Consciously

After my  Consciously Frugal  post I've been thinking about ways I can 'make a difference' for others in our world that have less than many.

I am more aware of the disparity in the world, as I scan the news this past week.  What makes it more keen for me these past few weeks, is how icy cold it's been.  I have a house. So many have not, and I've felt the cold more sharply this year.  So I've been thinking how can I make a difference and have been dreaming of taking food or blankets to the homeless in Sydney. 

I felt very heartened this morning when I read this article about how pre-loved leather jackets were donated to Sydney homeless.

Click on photo for photo source.

Wow!

I must admit though, I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to doing stuff like this on my own. So I'm wracking my brain as to how I can become involved in something similar.

Last year a friend caught the train into Sydney and bought a heap of cheese burgers and handed them out to the homeless.  How brave of her.  Perhaps I can do something the same with all the blankets I have stock-piled in my linen cupboards.

In the meantime...I am doing my little bit (while sitting in the comfort of my warm home and still feeling guilty) by purchasing these...(and I swear, no sooner had I sat down to write this post that a cheery lady drove up my drive to deliver them!  Talk about synchronicity!)

Who Give A Crap (yes really) is an organisation that donates 50% of its profits to WaterAid to build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world.

Read  more about WGAC* here.

The toilet rolls are individually wrapped in paper, not plastic and their facebook page encourages devotees to post ideas of how the wrapping is reused. 

I especially love the emergency rolls which come in red wrapping and instructions.

I'm certainly not one to need emergency rolls...I'm too anxious to allow my household to get to that point in toilet paper stocks so I love gifting these to people who have just moved into a new home and may be having trouble locating a roll of toilet paper.  Mostly, they have been appreciated - because they couldn't find their rolls of toilet paper.

In the meantime, I summing up enough courage to become more directly involved in helping those closer to home.

*No, I haven't received anything from WGAC, just doing my bit to assist a good cause by promoting them.

All By Myself

Sydney Harbour Bridge from Lavender Bay

Sydney Opera House from The Sydney Harbour Bridge with two Sydney Ferries in the foreground.

Sydney Harbour Bridge overlooking Walsh Bay Pier 2/3

Marina Abramovic visits Sydney. 

And I visited Marina Abramovic's space.

This was not an exhibition in a technical sense.

It was an experience.

A mind altering experience.  

At least this is how I perceived it.

After surrendering all belongings at the entry and being issued sound cancelling headphones, one could choose to participate in a number of activities, such as separating black mung beans from rice then counting them, contemplating coloured boards or sitting opposite another person in silence.

I listened to Natalie Abbott speak and watched some of her performance which included telepathically instructing a dance sequence to three fellow artists. 

Eventually I realised what Marina's work is all about...the whole point of the project. 

Participating IS the project, performing the activities is experiencing activities devised by Marina (the artist).

Marina's message, I think, is about endurance...how much can our body endure, how much can our mind endure.   

And when we push ourselves to endure a little more, aren't we pushed to achieve just a little more than before? 

Doesn't endurance make us stronger, better, faster?
I was converted to Marina some years ago after watching her in her documentary called The Artist Is Present.  

Aspects of Marina's life and art shocked me when I first viewed them, but by the end I was drawn to her, her mindfulness, her spiritually, her individuality.

Linking to

And

Skywatch Friday

Before The Storm

On Sunday, the sun was shining.

Mr HP, Miss Seven, her Mum and Dad and I, went for a bush walk.

A leech became attached to my shin.

I now have a nasty reaction to the leech bite.

Today I drove myself to the GP to have it seen to.  Luckily it's not infected.  It's inflamed and at times gets extremely itchy.

I drove in extreme weather for thirty minutes to get to my appointment. Since Sunday night it's hardly stopped raining.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night. I realised that I had woken because the rain had stopped.  The silence had woken me up.  But it wasn't long before it was raining again.

Before Sunday we'd already had more than our fair share of rain so everything was damp and squishy, hence the leeches (well there were two leeches all up...and five humans)  We came across an interesting variety of fungi on our walk. 

Since Sunday night, Springwood has had around 150mm of rain.  We have been fortunate though, as we've had very little wind and so have been spared the devastation that has struck the coastal regions of the south east of Australia.

