The only creature that Chewie has any respect for is Piper the beautiful Maine Coon. Or to those that know her and are just a little bit afraid - SHE who must be obeyed.
25 February 2012
10 January 2012
Hassles Collecting Hornsea
I mentioned before the progress of our Hornsea collecting bug. A story in the HPC&RS Newsletter about lost and broken lots bought off eBay prompted me to write in with our own sad story, which was duly published in the next issue (#77).
In my email I explained the difficulty we have had with one item in particular: a margarine container.
We broke the bottom of the Heirloom margarine container—a reasonably uncommon piece but, as you know, it is the lids that almost always get broken, so I kept up a search for it. After two years of watching eBay I managed to find a replacement bottom, we won the auction and it arrived safely. But when I opened the cupboard to retrieve the lid, full of satisfaction for having at last reunited a lid and a base, said lid fell out of the cupboard and smashed on the floor! I was dumbstruck. So, now I am looking for a lid … which could take even longer. Oh well…
BTW: This is what a margarine container looks like:
My letter was written at the end of September. At the start of December I found a complete margarine container and, since I figured we had no chance of finding a lid alone, or no patience to wait another two years trying to find one alone, I bought it.
Well the package arrived yesterday, almost a month late, and this is what it looked like. Thank you Australia Post.
Note the many "Fragile: Handle with Care stickers. I think there are eight of them!
Amazingly, the item inside was not broken. However, also amazingly—and sadly, the vendor had sent the wrong item. He sent us a jam/preserve pot. Of these we now have … I don't know, pick any large number and you'd be close. He writes:
I have checked my stock of Hornsea and have found the Pot I should have sent you. I have listed another pot with the spoon hole as you describe but this is missing, so I have indeed sent you the wrong one. What I will do is pack and send you tomorrow the correct Pot at my expense. Please keep the other Pot as a gift for all the hassle.
It is nice to find so obliging a dealer, and it will bea minor miracle if nice when it finally arrives. And if we do this again
we may have to give up all together on what was—over two years ago now—our favourite lolly jar!
In my email I explained the difficulty we have had with one item in particular: a margarine container.
We broke the bottom of the Heirloom margarine container—a reasonably uncommon piece but, as you know, it is the lids that almost always get broken, so I kept up a search for it. After two years of watching eBay I managed to find a replacement bottom, we won the auction and it arrived safely. But when I opened the cupboard to retrieve the lid, full of satisfaction for having at last reunited a lid and a base, said lid fell out of the cupboard and smashed on the floor! I was dumbstruck. So, now I am looking for a lid … which could take even longer. Oh well…
BTW: This is what a margarine container looks like:
My letter was written at the end of September. At the start of December I found a complete margarine container and, since I figured we had no chance of finding a lid alone, or no patience to wait another two years trying to find one alone, I bought it.
Well the package arrived yesterday, almost a month late, and this is what it looked like. Thank you Australia Post.
Note the many "Fragile: Handle with Care stickers. I think there are eight of them!
Amazingly, the item inside was not broken. However, also amazingly—and sadly, the vendor had sent the wrong item. He sent us a jam/preserve pot. Of these we now have … I don't know, pick any large number and you'd be close. He writes:
I have checked my stock of Hornsea and have found the Pot I should have sent you. I have listed another pot with the spoon hole as you describe but this is missing, so I have indeed sent you the wrong one. What I will do is pack and send you tomorrow the correct Pot at my expense. Please keep the other Pot as a gift for all the hassle.
It is nice to find so obliging a dealer, and it will be
we may have to give up all together on what was—over two years ago now—our favourite lolly jar!
02 January 2012
Magpies Happy To See A Dog
Resident family of four magpies have been very happy with the arrival of the pup. Left over biscuits are a favorite treat and have encouraged the maggies to visit the backdoor once again.
01 January 2012
Starting on the Back Garden
I went to the timber yard after xmas with our plan for the vegie boxes and came home with a few hundred kilos of cypress posts so we could start work out the back. And, having started, I have made an amazing discovery: digging post holes is hard work! Who knew? And who would have thought that there was an impenetrable mass of clay, rocks, gravel and tree roots just below the surface?
With a few breaks for more god-damn weeding, it has taken me two days to dig six holes. And there is something like twenty to go! Meanwhile, M. has worked wonders with our new garden fork** and two metres of mulch.
(M. has also discovered and moved a whole series of indigenous plants that had sprung up after our first weeding effort: a positive sign for the future. Hopefully she will do a post on these soon.)
**We snapped this six-month-old, stainless steel garden fork in half as soon as we started on the weeding up the back, an indication of just how well-established the weeds had become after six months of neglect!
