OUT WITH THE OLD MAIL SERVICE..........

I wrote about this some time back and now the time has arrived  READ ABOUT IT HERE...CLICK our tiny village no longer has a Post Office..We had all been warned via letters from the Mail Exchange in Town.  We were advised to apply for a Post Office Mail Box OR put up a Mail Box out the front of our homes...Some folks have erected theirs already to the specifications supplied.  They are going to deliver mail around the village...

We have no worries as we have had a mail box in town for years, so that will continue.  I was a frequent user of the Village Post Office.   I have a good relationship with the Postmistress and often enjoyed a yarn.  This will continue as they live out the back of the business, and we will enjoy a coffee or walk together.  I also found it very convenient with e-bay deliveries and internet shopping being delivered so close to home...(up around the corner) 

 A lot of the locals are very annoyed...they will be inconvenienced.  It was so easy to park and pick up their mail on the way home from work.   I am sad that it is finished...but everything moves on, and technology is the prime example of that....leaps and bounds is the order of the day with everything these days..... 

FROM THIS.....
 

TO THIS
AND BACK AGAIN....................GOODBYE POST OFFICE.....

SEE YA!!!


NEW IDEAS.....

While researching on youtube....I came across a mosaic that used formed leaves etc......SLIPPING MY THINKING CAP ON!....more research.  -  Bingo !!! cook-in-oven clay.  Yep that's what I want to have a go at....as I love clay modeling anyhow.  Went to the store in town that has a lot of hobbie stuff.  I really didn't think I would find it in our country town store.... But Yep! I did - saves me shopping on eBay.  and I can get straight into it.

WORK OUT A LAY OUT....REMEMBER THIS IS A TRIAL.....

COOKED LEAVES ETC....

and while at the store I came across Styrofoam stuff in all sorts of shapes.....Another bright Idea forming.....wonder how mosaic will go on that....????

All finished.....and what I learned......
1.     The clay leaves are terrific....can make other shapes....cooks up great.  Interesting addition.
 
2.     Tiles are easy to glue to Styrofoam - placement a bit trickier, but manageable..tweezers help.
                 
 3.     NOW.. grouting :- went as per most other  projects...BUT..because the moisture in the
                          grout is easily sucked-up by the Styrofoam,  it dries out too quickly and needs                                to be sprayed often with water during the curing period....So lesson learned.  

All in all, it was a very successful trial - with random stuff I came across - now if I can just stick tiles on round objects without them slipping and sliding......Thats another trial - and thinking, thinking....researching.......If anyone knows how to do that....please tell me..
SEE YA!

GIVE UP.......

It is getting close to Easter....and now is the time to contemplate one of the big changes I have made.....And why Easter????? - well it will be 12 months since I gave up smoking....yippeeeee!!!!!

I had tried before - like all smokers - even given up for 1 month or two....don't ask why it didn't work then....I cant remember - but like all smokers  excuses, excuses, excuses really don't hold water....now, I did enjoy it especially after a meal or while socialising.  Those were the days when you weren't meant to feel like a criminal because of smoking....even smoked at work (school - can you believe)Then the criminal aspect crept into it - the rules and regulations were being enforced with a vengeance.  No smoking on school grounds.....(kids still did it in the toilets  LOL) but the staff went outside the gate under the "smokers tree" where the friendship and gossip was rife....

O.K. times up and ..........

I have my daughter Gai to thank really - she was home at Easter last year and arrived with this....


She worked with some guys that were using the e-cigarette and were having success.  We had spoken about it on the phoneMy kids had harped on me for years - along with Hubbie (ex-smoker) and I always went outside to smoke in my home as well as where I visited....Now I was retired (wrong time to give up - too  much time on my hands) I think the:- "you can have a puff anytime",  aspect was a help....I still have a puff now & then - but for the most part ciggies are a thing of the past....and in Australia, it is UNLAWFUL to  sell the Nicotine juice stuff you put in them ...Not permitted at all...so you can only get flavored stuff - The law makers are thinking about banning the whole thing - because you can get flavors like bubblegum, coffee etc. etc...and they reckon they will encourage kids to smoke...I, BTW was a menthol smoker.

