Community garden update: New slab & rain, glorious rain.

Rain, glorious rain. Except for the abundance of weeds that are also thriving in this weather, the gardens have never looked better. After a very long, extremely hot summer, autumn is finally delivering. Granted, things haven't cooled much, but the heat does help things really grow, especially after repeated soakings.

Confessions, I've barely lifted a finger to help out at the gardens this week. Or much of last week either. Mega fatigue, a medication change on top of a toddler not sleeping= can't go there. 

I do have some bulbs awaiting planting. I have researched the best time/ way to plant them in both a warm climate and sandy soil. So, they aren't going in until mid April, or the heat may kill them.

It looks like hubby and I will have to revisit the carpet store in order to cope with the volume of weeds erupting after all these rains. It can almost seem overwhelming. In reality, it's a few hours of dedicated work, or half a day at best. I'm also not apposed to weed spraying. When no rain is due of course. That may take a while. Think I prayed too hard!

Now, to the new slab, which wasn't without its challenges. The heavens delivered too much of a good thing...directly after the slab had been smoothed to glass like perfection. Despite the weather saying otherwise, it absolutely bucketed down without mercy. Wish I was exaggerating.

At one point, I had to leave to buy the guys some well earned lunch. It was disheartening to say the least, driving down the street and watching concrete flowing like a river a few hundred metres along the road. 

Take a look at these pics...

The concrete truck arrived to deliver load after load. Yes, the skies are grey. They were this grey the day before, but barely a drop fell from the sky.

Josh and Pete getting into it, boots and all :)

Here are all the guys hard at work: Josh doing the leveling. Hubby, Luke and Pete doing the shoveling.

....and, after all that amazing work had been done, this happened.

Hubby and Josh made a quick dash to Bunnings to get some tarp. Once it was on, the rain got so much heavier.

Yes, that is a river in the car park, and yes, so much concrete did wash down the road :(

Josh came back when the rain cleared, and used this to help flatten and reset the surface.

HUGE shout out to this incredible man, who is from another church and used his professional skills for free. Just to help out.

One of my favourite scriptures talks of doing good to others, especially those in the family of believers.

This guy obviously lives out of that, 

which is totally awesome to see in action.

What a servant heart.

And now, we are onto this weeks happenings.

Once again, darling Poppa Ian is back to help install his picket fence.

Honestly, love this man's wisdom, heart for God and His house, and continued dedication to both spiritual and practical concerns.

He's an inspiration to both myself and hubby.

Despite a little bit of vandalism-a few pickets kicked out- the fence is continuing along. 

This place WILL be transformed, 

and will be a blessing for generations to come!

Awesome Paul, doing it tough in the sun, leveling out the dirt that was removed to create the slab. This guy's work ethic is an inspiration also, and no task is too big for him to tackle.

Much respect.

Shane also did a brilliant job trimming the grass this morning too.

I'm happy the slab looks as good as it does. Despite many obstacles, it's firmly in place now, and looks great.

The creek has water. It's awesome to have a bridge to take this photo from now, instead of being knee deep in icky creek water.

We have been given a lot more tyres. Kind of unsure if we should bother making a bike track, or continue to let the local kids rearrange them for us. 

I figure, if they are doing this, at least they're getting exercise and using creativity!

At last, one of my bougainvilleas is flowering. This is a dwarf variety.

These aren't dwarf at all! Their growth is crazy, which is great! The one in the distance has been pruned twice in the last month alone. 

The bonus of this is, the weeds soon won't have a chance :)

And there you have it, a pretty impressive amount of progress yet again. Stayed tuned, plenty more to come!

Egg free dijonaise, and things are looking up!

Despite being woken yet again by a little cutey who doesn't seem to enjoy regular, unbroken nightly sleeps, I must say, things are looking up. Now, where's the coffee!

Yesterday, I managed a pretty spectacular amount of activity. It was a glimpse at my old self, pre-decent into unstable, crazy hormone lady whose get up and go got up and left.

I've only been on this latest dose of hormones for a few weeks, and I wasn't sure if they were suitable. I wasn't getting the ridiculous rage the previous ones gave me. Still, fatigue was high and my moods were low, with many teary incidents and feeling a bit more fragile than I'm comfortable with. However, yesterday, the amazing happened...

