I must be on a garden kick lately. And even though my memories of Oslo are tinged with other things, I did take some beautiful pictures over my times there.
So I'll think about the pictures, and the gardens, and I'll leave it at that.
So I'll think about the pictures, and the gardens, and I'll leave it at that.
Ok, so when there's a frost overnight, and then the day-time temperature stays below zero, and then there's another frost overnight, and then the day-time temperature keeps on keeping on...this magical thing happens: the frost builds up, like sugar or crystals or crushed..or something..
And it is beautiful. And it is called rimfrost. And well, it's actually quite breathtaking.
Although now that I think about it, the whole breathtaking thing may actually be a result of the sub-zero temperature. I'll think about it some more and get back to you.
And it is beautiful. And it is called rimfrost. And well, it's actually quite breathtaking.
Although now that I think about it, the whole breathtaking thing may actually be a result of the sub-zero temperature. I'll think about it some more and get back to you.
It was my birthday last week.
My mother forgot to call. My grandparents didn't call and haven't done for the last three years. I had to call my other grandmother because her birthday is the same day, and obviously trumps mine in martyrdom. My brother sent me a message saying that he'd put my present in the mail, but accidentally sent it sea-mail, so it should arrive by June. And my father told me he would have sent my present but didn't know my address.
Not that I'm bitter or anything.
But I did get some lovely little things, and they are my new favourite things. I have decided.
Mmmn Tiffany...
....mmmmn pretty bow..mmnmnmn...
Thanks Rob...mmmmmnmn yummy smells...
Ooooh pretty Globals.. three pretty Globals...
Thanks Mother and credit card...nmmmnmnmn Globals....
Though these are my new favourite things, and I did also get a big yummy bunch of flowers that smelled good and looked pretty, I hope I get a card or something in the mail tomorrow.
Not that I'm bitter or anything.
My mother forgot to call. My grandparents didn't call and haven't done for the last three years. I had to call my other grandmother because her birthday is the same day, and obviously trumps mine in martyrdom. My brother sent me a message saying that he'd put my present in the mail, but accidentally sent it sea-mail, so it should arrive by June. And my father told me he would have sent my present but didn't know my address.
Not that I'm bitter or anything.
But I did get some lovely little things, and they are my new favourite things. I have decided.
Mmmn Tiffany...
....mmmmn pretty bow..mmnmnmn...
Thanks Rob...mmmmmnmn yummy smells...
Ooooh pretty Globals.. three pretty Globals...
Thanks Mother and credit card...nmmmnmnmn Globals....
Though these are my new favourite things, and I did also get a big yummy bunch of flowers that smelled good and looked pretty, I hope I get a card or something in the mail tomorrow.
Not that I'm bitter or anything.
First invest in some fine looking pots. This will make you feel much more competent, both as a stylish apartment dweller, and as a capable nurturing gardener.
Then, you know.. just take it one step at a time...
And then... give them some sun, but not too much. Give them some water, but not too much. Take them off the coffee table and ground level so they cannot be eaten by small bunnies, and then...just hope for the best...
Then, you know.. just take it one step at a time...
And then... give them some sun, but not too much. Give them some water, but not too much. Take them off the coffee table and ground level so they cannot be eaten by small bunnies, and then...just hope for the best...
Inspirates
container gardening for the brown-thumbed apartment dweller- part un
4/25/2010 04:44:00 pm
I just feel that one cannot be good at everything. For example, I am unable to use the fax machine at work, despite a number of attempts. I also cannot do push-ups (no upper body strength or will power).
Nor can I garden, despite a number of attempts...
Periodically I start to believe that perhaps..this time it will be different, and my visions of a balcony/bedroom/windowsill garden utopia take over completely. I end up in the garden section of Bunnings and KMart, and things get a little bit out of hand. (Sometimes I also start to think that I really can use a fax machine, but that one remains to be proven.)
In my imaginings, my garden is lush and verdant, and yields daily harvests of plump tomatoes, lettuce leaves, juicy peas, etc etc. In reality, one year I killed, in quick succession, three lavender bushes, a gardenia (who knew they need to be re-potted...?), a tomato, chives, parsley, mint (allegedy unkillable...lies!), and....three cacti.
Let me tell you something though.. I have a feeling deep in my nethers: this time it will be different!
Just you wait!
Nor can I garden, despite a number of attempts...
Periodically I start to believe that perhaps..this time it will be different, and my visions of a balcony/bedroom/windowsill garden utopia take over completely. I end up in the garden section of Bunnings and KMart, and things get a little bit out of hand. (Sometimes I also start to think that I really can use a fax machine, but that one remains to be proven.)