AND ......I SAVE MONEY.....


So honestly speaking I am glad it is over - It is hard - I still like the smell when someone lights up - I love saving the over $10 per packet (bet they have gone up in the last year) Keeping the hands busy is a great help (hence mosaic) because hands are a part of the habit I reckon.....Good job ME - Great Job GAI....THANK YOU 
 
SEE YA.........

WAY TOO COOL.....

Could not resist taking pic of this unit in supermarket car park.......  

HAVE VAN WILL TRAVEL......

Probably way in the bush.....reminded me of drovers  that were once prevalent on the country roads in drought times....but they had horses......

BLACK GROUTING......

I have been dabbling in different grout colours.....mainly by adding colour to my light grey grout powder....but to be more adventurous, I purchased some black grout powder and away I went..... 

This is my second project.....because I loved the Black grout effect, I made it out of all white tiles.......Before grouting......
AND after grouting.........

This is my first Black grout attempt.....and I liked it so much -  hence the above all white tile, black grout project....



more additions.......

MOSAIC UPDATE...

Well I finally tackled a round object...and!!!!! DAM what a process..there has to be a quicker way..I always cut and glue the pieces on first..OK during the course of this the pieces were sliding away because of the glue...too much? - not enough? ...anyhow I continued, small sections at a time - waiting for the glue to dry and tackling the next bit.....so that took several days....I might mention here - I do have a very limited tolerance level....bit of a bull at a gate style....think about it for some time then BAM into it.....

This mirror was certainly easier to cut and glue......

And I love how it turned out......at present hanging in the courtyard....but I reckon it is a gift with someones name on it.........

Courtyard Mosaic Gallery starting to fill up......

This is the outside of the courtyard.....wonder if Hubbie would notice if I started to hang Mosaics on the outside...????   LOL


SEE YA!....



NEIGHBOURS BURN OFF.....

Hubbie went up-the-road to help neighbour do a yearly paddock burn off......

During the course of this adventure....he ended up in the back of the ute???? being bounced around whilst they did the rounds of the fire perimeter...and Yep! you guessed it he lost his footing/hand grabbing knowledge and  ended up on his back on the floor ....not a good thing.  He actually injured his right knee very badly and is in convalesce mode at the moment.  Of course I suggested "Go to the Dr." and in typical man mode, his reply ...."It's too painful I cant??? So we are rubbing it often with menthol cream hoping to aid his function to be able to walk again without stress.....

I must thank Contessa for finding my blog and actually reading it from the beginning....As I have been very slack in posting of late, her message and comments have given me faith and a spur on to get a giddy-up and do some more.....For my Aussie readers her site is http://www.contessajewall.com and she is currently in a Mexcian holiday park for the winter and writes a great blog, with insight into Mexican eating/ living, all with excellent photos of the colourful lifestyle.....check it out.  

Blogging is a lonely life....you seem to be talking into WWW land with no feedback - or very limited feed back.  You think "what a waste"  of time and effort and out of the blue someone like Contessa comes along and gives you a lift.    I have read other bloggers who go through my feelings and they confess to enjoying the putting together of a blog and posting, that keeps them going.  It does take a lot of effort and concentration doing it - which is a good thing in a way keeps us "oldies" on our toes.....mind and fingers... LOL.  Contessa suggested that I read and comment of others blogs...which I do - and it is mainly in the RV permanent living blogs that I love to read as you get an insight into way of life, country and geography of all the places traveled.  The Mexican bloggers are also extremely interesting.  Maybe in my deep down physic I really want to be them...I reckon that is the answer.  
STAY TUNED FOR MY NEXT STORY  ...USING BLACK GROUT....
YEP! I'M STILL INTO MOSAIC
SEE YA!