A chilly start to the day this morning seen in my Beanie wearing husband as he went off to do an installation for Care Alert.

For myself I rugged up in a fleece jacket, checked Google Maps directions to pick up two child’s Booster Seats.
The local Buy, Sell and Swap Facebook site is marvellous for all sorts of great bargains at a fraction of the price.
Not current style but still with all the safety features like side impact protection and extendable height headrest with lock.

Having purchased my seats I decided to drive past Bunnings as I was in the area thereby saving myself another trip for buying potting mix which will be needed later.

Thus I found my treasure trove free for the picking , actually snapping.

Everywhere I turned plants, leaves, blooms glistened in the morning sun with sparkling refractions from the still present heavy morning Dew. It was like being let free in a candy store…which way shall I turn first.

The heavy-headed large Pansy flowers like the drunken butterflies in their silken Kimono robes but frozen in flight
Variegated elegant leaves of the Cyclamen like lily pads
Cyclamen flowers in all shapes showing off a promise of more to come

Dianthus miniature Carnations with a perfect spherical glass like orb at its centre
Indian and tropical inspired miniature Bougainvillea with its veined coloured leaf flowers inviting the passer-by to purchase…but not at that price…ahem… $39.-

So passed a pleasant and refreshing time amongst nature free for all to see if they choose….and yes I did buy potting mix plus four big punnets of Heartsease marked down to .50 cents. bARGAIN!

Another treasure found today was to visit and share some time with the little Grandsons, especially for Grandpa as he sometimes misses out when he is busy.
So whilst he admired origami paper planes of all shapes and sizes which the boys proudly showed off I swapped some plants around in to different pots.
Free
Enjoyable
Precious

The day is as you make it.

For us it was a Treasure Trove.

Look no further!
Go visit your local nursery for a free lift of spirits

Free you say!

Yes definitely because no money changed hands.

By letting my mind be refreshed and calmed on a hot hot day under the misting sprinkler.

I remembered …
Lavender cutting/slips growing under some greenery
Hibiscus cuttings/slips slowly growing roots in a glass jar
Red trumpet creeping vine cutting/slip started in a pot
Big Red geranium growing lushly from a cutting/slip

It was a stepping back in time of how old gardens were created.
Networking and sharing.

How to best utilise what I have at home in the garden…..just a moving round and swapping positions. Or repotting with large recycled pots from the neighbour’s hard rubbish clean out.

There was no instant gratification costing $$, just some methodical or random planning and a little patience.

Have you ever done this?

Blessed

Joining Through the Garden Gate

Joining Frontier Dreams

Courtesy diannehope@morguefile.com

Home late after a full Sunday out

House is dark.

Key turned in lock

Greeted by Coldness

Lights on

Easy flick of switch for heater’s warm glow
For others a more time consuming fire to be stoked

We are so blessed with manifold creature comforts

Home
It embraces us and whispers welcome
A much loved Haven

What’s to eat

Know my fridge

Find cooked chopped vegetables and dry fried mince with onion

Into microwave bowl to heat
Add boiled water with stock powder and little gravy powder
Continue heating and boil a little
Blend partially with stick blender carefully due to hot liquid

Serve.
Savour and enjoy.
Comfort food.
Replete.

Quick soup not from a tin.

Being prepared is a ….

Winner
Time saver
Sanity saver
Dollar saver

Boring for some
A necessity for others

A small thing for one
A momentous find for others
Practical for me

PROVERBS 31

Perfect ending to a Winter day

Till later

Far too windy today to do any gardening as can be seen by my grown from a cutting Lavender bush. It is sailing to the left.

The plan had been to spray the Roses again for scale to really kill those suckers before all the new leaves appear on my for now Winter hibernating bushes. I am so looking forwards to my Roses flowering again in the warm months.
Just like this Rose in all it’s summer glory!

What could be better today than soup.

Open fridge and find goodies for the making of Real Food.

A veritable feast of bargains. Reduced priced goodness. The best shopping.

Large packet of soup vegetables …mine was 1kg and included parsnip which sells for $10kg on special at the moment.

Large bag of Beef soup bones ….mine was 1kg

Find largest cooking pot or crock pot…my crockpot was out on loan.

Whilst quickly peeling and rough chopping vegetables, heat pot with a little oil and toss bones in for a quick brown

- add chopped onions and stir for a slight brown
- add rest of vegetables and stir for a quick mix
- add 8 cups water and stock powder for that quantity. Or use packaged stock liquid.
-add a glug or two of Worsestershire Sauce

Even quicker is to pile all the ingredients into the pot without any frying, but the taste will not be as rich.

