Is it your fault?

Do you use recycled printing paper or does your's come from our precious forests?

Do you think twice about printing?

Do you use both sides of your paper to print on?

Do you use the backs of letters and envelopes for note paper?

Do you recycle your used paper?

Check out this link to a video about logging in the Toolangi Forest.

Rip, rip, woodchip.

That little animal, in the video, is the Leadbeater Possum, faunal emblem of the state of Victoria, Australia.  A government/private enterprise group is destroying the last remaining habitat of this endangered species.

Pull up a pew!

You know that fencing mesh I got 

for the outdoor kitchen?

Look what else I found at the same time!

There is a place up the mountain from here,
in Kinglake, that sells and swaps all manner of things...
furniture, old windows, ornaments,

wood, all sorts of metal bits n pieces....and things

I have no idea what they are or what they are for!

I always pop in...just in case.

I have been thinking I needed a focal point

to draw people from the archway on the drive

along the path I am realigning.

What could be more welcoming than

and old garden bench.

The paint has all but gone, but the wood 

is in surprisingly good condition.

Now I have the problem of preserving it.

I definitely don't want to paint it up to look like new.

Mmmm...   

Do you have any ideas 

how I can accomplish this?

A little bit of footy history at Hazel's

I sourced some interesting trellis 

for the grape vines to grow up on the outdoor kitchen (ODK).

There weren't four rectangular pieces available,

so I went with two of those and a couple of diagonal bits.

I am not sure, but I think it works.

Of course it will look much different with

the vines growing up it in full leaf.

In its previous life, the mesh was balustrading on the steps of the Heatley Stand (opened 1932) at the Carlton Football ground, AKA Princess Park.
The stand was torn down in 2008 to make way for new training and administration facilities for the footy club.

It would be especially sweet if I was a Carlton supporter.

However, I most certainly am not!

Although, I did listen to the game on the radio last night.

Carlton were defeated by the West Coast Eagles

in an extraordinarily long, nail biting final quarter

resulting in a mere 3 point difference.

The old Navy Blues will play no more

in the final series of 2011.

GO THE PIES!

A peek at the ODK

I always imagine it will take less time

than it actually does

to do stuff.

Like the Outdoor Kitchen (ODK)

I have spent all my spare time out there

and it is still far from finished.

But I know a couple of you are keen to see it.

So I 'styled' it a little and took some photos.

It looks a bit like a still life art piece.

The bench and finishing touches needed 

and the pergola at the front needs completion.

 Tomorrow is the last chance 

to join in Winter Wednesday.

Write a post about what you 

have enjoyed about winter and

link it to my post.  

Pop by and leave a comment 

on my post and I will 

put a link up to your blog.

Everyone is welcome...

especially those who have not played before.

Test Results

Well you all did very well in the Creativity Test.

I was very impressed with your ideas

and wish I had several old worm farms

so I could put some of them into practice.

However, this particular worm farm is now a cupboard.

...with a shelf.

I think it will do a handsome job of hiding the ugly
but necessary  items such as the detergent bottle and matches.

Also on the topic of cupboards.

Look what I found today!

A metal corner medicine cupboard.

It has a mirror on the front and the cutest little knob.

I am sure to be able to find a spot for it in the new kitchen.

I also found a sink which I can flush mount

under the bench to conceal as much

stainless steel as possible.

I may even make a lid for the hole so that it is hidden

when not in use.

I bought the sink at a second hand place. 

I wonder why he didn't charge me for this

wonderful rusty darling.

The Cook and I also went back to those old properties today

and collected some wood for trims for the outdoor kitchen.

Do you get the idea that

I am enjoying this project?

Don't forget that tomorrow is 

WINTER WEDNESDAY

Just write a post

about the joys of Winter

and then link with me.

Anyone can join in

even if you haven't before.

But do come and play...

there are only a couple

of Wednesdays left!

Creativity test

What possible use could I make of

my mother's old worm farm?

ODK - progress report

From this....

to this....

The outdoor kitchen 

is coming along!

Check out this 'cupboard' which is sporting

the old toilet door from the family home.

It stood guard over the dunny for sixty-three years

Now it is hiding something else.....

These same bent nails have held the snib in place

all that time, so I didn't feel the need to 'screw' it up now.

I couldn't resist trialling some 'interior design' ideas.

I will be 'ageing' these pine boards.

We especially chose this plank with the knot holes.

In fact we hit a couple of knots out.

The front part will be a pergola for grapes.

The wood fired pizza oven, which is on the drawing board, will go to the right of the kitchen and a little back...where those poles and the stack of bricks are. The whole area in front of the kitchen will be leveled off and graveled to accommodate the table and chairs.

My dear Great Nephew has moved on 

with his tools and fabulous reaching capacities (he is very tall) 

and the rest is up to us.  

Whadayareckon?

Recycling

Not.much.goes.to.waste.here....

What.the.chickens.dog.cats.and.compost.don't.get.........

Bazza.and.Bubba.finishing.off.some.tree.prunings.

It's raining on my parade!

To be precise, it is raining on my kitchen build!

So much so it has been put off for a week.

On the bright side, that will give me time

to finalize my ideas and make

a detailed plan with measurements.

True beauty has good bones.

So I think I will buy 

some treated pine or hardwood uprights 

to put into the ground.  

They won't be visible when the kitchen is finished...

but will make sure it stands up.

In the mean time come with me

and gloat over all my booty...

See the cupboard doors... and some metal for cladding the outside?
Both made from flattened out tins...so I am recycling the recycled.

The ladders may become shelves or end up in the veggie garden.

There are lots of old bottles in that crate... including a couple of pint milk bottles.

Keep your eye on Mum's old worm farm...it is going to transform.
Can you see that piece of oval metal as a sign?

A Castrol planter and
not one dunny door,
not two dunny doors,
but three dunny doors!
That top one may be a table top I think...
or a bench.

On my mind - recycling

My regular readers will know,

 from these photos, 

what I was up to yesterday 

and what is exercising my grey matter today. 

 If you don't know then click here.

Thank you Rhonda for the this is on my mind concept creating our community of sharing what's on our minds. 

Mernda Saleyards

In search of more inspiration for the outdoor kitchen,

I stopped off at the Mernda Saleyards the other day.

These ceased trading as a 'proper' sale yard in 2005.

From that time till June 2009 it was still operating

as a small animal market each Monday.

Following complaints about animal cruelty 

there were inspections by the RSPCA.

New laws that required more paper work to prevent

and/or track livestock and disease made the market unviable.

The market attracted buyers from a wide range
of cultural backgrounds.

Many of the animals were bought for home butchering

and transported in the boots and back seats of cars.

It saleyards been trading for over 120 years.

You can tell I am coveting some of that timber, can't you?

Isn't the Internet wonderful?

I just found the minutes from a Council Meeting last year

that say the market has a heritage overlay.

 Parts of it will be preserved, with some of the later

parts demolished and used as a local market/farmer's market.

I did have my eye on those little doors, but I will

be a good girl and leave them where they are

for future generations to enjoy.

:-)