Garden inspiration

After going to look at open gardens I came home and had the urge to put rusty junk in my garden. To paint old chairs, do some rearranging and making.

Here's some of what I've been up to and what's flowering. Sorry in advance for the photo overload.

Sweet peas will be flowering soon. I rescued the 'speak no evil' frogs that had been buried under weeds
for ages and plonked them behind the cubby house were not much grows. There is a pond near here, so they
fit in.

This used to be our fruit bowl. Repurposed.

Cheap shop heart hanging in the plum tree

I got this little fella half price because he had a broken ear.

There used to be a stone bench here. 

I went and scrounged around my dads shed(junk yard), made this with some wire and a $3.50 heart from the
garden centre

No grass wants to grow here, so I plonked the stone bench there.

Another home madey from Dads junk yard

The chook house, all 'blinged' up

An awesome(mostly) weekend and I wasn't even at Pro Blogger

Friday was a shit day. I'm not entirely sure why, but it was shit.

I knew the weather was going to be good. I knew I wanted to take the girls to Beachport, for a play and some lunch. Go to Beachport we did, it was a beautiful day. They had a good day, my day was shit. I wanted it to be awesome.

They had a good play at two playgrounds, I bought them sausage rolls for lunch, Summer didn't want hers. They both had ice cream, I was over it and took them home. I should have let them have a play on the beach, but I was over it.

I cried a bit on the way home. I was being a total drama queen, but I couldn't help myself.

After a couple of cans of bourbon, because after a shit morning you go straight to the bottlo on your way home, and it's Friday, and 5 o'clock somewhere, we set off for the playground. 

Izzy rode her bike and I pushed Summer in the pram. It was still a beautiful day. After seeing and telling a friend I was having a shit day, I felt better. Until we got home. 

It was all good until Summer spewed all over the floor. It had probably been coming all day. Whingy, didn't want lunch, tired. I felt like a total heel for making the shit day all about me. I cried anyway, cleaning up the spew.

Brett was home from work. I sat on the lounge, relaxed, moped, cuddled my sick little person. Cancelled dinner plans and all was right with world again. I was glad for bed, when it came. 

The one thing that was good was, the inspiration and affirmation that came with all the Instagramming(who knew ten years ago that would even be a word), of the Pro Blogger conference. It was fantastic and just what I needed to soak in! I could have almost been there. I have to get myself there next time, god knows how. I'm like a thirsty sponge, I'd be soaking that shit up like water from a bucket. I love to learn.

We spent most of the day on the beach Saturday, and spent Sunday afternoon at the bowling alley in the Mount, and at Maccas with friends. Everything was awesome. I hope this trend continues for the most part and I can manage to keep my attitude intact, for the sake of no more shit days.

It's also the first day of Spring today. Yay! 

It's also my birthday month! Yay!

What are you happy about today?

I trust you had a good weekend? 

If you were at the conference and shared some of the awesomeness, thank you! It was much appreciated :) Did you see Matthew Michalewicz? He would have been amazing!

An InLinkz Link-up

The thing I now know

I always knew I wanted to be just like my mum.

I now know it wasn't to have a tribe of kids. Three keep me busy enough. The worry, the guilt, the days when I could no longer stand to hear them fighting or yell out 'mum' one more time.

As Mum put it over the weekend(and now I am older, with my own kids, I totally get it), "You kids were a mob of arseholes. But I love you all and wouldn't have had it any other way."

Besides the tribe of kids, Mum had 5 under six by the time she was 24, I remember she was always cooking something. Well she had to I suppose, all we'd all starve!

Bread, biscuits, cakes, soups, roasts, scones, even the jam! I realise now, this is why I wanted to be like mum.

I find myself now loving to cook for my family and friends. I am by no means a master chef, but I love testing out cooking new cuisines, flavours and trying new ingredients. If only my kids enjoyed eating it!

This blog from the outset has included recipes. Not fancy, flash or fantastic. Just humble, good, simple tasting food. I love to share it, love to see people enjoying it.

I dream of buying a garden, ready established, with a spacious cottage. A cottage with an open fire, where after walking around the garden patrons would sit and enjoy simple, tasty, comforting food and hospitality.

I would also just about have to win x-lotto for this to happen.

They say don't let go of your dreams, work towards them. I won't be racing towards my dream. I will dawdle along, enjoy my gardening, and cooking for family and friends, because I never know what could be around the corner.

I want more garden, and roses

Someone asked me how many roses I had and I don't really know off the top of my head. Pondering it made me think of roses I don't have. It had me thinking of patches of lawn I could dig up for more space to put roses I don't have.  

The worst thing is, it has put the seed in my brain, the fire has been lit, and I am determined. It's not an if, it's a when. The idea will itch away until I mark out the lines and poison the patch of grass that will be new garden space. 

I've been around the open gardens the past two weekends. Beautiful gardens with lots of roses, lots of inspiration, which fuels my garden wants. I want more roses, I wont be thanking myself at pruning time.

It's like when someone asks the question, Who would you have(alive or dead) at your ultimate dinner table? Well this is a bit like that, except you're feeding them liquid fish emulsion and manure and they give you beautiful flowers in return.

Diana Princess of Wales

Mary MacKillop

Olivia Newton John

Pope John Paul II(I saw this one yesterday at a garden, it smells great)

Sir Donald Bradman

Slim Dusty

Sutters Gold(one from my childhood and a scent that is divine)

*All photos are from Treloar Roses website.

Inspired by thirty minutes gardening with the husband

I don't know about you, there are some times when I just want to punch my husband in the throat. I've said before he's not a gardeners arsehole, and listening to him moan and complain while half arsedly help me pull ivy from the garden has inspired the following.