Happenings in the space of an hour

Plan to go out to run some errands

Discover it is raining a little but we head out anyway

Follow the iPhone Maps App lady’s voice to the recycling facility

Told, Oh sorry, we don’t collect these things.
You will have to wait for your Council Dangerous Goods Clean up day.

Hmmm…Council HAD advised us that the recyclers would take our old Fluero tubes

Note that now I have muddy shoes so place a large Aldi shopping bag on the car floor to rest my feet on

Stop at the Woolies shop because we are driving past. Might see if there are any reduced price goodies….found a few

Push shopping trolley and prepare to return to car…it’s raining properly now

Wait under cover til rain eases somewhat and discover a spider dropping down on a very fast and long web just where we are about to step. I try to swat it with the small rolled up shopping docket and step on it.

Hear Hubby’s comment, you missed the spider and it’s racing back up to the high ceiling…it was a plump red back spider .

Note to self. Keep an eye out for that rouge spider.

Load the car with rain dripping down our necks. Quickly slamming down the boot/trunk as we had forgotten we had fragile recycles in there.

Errand list remains very incomplete

But our Senses were rewarded

Extreme summer heat of yesterday and the days before
When all that the lawns wanted was water
So I gave them water

Today the air
Super charged with Ozone from the Thunder and Lightning

Hypnotic rhythmic rain gurgling down the drain pipes
Hills and mountains shrouded in secrecy by rain clouds

Our own Coffee Club enjoyed in the back verandah
Crackers and cheese and comfortable chairs
Savouring too the abounding greenery lit by that special light during rain

Then stillness as the rain passes and leaves droop silently
Not a movement
Silent

Now I can hear our clock ticking the seconds away

The birds too gradually come out celebrating a refreshed day

So too the garden
It breathes deeply

We see
But what do we see?

Take a moment, be kind to yourself

Working in the Fashion industry
Recently I was directed to a sewing site which was more about professional sewing but it reminded me of my youth. My first ever job was working at a small boutique fashion knitwear place called Sigrid Styleknit….I did Google the name and got one photograph in some Australian migrant archives.

Working in that industry must run in the family as my mother ran her brother’s knitting mill in Germany when the “hired” help didn’t materialize and orders were piling in. More on that maybe on another occasion.

My job amongst other things was to write out the sequence of how the garment was put together. Basically a garment construction plan! Which machinist the said garment went to and in what order, the accessories used plus much more.

For example the material started at the steam pressing table straight from the knitting room with its order label tag swinging from the side…style 1347; size SSW; colour red; order Judells (I think they are still around). From here it proceeded to the cutting table and began its long journey through the work room being moved from one section to another. where most of the girls were from European counties…for example Italy, Greek, Polish, Czech. It went to an over locker girl to sew shoulders together and to neaten the side seams. Then the sewing machine girl to do side seams and sleeve seams. Back to over locker to set in sleeves. To the linker machine which I thankfully didn’t get to use as it is very fine eye straining work in the putting on of a knitted edging without missing a stitch. Like this one I had done on a favourite Cardigan of my husband many moons ago!

Then onto to a blind stitch hemmer for sleeves and bottom hem edge…plus a myriad other jobs to create the finished garment with unique buttons and hand sewn buttonholes to its final inspection for flaws and package into order boxes to be delivered by Comet Freight throughout Australia.

At the beginning of each new range, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring one job I remember doing was following a new garment right through each process. I had to time with a stop watch the different stages for the office to include in the costing.

Writing it like this makes me marvel what I actually learnt and did as I gained experience …me a young, shy, naive girl. I had no idea what I wanted to do for a job and it was only that my father had done some work on the big industrial knitting machines that I ended up there. That quite often happened I think as once you left school you just went to the first job available unless you were specialising or going to business college…for example my hubby just wanted to leave school and work. His first job ended up being what he then did most of his working life in International Airfreight with its myriad changes.

Thinking back, I was only young and straight out of school at sixteen. I did an apprenticeship, went to night school for three year doing examination courses in advanced dressmaking and tailoring. Also learning pattern making ( really hard ) where we had to draft patterns on blue paper in quarter scale. I left work when I was about 22 before our eldest was born. A lifetime ago. Later on I wished I’d been older to fully understand and appreciate the concepts of all this dressmaking.

