One of the many reasons we wanted to move away from Sydney was to live in a place where there is seasonal variety. Different times of the year allow for fabulous contrast in the area’s gardens. We are fortunate to have many of these colour-changing trees on our own patch of land and I often […]
Call to action
While we watched the election night coverage on TV last Saturday, there was so much information to absorb. An oversupply of commentators all had opinions and numbers were being thrown around so often that they became meaningless. It was obvious from the early stages of the vote count that the Labor government would be returned; […]
Follow your instincts
One of the best things about not being tied to paid employment is flexibility. I can use my time every day whatever way I want, to do what interests me at the time. It’s brilliant. The downside is that, since I have so many options, I often end up doing none of them. The paralysis […]
One small section at a time
When you have a few different activities to occupy your time, some of them get neglected. Such is the case for my garden. Strangely though, that doesn’t stop all the plants growing and spreading. I used to get anxious about this and worry that I should be more serious about maintaining my garden but now […]
Popcorn in the garden
Last month at our garden club meeting, the guest speaker talked about miniature roses and showed us a selection in flower. I was inspired to add one of these pretty flowering plants to my garden and, since the speaker had mentioned Ross Roses as a dependable supplier, I looked at their website. As I was […]
Pretty in pink… and green and purple
In 2022, I made a small quilt to welcome my goddaughter’s first baby. It was fun stitching the project, mainly because it gave me the opportunity to lay out colours in a way I thought would stimulate a baby. You can read about that quilt here. Now that baby is a little girl and she […]
It only takes one cool night
Cooler weather is on the way (it was 7 degrees last night!) and that means I start knitting. Or, to be more accurate, it means I pick up the knitting project I abandoned last year and consider continuing with it. Or I start searching various websites for more patterns to knit (and even buy some […]
Summer stories 5
Strings of hot days = salad fatigue! This is the last of my summer stories this year, as we move into cooler weather.
Book recommendation: Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective
This is a delightful story about Miss Caroline Bingley as you have never imagined her to be. Set two years after the events of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Miss Bingley is staying at her brother’s estate and is, frankly, bored. Enter Georgiana Darcy, whose maid, Jayani, has gone missing. Miss Bingley seizes the opportunity […]
Tulip regrets
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article for our garden club newsletter, suggesting members order any special tulip bulbs they wanted to plant for next spring’s flowering. I’ve often been caught out by wanting certain flowers in my garden way after the time I should have been sowing seeds or planting bulbs. Sometimes, […]