Quite but busy week

I have just completed the first week of my new semester and I am wondering a little bit what I have gotten myself in for taking on five papers to complete. The study guides say that I should devote on average 10 hours a week to each paper that makes it longer than a full time job. I am hoping that enthusiasm will kick in and that will help me through. At the moment, the only paper that this theory has worked for is Web Design. I am almost at the stage when I can start my first assignment that is due near the end of March. Hopefully this weekend I can start it.

Apart from study, there is not much other news unfortunately. The Doctor is still in Taiwan and is due back next week.

The picture I'll post today is one that I had forgotten about. My screen saver showcases my photos my eye caught this one that I had taken in Kyoto Japan a couple of years ago. I wonder what business in conducted in the park beside the river??? I believe that one of my house mates who is Japanese reads my blog and may provide a better translation for me...

Till next time, haveagoodone...

More Gardening issues ...

Where has the week gone? I thought that after I finished up working that I would have more time - how I was mistaken.

Most of last week was taken up preparing for my exam I had on Thursday. Geez I hope that I did OK on it. I find one of my biggest hurdles is to remember everything that I need to. The technique (for want of a better word) I try is to create a mantra of the things I need to focus on but sometimes this doesn't even help.

Also on Thursday The Doctor went back to Taiwan for a couple of weeks. I wonder if having me at home for the last two months has motivated this??? Anyway I have a couple of days before the new semester starts and was hoping to get some work done around the house.

The task that I completed today was one thing that has bothered me for quite a while. My garage sits along a fence line. The droppings from my next door neighbours trees clog my guttering and down pipe. Every time it rains all I see is water overflowing and wondering where else it is going that I cannot see. Anyway, today I decided to deal with it. I bought some gutter guard (and if this stuff is no good - please let me live in ignorance for a while) in the vain hope that it might help the problem.

Is it just me, or do all gardening jobs that appear simply seem to present more challenges that I anticipated??? The first contender was that yellow tree you can see in one of the photos. This beautiful tree has thorns on it that would put a rose bush to same. That tree is lucky that is on the neighbours side and not mine. It would have suffered the same fate at the rose bush on my entrance.

The other tree in the background is the Cherry Tree that the Doctor likes to pick each summer. I was lucky this year as I was not sent on the garage roof to pick all cherries on my side. Mind you there were so many cherry seeds in my gutter that maybe I should have gone and picked them. Considering the length of that gutter is just under 8 metres, there was more than a bucket and a half of the decaying grot.

The other thing that I don't understanding in Aotearoa is why have the drainage pipes like they do. Have a look in the photo and you can see that they have a hole in the ground with a plumbing pipe stuck in. A grid to obviously stop unwanted junk going down it. But the down pipe from above is fitted so tight that you can't even get a pin between it and the grid. What is one meant to do when the down pipe becomes blocked? Most of the ones around my house I can remove the grid but this particular one beside the fence is stuck so tight that I'm tempted to get an angle grinder and cut a small grove in it. Luckily I don't own a angle grinder (yet)... I don't remember this style of construction in Australia...

Now if anyone has any ideas how I can clear this down pipe, please let me know. I have tried one thing but I don't think it will be effective so I am open to ideas.

I better go, Suze is on soon and I need to prepare my dinner. Till next time, haveagoodone...

Happy Lantern Festival (part of Chinese New Year)

The weekend just gone in our small part of this world held its Lantern Festival. Since seeing my first Lantern festival in Taiwan I have been fascinated and keen to see it each year. This year I was free from the shackles of work and their corporate hospitality. I think I'll just post pictures rather than write about it.

Till next time, haveagoodone...

We are in mourning today...

The Doctor is currently in mourning. In a bid to tidy up our place, we have a gardener visit to help us. Yesterday afternoon the visit was to tidy up the Lavender jungle we have growing beside our front door.

We initially bought the lavender as small plants that hung in pots around our front porch area. The Doctor tenderly watered them each day until they grew too big for the pots. Then they were planted around our porch. Since then they have taken on new life and grown so quickly. To the point, in my humble opinion, where they are too bid and messy.

One difference of opinion between The Doctor and I, I like things that are organised, clean and neat. Whereas The Doctor likes things to be as natural as possible - and then means like a jungle.

Anyway, the gardener came around yesterday and trimmed the lavender jungle back to a manageable shrub. You should have seen the look of horror on The Doctor's face. However the trimmed off stalks from the lavender didn't go to waste. The Doctor spend his time yesterday afternoon collecting the stalks and has given them a new (but limited) life extension. You can see what I mean by the photo later on.

We also have someone else in mourning, The Master (our cat) because the garden bed that he likes to sleep in with those horrible grass plants have now been removed.

Why we live in suburbia I don't know???

Till next time haveagoodone...

Perfect Timing...

Yesterday was not much of a study day for me as we had our carpet stretched. When The Doctor and I bought our house a few years ago, the previous owners had just laid new carpet (we did hear some stories third hand via the listing agent - but that is another story). Anyway I think the previous owners must have chosen a cheap carpet because it is nylon and very thin. As a result of the little time that we have lived here, the carpet has started to bunch up and create hazards that we could trip on (particular when carrying things and not looking down). So we arranged to have someone come in and stretch it for us. Now as we had to move all the furniture around, I decided it was time to try a new configuration. I'm sure Mother Blog will remember how I used to enjoy moving the furniture around in my room, particular when I started to accumulate a few things.