My mother, my teacher

But it did serve me well through the years as I sewed for myself and our children when it was expensive to buy ready-made and have always mended. I have sewn curtains for our homes and made bags and know how to make do and repair. So in essence my first job set me up with Life Skills….what more could a girl ask for.

What about you.

Joining with Frontier Dreams, a Waldorf schooling creative mum

Some old photos I found taken between 1967-1970.
First one was the advert for my job and the second was a photo shoot for Sigrid Styleknit. Young blonde me in back and Sigrid the designer in black sunglasses in front. It was a Candid snap taken for Sigrid….the other ladies were well known Adelaide models whose names I cannot recall now.

Lavender is one of my favourite flowers and once established in a friendly spot is as tough as old boots, as you can see in my photo!

Lavender a symbol of an old worldy age, a simple life.

From Wikipedia…
“Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, southern Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia to southeast …are cultivated extensively in temperate climates as ornamental plants for garden and landscape use, for use as culinary herbs, and also commercially for the extraction of essential oils.”

It make me think of when times were slower, when seasons were followed, when thought was given how everything could be used wisely.

No waste and carelessness, but a time of learning , how to make do, work hard but enjoy the fruits of ones labours. Of helping and supporting one another. Of time to ponder instead of always having to race around or wanting to try something new. Of being content.

The story to my hedge stared over two years ago. My garden was and is getting to be like a very aged person who needs lots of loving care and rejuvenation, but with not too much time I wanted to spruce it up a bit…it is a slow work in progress.

Where I wanted to plant this hedge was a long bed which had a lot of overgrown old plants which needed ripping out and poisoning, a very slow process which I undertook over time. Then had to wait for the Nandina Bamboo and ivy to really die and with a pick dig out the roots…needless to say it was hard work. The soil needed to be enriched a little so I just dug and turned it over where each cutting was going in. Once everything was planted and watered I put down cane mulch of which I had a bale needing to be used up from the shed….it broke down beautifully to feed the soil over time. With sunshine and rain and day following day.

Let’s start some new plants…by harvesting cuttings from my proud “Mother” plant. A large scruffy old bush which I had been tempted to rip out but kept. I have grown so new many plants from this one bush

In July last year I just took soft cuttings and stuck them straight in the ground. I put in excess cuttings knowing I would loose some. Water was applied to keep them moist over summer. A lot of going out everyday to cheer them on and watch as they grew from drooping cuttings. By September the cuttings had “taken” and were well growing with new shoots by October.

I cut off their first flower buds in sacrifice to give strength to the newly grown plants. Once the next flush of smallish flowers had finished I thought I’d better trim the whole hedge to make it even…after some days I thought I’d killed it and was so very upset. But by mid January there was re growth much to my joy.

Now in mid May which is the next year I have a lovely hedge which soon I must prune again to remove spent flowers and let the plants regenerate and so the process goes on. Time after time.

A beautiful sight for me every day out my back door and windows. A lesson in time and patience. To keep going even if it gets tough…hard work never killed anyone , except for the aches in muscles I forgot I had

I love my hedge bordering my herb garden as do the bees and can watch and admire it for an age standing with my back to the sun….and now the lavender is sheltering new cuttings which when a little bigger I will transplant for another type of hedge …a Japanese Box

….and in between loving the sprinkles of joy and sun shine some of our little grandsons bring when we visit their homes x

Courtesy of Lightfoot@morgueFile free photos

Permaculture is such a big fancy word…
A continuation of the previous post on Permaculture but let’s turn it into an everyday word that everyone can understand…Family friendly

It is a way of bringing together people with whatever bit of earth or space that you can work with and on. It can be as small as a pot of Basil on your window ledge, or as large as a farm. It can be on a tiny block or apartment in the city, the suburbs or in the country. It is a delicate dance, balancing at times many aspects, be it our parents adventures or this brave new world with people opting to try the old ways.

Homesteading is basically a lifestyle that promotes greater self sufficiency.

One of our family have a few chickens or hens which refuse to die. They seem to live a charmed life. Even surviving being rounded up by little boys. For chickens to survive you need a few things. These hens live spartanly in a fairly large sized fenced area. The roof also being fenced with wire mesh to stop flying predators. Their roosting and laying boxes were made of spare lumber. The door is a flash spare screen door double locking…once with the latch and next with a brick on the ground in case the latch doesn’t get closed properly by little boys going exploring in the hen house.

