Watching, Eating and Gardening

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the tinder swindler

Image credit: Netflix

Three women meet Simon Leview (above) through the dating app, Tinder. He befriends them, claiming to be the son of the super rich diamond dealer, Lev Leview. He dazzles them with his wealth, then steals from them. He claims to be under threat from unidentified people and asks them to help by sending money for him to escape. Each woman goes into debt having borrowed money to give to him. Eventually, they doubt his story and can borrow no more money. They then connect online and realise they have each been seriously duped. One swipe right changed their lives and not in a good way. This is their story. Leview claims to be misunderstood, the women are trying to pay off massive debts.

Interestingly, while the women involved struggle to repay their debts and get on with their lives, Leview (real name Shimon Hayut) has been released from prison, has a Hollywood agent and is dating a model.

inventing anna

undefined Image credit:Netflix

Anna Sorokin, a Russian who claims to be German, arrives in New York in 2013 and works hard to become accepted by the rich and famous as a wealthy socialite. Inventing Anna is a dramatized version of how the real Anna conned an enormous amount of money from friends and the wealthy associates she sought out. She was ruthless, scamming banks, hotels and high society.

Sorokin got away with her audacious scams by claiming to be a German heiress waiting to inherit a multi- million dollar trust fund when she turned 25. Finally found guilty on a number of charges, she is sentenced to 4 years in jail. Many of her victims are too embarrassed to report their loses. She was released in 2021 but is then taken into custody by Customs and Immigration for overstaying her visa and is awaiting deportation. Meanwhile, she’s written a book and done lucrative deals, including working with Netflix on the program.

So what do we learn from Inventing Anna? Social media is a clever platform not necessarily based on fact. Proceed with caution if you’re relying on what you see on your device!

Eating

GRAPES

Chilled grapes from my mother’s garden. Despite breaking a record held for 110 years by having 13 days over 40ºC the grapes are lovely! My own garden is not doing so well.

RED CABBAGE

I cook for two people and find so many fruit and vegetables last two people more than a few days. They do not stay fresh and crisp! So, after I bought a medium sized rockmelon and realised we’d have to have a quarter each for lunch and then a quarter each for dinner, as it wouldn’t keep, I started looking for smaller pieces, especially vegetables. This is a petite red cabbage.

We enjoyed half one night braised in a pan over high heat in cider vinegar then a knob of butter and a good grind of black pepper. We had the other half the next night simply boiled. No waste. This is really a hot weather problem as leftover vegetables go into the soup pot in winter!

TOMATO, BOCCONCINI and BASIL SALAD

Gathered the ingredients for a light summer salad at lunchtime. They looked so luscious I sat down and painted them!

First I painted them, then we ate them!

This is a traditional Italian salad and features the colours of the Italian flag. So, red tomatoes, green basil and white bocconcini!

So quick and easy. Slice the tomatoes and cheese thinly and arrange on a plate. I put a sliced avocado in the middle, drizzled with a peppery olive oil then sprinkled basil over the top. Served with toasted ciabatta. Lunch done.

When I set my plate of salad, I added finely diced raw red onion for a contrasting crispness. Delicious.

SOURDOUGH RYE BREAD

Every fortnight I make two loaves of rye sourdough. Some goes in the fridge, some goes in the freezer. I’m the only one who eats it, my husband has two favourite local bakeries where he buys his white artisan loaves. No rye bread for him!

growing vegetables

Affirm press

Are you growing your own food? Whether you’re new to gardening or an old hand I think you’ll find something interesting in Jaclyn Crupi’s Gardening Like Nonno. I certainly found loads of advice and recipes for improving soil quality. This is little book packed with practical bite sized bits of information.

Crupi grew up with two Nonnos ( Italian grandfathers) who she describes as “…no-nonsense, hard working and cheeky. They know how to fix things, how to make things, how to grow things and how to care for things”. This little book is full of useful information about improving the quality of soil organically, choosing and saving seeds, seasonal plants, the tools you’ll need and how to care for them, chickens and even some recipes for preserving your crops.

Whatever size your garden I think you’ll find inspiration in this practical book. I couldn’t put it down and have gone back to find particular advice, especially on soil improvement. La dolce vita in a book!

