blessings · gardening · happiness · mangoes · Mount Warning · spring

The Sacred Garden

A Place of Happiness and Contentment.

If I could describe the perfect weather, the weather we are having now would be it.

Every day, for weeks on end, we have seen blue sunny skies, pleasantly warm temperatures during the day, and cooling down overnight for a cosy night’s sleep, snuggled up under the blankets.

Tiny Violas, just outside the back door.

It hasn’t rained at all, which is an advantage in one way as there is no humidity, but a disadvantage as the garden is crying out for a nice long refreshing drink of water.

The poppies are going well, but need watering every day.

Every afternoon I give some of the garden a watering, keeping it to just the plants that I know will suffer from the lack of water, such as my potted poppies and orchids, and the vegetable garden.

Garden tools are never far away.

This week I have devoted each day to giving my garden a “spring clean”. It’s more than just pulling out the weeds and pruning a few plants, and my mission is to have all the tidying up completed before the heat arrives.

New flowers are beginning to open on the Alamanda.

Yesterday’s chore of pressure cleaning the pavers at the back of my house had to be aborted, due to our four-month old pressure cleaner blowing a gasket! It has gone to the pressure cleaner hospital for a few days, and will be home again next week, so I can finish the job then.

Mount Warning, the Overseer of All Things Sacred.

Meanwhile, plenty of plants and trees have been pruned, old tatty plants have been removed, today I have added some new topsoil in the gardens where necessary, and before breakfast this morning I had a huge truck load of mulch delivered!

We all know how I will be spending the day tomorrow!!

Little Miss Tibbs, my helper, who is never far from my side.

I haven’t been alone in the garden either. Little Miss Tibbs has been right by my side, “helping”. No day in the garden is complete, without having your hands grabbed as you pull out weeds, legs jumped on as you move along the garden bed, and of course, everyone knows that a freshly weeded patch of dirt simply has to be rolled in!

Gardening can be exhausting!

She really is such wonderful company. If I don’t pay her enough attention I hear her little meow, and next thing she is rubbing up against my legs (or arms, or whatever body part is handy at the time!)

My sore muscles and aching “gardener’s back” are really of no consequence, when I think of the pure and absolute pleasure I feel when I’m out in the garden. If there is a place in the world that I could call my “Sacred Place”, that would have to be my garden.

The Mango Tree is covered in new growth.

New buds are forming, showing signs of the promise of beauty yet to come and my mango tree is positively covered in little blossoms! If we don’t have too many windy days (the wind can blow the tiny mango seeds away, leaving us with a bare tree) then we are in for a bumper crop of mangoes this year!

Tiny blossoms everywhere!

This afternoon, when I went right down the back garden to take photos of the mango tree, I spotted a Bush Turkey, just outside the back gate. He seemed tame enough, so I went closer to take his photo. Unfortunately he didn’t smile for the camera though, as he was more interested in finding his lunch.

“No, I can’t look up, I’m eating!!”

Some regular visitors to the garden, the magpies, who have dropped in for a chat and a meal for a few years now, were here for their usual afternoon scrounge around, and when they left the garden they headed for the very top of one of the tallest trees around, a Norfolk Pine.

The magpies balancing act!

I zoomed in on them to get a photo of the pair, looking quite ruffled, as the two of them tried to keep their balance and the tree swayed in the breeze!

The lemon tree is fruiting and flowering beautifully.

Everyone should have a “Sacred Place”, somewhere that you can go to, where all the cares of the world are guaranteed to be washed away in an instant.

Do you have a “Sacred Place”, or even a person who pacifies your mind and soothes your soul?

Tess plays her role of watch-dog, while Miss Tibbs and I are gardening.
Changes · gardening · Mount Warning · new beginnings

Welcome to my new WordPress address! :)

The self-proclaimed “King of the Garden” ~ The Kookaburra.

Welcome to the new address of Home Life Online!

When I began blogging at Home Life Online, the very first blog that I ever had, I didn’t know a lot about blogging at all, so every decision I made was based upon the advice of other people.

From all the accounts I read, it seemed that the way to go with blogging was to have a self-hosted website, which would allow me to have complete control over my website.

