Build it and they will come.

We are now the proud owners of this hand crafted bee hive! Rob made it himself and placed it up in the top garden where we have plenty of flowers to tempt the native bees. You can see the little tin pitched roof as the whole thing is attached to a post. It looks a bit askew here however I assure you it is on straight! It is placed in an alluring corner of the garden where there is shelter from the elements. So now we sit and wait to see if our native bee population likes the look of it too.

This month we are all honouring Plastic Free July and the demise of plastic bags in supermarkets. I have been enjoying the grapes available at our local although they come in this dinky plastic bag with handles. So I take the grapes out of the plastic bag and put them in my own netting bag which weighs next to nothing and is designed to hold fruit. I leave the offending plastic bag in amongst the other bags of grapes and give my bag to the person at the check out counter. There is usually a moment of confusion as this person tries to understand what has happened. So far they have always just gone ahead and weighed them without question. Voila!

Here we have the offending plastic bags at the Supermarket.

For years I have been using my own bags for grocery shopping however I had to re-train myself to remember to take the things in with me from the car into the supermarket. For so long I would get to the checkout and realise I was about to be burdened with another onslaught of plastic because I had forgotten to bring my own out of the car. In the end the only way was to keep my own bags on the front seat of the car so that I could have the visual reminder to take them in with me. It worked in the end. And it makes me wonder where my mind actually is as I park the car, get out and go into the supermarket. Mindful bag practice!!

Winter in all it's glory. Here we have a nest sitting amongst the bare bones of a native hibiscus. It is no longer in use as the fledglings have long since left. Most likely a Fire Wren nest, I didn't even know there was one in this particular tree. Fire Wren's are prolific in this area. Probably something to do with the seed they pinch from the chicken food bowl! I also leave seed out in the bird feeder in the back yard every now and then when I hear the babies calling out for food.

Twenty kilos of turmeric-y goodness all ready to deliver to a customer. I have also been turning it into powder and this has been selling quite well. 

I have been flat out processing turmeric so my artful endeavours have been a bit neglected. However next time I will have something new to show you in the way of timber art. Until then have a great weekend!