28 January 2008

Spending Money

You remember I was given a Bunnings' voucher for $100 for my birthday...well, I spent it yesterday and had a great time doing so, and now I have extra plants on my patio.

First of all, I roamed around to see what I might like and that took me about an hour. Then I grabbed a trolley and started shopping. First of all I really had to have a new cover for my ironing board. Yes, boring I know, but's one of those new, you beaut, Teflon jobbies that should last for some time.
I made my way out to the garden centre and heaved two 30 litre bags of potting mix onto the trolley, then came the fun bit...what plants do I buy? Well I roamed up and down all the aisles, looked these ones and those ones...ferns? Dunno. Hanging planters with bright flowers? Maybe, sounds nice. Herbs...yep, definitely...parsley, chives, sweet basil and rosemary. I also wanted coriander...I adore coriander, but they didn't have any. I also bought a French lavender plant.


The newly planted herbs and lavender.

I decided I did like the idea of a hanging pot of colour and as I already had a lovely bright pink geranium at home, I thought some more to go with it would be pretty. However, it took me a while to find any and when I did, they were white only. Then, hiding right at the back, voila! a punnet of four plants in various colours. I grabbed it before someone else did and hurried off to find the requisite hanging pot.



The pot of hanging colour, which is outside the kitchen window, so I'll be able to admire it.



I rather thought I'd like something for inside. However, it is hard to grow plants inside here, it gets so hot and the poor things die, but you can do it with the right plant...and I found it. It's a new thing, I can't remember its name, but I think it comes from South America. It thrives on neglect, low light and very little water...it should do very well in my place. We have them at work and they grow into lovely, quite striking plants...so I found a good looking specimen and into the trolley that went.


The mystery indoor plant. It's not seen here, but these have fleshy, dark green lovely glossy leaves and grow fairly quickly...well the ones at work do.

However, I still had some money left on my voucher so I wandered inside again and found an aisle I hadn't been down. Ahah! I've been meaning to get one of these...a folding camp chair to keep in the boot of the car. They are so handy, especially if I go and watch Gabbie and Brooke play netball in the winter...I now have something to sit on. I also got some more ice bricks for my eskies, which I put the chilled and frozen stuff in when I do the weekly shop.

I couldn't wait to get home and plant my purchases, as well as repot some of my other poor plants, which were criminally pot bound. Shameful, I know. Anyway, I had a happy couple of hours planting, repotting and getting absolutely filthy...and thoroughly enjoying myself.

A very happy repotted maidenhair fern

and

below, an equally happy repotted cycad.





Fred and the boys were also outside taking the tent down (it had been up over the holidays for the kids to sleep in occasionally), and I heard Fred say to Scottie, "Give it to Robyn." I could see Scott had a bit of a branch in his hand, a fairly long piece, and on the end of it was a huge huntsman spider. With its legs out, it was the diameter of a saucer and ugly and hairy. Fred found it in the tarpaulin he'd put over the tent one night when it was raining. Needless to say, Scotty has put it in a container to take to school tomorrow.


I suggested to Fred that we have a couple of glasses of wine. Jane wasn't home. They have a couple of Dutch girls, who are travelling around Australia, staying with them and she had taken Kirsten and Ilse to Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's place) for the day. So I made some guacamole and grabbed a packet of crackers and we sat on the patio and chatted while waiting for Jane and the girls to get back, which they did at about 7.30 pm.

I wandered off home, had some cold smoked chicken and salad for dinner and fell into bed at about 8.45, absolutely bushed but pleasantly so, after a lovely day.

16 comments:

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

Robyn, i am off to Illinois in the morning, My mother had to take my dad to the hospital. He is suffering with memory loss and they are trying to find out what is going on. He is 89...I will be off here for a bit

Oh I can make you a Plant hanger. Sandy

Karen said...

That is one of my most favourite ways to spend my time and the ONLY time I enjoy shopping. I can't wait for Summer to be over so I can get out there and get stuck into some gardening and planting. At the moment it's so dry, the ground is like concrete and any new plants wouldn't have a hope in hell of surviving. It feels really great to have a nice productive day like that doesn't it?

