20 June 2016

The discipline of daily life

What a few days we've had. Everything was going well with the bathroom renovation until the waterproofers arrived and applied a coat of whatever it is they use. They came back the following day for another coat. That stopped us sleeping in our bed for the next few nights. The smell was overpowering and gave me asthma. Not much housework as been done this week. I've spent a fair bit of time outside, had morning tea with Morag and her daughter in the garden on Friday and I have stayed away from the bathroom-end of the house.  Today the floor will be levelled with some sort of liquid gloop and when that dries - possibly in two days with all this rain we have at the moment, then the tiles can be laid and the new fixtures and fittings installed. We're looking at the end of the week at the earliest for it to be completed. 

And here I was thinking it's only a bathroom, it will take a couple of days.


There has been rain on and off all week and yesterday a lot of rain fell over the east coast of Queensland. It's surprising because winter rain is unusual here in our state. It looks like it's broken the drought in some places out west, so that's a great outcome for the farmers and rural communities.

We had Jamie here over the weekend which is always a pleasure. We made cupcakes and he played with his Legos, making some magical aircrafts and all sorts of spectacular "people". There wasn't much time outside because of the weather but he brought his Lego Movie with him so that DVD saved the day.




Viola tricolour - Love-in-Idleness.

Even though the house has been turned upside-down, outside it's a different story. Outside has a power all its own. I've never had much control out there where nature reigns with a strong and steady hand. Roses are flowering, sweet peas are climbing, I've planted some love-in-idleness aka Viola tricolour, and iris seedlings are sitting on our rain-soaked table waiting their turn to be planted.  Tricia collected an iris seedpod for me when she was out walking last year and these seedings are the results of those seeds. I'll be planting them in with the vegetables to bring in the bees and give me something wonderful to look at and care for.  One thing is for certain, with this rain and our overflowing tanks, everything is growing well and we're harvesting every day to eat and share.




I'm looking forward to getting back into a small part of my routine this week. It won't be the full production but small elements will slip back into place for me when I make soap, declutter and organise the front verandah.  There's no rush to do anything, I'll take my time and enjoy the process of reconnection and the discipline of daily life.



I love this quote from the book Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair that I've ordered from Book Depository:
Here’s the true secret of life: We mostly do everything over and over. In the morning, we let the dogs out, make coffee, read the paper, help whoever is around get ready for the day. We do our work. In the afternoon, if we have left, we come home, put down our keys and satchels, let the dogs out, take off constrictive clothing, make a drink or put water on for tea, toast the leftover bit of scone. I love ritual and repetition. Without them, I would be a balloon with a slow leak.

and this:

People like to say that it - significance, import - is all about the family. But lots of people do not have rich networks of hilarious uncles and adorable cousins, who all live nearby, to help them. Many people have truly awful families: insane, abusive, repressive.  So we work hard, we enjoy life as we can, we endure. We try to help ourselves and one another. We try to be more present and less petty. Some days go better than others. We look for solace in nature and art and maybe, if we are lucky, the quiet satisfaction of our homes.

I think I'll love this book. It will remind me to think about "the quiet satisfaction" as it unfolds, to look for meaning and appreciate things that make ordinary days at home so significant and enriching. Life is not about toil to me, it's not the main point of every day. I love to work and do my fair share but I want to enjoy every day and appreciate the beauty lurking in my home too. Finding those beautiful gems in a home I've live in for almost 20 years can be tough sometimes but it's not impossible. And when I do something I'll remember forever or when I increase my knowledge of my environment or myself, when I cook a great meal, drink our fresh orange juice, eat a crisp pea straight from the vine, follow a pattern until the end, or when I sit breathing fresh air deeply that, my friends, is something that helps me appreciate what is and keeps me going until the next time.



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28 comments

  1. We had a similar experience with our bathroom. Our bathroom renovation took longer than our kitchen renovation. I spent a lot of time outside too. Have a good week.

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  2. Ah, renovations...they take their own sweet time. I was lucky...or had foresight...to negotiate with my buyer to rent my house back for a month, to which she happily agreed. So I wasn't here for the dirty work....pulling up carpets, sanding floors and the nasties of bathroom waterproofing. Your garden's looking wonderful, and I get new ideas for mine every time I see pictures of it...just little things, but good ideas. So thanks.

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  3. Hi Rhonda,

    wow, your garden is looking really lush! Thanks for sharing book quotes, it sounds like it could be a good one for sure.

    Madeleine.x

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  4. Good morning Rhonda. The garden is looking magnificent and I love the happy faces of the violas. I would love to know how you find your new book. The second paragraph resonated with me. Have a great week. This morning looks glorious.

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    1. You can get it at Book Depository or Amazon. It's a hard cover with no ebook version.

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    2. Rhonda, I am so very sorry. I did not choose my words wisely so now I will try again. I would like your opinion or a review of this book. Would you be able to share this? Thank you.

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    3. No worries, Suze. I should have been more careful with my reading too. I only ordered my book yesterday and it should be sent in the next day or so from England. Then it will take a few weeks to read it. I'm slow because I read a few things at once. But rest assured, I'll give an opinion when I'm finished.

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  5. Thank you for sharing your lovely garden & for the Stitches book, which I was delighted to find my library has several copies of. I also love your garden Buddha, which I don't remember seeing before. I agree that the outside has a power all it's own, a place where one can find peace despite what is happening in the rest of the world.

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    1. Oh, I'm glad your library had it and hope you enjoy it. I've had the buddha for about 15 years and now that I see him in the photo I realise he needs a good scrubbing. ;- )

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  6. Your garden is looking wonderful. and in time - so will your bathroom. Just hang on in there.

