Saturday, 4 July 2015
Monday, 2 March 2015
The benefits of compost worms
The regular drinks of worm tea are definitely very beneficial to some of my plants.
The azaleas and pieris japonica had both flowered profusely all through spring. It is now barely autumn and they are just starting to flower again.
The lilies not only have incredibly large blooms, but their scent is absolutely heavenly.
This is the largest flower I have ever seen on my peace lily.
The anthurium is just bringing forth one flower after another.
The agony of acquiring a new bed
The day the handyman was here with his trailer to take my old (marital) bed - and other things - to a garage sale, was the day the new bed I had purchased from Harvey Norman was supposed to be delivered.
When I hadn't heard anything by lunchtime, I rang up and to my horror, heard that my bed had not made it onto the truck!
Since deliveries to my area only happen on Wednesdays, it meant I was going to have to wait another week. I had no hope of getting the old bed to be disposed of any other time, so went ahead with the plans for the day.
I had the handyman put my very old, expandable slat bed into the bedroom to sleep on for the week.
That was quite OK for the week.
Wednesday, February 25th arrived and before I got too excited about folding things up and carrying them out to the spare room in the backyard, I rang again and made sure that this time, my bed would be on the truck, which I was assured it was.
I got very busy moving everything but the slat base and scrubbing the bedroom thoroughly in anticipation of a new bed.
The truck got here around four thirty and the two men started carrying three large and unwieldy flat packs and a well wrapped up big slat base in and immediately informed me that unpacking and setting up was not part of their job description. There was also no sign of a mattress!!!
I was absolutely floored by the lousy service - or rather lack thereof.
Where I come from, beds come naturally with mattresses, as did the last one I purchased in this country. Whatever happened to the customer being King?
I left the handyman a message with my rather desperate request and also rang Harvey Norman to let them know that I was definitely not amused. The girl on the phone said she could pass the message on to the manager and have him get in touch with me. I told her that unless he had plenty of spare muscles and a suitable mattress, he need not bother himself.
The man still rang up a while later and as good as told me that it was all my fault, that I should have known......blablabla! My suggestions that the staff could be trained to give the customer all relevant information and perhaps ask if a mattress might be needed (or indeed even bedding, as all of that is available in the shop) fell on deaf ears as the self-righteous little man was too hell bent on playing the blame game.
While waiting for the handyman who couldn't come until evening, I busied myself unpacking the two smaller packs and stacking the pieces ready for assembly. I had to stop at the largest box as that contained the bed head which wouldn't even look at me when I tried to lift it out of the packaging.
Well, it took three hours to assemble the bed.
By the time it was all done, it was half past ten and I was absolutely dead on my feet, having no wish to go out the back and retrieve the other mattress and make up a bed for the night.
I spent the night on my perfectly good reclining sofa, which, when I purchased it from Freedom Furniture a couple of years ago was delivered on a Saturday afternoon and assembled and all I had to do was sit on it and relax.
Whilst it is a perfectly good reclining sofa, spending the entire night on it still left me somewhat worse for wear and a bit sore.
However, it was now Thursday, the day to go to Rotary. I stopped at the Mattress Junction in Margate where I spent a mere 15 minutes choosing and purchasing a mattress and arrange for it to be delivered that very afternoon.
Three hours later, I arrived home after Rotary at the same time as the delivery man with his ute. He not only unpacked the mattress and placed it on the bed for me, but he gathered up all the packaging and took it away with him!
I quickly made up the bed so I would have somewhere a bit more comfortable to sleep when I came home from watching The Second Best Marigold Hotel together with the other 400 Rotarians.
What bliss to come home to this at last!
When I hadn't heard anything by lunchtime, I rang up and to my horror, heard that my bed had not made it onto the truck!
Since deliveries to my area only happen on Wednesdays, it meant I was going to have to wait another week. I had no hope of getting the old bed to be disposed of any other time, so went ahead with the plans for the day.
