Picture
I have several Cymbidium Orchids I raised from babies in flower. I find them very easy to grow and consider them hardy perennials here in Victoria.

I even took a tour in our caravan with rv towing insurance arranged before we left home, and with my cymbidiums orchids on board with us. I exhibited them at shows around the country and had the pleasure of winning a few awards with them. 

Cymbidiums

In their natural habitats, cymbidiums grow at the higher altitudes in the temperate zone of mid-Asia (China, Japan) down through southeast Asia and extending south of the equator with a number of species in Australia. The climatic conditions found there are also found at sea level in the coastal regions of California (USA), along the coast in the Mediterranean and in part of New Zealand and Australia as well as South Africa. They are also grown under greenhouse conditions in many other parts of the world. The cycle of cool nights and warm days during the spring months in theses regions is necessary for flower spike bud formation. Warmer weather in the summer enhances the growth and development of the flower spikes for the following season (winter into spring).

TEMPERATURE

Cymbidiums will tolerate extremely hot summer heat and winter cold down as low as freezing.  In extreme heatwaves  cool plants by with misting with water in the middle of the day and water in the cool of the evening.

SUNLIGHT

During the spring, summer and fall growing season, plants should have as many hours of filtered sunlight as possible (approximately 50% shade cloth or I like to grow mine under the open canopy of deciduous trees. The colour of the foliage should be golden-green (plants with rich, dark green leaves are very likely not receiving sufficient light). If when you hold your hand between the sun and the plant, your hand does not cast a shadow, the plant is not getting enough natural light.

 
Picture
 
 
Picture
I am having a lovely day, feet up on the couch, wearing my favourite cardigan sweaters looking out over my garden and reading inspirational verse about springtime.
It's spring fever. 
That is what the name of it is. 
And when you've got it, you want -
oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want,
but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! 
~Mark Twain
Picture
 
 
My friend Tina Gray, asks in her blog post, ‘The Bag Will Tell’

So, tell me what’s in YOUR handbag?

I guessed that mine would be a little different. It was fun viewing my friend’s handbag contents and seeing where they are in their lives from what is in the bag.

My handbag is a ready for bushwalking or the supermarket, backpack.

Remove the diary and add a water bottle and I have a long hike backpack.

Contents:

Not visible in the picture is my Canon, Digital IXUS 990 IS Camera.

Collins Day to a page, A5 size financial year diary, this I substitute for a water bottle on trail walks.  I bought this at a store with o crazy cane toad ornament at the door, as an entry and exit alarm and I almost jumped through the roof when the thing croaked at me each time I walked past it.

My new htc Android, Desire Smart Phone, which still proves to be smarter than I am and I need someone familiar with one to show me how to become familiar with all I can use it for.

Quick Start guide, for my Smart Phone.  Yes one day I will read the instructions lol J

Size 1 Maimeri artists painting knife (I live in hope to use it again).

I stainless steel veterinary supplies, tool as used for scraping, tartar off dogs teeth. lol, well it is a handy tool, it scrapes dirt out from under my fingernails when I suddenly have to look like I am a lady, better than anything else I know.

Keys to my caravan, car and summer retreat with an RACV and store card on keyring and a small torch.

My Pandora Beads.

A reprorter's voice operated tape recorder in a hard glasses case.

One customised with my own artwork, ball point pen.

Soft sided bag with earphones for tape recorder.

Sony Walkman DVD player and Audio Book DVD, (I mostly read nonfiction and listen to fiction, mostly to study how other authors construct their novels) Ear plugs for walkman

Three metal (I only needed one), business card holders with my business cards.

One store docket.

Lorna Jane, VIP card (I can dream can’t I?)

Comb

Oilskin Wallet, contents cards and notes, no coins. (I dislike carrying coins.)

2 scrunched up tissues.

 

So, tell me J,  what is in YOUR handbag?

 
 
 
Picture
Adam Liaw and Callum Hann will battle it out to take home the title of the 2010 MasterChef Australia on Sunday night.

Last year's finale was watched by a record-breaking 3.725 million viewers it will be a new record tomorrow night.

Reg and I have been following every episode of Master Chef this season and with my sudden decision to head south in the morning, the Samsung HDTV will be packed away, novels brought out to read during the return trip and I will not know who won until we reach northern Victoria, early August.  I will most likely be off line for one week.  My best wishes to both contestants. While I am eager to see Adam Liaw, take out the title if Australia’s MasterChef, I have to admit that Callum Hann plated up a beautiful looking dish last week in Government house, for  Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce and 30 of her guests.  

 It has been great television and while I mocked the, 'death by dessert', high fat diet, of many of the dishes, I do believe all things in moderation and this show teaches people that cooking is an art form and food is a sensual pleasure to be enjoyed.

 
 
 
Picture
I have packed the electric grills and kettle, changing over to the caravan gas system and we will free camp most of the way home now and as I have told my blog job providers that I am going into a block out period of no work, for 8 days, I will not bother using the generator or booking powered sites as we have solar power for lights and gas for our stove and hot water, fully self contained and ready to travel to home base.

 I will be taking a one week holiday from blogging.