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Painting, Cooking, Reading and Huge Lotto Prizes

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painting botanicals

A friend arrived with two picture frames. He asked me to paint pictures for the frames. I asked what he wanted me to paint. Fruit, vegetables or flowers? He pointed to my Moleskin painting book and said anything like those in there. So, flowers. Did he have favourite flowers, preferred colours. No, just do some like those ( in the book) So I did!

I began with the dark red geranium as I have several pots of them and I know he likes them. Then I painted a gladioli, which I didn’t like at all, so started again and painted some carnations. Painting for someone else is actually very different from trying to capture the colour and shape for myself.

Took my friend’s frames apart, cut some mounting boards then put them back together again.

The unloved gladioli.

cooking

This recipe for Feta and Leek slice was doing the rounds at yoga. I had a leek and a packet of feta so knew I was going to make it for lunch. Had everything ready to go when I discovered I didn’t have enough plain flour, so I used self raising flour and left out the baking powder. Worked well!

To make a LEEK and FETA slice mix 200gm yoghurt, 200ml vegetable oil (I used a mild olive oil), 200gm crumbled feta, 200 gm chopped leek, 2 cps sifted plain flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder plus 4 eggs.

Spray or oil a baking dish and spoon in the mixture. I used a spatula. Top with 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds if desired. Bake is a pre- heated oven 220°C for 15-20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Can be eaten hot or cold

Conversions weight 200gm =7oz, temperature 220ºC-=430°F

This made quite a big pie. Next time I make it I’ll freeze half as eating the same thing for lunch and dinner and then again for lunch the next day is a bit too much. I drizzled sweet chili sauce over it the second day as it seemed a little bit dry.

NOTE I used self raising flour as I discovered I’d run out of plain flour. This made a ‘puffier’ slice than the original one. Tasted just as good.

Also I find leeks need a lot of washing to remove all the sand embedded with in the leaves!

Served at lunch time with salad, at dinner time with steamed vegetables and the next day with sweet chili sauce.

apple crumble

What do you do with leftover apples losing their crunch? I try not to waste food so peeled them, removed their cores and cooked them in water, a little sugar and cinnamon. Cold stewed apple with icecream would have been appropriate during this never ending, record breaking heatwave, but I decided on apple crumble.

While the apples were stewing I thought I’d look up a ‘proper’ recipe for the crumble instead of just mixing the oatmeal, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter the casual way I usually do until it feels just right. I immediately discovered a problem. Apparently I should have weighed the prepared apples before I stewed them to determine the ‘right’ amount of crumble! Too late, proceeded in my usual casual ‘throw it all together’ way.

There are many recipes for making a crumble online. This is a great way to use up any fruit which can be stewed. Serve crumble with custard, cream or icecream. Delicious even on a hot day.

reading

Adrian Hyland’s Canticle Creek is a fast moving story about Leading Senior Constable Jess Redpath briefly leaving her police job in the outback to accompany her artist father to an awards evening in rural Victoria. This gripping murder mystery, taking the reader from one drama to another, left me not sure who the killer was until the very end. Full of twists and turns with some great descriptions of the various landscapes, the story has well developed characters and is a good read.

Kit Kemp, regular readers of this blog will know, is one of my favourite interior decorators. Her new book Design Secrets is full of her colourful and clever combinations of fabric, colour and shape. She talks about the design processes she uses with her staff to come up with new projects and ways to put things together. Kemp doesn’t dictate strict guidelines and encourages the use of everyday objects to create pleasing arrangements. The results are often exuberant! It did occur to me that this style of decorating with layers of fabric, paper and objects plus furnishings was probably more suitable for cooler climates!

huge lotto winnings

Last week one of Australia’s lotto prizes was $120 million dollars which sounds like an enormous amount of money for one person to win. Actually, there were two first division prize winners, winning $63 million dollars each. One of the winning tickets belonged to a Kalgoorlie syndicate of 250 people. They each won $261,986. Millions and millions of dollars can be life changing, but not in a good way, whereas $261,986 must be wonderful! This is a great deposit on a house, a way to pay off loans, a chance to travel, educate children or buy the family treats. I’ve just read in the paper, some syndicate members plan to pay off mortgages, buy caravans and travel, plan for their retirement and help their children get settled. Makes so much more sense that huge prizes.

