Some of the food plants in my garden - late September

My peas look gorgeous in this container -
the white flowers which will soon produce peas
are most satisfying

I have quite a few broad bean plants in the ground

This mint - the plain old mint - is in a pot.
But I also have some in the ground in a place
where I hope it takes over and chases the weeds away.
Ditto for some After Dinner Mint.

A cup of coffee from Iain across The Ditch

I hope @Iain 2008 doesn't mind but he sent me a nice cup of coffee in the form of this post below which has come from his Twitwall.  Iain lives across The Ditch and you will find more of him here.

~~~~~

Iain2008 Following

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

posted 10/09/10

"A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite. 

He told his guests to help themselves to the coffee.

After everyone had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, 'If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup adds no quality to the coffee.

In most cases, it is just more expensive, and in some cases, even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup.  But you consciously went for the best cups...  And then you began eyeing each other's cups to see who had the best one. 

Now consider this... 

Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee.

Savor the coffee, not the cups!

The happiest people don't have the best of everything.

They just make the best of everything.

Live simply.

Speak kindly.

Care deeply. 

Love generously.'"

Source:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3NgzQ9Pcsg

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#Sustainablity shopping? Shabby #Vintage Junk Extravaganza 3-4 June 2011 #recycling

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This is the second year that the Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza has been held. The leadership for this event is provided by the indefatigable Tamara.  Many of the favourites from last year will be there again this year along with some new participants.  

Please let me declare my interest.  My daughter, Herself, was one of last year's participants and will be there again this year. She has masses of stuff to offer.  See one of her collages below.  And there is the most charming old-fashioned rocking horse.  

To find out more about last year's wonderful Extravaganza, please go to one of my other blogs, The Trad Pad.  

Please note: this year there are Early Bird Tickets.  This gets you in for a special one hour of shopping prior to the main opening time.  It is the Early Bird who truly catches the worm, so if you pay for that premium ticket you will get the premium pick.  I do know though that the stall-holders have so much stuff that stalls won't be emptied by 1pm.  

Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza ! - How a suburban scout hall was transformed by white fluffy paper balls and creative stalls

Trad Padders will recall that this time last week was the first day of the Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza.

The energetic Tamara with her resourceful dearly beloved, Mr SVJ did some video-ing of, more or less, the whole shebang. What I like is that we see the Ashburton Scout Hall in all its pristine glory - before puffy white balls and all those stalls. What a transformation. And listen to that rain on the good old Aussie tin roof.

Herself (my daughter, Shelley) can be seen in Video #1 helping Tamarah make big white fluffy balls.

SJV #1

SJV #2


SJV #3


SJV #4

GIRLS' DAY OUT AT MORNINGTON : BAY HOTEL : POMME: MORNINGTON ANTIQUES CENTRE

Herself and I had a girls day out to-day. We drove to Mornington. First of all, we stopped for lunch at the Bay Hotel.  You can see the bistro section - which was beautifully warm and toasty - on the right of the collage above.

We checked out the menu:

We had certainly picked our day because we were able to avail ourselves of the Monday/Tuesday Special which meant that if we picked a "starred" item we got it for $15 with a complimentary glass of wine.  I know I don't dine out often these days, Trad Padders, but I hadn't come across a cleverly marked menu such as this.  Along with the stars, the menu sported tiny 'v's for vegetarian and 'gf's for gluten free.  I am vegetarian and I appreciated this thoughtful touch and I am sure the gluten free brigade would too.

I ordered Mediterranean Pappardelle which, ordinarily according to the menu, has chicken.  I asked for the dish without the chicken and they were happy to oblige.  So my pappardelle came with roasted vegetables, pan seared with olive oil, tossed through the pappardelle and sprinkled with feta and toasted pine nuts.  Herself - who is a carnivore - ordered the Hopkins River Beef Burger.  I didn't have the wine.  Herself had mine and I had a coke.  She seemed well pleased with her vino.  I noted that The Bay promotes local Mornington Peninsula wines with other Australian wines bringing up the rear.  So, as you can see, we had good provender.

Our real purpose for the day was to visit the Mornington Antiques Centre.  But before we set off for there, Herself wanted to make a visit to the local Bed Bath and Table.  We couldn't find close parking in the main street and had to turn out of the main street only to find ample parking and more shops, including major chains like Target, behind the main street shops.  We got out of the car and Pomme caught my eye.  I figured in could do BBT back home any time.  And off I went to Pomme...

The chairs at the front of Pomme are bright and cheery

and the store will cover these chairs to the fabric of your choice.

 Display of art and design, jewellery and homewares

is beautifully done at Pomme.  Go see for yourselves.

 These delicate hanging pendants are filled with tiny treasures.

Behind them, are enchanting artworks of Belted Galloway cattle.

I purchased something for my sister's forthcoming birthday -

but I won't let out the secret here.

Then we were off to browse the Morninton Antiques Centre...

And we did walk away with some goodies.

Herself bought a beautiful print of pink roses.

I brought home a chest of drawers which I hope to transform

and two wooden cutlery holders for pens & scissors & etceteras.

Perhaps that will be the subject of the next post.

Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza ! 13 and 14 August 2010 - #2

Yesterday, dear Trad Padders, 

I told you about the Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza.  

Well, to-day was move-in day. 

Don't ask me if Tamara (who is organising all this) and her dearly beloved Matt slept last night.  I know that Herself was over there until well after midnight helping put up wonderful white tissue paper balls on the rafters of the Ashburton Scout Hut in High Street Road, Ashburton.  The Scout Hut is still a Scout Hut but now it is a Scout Hut with pizzaz and quite a large helping of swish.

To-day, I saw wonderful stuff being unpacked and displayed.

There are ten stalls but a cornucopia of variety.

Shabby is there in spades

with all that would gladden Rachel Ashwell's heart.

Vintage and retro is there in all shapes and colours.

Wonderful linens and handcrafted stuff -

that would delight not only the modern woman

but her mum and grandma - are all over.

And junk is there as its glorious self

and re-jigged in marvellously creative ways.

Talk about re-jig, re-use, recycle.

And for those of you who love your food,

I have singled out for special attention

Mrs Beeton's Cookbook

which comes complete with

handwritten recipes and etcetereas.

Just look...

So please come to-morrow and Saturday.

8am until 5pm Friday

8am until about 3pm or so on Saturday.

There are not many opportunities like this to purchase

from a multiplicy of specialist stall holders.

Please ecourage the efforts of 

Tamara, Alicia, Sam,

Shelley, Andrea, Robyn,

Callee, Jane & Kaz

See you when you are shabby shopping 

at the Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza