House, Garden & Animals

Get your finances in check, grow your own veggies and read about our furry & feathered friends.
Drilling for liquid gold and angels

Drilling for liquid gold and angels

Orange-based CBJ Drilling owners Donna and Bryan Jones are this year’s proud sponsors of the 2023 Angel of the Year award.

Make the most of leaf litter and use it as natural mulch on your garden beds.

Make the most of leaf litter and use it as natural mulch on your garden beds.

How much should you use? It is possible to have too much of a good thing! We recommend around 5cm depth on perennial beds and up to 10cm around trees […]

Christmas Holiday Entertaining Guide

Christmas Holiday Entertaining Guide

For those of us who love to entertain, Christmas can be a busy time of year. From lunch on Christmas day to festive cocktail parties, preparation is key and will help you navigate the silly season with ease.

Stephanie Hall-Richards: 2023 Garden of the Year

Stephanie Hall-Richards: 2023 Garden of the Year

Molong’s Stephanie Hall-Richards isn’t quite sure how she started gardening in 2016, but she recalls being struck by a no-dig gardening article then which led to her buying a seed catalogue and the rest was history. To this today Stephanie remains a no-dig advocate, growing unique seeds for commercial suppliers and food all year round for her family.

Thumbs up for green thumbs

Thumbs up for green thumbs

Have you ever experienced garden envy? Well, now there is something creative that you can do about it.

Decluttering as Self Care

Decluttering as Self Care

As a mother, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily demands of taking care of your family. Between cooking meals, running errands, working and keeping up with the […]

Donna Jones: Garden of the Year 2022

Donna Jones: Garden of the Year 2022

Donna Jones’s definition of a good garden is something which feeds the family. Luckily, we can all start small and receive just as much joy.

What Veggies Can I Plant Now?

What Veggies Can I Plant Now?

What Veggies Can I Plant Now? This is probably one of the most common questions we’re asked as gardeners, particularly in spring.  We are fortunate to live in a unique […]

Your Spring-Cleaning Checklist, Sorted

Your Spring-Cleaning Checklist, Sorted

With more time spent at home than ever before, it’s a great opportunity to get stuck into spring cleaning and organising projects. From the kitchen to the bedroom, our handy spring-cleaning checklist will have your home spotless!

Decluttering Your House and Mind for Spring

Decluttering Your House and Mind for Spring

Honestly, nothing feels better than waking up to a clean home (unless the kids woke up before you, then it’s back to square one) and Spring is the perfect time […]

Healthy Winter Holiday Fun For The Family

Healthy Winter Holiday Fun For The Family

With winter school holidays underway, it’s a great time to think about fun activities that will keep everyone in the family healthy, active and engaged in learning. Rather than vegetating […]

10 Tips To Prepare Dogs For Winter in Australia

10 Tips To Prepare Dogs For Winter in Australia

The weather has turned cold here in many parts of Australia including the Central West; we are all donning our winter coats and snuggling up inside. Now is the time […]

Top 10 Late Autumn Garden Jobs

Top 10 Late Autumn Garden Jobs

We truly are lucky to live in a proper four seasons climate and Autumn really is one of the most spectacular. Gorgeous days of sunshine, cooling nights, falling leaves of […]

A Pet Owner’s Guide To Maintaining A Lush Lawn

A Pet Owner’s Guide To Maintaining A Lush Lawn

Wear and tear, digging and urine burn are common problems that some lawns just can’t handle. Here are some quick fixes to make both your lawn and pet happy.

Soft Lawns For Soft Feet

Soft Lawns For Soft Feet

It’s surprisingly simple to turn your lawn from a pain in the neck to a delight for the feet. Here are three tips to get your lawn looking and feeling great!

Keeping Our Animals Safe In Summer

Keeping Our Animals Safe In Summer

Summer is upon us, and this means taking some extra precautions to keep our beloved animals safe. Walk your dogs early in the morning or late at night to prevent […]

8 Tips For Happy Dogs At Christmas

8 Tips For Happy Dogs At Christmas

Another year is nearly over and Christmas is just around the corner. Lots of planning goes into Christmas Day and it’s a good idea to plan ahead for our dogs […]

Dogs And Snakes

Dogs And Snakes

Spring means snake breeding season so we are more likely to see snakes out and about at this time of year. We have had a bountiful winter in the Central […]

Trash or Treasure? How To Deal With Inherited And Sentimental Clutter

Trash or Treasure? How To Deal With Inherited And Sentimental Clutter

Wondering how to approach all those generously gifted and inherited items? My top tips for when you are left with much more than fond memories.