Peter said...

I have been known to do that sort of thing too Robyn, but have now decided its quicker and less traumatic to just burn the $100... its all over so much quicker and the result is the same.... for me anyway!!!!

Andree said...

I'm glad you had so much fun spending that money. Now if I could get my hands on some . . . But guess what I'm watching on TV right now? Birds in Australia! It's called the Birds of Oz. Why? I thought Oz was for your precious kitty, but perhaps it is an Australian thing?

Those pink birds you blogged in your yard? I saw hundreds. And the green parakeets people keep in cages. And a baby budgie being eaten by an awful lizard (they always have to break your heart in these shows).

Salted plants, desert, colors of the sand and birds. What a marvelous place.

Andree said...

OK, now my favorite bird: this beautiful white one. They love to twirl around the power lines like gymnasts. And then thirty thousand of them go and rip the canvas tops off of grain storage places. Then they go to vineyards for grapes for dessert. What a fabulous bird life you have!

Merle said...

Dear Robyn ~~ Sounds like a wonderful day to me and I am glad you had a good day ~
even repotting things. You feel good after
doing things like that. Hope they all grow and do well for you. Ignore Peter!!
Thanks for your comments, glad you enjoyed the Blonde Cooking Ideas. I wouldn't start with the Chocolate Moose. Take care,
Love, Merle.

Pear tree cottage! said...

Robyn, OMGOSH! you got all that from the one $100.00 dollar voucher that is fantastic - I must shop were you shop!! from now on.

What a wonderful time you had choosing your bounty of goods.

If I could send you some coriander seeds I would, ours has just seeded and so very soon they will all shoot up to new plants it is such fun waiting!

Thank you for visiting me I did have a lovely time looking into every! antique dealers tend I truly did! (smiles)

Lee-ann

Gledwood said...

You did exactly what I would do with the plants... if I got the opportunity; 1st thing I would plant would be a herb garden!

Jeanette said...

Hi Robyn.. Wow the $100. went along way, you purchased quite an array of plants..Jan

Liz Hinds said...

What a great day! How lovely to have 'money' that you HAVE to spend. And it sounds like you spent it wisely.

CRIZ LAI said...

Hmm..I can see that you have the green fingers too. The mystery plant originated from South Africa is called Crassula ovata (Jade Plant, Friendship Plant, Money Plant) or "Jin Qian Shu /金錢樹" in Chinese meaning "Gold Coin Tree". The Chinese believed that this plant will bring lots of luck and prosperity into the home.

Normally, they will tie eight little red ribbons around the branches of the plant. "8" or "Fatt" is an auspicious number meaning prosperity in Chinese. If you are lucky enough, you might get it to bloom small white/pink star-like flowers.

Good Luck :)

Walker said...

You have a fun and busy day.
Isn't playing in the dirt fun and relaxing even though it can be alot of work.

I was looking to buy one of those ferns last month but put it off for now.
My plants are my hobby and in the winter i have as many as 60 inthe house.
Which reminds me I need a bigger house lol

Mountain Mama said...

Your new plants are so pretty. I can't wait until Spring comes and I can shop for some 'color' too.
I have to say the thought of a spider the size of a saucer really sounds horrifying. Are they poisonous?

Unknown said...

What wonderful ways to spend a day!

Gledwood said...

I hope the herbs are sprouting along nicely...

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Hey I got sent this ~ ♥ ~ with instructions to pass it around and to ask you to pass it around ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ as much as you please or can...

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Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great day, Robyn! Hey a day with $100 to spend is always great.

I long to see green outside again, but there's still another 6 weeks of winter to go. Hey I love coriander too, I'd put it in everything I eat if I could. Last fall, I collected the seed of the coriander in the back and it looked exactly like what they have on the spice rack. Have you ever tried just planting coriander seeds from the spice rack? I think I'll try it this year, if this winter finally ever ends!