10 August 2018

Weekend reading

Gracie's birthday portrait, taken this morning.

It's Graice's second birthday today and she's running around like a crazy cat this morning. She's such a funny dog and it looks like she's really happy on this special day.


Soon I'll be taking Tricia to the train station so she can travel back home to the Blue Mountains.  We had a lovely visit, much quieter this time, due to her being sick with a cold when she arrived.  She recovered a few days ago so although we stayed relatively quiet, we did a few more things and went out for lunch yesterday. We went to the Powerboat Club in Caloundra, gazed out on the Pumicestone Passage and enjoyed some good food.

I hope to spend some time in the garden over the weekend. I have a few plants to get in the ground and everything has to be mulched. It hasn't rained here for about two months and although there's still water in the tanks, the levels are getting low. Every time I water the garden I think of the struggling farming families and hope the rain will start falling again soon.

Enjoy your weekend. I hope you spend time with those you love and have time to relax and refuel for the week ahead.  I'll see you again next week.  xx

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21 comments

  1. And why would Gracie not be happy? She has a good home; with lots of love and space to frolic in, and she is young.

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  2. Hi Rhonda, Gracie looks so cute. She reminds me of Toto, from The Wizard of Oz. I'm glad that Tricia is feeling better, and that you were able to go out to lunch. Hopefully you will get some rain. It has been very hot and dry here in California. I don't grow as much food, because of the watering restrictions. We can get produce for under a dollar a pound here, though. I watch the specials.

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  3. Happy birthday to Gracie!
    I'm happy to hear that Tricia is all well now. I hope she has a safe journey back home.

    Today I made my first batch of soap. I used your recipe in Down to Earth book. I can't wait to unmold it. It's very exciting. 😊

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    1. Good for you, Nil. I hope you'll post your first soaps on your blog so we can see how they turned out. Meg:)

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    2. That's great, Nil. I hope it turns out as you expect it to and you make it a regular part of your home life. I made soap a couple of days ago using the same recipe. That batch was for Tricia to take to her son Danny to help with fundraising at his son's school. Let us know how your soap turns out. Like Meg, I'd like to know.

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    3. They came out beautifully. I have only one silicone mold (6 soaps), so I used bottom parts of milk and juice cartons as well. It was a bit difficult to unmold, but I managed it. 😊
      I'll buy more molds for the next batch.

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  4. Gracie looks like a very smart and well loved doggie. She gets cuter every year.

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  5. Happy birthday to Gracie. Glad Tricia is feeling better as the flu and viruses seem to linger on this winter from what I have heard. I was hoping to have a restful weekend after a week of birthday celebrations but now my sister is really sick so I don't think that is going to happen. Enjoy your weekend, Rhonda.

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  6. Happy birthday to Gracie, hope she is having a great day!

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  7. How time flies, it's her birthday again, congratulations! Glad to hear your sister is feeling better. How is your knee by the way, has the pain gone away? In our part of Europe we have had some rain finally, it was a very hot and dry summer so far. Not really what we are used to. My husband grew up in California and has been loving this weather, our 2 sons as well. I'm happier with cooler weather. Hope you will be getting rain soon, especially important to the farmers. I never really gave that much thought, until we had that long spell of dry weather and the farmers told us what that meant for them, the animals (nog being able to stay outside, because there was no grass left to eat) and the crops. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Hi Jacqueline. Where are you in Europe? My knee is still giving me grief but most of the time the medication is working well.

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    2. Hope your knee will improve more in time! We live in Holland, still enjoying spots of rain here..

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  8. Hi Rhonda! Gracie's such a cutie :)
    I just wanted to share with you and the community that I had my first child 6 weeks ago. Her name is Gabriella and we're head over heels for her :)
    We're happy and healthy and settling into our new routine.
    I'm glad you had a good time with your sister. How good is to have your family visiting. Mum's here helping us so much. I'm so grateful for everything she's done for us.
    You mums are the best! Cheers to you all :) ...and dads as well!

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    1. What wonderful news, Laura. Thank you so much for letting us know. It will be such a fine time for you and your mum. I bet she is loving every minute of it. Take your time and enjoy Gabriella. I'm sure I speak for many of the readers when I say congratulations to you and your husband. We send our love and best wishes for the future. xx

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  9. Happy Birthday Gracie, you funny girl.

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  10. Happy birthday to Gracie - her little face is so full of character. Glad you had a nice time with your sister. Interesting suggestions for weekend reading - some of the supermarkets in the UK are trying to reduce the use of plastic but there is the issue of food spoiling then - its a conundrum. I'm sure it can be solved with science and when people cleverer than me put their minds to it. I will keep trying to do my little bit - one thing that's made me happy is supermarkets pledging to stop wrapping cucumbers in plastic - hooray! This drives me nuts.
    Have a great weekend.

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  11. Your Gracie looks like quite the scallywag, Rhonda. Happy birthday to her, I'm sure she got a few treats and extra cuddles! I read your previous post while we were away in Canberra and it had me thinking of the tub of porridge oats I'd packed so that we could have filling, warm and frugal breakfasts while we were away. The place where we stayed offered breakfast packs for $10.95 per person, per morning! No way was I parting with an amount like that. My frugal ways have developed over time, one habit or new skill after another. I'm still learning and reading here always provides a lot of inspiration. As does your lovely book! Have a happy weekend! Meg:)

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  12. Happy birthday to Gracie! Her pictures bring such a smile to my face, so thank you for that! Have a wonderful weekend! :)

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  13. Awwwww Gracie, Happy Happy Birthday.
    Your photo is so sweet.

    cheers, parsnip and badger

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  14. I really think Gracie is a painting waiting to happen! Very cute. Have a lovely weekend too. X

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  15. Food waste is so important and I am glad it is at last coming to the forefront. When I grew up we had to finish all the food on our plates, and then everyone started to say that caused children to overeat. Nowadays the grandchildren dish up for themselves, but only what they can eat - they can always come back for seconds. Before my weekly grocery shopping I always go through the veggie bin to check what I have. This often results in a batch of veggie soup, and last week I make stuffed zucchini - absolutely delicious.

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