What a great list for new mothers! Just the things to offer when someone you know has a new baby.

The short web/tv shows made by Daryl Hannah about all sorts of interesting world-wide green goings on are at her site: DH LoveLife. Can’t stop watching these engaging episodes. The next for me to watch is the second gorilla one.

America’s First Lady Mrs. Obama is getting a “kitchen garden” going at the White House. The link is to an article with more details and some of the plants listed. What a lovely simple gesture that could be very powerful.

The illustrated blog ‘Tiny Art Director” was recommended by a lovely woman blogger who says she laughs so much at it that milk comes out of her nose. Tiny Art Director is pictures by an illustrator with the comments his young daughter makes.

In my garden I am newly finding benefits and odours of “Dynamic Lifter” (chook manure) and “Seasol” (Seaweed/soluble?) after a horticultural-trained visitor helped me with some rose pruning and information. The roses are now blooming crazily, and there are certain new smells apparent outside the laundry door where the herbs are.

I have fine tuned my irrigation system a little bit, too. I have new octi-fountain-drippers, and have blocked off some now-misplaced ones (which were wasting water). Also inherited a 1500l water tank which needs some good thinking as to placement and plumbing. Planted a cherry/strawberry guava tree (between the pair of peaches and the left orange). I love planting trees.

Thanks for reading, take care of you,
Meg

I am skipping with excitement and completely chuffed, pleased & tickled pink!

My artcards are in Naomi’s IttyBiz gift guide! Thank you Naomi & Jamie Dunford for including me in your cool Gift Guide. Buy from small businesses!

I appreciate Seth Godin saying in his holiday shopping guide: “Buy handmade items from people you like”. My ArtCards are not there as a link on his short link-list (for each word he has a different link – check it out), but I think the concept is spot on, in this strange financial climate. By the way: when he says “don’t buy gift cards” he means those plastic cards that have a dollar-value at a particular shop.

I like the way you both think. I think the financial swirlery is an opportunity to (amongst other things):

• be more real in any way we can,
• shop at small businesses,
• care for each other, and
• eat well and locally.

That’s just a little list, what else can you think of? Let me know in the comments.
More Seth quoting: Hugs are an underrated substitute.

Keep well,
Meg

Didn’t want to bore you with weight loss posts, so have started another blog: “Reclaiming sanity around weight loss and maintenance”. Check it out if it’s relevant to you. It’s pretty rough – no theme yet, or sorting out of the side bar, or About section, but I have written a very short post! (now a private blog)

Now I am off for a walk in the Spring sunshine. It’s beautiful to feel the warmth after a particularly cold winter. And strangely co-ordinated with the start of September this year.

Take care,
Meg

I have 2 links for you today:

1 A child ambassador talking to adults. I thought she spoke powerfully and was brave.

2  PR guru Paris Hilton also being very smart. The video she is replying to is also linked to at this post (which is by Word-of-Mouth marketing specialists Ben McConnell & Jackie Huba) at the Church of the Customer blog.

I have work in progress to tell you about next time.

Lots of fabulousness to you all,
Meg

9 minutes til midnight, and I have just uploaded my new tangerine epiphany card sales web page with e-junkie buttons, and cart, and the card designs I have available! Go take a look if you like, I’ll wait here.

I am quite chuffed with myself cos I had to troubleshoot the server trying to keep an old copy (with old buttons etc and no link to card page), and I built the buttons in Flash. My next task is to put links into the text so the google spider robots can see them, as with the buttons being within a flash file they wont be able to read them.

I feel like singing the praises of the (also fabulous) e-junkie. It’s like the egg whites in a pavlova, almost magical!

Hope you have a fabulous day (or night depending on your location),
Thanks for your visit,
Meg

My bokashi (indoor Japanese compost) buckets are working I believe. They smell sweet, have no insects buzzing around them, and I got my first bokashi juice to use on the weekend. (This may sound strange but was way exciting for me!) To use as fertiliser it’s a teaspoonful per bucket of water and so I watered in my new seedlings with that mix (previously-mentioned herbs plus 3 rainbow chard); also put some neat down the drain to clear it. That appears to have made a difference as well.

New artwork on the way. Have made progress on my SALA animation. It’s called “Bloom where you’re planted” and is a very short simple film to be projected on a specific wall during a Moving Images walking tour (not til August). I will upload to YouTube once it has been screened at the Festival. Also a “Making Of…” could be an even shorter video for YouTube!

New printmaking coming up! I had a lovely time buying new paints, lino and paper last Friday. The potential of the lovely little tubes of colour (and clean big paper, and fresh new lino) is quite uplifting.

Talking of uplifting: Michael Franti and Spearhead on e-Town! Download the podcast, and try to stop yourself from singing, dancing and clapping along while you run, walk or commute!! (It was an encore performance but I hadn’t heard it before). Loved it. Luckily not too populated where I go running!

July LiveTown performers confirmed. Join the mailing list if you want to get email flyers, otherwise subscribe to the blog. (Mostly relevant for Adelaide locals).

Hope you are having a wonderful time,
Meg (the verbose (today))