Well that was nearly three years ago now and during the last three years I have started up another three blogs, each with a different purpose all of its own, and each one being a free WordPress blog. You will find the links to my other three blogs right under the header at the top of this page.

In all honesty, I have yet to find the advantage of paying to host my own WordPress blog! And what is more, I find the free versions easier to navigate around!!

The overseer of all things “garden” ~ Miss Tibbs.

I’m absolutely sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if I were a super-techie type, who knew website code and could decipher programming mumbo-jumbo, I would be singing the praises of the self-hosted website, but unfortunately I’m not techie, or code savvy at all.

For ages now, I’ve toyed with the idea of transferring all the content from my self-hosted website to a free WordPress blog, and today I have finally bitten the bullet. I’ve spent the afternoon signing up, importing, exporting, re-adding, colouring, contemplating, deciding…and finally…it’s all set!

And here it is ~ the new home for Home Life Online!

To make the transition a little easier, I’ve stayed with the same theme, same header, same background, and all the content has been transferred from the old site. It may sound really quite involved, but it wasn’t at all. Even an un-computer-savvy blogger like me could do it!

At my new blog, right here, I will continue along in just the same way as I always have. The kookaburras and the garden, the river and the ocean, in fact everything that has always been there, will now be over here!

Pretty in pink!

There are just two requests I have, with moving my online address ~ firstly, if you were subscribed at the old site, would you mind subscribing again here? You will find the subscription link just to your right, near the top of the column, under the heading “Keep in Touch”. I can’t transfer my subscribers, and would hate to find that I had lost (or misplaced!) anyone during the move. You know what it’s like when you’re moving….

And secondly, if you find that there are any glitches in the new system, could you please tell me about them in your comments? I’ve checked everything from my computer, and all seems well, but you never know about those unwanted gremlins….

Over the next month or two, I will be asking my ever-so computer techie friend if they can help me out with a few things that I would like to do with the old website, but until then, I will leave everything there as is. And you will all be the first to know when my new plans for the old site are up and running!

It will be a whole new revamp, in fact a full-scale renovation, and once I get the ball rolling, the old domain will be a blog no more, but I promise, you will hear about it!

In the meantime, just so as you know you are really at the right address, here is a photo of my beautiful view from my home, of the majestic Mount Warning. 🙂

Mount Warning
autumn · gardening · inspiration

Passing the time; no car, wet weather….

Memorabilia....

The past week has been yet another seven days of drizzling rain, spurts of dazzling sunlight, taken over a few minutes later by the rain again. What can one do?

A dessert spoon set, now 73 years old, given to my parents for a wedding present in 1939.

After pondering this question for a minuscule moment, I returned to the computer. With a “to do” list to work on, I have taken complete and utter advantage of the rainy weather and continued on my merry way, indoors.

My mum would heat these curling irons on the stove, to curl her hair.

I rarely stay sitting in front of the keyboard for long. I don’t know if others are the same as me, but I need a change of scenery, maybe every half hour, perhaps to get a drink, pat the animals or do some ironing; whatever I do, it just has to be away from the computer for a few minutes.

They opened to wrap around the hair, leave for a few minutes, then voilà! Curls, (so long as they weren't so hot they singed your hair!)

Yesterday afternoon I had the inspiration to take photos. It was wet outside, so I worked on a display using a few old treasures, to photograph a new header for my blog “Memoirs of My Life”. Have a look if you like, I’ve added the link into the blog title, and I’m really pleased with the results!

Sorting photos, another job on my 'to do' list.

The photos were turning out so well for me. The light in the room must have been just right at that time of day, so while I felt inspired, I took a few extra photos, just for fun.

An unfinished doily that my Mum was working on, over 18 years ago. I will finish it, one day...

I even decided to add a post at “Memoirs”, after taking photos of a damaged photo album, which I am repairing. It’s a shame that the original album has been ruined, and I am hopeful that the restored version will be treasured for generations.

This letter, sent from Australia to England in 1946, was brought back to Australia by my Grandmother, who the letter had been sent to.

