Project 333 – Winter Wardrobe & Wishlist

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Posted on May 28, 2013

Since it will officially be winter in 3 days I thought a post about my winter wardrobe was in order. We live in a relatively mild climate but it still gets cool enough to need more than summer-weight skirts and t-shirts.

Over the last 10 months I have lost 8kg so that has necessitated moving a number of items along as they were simply too big. This has pared down my wardrobe even more. However, a bonus is that I can now wear these 2 jackets.

They were a neat fit when I bought them a couple of years ago and a little over a year ago they were destined to be given away.

I also have a black cord jacket and a pink suede one.

One of the few things I have bought for this winter is a new pair a tailored black trousers as I did not have any trousers suitable for wearing to work in winter. I gave my only pair away at the end of last winter as they were too big. Last week I had to buy a belt because even my new trousers are a bit on the loose side. I did try the next size down but they were a bit too tight.

I generally wear a collared shirt (3/4 sleeve) under the jacket to work as I don’t want to be rugged up because I work in an air-conditioned office. I have 5 striped shirts. There are also these 2 lightweight knits.

A couple of sleeveless vests, 2 pairs of jeans, 3/4 sleeve tees and a couple of rugby tops pretty well round out my work and casual winter wardrobe.

My shoes are 2 pairs of flats – red and pewter, red lace-up casuals and RM Williams boots.

Now for the wishlist:

Black skirt – purchased and waiting for me to shorten the length
Grey patterned cord skirt – waiting for me to refashion it from a skirt that is too big
Plain black lightweight knit – in the cupboard but need grey skirt to wear it with
Grey/charcoal trousers – need to buy
Black flat/low heel court shoes – need to buy
Black low heel boots (knee-high) – need to buy to replace the high heeled ones I have given away as they were too high and I did not feel confident walking in them
Black stockings – need to buy
Scarves – I would like some lightweight plain coloured scraves – probably black, fuschia and red with possibly mint green or purple as well. Just need to go looking.

I need to try on some boots to see whether they will suit me as I am not overly tall.

I have 6 pairs of grey stockings (most unworn) that I bought last year in the USA and after wearing them a couple of times I have decided that I do not really like the colour, hence I need to buy some black ones.

Recently, I bought 2 pieces of cotton lycra fabric which I hope to be able to make some 3/4 sleeve tees. One is black and cream striped (narrow stripes) and the other is plain in a raspberry colour.

Now that I have written it all down, my plan seems quite realistic and doable. What do you think?

More Fun

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Posted on May 25, 2013

The fun continued yesterday when we made the cupcakes. Once they were cool, I iced them and Miss O dipped them in sprinkles. Here is the result.

There was a purpose to our baking as my sister was coming for afternoon tea. Miss O set the table and we prepared quite a feast.

We all had a very enjoyable afternoon.

Today it was back to the garden. We moved enough composted mulch and soil from near the driveway to 2/3 fill one of the newly-created raised garden beds. Then we cut up the sprouting seed potatoes which I had bought from the Co-op last week. I ended up with about 60 pieces which are all planted. Next, we harvested the last of the cabbages and a few bits of broccoli before clearing out another bed. All of the old cabbage and broccoli plants went to the chickens who will enjoy them.

Meanwhile, the chickens were having a fine time ‘rotary hoeing’ the freshly cleared garden bed. Miss O was very unsure of the chickens a couple of days ago but all of her reticence was gone today as she delighted in running around the bed trying to get close enough to ‘pat’ them. It was great to hear the whoops of joy as she managed to touch their tails.

Thanks to the efforts of an exuberant 5 year old with a rake plus the chickens my garden bed is now ready for replanting.

Happy Harvesting

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Posted on May 23, 2013

In a complete turnaround from yesterday, it has been a gloriously sunny day although quite cool and windy. Miss O was delighted when she woke up to sun streaming in the window.

Apart from a trip into Maleny to go to the library and a short stint in the nearby playground, we have spent the day at home. While I have been doing some paid work, my grand-daughter has happily entertained herself with some dolls and a dolls house which I received from Freecycle a couple of years ago. There has been lots of chattering, singing and imaginative play going on.

While we were hanging out the washing, Miss O noticed some lemons on the tree and was keen to pick them. We put on our gumboots and headed downstairs to spend some time in the garden. The first stop was the chicken run to give the chickens the contents of the scrap bucket.

Next, it was time to collect the eggs. Only 2 today.

Quite a number of limes had fallen and there were a few grapefruit ripe but most of the lemons and oranges will be a bit longer before they are ready. We collected up the rotten fruit and put them in the compost bin. We took the extendable fruit picker and picked some avocadoes from high up in the tree. No words can begin to describe the squeals of delight and, “Get it, get it!” as Miss O bounded through the leaf litter, offering encouragement to me as I wielded the long-handled picker.