I walked my toddler to daycare.

Once home, I rode my bike to get a few groceries.

I started a full house clean, something I haven't done for about a year.

I deodorised the lounge.

Did several loads of washing.

Studied, and passed my first assignment; a child protection questionnaire.

Then, I walked to an interview.

Got the job! (cleaning a private home once a week).

Walked to get my daughter from care.

Once home, I made an amazing dinner.

Go me!

Honestly, this has given me so much hope! I WILL make it through this season. And I will educate as many people as I can along the way. Menopause is not a dirty word!

Now, to the mayo. Thanks to my bubbly, gorgeous friend, Kim Yeaman for posting an awesome vegan mayo recipe. I had to make it...tweaked of course!

Mine turned out to be a bit of a honey mustard mayo, or dijonaise, much to hubby's approval :)

EGG FREE MAYO

ingredients

• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 heaped tsp mustard powder (less if making normal mayo)
• 1 tbs honey (omit if making normal mayo)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbs tinned chick pea liquid (I used no added salt chickpeas)
• 3/4 to 1 cup olive oil

method

• place all ingredients, except olive oil into a container you can use a stick blender in.
• Mix to combine.
• while stick blender is still going, slowly drizzle olive oil. I admit, I got impatient towards the end and it still turned out fine. I also only added 3/4 cup olive oil, making a thick, spreadable mayo.

Seriously, this stuff is GOOD!

For dinner, I simply covered a chopped chicken breast liberally with this stuff, coated it in chunky crumbed salted cashews, covered it and baked it for 40 mins, removing the cover for the last 10 mins of cooking.

It was a winner!

A few simple ingredients, and you have a healthy condiment.

 Making things yourself saves so much money, and you control the ingredients. 

Yesterday's step count.

I admit, I'm just a bit thrilled, 

especially after several exhausting months where hope seemed too distant a horizon.

There you have, short and sweet. Happy cooking all!

George's Farewell Dinner

It's a grey, wet, miserable day. And the day we said our final farewells. George, you taught me more than you'll ever realise. And dammit, you'll be missed. 

In fact, you already are.

Living in a 6 unit townhouse complex, you get to really know your neighbours. Whether you like it or not. Especially after 13 years. Especially when their unit is attached to yours.

George, I can honestly say I've never met anyone else like you! Your booming voice, strong opinions and nosy nature drove me mad. You were perfectly suited in your Body Corp role.

I was a single mum when I first came here, and was scared of you initially, almost moving due to your overbearing nature.

I'm so glad I didn't. I would have missed out on the privilege of seeing you soften. Of growing myself. Then discovering the wonderful relationship that maturity, and forgiveness, develops in us all, should we let it. How dull to only love those who are easy, who never challenge us to grow by forcing us to be bigger than we currently are. 

George, thank you. You made sure my bins were always in, my girls had chocolates at Easter, my garden was always pruned. You offered help at every turn, moved furniture for me, gave my girls safety advice. 

You gave me beautiful flowers on my wedding day, beaming with joy and pride. You welcomed my sweet baby girl too. She loved 'Dorge.' 

You loved fashion, blared classical music, and always ensured I was safe.  You loved this complex and all its occupants. We were as much your family too. 

Watching you decline was heartbreaking. 

Attending your funeral was the same.

Whenever we had a disagreement (and there were many), I'd get baking. That calmed the storm. So, in honour of you George, I've made a farewell dinner. I know you'd approve. You loved everything I made, and often commented on the tempting kitchen aromas that wafted into your unit.

Thank you for teaching me through how you lived that family isn't always blood. Relationships can develop in the most adverse circumstances, with people we may never normally choose. 

And life is all the richer because of it.

GEORGE'S FAREWELL DINNER

(easy crumbed chicken)

ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into thickish strips (less tedius than really thin ones)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk of choice
• bread crumbs
• flour (whatever flour you prefer)
• seasoning of choice; parmesan, herbs, spices-it all goes well.
• oil for frying

method

• lay out 4 pasta plates (deep sides), or alternatively, 4 rectangle containers, or large bowls.
• whisk egg with milk, add to plate.
• sprinkle some flour in another.
• add breadcrumbs to another, and season this, mix with fork.
• heat oil in frypan on medium heat.
• take chicken strip and coat in flower/ then egg wash/ then breadcrumbs
• set aside on clean plate
• when oil is ready, gently fry on all flat surfaces until lightly golden.
• place on another clean plate covered with paper towel.

salad

• mixed salad leaves
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 large red capsicum
• olive oil/ balsamic dressing 
• salt and pepper

Serve with crusty bread.