I had the handyman put my very old, expandable slat bed into the bedroom to sleep on for the week.
Wednesday, February 25th arrived and before I got too excited about folding things up and carrying them out to the spare room in the backyard, I rang again and made sure that this time, my bed would be on the truck, which I was assured it was.
I got very busy moving everything but the slat base and scrubbing the bedroom thoroughly in anticipation of a new bed.
The truck got here around four thirty and the two men started carrying three large and unwieldy flat packs and a well wrapped up big slat base in and immediately informed me that unpacking and setting up was not part of their job description. There was also no sign of a mattress!!!
I was absolutely floored by the lousy service - or rather lack thereof.
Where I come from, beds come naturally with mattresses, as did the last one I purchased in this country. Whatever happened to the customer being King?
I left the handyman a message with my rather desperate request and also rang Harvey Norman to let them know that I was definitely not amused. The girl on the phone said she could pass the message on to the manager and have him get in touch with me. I told her that unless he had plenty of spare muscles and a suitable mattress, he need not bother himself.
The man still rang up a while later and as good as told me that it was all my fault, that I should have known......blablabla! My suggestions that the staff could be trained to give the customer all relevant information and perhaps ask if a mattress might be needed (or indeed even bedding, as all of that is available in the shop) fell on deaf ears as the self-righteous little man was too hell bent on playing the blame game.
While waiting for the handyman who couldn't come until evening, I busied myself unpacking the two smaller packs and stacking the pieces ready for assembly. I had to stop at the largest box as that contained the bed head which wouldn't even look at me when I tried to lift it out of the packaging.
Well, it took three hours to assemble the bed.
By the time it was all done, it was half past ten and I was absolutely dead on my feet, having no wish to go out the back and retrieve the other mattress and make up a bed for the night.
I spent the night on my perfectly good reclining sofa, which, when I purchased it from Freedom Furniture a couple of years ago was delivered on a Saturday afternoon and assembled and all I had to do was sit on it and relax.
Whilst it is a perfectly good reclining sofa, spending the entire night on it still left me somewhat worse for wear and a bit sore.
However, it was now Thursday, the day to go to Rotary. I stopped at the Mattress Junction in Margate where I spent a mere 15 minutes choosing and purchasing a mattress and arrange for it to be delivered that very afternoon.
Three hours later, I arrived home after Rotary at the same time as the delivery man with his ute. He not only unpacked the mattress and placed it on the bed for me, but he gathered up all the packaging and took it away with him!
I quickly made up the bed so I would have somewhere a bit more comfortable to sleep when I came home from watching The Second Best Marigold Hotel together with the other 400 Rotarians.
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
February 23rd and 24th
Knitting little things for a friend. I must admit, I'd rather knit things of a decent size as I find the little cuties a bit too fiddly for my taste.
A join in the irrigation - from the Fuji Clean septic tank - has burst and the water is pouring out there instead of going to all the sprinklers, flooding one of the garden beds and leaving the others high and dry.
Luckily, this former farmer is not helpless when it comes to such repair jobs. A few minutes of my precious time - and some boiling water to soften the poly pipe - fixes the problem.
While I'm outside, I make the most of the mild, dry weather to do some weeding and planting some seeds, before taking the dogs for some beach walks.
The 23rd is of course the birthday of Rotary. 110 years today since Paul Harris founded Rotary by inviting 3 like minded individuals. As they say: From little things, big things grow.
It is a rainy day and I have to find a slot between showers to take the dogs for their walk. The washing is not drying on the line outside before nightfall so it gets left hanging there.
Today, I'm learning a valuable lesson: Do not leave the washing on the line overnight as the possums can use that to walk across to one of the hanging baskets of fuchsias.
Shame on them! It's not as if I never feed them.
A join in the irrigation - from the Fuji Clean septic tank - has burst and the water is pouring out there instead of going to all the sprinklers, flooding one of the garden beds and leaving the others high and dry.
