Sunday stuff 'n things

Last week there was a girl in the kitchen at work watering a little terrarium she kept on her desk, and I decided I wanted one for my workspace too. I have heaps of room on my desk (it's built for two) and it gets plenty of natural light and sun.  Perfect for a plant, and I like that a terrarium is a little bit out of the ordinary (although less so these days - they seem to be in fashion right now).  

Today I went up the street and bought a medium-sized glass bowl and then dropped into the Glasshaus nursery on Stanley Street to get the stuff to go in it. The woman working in the nursery helped me pick out two succulents and she put a couple of handsful of gravel and potting mix in the bottom of my bowl. Then she asked if I wanted her to plant the succulents for me and I thought, 'Why not? She'll do a better job than I would". 

The nursery has expanded into a old house on the adjoining block and she took my terrarium into the kitchen and put it on the sink to do her thing. The kitchen had a really old set of wooden cupboards (perhaps dating back to the early 1900s?). The cupboards needed a lick of paint, but they had these lovely porcelain door knobs with peacocks on them which were in perfect condition. 

When I got my terrarium home I added the smooth stones Luke brought me back from the beach on the Isle of Wight last September. Here tis: 

I've decided I'm going to make a larger one with ferny-type plants for home. And moss. It has to have moss. I got a bit obsessed with moss when we were in Tasmania. 

Yesterday in Armadale, Luke and I had a look in the Malvern Antique Market. There were a few stalls selling little fancy silver match cases, which reminded me that I had one at home that belonged to my grandfather. Today I dug it out of the desk drawer it's lived in for years. It has the initials CS (Charles Simpson) and the year 1904 engraved on the front, which means it would have belonged to my great grandfather, not my grandfather. It was quite tarnished so I gave it a really good polish and now it looks almost as good as the ones at the market. 

I really should do something with it. It has a little loop on the top so I could wear it around my neck. I could put something it in...but what? If I were a cokehead I could keep my cocaine in it like Sarah Michelle Gellar's character Kathryn in Cruel Intentions, but it's probably a little drastic taking up a drug habit just to make use of the thing. Snuff? See previous comment re cocaine. 

I also have a cigarette case that did belong to my grandfather, which I dug out of a cupboard today. Inside I found the little bluebird bracelet I was given as a baby. Here it is being modelled by My Little Pony:

I finally finished making my belt today (the one that I bought the sewing machine for). Here it is being modelled by a cushion:

The trees in my neighbours' back yards are a picture of autumnal loveliness at the moment.