Thursday, December 30, 2010

Best Christmas Presents ever...

I had a very lucky Christmas considering how appalling our finances are! Dearest husband has been saying that I'm now the man of the house since I got the power tools and he got an IOU for a Fowlers Vacola once we have any money.





















I've wanted a Dremel for years to do, you know, all sorts of things! Most of 'em art-related, too. This one came with no fewer than 40 attachments! I'm still working out what some of them are, but I can tell you that the battery is charged and I'm poised for action. Well actually I'm poised over a keyboard but my inner power-tool-woman is poised for action.

I've also wanted the books for ages although I didn't appreciate I'd have to think hard when reading them! I've started... not sure when I'll finish.

But meanwhile I HAVE to tell you about our best ever Christmas present!















A couple of months' ago I think I mentioned that dearest husband had created a small herb & salad patch in the wasteland out the back of our new house. We have a long-term vision of "proper" beds and a paved sitting area and lots of luscious things in pots creating a sort of jungle out there... but for now besa blocks and trampelled dirt will have to do. The herb & salad patch has been very successful and we've had lettuce, rocket, dill, oregano, garlic chives, sorrel, parsley, basil and celery already with an aubergine, chilli peppers and various other things in progress.

Anyway, the other day I headed off with darling daughter to a friend's house to do some silk painting while dearest husband was called into school to sort out some IT problems. While we were out the elves visited and we found...













the original bed had been extended at either end and...













an entire extra bed had been added to the end! Roughly where the rake is in the photo the spade had been left in the soil next to a sign that said "in emergency dig here" which is a reference to the packet of biscuits I left in our car when we loaned it to Elsbeth and Linda recently with a note saying "in emergency eat me". Under the soil was a small plastic box containing ginger biscuits, tea bags and a note with Elsbeth and Linda's telephone number. I ate the biscuits (no-one else likes them - or at least, that's my excuse).





















Consequently the original bed has tripled in size! Huge thanks to Elsbeth and Linda for the idea and the hard work, and to Taja, Ruth and Darren for conspiring to get us all out of the house. Subsequently they turned up for Christmas dinner with pots of seedlings and cuttings and so I've planted up the beds with Lebanese cucumbers, various lettuces, carrots, tomatoes and coriander. We are still slightly overwhelmed by the generosity and thought that went into it - it has certainly been the best Christmas present we've had in a few years. Thank you!

7 comments:

ronnie said...

what a great christmas surprise!!!! (the garden that is)

and as for the dremel....wellllllll I picked one up about 18 months ago and I must say its FANTASTIC - 1000 and one uses.... and counting (I bought a special flexible attachment which makes fine work a DREAM) ....next thing I want for it is a little drill press attachment.... then I can accurately drill itty bitty holes in things (I suspect only folk like you and I can appreciate these sort of things in a tool....) I'm sure you'll love love love it like I love mine!

same thing could be said for the garden too really!

xxx

Sara Bowen said...

oooh yes, I want one of those flexi thingies too AND the drill press attachment so that I can drill teeny tiny holes too! Now I've started on Dremel envy and must stop reading the PAGES of accessories you can add to it...

Ampersand Duck said...

Aaahhh... dremel love. I always think about that horrible hole punchy thing at Sturt, and the joy that the Dremel brought ALL of us.

Now you're going to find that every time you go to a hardware store, you'll stand transfixed in front of the little Dremel cabinet that sells all the little bits in individual packets... I bought myself some teeny drill bits (don't forget you'll need the small cuffs to hold them) and I've never regretted it :)

Snippety Gibbet said...

I'm envious of your friendship with such brilliant girls!

Yea for the Dremel! That reminded me. I actually have one too! I had rather forgotten that I had the poor thing.

Ida said...

lovely presents and lovely friends Sarah. i must admit i'm not part of the dremel brigade but all this enthusiasm is a little contagious. i too remeber the dremel at sturt now i think back (memory has definitely gone). i'm sure bill has one lurking in his shed somewhere. might be time for a bit of dremel smuggling. enjoy your gifts. cheers jane

Fiona Dempster said...

I'm a member of the dremel fan club as well- they have so many uses! I love how your friends got you both out of the way and delivered such a gorgeous gift - very special. Sometimes the wonder of the world is just there for the experiencing isn't it? Fabulous!

Carol said...

The garden was a wonderful gift, what great friends you have. Isn't the dremmel the most wonderful thing? I found mine left in the garden, in the rain, by my son, so I snaffled it and told him it was now mine. But it's pretty old so now I want a new one with all the bits and I want to drill teeny tiny holes too. Hmm... that could be a late Christmas present from me to me. Is that greedy?

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