Simple Living: Simple achievements

This year I've been living very simply, but in a different way.  I've had a run of ailments which means there have been days where I have been able to manage nothing more than staring at the TV screen. I had intended cutting down my screen time this year but in the last few weeks I've watched more than ever. 
I woke up yesterday with a very sore throat. Added to that my car has cut out completely three times in the last two days so I don't want to drive it until it gets fixed.  Because I had started getting better, Mr S and I had been looking forward to going out for a drive this weekend. Alas, it's the very, very simple life for us this weekend. Again. It looks like it will be a little longer before I can get back into my regular life.

Somehow, through all these pot-holes in the road of life, I have managed to get back to work and do  "light" things around the house. I noticed that many bloggers record their simple living achievements which appeals to the part of me that likes to make lists and tick things off. So this week I thought I'd list the very simple ways in which I have been "living simply".

• I am slowly decluttering by unsubscribing to websites I no longer use or no longer need. It feels good to be making a difference even if it is only a baby step. It's still a step forward in the right direction.

Providing nourishment but possible not a contender for the Royal Show.

Zucchini fritters.

No, I didn't eat these grapes. A two-legged creature worked its way through the netting.

• Picking vegetables from the garden and cooking with them. I'm learning! There's so much I don't know about gardening and I'm not sure that we've saved too much money but I think there will come a time in the future when this biding time  will pave the way for a flourishing and productive vegetable garden.
• I'm remembering to turn off switches. My "frugal" motto is Every little bit counts. Being frugal is a habit I want to cultivate rather than a major goal I want to throw all my energy into.
• My phone reminded me I need to check two bills and accounts this week to make sure they are paid on time. So I paid them.
• I've started tinkering with the making of  fairy garden after getting distracted from this goal last year. I've kept it simple by just using what's lying around the garden. It's a work in progress.

• I'm getting back into a routine: mid-week laundry and household "admin"  on a Friday night. "Admin" includes planning for work and home. I'm not an organiser by nature so planning helps me keep on track. Having goals and planning has helped me prioritise in the last few weeks when I have not been able to get things done so easily.
• When it was hot this week we kept the house closed  and didn't use the cooling. 
• And this one: Saving money by not going out and making do with what is in the house (trying to look at a challenge in a positive way :) ).

I wrote earlier this year about life delivering me a message:  embrace what is, as is, now!! I've got to admit it feels totally weird to be doing nothing, just sitting around, but my body seems to need it right now. I know I need to trust that all will be well. Besides, I am fortunate. I have much to be grateful for. I'm very grateful that in this hot, hot weather it is OK for me to sit around doing nothing. When I remind myself that getting sick like this has happened before, I know that it won't be long before life resumes its normal pace. I can't help thinking that life really is marvellous but it sure does have its share of potholes and the challenge is to embrace those potholes as much as the highs!

Simple Living – garden update

It’s been a wee while since I posted a blog. I finally finished reports and I can now start to unwind a little. That means I’ve also got time to blog and tell you what’s been going on in my simple- but expanding- garden.

So here's a quick garden update. I’ve been rather keen to do this. 
I’ll show you why…

My fairy garden is now a little village. Again, I didn’t see this coming. I arrived home one day and there it was. Almost everything has been upcycled from something which was lying around the garden or found in the shed. Yes, even the dog!  Santa and the roof of his house were frugal buys from the el cheapo shop.  

Meanwhile the vegies are taking off.  Once again, I find it thrilling to see plants bearing “fruit”. And, well, yes, I have been getting a helping hand from someone who spent ten years of his early adult life raising crops on his family land. I think he's naturally drawn to be out there in the garden. He works away morning and night (daylight savings), bringing a beautiful rhythm to our new routine.

 One of the biggest surprises was to see the grape vine bearing fruit.  Now we just have to stop the birds from taking a liking to it. Hmmmm…

A lot of other seeds are just starting to sprout. Hopefully they’ll grow well. Summer can have drastic effects on even the strongest plants. Mr S is keen to try and see what happens so a number of plantings are experiments.

Guess where this plant below was sourced.....
In the gutter. 
Mr S was checking a leak up on the roof when he noticed the plant growing in the actual gutter. It obviously had been getting enough nutrients.

