My New Christmas Tree

Putting up my Christmas tree was a completely new and fresh experience this year. 

I wanted a less commercial feel inside the home....and I wanted a tree that had a more personal slant.

My usual fake green tree has been upgraded to a home grown version with a bit of character.

My new tree (up-cycled from some fallen branches) started like this:

Followed by a lick of paint:

And with decorations ... I love how it looks:

The words 'Joy', 'Hope' and 'Love' feature and encapsulate the importance and meaning of this time of year to me.

Each of us has our own way of decorating at Christmas. I hope you enjoy creating the Christmas mood in your home this year!

Sunday Snapshots

For the month of October, I've been reminiscing about a holiday I had in Italy.

The reminiscing was prompted by sorting out my photos in preparation for making a holiday album.

Here is the album:

Here is a snapshot of the album in progress:

The whole process has been time consuming - but well worth the effort.

As I finish each page, I feel as if I've re-lived that particular part of the trip... and taking the time out to put the photos in some kind of order is a nice way to spend a quiet afternoon... along with a good 'cuppa' and some music playing.

Backyard Blitz - Continues

Earlier this month I started 'backyard blitz' to minimise the amount of lawn I had to mow and to make a walk through garden with room for more plants!

Here is a progress shot - the paving stones are in and the mulching (lucerne) has started.

I've still got a lot more to do before I add some plants but its starting to take shape.
Our Sydney summers are hot so the layer of lucerne mulch will keep moisture in the soil and add nitrogen too.

In The Garden - Backyard Blitz in progress

The onset of spring has prompted me to get out in the garden and start working on some goals and execute some plans I've had in my head for months.

My dislike of mowing grass has been one of the main motivations but I also love plants and by digging up some lawn and putting in a walk through garden I will have less lawn to cut and more space for plants!

It has involved laying some paving stones - easier than it looks.....the challenge being getting them all level.... here are some photos of a work in progress.

Laying out the paving stones to get a rough idea of their spacing -

 I've recycled a range of old paving stones - by the time they are dug into the ground and surrounded by plants their different sizes wont be so obvious....
I'll take a few more photos once backyard blitz has been finished... hopefully soon!