Castle in the Mud

I really feel as though I have been a bit off the rails as far as this blog goes since before we went on holidays. Now things are starting to settle down and I hope to get back into the swing of posting something each day.

One of my goals for the year was No Spend Sundays (and public holidays). This went by the wayside for a few weeks before the holiday as we needed to get things and there did not seem to be enough hours in the day (or days in the week). This is a long weekend here in Queensland and this morning I managed to achieve all of the shopping that needed doing. I had my hair cut, bought meat, fruit & veg, groceries, G bought 2 pairs of shoes and we also went to Bunnings and a couple of kitchen shops looking at ideas for our kitchen renovation which will be starting a few weeks.

This afternoon I made celery soup and refried beans. I picked a large bag of lemons as well as our very first navel orange from our tree and the first grapefruit. I will be making lemon cordial tomorrow. While I was in the garden I also finished putting a border of rocks around the grapefruit and one of the orange trees and mulching under the trees. I hope to get all of the fruit trees done over the next couple of weeks.

This morning we hung up our hanging canvas chairs under the house. We bought them at the Eumundi markets a couple of years ago and have been patiently waiting until we had the concreting done under the house before we hung them up. They are so comfortable and relaxing - I expect I will make time to curl up with a good book in mine. However, probably not too much use in the next few months as it will be too cold. Once summer comes it will be lovely to escape to the cool space down there.

I have finally organised my photos from our holiday. Here is a selection. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

The concreting is all done and now the builders are going to do the wardrobes in the two bedrooms. So this weekend has been chaos - Z and I unpacked all of the boxes of gear she left here before going overseas. After reviewing the contents with new eyes we were able to list heaps of things on Freecycle. Almost all has been collected or will be during the coming week. Apart from the cathartic feeling that purging 'stuff' gives you, it was a great feeling to be able to pass on lots of good quality things to people who really wanted them.

I have also emptied all of our clothes and shoes from the existing wardrobes in both rooms so it is now clear for the building work to start. However, the rest of the house looks a bit like a bomb site. The 3rd bedroom is barely able to be entered, the ironing board is in the lounge and the 2 portable hanging racks which G bought from Bunnings this morning are now loaded with all of our clothes and living in the front entry.

I took Z to Brisbane this afternoon, where she is staying while she looks for permanent accommodation and of course, employment. We are keeping our fingers crossed for her.

Today I also installed the software for my new camera (with some help from Z) and downloaded the photos from my camera (including the ones from Japan). I will try to get them into some sort of order and post a link to them in a day or so.

Back again after a fairly long break with a new look for the blog. My tech-savvy younger daughter is back from overseas so I was able to utilise her skill and create an updated look. I had been toying with the idea of some changes but my limited computer skills put paid to taking that any further than the idea stage

So much has been happening recently it is hard to know where to start. We arrived home from Japan almost 2 weeks ago. There had been a huge amount of rain while we were away and with the house all shut up there seemed to be mould on everything. I am gradually getting on top of the cleaning.

Z has been home for nearly a week now and is busy job-hunting and in between has thoughtfully done a heap of ironing for me.

The computer is hovering between life and death so if the posts suddenly stop again it may be because death has finally won out. In fact everything seems to be suffering the same fate - the pump has some serious issues which have been solved for the short-term but it needs some more work and the large circular fluorescent tube in the kitchen has decided to cease working so have to get a new one on Saturday. I keep wondering what is going to be next.

The most exciting news for the week is that the builders have started work on the renovations this week. The first job was concreting under the house and the path along the back. After 3 days of excaavating, levelling and general preparation the concrete was poured today. It looks fantastic - all terraced concrete instead of a dust bowl where the fleas would breed. I am looking forward to being able to hang our hanging canvas chairs that we bought a couple of years ago. I will post a photo once they are up. The next part of the job is removing all of the old cladding and replacing it as well as adding insulation to the walls and all new windows and flyscreens. We are replacing some of the windows with louvres. More news on the renovations later.

