bordallo pinheiro
You may not know the name, but you’ll recognise these green ceramics! These pieces were originally designed by the Portuguese ceramics company founded by Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro in 1884. The design I like is based on a cabbage leaf, a metaphor for Portuguese rustic way of life. The brand mark is a frog in a circle with the brand name. There are many other designs but the Cabbage is my favourite.
My Mother gave me a Cabbage salad bowl years ago, probably because I adored hers, which I have now inherited. Over the years, my son has given me two other pieces. Then for my birthday, he surprised me with a box of Cabbage pieces! I now have two small bowls, two medium sized bowls and two larger bowls to add to the collection. It was a lovely surprise!
I’d admired a green leaf vase in Bali earlier this year. I was delighted when my husband bought me a similar vase when we returned home. He then gave me a smaller version of the vase as a birthday gift, too. I will be using all these pieces to create a red, white and green Christmas themed table this year. ( I have just realised Christmas is six weeks way, sorry to mention it, but I got a fright, too.)
Another birthday treat was the delivery of two boxes of macarons. Absolutely delicious and a lovely treat from our son.
The final birthday treat was a tart citron organised by my husband from a French bakery. I really like anything citrus and this was lovely.
recycling Cartons
“Gable” topped cartons generally contain fresh liquids, such as milk or orange juice. The cartons are usually 80% paper and 20% polyethylene. These are found in the chilled section and need to be kept in the fridge. These can be rinsed clean and put in your kerbside recycling bin. (Ours has a yellow lid.)
Image Pixabay
Longlife or UHT cartons look like bricks and are made from liquid paperboard with a plastic exterior coating and the inner lining is aluminium (foil). These cartons often contain stock, long-life milk and long-life juice. They do not require refrigeration during transport or storage and are stocked on shelves in the supermarket. They have a long shelf life. They cannot be recycled due to the aluminium lining and go into landfill. (For us, the red lid bin).
Image Pixabay
Bottled milk is harder to find and more expensive but the glass bottles can be recycled if you rinse the bottle and return it to where you bought it.
inflation
Interesting news item posted by the Australian Business Network (Dailytelegraph.com.au) revealing that Australians had been hit by creeping inflation since 2021. The Consumer Price Index figures, based on information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, have revealed that healthcare, cigarettes, education and utilities have increased in cost enormously since 1984.
As governments try to persuade people to give up smoking, cigarette prices have increased by 4 200%. This is ten times more than alcohol in the same period.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics, via the Consumer Price index also shows the following increases during the same period.
Image Pixabay
Medical and Hospital Services 1 214%
Education 887%
Dental Services 522%
Spirits 416%
Beer 412%
Transport fares 394%
Lamb 387%
Childcare 365%
Fuel 305%
Interestingly, some things haven’t changed significantly over the last 40 years. Both telecommunications and computing costs have dropped, while household appliances and household textiles have hardly changed.
High energy costs and labour shortages create inflationary pressures. The government is attempting to reduce labour shortages by increasing immigration and increasing access to childcare. Unfortunately, all states and territories of Australia are experiencing housing shortages exacerbated by increasing the population.
Image Pixabay
As we move towards a federal election, I’m sure we’ll hear numerous plans for improving the economy, but all government spending derives from tax payers money. We need longer term planning which extends beyond the parliamentary election cycle and a focus on obtaining value from money expended.