"Himself" says we need to prioritise fixing our gutters and other not so exciting maintenance jobs before winter sets in and I know he's right. But I do so want to spend our hard earned cash on a few more frivolous items, particularly for our garden. The bean bags (see earlier post) and croquet set are still on my wish list. And now I've discovered another great garden accessory via Dwellers Without Decorators. Are these not the coolest patio heaters? With chillier evenings around the corner, these would be a nice addition to an outdoor room or deck. Yes, I know, not as important as ensuring our house is leak free, but some time they might make it up the priority list.
Our veggie patch (or as the kiwis would spell it, vege patch) has injected a little added bliss to our home life.
We had our first harvest this weekend! Our pak choy was ready to debut in one of our favourite meals to make at home, Thai Stir Fried Beef with Red Peppers and Pak Choy. Here it is in the making:
The recipe by the way comes from Stylish Irish Rachel Allen 's book "Rachel's Favourite Food At Home" and I can heartily recommend it. If I can make this, anyone can!
I admit it – I am a difficult person to buy a gift for. The problem is that I know far too well what I like and what I want. There’s an ongoing scouting and editing process going on in my head that no one else could possibly keep up with or fully decipher. As a consquence ‘himself’ rather understandably gets very stressed leading up to Christmas and my birthday. So this Christmas just passed, I decided to help him out (yes, I know I’m fantastic). As we’d agreed to only get eachother mini presents, I put together a list of gifts each costing less than $100 that he could choose from and I even gave him some direction on where to go to buy them! Here's my list:
1.An orchid (they even have them in Foodtown i.e. our local supermarket!)
10.And if ever unsure - a small bottle of a nice brand of champagne
I ended up receiving two lovely gifts from my list and a third non list item. Turns out that the list actually inspired him and gave him the confidence to choose something all by himself!
Now if he’s a really good boy, he’ll surprise me with another item when I least suspect it!