Bring to boil and skim off scum that rises to top for the first part of cooking.

Simmer till meat is tender enough for you. The longer the better.

Remove soup bones from soup liquid and cut meat off.

I then mashed vegetables with potato masher to squash them somewhat. You could use a stick blender being careful as soup is hot

Return meat to soup.

As I wanted to make a slightly thicker soup I made a brown Roux kind of thick sauce and added some to the soup.

Then we devoured it for lunch with only a little left for a small snack.

Wholesome food.

The best taste.

Love my soup….

Then a reduced price afternoon tea treat at a fraction of going out for coffee.

Even better was that we sat in the afternoon sun in our enclosed verandah soaking up the warmth

Till later

Photo by Paula Presswell and edited by Alexa a Simple Life

Reflection…
Now this story started after our birthday cum Father’s Day family get together this last weekend. I was thinking back to our lovely time spent together. Then I thought “O bother” now why didn’t I take a photo of the lovingly laid out table. So a hasty email was sent

“Hi Paula, any chance you’ve got one of your choc chip cookies left …I’d love photos of it sitting lone some on that gorgeous glass platter and dome. I wanted to add it to my blog with its recipe as well….:) ”

Here was the reply

Basic Biscuit Mixture:

1 cup sugar
500g marg (I used butter)
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
5 cups SR flour

Turn oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a large baking tray. Put your butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream (electric mixer) until pale. Add condensed milk and flour and mix together well using a spoon.

You can add any of your own ingredients at this point. I added peanut butter and choc chips. Stir until well combined.

Roll mixture into teaspoon sized balls and place on greased tray. Press lightly on the biscuits with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins until golden brown.

Others flavour options for the basic mix:

Smarties
Coconut
Milo and choc chips
A squeeze of OJ and some finely grated zest
Golden syrup
Honey and rolled oats
Rocky road – peanuts, marshmallows and choc chips
Muesli
Choc mint – cocoa and peppermint essence

Variations are as limitless as your imagination.

I usually split the basic mix into 4-5 bowls then add different flavours to each bowl.

The raw mix can be frozen in balls. Alternatively I roll the raw mix into a log and wrap well then freeze. Then I just take out what I need, let it thaw slightly and slice into rounds of desired thickness and bake.

I’m pretty sure the raw mix keeps for a few days chilled in the fridge also. Xx

This recipe was from a cook book we both have from Simple Savings. I had originally made these biscuit or cookies as the Americans call them and passed it onto my daughter and then forgot about them over time.

If you google Basic Biscuit Recipe you will also come up with lots of recipes. In my version I actually make my own sweetened condensed milk quickly which is very cheap and you have no worries about having forgotten to buy when you suddenly have the urge to bake! All you need is sugar, powdered milk, water and a dab of butter in a blender. Will post recipe another time if anyone is interested.

Photo by Paula Presswell, edited by Alexa-asimplelife

So now as we sit awhile in a comfy place let us take a moment to pause, to reflect and look back into that window of our life and be thankful. Thankful for much and for those many things we take for granted…..like the most vivid blue sky today here in Sydney over us this whole long day whenever we care to look up.

By Alexa
Photography by Alexa

Sent from my iPad

Courtesy jdurham@morgueFilefree photos

Change…
“To make something different. You can cause something to change, or you can bring change upon yourself.”… Google Business Dictionary

Change
When change is as good as a holiday
Dust out those gorgeous china cups and use them more
Change enlightens the spirit

You are aching for a holiday, a change to the everyday dreary, where can we go, but have little funds, I need a break moment of madness.

Staycation…have you ever indulged?
Now isn’t that a good word, indulged. It makes it sound so much better than we went, or we did

Plan. Give thought. Try and make the main part of home really inviting and fresh with nothing but a little time and elbow grease….or do it later with everyone pitching in after a refreshing recharge out.

Stay based at home but…

Enjoy a myriad of little trips
Search out
Visit new places for
a snack
a coffee
a catchup
a picnic
a new communal meeting point with friends
Time and connection with loved one
Time and connection with children

So instead of a few hundred dollars just on accommodation for at best a couple of nights you have the pleasure to indulge many little occasions spread over time. You can spend nothing by bringing from home, or treating for this occasion. Again it doesn’t need to cost a heap. New surroundings, pleasant views all add to the special ambience….give it a little thought and do some homework or ask acquaintances.

