Making Haven

 

Feeling a little nostalgic today for this dear to my heart little blog spot. 

This blog was conceived and commenced while I was undergoing a long year of enforced isolation due to medical treatment. I always thought the name of this blog was a little awkward. Making Haven. I knew what it meant to me but I thought other people might think it was a craft blog. I had a list of other names and the one I wanted to use was "Memory's Ship'. However the blog name Making Haven persisted in making its presence felt in my mind. 

At the time I was living and working in an urban location, and my husband and I were spending most of our weekends here in the country. I longed to make a shift away from the circumstances I was currently living to my own idea of haven. I longed to reach my own safe harbour, Arrive at quiet and peaceful sanctuary. To finally make haven. And I did. Now I reside in that safe harbour  - after a long time sailing to reach haven. 

The second meaning that abided under the title Making Haven, was about how I could set about making my home - where ever that was - a haven, my safe harbour, a place to shelter from the harsh winds of everyday life. Though no life can entirely escape the effects of harsh winds, or changing tides, I wanted to set about deliberately creating my sanctuary to restore, refresh, and rekindle. Restore what I felt the world was trying to take away. Refresh my world weary soul. Rekindle my creative self. 

And this year, I am more grateful than ever to have made haven.

Memory's Ship

I am now blogging over on my new blog Memory's Ship. I hope you join me there soon. 

What Sherri Did in August 2017

In General

2017 has been another year of transitions in our household. Earlier this year we sold our house in the city and moved to our rural property. Before then we had been travelling to the property mostly on weekends. I referred to our weekender as our workender. 

This move to the country, for me holds the promise of being able to be more focused on the plans we created for the property.  Our plans for the property were refined during the two year period I was studying my Cert IV in Permaculture. But we lacked the time to be able to really start working on those plans. 

Now less than three months on from that transition I am now once again facing a change. I have this month started a new job. Not in the city in which I was working but in the small town near to our rural property. My daily hour long each way commute to work which was the result of our move to the country is now a thing of the past. I am also working less hours which will give me the opportunity to work more on our plans for the property. 

These transitions have been the impetus behind a passage of a different sort. I have decided to start blogging on a new blog that I have had waiting in the wings for awhile. It is called Memory's Ship - using the wisdom of the past to create a self-supporting home. I hope you join me over on my new blog. 

Best of the Web

In Gail Tverberg's post on world GDP in current US dollars , I found this paragraph made me sit up and pay closer attention. " We seem to be sleepwalking into an even worse version of the Depression of the 1930s. Even if economists were able to figure out what is happening, it is not clear that there would be a good way out. Higher energy prices would aid energy producers, but would push energy importing nations into recession. We seem to be facing a predicament with no solution."

Here in Australia we are being frightened by news stories of alarming jumps the cost of living and the decline in wages growth. Apparently many Americans are finding things as difficult as many Aussies. People are finding it hard to achieve stability let alone build wealth. 

It's really bugging me!

During the week I inspected by Tropical Beauty apple tree to find it infested with tiny green beetles. 

I checked out this book to see if I could discover what type of infestation  I was dealing with. From my reading I at first thought it could be the Apple Dimpling Bug. However, when I checked the internet it became apparent that I could be dealing with a different critter, as the beetle I am dealing with doesn't look like the Apple Dimpling Bug. 

After several hours spent researching on the internet looking at image after image of beetles I still cannot identify what I have on my tree. 

They are about 5 mm (0.19 in) in length and are an iridescent green and gold  colour. They are all over the apple blossom and don't appear to be interested in the leaves.

 Because I cannot identify what it is I don't know what to do about the infestation. I decided to shake them off into this jar. A short while later one of the local kookaburras came down and perched next to the jar in order to have a good look at the beetles. 




If anyone has any ideas as to what beetles might be, please do share. 

An abundant life

The abundant life does not come to those who have had a lot of obstacles removed from their path by others. It develops from within and is rooted in strong mental and moral fiber.

~ William Mather Lewis

A big day for Moxie!

"Happiness is a warm puppy."

 ~ Charles M. Schulz

Moxie has grown a lot since this photo was taken.

Moxie and Banjo turn six months old this week. 

They still like napping in their crate but they take up much more room now.
They also have a dog house inside their crate which keeps them warm
in winter.

This means we need to have them desexed. 

Moxie ready to pounce on Banjo as he runs past.

Moxie is first, and she had her operation yesterday. She is now getting round with a plastic cone on her head to stop her biting her stitches. 

A Shed of One's Own

"A woman must have money and a room of one's own if she is to write fiction." Virginia Wolf


And if a woman is going to garden then she needs a shed of her own. I do have a shed of my own. I thought I would share some photos.

The steel bench in the background has been moved outside
and is now my potting bench.

I am very grateful to have my own garden storage space. It helps keep me organised.