As much as I would really enjoy spending some time gardening (the weeds are running rampant!) I don’t hold up too much hope in the near future. During the time it has taken me to write this, it has alternated between sun and rain four times! If you hear a huge “hooray” over the next couple of days, it will no doubt be me. The rain will have stopped and I’ll be heading outdoors.

What is a cat to do, other than curl up on the chair on the veranda!

Here’s hoping. My fingers are crossed….

~ ~ ~

Australia · Changes · gardening · Mount Warning · Tweed Valley · vision

A Break in the Clouds

Hello Mount Warning!

I’ve spent all of this week at home, blogging my little fingers off at the computer keyboard and simply enjoying two of my favorite pastimes ~ writing, and recording family history.

The weather has been very obliging during my week indoors as well. It has rained, constantly, all week. So imagine that, I haven’t begrudged spending time behind my keyboard one little bit in favour of being out in my garden, because there hasn’t been any sun! 😉

During one of my frequent breaks from the computer this morning, to put on a load of washing and grab a cup of tea, I happened to look out the window, and there it was…the Magical Mountain had returned!

Mount Warning hasn’t made an appearance this week at all, in fact we’ve had so much mist that our back garden has rarely made an appearance! Even with a mass of white clouds in front of the mountain it looked as magical as ever.

Even the sun is trying to make an appearance!

You never know, I could even be able to do some gardening this weekend, if this change in the weather continues. 🙂

Wherever you are in the world, and however you chose to spend your time this weekend, me and the Magical Mountain wish you a simply “Magical Weekend”! 🙂

 

 

 

Australia · challenges · Changes · daughter · freedom · gardening · Tweed Valley · vision

So Many Projects ~ Where to Begin? (Please be warned, this post is much longer than those I usually write. You may want to get yourself a cuppa first!)

Black Velvet

My mind is a-mush with so many ideas scuttling around in it! My husband has often told me that I have “more ideas than a dog has fleas”, said in a tone that suggests this isn’t at all a good thing, although I beg to differ!

Isn’t it indeed a good trait to have, one in which one is never bored, hopefully never dull and revving at the heels, ready to rush off and begin The Next Project? Isn’t this the very trait said to keep one young and active?

I rest my case.

To help my mind in remembering all the projects I wish to begin or complete, I think I would be well advised to write a to-do list, one which will have me organised, accountable and will aid me in not forgetting one single important aspect on my list.

To begin my to-do list, (which I intend writing here, to remain accountable,) the first item on my list is to add pages to this website. You all want to know about my other blogs, don’t you?

It wasn’t long after I began this site that I came to the realisation that one blog is just not enough! With so many ideas of different subject matter, ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other, then back again, I decided to start first one new blog, followed about a year ago by another.

One of these blogs “Memoirs of my Life” is where I record the ramblings and reminiscences of my life. Some are old memories, or stories related by family members who are no longer with us. Other stories I have written are here-and-now stories, written when something significant has happened and I don’t want to forget the moment.

It wasn’t an easy road for me to follow, when I began my “Memoirs” blog. I felt concerned that someone who knows me may read something I have said and feel offended in some way. If you pay a visit to “Memoirs” you will notice that I write here incognito, by the name of “Annie Potts”.

Well, it is time for Annie Potts to confess to her writings and take responsibility for her words! In all honesty, I really don’t know what I was worried about, as I would never in a million years write anything with the direct intention of hurting  someone! My feelings now have progresses to the point where, if someone is upset by something I’ve said, then so be it! That is for them to deal with, not me! Although, whilst I may be sounding defensive at this point, again, why? I have nothing to be defensive about!! (What was I thinking???)

Moving on, as “Home Life Online” is now in danger of making a strong imitation of the sometime ramblings of “Memoirs”, I’ll mention my other blog, “A Sense of Spirit”, which began its life just over a year ago. Again, I felt reluctant to write the words that my heart asked me to, but again, I have made a strong recovery and have written more frequent posts at “A Sense of Spirit” of late.

(Here I will digress with a question ~ does anyone else feel the need to make apologies for their beliefs, or is it just me? I seem to have made a habit of starting blogs, but not wanting anyone to read what I’ve written! Figure that one out!!!)

