants which have settled in and begun to flower.

Helensburgh house January 2013.

View from verandah.

M and B have been in for over a year now. P:-) gave them a lot of help. This is an old miner's cottage and only has 4 small rooms - a bedroom, a lounge room, a very small kitchen and a bathroom. M and B now have a three month old baby and are very cramped but have begun adding on extensions.

In the garden

I enjoy cooking with fresh herbs but don't grow any at the moment. I use a lot of coriander (cilantro), basil, mint, parsley, rosemary and thyme. I have had herbs growing in the past but not had much success at my current house.

This time I have tried planting some basil in pots.

Basil

I have been moving the pots religiously into the sun and out of the sun and into the rain. It is mid-summer here in Australia so I am hoping the basil will take off and now that I have finished work I will be able to nurse it along.

I find it quite expensive buying herbs, and they have to be fresh so I am often popping out just to buy a bunch of herbs. So I am hoping my new plantings will save me some time and money.

This morning there was a great flock of cockatoos in the trees at the back of my house. I managed to photograph a few of them.

Cockatoos in trees

Cockatoos in tree

These birds are very noisy and a flock of them overhead is almost deafening. They make a harsh screeching sound.

I will finish with these pretty pictures of P:-)'s front lawn, which looks like a wild flower meadow in England.

This is not the aim of P:-) for his front yard. It is supposed to be a flat carpet of green lawn.

Even though dandelions are considered weeds here in Australia it is hard not to see the beauty in them.

 I don't think P:-) agrees. He thinks I am a bit crazy, but I think we should look for beauty and goodness wherever we  can find it - especially in the small things. I think it is good to remember that life is not made of milestones but of moments. (Anonymous)

Interesting sites


1.

Photo source

 To see a pink Christmas is a Tiny House click here

2.

Click here  to read how soybeans could be a source of a valuable chemical. 

3.

Photo source

Nicaragua plans to be resourced by 94% renewable energy by 2017. Click here to read more.

MINIATURE CORIANDER GARDEN

Today I am home all day! I love my busy life but love a day just to potter. The sun is streaming through my bedroom windows. This is the view from my bed.

My mother tells me she would prefer fewer trees in my yard and have a better view of the mountains, but I love being  part of the bush.

I love waking up to the view of the trees in the morning. No matter what the weather, it is a beautiful view. I never stop appreciating it.

I have an interest in miniature gardens. This is the first I did. Very small and basic.

 

This gave me an idea when I saw a glass candle holder for sale for $5 in the  Salvation Army shop in Wollongong.

 

I have had some success growing Coleus  in glass on my windowsill so I have decided to give some Coriander a go. Lots of the recipes I use call for Coriander but sometimes only a small amount is needed and it is so expensive buying it by the bunch. It might seem more sensible to try planting it in the garden. I shall try that too at some stage but it is hard to find an area with enough sun in my yard. So I have decided to try a decorative little coriander garden on my windowsill.

I began by placing a layer of charcoal in the base of my candle holder.

Then I added a layer of spagnum moss .

I followed this with some potting mix. I only had potting mix designed for ferns but I'm sure it will do the job.

Finally  I added some landscaping- a couple of toadstools and rocks. Then I planted 3 seeds. According to the packet they should be 20cm apart, but I'll see how they go. I intend to keep the plants small.

I gave it a good water and then placed it on the windowsill.

Now I just have to wait for the plants to pop up. I considered putting a glass lid on it while the seeds germinate but decided that they might cook when the sun is at its strongest.

As I learn about blog writing I find that I need a tag line. I'm not quite sure where I will put it yet but I have decided to go with:  

Choose life. Life is wonderful.