LOCKDOWN LEVEL 4 TAKE 2 So here we are again, Staying Home and Staying Safe but for me this time I like to say Staying Home and Staying Sane! Don’t get me wrong, I love my home, I am a homebody, but when staying home is a must and not a maybe I struggle. One thing I noticed (as I languished in all this T I M E) is how much my plants have grown, not only in Garden
Lockdown Level 4 Take 2
LOCKDOWN LEVEL 4 TAKE 2 So here we are again, Staying Home and Staying Safe but for me this time I like to say Staying Home and Staying Sane! Don’t get me wrong, I love my home, I am a homebody, but when staying home is a must and not a maybe I struggle. One thing I noticed (as I languished in all this T I M E) is how much my plants have grown, not only in 
The Last Renovation
THE LAST RENOVATION Here at My Little House we are no strangers to renovations and the upheaval they bring. We have lived through winters without walls, and microwave dinners for weeks on end, but I have to say adding a pool was most probably the worst project of all. It shouldn’t have been, its outside and it was summer. What could go wrong? Well, the start date got pushed from early January to mid-February, the hole was dug, How to bring Nature Indoors
HOW TO BRING NATURE INDOORS I recently wrote a blog for Flooring Xtra with tips on How to Create a Great First Impression. The message I tried to bestow is that if you keep your home guest-worthy all the time you will be doing yourself and your family a huge favour too, and its not that hard; take a peek over here to see how. One of the points I made was to bring a little nature indoors. Summer Entertaining
SUMMER ENTERTAINING There is something about summer that we New Zealanders embrace, not the muggy heat, not the mozzies and certainly not the unpredictable weather, but we throw off those BBQ covers and get inviting. Subtle and simple, we don’t possess any airs and graces its merely a casual “pop over and we will throw something on the barbie”. Well, I do have a little problem with that, not the simplicity, not the food itself and not the spontaneity, Winter Flowers and Wandering Thoughts
Winter. The garden looks barren apart from these Winter Roses. Helleborus. I had forgotten I had planted them. It must have been a chance thing because I really know nothing about the gardening, I usually get it all wrong, over planting in haste looking for an instant garden, ending up with an overcrowded mess. Yet there they were, perfect amongst the mulch laid by my husband who knows a fraction more than I! There must be a time we Outdoors is the new Indoors
OUTDOORS IS THE NEW INDOORS There is no denying the trend of outdoor rooms. I used to wonder why – I mean you are either in or out aren’t you? Well I guess that’s a question for Mother Nature because in Summer its far too hot, Autumn, well its just too windy, Winter, way too cold and Spring, well Spring might just allow a few outdoor festivities, though its way too unpredictable to plan ahead! I remember when an
Farewell Summer
FAREWELL SUMMER At the close of every summer, someone in our community has a little party. It’s a tradition and this year I’ve taken on the challenge with an afternoon tea. I’ve cut the last of the roses and stuffed them in glass vessels with whatever else I can find in the garden. The season is changing and there is little colour left. I finally resort to the herb garden, and beyond – the roadside gives me classic daisies Its that time; feijoa time!
ITS THAT TIME; FEIJOA TIME Feijoas! Those little oval green gems are usually in abundance about now. We don’t have any trees at my little house but the area I live in believes in sharing their excess fare so I’ve picked up a bag which I am happy to enjoy with just a spoon as nature intended. They are not as big and perfect as those supermarket ones but they are organic! I think I will be freezing some to use The elusive Fiddle Leaf Fig
THE ELUSIVE FIDDLE LEAF FIG The Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata) is a species of fig and native to Africa, its usually grown outdoors but in more temperate climates it has been cultivated as a house plant and a fairly beautiful one at that. It is literally taking the world by storm; you will find it all over Pinterest, in Home Design Blogs and Magazines. In NZ its a little elusive; sometimes its there and sometimes its not Saving Strawberries
I bought six strawberry plants a few weeks back for a styling job. I didn’t really expect them to survive the four weeks they were required to live inside but they did. When I picked them up they were looking a little worse for wear but were hanging on! I left them in their gorgeous Ikea Bittergurka hanging planter in my scullery and promptly forgot about them. Looking up today I see they have drooped a little more,