Starting Out Small

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Posted on November 16, 2015

We spent the weekend at home and had reasonable weather so were able to get out in the garden.

Tonight I want to share something which is quite exciting.

Here are some white agapanthus. I have a huge clump in the backyard which is now enclosed in the chicken run and these are some that we transplanted a couple of years ago from that clump. They are alongside the path at the back of the house and have really struggled. So to see them beginning to thrive and actually flower is rather special.

My eventual plan is to have the full length of the path bordered with white agapanthus so this is a start. Once they become established they are very hardy and need no maintenance.

These are some I prepared earlier!

These blue agapanthus which we planted about 8 years ago border the driveway and look like they have been there forever. They have just begun to shoot up flower spikes and will be in full flower in a few weeks. One day the plants at the back will be similar. I just need to be patient.

Lives Lost

Food for Thought

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Posted on November 14, 2015

Every now and then I come across a discussion or comment (either in real life or on an internet forum) that stops me dead in my tracks.

The other day I read a comment where a teacher asked about a remark made by another teacher, that she would never eat any home-baked gift that was given to her and simply threw them out.

As if that was not enough to throw me for six, I was astounded by the robust online discussion that ensued.

Some of the issues that were raised included not buying home-made cakes from cake stalls, the hygiene standards of the kitchen, not eating anything from anyone unless you had intimate knowledge of their home and kitchen and so on.

Do these people ever attend a function where people bring a plate of food to share? Are their children allowed to attend birthday parties, where, heaven forbid, there may be home-made food? What about class parties at the end of term?

I can well understand people with food allergies being unable to accept food gifts but some of the other issues just seemed over-the-top to me.

I was not alone in my response as there were others (teachers and others) who said they welcomed and appreciated the home-made baking that was made and given with love.

Then the conversation headed in another direction as to the reason for giving gifts to teachers as they are ‘only doing their job’ and get paid like every other employee in any line of work.

Am I naive? What do you think? I am particularly interested to hear from teachers as well as parents who have given home-baked gifts. Will this revelation change your plans for Christmas gifts?

Remember Me?

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Posted on November 13, 2015

According to Facebook it is 10 days since I last wrote a post. I have been busy and had limited access to a computer but that does not mean I have forgotten you.

GMan and I (and several other family members) travelled interstate to attend the funeral service for my mother-in-law. This was delayed by several weeks due to a number of logistical issues including some of the family being overseas at the time of her death. It was an emotional few days and since then I have been trying to keep my head above water at work.

It is the weekend and we are both looking forward to some time at home to catch our breath and re-group.

I have several ideas for posts but I am too tired to write. I will be back tomorrow with something a bit more substantial.

Tracking 2015 – October

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Posted on November 2, 2015

Is there such a thing as a normal month? Every month we seem to have expenses that are not repeated in any other month. I guess that is why I chose the exercise of tracking our spending over a 12 month period. Hopefully, I can gain some general idea when it is averaged over the whole year.

January – $5,144.53
February – $1,783.49
March – $4,350.56
April – $2,385.31
May – $5,961.54
June – $2,939.07
July – $3,537.09
August – $3,601.19
September – $9,406.95
October – $7,490.03

More than half of our spending ($4,300 in fact) for October was on upfront payments related to our overseas trip in 2016. We have paid for over a week of accommodation as well as train and ferry fares.

On the home front, food accounted for $273, I bought 2 pairs of summer sandals which set me back $330 while the somewhat broad category of ‘House and Garden’ continues to be a bottomless pit when it comes to spending. Does anyone else find that this is the case?

This has certainly been an eye-opening exercise and when the full year is complete I will add in the regular costs such as insurances, rates and so on to get an overall figure for our spending for the year. I have a feeling that it will be fairly scary.