The building of another website is on the cards also, a website which I have been itching to build for years! It involves one of my life-long interests, that being genealogy. I spoke to a not-so-distant cousin in England about my idea for a family history website some years ago, his reply being that it was a rather ambitious idea and he couldn’t see how it could be done!

Trouble is, I couldn’t work out how to put my ideas into a readable format either!! It wasn’t until I came across the “Rodgers Family History” site that I began to believe that it is possible! Barbara has obviously put hours and hours of time and effort into the site, the results being absolutely fantastic! I have content galore to add to my new site and have been checking and re-checking details which will be added to this new website, before I begin.

As I am in grave danger of writing a to-do book, and not a list, let the list begin!

  • All of the afore-mentioned, including updating my “Blogroll”, which can be seen to the right of this column. Oh, and remembering to update my “Quotes to Live By”, also in the right side column, just above the Blogroll, at least once a month. (Perhaps I should consider changing the title to “Quote of the Month” or even “(March, April, etc.) Quote of the Month”, which would force me to remember to do it!
  • Continue with my regular monthly contributions to the wonderful online magazine the “Calm Space”. Each month, when my article is added to the “Freedom Space”, I will add a post here also, so you won’t miss a single story!
  • Weed the garden. Yes, I know…boring! But really, you should see the weeds that have grown in the recent rain! I love taking photos around the garden to post here, and no one wants to see a photograph of the seasonal weed-growth, do they?
  • Start taking my beautiful rottie for regular walks. It’s early autumn here now, so the weather will cool down, making early morning or late afternoon walks a very pleasant pastime. Tess has turned nine and is in danger of becoming rather portly, if we don’t begin a regular exercise routine. Rottweilers should not put on weight, it’s bad for their joints, and we all love Tess way too much not to take the best of care of our Black Velvet girl. Regular walks with Tess will also prevent me from becoming portly, not to mention the new photo opportunities it will present to me! By the way, that’s Tess in the photo at the top of this page. She’s such a beauty!
  • Last week I took up an old project, one which I began about fourteen years ago and I never did finish. My daughter, then just beginning school and in kindergarten, asked me to make a quilt for her bed, one of her own design, including an appliqué of her name.  She finished school over a year ago, but I never did finish the quilt! We now have a drawn up design and the fabric for me to begin the quilt. I will “blog as I quilt”, keeping an online record of my progress.
  • Start my range of “Made in Australia” garments, yet another idea I have toyed with for some time now. When I’m out working, I sew. Yes, sew. That is my business, which I began from home, just after my first child was born, nearly twenty-seven years ago. My business has grown and shrunk over the years, depending on my families demands of my time at their various ages, now being at a manageable level (both business and family!), which suits me. I make school uniforms for a few of our local schools and as the demand for school uniforms is seasonal (eg mostly required at the beginning of each new school year), I go through some very quiet times, but at other times can hardly find time to lift my head up from my sewing machine!
  • Start up a new, online business. This is a very new idea and is more accurately described as an extension to my current business. No – not uniforms, but yes – it involves sewing. (I’ll keep that one just a bit under wraps for the moment!) Here is a photo, a tiny clue, to my new idea…

    I woke her up to take this photo. By her expression, you can see she was not impressed!
  • Sort out all of my parents old photographs and replace, in chronological order,  in a brand new photo album, with detailed notes beside each photo. I will also have to scan and reprint some of the photos, as some have managed to adhere themselves to the album pages! With my interest in history, both family and otherwise, it is necessary for me to preserve the memories of my family, both online and within the pages of books. Every family needs a family historian, right? In my family, although the interest exists among others, there is no one fighting me to take over the task of history-keeper. (And I wouldn’t have it any other way!)
  • Spend some unrushed, quality time at each of our local Tweed Valley towns, taking photos, then returning home armed with all I need to write a blog post, to educate anyone who cares to learn, about our very pretty area, here in northern New South Wales, Australia.

This to-do list is long enough, for starters, at least! As I complete the task on my list, I will link back to the points made here today. There’s no danger of lost notes with this list…it’s all online!

If you have read all the way through to this point, I thank you for your patience!