A frame from a video hence the wide space

You should see the hens when the scraps of veggies get brought out…it’s a mad scramble. They love their free range in the yard and apparently take themselves to bed each night before dark. Now if only little boys could be so obliging at bed time

So… A plot of earth, shading trees, safe habitat, food, water and if there also was time for a vegetable or herb garden there’s an excellent free source of chicken manure for food production….

…and then sharing some of the homegrown produce in celebration like at one venue a few weeks ago at their open gardens. They had toasted breads with melted cheese and tomato and herbs served on wooden bread boards. For us, I think Hubby will have a ploughman’s lunch served on a board. Aldi crusty panne De Cassa bread toasted with ham, cheese, tomato and maybe some onion…. I’ll top mine with red cabbage coleslaw…easy to make and nicer the next day. Keeps well too.

Have a great day everyone. Enjoy your spring you readers in the Northern Hemisphere and us Down Under try to get over those colds and sniffles….BUT we have a glorious blue sky here at home. So a bonus!

Linking in with #IBOT at Essentially Jess

First Sunday in May is traditionally World Permaculture day
It is also Honey month

A day when and where people come together to share ideas, ideals, ways of doing and the how’s of doing. A day of places to visit to learn about this big word Permaculture. Work shops and open gardens. Community events.

How to look after the gardens they have. Ways to improve their soil. How to make mulch or compost. What to use the compost for. How to encourage worms into their gardens whether of flowers, vegetable or a mixture because these wriggly friends move nutrients through your soil and break it down silently. They are your invisible friends working in the background or in the worm farm.

Why, how and are you allowed to keep the humble hens for their eggs in your suburban back yard or rural property…but watch out for Mr Fox or other predators!…how to build their little hen houses or castles.

How to make use of your small suburban block in a productive way. Suburban homesteading. There don’t have to be grand ideas or spending lots of money. Starting small or micro small. Just the act of getting to and starting and not being afraid to give it a go.

As I wrote in a post on “Sharing” …it’s not in the big words of Sustainable Living or as now Permaculture, it’s in the doing it simply without worrying about the big words. Read what I said about sharing. Remember how our parents or family did things in their little patch of earth called home. They did it to support the family budget. They worked hard, had to work hard to survive, and just got on with doing because there was no other way.

They worked together, had working bees, helped each other, supported each other and shared with each other. I know I had chores which gave me the love and understanding of gardening to this day….but there’s always things to learn which in itself is good even as one approaches retiring age. Ones brain doesn’t become stale. New horizons are there beckoning.

Try growing a few herbs in pots or on a window sill. Share what you have with a friend or neighbour. Do a bit of research. Do grow a few marigolds or such amongst your veggies to attract the bees for a productive garden.

Bees our friends that I blogged about on “World Health Day”. Little workers that the world can’t do without.

Share with the children and teach them about the simple things of a garden. The joys of a garden. The responsibility that goes with gardening too. The awesomeness of growth. Share the beauty, it’s free.

So many things that we can simply do or already are doing unknowingly, without the need for big words.

Courtesy mvictor@morgueFile free photo

Sharing can be an outright gift
Sharing can also be to barter
What does barter mean
A little example garden-wise

Get free plants
Share with each other
A glut for one is a need for another
Thinning out of plants or vegetables or herbs
What to do with the excess besides throwing into bin

I need a parsley plant
You have parsley growing in abundance in the hedging
I have a glut of rocket seedlings taking over my veggie patch
You love rocket
You need to thin out the spinach
I need spinach
You say that when you have to thin them out you’ll pass some on

You get a box of fresh herbs and vegetable delivered
You chop the coriander roots off to put herbs in fridge
I suggest you grow some from those roots, so we share the bounty with a smile
I’ve recently learnt how to grow basil from tender snippets of cuttings and discover you are doing the same

And on it goes without money changing hands, being resourceful, caring. Not being wasteful, practicing sustainable living without the big words.

This is but one tiny example of sharing. Life provides us with many avenues in which to share whether it be tangible or in support. Many times we do share, unknowingly.

Do you share?

Courtesy dharder@morgueFile free photos

Alexa

Joining in with Essentially Jess for #IBOT

Forgot that it was Earth Week until I saw it on Facebook…so I am quickly sneaking in before the week is up.

I did my bit by planting lawn runners on a bare patch in the front lawn where previously was a bush garden that had aged too much….

I didn’t have lawn seed nor instant lawn in a roll so used what I had.

