This weekend

I'm still on that freaking Martha Stewart list, and keep adding to it. Here's what I have left (that I care about):

• Move the geraniums from the front yard into pots for the back garden - after listening to an excellent podcast on digitdownunder I must admit that I have a new fondness for the old-granny-plant. And I'm thinking of combining two tasks by potting them in the old crates we've found around and under the house during the renos.


• Stick some happy wanderer in the ground so I don't have to stare at ugly fencing when I do the laundry - well I haven't got to this yet but I have planted a white and a purple variety on either side of the sunroom at the front of the house in the hope of improving its visual appeal - that's my compromise. Jeff refuses to get rid of it and while I HATE it, the expense is too great when only one wants it to happen (kinda like ivf and having children... oh that's another story). So let's hope the happy wanderers do their job.


• Paint around the windows of the sunroom - I tested the charcoal paint and I think it's a winner. Now, if it would only stop raining. What is this! Isn't there a drought or something?


• The mint chandelier... I just had a brain wave - by combining two tasks again! Plant them in tins with drain holes... yes, that's the plan.


• I also want to make a heap of ceramic magnets with the white stoneware that I brought home from pottery.

Speaking of pottery - I'm afraid that half of the first batch of finished work has turned out to be an ugly disaster. Some photos to serve as a reminder that I must NEVER make pinch pots again. But coiling is ok.

Next week's will be much better. A LOT of pieces being fired this week plus the ones that I'm glazing on Monday. I'm really happy with this first stage. Pottery is turning out to be quite a winner for me...

Wasps in the lime and velvet in my stomach

I tried to get onto the list, I really did, but life got in the way.

Let's see:

• Use the crates we found during the renovations to make some succulent gardens. Nope.
• Stick some happy wanderer in the ground - Nooo - but Jeff agreed to planting it (he's not the biggest fan because of this fence we had that got a tad overgrown with it...)
• Make tins into containers - No but I've saved a tin.
• Move the geraniums from the front yard into pots for the back garden - No but I did compost the veggie garden in preparation of seed sowing.
• Make a mint chandelier - No but I did decide that I'm going to make a mint pot at pottery class for this very purpose. Something saucer-like... like this. It's kinda crap but it's a start.

So what's that? Zero for five. Martha would be very sad, I'm sure.

Hmm. Sure but here's what I did do.Well firstly, my dad the drama queen came bursting in after coffee declaring: "That's it! The lime tree has to be pulled out."

Me, annoyed. It's too early for this crap: "What are you talking about?"

Dad: "It's got those wasp lumps. You'll have to pull it out!"

Well he way almost right. It does have those wasp lumps or, according to my Australian Gardening Encyclopedia, Citrus gall wasps. I know! Sounds terrifying. Looks it too. The wasp lays its eggs in the young stalk and then the swelling occurs as the grubs develop. We caught them early but there were a lot of them. And there isn't a lot you can do to avoid it. Just prune every affected branch before the end of August. Got it!

And then I decided to do a spot of natural fabric dying with rose hips out of the front garden, camellia petals, tea bags and coffee grounds.

Was it worth it? We'll see when the fabric dries.

And finally, I couldn't let the weekend get away without a little bit of Martha. I promised my work some cupcakes tomorrow and here they are. Martha's Red Velvet cupcakes with light cream cheese icing.

So maybe Martha wouldn't be too disappointed, after all.