Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Happy Australia Day.

G'day. It's Australia Day here in this beautiful land of ours and we are flying the flag proudly.

Traditionally our flag is blue in color,but, to be different, we have a red one. There is a blue one lurking in the cupboard somewhere, with all the other flags we have. But, the red one is on display today.

We have always had a flagpole, though this one is a lot smaller than the last one we had on the farm. Hubby put this  up on the side of the garage some weeks ago and I am sure the neighbours are gobsmacked to say the least.

We are also having a "barbie" for tea tonight. Hubby is cooking it and he is wearing the Aussie apron that comes out of mothballs for this special occasion.

Poor hubby has been slaving away in the garden today. We needed the sprinkler system to be working properly. The last owners had installed it, but it was not efficient. It has been really hot here as well and the plants will be thankful for what hubby has achieved. I unfortunately have had to work. Oh well, I suppose some of us have had to keep the country going.

Sorry this is so short, but the smell of the barbie is enticing me and of course I mustn't resist. Hubby will pinch my piece of steak if I don't keep an eye on him.
Take care. Liz...

Friday, January 20, 2012

I should have kept my mouth shut !!

G'day. I was telling the daughter of one of the residents at the nursing home where I work that I had planted a couple of Pelagonium bushes that I had bought because I loved their vibrant colour.

 Well the very next day, the daughter turned up with about ten cutting of her pelagoniums and geraniums for me to plant. I thanked her kindly and told her I appreciated the thought and that I would plant them when I got home from work. I kept my word.

Then lo and behold a few days later the daughter handed me a plastic bag full of cuttings of the same plants. There would be about forty or so pieces. Now, if we were still on the property, they wouldn't be a problem, but we just don't have such a large area here to plant them all and I don't really know if I want that many of these plants growing here. I have been thinking of digging a few holes in the ground and mass planting the cuttings into them and see what happens. It has been suggested by a friend that I simply throw them out, but I just can't bring myself to do that.I feel obligated to do something with them. I have offered them to friends to no avail. I am stuck with them. The mass planting sounds like a good idea to me. Plop them in the hole and wait and watch. It would be nice if they grew into a few large bushes with different colored flowers, now that might be nice, but I am not sure if that would actually happen!!! I do realise that not all the cutting might take, though these are very hardy plants and are known for their ability to strike from cuttings. I have done the same in years gone by and have never had a problem. Time will tell. At the moment the cuttings are sitting in a large bucket of water, just bidding their time until I do something with them. I walked past the bucket just before and I am sure that I heard just the softest little "hello, we are still here, waiting, waiting.

It's a shame that I have to work tomorrow as I feel sure that I could find a solution to their fate and the rest of today is simply out of the question as there is washing to bring off the line, vacuuming to do, that should have been done this morning, not to mention that hubby has two pairs of overalls that need to be shortened and I promised him they would be done today. I have been hiding them in my sewing cupboard hoping he would forget about them, but this lad has a sharp memory and he asked me last night what had happened to them. If all of my blog friends didn't live so far away, not to mentions those on the other side of the world,I would be quite happy to send you some cuttings, they would look lovely in your gardens. Take care. Liz...

Friday, January 13, 2012

My new play thing.

G'day. I have recently bought myself this Tefal Fresh Express. It's great for slicing certain vegetables, like zucchini, carrots, cucumber etc   Also good for grating chocolate, nuts and Parmesan cheese, though I am yet to try these last three. I made a coleslaw with it a few nights ago and found it fast and easy to use. I also love the fact that it is neat and compact. All the little cones fit inside one another when not in use and it doesn't take up much room in the cupboard. And don't you just love the fabulous red color ? No doubt I will have many happy hours of fun with it.  Oh dear, I must get a life!!!

We are supposed to be in the height of our summer here, but you would never know it. The last few days have been really cold where I live. I had to put the electric blanket on to warm the bed the other night. I have heard though, that the next couple of months are supposed to be stinking hot. But, time will tell, you would never think that at the moment. I do hope that prediction is wrong as I hate the heat with a passion.

I have been walking to and from work now and am really enjoying it. The walk of a morning is great, but walking home is a different ball game. It's hard after being on my feet most of the day and then the nearly 4 klm trek home. But, I am proud of myself that I am managing it and am already feeling better for it. I only hope that it shows up on the scales at the next WW meeting. I do have the option of getting a bus home and any number of workmates have offered to drive me. If it's going to be a really hot day, or wet and windy, one of those options will be taken advantage of.

Hubby is out in the garage endearing himself to the neighbours, banging and bashing at something. I am staying inside, well out of the fray, he is really making a ruckus.  The neighbours must just shake their heads and wonder what on earth they did to deserve us in their midst. He has been working on one of the  classic cars that we have, so hopefully the banging and bashing is not him taking his temper out on the poor helpless vehicle. We are attending a car club run at Easter to another Australian state and the car has to be ready to make the long trip. All that needed doing was sanding the body down and re spraying it, which hubby will do himself, but, I am sure that the use of hammers is not needed in regard to that !!!

Take care. Liz...

Monday, January 2, 2012

A lovely present from a friend.

G'day. I have just received this lovely cushion from a very good friend. There is no special reason she gave it to me, other than we are friends and she knows I love teddy bears.

Over the years I have made teddies, bought teddies, been given teddies, saved teddies that were being thrown out. You might say that I have a few teddies and that would be true.

I no longer make teddies or buy them, unless one catches my eye and I just have to have it, but I do try hard to resist now. You see, since moving to a much smaller home, my teddies were taking over, so to speak.

My friend saw this little pillow and thought of me straight away. It is just the cutest little thing and I simply adore it. Of course, I adore my friend for buying it for me. Isn't it great to have friends like this. This little cutie will sit on my dressing table to be much admired. Take care. Liz...