Advertising!

  

Well it's Fathers Day here in Australia this Sunday. As usual we've been assailed with adverts left, right and centre. I must admit I find most advertising rather silly,and vaguely incomprehensible.

I mean really, have you ever bought coffee beans because George Clooney swans about trying to get his fix? Or cat food because Eva Longoria dances around her lounge-room? Evidently, according to the blurb, Eva is trying to make cat food "sexy". Sexy ????? Cat food ?????

Really clever ads (and yes there have been some) are few and far between. I do find the so-called ad-jocks are a little behind the times. "Sex sells" is an old adage that may have been edgy in its day but really ....sexy cat food????

So now to Father's Day. "Show your dad how much you love him". Hey I love presents as much as the next person - giving and receiving - but I didn't know that the giving of a particular gift was an accurate measure of my feelings for someone. Advertising always goes for the jugular; portraying you as lacking in some way if you don't use or buy their product. And you're not a good parent/child/friend/spouse if you don't max out the credit card on a gift. Hey that's how we all know how much you care - cause if you really care - you will buy, buy, buy! So does the kid who saved a few dollars love their dad less than the one who has a few hundred to spend on dad? Well that's the measure the ad guys use.

And that's what I find hard to understand. I know very few people who believe all that ; and yet someone must; cause these ad guys still have jobs, spending millions on meaningless nonsense that assaults our sensibilities and often tries to guilt us into buying their product.

    Will my husband get something for Fathers Day? I daresay he will. I also know the thing he will treasure the most is spending time with the kids. Something that can't be bought or measured; and no-one can make a buck out of it.

Follow Up.

Wow!! I was a little taken aback at how many people msg or rang me about the last post. Taken aback because, apart from a few close family members and friends this blog was started for, I didn't think anyone dropped in on a regular basis to have a read. I don't read stats (though I did yesterday and was quite surprised!)

It was really interesting to hear the reaction from people; and lovely to see I have so many friends who think the same way.
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I had a wonderful birthday with my family and friends; lots of laughs as usual. My eldest and his wife are overseas at the moment but will be home this week so we'll have a belated get-together then.

This photo I've included is one of my English cousins garden. They live near Norwich in Norfolk and we had the joy of spending a couple of days with Isabel and Ron when we were recently in the U.K.  They were wonderful hosts and a lot of fun; I love their zest for life. It is a lovely English garden and I thought you may enjoy a peek at one little corner of it. :)

Special People.

I took myself off to the shops today to buy clothes - a rare enough occurrence. I thought it would be rather nice to have a new outfit as its my birthday at the weekend and I'm being taken out for a meal. I have to really be in the mood for shopping and the mood doesn't strike very often. :)

Whilst out, I wandered into a gift shop and spotted some lovely things. Isn't it nice to browse around gorgeous bits and pieces? I decided to treat myself and when I took my items to the counter the lady asked if I would like them gift-wrapped. Quick as a flash I said "yes, thank you,  that would be lovely." As she was wrapping them she commented that they must be for someone special and I said yes they are............ me! Hahaha, her face was a picture. I assured her I would be very spoilt by my family for my birthday but that not enough people saw themselves as special; we often did nice things for others but not for ourselves. She had what is commonly called these days an "aha moment". She said what a wonderful idea, called the other lass over and told her and then said with a big grin on her face " You're right. I'm special too and I'm going to do this every year for myself."

How do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as special - special enough for gift-wrapping? :)  Are you uncomfortable with believing you are that special? Don't be! Oh yes, I know there will always be those, who in that lovely Australian vernacular, will rush in with the comment " oh boy that person is up themselves!" How sad! There is a big difference between appreciating yourself for the unique creation you are and being arrogant or conceited. The very sad truth is the type of person who makes that comment usually dislikes themselves and that's reflected in their negative comments. 

We're all amazingly, talented people of such promise why would we choose to see ourselves as anything else? So give yourself a gift and gift-wrap it if you want - you deserve it!!! :)

Getting Organised.

The gardens are all cleared out ready for new planting. It will be nice to get some things happening after letting everything go while we were away. We still have garlic growing as well as chillies and strawberries. Not bad for not being touched for a couple of months.

The furniture for the office is coming along beautifully so I thought I'd share some photos.

This will hold all my files, text and reference books as well as stationary etc etc. It takes the place of two smaller cupboards so will look a lot less cluttered. I just have to find some new handles. It will be moved into the house at the weekend so a huge clean out of aforementioned cupboards is required before then. Damn!

 This is the chair with its first coat. I'm thrilled with how it's coming up. Mark is a dab hand with a paintbrush. :) Now I have to decide what colour to cover the seat.

A Winters Morning?

Sitting in the 21 c sunlight having a morning cuppa it was difficult to believe we're in the middle of winter. The nights are chilly, and I do like a fire, but the days are glorious at the moment.