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My Intentional Word and Other Verbs

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my intentional word

After reading lots of blogs at the end of last year where the writers referred to their ‘word for the year’ or their Intentional Word I decided on one, too. My word was BALANCE. Not even remotely original but that only underlines how unbalanced life can seem at different times. Mine was pretty skew whiff!

Put lots of thought into rearranging how I spend my time but found it hard to change things where other people were involved. Then we began having cases of Covid in Western Australia and suddenly, we had to wear masks in the metropolitan and Peel regions. That meant canceling lots of things and staying home. Mostly these things were lunches with several different groups of teaching friends who are still enjoying school holidays. Masks combined with top temperatures over 40ºC for six days in a row meant many planned activities went by the board!

So, suddenly, I had time to read, paint, watch TV, phone friends and go for long (masked) walks. Some of my daily steps had to be done indoors as it was very hot outside. Although I was aiming for balance in my life things actually felt out of balance again as there was a lot of downtime.

reading

birds of a feather

Tricia Stringer is a prolific and well known Australian author. I haven’t read any of her books before but will definitely read more in the future. This story about a group of women in various stages of their lives, widowed, mother of young children, newly partnered woman in her forti is set on Spencers Gulf in South Australia. It centres around the prawning industry and the local town.

We follow the women as they resolve family problems, sell long established businesses, sort out future plans as a family and change direction at work. So, all the usual things that happen in families, but well written with the od unexpected turn of events. This is a book to take on holidays or to the beach and become immersed.

Abbi Waxman’s THE GARDEN OF SMALL BEGINNINGS was a light, easy and entertaining. The text is smart and snappy. The story focuses on the characters who enrol in establishing a community garden under the guidance of a famous horticulturalist.

As the garden evolves, so do the characters. Their lives become intertwined in many positive ways. Each chapter ends with notes and advice on growing a particular vegetable. Enjoyable, with a happy ending.

TWO FEET FORWARD

Written by husband and wife team Graeme Simsion and Anne Burst this is the story of Zoe, from California and recently widowed and Martin, recently divorced, from the UK. They meet just before they both set off to walk the Camino de Santiago trail.

The walk is known to inspire reflection and change. The walkers meet other pilgrims and their stories about their lives, their challenges finding accommodation and food and the general difficulties of walking the various terrains make up the story. Martin and Zoe bump into one another along the way but for various reasons, mainly barely credible misunderstandings, they never quite get together.

I persisted with this book as I’d like to walk the trail, too, and found the descriptions of various towns, the hospitality offered and the reason people embarked on the walk interesting. I found Martin’s attempts to improve his relationship with his hurt, troubled daughter rather tepid. Zoe’s faith in the universe, which was very unhelpful at providing regular vegetarian meals, was irritating and quite sad for a woman and mother in her forties.

Reviews vary from five stars to one star, with strong feelings expressed at both ends of the scale. I’m glad I read it because the information about the Camino trail was interesting but I didn’t enjoy the book.

watching

Credit Walter Presents

Ice Station Murders is an Italian police drama on Stan. Set in Aosta, close to the Swiss Alps, it is a gritty drama in a very beautiful setting. So when I flicked through Frances Mayes’s ‘Always in Italy’ I read everything about the Aosta region. Apart from the surrounding Alps, always covered in snow in the series, one of the attractions is the beautiful buildings. So many of the characters live in lovely old buildings with high ceilings, big rooms and a cafe with outdoor tables and chairs just downstairs!

Pleased that there are many episodes of Ice Cold Murders as there’s little to watch on free to air TV and cinemas are out of the question at the moment.

cooking

Two loaves of sourdough rye bread. I wait until they are cool as they are easier to cut then I slice and freeze most of the bread, leaving out six slices for immediate use. This is a heavy bread with a distinctive taste and not liked by everyone. My husband prefers a white loaf from a local bakery which he cuts into thick slices.

australia day

Wednesday, 26th of January was Australia Day, commemorating the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788. We reflect on the history and diversity of our nation. We celebrate with family barbecues, community events, citizenship ceremonies welcoming new members to Australia and acknowledge personal achievements through the Australia Day Honour List.

