Changing up a Few Things

It's official - this has been our wettest winter in 68 years! 
Today our replacement outdoor window curtain is coming - hooray! One of the big storms we had blew it out and it broke the acrylic roof and gutter on our outdoor living area.

Open, but chilly

We have so noticed the difference in not having it...we use that area for casual lunching - even in winter; the dog has his bed in there; I raise seeds in there, and we even get the washing dry in there over winter, plus it adds to the warmth of our house.

These little beauties will be happy for a bit of extra warmth

While that all doesn't sound very glamorous, it can be quickly tidied to entertain too.
The huge screens are (unfortunately) plastic, so we asked what they would be doing with the old ones - and they have said we can have them back, so I intend to make cloches for the garden out of them.

Moisturiser

As I run out of bought consumables I try to see if I can make them myself, using no chemicals and reducing packaging as much as possible. I have some recipes for moisturiser, but before making them up I thought I would just try using jojoba oil, as I have read about other people doing this.

my new moisturiser

What a pleasant surprise! Just a couple of drops and it's light enough that it isn't oily on the skin, and I can even wear it under make up. It's neutral enough that males could happily use it too. I'm going to be introducing it to my family members to see what they think, and I'm not bothering to make any other facial moisturiser. I got mine from soapcraft.co.nz for $25 for 250 mls. It's organic.

Changing up

One of the changes I've made from consumables is this...

Gone from plastic disposable to safety razor. This little one, which I bought online for about $30, comes apart and fits in a little travel case. It is a little bit of a trick to shave with though, I find I have to get it at just the right angle - in fact I might give the company some feedback and try to get a better model, as generally safety razors are supposed to work really well.

12 Months of Not Buying Clothes

It's almost up - only 3 weeks to go, and I really need to buy something. Our band will be playing at a glamorous Great Gatsby themed birthday bash, and I just don't have anything appropriate for a 1920's style entertainer. I'm going to start looking in the costume hire places, but I don't want some tacky, fake costume looking dress, so it might have to be vintage if I can find one, or something I make myself.

I rather fancy something like this.
Watch this space. Fortunately I have a month or so to get it sorted.