Monthly 9 Link Up For August.....

Joining in with Linda for the monthly 9 link up.  The year is flying by and spring is here...such a beautiful time of year and so good to get out into the garden again after the cold wet days of winter.

Nourish: It just takes a few days of sunshine to nourish the soul...last week we had three glorious sunny days to send Winter on it's way...washing on the line coming in smelling of fresh crisp air...one of my favourite things....nothing can compare to clothes dried in the sun with a gentle breeze...

Prepare:  Haven't spent a lot of time in the kitchen this month....did make a big pot of chicken stock from carcasses I had frozen .... can't wait until I have garden goodies to play with. . Did have to prepare the chicken run against predators...covered it in bird netting to prevent overhead attack from predatory birds...lost one of my girls early last week.

Reduce:  When my daughter moved into her new place she took a bit of our furniture to help get settled.  I needed to replace a unit for the spare room and managed to source a lovely little cabinet at the local second hand shop which they had refurbished.....loads of character...they just don't make furniture the same way anymore and it's upcycled..what's not to love about that.

Lovely second hand cabinet for the spare room...displaying one of my old paintings.

Green:  There is always something new to learn about being green....I've only recently discovered the problem of micro-beads...I don't use exfoliants or shower gels but I have in the past never realising what they contained and how it could be a problem.  This Green lifestyle article explains the damage they cause to the ocean and marine life and the health complications when humans ingest seafood contaminated with micro plastics.....food for thought !

Grow:  Last weekend I got very busy in the garden, weeding, turning over garden beds and planting out additional seedlings...zucchini, lettuce and capsicum to add to the broccoli, cauli, garlic, potatoes, strawberries, onions, leeks, beetroot, spinach, kale and peas that have been slowly growing over winter....and have taken off with a bang after last weeks sunny days..

Create:  Am working on a crocheted cushion cover for my daughter....almost finished, didn't quite get it done in the month...but I have included it anyway.

Current project ....will post a picture when completed

Discover:  I've discovered that the current government does not have it's priorities in the right place as far as I'm concerned.  I usually try to avoid politics but I have to say I am appalled at several of the decisions made by these poisonous politicians.....not the least is removing not only the carbon tax but also the mining tax and then in the same meeting they are cutting funding and staff to the Red Cross assisting the refugees, they have also scrapped the renewable energy target thereby diminishing investment in renewable energy ...that says so much about where there priorities are.

Enhance:  Bookclub update for August reading...The Vanishing act of Esme Lennox....very moving novel about a women who has been forgotten in a mental institution for 61 years....and what happens when she is handed over to her only living relative... The Elegance of the Hedgehog....not sure where this one is going...should have finished by now but it's hard going...has been translated from French into numerous languages...maybe something is lost in translation !!


Really enjoyed this one....

Have absolutely struggled with this one....translated from French it is hard going.

Enjoy:  We had a great weekend away to Castlemaine which was fantastic...so great to get away and see all of the sights around the Victorian goldfields .  We also went to see James Reyne at Crown...the tickets were a gift for my man's 60th from my daughter's....it was great, even though I am not a big fan of Crown Casino and all that it stands for.

 

Bit hard to tell from the photo but this is James Reyne...they played all the songs from Australian Crawl Days.



Compiling the monthly list is a great reflection on how I have spent the month and motivates me to live a truly inspired, creative and simple life. Happiness is where you find it.

What I'm Reading This Month......

Bookclub book for this month is The People's Train by Tom Keneally....haven't had the chance to read anything of his before but I am told he's great and I will enjoy it....I really hope I do as the last few books have been a bit disappointing.

Bookclub book this month....fingers crossed !!

Also in the stack to read....finish the Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan....have read her books before and enjoyed them...this one however is a bit of a poor mans Memoirs of a Geisha....except it's set in China and not Japan...it's an easy read and quite interesting....These few borrowed from the library....Bellagrand by Paullina Simons...enjoyed her earlier books..see how this one goes....Sustainable House...see if I can pick up any more ideas...and lastly Simply an Inspired Life...about consciously choosing happiness...always up for a bit of self improvement...

Books to get through this month....really hope there's a treasure among them.

