Deciding what to paint

We have a lot of blank walls in the new house and I'd like to fill them with originals painted by me if possible. Apart from finding the time, the biggest problem is deciding what to paint.

This is one I did a few months ago. Thought I'd add a couple of beach inspired items and hang it in the dining room.

I dug out another painting I'd been working on a while back. Not finished yet but with a similar ocean theme.
Given our house is near the beach I'm wondering whether to continue with the beach and ocean theme or vary my subject matter a bit more.

There are a number of photos I've taken around the island that I'm thinking of painting.  

a pelican on the shore

a sunset over the sea

 

I'm spoilt for choice

That's the problem

 

 

 

When I Become Wealthy

Retirement planning experts tell us that you need much more money than I have to live comfortably in retirement. It's a scary prospect. To make things worse the Australian government has raised the age at which people become eligible for an Aged Pension. They want us to keep working longer and longer.  To know when is the right time to retire and how much is enough to sustain you must be a problem faced by most people I guess.  Not just me.

Years ago, John and I saw a financial advisor who asked us to look at where we wanted to be and what we wanted to achieve in 5 years and then 10 years so that he could help us plan our financial situation accordingly. He told us that being comfortable financially is more about your expectations and what you consider "enough" rather than any dollar amount.
He said it's more about what you feel you need rather than how much money you actually have.
I like to think he was right.

When asked how they would know when they are actually wealthy, many people say "when I can afford to do what I have always wanted to do".
So, combining these two  - How do I want to be living my life in 5 years time – What do I want to be doing?

 
I made a list of how I'd spend my time when I can afford to do what I want.

Try it.

You may discover that you're already wealthy, or at least closer to it than you thought.

It's clear from this list - My favourite things don't actually cost much money - like walking along the beach, playing in the garden, painting, spending time with John and Missy. Then there's the myriad of things that have been put on the back burner for years (because I work long hours) or that I've never done but think I might like to. Most don't need a lot of money. Most simply need for me to find more time.  There's a couple of things hidden in that list that would cost quite a bit. I'll call them optional extras for now.

I do, of course, need money for food and bills and I will need to have enough to keep paying the bills when I no longer have a wage - so for now I  will keep working - cos even if they aren't on my list, having electricity and food is kinda important to me as well.

“That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. ”

Henry David Thoreau

Creating a Front Garden

We still don't have a garden, but some progress is being made. 





Remembering that this was what we started out with --- a clean slate....





The front garden is starting to take shape.

 

We decided to "terrace" our sloping front yard and chose a block called Natural Impressions - grey concrete made to look like stacked stone. 

 

 

Can you see the clumps of dirt in front of the wall? It's clay - hard as a rock when dry and mushy and slimy when wet. There was no organic matter whatsoever, so soil was brought in and we added bulk chook manure. (Not used to having to buy it, when the girls produced a steady supply.) 

 

In the areas where no extra soil was needed we added dolomite as a clay breaker and some chook manure to improve the soil.

 

There will be stairs leading to the front door, probably with pavers. We laid them out roughly to see how they'd look.  

Still looks a bit like a building site at the moment though

 

Not quite finished yet, but getting there.





The next step will be planting.

Given my love of tropical plants, what do you think we should choose?

Queensland Garden Expo

Even though we don't have a garden yet, we can dream. The Queensland Plant Expo was on at Nambour recently. On our previous visit a couple of years back, we stayed in Caloundra overnight as it was a two and a half hour drive to get there, but this time it was just a tootle down the road.
The expo fills the Nambour showgrounds and includes everything a gardener in this part of the world would wish to see. There is such a wide variety of plants that can be grown in our climate and by the look of the plant stalls, most were on display.
This is just a small sample.

Some display gardens from landscapers showing off their wares.

I would love to create something like this in my backyard... if only we had room or the earthmoving equipment or the money it would cost ...

 

Maybe this is more realistic

 

Someone with a bromeliad addiction could have gone mad here. There were thousands on offer. I just looked. None came home with me.

 

 

Succulent fans would have found it hard to resist the temptation as well.

 

 and orchid enthusiasts would have been like a child in a candy shop.

 

So many plants and all on sale.

 

I will admit a couple of cordylines almost came home with me, but I resisted.

 

 

Then there was the garden art

 

and roaming entertainers

 

 At any given time there were about a dozen different gardening talks to choose from, on a wide array of topics. Local garden experts, nursery owners and celebrity gardeners shared their know-how. I went to one on Vireya Rhododendrons. I've killed a few and wanted to find out why. (Now I know)
They like frequent watering but MUST be well drained.

and of course Costas is always entertaining

 

 

They weren't kidding. This was a GIANT kitchen garden.

 

 

I thought this was a great idea for growing peas when you don't have much room - a pot, a post and a bicycle rim plus some twine to make the trellis.

This was cute - a nice way to display tea herbs

Don't think I'd use the good china though.

 

 

Surrounding the vegie gardens were stalls selling all manner of gardening tools and seeds and fertiliser, etc - even chickens.

 

 

We were very restrained with our purchases. For the first time we went away with no plants but lots of inspiration, details of local nurseries and garden product suppliers.

 

Then with one last look at my favourite display garden, I said - like Arnie -"I'll be back" .

 

 

 

Welcome to my new blog

It's taken me a while, but I've finally started a new blog to replace Missy's Garden. Those who know us would already know - we recently moved from an established garden on one acre to a new home on a small plot of land with no garden at all. I'm not just starting a new blog, or even just a new garden. I'm starting a new life. This blog will be the story of how that new life unfolds.

GARDEN
It seems a bit weird to start a gardening blog when we have no garden - but we will have one soon. Follow along and step-by-step you'll (hopefully) see it develop. To a true gardener, "garden" is what we do as much as the end result - and I love to garden.

EXPLORE
We chose to live on Bribie Island for the beauty and lifestyle. I'd like to share that with you as well. Much of the island is National Park. There are miles / kilometres of beaches and waterways. The Sunshine Coast and it's Hinterland are a short drive away. We intend exploring our new environment and sharing our discoveries.

CREATE
Although it's not properly set up yet, I have my own art/craft studio now. I love painting and I'm determined to find time for creative pursuits, especially with so much inspiration at my doorstep. There's a community art centre on the island with regular classes and groups so I expect to meet some wonderful creative people as well.

EVOLVE
This part was going to be called retirement, but that's not really what I'll be doing. As you know John retired from his job a few years ago and my goal is to do the same at some stage - sooner rather than later. I'm still in the early stages of this transition, deciding what will suit me best, researching options and planning for the future - so I thought evolving was more accurate than retiring.

Who knows what the next phase will look like

Not me.

Not yet.

 

I'll let you know when I do