Wednesday 30 August 2017

2 Movies, 2 Bargains and More

Viewing two environmental movies in one week could be somewhat depressing. For me, it just reinforces how we need to keep working away at reducing waste, cleaning up what we can, writing letters to companies and the government and voting wisely.
The first one we saw was A Plastic Ocean. We know the situation is dire, but this has us thinking twice about eating fish because of how much toxin laden plastic they have been found to be eating. 



The second was Al Gore's An Inconvenient Sequel. Some reviews that I have seen called him self promoting and gave this movie lower marks than his first, An Inconvenient Truth, but I admire him. He is a wonderfully passionate speaker and uses his time to draw attention to the environmental crisis.
It's good to see the bigger picture, and some positives in there too.
The current situation in Houston is one more reminder of how furious storms are becoming, and how devastating, as predicted in the movie. We watch the news and feel for the people there. 


On a cheerier note a couple of bargains from op shopping. I won't buy new if I can help it, so when our clock in the bathroom died, we tried to go without, but we both missed it. I decided to visit our local Habitat for Humanity shop (Every Sale Bangs a Nail) and found 2 possible replacements. As they had no batteries in them, I couldn't tell if they worked - but for $2 and$1, I bought them both. Well they both work, although one was so noisy we could hear it ticking all over the house (probably why it had been donated). I set to with some cardboard and wadding to the back of it for sound insulation and now can barely hear it.
Now that I've seen the time - I should be cooking dinner!


My other bargain that I found there was a set of Caran D'Ache soft pastels. I had been wanting to buy pastels for a while, so when I saw this barely touched set for $10 I snaffled them up. Online later I looked up the price of a new set - $266! (They are artist quality)

...And some happy news from the garden - our avocado tree has 35 fruit on it! They are around $3 each here at the moment, so we're very pleased.
Also after several attempts we now have sugar cane growing.
I have been on my 3rd bout of cold and flu, but Derek, bless him, has been working away to clean up our vegetable garden. Today we have picked up a trailer load of compost to top it up, and most of the seeds are in trays in our enclosed outdoor area, already starting to peek through. Roll on Spring. 

6 comments:

  1. What a bargain on the pastels! And how wonderful that they are going to someone who will value them, use them, and likely create something beautiful with them.

    So awesome about the avocado tree! For some reason I've never planted one, I might have to address that!

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    1. I've tried the pastels out already - they're lovely and such a transportable art medium - I'm going to get my $10 worth well and truly. Yes - get an avocado tree. Ours limped along for a few years, but has just taken off. They need shelter and water and fertilizer and you're away.

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  2. Fantastic deals you found! Love how you insulated your clock to deaden the noise. Brilliant!

    I am with you. I watch environmental documentaries because it helps me to stay on my path of green living. Yes, they can be depressing but they help to remind us of why we need to keep on the right path.

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    1. I feel that environmental documentaries should be compulsory viewing. Do you think that would do any good?

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  3. I walk along the beach often and without fail I will finish with plastics in my pockets, often little pieces of things broken down and washed in on the tide. That's just one beach! It's no wonder that's now made it's way into the food chain, via fish, given the amount of the stuff in the oceans. I think it was Dr. David Suzuki who said, "Whatever we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves!" When I watch environmental programs, and think about the scale of the problem, I can feel overwhelmed but then I just go back to doing whatever I can because I think that does make a difference. Meg:)

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    1. That's such a good quote Meg. It's so frustrating that so many people don't get it eh. Thank goodness for the growing numbers of people who do get it.

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