In my imaginings, my garden is lush and verdant, and yields daily harvests of plump tomatoes, lettuce leaves, juicy peas, etc etc. In reality, one year I killed, in quick succession, three lavender bushes, a gardenia (who knew they need to be re-potted...?), a tomato, chives, parsley, mint (allegedy unkillable...lies!), and....three cacti.
Let me tell you something though.. I have a feeling deep in my nethers: this time it will be different!
Just you wait!
Firstly, I am devo that Binky hates her little lead. She seemed to have gotten used to her harness, and she looked so effing cute wearing it, but my attempt to get her walking on the lead almost ended very very badly. Very bad.
Not trying that again any time soon.
Secondly, I am devo that I didn't go to the Easter Show this year and watch the bunny show jumping.
Thirdly, as a combination of the above two, I am devo that Binky does not seem amenable to the idea of becoming a show jumping champion.
I just don't think she understands what she's missing.
Not trying that again any time soon.
Secondly, I am devo that I didn't go to the Easter Show this year and watch the bunny show jumping.
Thirdly, as a combination of the above two, I am devo that Binky does not seem amenable to the idea of becoming a show jumping champion.
I just don't think she understands what she's missing.
So we got Binky a little yellow harness....
...she was pretty pissed.
...she was pretty pissed.
To get you up to speed, the mothership and I had been travelling around Scandinavia. It rained a lot. By the time we made it to Copenhagen we had:
But actually, I think..wait...yes..yep...I took a photo once in Copenhagen. It's just here:
It's from the window of the Georg Jensen flagship/museum.
One day soon I'll write a post about my love of things Georg Jensen, and also a funny thing that happened involving my mum and a really really expensive Arne Jacobsen chair. And also a strange conversation we had with a Danish man about the Georg Jensen flagship/museum. Turns out that Danish people don't pronounce "George Jensen" the same way thatnormal other people do.
It makes conversation difficult.
- Ogled some boys in uniform in Stockholm (actually...I think it was mostly me doing the ogles)
- Caught a ferry to Finland, and timed our stay in a youth hostel perfectly to coincide with the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival ('Tuska' Finnish: pain, agony, many sad looking goths in full-length leather and collars)
- Went to Marimekko flagship store in Helsinki. Died a little on the inside.
- Caught a plane to Norway, sat in an airport for 8 hours, took another plane, still ended up in Norway. Went to Bergen, looked at some fjords, looked at some more boys in uniform. It rained a lot.
- Took a train to Oslo. Looked at some boats. Looked at some statues.
- Got on a ferry, and ended up in Denmark. But not like...Copenhagen... or anywhere normal like that..no, Fredrikshavn. They make the boats go there so that the ferry crossing, which really only takes like, half an hour, can last all. night. long.
Bright and early the next morning we arrived in Fredrikshavn, Denmark, where JM again marvelled at the efficiency of Scandinavian border controls. You see, things run so smoothly because said border controls consist mainly of sleepy looking guy drinking coffee, and two customs signs hanging over the exit saying "Nothing to Declare", and, "Items to Declare"...[commentary about Norway-Sweden relations, and Norwegians being sad booze hounds who are continually outsmarted by the Swedes follows]...Where was I? Oh yes, Fredrikshavn. We sat in the station for 2 hours. Very nice station. Nice looking church across the road too.
The train trip to Copenhagen was fairly uneventual: I patted a dog; we saw lots of wind turbines; and the train went through an under-sea tunnel from one Danish island to another, meaning that there were special instructions on the safety onboard card. "Alarm the personnel!" ...Finally, after many trains, ferries and hours spent waiting in Gardemoen Airport along the way, we left Copenhagen to begin our return to Uppsala.
But actually, I think..wait...yes..yep...I took a photo once in Copenhagen. It's just here:
It's from the window of the Georg Jensen flagship/museum.
One day soon I'll write a post about my love of things Georg Jensen, and also a funny thing that happened involving my mum and a really really expensive Arne Jacobsen chair. And also a strange conversation we had with a Danish man about the Georg Jensen flagship/museum. Turns out that Danish people don't pronounce "George Jensen" the same way that
It makes conversation difficult.
Well, it starts out something like this.
From a pile of these...
...comes one of these...
And after a little while, there's some moving and some shaking and what was above, becomes the following...
Those are brief bright days, punctuated by the trimming of stems and the refilling of vases, until... the daisy reaches the end...
...and the end becomes the beginning, and it all starts again.
From a pile of these...
...comes one of these...
And after a little while, there's some moving and some shaking and what was above, becomes the following...
Those are brief bright days, punctuated by the trimming of stems and the refilling of vases, until... the daisy reaches the end...