Finally, I took her out to the front yard where the cherry tomatoes are growing wild and flourishing. It was only a couple of weeks since I had picked 2 kg of tomatoes so I was not sure how many there would be. However, there we plenty to keep us entertained and she was quick to point out to me that you do not pick the green ones and the squishy ones are no good.

Miss O was very keen to pose with her harvest.

We put all of the produce in the bucket and used the wheelbarrow to collect some more firewood from the shed.

The clear sunny day means that the night will be cold so I will light the fire soon as the sun has just about set. We will bring the clothes in from the line and hang them on the airer in front of the fire to finish drying.

All in all, it has been another productive and successful day and it has been lovely to have a helper with whom to share the work and the harvest.

Sharing Sustainability

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Posted on May 19, 2013

2001 marked the inaugural Sustainable House Day. This is held in September each year and owners of homes or businesses with sustainability features can choose to open their premises to showcase these features.

This event is free and you can go to various locations in your area to gain information and share ideas.

We first became aware of this event through the Alternative Technology Association and have seen several properties in previous years.

This year we have registered to participate by opening our home as part of Sustainable House Day.

It is still a few months away so there is plenty of time to register if you feel you have a suitable property or get involved by attending an open house in your area.

Here is the website. There will be more information closer to the time. It is a great opportunity to find more about sustainable living in your area.

Growing Girls and Large Hems

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Posted on May 14, 2013

It is easy to forget how quickly children grow. I made this dressing gown for Miss O in June 2011.

By July 2012 I was writing about letting the hem down here.

Now it has been handed down to Izz and the hem taken back up.

A few weeks ago I took Miss O to Spotlight and chose the fabric for a new dressing gown. It is red with black and white dogs on it. She gave the princess, fairy and other girly fabric a glance but this is the one that caught her eye. The fact that we have a Border Collie (black and white) may have influenced her choice.

Once again, I have put a large hem on the gown and it is still quite long so I expect this one will easily last a couple of years.

Something as simple as a hem that can be let down is not an option on a ready-made garment but by making clothes you can customise them to suit your needs and generally extend their usefulness.

My Day

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Posted on May 4, 2013

Most of what I post is about a particular project or activity but tonight I thought I would share my Saturday with you. Our weekends are precious and we try to make the most of the time.

I work full-time and have a lengthy commute, so during the week it is usually all I can manage to prepare and eat dinner and make our packed lunches. Sometimes I do the ironing but that is about the limit.

The Duke and I are the only ones at home and many things have been simplified and streamlined.

I woke at 5.30am so I quickly hopped up and put a load of washing on. I am trying to be more diligent about using power before sunrise and after sunset. This means we maximise the benefit of the solar panels by exporting to the grid at 50c/kWh and using it (at night) for 28c/kWh.

Once the washing was on I crawled back into bed and read my book for an hour. Then it was time to be up and going.

Breakfast eaten, dishes done and washing hung out. The Duke put a loaf of bread on to bake in the breadmaker. The bed stripped and remade. A second load of washing sorted and ready to wash this evening. Handwashing done.

Floors swept, vanity and mirror cleaned. While I am doing these jobs, The Duke is sorting out finances and adjusting the budget.

That is enough housework for the day so it is time to head outdoors on this gorgeous autumn day to work on some of our projects. It is not quite 9am.

At least one of the chickens has been doing a fine imitation of Houdini recently so we need to make some repairs to the chicken run to make sure they are contained. We use some tent pegs to anchor some of the wire to the ground so hopefully that problem is sorted.

In January The Duke and my brother-in-law replaced a large portion of our front boundary fence. We also put new wire along the front of the house below the verandah. This was not finished off and tensioned and it has been a source of much debate as to exactly how we would do it. A few weeks ago, The Duke painted some timber which he attached to the metal posts at each end so that we could secure the wire. Today we tensioned the wire and attached it to the posts.

Time for a break and lunch.

We also needed to find a solution to securing from the end of the wire to the wall of the workshop and had decided that we would construct a concrete block wall and then top it with a piece of timber lattice.

The Duke painted the lattice last weekend. We had also poured the first part of the concrete footing for the block wall.

Today we laid the first few blocks. It is quite a challenge working in a confined space so we will be very glad when it is done. We are certainly not giving up our day jobs but I am very happy with what we have achieved so far. Once the wall is built to level at the left-hand end in the photo, we will place the lattice on top of the wall and secure it at both ends.

Even though almost everything we have constructed recently has come from second-hand or salvaged materials I am mindful that I do to not want it looking like Steptoe & Son.

