August 10th

A day of trusting instincts and pleasing the senses.

I was instructed last night, that I was to bring Lucy back to the doctors at half nine this morning, as her keytones were high. My first assumption was this was the case because she hadn't eaten anything in three days.  High ketones to me indicated firstly that her body was catabolising protein stores for fuel.  A quick google search confirmed that vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and high ketones *were* indicators for type 1 diabetes.  And yes, a fingerprick blood test would rule it out.  But I felt it an unnecessary trauma for a child who melts down at the mere suggestion of a temperature check, let alone a finger prick test. 

I had also been told to feed her gastrolyte to keep her salts and hydration levels up.  I was obedient up to the point of asking Ben to purchase some on his way home.  But when I looked at the packet to find out what I was about to feed my child, I tossed it aside as soon as I saw the ingredient saccharine.  Fabulous.

"And they did know this was for a child, right?"

"Yep"

I consulted with her father and suggested canceling the appointment to allow her to convalesce some more.  If she was still symptomatic by tomorrow, then we would revisit our options.  My instincts were pleasantly rewarded when I noted the time of her explosive poo (9.10am - about the time we would have been on the road to the doctors) and her subsequent two hour slumber which commenced at 9.25am.

I am incredibly grateful for having introduced a rather distasteful superfood into Lucy's regular diet from an early age.  I think she was about 18 months old.  I called it 'juice'.  She loved it.  She still does (although now she calls it either her "algae drink" or her "fertilizer" - her words!).  It's a probiotic superfood, a complete protein and certified organic.  She has it mostly daily and when she was going through her choice of not eating meat, we compromised that she needed to have a green juice instead.

In Liven was the perfect food for her now.  Probiotics for her gut.  A complete protein.  All the salts her body needed in a whole food form.  And delivered via water.  Perfection.  And so for most of last night and all of today, that's what she's been eating, sorry, drinking.  And not one chuck up.  Yay.  Suck on that gastrolyte.

We have spent most of the day on the couch.  I've become very good at imagination stories about explorer mermaids living under the sea and frogs with no back legs (called frogpoles) that have best friends in dragons and they all meet on a Tuesday night in a circle in the woods, to craft *grin*.  And I've gotten a lot of my cardigan knitted (and learned far too much about TapZoo).

The kittens and cat have left our sides only to eat and toilet, with Jazz being especially snuggly.

And I have very much appreciated my forethought in the placement of my tulips, visible from my spot on the couch.

How beautiful are they?

August 8th

We had far too much of a good time yesterday and really didn't want it to stop.

So we both took the day off work today and continued on with our efforts.

Another trip to the tip, this time for green waste recycling.

The northern end of the front side garden was planted out and the space for the feijoa hedge was cleared.  Oh my.

This is an image of our front garden.  See the garden bed to the right of the shot?  It was our green cutting dumping ground.  Filled with weed seed, brambles, grass, random trees, you name it.  There is also a small section along the fence line at the top of the front side garden too.  Two days ago, it was filled with a struggling maple tree and some kind of fern on steroids.  That thing was huge!  Not to mention a lot of grass and weed seed.  Now, it looks something like this:

 My feijoa hedge.

One of my most treasured childhood memories, is sitting under the biggest feijoa tree I have ever seen (still), in the public domain, with my sisters and friends gorging myself on fallen fruit.  To me, the feijoa is the most divine fruit ever.  A planted a feijoa hedge in my last house, but I barely lived there six months, so I didn't get to enjoy the fruits of my labour.  I actually wanted to dig them up and take them with me.  They were sourced especially at the time and I was delighted to see them readily available for purchase this time round!

When I say my feijoa hedge looks something like this, the only difference from that picture to how it *actually* looks, is the mulch.  

Two cubic meters delivered at 3pm.

We finished up in the garden tonight at half five and it was mostly dark.  So, I'll take a picture tomorrow in the sun and show you.  It really does look quite magnificent.  We still have a driveway filled with mulch... seems my brain is still calculating for acreage properties of my past.  Oops.  I'm sure we'll find a use for it somewhere!

So now, we sit.  And drink tea.  And rest our weary bodies.

It has been a wonderfully enriching and satisfying three days of work in our garden.  I can't wait for the blossoms of spring to burst on our new fruit trees.  The buds are swelling, it won't be long.  We may find time next Saturday to install the pickets, I'm not sure.  I have plans for Sunday, so perhaps Ben will have fun playing with digging tools all by himself.  Something he'll find a true hardship I'm sure *smile*.  The veggie beds are planned to be constructed before the end of October.  I would like to see seedlings in by mid November at the latest.  The soil is really only warm enough by then anyway.  Any earlier really won't make too much difference in growing.

I promised my girl, when I selected the academic school over the "animal" school, that she would have a veggie patch and chooks at home - she didn't need to go to school to enjoy them.  I intend to keep that promise to her.

July 31st

There's just *something* about indulging in new lingerie...

And today's shop was most definitely indulging.  Because, although supportive underwear is oftentimes a necessity, supportive underwear with lace and colour, doesn't *quite* fall into the category of necessity.  My last indulgence of *this* kind, was foreverago.  Back when I considered beautiful lingerie more for showing off than comfort and support.

Turns out, manufacturers have cottoned on that women might want both (they may have cottoned on within the last fifteen years, but that's how long it's been since I was in the market).  And although my definition of *showing off* has changed significantly in the last 15 years or so, I must admit, I do quite like to catch a glimpse of beautiful lacework in my reflection, from time to time.

(image showcasing glimpse of beautiful lacework beneath clothing removed due to reconsideration of maintaining G rating.)