Teamwork

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What is teamwork?  Is it working together on the same project?  Doing different parts of the same task?  Performing separate but complimentary jobs?

Or is it all of the above?

Is there a clear division of labour  in your home?

I often hear people despairing because one or other partner does or does not do a particular chore to the ‘required’ standard.  Sometimes it is that they simply do not do a particular activity at all.

Although The Duke and I are both capable of doing pretty well any jobs, there are a couple of exceptions.  I have never mowed the lawn and am not about to start.  The Duke can iron but he does not offer to do the ironing.  I dislike loading the dishwasher and don’t usually make bread in the breadmaker.

Washing and drying dishes, preparing meals, shopping and gardening are probably the best examples of when we actually work side by side to achieve an outcome.

What about making plans, setting goals and handling finances?  Are these joint decisions or does one partner tend to take responsibility?

I have posed numerous questions here and would love to hear your thoughts.

More Fun

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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.

2013-05-25 01

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.

2013-05-25 02We 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.

2013-05-25 03Meanwhile, 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.

2013-05-25 04Thanks 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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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.

2013-05-23 01Next, it was time to collect the eggs. Only 2 today.

2013-05-23 02Quite 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.

2013-05-23 03We put all of the produce in the bucket and used the wheelbarrow to collect some more firewood from the shed.

2013-05-23 04The 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.

Through Different Eyes

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I have 3 days leave and our 5 year old grand-daughter is staying with us for a few days.  She is supposedly recuperating from a tonsillectomy 6 days ago but she is actually just about bouncing out of her skin.

After picking her up this morning, I had a couple of things to do and we were home by lunchtime.

Cooking is one of her favourite activities so we made some buckwheat pancakes to have with our pumpkin soup.  It was a cold, rainy day so perfect weather for soup.

It is always amazing to see how much children learn when simple tasks are explained to them.  I enjoy having the time to teach her all manner of things.

2013-05-22 01Today I showed her how to sort the light and dark washing.

2013-05-22 02We washed and dried the dishes.  It was a long process but there was much discussion along the way.  She now knows the names and uses of the various utensils – ranging from a potato peeler to tongs and a soup ladle.

2013-05-22 03She also realised that lighting a fire and stoking it with wood that has been seasoned, cut and stored will make a room warm and cosy.

wood heaterShe is very excited because I have offered to take her to the local library tomorrow to choose some books.  We will also be doing some more cooking.

Sharing Sustainability

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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.

2012-08-05 02It 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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It is easy to forget how quickly children grow.  I made this dressing gown for Miss O in June 2011.

2011-06-16 01By 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.

2013-05-14 02A 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.

New dressing gown

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.

2013-05-14 04Something 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.

Some Reflections

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Today, the second Sunday in May is Mothers’ Day.

It can be a day of celebration, perhaps with your mother, your children or both.

It is also a day of reflection.  Time to think of those who cannot be with their mother.  This may be due to death, distance or estrangement.  Special thoughts for those who have outlived a child, suffered miscarriages or stillbirths or made the difficult choice to place their child for adoption.  Finally, but by no means least  are those who have been unable to conceive – much love and hugs.

2013-05-12 01I was so blessed to spend the afternoon with my mother, daughter and two grand-daughters.  Times like this are to be cherished.

Thoughts for some of the special women in my life for whom this is a bittersweet day (in no particular order) – Pat, Tania, Suzanne, Cath, Patty and Susan.  Thinking of you all.

It really is a day for the sisterhood to reach out and care for all women – whatever their role – mothers, daughters, grandmothers, would-be mothers.

The Root of All Evil

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The saying goes that money, or more specifically, the love of money is the root of all evil.

Several things have prompted me to consider where we are headed as a society and my conclusion was that greed was the source of many if not most of our ‘problems’.  It was then that I remembered the saying and I guess greed and love of money are essentially the same thing.

2013-05-09 01It seems that we all want something for nothing – best paying job, cheap food, appliances/gadgets, accommodation.  We want to earn the most and pay the least.  We do not seem to value the effort in producing quality – hand -raised meat, organic food, quality garments and so on.

2013-05-09 02I started writing this post about a month ago.  Since then we have seen a factory collapse in Bangladesh with significant loss of life.  I was searching for information about that incident and found this article which shows that this event is far from being an isolated incident.

The recriminations and blame game go on between government, building owners and the corporations who outsource the manufacture of their garments.  Do you feel even a tiny pang of guilt about buying products that are made under these conditions?  Some say that if we did not buy the items produced in places like China and Bangladesh that these people would not have jobs.  Perhaps it would be better for them to have an economy based on sustainable practices that will enhance their way of life rather than being exploited in sweatshop conditions for the sake of us being able to buy a t-shirt for $5.

2013-05-09 03How do you reconcile what you buy with where it is manufactured and what the ‘real cost’ of it is?

Christmas Shopping

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Yes, you read the title correctly.

I did some Christmas shopping yesterday.  Belle and I had previously discussed the possibility of taking the girls to see ‘The Lion King’ when it comes to Sydney at the end of the year.

I received an email advising of the pre-sale release of tickets for ‘The Lion King’ so I have bought tickets to the show for Miss O and Izz for Christmas.  Belle and I will take them to Sydney to see the matinee session on New Year’s Day.

By being organised I was able to take advantage of the pre-sale offer and have managed to get excellent seats at reasonable prices.

2012-02-28 01This is a perfect solution as we will not see the children on Christmas Day this year, nor do they need any more ‘stuff’.  Experiences such as attending live theatre and musicals provide so much joy and the benefits are immeasurable.   Miss O is still talking about when she saw ‘Mary Poppins’ 18 months ago.  How many toys have that sort of longevity?

Why I Live Here

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I have mentioned in this blog that we live on a small acreage near Maleny in suth-east Queensland.

2012-08-05 01While I collect my thoughts to write a relevant blog post I thought you might like to see this blog post from another local resident.  I do not know the writer, although the article did appear in one of our local weekly publications (yes, we have 2) last week.  I do not necessarily agree with everything on her blog or even in the particular post that I have linked but she makes a number of very valid points.  It is the overwhelming sense of community which drew us here and makes us want to stay here long-term.

Now I had better go and reply to all the comments you have left over the past few days.  Thank you.