Category Archives: Uncategorized

Changing Routines

1 Comment

We all have our routines and in many instances they serve us well for a variety of reasons. However, nothing is ever set in stone and it is worth being flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances. Retirement certainly brings changes in routine – for instance, we no longer set the alarm and get up at 5am to get ready for work. Those days are long gone.

A few weeks ago we changed our electricity plan to take advantage of the ‘Free Three’. That is, the 3 hours of free electricity being offered between 11am and 2 pm each day. The rationale behind this is, where possible, to encourage people to use electricity in the middle of the day instead of during the peak hours of demand between 3pm-8pm.

Our decision was primarily to facilitate charging our new EV using 3 hours of free electricity. However, we have also made a conscious effort to run the washing machine and dishwasher in the middle of the day, too. Both appliances have a delayed start option which I had never used but it is invaluable if you are not home between 11am and 2pm.

Finally, we have decided to make a habit of having our main meal for lunch rather than in the evening or if this is not convenient to consider preparing and cooking the meal ahead of time. As well as saving power, I believe it is better for our health and I am more inclined to spend time cooking in the middle of the day rather than late in the afternoon/evening when I am tired or otherwise engaged.

This was our lunch today. A baked potato topped with refried beans and cheese. Sides of coleslaw, avocado and fried onion, mushroom and capsicum.

For those of you in Australia. Have you changed your electricity plan to take advantage of the free electricity between 11am and 2pm? Are you at home during the day? Don’t forget that it applies on weekends as well as weekdays. Do you have appliances that have a delayed start option? I am interested in how you can make it work for you.

DIY Decor

Leave a comment

Souvenirs are not something I usually buy when we are on holidays but I did make one small exception when we were in Helsinki before Christmas. I spotted a Marimekko store and decided to see whether they had any fabric that was what I imagined I wanted to make a couple of cushion covers.

I am not a great fan of cushions and am absolutely opposed to them piled on a bed. However, I was considering a couple for the sofa in the family room.

Amazingly, I found some fabric that I felt would be perfect. I did a couple of quick calculations and decided that 1 metre of fabric would be sufficient for 2 cushions. The fabric has been folded on the table in the sewing room for nearly 3 months since we returned home. I bought 2 cushion inserts a few weeks ago and today I decided that I should settle down and make the covers.

It only took a couple of hours and this is the result.

A close-up view.

I am really pleased with the colour match since I was relying on my memory when buying the fabric. My calculations proved to be remarkably accurate as the only fabric I discarded were the selvedge edges and a small strip that I cut off to straighten up the edge which had been cut in the shop.

Speeding Towards December

Leave a comment

I have felt a bit like a juggler for the past couple of weeks as there seem to have been many competing priorities that I am trying to balance.

As well as getting organised to visit family in Queensland for 10 days in the latter part of November – yes, we are here now, we were putting the finishing touches to our plans for our overseas trip. We depart in mid-December for 5 weeks in Europe. This is all in addition to multiple volunteer commitments and the day to day running of the household.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of photos of our front garden. The native shrubs have grown considerably in the past couple of years and have been covered in magnificent flowers.

A view from just outside the front door. The plant in the pot in the foreground is an olive and it is covered with thousands of buds. Here’s hoping……………………

Back In Town

Leave a comment

It is 3 days since we arrived back in Australia from our overseas trip. We were away for 4.5 weeks and visited Scandinavia 9Denmark, Sweden and Norway). I know that a lot of you followed our adventures but if you have not seen the blog here is the link. https://mobilecastle.wordpress.com/

Meanwhile, life is beginning to return to normal here. Bags are unpacked and everything mostly put away. One load of washing done and meals prepared. GMan is making bread. Yesterday we did some shopping. The bonus of a comfortably stocked pantry and freezer is that it was really only milk, cheese and fresh fruit and vegetables that we needed.

Yesterday I was occupied dealing with some admin work as a result of some of the mail that arrived while we were away. Today I have been working on hemming the binding on a quilt. I need to have it finished by Saturday and it is a long way around a queen sized quilt with tiny hand stitches. It will be worth it when finished. I hope to show you the finished product in a couple of days.

There is not too much exciting for blog photos so this is our dinner tonight. I made a big pot of bolognese sauce and the remainder will go in the freezer for future meals.

Getting Ready

2 Comments

There has been more doing than writing going on here in the past few days as the countdown is well and truly on. We are off on Sunday on our first overseas trip in nearly five years. It is a relatively short jaunt of two weeks to Honolulu and a couple of spots in California.

My posts while I am away will be on my travel blog, Somewhere, Anywhere so consider following my adventures there.

