A Sewing Machine, Potato Peelings and a Staghorn

In the Home
My singer tredle sewing machine sadly no longer houses the old machine. What a shame that 30 years ago, I did not value its uniqueness, and instead, put an electric machine inside the wooden cabinet. My sewing machine reminds me of  the clothes I used to make for our young children, before those more affordable clothes from overseas were sold in our shops.  

In the Garden

potato peelings ready for planting 

Some of the potatoes from the shop were a bit green  - hence not so safe for eating! Off came the green bits and a few "eyes", and these peelings will be planted. Some whole potatoes planted a month or so ago are now sprouting nicely. I have been totally relying on the rain, the sunshine, and the excellent Darling Downs soil - some of Australia's best soil - to grow our vege garden, and so far, all is going well. 

In the Bushland

We were surprised to find a beautiful staghorn attached to a eucalypt tree in the bush! Staghorns usually grow in warm humid forests, and not in the cool mountain bushland such as that on our doorstep.  

May our eyes be ever-seeing so that we do not miss the beauty around us.   

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda

A KITCHEN DRESSER, A Fishpond & A Tree Hollow

In the Home
Our lovely kitchen dresser was bought from a second hand shop almost 40 years ago. We actually painted it orange and cream when brightly painted furniture was popular!! It was a lot of work stripping off that paint! It's not used as a typical kitchen dresser - it holds my arts and crafts materials - so there are many years of potential creativity tucked away behind those closed doors. 


In the Garden

The delicate water-lilies have stopped flowering, but the small colourful fish are delighting the grand-children who like to feed them.

In the Bushland

Tree hollows provide homes and nests for our Australian fauna. 17% of bird species, 42% or mammals and 28% of reptiles in Australia live and breed in tree hollows. 
Here is one of those safe hollows in an old tree in our local bushland.  http://www.wombatforestcare.org.au/index.php?page=Tree_Hollows

May each one of us help to create homes where we feel safe and secure.  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum 

The kitchen sink, Firewood and Beautiful Trees

In the Home

The time spent at the kitchen sink can't really be measured! I just love this kitchen with one window looking out over a welcoming garden and the other window on the right looking over the patio, allowing me to chat with whoever is on the patio while I peel potatoes! 

In the Garden

We were delighted to bring home a trailer-load of wood 
from a friend's property. Thanks, Victor and Patti!
Tree branches were sawn up in our back garden, 
and piled up for our winter combustion fire.

Some weeks later, a neighbour was having 2 huge trees - 
a beautiful Jacaranda and a Liquid Amber - cut down.
This wonderful supply of wood was delivered to our garden!
It has now been cut up with our chain saw and is drying out
to keep us warm and cozy next winter!

In the Bushland

Just as each one of us places a unique footprint on the earth, each and every tree in our local bushland is amazingly distinctive in its shape and size, and in its trunk, bark, leaves and root system. We never tire of gazing at these beautiful trees. 

May we appreciate our uniqueness and what we have to offer to our world.  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

A Comfy Chair, A Magpie Lark & A Dandelion

In the Home

This small rocking chair sat in the corner of a second hand shop, beckoning me to buy it. I like to sit quietly on this chair, looking out the window at the trees and a blue sky dotted with white fluffy clouds. 




In the Garden
Queenslanders call a magpie lark a "peewee", and this peewee has made a happy home for herself in our back garden. She lives a solitary life, and we have not yet heard her engage in any duet singing or co-operative singing. As a  female,  she has a white throat and not a black throat, and she lacks the black eye stripe of the male. Every morning, she is seen forraging in the green grass, for she is a carnivorous species, looking for all manner of small creatures from our garden, to eat for her breakfast! 

In the Bushland
Walking among stately gums, I noticed at my feet a puffy dandelion, about to shed its seeds to the wind, to be blown far and wide. On returning home, out came my amazing herb book, written by Queensland herbalist, Isabell Shippard, and I refreshed my mind regarding the dandelion's wonderful properties. Click on the following link to read about this wonderful herb whose leaves and roots can be used medicinally to alkalize the body and to treat allergies, eczema, asthma, arthritis, gout, rheumatism, metabolic disturbances, bone disorders, low blood pressure, poor circulation, ulcers, anemia, malignant tumors, colds, hot flushes, high colesterol.... etc.

https://herbsarespecial.com.au/free-herb-information/dandelion.html

May we learn the medicinal benefits and culinary uses of humble "weeds" such as the dandelion.
                                   
                                  
                                            from Robyn

A Dressing Table & A Grey Sky

In the Home
We were living and teaching English in Hong Kong, when one day I entered the lift to go downstairs. With over 200 flats in our "tower" of 24 floors, there was a good chance that you would meet someone in the lift. A school parent was there to say hello to me, and he asked if I would like his wife's dressing table as she was buying a new one. For the past 8 years, I have loved that little dressing table which prompts me also to give to another such things as I no longer need.  


In the Garden
Our back garden offers us a view of the sky  - not like the "big sky" that one sees from the wide flat plains of Dalby which is also part of Queensland's Darling Downs, but we appreciate what we see of the sky, and we enjoy the sunset colours in the west.

photo taken from our back garden 

May we be ever-ready to share with others  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda

A baby grand piano, Peas and a Dead Tree

In the Home

What a delight it is to have such a beautiful piano in our home! I bought this lovely Yamaha Baby Grand piano from St Andrews Church in Hong Kong when they were purchasing a new one. One of the church pianists and singers, Vivian Chih,  will be so pleased to see that the piano she very much loved to play has a happy home. Looking out over flowering shrubs in the garden, I continue to play the same pieces that she loves to play!

