Author Archives: Jill

I Found a Quilted Heart Project

I found this site by accident last month and I’m so glad I did, as it’s given me time to make some hearts pre Valentine’s Day.

The idea is to make some hearts to leave in various places for random strangers to find. If the finder wants to, they can go to the site and take a photo or just share where they found the heart.

There are just a few rules. No selling, gifting or handing out the hearts or leaving them on private property or in shops etc. They are to be left in public places, such as a parks, hiking trails, noticeboard etc for a stranger to find.

I am very excited about this project and will be leaving mine around the area this week. I hope whoever finds the hearts enjoy them as much as I loved making them.

Spreading the love one heart at a time.

Wasps in my Garden

Wasps are common in Australian gardens and can be quite beneficial in pollinating flowers and controlling insect pests.

They can also deliver quite a sting if disturbed, which I discovered recently when I decided to do a spot of pruning around my jasmine vine which is growing on the side of the cats’ catio.

I didn’t see that there was a wasp’s nest hidden in the leaves. I see it now! Before I realised what was happening, two very angry wasps flew out of the nest, one promptly stung me on my hand, and the other chased me inside the house! It was right behind me and I had to shoo it back outside!

Luckily I was wearing gardening gloves, but even so, the sting was painful for about 20 minutes and by next morning my hand was quite swollen. It was also very itchy, but after applying some cream the itch went away and the swelling disappeared within two days.

Some people are very allergic to wasp and bee stings but now I know that I am not. The nest will probably be active for the rest of the summer, but I am okay with that. Everything has its place in the garden and it just means that I won’t be pruning the jasmine for a few more months.

This is as close as I wanted to get. Normally the nests that I see around the house are small, rounded nests made of clay or mud. This nest consists of layers of papery hexagonal cells and many active wasps.

New Year’s Resolutions, Anyone???

Here we are well into January and I haven’t heard anyone discussing NY resolutions. Have you set any goals for this year?

I’m not into it myself, only because I’m a list writing type of gal and I normally have three going all the time. I find it quite motivating to list and prioritise what I want to achieve, short and long term, and I love when I get to cross off an item. So satisfying!

So a once-a-year list would never work for me.

My lists on the go are shopping, gardening and craft which are all on my phone, giving me instant access. Very important when you actually get to complete something.

If you want to check out the apps, I use “Out of Milk” for shopping and “To Do List” for everything else. Pretty simple. I’m sure there are plenty more, but these ones suit me. For someone who doesn’t have a particularly good memory, it all makes me look quite efficient and keeps me motivated and on track at the same time. That has to be a win-win!