.... and then Someone Helps Make It Better.

So while I still think that everything sucks today one good deed helps make everything suck just that little bit less.

A coffee on the house by my local coffee shop almost brought tears to my eye.

Sometimes its the little things you do that can make a big difference to someone.

The Reality Of Life .....

Every so often I like to do one of these dark depressing posts about how on occasion life just sucks.

The funny thing about this one is that on Sunday I was on a high, you see I had managed to avoid a very nasty hangover, I cooked 2 different healthy soups, found an amazing new fresh fruit and veg shop, organised my fridge and managed to sort out my dining room so the chairs can finally go under the table, did six loads of washing, hosed down and cleaned up outside and cleaned all the inside floors till everything shone with clean.

 

I had a great weekend and felt great about my house and just overall how things were. I finally felt on top of life and on top of everything. Its a good feeling to know you have control over things.

Obviously this feeling didn't last more than two seconds because .... lets be honest .... life just sucks sometimes.

Coming home last night I find darling little Tilly has disemboweled yet another toy and the stuffing was spread from one end of the house to the other. Further to this, they had managed to pull up the carpet which we are using outside to keep down the sand and dig a huge hole dragging sand throughout the house. 

Finally Tilly does 2 inside poo's and a wee meaning she was banished downstairs for the night and made such a racket i don't think I got to sleep until well at 2am!

So lets be honest about the reality of my life. There is nothing clean, organised or on track in my life at the moment. Its just one disaster running into another and if there is just one moment of great organisation its purely to trick me into relaxing my guard before it snaps down like a mouse trap and proves that I am fallible and tend to fall 99% of the time. I Haven't got it together, I don't know how I could ever consider adding kids into the equation because to be honest i don't think I can cope on my own.

The reality is - Life is one big crazy mess and the aim shouldn't be to wrangle it, to control it and try and make it work for you, no no no, the reality of life is you should be congratulated just for coming out the other side of each and every day without going totally insane!

Vegetable Garden Planning

Hundreds of years ago people vegetables were one of the most important parts of a household. People would rely on these to eat and because of this the planning and execution of these would be all about the details. 

 

Now it is tempting to just dump a set of seeds in the ground and hope for the best but for long term vegetable gardens you are hoping to rely heavily on year round I do think a bit of planning is required.

 

So ... the soil is sorted, a lovely mix of nutrient enriched vegetable garden specific soil and horse poo. That's right, the natural soil conditioner. Even better the garden has a water source, we keep the pipes above ground so we can control where and how much water each section of the garden is getting. Its wet and happy and just waiting for its green dressing.

So the planning begins and while I'm slightly intimidated with exactly HOW I should plan the garden I'm determined to get there slowly ... to make long term decisions and get the most out of this exciting space!

Garden Progress ....

Its amazing how quickly a yard comes together, one minute its one giant sand pit and then the next we finally start getting a bit of potential.

We have a structure, we have finalised out levels and are now working towards grass..... ok perhaps not real grass but a nice version of artificial turf. That will be sorted next trip but for now we had to find a way to hold back the mounds of dirt that separate us and our neighbours block. The answer was rough treated railway sleepers. They are textural, they have character and the colour looks amazing with green.

So now are nearly there, well not even close but we are one step closer to a non sandy backyard.

Obviously with all our weekend work neither hubby or I can move without wincing but hey .... just look - it was worth it!

Just so you can see how far we have come ... the before picture!

Storm Damage

So I have been MIA for the last few days and the main reason is .... storm damage.

Nothing so common as lifted roof sheets for us .... oh no, the damage to our property was much more insidious. The fence we really don't want to deal with is trying to fall down.

Major cracks appeared in the ground holding it up, sever leaning and ominous cracking mean we have spent the last few days digging it out and reinforcing it so that it doesn't fall down before we are ready to deal with it.

Not to much writing today, my hands and arms are dying but a few pics to keep you going.

New Purchase - Black Lacquer Chinoiserie Side Table

That's right, Miss V has been shopping yet again and this time she is actually jumping up and down with excitement.

Why .... because she found the most AMAZING side table ever. Think black lacquer, think beautiful detail, think hidden compartments and finally think lions feet!!!

Such a cool piece and I'm desperate to find out details. Only I can't seem to find anything on-line.

However .... slowly slowly, I will discover it secrets but for now, I'm just happy to admire it!

Blue and White Candy Buffet ....

I have a booking this weekend for a lovely woman for her son. Its his 1st birthday / Christening and I am pretty excited about this one.

Designing for kids is great fun! Designing something sweet and beautiful gives you so many opportunities to be creative.

Bring on Saturday .... 

Garden Dreaming ....

So the garden plans continue and it seems to be a lot of backward and forward - planning levels of garden beds, trees and even the ground levels seems to go around and around in circles. 

Hubby and I negotiate, we talk, discuss and then argue our point if necessary. Deciding on a particular species of tree or plant in the garden centre was almost humorous with both trying to sell their favourites to the others with no success.

Now during all this we are mindful that the block is small - the gardens are tiny and every decision we make is vital. I sometimes imagine it would be both easier and harder to have more space. 

Would we still agonise over the smallest detail or would we be a bit free'er with our design? 

These gardens certainly give the impression they just sprung up without might thought? This is a future dream perhaps .... a far distant future dream!

Vegetable Gardens ARE Scary!

That's right, I'm putting it out there, the whole idea of having a vegetable garden is scary as hell. 

Firstly, it makes you environmentally responsible which is a great thing. Your feel empowered and able to do your bit, your going to save yourself money on food shopping and what you eat will be fresh and preservative free. You will be a healthier person, you will be looking after the environment .... everything is good.

And then you look at the space, the big blank canvas .... the area looks daunting, what if it doesn't work, what if its too much work, how can I look after a space this big ... hell I don't even know what to grow.

So yes, right now I'm not feeling empowered I'm feeling scared, such a big space, such a lot of responsibility to get it right. 

I might go buy a book but even that's going to confuse me .... I need a plan, I need a way forward and I need whole lot of courage!

Garden Design Begins ....

This trip with Hubby home we seem to be on fire when it comes to getting things done.

Our latest work .... the gardens begin.  That's right, 3 trailer loads of bad soil removed, 2 trailer loads of good soil in so far and we have a few plants to start with.

Our inspiration comes from the picture below - a soft yet formal garden in vibrant colours and lots of texture.

What do you think so far .... do you see the potential we do?