We have plenty to do in the next couple of days. The packing is well underway but a little tricky as it will be warm in Honolulu but San Francisco, in northern California, is still quite cool and showery. In fact, I am probably taking as much for 2 weeks as I would for 2 months. I have made a couple of tweaks since I took these photos. I am also taking a jacket, vest and scarves which are not shown.

For the warm days in Honolulu.

And the not so warm in San Francisco.

A selection of footwear.

Finally, I added this skirt after making it yesterday. It is navy and white which fits in nicely with several other pieces in my wardrobe. The fabric is a drapey 4-way stretch and not something I necessarily would have chosen myself. I was asked to make a skirt and the lady provided the fabric which had a border print along both edges and since the fabric was very wide I had an unused strip which she was happy for me to use so I decided on this skirt for myself. It is probably a bit shorter than I would normally wear but I have thrown caution to the wind and decided it would be a perfect addition for casual beachside wear.

I will add one more post here on Saturday and I will show you the other sewing project I have been working on today.

Remembering

6 Comments

My posts have been a bit few and far between over the last couple of months as I am fully occupied with offline activities. I had fully intended getting things back on track with the blog in the past week but my world was turned upside-down when I received the news that a friend had passed away last Monday after a short illness.

I first ‘met’ Mimi online about 15 years ago and then in real life about five years ago. A truly wonderful woman who could simply light up the conversation with her presence. Mimi’s loves and interests were many and varied but it was was our shared love of frugal yet fancy cookery that drew us together,

Here are links to two recipes which began in her kitchen and have been firm favourites in our household for several years.

Refried beans

Balsamic syrup (I apologise for the lack of photos in this post.)

And finally, a link to her blog if you would like to discover a bit more for yourself. There is a wealth of grace, knowledge, love and inspiration here.

Rest in peace, dear one.

Play Time

Leave a comment

One of our favourite social events is attending live theatre. There have not been too many opportunities in the past 18 months during Covid19.

The Lind Lane Theatre is located in a town about 35 minutes away from us and we have attended one performance there a couple of years ago.

I recently saw an advertisement for their upcoming production of ‘Blithe Spirit’ by Noel Coward so we booked tickets and joined as members as well. This will mean that we have access to slightly discounted tickets, will receive notification of upcoming events and we will be supporting the arts community.

We are looking forward to attending their latest production next week.

A New Measuring Device

1 Comment

We used to have a rain gauge but we removed the last one when the verandah railings were replaced. Like most rigid plastic items which are exposed to the weather, it had become brittle with time and a couple of pieces were cracked/broken so we decided that we needed to replace it.

This did not happen immediately and time went by. Fast forward about 4 years and a couple of things have changed. The local Council have done some remedial work to the verge adjacent to our driveway where the water used to pool. This had been our unofficial rain gauge for some time but now that the water seems to run off properly the ‘rain gauge’ is no longer much use.

GMan received some money for his recent birthday along with a suggestion that he put it towards buying a new rain gauge. This was just the impetus we needed.

After considerable research he made a decision about which one to buy. One of the considerations that needed to take into account is that we can receive in excess of 250mm rainfall in 24 hours so the rain gauge needs to have substantial capacity. However, he discovered a digital rain gauge which does not need to be manually emptied but the amount of water passing through it is measured using the sensor.

The gauge with sensor is mounted on the pergola (top right-hand corner).

The information is recorded on the screen which sits conveniently on the kitchen bench.

As an added bonus, it also records indoor and outdoor temperature as well as the indoor humidity.

He is very pleased with the new rain gauge and all we need to do now is to wait for it to rain. The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a high chance of La Nina (significant rain event) occurring in 2020 so we will wait in anticipation. At least we are ready.

More Than Washing

1 Comment

What does doing the washing mean to you?  Grabbing an armful of used clothes and tossing them into the washing machine and then transferring them to the dryer?  Or do you have a careful sorting and separating process?

I sort my washing into light and dark fabrics, check the pockets for errant coins, tissues or slips of paper and then turn the articles so that they are the right side out.  They are then washed and hung on the clothesline under the verandah.  When the clothes are dry I sort them into the items that need to be ironed and those that can be folded and put away immediately.

All of this process allows plenty of opportunity to examine items for any damage or wear and tear which requires repair.  The old adage, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ is very true.

This week I found a small hole and run in the front of one of GMan’s merino thermal tops.

2020-05-26 01

My darning skills are somewhat limited but I do have a rudimentary understanding of what is required.  Since this is an undergarment, a perfect result is not essential.   I found some similar coloured tapestry wool and split it to extract a single strand to use.

The end result is functional if not particularly pretty.

2020-05-26 02

Regardless of the type of garment, it is worth checking clothes regularly to ensure that they are maintained which will prolong the life of the garment.  Things to look for include loose buttons, hems coming down, breakage of side seams near pockets or armholes.