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...
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...
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...
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...
G'day. I came home from work last Wednesday to find hubby had painted the front door "Indian Red". Now, I have long said that I intend to get a stained glass front door at some stage, but, have not been able to find one that I like. So, until that happens, hubby got tired of looking at a plain wooden door.
Surprisingly it's not a bad color. It has kind of grown on me (bad luck if it didn't !!!). I did say to hubby that maybe the recessed areas of the door would look nice painted cream, but I don't think hubby was impressed with my suggestion. I got "The Look", so to speak. Now, the other side of the door is pretty spiffy as well, this is a glorious white and really does look great. It has made a huge difference to the front door area. Hubby has, as usual done a very good job.
Well, it's New Years day here tomorrow and I have to work. Oh well, some people have to keep the country running I suppose !!!
Our street here, has a "street party" every New Years eve. This is held at one of the neighbours homes and we have been invited. It will be a chance for us to get to know a few more people and of course, for them to meet us. It won't be a late night for me, because of working tomorrow, but, hubby may stay and see the New Year in.
I am not big on making New Years resolutions as I don't tend to keep them, but, my goal this coming year is to keep losing weight and to enjoy everyday to the best of my abilities and to nurture my family and friends in every way possible. My son and I went to Europe last year for three weeks and we had an absolute ball, so much so, that we plan to do it again, though this time we will just go to France. I have tried to talk my daughter into coming as well, but Europe doesn't hold much interest for her. This next trip will be early 2013, so plans for that will be exciting and something to look forward to.
I also look forward to reading more of the wonderful blogs that I follow. You are a great bunch. I wish I could meet you all. I greatly appreciate your comments and the time taken to write them. To you, my friends. Happy New Year... Take care. Liz...
G'day. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.
It has been a year of good things for hubby and I, but, I realise that for some of my followers, it has been a year that has had a lot of sadness in it, for one reason or another. I have wished many a time that I had a magic wand, but sadly I don't. I do hope that the New Year brings a new beginning and that there will be much laughter throughout this coming year.
I would also like to thank everyone who has followed my blog. I do appreciate it. A big thank you to Michelle Ridgway from Rag Tag Stitching who sent me "Walter" the gorgeous snowman who hangs proudly on my grandmothers treadle sewing machine, in my lounge room, alongside some of the Christmas dolls that I have made. Michelle also sent me some lovely Christmas themed patterns. I will have these made ready for next year.
It looks like it will be a hot Christmas day here, the mid to high 30's are expected in my part of Australia. The family are coming here to our lovely new home and we will have a traditional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. The house is decorated, the lights are up and twinkling and have been announcing our presence to our new neighbouhood of a night time. It is my very favourite time of the year.
I wish you all glad tidings. Have a great day. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Take care. Liz...
G'day. I cam home from my Weight Watchers meeting last night (more about that later) to find my beautiful cow with a wreath around her neck.
I was given this large sitting cow as a present some years ago and she really is quite lovely. Hubby obviously thought her neck made a good place to hang a wreath that I had been debating where to put.
Having moved to a much smaller home some months ago, it hasn't been easy to find places for a lot of things and this bovine beauty has been shuffled around. She now sits in the corner near the front door and this is where she will stay. The wreath too, needed to find it's place this Christmas. I have had it for a very long time and it's rather tattered now, but I can't bear to part with it.It has been sitting on the coffee table for the last week and while I was away last night, hubby decided he was sick of seeing it there and took matters into his own hands. In fact, it doesn't look too bad on the old girls neck.
Getting back to WW. I can now proudly say that I have lost 8 kilo in 10 weeks.The walking is going well. Little brown dog and I hit the pavements at 6.30am and clocked up nearly 45 minutes. Needless to say we were both ready for a drink and a rest when we got home. I would normally be working today, but was asked if I would swap a shift at the nursing home where I work, so my working week now starts tomorrow. Depending on the weather and how I feel after work, it may be around and around the backyard for a half hour or so over the next few days. I have discovered that it doesn't matter where I walk, as long as I walk and as silly as it sounds walking around the clothesline and the backyard, it is still moving these feet that counts. I have also discovered Weight Watchers Chocolate Belgian Eclairs. I can highly recommend them. They really are yummy and only 2 Pro Points per serve. There are six in a box and although not cheap, they are a treat that is nice for a change. Trouble is that I have only ever bought one box that had the chocolate still intact on the top of the eclair, like the picture shows. Most times the chocolate has melted and run off into the plastic inserts that the eclairs sit in. They are in the frozen section at the supermarket and I have bought them, raced out to the car, straight home and still the chocolate isn't where it is meant to be. I have come to the conclusion that it is like this well before I buy them. But regardless, they are tasty. Even if you are not on a diet, they are worth giving a try. Take care. Liz...