It is a public holiday in Australia. Like thousands of other Australians, my favourite event on Australia Day is the fireworks! They are fabulous. Usually, people crowd around the foreshore to watch the display, but social distancing resulted in far less spectators this year. I watched it from an upstairs window. Really like fireworks.

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Happy New Year, Resolutions and Gardening News

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HAPPY NEW YEAR

We spent a lovely Christmas Day with our extended family. Enjoyed catching up with all the news. Not so lovely was the 43°C top temperature. Really hot nights, too, so I’m watering the garden every night. Then Boxing Day was hot at 44° (111°F) but we’d already planned to take my Mother shopping for a new television. Despite the shop being air conditioned it was very hot and crowded and this week we have to wear masks. Not complaining, as we’ve only had to wear masks twice in two years.

We have had 9 deaths from Covid in Western Australia and I realise we are really lucky. We will need to wear masks at any New Year parties and the numbers able to attend will be limited. Why? Because 86 close contacts of a French unvaccinated back packer who arrived in WA and was diagnosed with CV-19 haven’t fronted up to be tested.

The best post Christmas thing is settling to the books we received as presents. We are a family of keen readers and enjoy this slower time after the festivities to read and stay cool. There’s always lots of leftovers to eat for two or three days so it’s a relaxing time. One night we wanted variety and had a curry feast! Unfortunately, the garden is wilting. It is also too hot to set up our new worm farm.

Luscious curry dinner, not cooked by me!

I was really interested when a friend told me her family only exchanged gifts they could eat, drink or read. Probably because we’re all in a similar age group we don’t need other things but still enjoy reading, eating or drinking! In fact, most of our gifts already fit into these categories but now is the time to formalise the plan

resolutions

woman stretching This is definitively not me!

Do you set New Year goals? I know lots of people see the new year as a fresh start and therefore the ideal time to make changes for the better. I’m not big on coming up with goals for the new year, despite being aware of some changes I’d benefit from making, but I’m always interested in what other people are planning. Popular goals mentioned amongst friends regarded diets, exercising, drinking less alcohol, spending more time with family and friends, decluttering and organising expenditure. In fact, losing weight or just eating a healthier diet are the most popular resolutions in the Western World. Do you make resolutions? I’d love to know if you keep them!

happy birthday greeting card on brown wooden table

decluttering

We spent a day decluttering. It wasn’t a New Year Resolution but really a necessity. The large cupboard under the stairs was overly stuffed with things. We couldn’t get to the back! About four years ago when I decided to retire I brought home and stored work things in case I ever wanted to go back. Of course, I’ve never looked at any of those things since. Our son moved home after a couple of years in another state and many of his things were stored and forgotten in the cupboard, too, when he returned. Years of me painting, drawing and printing have resulted in an overflow of art works. I have no idea what to do with them.

It took a day, many difficult decisions and two trips to the tip plus a large box of things to donate to sort out the cupboard. It is at risk of being filled with the overflow of our lives again as it is on the way into the main part of the house and we can just shut the door on the things we can’t decide about and there are many. But for now we’re just enjoying standing at the door and admiring how organised and tidy it all is, however briefly.

gardening

purple flower in macro lens photography

In gardening news, the agapanthus are loving the scorching sun and blooming with great gusto, the alstomerias have given up, the roses are managing but not enthusiastically and I am picking passionfruit, blueberries, a few tomatoes, coriander, perpetual spinach, mint, parsley and basil.

Wishing You All A

Happy And Healthy New Year!

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A Day Sightseeing In Bunbury and Scam Awareness Week

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A DAY IN BUNBURY

Bunbury is a city in the south west of Western Australia with a population of over 170 000 people. It is the third largest city in WA. Founded in 1873, Bunbury was established as a port for imports and exports and continues to support a thriving economy. Although I grew up near Bunbury and my school life began there, it is a long time since I have lived there so when I had the opportunity recently to explore the town, I gathered some information and set off!

The timber industry has played an important role in the region since settlement.