Here is a picture of the what The Doctor and I started with when we first moved in.



Then we bought a new lounge suite that was a little bigger. Although this was comfortable, it did make the living room look and feel rather small and rectangular. However we were quite prepared to put up with it for a while. After a while we returned this lounge suite to the retailer because we were sinking more and more into it. The Doctor and I prefer to sit on a seat and not in it. Much to my surprise the retailer allowed us to exchange it for another one and we pay the difference in price.

When the new lounge suite arrived, we (the Doctor took delivery while I was at work and at that time I couldn't be bothered to change it) simply placed it in the same configuration.

Well now that I am at home and we had to move for the carpet stretching, I seized the opportunity - time for a new configuration!!! And this is what I have changed it to:


As it happens, The Doctor has to move to a new position in the living room. Judging by his expression last night, the Feng Shui is not working for him where it is. So I am going to slightly change it a bit. The three seater will move all the way to the window beside the Marine Art. The Doctor's chair will move to the shelving unit just past the fire place (this is literally his home within the home). Finally the printer workstation will move to where The Doctor's chair is now. Hopefully this will satisfy all concerned (mainly me and the Doctor).

I better go now, I have the gardener coming around this afternoon and I have yesterday's study to catch up on.

Till next time, haveagoodone...

Unusual Pets...

While looking at the news from The Doctor's home country, there was a picture of a local taking their pet for a walk. Generally this doesn't conjure up any unusual images - however those who have travelled to Taiwan may now suspect it is leading to not your average pet.

The Doctor has relayed many stories to me about the things that Taiwanese people consider to be their pets. The fad a couple of years ago was a "fragrance pig" and these were sold at the local night markets (so I was told).

Now back to today's Taipei times, a man has been photographed taking his pet snakes for a walk in the park ( Snakes in the Park ). And to think that Aotearoa does not even allow snakes into this country. Look what Aotearoa is missing out on!!!

I remember many years ago that a Blue Tongue Lizard stopped by our home for a while. It must have liked the mince meat that we fed it. And I even vaguely recall a tortoise but would need Mother Blog to confirm.

I see that The Faerie Queen currently has a cat, but I wonder what other pets she (or her children) may of had???

Till next time, haveagoodone...

Can you Read This???

Over here in Aotearoa they have a brand of cereal called Hubbards and inside it has a pamphlet with some funnies and informational stuff. The one that we opened this morning had something on that caught my fancy. A copy of it is below and have a go if you can read it.



Did you understand what it said? Or more importantly do you agree?

Till next, haveagoodone...

Happy Waitangi Day

Today is a national public holiday in New Zealand to celebrate "the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs signed what is New Zealand’s founding document" (I borrowed this quote from NZ History).

The history and debate over this document continues to this day but I'll leave that for more knowledgeable people to discuss.

Anyway for all Kiwis who read this today, Happy Waitangi Day!!!

Earlier this week, the Doctor and I met up with some friends of ours who have decided to leave the beautiful Aotearoa for a new adventure starting with a place referred to as "over the ditch".

Our friends arrived in Christchurch, as we later found out, around the same time that the Doctor and I did a little over four and half years ago. They had a beautiful house with a stunning view over Governor's Bay and had virtually retired - yet they were not even in their fifties.

Unfortunately the excitement of South Island and its many attractions could not even keep them here. Our friends have decided to see what life in Melbourne is all about, then after a few months there they are off of their trip around the world.

Ahh, the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Looks like I need to finish my studies (hopefully within 5 months times) and then the Doctor and I will have some more choices.

Till next time, haveagoodone...

Continuing on the Garden Saga

To continue on with the garden theme from last post, the Rose Bush that sits on our driveway entrance was the next target. For those of you that don't know, I am an avid believer of Feng Shui. Feng Shui literally means "wind and "water" - essentially the earth's forces. The Feng Shui belief that I like to adopt is all about harmonising with the environment around you. To give you a couple of simple examples:

• If you were to walk into a room and it smelled unpleasant, one of the first things you would do is to open the window and air out the room. You are replacing the unpleasant air with the fresh air from outside. The result is that makes you feel happier. This is one example.
  
• In the next scenario, imagine that you are visiting a friend's house and as you enter their lounge you knock your leg on their coffee table because is placed too close to the sofa. The solution would be to move the coffee table away from the sofa.

Now you may argue that this is common sense, and that is exactly what the basics of Feng Shui is about. Getting back to the Rose Bush at my front driveway, this is considered the mouth to our home where all the chi (or known as dragon's breath) enters. The chi should enter as freely as possible. But with a Rose Bush at its entrance, it is literally a thorn in one's side. So the Rose Bush must go, and it will do when the gardener comes next week.

Finally to answer a question from Mother Blog, Feng Shui of one's house is very much a personal interpretation. If you feel happy, contented and it has brought you good fortune, I would say that the Feng Shui of your home is right.

Till next time, haveagoodone.