Tidying up the garden

This a photo I took of a Jacaranda tree not far from my place.  This photo was taken a few years ago but it is currently in full bloom just like this.  I detour just so I can drive or walk past it. Beautiful.

Tonight after work I spent some time tidying up my side "garden".  This is where I have my veggies,  herbs, lemon tree and some other plants.  It is a narrow strip down the side of the house with a retaining wall put there by the builders when they excavated to build our house.  As I mentioned yesterday, the neighbour on that side did some work on his driveway and in the process there was collateral damage on my patch.

My poor lemon tree that I planted about a year ago was almost uprooted.  I put the dirt (and the neighbours gravel) back into the hole and cleared up around it.  I also have a yellow banksia rose growing in that corner which I also gave a trim.

Before:

Close up of damage:

After:

I gave it a good drink of Seasol.  It needs some more compost and a layer of mulch.  Hope it survives.

To have that beautiful garden I long for, I need to spend time maintaining it.  So starting today if I just give it 15 minutes a day attention, in no time at all it should be looking much better.

Doona cover for Sofie.

Way back in September 2011 Sofie and I made a bedhead for her bed.  This was to be the first part of the decoration to be soon followed by a doona cover and other soft furnishings.  I can now say more than a year later the task has been completed!  Where does time go?

We made the cover out of vintage sheets I had inherited when my mother in law died back in 2000.  We used an embroidered double sheet on one side and other the other side we joined single sheets with a strip of headboard fabric at the join.

Back when we purchased the fabric (quilting cottons) we purchase coordinating pinks and greens.  Sofie is now a bit less keen on the pink and green so we concentrated on the green with white.  We used a coordinating green and white piece for a runner on her dressers.

I feel better now!

Look.....I've been sewing!

I have set up a sewing place in the kitchen.  We live in a townhouse without any spare rooms to set up for specific tasks.  Sofie was using this area to study.

There is a wasted space upstairs that we (We meaning my daughters) tended to use to dump stuff.  We cleared that out and put a desk there for her.  The same space has a sofa bed for visitors.  Small homes need to have multi use rooms.  This space is not fully enclosed, just an area at the top of the stairs:

So still plenty of more work to be done, but we have started. :)

Still clearing out the debris.

Two more days of cleaning, sorting and clearing out.  We have overflowed the rubbish bin, taken two trips to the Salvos and still more to go.  I have washed and ironed the slipcovers, vacuumed the shutters and generally worked non stop in a Melbourne heatwave.  I have found space for my sewing and another for Sofie for her interior design school work.  But still plenty of "piles" to be sorted.

What surprises me is the fact that I am doing all this!  I seem to be possessed.  I just don't want to stop until I get a clean, serene environment.  Lucky my bedroom is an escape when it all gets too much.  As you can see Prinny, Sofie's cat, finds it a good place to chill out too.  I just wish she wouldn't leave her hair behind!

Notice the bedhead?  And the pretty floral bedspread with matching pillow cases?  I made those.  I still have the bedskirt to make and a cushion for the coffee table at the end of the bed.  Stay tuned....

Making space

I have spent a good part of my break from work since Christmas decluttering and reworking my wardrobe.  I have a small walk in robe all to myself - one of the perks of being a single lady.  But even this was not sufficient to hold all my shoes, bags and clothes.  Oh dear!  I have had dreams ever since we moved here 3 years ago to rework the layout.  After much thought and deliberation (over the said 3 year period) I decided something quick and easy is the way to go.  Surely I could add a couple of extra shelves and hanging  bars?  How hard can it be?  I have a drill, the Internet and ideas!!

Hmmm, a supposedly quick project took me 4 days and one of those included a lie down and cry.  It also involved 7 trips to Bunnings - but we won't go into that.  Suffice to say you should check that your drill is going forwards and not reverse.  Sheesh, but I now feel accomplished in the tool department.

Anyway, the picture above is a sneak-peak of what I have done.  The photo below is a before shot.

Sorry about the blurry iPhone shots but that is all I have for now.  And you can't see much but where I had one hanging rail I now have 3.  And extra shelves.

I have ordered a mirror tallboy to store my delicates and a matching chest of drawers for tops and gym gear.  An ottoman was also purchased so that I can reach those top hangers. I will do a complete post when they all arrive.  I am pretty excited.  By the end of the year I hope to have lots of new made by me garments hanging there.

I am cleaning out the old and no longer loved and making room for life, fun and creativity.