There’s so much to see in Bunbury. If you’ve only got a day to wander, start with street art. There’s really interesting street art both in the main streets and in surrounding streets and laneways,too. In two and a half hours I saw many works on buildings and also had a lovely look around the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery. There is an enormous amount of street art in Bunbury. I only covered three blocks in the town centre but intend to return and look at more works in the near future.

To plan your day drop into the Bunbury Information Centre for this brochure:’ OUTSIDE THE BOX, Rediscover A Walking Urban Art Trail’ or click below for more suggestions.

15 Must Dos in Bunbury

Now the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, this building was formally the Sisters of Mercy Convent School. Built in 1897, the Chapel was added in 1923. The City of Bunbury bought the convent in 1981.

A reminder of the original purpose of the building, a nun’s cell. Very small and simple but the cells opened onto a wide verandah and had beautiful views across the town to Koombana Bay.

One of the exhibitions was a large table set with works by local potters. I really liked this one!

So many coffee opportunities in Victoria Street but the most impressive feature was the many, many cafes offering lunch menus. There’s Korean, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Italian and more. There’s also several hotels/pubs advertising lunch and dinner. I had the ‘lunch special’ with a pot of tea at a Chinese restaurant for $13! Good food, good service.

The Rose Hotel, built in 1865.

Wandering around I also took a couple of photographs of interesting buildings. The other noticeable thing was the number of new, big office buildings beginning to dominate the skyline. For more information on older buildings go to the Bunbury Information Centre and collect the brochure Bunbury Heritage Building Trail full of notable buildings and lots of interesting history.

I knew this building well as my Uncle Eddie had his law firm here.

There’s masses of free two hour parking all around Bunbury on the streets and in car parks. You display a ticket on the dashboard. You can pay at the same machines if you’re planning on staying for longer than two hours.

The other ‘don’t miss’ thing if you have limited time is the Dolphin Discovery Centre on Koombana Bay, a beautiful stretch of beach close to the town. Here you will find everything you ever wanted to know about Bottlenose Dolphins! The centre offers eco cruises, swimming experiences, 24/7 livecam of the beach and offshore reef tank, plus a cafe and bar.

The research done here informs universities, government departments and other partnerships as they monitor the marine environment.

Pexels

scam awareness week

Unfortunately, the stigma attached to being scammed prevents many people from talking about their experiences. In some cases, those conned are even reluctant to seek help in recovering their stolen money. Data released by Bankwest shows more than $18 million dollars was stolen by scammers in the past year. Three quarters of the reported cases involved people over 45, while a third involved people over 65. Just 15% of cases involved 18-34 year olds.

Pexels

So what can you about it?

*To avoid the most common scams, never allow remote access to your computer, such as tech support, unless you made the contact and requested help.

*Also, be very, very cautious around cryptocurrencies. Many show you are increasing your wealth until you want to withdraw money and then they disappear! If you’re interested in investing in cryptocurrencies deal through a local bank.

*Keep your software up to date and use strong passwords.

*Keep your personal information private. Don’t share this information with anyone.

*Make sure any online shopping sites you use offer secure technology. Take the time to read the small print so that you know how your shared information will be used.

*Don’t engage with cold call marketing.

*If you get a phone call or text saying you owe money and you’re told to log on to an address to check or pay your account, don’t do it! Check your own records if you are at all worried you may owe money or else ignore it.

This is SCAM AWARENESS WEEK, so seek more detailed information online from government sources about avoiding scams.

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Visiting the Margaret River Region Open Studios

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Going ‘Down South’, the area south of Bunbury is always a lovely break but this time it has been great! The Margaret River Region Open Studios programme runs from 11th -26th of September and is a wonderful opportunity to view the works of many fabulous artists. The program covers four different areas and features over 140 local artists. The four regions are Busselton, Dunsborough, Cowaramup and Margaret River and their surrounding areas. It claims to be the biggest art event of this kind in Australia.

With over a 140 artists in their studios offering insights into their works we needed to make a manageable list as we only had a few days. Although the program was online I went to a local art shop and got a hard copy so we could both read everything on offer and choose those we most wanted to see. Then we were able to create a schedule of artists we wanted to visit in each locality.