Today, Sydney airport was disrupted, railway tracks were flooded, a cruise ship locked out of port, flood rescues carried out, towns devastated as residents watched houses floating down the street, schools closed, and sadly, confirmation of lives lost was announced.

Flash floods are not uncommon in Australia, but it's not often do we experience such immediate devastation from flooding.  In this instance, the accompanying wind would have classed this as a category two tropical cyclone.  But technically, this storm is not a cyclone, because it did not occur over tropical waters, but it is an intense low-pressure system packing winds gusts of up to 135km per hour.

This Month In The Garden - April - Chilli

I have had two worthwhile crops of chillies this year.  I don't normally use chillies in my cooking, simply because Mr H.P. doesn't like spicy food. As you can see in the above picture, I've had to net the one plant I have because the possums treat chillies like delicacies.  On a nice hot sunny day I picked all the red finger chillies and using a needle and canvas thread, I strung about 20 onto the thread and allowed them to dry in the hot sun for a few days before bringing them indoors to completely dry. 

My first strand was exchanged at Crop and Swap for a yummy piece of blue pumpkin.

My second strand went to a friend I have made via an online garage sale and in exchange I received some kefir milk grains.  I gave the kefir grains to my daughter because she has been coveting some for a while now.  

Kefir is a fermented milk drink probiotic.  I must admit, milk is not one of my favourite foods and the closest I come to consuming milk is homemade natural yogurt which I religiously make about ever ten days and add to my porridge or smoothie at breakfast.

Tonight we used yogurt in our pumpkin soup instead of sour cream.

I think I will wait and see what kefir tastes like before I decide whether I will make it or not.

In the meantime, the weather has become very damp and humid and my chillie plant has been infested with aphids.  I'm hoping that a spray of soapy water will bring them under control.

It's not unusual for Sydney to be hot and humid over summer, in fact, it's quite normal.  But the past three or four summers have been so dry that I must admit I've forgotten how unpleasant the humidity can feel.  Unfortunately, the bugs have revelled in the return to more normal conditions.

Happy New Year 2015 From Sydney

Sydney knows how to party.

Bright

My African violets need bright light to flower.

This morning's light was especially bright, as Sydney and its surrounds geared up for another scorcher.

The maximum temperature at our house reached 36.1 'C.  The humidity is very low, (at the moment it is around 31%. Tomorrow, a total fire ban will be enforced. 

African violets like a humidity level of about 50-60%, so I have had to put them on pebble lined trays to try and raise the humidity a little, especially since the air conditioner has been on for most of the afternoon.

During our on-again-off-again temperature spikes, I have been watering the African violets almost on a weekly basis.

So, I watered them again today,since the soil was dry. The pebbles ensure that the roots of the plants are not sitting directly in water and helps raise the humidity at the same time.

Since the light was so strong this morning, I kept the translucent window blind down until the afternoon.

I'm very happy with the way the violets are progressing...so many are coming into flower.

Once the blooms open, I sell them on an on line garage sale of which I'm a member.

Some Rain Must Fall

Day Two of our mini-holiday and we wander down to Milson's Point via Luna Park. It's cloudy but we're brave and leave our umbrellas at home.

We see a cruise ship waiting to enter Circular Quay and think it's left the quay and for some reason is returning but later we realise that it's a different ship but from the same cruise company.

From Milson's Point a ferry ride takes us to Circular Quay once more and we head off to The Rocks again, only to find that the museum we plan to visit in Susannah Place does not open until 2 p.m.

So we wander around, a little bit lost as where to go.  We find some stairs that lead to the Sydney Harbour Bridge but instead take a less strenuous route alongside the stairs and found ourselves at Observatory Hill.

Little Miss and I spend a wonderful couple of hours inside the Sydney Observatory and take a tour of the telescope room.

 The domed roof of the room turns.

Not only does it turn, but it opens up too.

Outside, we are disappointed to see the clouds.

Clouds mean we can't view the sun through the solar telescope, so instead we look at the traffic on Sydney Harbour Bridge, which, weirdly, is all upside down!

Outside, the sky gets darker and darker, 

the clouds get heavier and heavier

..we manage to eat morning tea in the gardens before feeling the first drops of rain and make a dash for Circular Quay.

We make it in time to miss the heavy shower which lasts long enough for us to meet up with my daughter for lunch.

After lunch it's back to Susannah Place to visit the museum.

