18 July 2012

Recycled lid in the bird bath


I'm too tired to do a long post today but I'd like to show you this idea I have used in the bird bath in our backyard. For some reason I have a very old blue and white china lid that must have been the top on an old lidded bowl set. It was one of the old things that has been sitting around here for years with no purpose.


I decided to put it into the birdbath to act as a little island for insects to sit on while they drink. Insects and birds need water and we love to have a fresh bowl for them under our elder tree. However, some tiny birds and all the insects, especially the wasps, need a little landing and sitting area. This is perfect for them. They land on something stable and safe, have their drink and off they go.

What is your unusual recycling idea?

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24 comments

  1. hope you're feeling more yourself tomorrow Rhonda. take care and be well :-)

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  2. Great idea! When the top of our bird bath broke we inverted a metal garbage can lid and used that! Bigger and the birds loved it! http://littlehomesteadinboise.blogspot.com/

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  3. i find your blog so informative and interesting..thankyou. hope all is well with you.

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  4. What a good idea! I use a rock for this purpose now. I even have a lid I can use!! We also have a shallow bowl outside filled with damp sand and a few pebbles for the butterflies to drink from. They say it is good to sit a couple of the flowers they love to land on in the bowl to entice them. Thank you again from taking the time to add this even though you are tired.

    My husband is the bread maker in our family and has made the New York Times no knead recipe for a long time now. His latest loaf is to go in the oven in 21 minutes from now! He makes many variations of it too. Isn't this bread wonderful!! Yummm! :-) Sarah

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  5. Morning! Nice way to recycle that lid ! I was just reading your five min bread recipe, sounds great, does it have to sit o/n ? How many hours would be acceptable ? Thanks !

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  6. Mrs A, I let mine sit in the mixing bowl with a plastic wrap over the top. I let it sit overnight - I make it up about 5pm and bake it around 9 or 10am the next day. It needs to sit for about 8 - 9 hours but the timing isn't all that crucial - it just needs time to rise with that small amount of yeast in it.

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  7. Hope you are well. I have put stones in my bird bath but my bird bath itself is recycled. I'm calling it my butterfly bath now because the birds stay away from our yard. You'll see why in this post. http://chocoeyes.blogspot.com/2012/06/garden-update.html

    Becca

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  8. Hi Rhonda,

    Great idea! Great use of an odd lid without having to throw it in the bin! One of the things I recycle are plastic fruit juice bottles for use in the garden. I chop the tops and bottoms off and they go over my seedlings to help keep the snails and slugs at bay.

    Have a great day!
    Dan from Melbourne.

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  9. what a lovely idea and so pleasing to make use of something rather than throw it away

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  10. That is so much prettier than the flat piece of white rock I have in mine.

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  11. Hi Rhonda,
    I love coming here to read your writings! I just discovered 'down to earth' last week and I'm so glad. Is your book available in the US? I haven't had any luck finding it on Amazon or Penguin.
    Thanks,
    Jeannette

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  12. Hi Rhonda,
    Sounds like you need to put your feet up today and have some rest and relaxation. Certainly the weather for it today on the rainycoast!
    Lors

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  13. Jeanette, Fishpond will post to USA for a reasonable postage rate. http://www.fishpond.com.au/helpdesk.php?question_id=11

    That's what I'll be doing, Lors, a quick clean up this morning, a few phone calls and then feet up with my knitting. :- ) I hope you enjoy your day too.

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  14. Hi Rhonda, just a note to say take care! You appear to have so much on your plate at the moment so I hope you can have a nice quiet day reflecting and enjoying your own space. Whilst we all look forward to and enjoy our bit of you each day, you deserve a good break too! Thanks and look after yourself...xxx

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  15. We've only just settled in our new house in Monbulk - and a birdbath would do perfectly in our garden! How very inspirational you are - thank you!

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  16. Several years ago I bought some Fowlers Vacola jars really cheap as the stovetop boiler had rusted through they threw in the boiler now it is in my garden with rosemary growing in it.

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  17. Hi Rhonda. I have noticed that your posts are going up earlier and earlier, so I can only imagine you must be exhausted. You are well entitled to a break to recharge.

    I love your idea here!

    My latest recycling project has been to cut up wash cloths (face washers) into fours, overlock the edges and use them as baby wipes. I use sorbolene, not water, as that seems kinder to my little boy's skin. This suggestion may have come from you or one of your readers or one of the Friday links. Anyway, then I just chuck them in the wash with the nappies and saves on landfill of both the wash cloths (we had hundreds!) and wipes (which can't be flushed down the toilet).

    Take care Rhonda and enjoy the day!
    Eliza

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  18. Rhonda, you are such a sweet lady! It's lovely that you are even kind to the littlest insects. Although, having met you, I can't say I'm surprised. :)

    Take it easy, have a good, restful day, and I hope you are feeling more yourself soon. Some of the bugs going around this year are shocking, I hope they don't catch you while you are feeling a bit under the weather!

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  19. I've used our old bright green bathtub as an extra raised garden bed for vegetables.

    have a relaxing day, Rhonda, you deserve it :)

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  20. What a lovely idea - I love it when people think kindly about insects.

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  21. Rhonda, I'm with the others in hoping you feel better soon. And thank you SO much for the information about Fishpond books. I am in the USA and hadn't bought your book yet because of the high shipping. But I ordered it last night from Fishpond. Can't wait until it gets here!

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  22. Sounds like you have been running a marathon for a while now :)
    Hope you give yourself a little time to just relax.

    Blessings and gentle breezes
    Vicki
    Trinidad & Tobago

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  23. Hi Rhonda,

    We recycled our old aluminum horse trough whenever it sprung a bad leak (not so easily fixed, I'm afraid) into a vegetable bed. It's very deep and grows potatoes very well. Last year I used it for carrots and put a wire fence up the sides for cucumbers to vine around. The cukes shaded the carrots, so it was a happy marriage.

    Hope you get some well deserved rest today.

    Diane in North Carolina

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  24. Hi Rhonda
    Thank you for your blog. I ordered your book yesterday and can't wait to receive it. I found your site searching for dog food recipes for my two rescue dogs Jack and Pepper. There isn't anything available here that has what they should Eat in it. I can't wait to cook their food on my next days off. Thank you for the reminder of what is important in life.
    May your rest recharge you quickly.

    Take care Wendy of Doreen

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