Many art forms were on display. There were painters, textile workers, ceramicists, jewellers, printers, book makers, photographers, furniture makers, sculptors, tattoo artists and more. The south west is hopping with artistic talent. It was hard selecting the studios to visit but we were really pleased with the artists we chose. We have no room for more art works at home but had to resist temptation to buy quite often!

The artist were friendly and welcoming and willing to discuss their inspiration, approach to producing works and their stories about settling in the south west. Here are just thirteen of the artists we visited.

DOROTHY DAVIES Dorothy produces beautiful still life paintings mostly with botanical themes. Her designer background is evident in her orderly, calm paintings. Her works are detailed and lovely.

STEVE VIGORS Steve mostly paints landscapes and seascapes. He is inspired by the beauty of the south west and I thought his seascapes were wonderful. Steve does great waves!

GLORIA HAYDEN Gloria makes quirky little books using recycled and new paper. Her background as a librarian is evident in the books’ bindings and each has whimsical secret patterned pages and tiny envelopes. So pretty!

CHRISSY WELDON Chrissy’s botanical paintings are detailed and accurate. They are very beautiful. These delicate botanical paintings reveal her love of nature, detail and colour.

HEIDI EMMA Heidi Emma is a painter and mixed media artist. Her still life paintings are awash with light, colour and energy. I loved her botanical still life paintings, my husband favoured her seascapes

ADAM ASHDOWN I was so intrigued by Adam’s printing process I forgot to take a photograph of him! He has mastered the traditional Japanese method of printing fish, Gyotaku. Using traditional sumi ink and mulberry bark paper, Adam relies on a wet mounting technique known as urauchi. He creates very beautiful images of fish, before eating them!

The sargent baker fish was shaped and arranged within a foam template carefully cut to support its shape and fins.

The fish is wiped dry before Adam applied the water based ink to it, reducing the amount of ink on places where the fish was naturally lighter in colour.

The printing paper is applied to the fish and Adam gently rubs over the shape, ensuring he has captured the features such as the fins and tail. He will do several prints of the fish, reapplying ink where necessary.

These fish prints are very detailed and attractive. I found the process and Adam’s explanations fascinating! I keep thinking about these fish prints, not only because I’d really like to do one myself but I’d like own one of his.

MOLLY COY Molly’s beautiful, tactile, multi -media books feature her artwork plus typography created on a vintage tabletop letterpress. An Aladdin’s cave of treasures!

KARMA SHATTOCK Karma enjoys the unpredictability of painting in watercolour. She likes painting the Australian landscapes but I really liked her paintings with blue and white china and flowers. They were gorgeous!

MARTINE PERRET A photojournalist, Martine’s exhibition was mostly aerial photographs of landscapes. These are intriguing photographs. They made me think of traditional Aboriginal paintings in colour and shape. I found these photographs fascinating.

ELIZABETH WHITEMAN Elizabeth works with paint and textiles. She mainly paints landscapes and lovely, ethereal portraits. Her paintings are full of light and are very beautiful.

STUART MCMILLAN Stuart is a multidisciplinary artist working with paint, photography, sculpture and print media. I enjoyed his colourful, energetic works.

FI WILKIE Fi paints the flora and fauna of the south west of Western Australia. Her botanical works are an explosion of colour and wonderful energy. She also teaches drawing, painting and collage. Her works are original and vibrant and I loved them!

CHRISTINE CRESSWELL Christine paints beautiful and delicate watercolours of well known exotics and wildflowers endemic to the South West. Her paintings are detailed and calm and so pretty.

The Margaret River Region Open Studios program is an annual event. We will watching out for next year’s dates. There are so many interesting artists participating and I was disappointed we could only fit visits to thirteen studios. This was a wonderful break down south.

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Recycled Plastic Labels, Flowers and Books

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RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES

This hard to read label says, “I used to be a plastic bottle. This label is made from 100% recycled plastic.” My new cardigan is made of 100% cotton except the buttons and has a label made from recycled plastic. Good.

West Australian solo sailor Jon Sanders found on his recent world circumnavigation that nearly every 100 litre of seawater sample collected contained around 300 particles per cubic metre of microplastics. Why is this a problem? The chemicals released from plastics contribute to infertility, immunity disorders and abnormal neurological development in children.