The rubbish weigh-in continues: this week was 1305g (1.3kg). I will go back to the older posts and retrieve the previous totals and update this info. It has been several weeks because of being away and off-line. Rubbish in Japan – ahh!! That is another story altogether so may be a blog post all of its own!

My last post about our trip was fairly brief so I will try to fill in a bit more detail this time.

We arrived in Tokyo quite late on Saturday evening, almost 2 weeks ago. We, is G and I as well as C, A and Baby O. Our accommodation has been hostels which have been very clean and the staff welcoming and helpful. We have travelled to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kobe as well as day trips to Nara, Miyajima Island and Himeji.

Although I have enjoyed the trip, it has served to remind me of the saying, "There is no place like home". I have found the sheer numbers of people, buildings and 'stuff' quite overwhelming at times. My only other overseas travels have been to New Zealand (South Island) and Canada (west coast) where there are similar wide open spaces and some emphasis on the natural environment as we have in Australia. This appears to be completely missing in Japan and the whole culture revolves around the urban jungle and consumerism.

Any land that is not covered by buildings stacked cheek by jowl is under cultivation or covered with monculture plantation forests and high tension power lines. Apparently, of all of the thousands of streams and rivers in Japan there are only 3 that remain undammed. All of the watercourses which we have seen in towns and cities look more like canals due to the fact that they are all lined with stone walls and have innumerable weirs.

I have really struggled with the amount of stuff in the shops. I know that there are a lot more people in Japan than in Australia but I still fail to understand how so much 'stuff' can be consumed. Most of it is unnecessary - not things that are vital to life. However, I did buy some things while we were here - a new pair of good black shoes to replace the pair I have had for about 10 years, 2 silk scarves for gifts, 3 cotton cardigans, 4 tank tops and 4 pairs of socks for myself (all required) and a pair of trditional pyjamas for Baby O for her next birthday.

It was not all ugliness. The cherry blossom season has been at its peak for the last week in the areas where we have been and that has been a real delight. We have seen some ancient and extavagantly decorated shrines and temples. When we get home I will post some photos of stunning scenery.

Seeing the peace memorials and musuem which related to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima were very poignant indeed. In fact the whole trip was worth it just to spend a day reflecting and trying to understand the actions of that day in 1945.

The blog postings have really gone awry while we have been on holidays. We are currently in Nagasaki with free internet access so will try to give a quick update.

We have had an onsen (hot bath), ridden a cable car over a volcano crater, been to the Hiroshima atomic bomb memorials and museum (gut wrenching), ridden the bullet train, mastered the Tokyo public transport system, visited temples and shrines and seen cherry blossom wherever we go.

Things you will not discover from the tourist brochures:

Shopping is the national pastime
The millions of taxis have really kitsch lace 1/2 seat covers
Restaurants/cafes have plastic food models in the display windows. If they are designed to entice customers inside I am afraid they fail miserably with me.

Also tested the Japanese health system when Baby O became quite ill a couple of days after we arrived. In fact we have all had terrible colds but have managed to get out and about and enjoy ourselves anyway.

If I do not post again before I get home there will be more info in about a week.

The weight of the rubbish for the last 2 weeks is 488g so the total so far is 3.05kg (3057g).

This morning I filled some saved small plastic bottles with cleanser, shampoo and conditioner so that I am only taking approximately the amount I need for the time we will be away.

Today I lodged the request for holding the mail and bought my new camera. This evening we filled in an online application to get 2 rental phones while we are in Japan. That way if we split into separate groups we can always track each other down.

I have been running around this evening trying to get things organised for the trip. I feel as though it is coming together and I am determined not to be in a mad rush on the last night.

Almost time to fall into bed.

The title says it all. My excuse is that there is so much to do and so little time. G and I went to the DFO near the airport today and I bought a new suitcase for our trip. The other one I had has served me well over quite a number of years, however, the corners have holes, the handle is a bit dodgy and one wheel is not functioning properly. I bought one for $69 - medium size and red. I am happy that it will be suitable for what I need. I also bought a lightweight spray jacket (for the trip).