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  7. You did it again and I thank you. Your words helped me to calm my churning spirit, breathe, and remember what my actual purpose is in this crazy pants life that slips in through the cracks.... After spending some time in a physical place that makes me ill, apparently, just from the energy, I was all out of sorts. I alternately cried, cursed, and laughed with my husband all the way home about the feelings of the day. Then, thank goodness, your words popped up on my screen and I felt more centered and focused because you helped me remember just WHO I am and more importantly, who I am not. Thank you, wise Rhonda, for reminding me about what really matters.... "to enjoy life as much as I can..." <3

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  8. I don't think anything goes as plan. Makes life more interesting.
    Coffee is on

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  9. Your garden looks fantastic. Doesn't rainfall make such a difference compared to tap water. My bok choy seemed to double in size overnight after rain.

    I totally agree about routine - I know if I am feeling a bit blah it's because I have dropped my routine.

    We had a kitchen reno nearly 2 years ago and that was chaos although nothing smelly - hope it's finished soon.

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  10. What a beautiful wrap-up to your post. Kind of puts it all in perspective. :) We have a bathroom remodel ahead of us. Your experience kind of makes me want to shove it ahead further than I should :)

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  11. Reading those quoted passages from the book reminds me of when I first discovered your blog. Your words gave me license to be proud of the love I have for my solitary days here in my my home, caring for my family, growing our food with love. It was never "cool" to be a home-body. It was "cool" to be out having lunches and shopping, but it didn't sit right with me. Thank you for opening up a new "cool" to me. Your Buddha is wonderful just as he is and, like wrinkles as we age, his aged patina is his story. XX

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  12. We also have a bathroom renovation planned, but after reading about yours I think we will have to cancel it. Asthma is bad enough, but fumes like that for any length of time would be the end for my hubby with his lungs. Thanks for the warning; the man who quoted to do our bathroom was told about Ken's COPD and he just brushed it off lightly saying the renov. will only take a couple of weeks.

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    1. Gina, Hanno said yesterday that if he'd known what he knows now, we wouldn't have renovated the bathroom. I think there are "green" materials, maybe ask your builder about them and test smell before you agree to the work being done.

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  13. I looked that book up and see that it is by Anne Lamott. I've read several books by her and they are always interesting and often quite funny and poignant. You'll like it.

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  14. Loved your post Rhonda. We are almost finished our bathroom renovation (just one tap, patching up the ceiling, caulking and shower screen to go ;)). It has taken nearly four weeks and like you we have been spending a lot of time away from the house which is stressful and expensive - especially while being ill and in the darkest days of winter. Thankfully we staggered our yearly five night holiday over the last few weekends to get away to somewhere with heating and a nice warm shower. We have a very small two bedroom house and have been confined to the one bedroom (for three people) as the mess and dust have literally taken over most of the house. The waterproofing fumes are so potent - thankfully ours was applied on a Saturday morning so we were away for the worst part of it. I am sure it will all be worth it in the end!!

    I'm sure your bathroom will be great and better to have it done now (there's probably never a good time). Once you are enjoying your first shower, I'm sure you will see it is worth it! Take heart, the distorts and messiest parts are probably almost behind you.

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    1. Oh yes, we're resigned to it now. No doubt we'll love it, as you will with yours, when the work is finished. xx

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  15. I always love to read these reflective posts from you, Rhonda. Always such wise words! And I'm looking forward to finding that book!

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  16. Hello Rhonda! What a difference levelling the floor will make. I recently had this done to our kitchen when we renovated and it made a huge difference. Everything just sat on top perfectly. Renovations really do test your patience though!

    Our garden is doing lovely as well with all the rain. Growing broccoli and celery for the first time, almost ready for harvesting!

    Jade xx

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  17. Sorry you're suffering with the waterproofing Rhonda. I have preplanned for that and we'll stay at my inlaws for a couple of nights. I wouldn't have known about it either had we not renovated the bathroom on the old flat to sell it before we bought this house.

    I suspect when it's all done though you'll love your new space and it'll all seem worthwhile. You're on the home stretch now, onwards and upwards from here.

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  18. I have never heard of seed pods on iris....is that the funny hard thing that sometimes shows up at the top after the bloom? If so, how do you transplant them? I thought it was all done by digging and dividing. Thanks for the information. Love your blog. It calms me.

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    1. Terri, the seed pod is a hard brown capsule about 2 inches long. They contain about 20 seeds. I'll take a photo of the seedlings next week so you can see what they look like.

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  19. I am sorry to hear that your bathroom renovations have made you unwell, I do hope you are feeling a little better now. I wonder why they needed to coat it in the first place. I have never heard of that here and we live in a very wet climate!

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  20. When we had the laundry and small bathroom renovated, the fumes from the waterproofing caused huge 'challenges' to the health of 2 of the family. This resulted in us looking for alternatives when the main bathroom had to be done too. There is actually a water proofing 'paint' that doesn't have the fumes. It was well worth paying the extra for it. Wendy

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  21. I love your gardens. I too planted flowers in our veggie garden - but mine are mammoth sunflowers, they're beautiful & they're HUGE! They were planted next to the fence that separates the chicken run from the veggie garden to offer beauty for me, food for the bees and shade for the chickens. What a lovely symbiotic relationship! This year we're brand new beekeepers so I'm beyond delighted to see all the pollination going on in the garden and so far it's producing very well indeed. Thank you for sharing a view of your outdoor loveliness!

    ~Taylor-Made Homestead~
    Texas

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