By pulling up bits of my lawn from the edges I planted them in sort of rows using an old-fashioned method.

…I’ll just have to be patient and wait as they start growing, spreading and intermeshing.

Time is what I have plenty of
 

http://villagegreennetwork.com/19-ways-make-earth-week-family-affair/

…now if only this link would link….Mike??

Home made

Inspiring …Inspired
Motivating …Motivated
Take it all in and ready to continue on…

Washing all done and packing all put away….

Isn’t that the best feeling after a weekend away.

We had to take linen and bedding, so took our trusty always pull out spare Doonas and not really matching sheets….pillow cases did sort of match though!

A good drive was had home from up the coast back to Sydney.

….It must be the rejuvenation of a refreshing break that gets one into into tidying up, and as seeing the temperature was really pleasant and it being not yet dark I piled sheets and quilt covers and towels etc in loads into that machine. All freshly laundered with a few drops of eucalyptus added to wash water the loads gradually filled the line as they got hung out in the fresh air…..hooray, now no washing to do in the morning…..isn’t that the best, especially for a Monday!

Such a simple thing to rejoice over.

Two more loads to go….but look at that young Lavender hedge in the night light!

My always on hand pre-wash that I use is as follows…

As you can see by the photo, I use my recycled and repurpose the Cloudy Ammonia bottles. I mark my empty bottle into thirds with permanent marker.

1/3 water…in first so you don’t get an overflow of bubbles …I’ve learnt the hard way and have found that if I don’t concentrate I tend to put liquids in the wrong order….ahhh

1/3 Cloudy Ammonia

1/3 Dish washing detergent…can be less…I’m going to try the Home Brand Laundry liquid for my next batch.

Sometimes if I have enough Eucalyptus I add about a small Half TEAspoon.

When I make a batch my measurements are not accurate. Also I make a few bottles at a time.

Home made Pre Wash Spray

So here’s to clean washing and not having to buy preWash Spray.

A little thing you say….but it’s the little things that can add up.

Anyway, have a good day all even if you have to do a spot of washing.

Find the simple joy in -

…clean fresh smelling washing
…fresh water and ready access to abundant supply
…that you are able to hang it in the breeze here in Australia
…thereby you save on power and stressing about the bill
…clothes not wearing out through having to use the dryer constantly
…having a huge variety of clothing etc in the first place
…reducing your Carbon footprint
…by “being green”
…and what else- can YOU think of more
…being thankful that we have the climate so we CAN choose to not use the dryer. Many climates and parts of the world do not have this luxury especially at this moment in their winter.

Just think, an everyday chore we do without thinking and sometimes groan about yet all of the above!

Till later
Alexa

Photographs and content belong to- http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com

Also on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Alexaasimplelife

Photo courtesy from {click} at morgueFile free photos

Sustainability …what does it mean for you and me.

What about …How to live a joyful and abundant life by observation, example and Attitude…or changing our Attitude!

So many different things to different people and depending on your circumstance.

Sustainability in suburbia, sustainable living in suburbs, sustainable living in the city, sustainable living in the country, apartment sustainable living, high-rise sustainable living, single person household sustainable living, rental sustainable living, sustainable living garden, sustainable living with communal garden. Endless list here.

I Googled to find the meaning and was met with a vast array of discussions. Then I found a site for children which made it so much easier for me

http://www.googolpower.com/content/free-learning-resources/environmental-education/definitions-of-sustainability-for-children

“Like a circle it goes round and all is reused” ….

Now this I can understand because in a way many of us already use this principle without even giving it a name.

An example could be that we are trying to make a recipe and don’t have all the ingredients, so instead we Google to see what substitute we can use. Easy, we do it all the time without thought. Then instead of going to the shop, or because we can’t spend any money on petrol to drive to shop and anyway our grocery budget is already shot and we can’t juggle the money any other way we use what we have. Stew those wrinkled apples that otherwise would go bad and into landfill and use that instead of oil in a muffin recipe. Find that recipe! Or make a Dairy free and egg free cake. Simple again.

I’m sure you have done the same in some other way without even realising it!

Thinking back to my childhood I fondly recall mother doing so many of these things. It was not because it was fashionable or had a name or that everyone was discussing it on talk back Radio, but because it was a way of life for many people to survive by making do.

….toothpaste tube rolled up and squeezed and squeezed to get the last bits out but I really did want to start a new one …No!