With a hubby still at uni, and being an at home mum, budget is a big issue, even when the meal is to honour a life.

Making things yourself, even in a poky kitchen like mine, is healthier, cheaper and you control what goes in.

The plates here are literally covering the majority of my bench space. See, no excuses!

I use olive oil for almost everything. I don't get the oil smoking hot, but fry gently on a medium heat.

Here it is, a simple, healthy, budget meal to honour the life of a very remarkable man.

I know you'd enjoy this George.

And I hope you all do too.

xxx

Community Garden Update-It's Autumn!

A new season has arrived. Sigh. Autumn, you are by far my favourite time of year, and I for one welcome you. Cooler breezes, winds that blow summer away. What's not to like?

Gardening just a whole lot more pleasant. Especially considering summer ended with a lovely amount of rain. My prayers have been answered.

The only challenge to gardening has been this; hubby and I have one car. Between us. As he is in Brisbane several long days for uni, and at the gardens on Fridays, I really have very limited access to the car. Also, I don't garden on his main day as I've got a cute little human to play with. We do a short day together earlier in the week. 

This has slowed progress down. And I do have to remember to water plants under trees that miss light rains. However, as we discussed today, compared to this time last year, the gardens look AMAZING!

I really wish this was a community garden picture. In all fairness, we do have a mini version of a picket fence and some hydrangeas planted. Given time...

Thanks Pinterest, forever inspirational.

I have to admit, I'm extremely comfortable in my pink socks and work boots. 

Country gal at heart.

This eye sore is set to become a gorgeous urban veggie plot. Watch this space.

My cute little garden helper. 

Sometimes a simple phone call is all it takes to get what you need, like this carpet. It makes a cheap weed mat, and thankfully, is in an abundance behind a local carpet store in Tweed. 

And it's free.

Hubby has a great idea, to simply clear, weed mat and mulch over areas to open them up and make the garden look 'loved'.

My bulbs arrived! I ordered two types of jonquils and some freesias. Hopefully, by late winter, heavenly scented blooms will cheer up the gardens.

Shane hard at it, neatly covering the newly cleared area with the carpet hubby and I collected and roughly dumped last week.

Paul doing an awesome job cutting the carpet to fit.

Hubby and my sweet Belle in the distance. This side garden is growing incredibly well. However, the run off is killing the grass. Hopefully, garden edging will be the next step here to prevent some of this overflow.

Thanks to darling Poppa Ian yet again, we have post holes dug to put his picket fence in.

So excited to see this area taking shape.

And here is the man himself- Poppa Ian showing us how advanced years can't kill passion.

Another erosion issue-sand piling up on the chess board. Hubby realised today a retaining wall is needed. 

Sadly, we also discovered local kids have not only smashed some loose bricks, but have been scratching at the chess board, damaging it. 

Among other things.

As frustrating as this is, we know that the majority of people will use this area for the right reasons.

The picket fence looks so good! I can't wait for the plants to mature and fill in the 'gaps', creating a lush, shady oasis.

There you have it, a bit of progress, a new season and some exciting future plans. Rest assured, there will be much more to come, even if at a reduced pace :)

As always, thanks for reading!

You can't run from the ugly

No matter how hard you try, you just can't run from the ugly.

Before you all get on your moral high horse, I'm taking the ugly that resides inside. 

I often feel quite the social pariah. I've learned from a young age that my intensity and sensitivity is a bit too much. For many people. Fit in? Follow the status quo? Nope. Not me. 

Here's a trend I've noticed. We admire those who go through heart break/grief/loss/pain silently. We praise them for their strength and resolve. Expressed emotions make us feel, well, uncomfortable. Even if the vocal person is still pressing forward, we often don't feel as gracious towards them. 

How very 1950's of us. Valium anyone?