...and the end becomes the beginning, and it all starts again.
I've been making some more things out of felt and ruffles. I'm thinking of selling these things on Etsy, but I'm worried that no one will buy them and they will languish on my coffee table and I will feel unpopular and it will be like high school all over again.
I do quite like making nice little things out of felt and organza.
It keeps my hands busy while I watch repeats ofThe Bill ... Doctor Who ... dammit...some cool tv shows on iView. Yup..no need to worry about repeating the trauma of high school here...
I do quite like making nice little things out of felt and organza.
It keeps my hands busy while I watch repeats of
Autumn is a beautiful time of year, no matter where you are. The air is chilly, the soil is moist, the leaves are turning, and my nose is runny. At the moment my heart is happy because it feels the horrid summer is nearly over. No more humidity. No more sweaty knee creases. If only it also meant no more stinky people on the train, but one can't win them all, as they say..or something yeah.
Anyway. My heart is singing and all that. Let's talk about three very important things:
Host unlined notebook from Kikki K... I'm not sure how to deal with my Kikki K addiction. Maybe I need to start some kind of a club.. KKA or some such. In any event, I'm loving the current season designs from Kikki and I will be even more loving if I should happen to get something lovely from Kikki for my birthday this year. Nudge. Hint.
Marimekko Kaiku mug without handle, designed by Maija Louekari. Yeah that's right, something from Marimekko...I bet you didn't see that one coming! I'm not really a huge fan of this design in the full-scale print, because it isn't really a graphic print like many of the classic 'mekko designs, rather it's a 2.5 metre repeat of a forest image, and the colours are a bit bright for my liking. Still, in small scale, I sort of...love it...
Cake. Yes. That is all.
Mmmmnn cake.
If cake and Marimekko could be interbred somehow then my life would be..well.. yes... perfect.
Anyway. My heart is singing and all that. Let's talk about three very important things:
- Mushrooms in the chilly Uppsala ground and Kikki K
Host unlined notebook from Kikki K... I'm not sure how to deal with my Kikki K addiction. Maybe I need to start some kind of a club.. KKA or some such. In any event, I'm loving the current season designs from Kikki and I will be even more loving if I should happen to get something lovely from Kikki for my birthday this year. Nudge. Hint.
- Early Autumn foliage and Marimekko
Marimekko Kaiku mug without handle, designed by Maija Louekari. Yeah that's right, something from Marimekko...I bet you didn't see that one coming! I'm not really a huge fan of this design in the full-scale print, because it isn't really a graphic print like many of the classic 'mekko designs, rather it's a 2.5 metre repeat of a forest image, and the colours are a bit bright for my liking. Still, in small scale, I sort of...love it...
- Late Autumn leaves and cake.
Cake. Yes. That is all.
Mmmmnn cake.
If cake and Marimekko could be interbred somehow then my life would be..well.. yes... perfect.
Those bastard Lindt bunnies have been hanging around in my living room for days now, bullying my Binky and enfattening me. It displeases me.
Something had to be done about it.
They had to be put in their place.
Take that, Lindt bunnies! Hah, you're trapped in boxes and packed in paper!
That's right: I'm in charge here!
Something had to be done about it.
They had to be put in their place.
Take that, Lindt bunnies! Hah, you're trapped in boxes and packed in paper!
That's right: I'm in charge here!
Binky stayed at home by herself this weekend. Separation anxiety may have ensued (mine, not hers). I was paranoid that she was going to die, so I got Rob to promise that he would find a shovel and bury her little furry body if the worst had happened when we got home this afternoon.
Nothing happened... She lived. She pooed. She chewed. Etc.
Anyway, recently Binky has discovered the full potential of her back legs and has realised that she can not only take the bunny barrier without even a second look, but also that she can jump up on the bed. She likes jumping on the bed, especially at 7am.
She also likes jumping on the couch, and the coffee table, and now also the blanket box which houses the TV. Soon I think she will be able to jump up on the TV as well, and then my feeble efforts at bunny proofing the house will have been well and truly conquered.
The bunny is in charge here and I am powerless to stop her. She's just too damn cute.
Nothing happened... She lived. She pooed. She chewed. Etc.
Anyway, recently Binky has discovered the full potential of her back legs and has realised that she can not only take the bunny barrier without even a second look, but also that she can jump up on the bed. She likes jumping on the bed, especially at 7am.
She also likes jumping on the couch, and the coffee table, and now also the blanket box which houses the TV. Soon I think she will be able to jump up on the TV as well, and then my feeble efforts at bunny proofing the house will have been well and truly conquered.
The bunny is in charge here and I am powerless to stop her. She's just too damn cute.