BTW: We now have two wine-barrels too, thanks to my very generous brother, who has an abundance of these. He tells me they cost something like fifteen hundred dollars new, but are worth less than one hundred second hand.
With a few breaks for more god-damn weeding, it has taken me two days to dig six holes. And there is something like twenty to go! Meanwhile, M. has worked wonders with our new garden fork** and two metres of mulch.
(M. has also discovered and moved a whole series of indigenous plants that had sprung up after our first weeding effort: a positive sign for the future. Hopefully she will do a post on these soon.)
**We snapped this six-month-old, stainless steel garden fork in half as soon as we started on the weeding up the back, an indication of just how well-established the weeds had become after six months of neglect!
BTW: We now have two wine-barrels too, thanks to my very generous brother, who has an abundance of these. He tells me they cost something like fifteen hundred dollars new, but are worth less than one hundred second hand.
26 December 2011
Back Garden Plan No.3
Recent activity on the surrounding properties has made us realise that we need to allow some space along the fence-line in our back yard for privacy screening. After much discussion, and somewhat reluctantly, we have opted for clumping bamboo: it is fast-growing and it is reasonably attractive (especially the black-stemmed varieties). This reduces the amount of space and light for fruit trees, vegies and herbs, chooks and sheds.
Also, the recent arrival of our new Airdale pup has made us realise that we need to allow un-paved, un-decked space in our back yard for said puppy to run and scratch around in, poop etc., until we finish both the front fence and deck-extension. And finally, the recent realisation of just how much god-damned time and money is gobbled up doing the smallest thing in the yard has prompted me to simplify our plans.
The upshot is above. It starts simple: first**: three steps made out of 2.4m sleepers, to hold six half wine barrels (left). These are for citrus trees and blue-berry bushes. Then the three square vegie boxes made out of 2.4m lengths of redgum sleepers (middle). Then the retaining wall for the bamboo (all edges), with ag-pipe drain to the left of the house. That is all I plan to do this summer: enough to get the bamboo planted and growing—though I might lay the cement slab for the top water-tank too.
Over winter I'd like to work on the side and front deck, but we should be able to do that and finish the second retaining wall along the central path (with ag-pipe connected to the storm-water) and erect the posts for the fruit-cage cum chook enclosure (top). This should mean M. can lay the central path and we get to plant all the flower beds and fruit trees by spring so that next summer I can put in the second water-tank, link the two tanks and the drainage.
By the time all this is done—by the end of next summer—the bamboo will have been in the ground for over one year and will have reached the hight we want (four to six metres) for us to be able to enjoy the space with a measure of privacy. We can then think about the chook house, shed, the pergola, seat etc.
Actually, first is weed (again) and mulch. *sigh*
Also, the recent arrival of our new Airdale pup has made us realise that we need to allow un-paved, un-decked space in our back yard for said puppy to run and scratch around in, poop etc., until we finish both the front fence and deck-extension. And finally, the recent realisation of just how much god-damned time and money is gobbled up doing the smallest thing in the yard has prompted me to simplify our plans.
The upshot is above. It starts simple: first**: three steps made out of 2.4m sleepers, to hold six half wine barrels (left). These are for citrus trees and blue-berry bushes. Then the three square vegie boxes made out of 2.4m lengths of redgum sleepers (middle). Then the retaining wall for the bamboo (all edges), with ag-pipe drain to the left of the house. That is all I plan to do this summer: enough to get the bamboo planted and growing—though I might lay the cement slab for the top water-tank too.
Over winter I'd like to work on the side and front deck, but we should be able to do that and finish the second retaining wall along the central path (with ag-pipe connected to the storm-water) and erect the posts for the fruit-cage cum chook enclosure (top). This should mean M. can lay the central path and we get to plant all the flower beds and fruit trees by spring so that next summer I can put in the second water-tank, link the two tanks and the drainage.
By the time all this is done—by the end of next summer—the bamboo will have been in the ground for over one year and will have reached the hight we want (four to six metres) for us to be able to enjoy the space with a measure of privacy. We can then think about the chook house, shed, the pergola, seat etc.
Actually, first is weed (again) and mulch. *sigh*
24 December 2011
Midsummer Eve etc
Midsummer Eve has come and gone, but tonight is the night for food and wine, family and festivities. With this in mind, here is a Christmas photo for everyone featuring our favourite avian friends! (And yes, that is the 2011 fledgling on the top of the Christmas tree!)
23 December 2011
Three Flying Teeth
I begged my very talented sister to make these for me after attending an exhibition of her work … last century. I have been carrying them from house to house ever since. Now I have the perfect canvas to hang them on!
And in case it isn't obvious, they are supposed to be a twist on the classic theme, popular in 50s kitchens, of three, ceramic flying geese.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)