In the Garden
Pea plants grow up the wall of hubby's Man Shed. While there aren't enough peas for the dinner plate, I enjoy a nibble of a few freshly picked pods every few days.  

In the Bushland

My sister, Pam, has taught me to appreciate dead gum trees. She just loves these lifeless forms, but I have had to work at loving them, looking for interesting settings to detract from the fact that these trees are dead! Tabletop Mountain in the background adds some interest to this stately tree. 

May we value the glory of both the present and the past.  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

BIRD BOOKS Rainbow Lorikeets & Gum Trees

In the Home

One of our "bird books" will frequently be found on our patio table or on a table inside the house, when we are seeking to identify a bird who has visited our garden or a bird we have seen in the bush. 

In the Garden
We know when a "living rainbow" is about to alight on our garden, for the visiting Rainbow Lorikeets make quite a din, often arriving in a large group! These 30 cm long birds can live up to 20 years in the wild. While they are considered pests, damaging fruit crops, they are quite a glorious work of art with their colourful feathers of green, blue, purple, red, orange and yellow. This Rainbow Lorikeet is enjoying the nectar from a native garden species.

In the Bushland

With 900 species of gum trees in Australia, it is not surprising that I never tire of admiring these gloriously tall trees, or that Aboriginal people have learned to use the bark, wood, leaves and gum in a variety of ways. The eucalyptus oil in the leaves is used worldwide for a range of applications. I wash my clothes in a eucalyptus detergent, and our winter combustion fire which keeps us warm, often burns a dead branch from a gum tree in the bush. 

May we appreciate the gifts that nature brings our way.   

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum 

Flowers, Insects and Nodding Top

In the Home

What a blessing it is to be able to go into one's garden and pick a bunch of fresh flowers. These flowers are on their way to one of my lovely daughters who is now holding her new-born in her arms.


In the Garden

Today it has been fun photographing some small creatures who, like me, enjoy the garden!

, 

In the Bushland

Imagine my delight at seeing a healthy Nodding Top growing at my feet in the bush today as I went for a stroll. 
I thought of the Aboriginal people eating the leaves of this plant, either cooked or raw, so I picked a few leaves to take home, wash,  and pop in our evening soup. 

A few months ago, I wrote a blog on Nodding Top. 
(click on  http://houseandgardenplus.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/nodding-top-survival-clothes.html
to see the entry!)

May our world fill us with wonder! 

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

Grandchildren, Tarragon & A Blackbean Tree

In the Home



Three delightful grandchildren have been staying for a couple of nights, filling our home with their happy activity. 




In the Garden


Tarragon, with its refreshing licorice flavour, has been flowering in the garden for months. The tasty leaves add interest to fish and chicken dishes. 

In the Bushland

We were awed to find huge seed pods on the ground at our feet as we walked through the local bush. We were surprised to discover that the tree from which these large pods came, really wasn't very big.

A Moreton Bay Chestnut

Blackbean also known as Moreton Bay Chestnut is native to Australia. While this rainforest tree has an invasive root system, it can be grown successfully on a smaller scale as an indoor potplant, so we will try planting a few seeds in pots. While the seeds and leaves are toxic to livestock, with extensive preparation, the seeds have been used as food by our Aboriginal people. The seeds contain alkaloids which have been shown to have anti-HIV and anti-cancer properties. 

May our surroundings amaze us with their uniqueness and versatility.  

               from Robyn  painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

Muesli, Violets and Baby Kookaburras

In the Home



I noticed that there were packets of un-used seeds, nuts and dried fruit in the pantry. So I decided to add them to a muesli mix for my daily breakfast. 


In the Garden
The Sweet Violet is Toowoomba's city flower, and I have been encouraging them to grow in the garden. During the war, the local women made posies of violets which were sold to raise money for the war effort. Choosing the violet as our flower, we remember the sacrifice of those who fought in war. 

In the Bushland

Kookaburras fill the air with their laughter in the nearby bush during the mornings and the evenings. Four babies huddle close to their mother high in the branches of a gum tree.

May we each be diligent in caring for our homes and our environment.  

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda, Robyn's mum

Doileys, Camelias and Table Top Mountain

In the Home

My "telephone friend", Vivienne, asked me recently what colour scheme we had chosen in our new home. After a long pause, I had to reply that we really didn't have a colour scheme - just our things were put here and there. But then I remembered that I was enjoying putting lovely old doileys in many spots, giving the home a small "theme". Here are two of the doileys, with fresh camelias from the garden bringing nature into our home. 


In the Garden

The pink and red camelias have been blooming abundantly giving daily pleasure!

In the Bushland
Tabletop Mountain, below our city of Toowoomba, is a lovely sight to be viewed from both Picnic Point and from walks along bush paths. 

May our lives become richer as we drink in the beauty around us. 

from Robyn

painting of robin by Brenda

A toy box, Garlic & Sunset Walks

In the Home
Today is the day to  tidy up the Toy Box. Gone are the days when our own little children played in the Toy Box - now it is a happy focus point for our delightful grandchildren when they visit us. 



In the Garden


Garlic which sprouted in the fridge, is now happily growing in our Toowoomba garden. 

In the Bushland
The evenings, just before sunset, are a time of beauty, colour and birdsong in our local bushland. We go as often as possible to enjoy being in the midst of the evening glory. 

May our homes, our gardens and our surroundings be a blessing to us and to others. 

from Robyn

painting of robin by Bren