Some achievements

 Finished and Installed

DH and DS were able to finally install a wonderful bench in DS's Ellenbrook home this weekend. This project included revamping/upcycling an old pine buffet style cabinet to be extra storage space, and a lot of work on a unfinished Marri slab of wood to make it fit and install it into the kitchen to be a 'breakfast bar'. Both DH and DS worked long and hard on this project, and it is lovely to see it come to completion. MY DDIL is thrilled. We are proud of both of them. The quotes they got from tradesmen for a similar job were very expensive, but by doing it themselves they not only saved a lot of money but had the satisfaction of getting a big project done. 

Refinished and Hung

I am always on the lookout for art work for our home, but I have some stipulations:

• It has to be cheap (less than $50 including frame) - I often change the art in my house, as I like variety and I can't imagine being happy looking at the same thing for years. 
• It needs to be something I can connect with -some local connection, or something of our history, or someone I know made it, etc
• It has to fit and look good with my decor at the moment. 

I found this picture in an op shop this week for just $5. It had a horrible purple frame but I noticed the artist had written the description of the scene, which is of a local holiday spot just off our coast. I brought it home and DH sanded the frame back to it's natural wood. We both love it!

Planted and weeded

I have been working in my garden this week, as the feel of spring is definitely in the air. I am out in the garden for a couple of hours every fine day.

The days are lengthening and getting a bit warmer. I have been watching the sun move higher in the sky, and so the decision I made to move some roses to a tricky spot in the garden is looking less risky. The spot is in deep shade in the winter time, but hot sun in summer. I figured the roses would be dormant in winter so what do they care, but the summer would be in their element. This picture was taken at 11 am about a week ago, and the sun was just at the edge of the garden bed behind the trellis. Today it was almost in front of the trellis. The roses have new leaves on them, so that is evidence that they did not mind being moved, and I have great hopes for flowers later in spring when the sun is actually hitting the leaves. I am growing a new passionfruit on the trellis and if it is anything like one I had there earlier, it will cover a lot of it in no time. I also have a climbing rose which I hope will grow on half of the trellis. 

I am planting late winter and spring seeds -but I feel that it is a bit early for the tomatoes yet. I did find a couple of self sown volunteers which I am encouraging as an early start on the season. I have planted some Diakon Radish in places where the snow peas have finished. The chives and the parsley have come back again after their winter dormancy, and the pomegranate is just putting out new leaves. 

I leave you with some inspiration!

Read this: food plant solutions How to beat malnutrition by knowing what is edible in your area 

Listen to this Pico Iyer on Dumbo Feather

Pico Iyer is regarded as one of the best travel writers of our time, but he’s not just an explorer of the outer worlds, he writes beautifully on the inner journeys available to us, too.

Having written 14 books, travelled frequently by the side of the Dalai Lama, done four TED Talks with over 10 million views and written for Time Magazine, New York Times and many more, he is a wise voice for our times on matters of stillness, transformation and the heart.