 Beautiful blue skies and sunshine for the last two days....gorgeous autumn weather...lunch today fruit, cheese and hummus with rice crackers....sat outside in the sun...perfect day !!

Beautiful sunshine and delicious healthy lunch.

The hot cross bun dough is humming away in the bread maker and I will finish off the buns and into the oven tonight....fresh buns for breakfast....wishing a safe and happy Easter to all !!

Mid Morning Musings.....

 

Camelia's from the garden...reflected by two of my paintings...need to get back to the easel

Spring is just around the corner.....daphne and daffodils are out..

Beauty everywhere you look.....you just have to take the time to look

Even a few hyacinths popping their head up......my favourite flower

Not much happening in the garden.....but the beetroots are doing really well....yum

Book club book for July........I loved it

Winter is hanging on and giving us a very chilly blast before it hopefully heads off and allows Spring to burst forth and shower us with glorious Spring sunshine and warmer days.......can't wait to get into the garden and do my Spring planting....my first Winter of trying to grow vegies has not been very successful, but Spring brings great hope with it....time of renewal and splendour...........I love the seasons as the chill of winter makes you appreciate the warmth of summer....autumn leaves signal the start of winter......it all highlights the importance of seasonal eating....eating what you have in the garden....although if I had to rely on this Winter,I think we would have gone very hungry.....we try to eat seasonal foods and local, organic foods whenever we can....avoiding processed and chemically contaminated foods at all costs......a little self sufficiency is very rewarding.....stay warm and healthy .

What I'm reading....

Our book for Bookclub this month was Butterfly by Australian author Sonya Hartnett.....story about the coming of age of a 14 year old girl in Melbourne in the 80's.......I could really relate to this book, loved a lot about it but the ending left me really dissatisfied.....I don't like books where the author leaves the ending to your interpretation.....I'm a "needs to know" kind of girl............Other than that it was a good read....I'm sure the ladies at bookclub will all have something to say about this one.

Butterly by Australian author Sonya Harnett......good read !!

 With Winter well and truly under way, the Solstice has already been and gone.........it's lovely to start the day with a warm lemon and honey drink.......squeeze a lemon (straight from the tree in the garden) into warm water, stir in a bit of honey and drink first thing....very cleansing and good for the soul.

Warm lemon and honey , great way to start the day..........

Have just finished doing a great meditation  that I have downloaded off the internet......"ask for nothing and receive everything you need"......really beautiful sentiments in the meditation, includes sending out healing energy to your family and  friends, those in need and also the planet......receive back the joy of knowing you are helping those you care for and those who are less fortunate than yourself....heal your body, soul and spirit, with the power of your mind...amazing !

Book club for April and May.....



 Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler was the book we read for April Bookclub....created interesting conversation... most thinking it was not Anne Tyler's best book by far but was certainly a good enough read...Story is about Liam a retired teacher who at 60 is fairly lost in life and is attacked one night and has no memory of the attack....the remainder of the story is about the interaction with his family and a woman he meets.....interesting enough story but not really compelling reading...5 out of 10 for me.

The book for this month is The Slap......am only 70 or so pages into this novel and I can tell you right now I detest this book.....I find the language very crass....the characters are formulaic ...wogs and skips according to the author...with the exception of the aboriginal moslem.... ..and punctuated continually by non relevant sexual encounters and vouyeristic episodes....hope I can finish it as it will certainly make a great debate at our bookclub discussion group.....

What I read in March ...

Book club read for this month was Piano Lessons by Anna Goldsworthy....unfortunately once again not a favourite of mine....I found this book to be a summary of piano lessons and awards received by a very self absorbed individual...a virtual transcript of everything she achieved from ages 9 to 20....she was very successful but very very boring.......only saving grace was the piano teacher....she sounded fantastic...would not recommend....however I bet the others in the group enjoyed it....I need a meaty story, something to get my teeth into..... a page turner....is that too much to ask ....!!!

What I read in Feb .....

The bookclub book for the month was Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung......need to finish the last few pages tonight before our meeting at the cafe tomorrow......not sure what I think to be honest.....haven't really enjoyed the whole thing, but there were certainly some really enjoyable passages.......it's a memoir of a young vietnamese-cambodian girl and her family once they arrive in Melbourne and live in the western suburbs.....Looking forward to the discussion !!