Courtesy greyerbaby@morgueFile free photos

I was reminded of our staycation whilst looking for a particular photo. Well I didn’t find it as it’s on my phone and I have yet to be able to download them. But it gave me a germ of an idea for a topic:)

We did staycation last year because all the accommodation we looked at was just so unrealistic. I think of it as “the end of winter, need to lift the blues.” We had amazingly beautiful weather crowning OUR day.

Leaving home without breakfast we drove to somewhere and as I don’t know that part of Sydney hence no name. It was a beach….hubby just corrected me, it was somewhere in Collaroy. Here we enjoyed brunch right on the seashore with a slow coffee. We lingered and savoured the moment. A little walk was included.

Then onwards to Palm Beach enjoying the ocean road. I know that name as I love the area though we have hardly ever been there. We found a nice bench on the edge of the sand and got our respective books out to peruse, to watch the ocean perchance to snooze. Another walk to a park for more chatting , reading and hubby snoozing. A few steps found another lovely eatery for a very late afternoon snack which actually became our evening meal as we didn’t eat that night.

Thence home unfortunately through traffic but that’s part of going on a Friday….our day off.

One long spread out gorgeous, decadent indulgence which I would love to repeat and hope to. Kill the winter blues sounds a good idea I think and something to look forward too. But maybe with a bit of careful budgeting as hubby is the proud new owner of a Pension Concession Card….he’s worked hard and now counting down with just under two weeks to him retiring and new adventures on the horizon….Retirement being a journey and not a destination.

Do you have little indulgences?

It doesn’t take much, does it,to change a hopeless want into reality if we just think about it differently.

Joining in with Essentially Jess for IBOT

Courtesy taliesin @ morgueFile free photos

World environment day which was some days ago…

…well Life and Caring happened in between, but Hi, I’m back

How am I doing world environment day … every day
How do I see it … every day

In simple language, in a grandma, mum and dad and family way

Abundance of newly striked cuttings vigorously growing

Grow plants from cuttings to spread and share the abundant growth and joy around

Huge mushrooms on a dinner plate grown from mushroom compost by friends…a by product of spreading compost under the orange trees :)

I’m going to again push my love of seeing bees busily collecting nectar amongst the bushes and herbs which we grow in our tiny patch….as soon as the sun comes out even in winter here in Australia the bees come out foraging. But soon I’ll have to prune my flowering Lavender hedge which I am so loathe to do. I know, I have to be cruel to be kind to keep my hedge nice… But still !!! Also this time of year our little veggie/herb patch looks a bit sad as I really need to plant spinach to fill in the hole left by the finished Basil and tomato

On an aside though, did you know that Rhubarb flowers and goes to seed. That spike of a tall Lacey flower though has the most disgusting smell which made me promptly cut it off…but there are still stalks of rhubarb growing for a second crop….firstly I wondered how to harvest rhubarb as I’ve never grown it before, so I Googled for info and found that you twist the stalks at the base and they come off easily. Then as I hadn’t cooked rhubarb for years I found a recipe which may have been a Jamie Oliver one. The instructions said to roast it which I did in an old-fashioned Corningware dish from the Op shop. The dish was just the perfect size. Pour the required sugar on top with a tiny dribble of Vanilla essence. Cover and cook. There was a suggested time and then also that you’ll smell it as soon as it’s done….well that was so correct as to the smell; divine. Next time though I’ll use less sugar. It was SO rich I could only eat a bit of it with my homemade thick Greek yoghurt.

I was happy to have learnt that old milk is a good fertiliser even though it was only half a cup….my parsley is thriving

Then memories…Remembering when…the tying up like a bandaged bear and staking, with a neighbours help, of a vandalised small tree on our park just opposite our house. It is now a huge gum tree.

Also saving a tiny acacia tree years ago from having the long leaves plucked off by then toddler grand-daughter, explaining that we wanted to see the tree grow big. It has!

So there’s many a way to celebrate World Environment Day. We care. We do it everyday without even thinking sometimes, just like the older generations before us.

If you pause for a moment, how or what have YOU done. How do you care.

Do you wish to share?

Even the seemingly trivial things?

Whether you are just starting life’s journey or well on the way like us. With a looking forward to it soon to be retired hubby. New happenings and new adventures and new horizons but always learning.

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

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