I have started putting things that I will be packing in the spare room so I feel like I am making some progress. I did several loads of washing including the bedspread from our bed today. G and I cleaned up the desk in the study and I renewed my driver's licence online. I have done quite a bit of ironing, although it is not finished. No more tonight as I think I will have an early night.

No, not the renovations I mentioned a couple of posts back. Today we did some refashioning of "Chez Chikki"- otherwise known as the chook house. It is one that we inherited when we bought the property and we are seriously thinking about building a new house in a different location. However, the prospect of asking someone to feed the chickens and collect the eggs while we are away finally stirred me into action. The problem was the nesting boxes - they were low to the ground and difficult to access so we did a bit of very rudimentary carpentery and have ended up with a 2 storey affair which is much easier to get to and retrieve the eggs.

We went into town this morning to vote and do a few other jobs. I have also done some ironing, sorted the freezers and planned the meals for the rest of the week. Apart from $10 worth of fruit and veg we can live quite nicely on what we have. In fact I can't remember when I last went shopping. This morning G made scrambled eggs and grilled bacon on toasted Turkish bread for breakfast. As he served it the comment was, "That will be $15.90, thanks. Tilly's - eat your heart out." His remark was a reference to the yummy breakfast we had at Tilly's Cafe in Canberra last weekend when we were there with a group of friends.

Our Japan planning is gradually coming together. We now have arrangements for the chickens and the dog. I have started making lists of what we need to take. I am trying to keep on top of the washing and ironing so that it is not a mad rush later in the week. Tonight I need to put the itinerary together and gather all of the info we have saved on the interenet so that I can print it off next week.

It is finally the end of the week. I am really tired so this is going to be short and sweet as I am about to head off to bed.

I managed to do 2 loads of washing during the week so not much laundry to do on the weekend but plenty of other jobs.

Tomorrow we need to go and vote, return library books and buy some fruit and veg. I will do a menu plan in the morning after checking out the contents of the freezer. There is enough to feed us for a week until we head off to Japan. Also, on the weekend I need to finalise the itinerary and other paperwork for the trip as well as make a list of what needs to be packed and what I still need to get before we go.

......Is what I have tonight because we have just signed the contract for our house renovations. The work will start in about a month (after we get back from Japan). We are having new windows and flyscreens, new wall cladding and insulation, a wall knocked out and a new kitchen, new built-in wardrobes in 2 rooms and concreting under the house. We won't know ourselves.

We still have to make decisions about various colours and products so lots to think about.

For those of you who are watching the rubbish results, I forgot to weigh the rubbish (or put it out) this week so it will be held over till next week.

Today was a No Spend day again. I worked a long day and simply had no time to spend anything even if I had wanted to. I took salad and some Chicken Roll (from the freezer) and met my mother for lunch in the park. My salad included lettuce and tomatoes and hard-boiled egg - all from our garden and chickens.

So much has happened since I last wrote an entry on Thursday.

After going to work on Friday, we stayed in Brisbane so that we could catch the very early flight to Canberra on Saturday morning. There we met up with about 6 other couples who I knew through Simple Savings who had come from various parts of Qld, Vic and NSW. Some I had met previously, some not but we all seemed to click and had a great weekend of fun and socialising. G and I managed to fit in going to the Degas exhibition at the National Gallery as well as a couple of other exhibitions there and spent several hours on Sunday at the National Portrait Gallery.

On Sunday morning the group met up with some others from Simple Savings who live in Canberra. Prior to meeting them at the Old Bus Depot Markets G and I went to Queanbeyan to go to Spotlight. I had a $10 voucher which expired that day and I wanted to buy some netting and fabric to trim the netting to make covers to throw over plates of food to keep insects off. I will post a photo one day when they are made. That is 2 Sundays in a row that I have failed on my No Spend Sunday challenge. Hopefully, I will get back on track. Even though we ate out several times I did stick to my savings plan by taking biscuits, cheese and salad which G and I ate for lunch on Sunday – felt very virtuous.

The next couple of weeks are going to be very busy as we finalise our Japan trip. We leave on Sat 28th March so not much time. I will try to do an entry each day but they will most likely be fairly brief.