Sometimes I just sit; and wait; and listen. Before I know it my eyes adjust and I begin to notice all the busyness going on around me, down in the underbrush or quite close in the trees where I'm sitting.. The plovers wander about, and magpies, peewees, willy wagtails, finches, rainbow lorikeets, king parrots, corellas and cockatoos all visited this morning. If I'm lucky a kookaburra occasionally swoops in but more often than not I just hear them in the distance. Black cockatoos with their distinctive cry fly over often and sometimes grace us with their presence. It really is quite the little metropolis out there. lol.

Tomorrow is yard day. Our "get the garden back into production day." We'll finish clearing them out and fertilise ready for the next lot of seeds. Mark is off tomorrow so we should get quite a bit done. The chickens have been amazing - they haven't gone off the lay at all. I don't know how they keep going but they do.

I also want to undercoat a gorgeous old chair that I got at the weekend at a market for $10!!!! It has cabriole legs and a seat stuffed with horsehair! It is just beautiful!! It's sturdy and in perfect condition. I'm going to paint it and re-seat it and then it will go into my office. I have bought a new desk (well its antique) and a huge bookshelf cupboard thing that is in the process of being painted. The theme is french provincial. I like the shabby chic look but with a little less shabby and a lot more chic. :)) I think it will look amazing painted with a new seat.

Random Catch -up Stuff.

Its been forever since I blogged and loads of things have changed since I was last here; not the least that we spent 6 weeks tootling around overseas. What a time!
The garden fizzled whilst we were away but we weren't bothered by that - we let it go coming into winter since we knew we wouldn't be here to tend it. The kids dropped in and looked after the chickens marvellously - the girls were thriving when we got back.

I've begun to make my own almond milk; then dry and mill the meal left over to use in baking. It's an acquired taste after years of being a poddy calf and drinking gallons of cows milk for as long as I can remember, but it's growing on me. I love cows milk but it doesn't love me. lol.

Almond milk is really easy to make, or any nut milk for that matter. I use a cup of organic almonds, soaked  in spring or filtered water overnight (at least 12 hours) at room temperature. Add a dash of unrefined sea salt to the nuts and water. (this activates the nut - ie brings out all its nutrients) Next morning drain and rinse well. Add 4 cups of of spring or filtered water, blend madly until it's white and fluffy looking. Strain it into a bowl through a nut bag or muslin and squeeze out very carefully, taking care not to squish the meal back into the milk! Decant into a bottle and pop in the fridge. Dry the meal from the nut bag in the oven on about 170 c. Just spread it on an oven tray; I put oven paper on mine, and into the oven for a few hours until dry. It can then even be milled down to a flour if you wish; gluten free by the way. The milk takes all of five minutes to make and I know exactly what I'm getting. Almond milk has fewer calories and is lower in fat than cows milk which is a plus too. It can be sweetened with stevia if need be and is lovely with cinnamon or vanilla. I just use it anywhere I'd use cows milk.

I've changed my diet to boost my immune system etc since I contracted Guillain -Barre Syndrome courtesy of my first ever flu vaccine!!! For the most part I'm enjoying the changes..... well.......for the most part................! :))

Another Year in Paradise.

A new year and half way through January already. Did you make any "revolutions" for this year? lol - an old school friend and I use to call them revolutions because we figured if we actually carried them through it would revolutionise our lives! Soph passed away just before Christmas after a long illness; and  her passing made all of us who were privileged enough to have known her jump into the new year with renewed vigour and a smile of anticipation for what is around the corner. Her love for life and it's far -too-soon ending made for quiet reflection. I know that in midst of difficult times of course its very hard to see past it or believe things will get better; but you know really, it's just practise. Practising being grateful for what you have, appreciating those around you who bring you joy, acquiring knowledge and character rather than things. To live life to the fullest simply and with purpose, with joy and love, to pay forward the amazing blessings we have - that is our revolution. :)

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This heat is crazy! It's a bit all over the place here at the moment. The veggie garden has its tongue hanging out, my poor little chookies are struggling. Some horrid creature ate my lovely tomatoes and has moved onto the red chillies. He only ate the fully ripe ones. Just nibbled the top and moved on to the next one. ha - one can only hope the pain in its belly is punishment enough for him not to return!

Trying to keep the water up to the fruit trees and gardens is never-ending. Even the native birds are struggling in temps sometimes getting past 40c. I fill two birdbaths each morning to give them water but by lunch time they could probably make a cup of tea out of it. We've put shade cloth over the four main raised beds and that's saving them a bit but we just have to make the best of it. We haven't seen a fire near here so far so we have been so much more lucky than so many others in this fair land in recent weeks.

The herb garden seems to be coping ok; though my new stevia plant is looking a bit second-hand. I have some chillies (the ones that haven't been nibbled on)  drying on the back deck. Once they are fully dried I'll wizz them up and make chilli flakes for the spice rack. I was able to pick some cues, green striped tomatoes (can't remember their name), beans, capsicum, potatoes and strawberries. Even the girls gave me 3 eggs - little troopers!