….all the kitchen scraps were saved in the kitchen bin and then had to be emptied in the garden. Us girls put it off for as long as possible till not a scrap more of vegetable peelings could be squashed in ….mum was patient, but we still had to do it!

….clothes were remade -

Mum was given a woollen skirt which was showing some wear in the weave. So she washed it and then unpicked and pressed it. No steam irons then. Just a damp cloth and hot iron. Every piece was reused. So by turning the material inside out there was a new looking skirt which lasted for many long years and looked classy.

When I was asked to be Flower-girl (now called junior bridesmaid) mum was given a pale pink cotton dress from neighbouring ladies. This also she took apart and remade into a pretty dress for me.

Inspirations for us today….for us to pass on to the next generation and live joyful content lives. Teaching by example and our attitude.

So now as a grandmother just doing a little looking back to my mother’s days I am so thankful for the many things I have learnt and have been able to implement into my own and my family’s life. It’s just the simple observations of the everyday life that can unconsciously work its way into our routines.

Who visits the Op shop or also called Thrift store? Isn’t that part of sustainable living. What one person has decluttered is something that is useful for you….and vice versa, don’t you put things in the Op bins or take to the thrift store? I found a new looking beautiful fine knit red woollen dress that is hand washable. Great again cause it doesn’t need to be Dry cleaned and especially, saves me money.

…sew that button on, redo that hem, fix that tiny undone seam, put funky patches on little trousers worn at the knee, fix worn bottom of trousers….and if we don’t know how to just ask someone for a helping hand or Google ” How to…” , there are myriad sites which will give you info. Just be willing to learn. Slowly.

I am sure that if we stopped and thought about it, we would find there are many ways in which we ARE living richly by reusing or making things go around…and that also includes how we deal with or treat each other.

Busy little cousin fun, “How to…”

So have a great day all and remember it’s in the little things that changes can happen.

Alexa x

Title photograph courtesy {click} morgueFile free photos

Also came across a tiny kernel of an idea for this article whilst having stumbled upon an article on microfiber cloths in a Blog called Sustainable suburbia….

http://sustainablesuburbia.net/the-pros-and-cons-of-cleaning-with-microfiber-is-it-really-eco-friendly/

All other Photographs and writing belong to Alexa from

http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com

Courtesy {Seemann} @morgueFile.com

Fitness. Get into shape. A different perspective.

In the norm getting into shape implies changing a way or style of life.

Doing more, getting active, getting involved in sporty pursuits. Running, walking, jogging, swimming. Tai chi, yoga-which is very popular and has many disciplines and intensities, cycling, also boot camps for fitness. But remember it’s not the more you pay the fitter you are!

Then there are so many YouTube links for you to do whatever you like and at whatever level of fitness you choose to follow in the privacy of your own home, or even with a private group of friends and family.

Pictures that come to my mind…

Young dad joining his teen nephew on trampoline for an impromptu game of bounce.

Dear husband riding bike with grandson who was so very worried grandpa would fall off that he kept looking back to check. All was well though and no broken bones!

From younger days a very fit husband going snorkelling and spear fishing and gathering a feast of fish.

Now we enjoy going for walks and along the beach (the nicest) and playing with grandchildren who love to keep us on the go. Looking after grandchildren. Lawns to mow and gardens to keep.

Whatever our choice, whatever our age and ability we have an endless supply of information and ideas, and come at different costs.

So get to it and do a tiny bit today and every day even without outlaying a cent….

Now, here is a very different way to get into shape…”shapes” and looking good.

Originally these photos were for part two of the “Everyday around us”. I have given them a twist here which is what life is all about…being adaptable.

Have a good look at these pictures and decide for yourself….they are still about shape, but now they include “form” and “structure”…..things we tend to miss as we go about life.

Pause and look closely…

patterns in metal and patterns in wood;
whirls and stripes, curls and swirls…
lines and squares,
triangles of metal and wood,
stars in screws,
intricate veins in leaves,
tiny round flowers against the rough texture of rocky steps.

Original Queenslander Homestead with watch tower and fret work

Get into shape, swirls, column, square and leaves

Into shape through gate opening

Step up to get cardiovascular system going

So one step at a time we are on the way to a healthier body. If we eat well that is even better. If we join the family in for fun run around at times it doesn’t become a have to, it is FUN, and that’s the clincher for who doesn’t like fun!

Till later

Alexa

Written by Alexa
Photographs belong to me Alexa-asimplelife