Today C came into town at lunch-time and we sat in the park and ate our lunch. It was lovely to spend even a short time with her on a one-to-one basis as Baby O was daycare. C works 5 days/fortnight so has one day off to herself. When a shower of rain started we beat a hasty retreat and wandered along looking in the shops. C saw a couple of nice cardigans but decided that she would have to check her other clothes and decide what colour would be the most versatile - no impulse buys here!

This evening I have spent some money but it is for the garden. I received the Green Harvest email advising of the availability of garlic and potatoes so I have ordered seed potatoes in 3 different varieties and 2 types of garlic. Although it is mail order their warehouse is in Maleny and I usually arrange to pick my order up when I am next in town. It saves me money and it is great to chat to the staff.

I have just arrived home from a trip into Maleny. I had my hair cut at the local barber shop, took a couple of items into the picture framer/gallery to have them framed, deposited some money in my savings account at the local community credit union, bought some fruit at the greengrocer, bought shampoo and body wash at the co-op, borrowed some books and magazines from the library and picked up a parcel from the post office.

I am pleased to be supporting local businesses and local jobs wherever possible. I think it is really important for us all to support and sustain each other within our communities.

While I was in the credit union I signed up for programme where the credit union round down your savings account at the end of each month and the "spare cents" are transferred into a community trust account. The maximum possible amount would be $11.88/year. This money is then distributed as grants to worthwhile community causes as decided on by a board of trustees. Th local IGA supermarket also has a Community Benefit Club where a 1% of the value of your purchases is donated to the group you nominate. Check the link for more detail about this great scheme.

I have really blown it this week! The rubbish for this week is almost as much as for the previous 9 weeks :( The reason is that due to the possible cyclone we checked all of our emergency equipment. We have 2 lanterns which are powered either by 12V(car battery) or 6 x Size D batteries. We had not used the lanterns for some years and the batteries had been left in and leaked. We had to throw the batteries out and 12 x Size D batteries weigh rather a lot. Anyway, hopefully next week we will be back on track.

Week 10 - 1143grams (1.14kg)

2009 total - 2569grams (2.57kg)

Today I had a yummy lunch. I made salad using the first leaves from my crop of lettuces, cherry tomatoes that are growing wild on the neighbour's footpath, mild chillies from the garden and local marinated feta cheese. The dressing was some that was leftover from the Green Bean salad which we had on Sunday. It was red wine winegar, olive oil, dijon mustard and garlic. I also had a couple of slices of the Chicken Roll (which I made a couple of months ago) from the freezer. Tonight was zucchini quiche and salad - more lettuce and cherry tomatoes as well as pickled cucumbers. The fresh cucumbers are finished - I used the last one to make tzatsiki dip on Sunday.

Tomorrow I have a day off so I plan to catch up on the housework and get everything up to date before we go away for the weekend.

At the moment it looks as though the cyclone will not make landfall, however, they are so unpredictable you never say never. We will continue to be aware of what is happening.

We had nearly 40mm of rain here today and it is quite cool and windy tonight.

Once I have typed this I will be going to bed as I only had about 4 hours of broken sleep last night, thanks to the wind and general unease about the weather. I am so tired that I am sure tonight will be better.

We are looking forward to our trip to Canberra on the weekend to meet up with friends. I think all of the planning is done - tonight I booked the long-term car parking near the airport. I hope the cyclone watch is finalised before we go away.

This week we are eating from the freezer as I want to reduce our frozen supplies a bit before we head off to Japan in under 3 weeks. Tonight was spaghetti bolognaise and today I took some vegetable casserole to work for lunch.

Watching and waiting. That is what the next couple of days will be all about. We have done al of the preparation that can realistically be done at this stage. Now we just have to go about our daily business of work etc and wait and see what track the cyclone takes and consequently what effect we will feel here. I must say it is a bit unnerving. A cyclone coming this far south is unusual but not unheard of and I fear a lot of people will be caught unawares as they have no idea of what to expect.

More news tomorrow.

Meanwhile we did have a lovely, leisurely lunch with our guests today. A most enjoyable gathering.