Simple home, lemonade and Spock

Its been a cloudy few days here at the ONC. Days like these keep me hoping it would rain but, as usual, it doesn't. Normally days like these get me down but I'm finding that this time round its not getting to me like it used to.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am really loving sitting in my home at the moment. As I'm nearing the end of my "house to home" project, I'm finding myself feeling truly content in my home. I have a home with no clutter. Everything I own, I use - and I use most of it regularly. For the first time in my life I have no items in the house gathering dust year after year because I'm not using it.

Its not perfect. I don't have certain "standard" things one would find in many other homes - but I'm finding that I am able to make do with what I do have. I know its an unusual home. Almost everything I have I acquired second-hand. But I love the fact that every piece in my home has a story.

Flowers from the garden, vase a gift from a friend, found the doily at the side of the road all scrunched up and dirty - hand-washed, ironed and discovered how beautiful it was, table given to me by a friend - I sanded and stained it and its like new again.

Speaking of the weather and my home, there has been a remarkable change in my garden. One of the effects of *my* climate change and its resulting water restrictions is that many of the plants in my garden have died. But something amazing has happened. The lemon tree that used to bear one or two little lemons a year suddenly has a *huge* amount of lemons!

View of my lemon tree from a 2nd story window

I've already given a whole bag away at work, another large bag to my neighbours and family but as you can see I still have a whole heap left.

Today, I made lemonade for the first time using the following recipe:

Homemade Lemonade

7 heaped tablespoons of honey
100mls of water
Juice from 4 lemons - about 200 mls
soda water



Heat honey and water until honey is all melted into the water. Leave to cool. Pour lemon juice into jug, top up with soda water, add honey water. Chill in fridge.

So now I'm sitting here in my living room, drinking my lemonade and reading Star Trek its apt that I would come across this quote from Spock:

It is curious how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want.

As so true Mr Spock, but I'm glad that this time round, I have managed to obtain what I *do* want.

Dif-tor heh smusma - Live long and prosper.