Thursday, March 31, 2005

Be Still My Mind

My mind races
It end up places that it has no need to go and are hard to find a way out of.

How do you still your mind? Become thoughtless?
My mind races on and on, not mater what. At the end of yoga when we are meant to clear our thoughts, my mind just takes that as a unfettered opportunity to run wild without worldly distractions.

When I was in my teens and twenties I self medicated with natural if illegal substances. This momentarily slowed my mind to mull, to ponder to synonym. Now it is off to the races again.

Sunday, March 27, 2005


Easter Sunday, filled with chocolate we headed for Rye beach. Had a fabulous day filled with smiles and fun.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Aims

I always surpass my aims.
Perhaps I aim too low.

I remember Penny saying to me, back in '91, I know you'll be rich one day. A clear vision was all that was needed and Penny provided it with that comment during my hazy, sharing with Guy , Deakin Uni days. A clear vision of future thoughts became my reality.

Most people hide their visions or don't have them. Articulate your vision to someone or at least yourself. Then take the path, make it so, live life, aim somewhere good where you and others will be happy.

I'm aiming for a comfortable life, two lovely social kids at school with me running our charitable trust while unleashing my artistic and analytical sides in pursuit of pleasure and reward for those around me.

Things are not OK

"It OK things are not OK
I'm not OK
I think I'm not OK
OK"
Black Cab's lyrics from Altamont Diary summarise my feelings.

Black Cab make me think about living in a yellow cab town, yup all the cabs are yellow here in Melbourne. My soon to be four year old did not believe the black London cab on TV was a taxi, he said 'No way, taxis are yellow' I guess socialised wins over innate in the taxi stands.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Day Three - things getting messy


End of a perfect day, or so my mother would say. We had a fun day, library and lunch out this morning, then hanging at home with a late wlak for Woody and lollies. Followed by fun filled lolly fueled scrabling around the playground.

Ingredients - Pancetta Olive Cream Pasta


Ingredients for my dinner.
Onions and garlic and carmalising on the stove, bay leaf optional. Salt and pepper will ba added later.
Onions are one of my favourite vegetables, make sure you take 10-15 minutes to get the best out of your onions.

Monday, March 14, 2005

While mums away

Day Two on our own
The kids and I are probably spending too much time together, though we are having fun.
We just got back from our first real Melbourne beach outing and despite plethora of jellyfish we had a great time. Thanks to Finding Nemo I didn't need to explain what the jellyfish were or to keep away. Who said kids comics aren't educational? We constructed sea walls, canals and bathed in the beautiful March sun. The sea was warm, but with jellyfish lurking knee deep was enough for us.
This morning was a blast of high-speed trike riding and chasing down by the Merri Creek. Followed by mud pies and mucking around at home.

Exploring Inner Beauty


Exporing the inner beauty of a cactus flower, lit by early morning sun.

Aloe Feast


Aloe provides feast for bottle brush birds. Next year I will digitally catch a bottle brush bird feasting on the flowers of this aloe ferox.

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Greatest investments

I always need or want an S on the end of my greatest lists. Why have one greatest when you can have many and why need to analyse and quantify things to such details that you can pick one single favourite amongst all the options.
Though saying that, this is an easy one me. My plants are my single greatest investment. If my house had appreciated in value as much as my plants, our Californian spanish mission bungalow would now be worth $7,000,000. My plants have been the single best growth investment I have made. One day fifteen years before I want to escape the city I will buy some land and start to plant it out for my arrival. I know that will be one of the best investments for my lazy days.

I invest a lot of time with my children, but they are souls not investment, so they don't count.
Sometimes when I am writing I feel I add a few too many words, an unrequired explanation. I think this is over-compensation from my verbal communication where I leave sentences unfinished as I consider the unspoken words as superfluous, as the audience knows what's coming so why…

WaterScape in Xeroscape

From store rumpus area. Under store path then along gravel bed with thin concrete or liner base to pond. Pond must be higher on house side with overflow on North boundary, from then another exposed gravel bed or pipe along side decking.
Divertor on downpipe at front or maybe 1600 or 2100ltr oval tank at side and use water for hedge and other plants.
Water off new roof could be used to flush toilet and wash clothes as both toilets and front loading washing machine are all located close to where the 2100ltr oval tank could go on the South side.

Get both tanks delivered at same time, as should be for free . Frree for 9000ltr costing $1400, our two will cost $1900

Random thought from the Garden

Xeroscape gardening in Melbourne..umm could I do a whole web site on that?

Thoughts for me:
I should leave the amazing Euphorbia grandidens in its temporary home. Just googled it, http://www.euphorbia.de/e_grandidens.htm , looks like it grows to 20M in RSA, better leave it where it is in the middle with plenty of room to grow.

Could move the bottle brush out the front with the other natives to gain a spot for the clothes line. Other options for the line are down the North breezeway, pain in the arse retractable that would stay up 95% of the time or a old hills hoist in centre of grass that can also have cover to act as sun shade for kids.
Move agarve from pot to between yuccas on side.

Shade.
Michael's option or a Solar Pergola http://pergolaland.com.au/public_panel/pages.php?id=27 system covering sliding doors and triangular sails on either side of that or Janet's idea.