Hammock Garden

I've been trolling through old photo's of the garden and found some with our hammock.  Yes we have a hammock garden .. a place where we can rest, relax and reflect on whatever it is that you want to reflect on.

We've always had a hammock since our first home and enjoyed the thought of laying outside under a tree listening to natures best, reading a book and probably falling asleep.

When it came time to move into our second home, there was no place for a hammock.  That home had everything you could possibly want ... crammed into a 680 m2 section with an outdoor pool.  No trees to swing from, so a mattress on the courtyard with lots of pillows was the answer.

Enter the Ponderosa ... hammock paradise - it really was!!!  We just had to decide where to put it which didn't take long at all.  

The beginning ... the pooch lazing in the sun while my husband reads a book in the hammock

Add a small rustic cable reel to rest those essentials such as a glass or book

Add a bigger cable reel for an additional sitting area

I'm really happy with this garden.  It has a wonderful outlook onto the paddocks and rose garden.  The table provides a wonderful resting area for afternoon refreshments, and kids just love to hop in the hammock and have a play around.

In future I do envisage adding more plantings to the garden itself and some lighting in the trees for a little ambiance so watch this space.

Happy living people!!

Front Porch - Summer Time

I read somewhere that it's important to dress or decorate your outside living spaces as well as your indoor ones so I thought with such lovely weather we've experience over the last couple of days, I'd do exactly that during the weekend.  Dress the porch in time for summer.

With the help of my beautiful grandmother, I potted some petunia's for added colour - still in the pots I painted last summer.  They have weathered a little, but that all adds to the character I think.

I've replaced some colour with some fresh herbs such as parsley, coriander and mint to help with the demand from the kitchen/bbq during summer and added some old jars to house the xmas lights that will add ambiance during the summer months.

The revamped old bench seat and patio furniture are still looking good and offer different options to sit, relax and reflect.

I am very excited about the new additon of the old timber jack my husband inherited which sits proudly up against the old homestead and the vintage sieve that hangs above it. They are a gentle reminder of how life must've been many years ago when they were the cutting edge of technology.

There are still a few things left to do to get the ponderosa ready for the xmas holidays and summer weather, but I'm really happy with the results of one afternoons work.

Happy living people.

What Can You Do With A Cable Reel

One afternoon I picked up my husband for lunch and saw an old cable reel lying in a "dump site" at the factory.  I casually asked him if he could bring it home.  In my head, I wanted to create different living spaces around the ponderosa.  A few days later, it arrived home, which I was delighted with!!!

But it didn't end there.  A few days later, another arrived, then another until I finally had five in total, all different sizes.

Hmmm, 5?  All in different sizes?  Wow!!!  I got to planning the first living space under a wonderful oak tree which forms part of the "hammock" garden.  Of course I had to move three of the reels in and out of the area to see which one suits.  I decided on the second largest and used two old outdoor chairs that I've had with me for a long time.

I did think of painting the chairs and/or the reel, but decided to leave them in the raw form.  The reel itself can house four chairs nicely and numerous times over the long hot summer, we have sat under the tree and enjoyed a cool beverage.

One day I stumbled over a use for the smallest of the cable reels which occurred when my husband was in the hammock reading his book and he wanted something to place his glass on.  Enter the small reel.

My husband in the hammock with our lovely little foxy Bruno enjoying the shade

 I decided to jazz the reel up with some potted colour to add a different dimension for the garden itself.

I do envisage some outdoor lighting above the reel table to add another dimension, but now it's autumn I'm thinking I'll wait until spring to revisit this garden/living space again.

As for the other two reels?  One is being temporarily used by my husband to house his building tools during our big shed project, and the other is casually sitting in the back paddock by the fire bin.  This one provides a lovely sitting space while we burn our rubbish on the weekend and look out at the chooks and the sheilas eating in the paddocks.  I'm not quite sold on the resting place of this sitting area, but when I am, I'll post another blog.

Have a great night people!!

An Old Bench Gets a Revamp

I can't believe February is nearly over and I'm thoroughly enjoying this beautiful weather we are having.

My husband is busy trying to build a new shed on the ponderosa, so I thought I'd get to revamping an old bench seat that I acquired on trademe over a year ago for less than $100.

The benchseat was looking a little worn, and it should because it has a few years on it.  I thought about sanding it right back and exposing the wood, but decided to go with a vintage green.  It's only paint and my motto is when or if I get sick of the look, then I can simply change it.

Before the make over

Revamped and Revived

With the new bench seat now in place there are a few changes to the porch that are needed until I'm happy with it, so will post the finished result soon.

Happy living people!!

Is New Better Than Old?

 Is new better than old?  That's a question I've been pondering for a while now.  Many people have the view that if you buy something new then it will last.  But will it?  I'm not sold on that philosophy at all.

A few weeks back I enjoyed lunch with my beautiful sister and she asked me to go to view some furniture in a pretty well known shop in town.  A shop I must admit - I LOVE LOVE LOVE! - as their products would definitely suit the homestead on the ponderosa. 

Excited we heading off, however within 5 minutes of arriving, I found my excitment quickly disappearing when the realisation hit me "I'm not paying $350 for that patio furniture, when I can produce something similar for a fraction of the price".  Much to my sisters disgust, she knew I was right and lucky for her that day she didn't see anything in the shop she really wanted, let alone needed.

I went home that afternoon inspired to produce something for the front veranda - A NEW PATIO SET.  Materials, two old chairs I picked up at the 2nd hand shop for $10 (in fact I recieved 4) and an old table that's been with me for at least 10 years.

I got to work sanding back the chairs and preparing them for a new coat of paint - BLACK. (Actually I was indecisive on the colour for at least 30 mins ... black or white or grey?  Aaaah it's only paint and when or if I get sick of the colour I can just simply change it).  

I am so pleased with the finished result and cost less than $40.  So is new better than old?  I'd like to say in this case, it's a bit of both ... what I had was old, but what I ended up with is something new.

Happy living guys.

What Do You Do With An Old Drawer

If you've ever wanted to have potted plants outside but didn't have the budget or couldn't find the right style of pot to suit your home.  Try something cheap and vintage by using and old drawer.

I had two that I inherited from another project so I thought I'd give it a go.  I simply, lined the drawers with a plastic rubbish bag so that the potting mix doesn't rot the drawers  (I secured the plastic bag with staples). I filled them with potting mix, then planted some lavender.  That's it!!!   Because I had all the materials, it took less than 30 minutes.  

I did originally think about painting the drawers a different colour, but decided to leave them as they were - a sort of remembrance of the project I inherited them from.  

I'm really happy with the final product.  I'm already thinking about experimenting with different shapes and sizes to place around the Ponderosa.

Happy living people