Luckily, this former farmer is not helpless when it comes to such repair jobs. A few minutes of my precious time - and some boiling water to soften the poly pipe - fixes the problem.
While I'm outside, I make the most of the mild, dry weather to do some weeding and planting some seeds, before taking the dogs for some beach walks.
Sunday, 22 February 2015
February 13th to 21st
It's good to be home again, to go to the beaches with the dogs and to wander around the garden to see how things are progressing.
The gladioli are coming up with some new colour just about every day and the first lilies are out. Then there is a little quiet native achiever too. It is just so enjoyable.
I have even enough gladioli to take some inside for a vase.
Already some time ago, I booked a trip to Western Canada and Alaska. This will be happening in May and June. My friends Bobby and Kaye Hunter will come to house and pet sit during that time.
The gladioli are coming up with some new colour just about every day and the first lilies are out. Then there is a little quiet native achiever too. It is just so enjoyable.
I have even enough gladioli to take some inside for a vase.
Some space was made by taking various things to a garage sale this week, including the old queen size bed.
The biggest relief came the day I took my divorce papers to be shredded! That chapter is now irrevocably finished with.
It is all systems go to move forward now.
I have been talking to a draftsman and a builder about a couple of small extensions to this house.
Already some time ago, I booked a trip to Western Canada and Alaska. This will be happening in May and June. My friends Bobby and Kaye Hunter will come to house and pet sit during that time.
February 11th and 12th
Having had continually blocked sinus cavities for the best part of my life, I have at last found a specialist who really wants to do something about it.
Hence my quick two day stint in hospital.
Hence my quick two day stint in hospital.
When I first arrived in my private room, I felt I wanted to stay longer than just the one night. But then they fed me, and I found the choice so narrow and unhealthy - compared with my usual fare - that I decided going home the next day was still the best option.
February 1st to 10th
As exciting as all this unpacking, discovering and reminiscing is, normal life still continues. Rain, hail or shine, the dogs still like to go for their daily walks. Housework and shopping
(amazing how much shopping there is to do when you have a few animals) are always on and, of course, Rotary every week.
For those who don't know, I became a Rotarian in December 2006 in Coonabarabran and then joined the Rotary Club of Hobart in 2012, after moving here.
I was bulletin editor for about four years in Coonabarabran and was also a little bit active at District level.
I found this clever pocket of brochures I created for District 9830.
Coming across this made me feel quite proud of myself.
Especially remembering the fact that I did it during a rather harrowing time in my life.
Around the same time I also printed 56 posters on canvas - one for each club - featuring literacy, water and polio, on my very large printer.
I'll never forget the help and moral support I received from Ken Hall with this task.
I am now doing the bulletin again, but sharing the task with two or three other people, so it only comes around once a month.
After a few rather dismal days, the sun has finally come out again to lift one's spirit.
Mother Nature has not stood still, of course, and I now have the thrill of discovering all sorts of beautiful things.
(amazing how much shopping there is to do when you have a few animals) are always on and, of course, Rotary every week.
For those who don't know, I became a Rotarian in December 2006 in Coonabarabran and then joined the Rotary Club of Hobart in 2012, after moving here.
I was bulletin editor for about four years in Coonabarabran and was also a little bit active at District level.
I found this clever pocket of brochures I created for District 9830.
Coming across this made me feel quite proud of myself.
Especially remembering the fact that I did it during a rather harrowing time in my life.
Around the same time I also printed 56 posters on canvas - one for each club - featuring literacy, water and polio, on my very large printer.
I'll never forget the help and moral support I received from Ken Hall with this task.
I am now doing the bulletin again, but sharing the task with two or three other people, so it only comes around once a month.
After a few rather dismal days, the sun has finally come out again to lift one's spirit.
Mother Nature has not stood still, of course, and I now have the thrill of discovering all sorts of beautiful things.
It seems that the regular application of worm tea is doing wonders.
The daily dog walks are so much more pleasant when the weather is this perfect - and the blackberries are ripe.
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