Me, on the other hand. I'm the one at the gym grunting and groaning. If it hurts, you'll hear about it.  I don't mean to be supremely expressive and upset your sensible, rational day. It's just how I'm wired. 

I feel. Extremely. So I express it in kind. If I praise, it's overflowing. If I'm hurt, it's deeply. And so it goes. 

Recently, hubby and I went on a brief escape to a wonderful shire called New England. It is as it sounds; a beautiful pocket of Australia with wonderfully cool climate weather and the charm of the mother country. 

As suspected, I fell in love, wanted to buy a house and start a new life. Right then and there. I desperately wanted to escape the coastal ugly. The overpriced, the rushed, the scorching hot, the growing crowds and crowded living, the unfavorable culture shift.

That would make life better.

Would it make my menopause struggle go away? Highly unlikely. Though hot flushes may be welcomed during a longer winter :) 

Would it resolve my struggle with identity? Nope. As I'll be taking myself with me, that will resurface again. And again. Best I deal with it now.

Would it solve my struggle to form lasting, deep friendships? Not unless I learn how to do them right while here. Otherwise, history repeats.

Do I still want to move? Absolutely! However, now is not the time. 

Something occurred to me recently. How can I get through this painful season?How can I accept myself? And how can I genuinely love and understand everyone? I mean, we are all so different, how is that possible? 

To get through my normal aging graciously, I will continue to seek help. People may run, scream and hide, but thankfully, Dr's won't. Today, I was given my 3rd script to manage my symptoms/transition as the last 2 had unwelcome side effects.  I will keep attacking my diet, and factoring exercise into my daily life. I will get through this!

How can I accept myself? Accepting how I'm wired is a big step forward. I'm allowed to be me. I also need to do what sets my heart free. I love nature, connect with my creator in wide open spaces, love reptiles and birds and fish and flowers. I also LOVE to write. I mean, creative writing. I have set aside one day a week as of last week to allow myself space to create, and you know what. 

It. Felt. Amazing! 

I felt joy. 

I felt peace.

Even though I only managed 2000 words of a YA novel, because I know I'm also creatively wired, by doing something for me, I felt literally free-for the first time in forever. 

By letting my creative out, I'm actually making myself less wired and intense for others too. So its a win/win.

Now, to friendships. I had a revelation recently. 

Just love people. Through ugly emotions. And face it, we've all had them.

Listen. I mean, really listen. You don't have to solve the problem, just give someone your genuine attention. Your time is valuable and will be remembered. 

Forgive. Quickly. 

And, guess what. Do the same to yourself. Because you're going to treat people how you treat you.

This may sound simple, but it came with powerful revelation. 

Now, you deserve a break! Take a look at some snaps of our blissful, brief getaway...

Hubby and I are a quirky pair. We don't fancy modern. So when we found an airbnb cottage in Glen Innes, we were thrilled.

Stopping as soon as we hit Tenterfield (to find a loo), this gorgeous old style home caught my eye. Combined with the slight chill in the air, I was in love! 

This public park in Tenterfield was stunning. Love conifers.

My sweet girl in our large borrowed yard. I miss space!

I'd love a rose bush in my back yard...one day.

Beautiful Armidale. 

Making new friends in Armidale :)

Love seeing cooler climate plants I'm unfamiliar with.

These guys made an impression...on my little girls top. Oops!

To some, it may be just a door, but to me, its a gorgeous piece of yesterday. Love retro homes and old style everything. 

Fabulous Miss nearly 3, who chose her own attire :)

Off exploring the Standing Stones with daddy.

A visit to the little cafe was wonderfully fattening, and the service was excellent.

Giant conifers evoke wonderful childhood memories of exploring inside them and making cubbies.

A pretty picnic spot.

Historic Tenterfield.

Stunning old park gazebo...so well kept too.

One thing we noticed inland, they take their parks seriously. The facilities are excellent. How do we know this? Thanks to this little cutey, we stopped at every one!

Our historic mansion for the last night, Stannum House.

The interior was our dream. Both hubby and I adore olde worlde everything. We have a replica Victorian lounge suite! So, walking through this house was an absolute dream!

Sigh. Now that's a formal dining room. 

At last, I'll leave you with all of that to ponder at your leisure. Thanks for sharing the journey with me.