Now that work has almost finished for the year I'm hoping to get back into a regular routine with the blogging. I'm looking forward to it.

Fairy Garden OR Deluxe Apartment?

Wow! This is what I came home to during the week:

Take a closer look...

You can see inside...

I think the little lady has ended up with a deluxe apartment. I'm sure she never expected such grandeur, and neither did I !!!

A few months ago I showed Mister S what a fairy garden was and what I was hoping to achieve with all of the bric-a-brac I was accumulating. This was one of the images I showed him. (Scroll down to see the inspiration for this project). I was careful not to dwell on it too much, as I know fairy gardens are not everyone's idea of a good way to pass time. He was lucky if he got more than a few seconds to look at the photo.

Then last week I caught Mister S working on a small creation out in the shed. He was whittling away, using the branches cut from one of the trees in our garden. I knew it would be lovely but I hadn't realised that he had also been gathering together pieces that had been lying around in the garden. You can see in the photo he has artfully arranged the pieces around the little lady, making her very comfortable indeed.

As if the little lady and I weren't blessed enough, this morning we went to Flemington Craft Market and Mister S comes home with new accessories for the little lady's deluxe apartment. I might be feeling spoilt but this little lady sure is spoilt!

Through the window I watched him proudly arrange the furniture in the new apartment. With considered thought, he rearranged each of the "ornaments" which had been shifted with the addition of the beautiful chairs.

I must say  I was filled with admiration. It's certainly a privilege to watch someone treat their work as a craft and to see what beauty can come of it. I never expected my goal of having a fairy garden to turn out like this. I never expected to see such a masterpiece in my own garden.

What do you think?   A lovely fairy garden  or a deluxe apartment?

Goals: Fairy Garden

It's slowly happening. It's taken a couple of years but I'm pleased to say that it's begun.

I bought these little pieces at Hahndorf. They're rather sweet so I'm not sure whether I will manage to put them outside to deal with the elements. Or maybe I'll just have to create an indoor fairy garden!

Perfectionist me wants to hold off jumping in and just seeing what happens. I know that taking a step forward is a step forward. Not taking a step means I go nowhere!

I couldn't resist these when I saw them. I'm hoping to have a few fairy locales scattered throughout the garden and each one with a theme. I'm not sure what theme I'll develop with this lot of miniatures but wait and see.

I was hoping I'd find second-hand containers and bric-a-brac for the different gardens but I haven't seen too many. It did motivate me to get started when a friend gave me the barrel for my birthday. As soon as I saw it I knew  it was going to be my first canvas.

What has helped me get started on this project?

• allowing for creativity and passion to be part of what I plan for each week
• giving myself permission to not have a perfectly cleaned house
• breaking the task down into small, achievable actions
• keeping it simple; using what I've got, keeping it affordable

I'm sure one day soon you'll get a glimpse of the finished product but this weekend my tax comes first!!

Simple Living Sunday: My Weekend

I've had a lovely weekend but with not enough time to do everything.

Last night I joined old school friends for a weekend in country Macedon to celebrate a 50th birthday. I really enjoyed it. I felt very comfortable in myself for which I was truly grateful. I don't stay up late these days so I did struggle to party on after ten o'clock!! It was a fun night and it was lovely to breathe in some fresh mountain air.

I got a lot of gardening done yesterday. I harvested one bunch of celery but it didn't seem right and I'm not sure why. I tidied up some other areas and did some weeding. There's been no rain and this weekend has been quite warm so I watered the newer plants and those undercover.

My neighbours have an amazing show of  these red flowers so I took photos yesterday. The whole bed looks like a sea of brilliant red velvet.

This morning I made it to the Flemington Craft Market. It's on again for the spring/summer season. A few years ago I bought a lovely little table made from recycled wood by a local craftsperson. After saving last year and after pinning my ideas this year I finally got to put in my request for a matching hall bench - only to be told he is  not well enough to do it. Nevertheless, at the same stall I bought a revamped magazine holder. A nice find! I also came across a stall for dollhouse furniture and found some pieces which I think will look lovely in my fairy garden-to-be.

It's now time for a run and then back home to do the washing, cook some dinner and get some schoolwork done.

Have a good week.