Little Miss is enthralled with the stories our tour guide tells us about families that once lived in the row of terrace houses that is Susannah Place.
Each room we visit inside remains as it was when it was occupied by various families before being turned into a museum.  We learn that initially, The Rocks was not necessarily a desirable place to live, and local residents would sometimes lie about their address.  My how times have changed!

Afterwards, we purchase lollies at the 'corner shop'.  (I can't believe that I've taken no photos of Susannah Place!)

Across the road from Susannah Place is The Big Dig which is an archaeological dig of an 18th century European development in Sydney which was demolished to prevent the spread of plague.

Around the dig is the YHA building.

And we return'home' without the need for our umbrellas!

School Holidays

Here in New South Wales, it's school holiday time and my Grand Daughter, Daughter and I had the opportunity, last week, to spend a few days in the heart of Sydney.  We left the car at home and used public transport whenever we could and when not using public transport we walked.

Day One saw Little Miss Six and I spending most of the time together while Mum was at uni. The ferry took us from Milson's Point to Circular Quay and from there we took a short walk to Cadman's Cottage and the Overseas Passenger Terminal before heading off to meet my daughter for lunch.

We caught the train to Central Station and then walked to Broadway to the new One Central Park Building which has vertical gardens growing on its external walls.

I think it's pretty amazing don't you?

After lunch my daughter returned to uni and Little Miss Six and I walked to the Chinese Gardens of Friendship.  My grand daughter just loves the gardens and has been there three times in less than two years. For $5 children can hire Chinese traditional costume to wear while visiting the gardens. (Costumes are also available for adults)
  We had afternoon tea at the tea garden and then set off to the Powerhouse Museum.

Our second son designs and makes jewelry and a piece of his work has been selected for a jewelry exhibition called A Fine Possesion which is a rather extensive exhibition of jewelry through the times.

Here is his bracelet which is made from sterling silver juxtapositioned along side recycled plastic milk bottles.   I feel very proud to know that his work has been selected for such a prestigious exhibition.

Above is the necklace worn by Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, (the movie) and is also in the exhibition.

There is lots more to see at the Powerhouse Museum, from cars, to trains as well as kids' activities and museum.  When Little Miss had had her fill we headed towards Central train station once more but made one more visit on the way.

At Ultimo, we found the ABC Building where we found a Doctor Who Portal.

We also watched ABC 24 News live (my favourite) and got a wave from the news team!
Little Miss' favourite was the ABC Shop (of course) and I purchased a Peter Rabbit DVD for her. (She is obsessed with Peter Rabbit and can recite huge chunks of dialogue from Peter Rabbit episodes!)

By now, our legs and feet were so sore it was a bit of challenge making our way to the train station (with a stop at the supermarket to pick up supplies for dinner).

We caught the train back to Milson's Point and flaked in front of the TV until dinner time.

Vivid

I can't believe it's twelve months since our last visit to the Light Festival - Vivid - held in Sydney.

Well, I won't admit to visiting the festival yet this year.

Mr Honey Pie and I took an inopportune drive into Sydney to visit Youngest Son and his Fiancée in their new home.  It's been two months since they moved and life is so busy these days we seem to be forever chasing our tails and I was happy when Mr HP took the bull by its horns and organised a visit last Saturday afternoon.

What a  relaxing afternoon we had.  Our Son's apartment is so cozy and this is the first opportunity that they have had as a couple to decorate their own home. I must admit they have done a great job with a very small space.  Once more they have stayed close to the CBD but not so close that they are overwhelmed by it. 

After having dinner and celebrating our future DIL topping her class in Law, we ducked down to Lavender Bay and Milsons Point to see what we could of the festival.

Mr HP was due to work the next day (Sunday) so he was reluctant to walk into Circular Quay, and after last year's experience in the middle of a crowd-crush I didn't push getting closer to the action on a Saturday night.

So here are a few photographs of our adventure and we're hoping to get into the city again soon, on a week night to avoid the crowds.

Watt Park, Lavender Bay.

We walked up and down these stairs, twice in an afternoon...what a workout!

Hebe shrub in flower, Sydney Harbour Bridge from Lavender Bay.

Milsons Point

Sydney Harbour Bridge lighted up for the Light Festival, from Lavender Bay, Quiberie Park.

Milsons Point

Milsons Point