Maximise Your Vegetable Garden Space With Styrofoam Containers

Maximise Your Vegetable Garden Space With Styrofoam Containers

if you are having a few logistical issues trying to get your veggies growing or are slightly over enthusiastic with your planting like myself you might find the solution with recycled styrofoam boxes.

Surviving A Snap Winter Lockdown With The Kids – Creative Activities For Kids

Surviving A Snap Winter Lockdown With The Kids – Creative Activities For Kids

During lockdown are you looking for creative ideas to get them into the garden and off screens…at least for a bit? We’ve been lucky to have been living in a […]

How To Grow Butternut Pumpkins In The Central West

How To Grow Butternut Pumpkins In The Central West

Have you tried growing butternut pumpkins? Last Summer, my three year old daughter and I tried our hand at growing pumpkins. In Spring, we planted them out, waited all the […]

To BNB Or Not To BNB? Where Do You Start?

To BNB Or Not To BNB? Where Do You Start?

Not sure where to start when fitting our your BNB? Some top tips to help you get started.

Paul Bangay Garden Tour, Visit To Stonefields

Paul Bangay Garden Tour, Visit To Stonefields

Are you a garden enthusiast? If so, this is a must-do experience! Wow, what can I say about Paul Bungay’s, Stonefields…almost lost for words except that it was amazing and […]

Decluttering – The Science Behind Getting SORTED!

Decluttering – The Science Behind Getting SORTED!

It is not uncommon for our clients to tell us how being more organised in their homes by using phrases such as “Life Changing” or “Incredible difference” or “I feel so much clarity”. Anecdotally I know that a good tidy up or declutter makes me feel so much better – but is there any scientific evidence behind this feeling?

Autumn Gardens, Central West, NSW

Autumn Gardens, Central West, NSW

It’s Autumn and a colourful season to enjoy your garden. If you haven’t established your garden yet, here are some great tips from a local who has been working on […]

Landscape design – Digging Deep and getting the ground work right

Landscape design – Digging Deep and getting the ground work right

My kids realised pretty early on in their lives that I was the “20 questions Mum”.  In fact they warn their friends before meeting me for the first time! I […]

How-To Create A Home Music Studio

How-To Create A Home Music Studio

Attempting to preserve my sanity, I installed a studio for drum practice!

The Kitchen Garden – A Simple Guide To Making Your Own Compost

The Kitchen Garden – A Simple Guide To Making Your Own Compost

Compost is gold in the garden… Better yet, it’s super easy to make, the whole family can be involved and it’s the ultimate in recycling. You can feel good about […]

Puppy Training With The Dog Lady

Puppy Training With The Dog Lady

When to Puppy Train? Many families have introduced puppies into their loving home during 2020. Though, how do you teach your puppy the right behaviours? There are three main reasons […]

Get Your Garden Summer Ready

Get Your Garden Summer Ready

The cicadas are emerging from the ground, the daily temperatures are steadily rising, Christmas carols are playing in the shops…summer is well and truly on its way. Now is the […]

The Edible Garden – Tomatoes To Table With Recipe

The Edible Garden – Tomatoes To Table With Recipe

Tomato seedlings like a sunny position with protection from strong winds. Prepare the soil by digging in some good quality organic matter. Plant spacing will depend on the variety. Once […]

How You Can Create A Stylish Home, Even When You Have Little People

How You Can Create A Stylish Home, Even When You Have Little People

Just because you have children doesn’t mean your sense of style is dead and buried. But, it does present a new set of issues. So, how do you create a stylish home that is both beautiful and spagbol friendly?

Healthy Dog Needs with The Dog Lady

Healthy Dog Needs with The Dog Lady

Looking after our dogs to be the happiest they can be is important, but it’s not always easy to understand how. Learn types of enrichment you can implement into your […]

Who is the dog lady?

Who is the dog lady?

After a surge in the number of animal adoptions and puppies being brought into new homes this year since Covid-19, these furry friends settled into homes where there was someone […]

7 House Styling Tips When Preparing Your Home For Sale

7 House Styling Tips When Preparing Your Home For Sale

Styling your property for sale is almost a given in this day and age. Not only does it help create a great first impression, but it improves the appeal of […]

Raised garden beds – Starting from scratch….

Raised garden beds – Starting from scratch….

Just a quick disclaimer… I am not a trained gardener. I am not a horticulturalist. I just wanted my very own kitchen garden, so read endless books, blogs and words […]