I will hitch the caravan to the car and point the car for home base camp in northern Vic, in the morning and I will be home very early August unless we break the tour part way there, if we find a place we want to stay for a few days.  With the rain depession over Queensland, we will probably drive on through it. 

I have rung both my daughters to let them know I will be home for the family’s birthdays and I hope we can all get together as a family to celebrate Reg’s 70th birthday on the 25th August.

I have also rung my next door neighbour to check the summer home is ready and arrange for those keeping an eye on it for us to know we are on our way.

So with no power from electricity or generator, what will I do? Lol, I plan to read novels in the evening and listen to audio novels as I drive,take lots of photos, and dictate blogs in advance, into a new microphone recorder system.

I will make the most of the winter arrival home, enjoy the wattle flowering season and the early spring blossoms. J. I will still have lots to share through my blogs.     

 
 
 
Picture
Working with the writers in Augno ` August Novel Writing month has been a fantastic experience and I will be giving away some jewelry making supplies to my granddaughters as I am totally hooked on writing and this will from now on be the craft I focus on.

In learning how to write fiction I have needed to study exam some of the bad examples are just plain hilarious, see below. 
While Karen hand-made bows on her pixie bow maker, and Calvin designed photo nametags on his computer, he couldn’t help but wonder if Martha Stewart could see them, would she invite them for drinks by a fire started from rubbing sticks together on a hearth she masoned herself with stones hauled by reindeer over the North Pole from a remote Norwegian quarry, while cherubs entertained them with flutes hand-hollowed from Jordan River bamboo and preserved for centuries in Palestinian prune sauce at room temperature?
 
 
Picture
"Sheila was easy as opening a jar of pickles, not one closed by a man who has virility doubts and closes a jar so women and young boys get hernias opening it or at least the boys get them; although I heard about a woman who had a hiatal hernia so I guess women get them too but doctors don’t ask them to cough unless their malpractice covers sexual deviance but a jar closed by some ninety-year-old whose grip on the jar as well as reality has slipped."
 
 
I loved the bright colours of these clothes and soft toys, in the Kuranda Market. This was one of the better shops. I was pleased with the interesting layout of the market with the series of small interesting stores built up and down the hillside conected by pathways.

The Kuranda village reminded me of how life was back in the fifeties, lay back and unsophisticated, no supermarkets or The Kuranda village reminded me of how life was back in the fifeties, lay back and unsophisticated, no supermarkets or refrigerator filter.

The picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda Village is just 25km northwest of Cairns in Far North Queensland, Australia and is surrounded by World Heritage Rainforest. Visitors can travel to Kuranda on Kuranda’s Historic Scenic Railway or by car or bus, via the spectacular Kuranda Range Road or over the rainforest on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

I felt the stalls lacked genuine local craftsperson content and mass produced and cheap Asian imports dominated.  The items in this one corner store were of a higher quality than in most stalls and I adored the bright colour theme that flowed through all the stock. There was lots to see to fill a few hours in Kuranda and it was well worth the visit.
 
 
Picture
Help this great cause and even help promote it to your friends.

My facebook friend, Briony, says, "All donations appreciated, Lifeline do an awesome job and every single dollar will help them to reach out to more people in need. Thanks everyone!"

Allen Consulting Group - Canberra Office

www.gofundraise.com.au  Stress Down Day is Lifeline's only national fundraising event, register now at www.stressdown.org.au so you can help Lifeline raise much needed funds to sustain its 24 hour crisis support service- 13 11 14 so they can continue answering calls from Australians in need of support.
Picture
 
 
What I do when things get overwhelming, is take a break.

While it might be lovely to book Royal Caribbean cruises this is not always practical.
When there is not enough time to do things, that is sometimes the time to stop doing things, regroup, take a hard look at what you are doing once in a rested state, then apply the 80/20 rule to everything in your life. 
You cannot keep doing the same things and expect a different outcome.


If you do not know how to apply the 80/20 rule, it is based on, 20% of your customers will bring in 80% of your income.  So focus on looking after the 80% who bring in a good income and ask the remaining 80% to contact you when they want to place an order. This now gives you 80% of your time free to go out and make new customers, of which 20% will......and so on, for an ever growing and time manageable business plan. 

Applying this to the home,  20% of what you are doing for your family is bringing in the 80% result, the other 80% is returning a 20% result. Nothing, terrible, is going to happen if you stop doing that 80% that only gives a 20% returned value.

Stop doing that non profitable 80%, now. Have a rest with that 80% of you freed up time. Then when you can think clearly, look into ways that are more productive, to spend  that time, of which 20% will be the ‘keeper’, the new ideas, that ‘worked’, and if you are smart, you will scrap, the 80% that is only bringing in a 20% result and try an even better idea in this spare time.

No time to clean the house, but want it to look clean?

 Do the 20% that gives the 80% result them move on. You know what that is, air the rooms, while you pick up off the floor, clear the table and stack the dishwasher and have a couple of throw cloths you can flick over untidy piles of whatever, straighten a few bed covers and cushions,  clothes in the baskets and you’re out of the house. On your way to a new life, with 80% of your time free, plus the excitement, of a new start.
Picture
Today's FREE Giveaway is this Fridge Magnet from the Art of Kathy Shell. For finding any typos in this post, advising me via the comments link and including your mailing address so I can send you the free thank you gift.