FLOWERS IN THE HOUSE

The Phalaenopsis orchids are showering themselves in glory! Very satisfying, very pretty.

Several vases of early ranunculus. I cut them on short stems as the remaining stems have so many buds.

I read on a gardening site that ranunculus have more flowers if the corms are soaked prior to planting. I’d never done this before so tried it this year. I shared the corms with my Mother who lives further south. Unsurprisingly, mine germinated and bloomed before hers did but they also seem to be stronger plants. From now on I will soak the corms before planting.

I love arum lilies. They are a weed in Western Australia but my lilies are contained within an isolated bed. The lush, thick leaves don’t die off totally in summer as they do in the wild. The flowers start appearing at the end of August. I like to put the beautiful lilies in vases indoors.

The last of the Glamis Castle roses. They’ve all been pruned now.

CHOPSTICK STORAGE

We use chopsticks regularly. They’ve been stored in a cardboard tube for the last twenty plus years. The tube they were stored in was getting tatty. I was about to throw this acrylic chocolate box in the recycling bin when I realised it would make a great storage box for the chopsticks!

It had a brand sticker on the lid. I tore it off slowly and carefully but it left a layer of sticky glue. Tried removing it with hand sanitizer which was within reach. Didn’t work. Sprayed the sticker with Isopropyl alcohol and the residual glue just wiped off. Gave the box a wash in hot soapy water, dried it and now it’s a perfect chopstick box.

READING

Dr Norman Swan is a well known Australian broadcaster and physician. When I saw his latest book, So You Think You Know What’s Good For You? on the XPRESS ( seven day limit on borrowing for very popular books) display at the library, I borrowed it. He answers the health questions he’s asked all the time, based on the latest evidence and with good humour. Easy to flick back and forward following items of interest, this book is full of information and sound advice. You can just avoid the bits that make you nervous!

PLANTING OUT HYDRANGEAS

These ‘sticks’ are from pruning existing hydrangeas. Take a piece with two growth buds, push it into soil and come back a few months later. Roots should have appeared. I will plant these new plants in a very shady place where I planted some last year, as a trial. The plants only grew a little bit but each one produced flowers. I hope in time they reach a height where they will get more dappled light and thrive. I really like their glossy leaves and big, blousey blooms.

PRESSING EARLY SPRING FLOWERS

I collected a hat full of early springs flowers to press. I’ll use them to make some gift tags so I snipped their stems short. If I was planning to use them to make a card or a picture for the wall, I’d leave a longer stem and include more foliage.

I’d already cleaned the dusty press and put four layers of lithograph paper ready for the flowers. I don’t use paper towel as delicate petals can end up with the pattern of the paper towel imprinted on them. I also avoid newspaper as the ink can seep through the paper and stain the flowers during the pressing process.

Arranged the flowers then covered them with another four sheets of litho paper. I used a wooden press as I have one, but heavy books are also effective.

Put the top layer of the press in place and screwed on the wing nuts not really tightening any of them until they were all in place. Then I tightened them until there was no more movement.

I’ll put the press somewhere cool and dry for the next month. It needs to be accessible as I’ll continue tightening the nuts every three or four days for about a month.

TRAVEL JOURNAL PAINTING

Visited Rowles Conservation Park near Ora Banda while we were in Kalgoorlie. This lagoon is very beautiful. I have done a quick water colour painting for my journal.

In Australia and New Zealand, Father’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September, so we will be celebrating this Sunday. This is a lovely opportunity to get together with family members but it may not be possible for all families due to ongoing lock downs in New South Wales and Victoria. Wishing all Fathers, where ever they are, a lovely day. Happy Father’s Day!

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Some Sewing, Watching, ZOOM Painting and Chilli Thrip

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SEWING

Are you a home sewer? I had my sewing machine serviced this week. It was the first time in 34 years, so I thought it was due. Actually, I’d tried to mend my husband’s pyjamas and the machine made it clear things had to change. Off to the repair shop. Now it hums along happily. Mostly I mend and modify things, so nothing fancy, just practical.