I have been working on the design and plans for our vegetable garden fencing and a new chicken run adjacent to the garden. This afternoon we marked out the position of the corner posts and discussed the location of the hen house. We also checked how many posts we already have and it looks as though we will only have to buy a few more. These are mostly the longer ones which we need for the higher fencing around the chicken run.

Once the sun had set I put on the load of washing I sorted this morning. Then it was time for a shower, prepare dinner and watch Gardening Australia (my inspiration). I checked the solar inverter – the panels generated 19kWh today. That is pretty good when it is only a little over 6 weeks until the shortest day of the year.

Dinner was eaten, washing hung out and the final load put in the machine.

The last load of washing is finished and once I finish this post I will hang it out. I use the clothesline under the verandah so it is safe and easy to access at night.

It has been a full and productive day. I am happily exhausted and will enjoy a good night’s sleep.

I hope you had a good day and I am looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow.

Slow Living – April

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Posted on May 1, 2013

Here we are with another month ended and it is time to for a review in the spirit of Slow Living Essentials

I must say that a do feel like a bit of a fraud as there does not seem be anything slow about our lives.

Here are the Slow Living categories:

{Nourish} We have continued to be very diligent with making our packed lunches every day. It is now 9 months since I changed my diet to one which is gluten and mostly grain free. I am feeling much better and as an added bonus have lost 8kg. My main focus has been ensuring that we do not waste any food. This makes for some interesting but nourishing meals. This was made from some leftover bits in the fridge last week. You can read more about it here

{Green} We are starting to reap the benefits of SAM – our Solar Air Modules. It is essentially solar airconditioning and we are using it to very effectively keep the bathroom and bedroom warm and dry. I can reduce the humidity from 90% to 65% in the matter of a few hours. You can read more about it here

sam15

{Grow} It is well into autumn but I have still been picking cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.

{Create} We have made 2 more raised garden beds.

{Discover} I have made a start on putting all of the family history research into a computer program and getting rid of a pile of paper in the process. I am discovering new facts and remembering some previous discoveries as I do it.

{Enhance} I have gifted 2 pairs of boots via Freecycle.

{Enjoy} I have celebrated my birthday, met a friend for lunch and spent a morning with another friend – morning tea and then window shopping.

Now I am off to check out some of the other slow living blogs.

Til next month………..

Weeds That Feed

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Posted on April 29, 2013

What is a weed? A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden.

If the above definition is applied then my cherry tomato plants are definitely weeds. They are not particularly pretty, grow in places where I do not want them and generally get in the way. I am forever pulling the seedlings out of the ‘formal’ vegetable beds and The Duke must mow over thousands of them in the lawn.

However, we usually have a few that we leave to their own devices in areas where they are not causing harm. There is one plant which has been growing and bearing fruit for several months on the far side of the driveway in ‘no man’s land’. It has spread over a heap of mulch and has intertwined with thistles. I had not picked any fruit for about 6 weeks so I braved the thistles yesterday and was surprised to find all of these fruit just waiting for me.

There was about 3.5kg of fresh, full-flavoured cherry tomatoes. I have cleaned, rinsed and frozen 3kg of them in readiness to make more tomato sauce. I hope to do that next weekend. The remainder are spread on a tray to ripen fully and then they will grace the last of our summer salads.

Plants that are self-sown which survive and thrive will be good as they have passed the ‘survival of the fittest ‘ test. Perhaps that is why we have such success with the cherry tomatoes. Other self-sown plants which provide use with food include pumpkins and cucumbers.

Do you harvest from any fruit or vegetable plants which just appear in your garden?

The Circle of Life

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Posted on April 28, 2013

On Friday afternoon I moved some of the wood that had been left to season. It is now in the woodshed and will be split and added to the the stash of firewood which we keep for the wood heater.

Once I disturbed the ground, I was surrounded by the chickens who were eager to feast on the grubs and other insects which were lurking under the wood. They had a wonderful time turning over the soil and looking for tasty morsels.

This weekend we have built 2 more raised garden beds. One of them is lined with heavy cardboard that I had been saving. Then we piled in a thick layer of dry leaf litter followed by some lawn clippings. We will add more soil, compost and probably some mushroom compost which we will buy locally. These 3 garden beds have been constructed entirely from leftover and salvaged materials.

I started to think about how we manage to use and recycle much of what is generated on our property.

The wood is from tree limbs that have fallen or been lopped on our block. These will be used to heat our home. The resulting ash is added to the garden beds, either directly or via the compost. Any charcoal is saved in a jar of kerosene to use as firelighters. We grow fruit and vegetables. The chickens provide us with eggs. The scraps and peels are fed to the chickens. The chicken manure is added to the garden beds. Leaf litter and lawn clippings are added to the compost.

It is all part of a never-ending cycle.