Home sewing is experiencing a huge boom! Last year the UK recorded a 300% increase in sewing machines sales. Thought to be influenced by a program on television called “Great British Sewing Bee” and CV-19 resulting in more time at home, there’s also a move towards greater sustainability in clothing and a continuing reluctance to shop.

Not only has there been an explosion in the popularity of home sewing, but also knitting and crocheting are wildly popular, too. The UK Craft and Hobby Trade Association estimates over one million people have begun sewing for themselves in the past 3 years.

Sewing machine sales in Sweden have also increased more than 10 fold in the past year. A spokesman for Swiss sewing machine manufacturer, Bernina, says sales figures have literally exploded. (The West Australian newspaper 10/05/2021) Sales of knitting and crocheting materials have increased by eightfold. Availability of Australian grown and manufactured wool has increased enormously and can be found online or in craft suppliers. Good. In the past we sent most of it overseas.

So, is overt consumerism declining? Environmental concerns, a focus on individuality and the pleasure of creating all contribute to the increase in sewing, knitting and crocheting. Interestingly, many bloggers comment on the cost of these activities.

Once seen as thrifty, sewing machines and fabrics are quite expensive and mostly imported into Australia. Others suggest that having invested so much time, energy and money into making clothing or household pieces, they will take more care of them and keep them for much longer. It will be interesting to see if sewing clothes at home will continue.

WATCHING

I hate to admit it, but Jeremy Clarkson's farming show is really good TV | Television & radio | The Guardian The Guardian.UK

I enjoyed “Our Yorkshire Farm” and “Escape To The Farm With Katie Humble” but it all became a bit repetitive. Neither of these programs prepared me for ” Clarkson’s Farm”. Jeremy Clarkson has 1 000 acres in Oxfordshire. Fairly clueless, but with great enthusiasm and elan, he farms his 1000 acres. He employs a variety of advisors, farm hands and general contractors in typical Clarkson style.

Of course he buys a huge Lamborghini tractor which doesn’t fit in his shed and really requires an interpreter to keep it working. The pressures of getting jobs done in between rain results in him inventing his own, unsuccessful, methods. Very funny. Especially when his efforts are inspected by 21 year old contractor Kaleb who doesn’t hold back when he critiques Clarkson’s cultivating. The sometimes pointless but remnant EU rules baffle and annoy him, as did six weeks of non-stop rain. More rain than the UK had seen in a century. His farm becomes a quagmire.

So very funny and interesting, peppered with typical Clarkson observations and antics. All accompanied on a cool Saturday morning with a mug of Fridge Soup. In other words, all the vegetables that needed to be used up in the fridge, plus some meaty stock I had and curry paste. Bamixed, pasta added, left to cook some more, then ladled out and enjoyed. There we were, cuddled up with Louis the dog, comfortable and cosy on a cold morning, cackling at Clarkson. (Amazon Prime)

PAINTING

I really enjoy Amy Stewart’s painting tutorials on ZOOM. She delivers one each month. I’d signed up for a session painting monarch butterflies, so a few days before the lesson I found some images, studied the characteristics and painted one on my rose painting.

The monarch butterflies we painted were based on very quick, directed drawings. The focus was on impressions of butterflies, not so much on accuracy. After we’d drawn the shapes we applied a lot of water to each shape and then dropped paint into it. Unpredictable but colourful results. When the paint was dry we used felt and paint pens to add definition and detail. Very different from how I usually paint, but a wonderful opportunity to try other techniques.

Influenced by Amy Stewart’s use of felt pen to add definition and clarity, I completed this poppy painting by adding some pen drawing, too.

CHILLI THRIP

Continuing the war against chilli thrip. Some roses have responded well, others still look dire.

Some of the roses in the back garden have responded well to bi-weekly sprays, plant oil and Seasol. I have been picking the last flush of roses and there’s no sign of chilli thrip. At the end of July all the roses will be pruned right back. I hope they will be healthy next year! I will replace the top layer of soil where the thrip apparently breed with a fresh mix.

Roses out the front have not recovered at all. They had the same treatment as those in the back garden. Less sunlight?

The lime tree, on the other hand, next to the roses out the front, is covered in healthy, delicious fruit!

It’s International Men’s Health week focusing on the well being of all men. For more information www.menshealthweek.org.au/

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