@urj123, Cricky!!! I knew you were going to ask that, after I looked at the sample I had that was full strength ha-ha.....AND I re-read you post and you wrote quite clearly 1/4 strength!!! I will return to the store, AGAIN, ha-ha and ask for 1/4 strength. All jokes aside, I think 1/4 will probably be real nice, as I didn't dislike the full strength but too creamy for the ceiling. My daughter actually painted all her ceilings the same colour as her walls with Hog Bristle but all the experts seem to say that a ceiling should be white or at least traditionally its always been white and I like the look of that too. I won't be back in town until next week but I'll keep in touch when I have the sample in my hand. Hubby and I are hay contractors and are at our most busy time being in tractors for many long hours but we are nearing the end and then I can take a breath and turn my focus back onto the home. Actually have 80mtrs of edging or capping tiles around the veranda to do and then the same amount of concreting to do on the 1.8m wide veranda and then we can get the colourbond roof on the house and during the cooler months, we can start to lay the limestone bricks, so there's plenty to do on the home!!! I have photo's attached in an earlier post. Best get to bed, more hay baling to do tomorrow. Cheers, Barbara

Hi Angela, great idea to plant a tree! We lived in Alice Springs for 6 years and found that a couple of shade trees made such a huge difference to our enjoyment of being out in the garden, We loved being outside for breakfast and later in the day/early evening. We noticed that Chinese Elm trees grew well and relatively quickly and we had a fast growing Mullberry tree there too, (although the fruit do stain when you tread on them). Brazilian Peppercorn trees grow very fast there too, but become a huge bush if you don't keep pruning them to the shape you want as they grow. I love that you're planting natives too, as they attracted birds to our garden, along with the trees. Murrayas are a lush green 2-3 metre fast growing shrub which thrive in Alice too. We planted several after realizing they grow there in full sun and/or part shade. They have white flowers with a beautiful perfume.

the whole house needs attention, Me and my youngest daughter with her Three Boys, live together in a Three bedroom one lounge and one toilet / bathroom, yes we are renting, through housing department, yes the rent is convenient as we pay a minimum of a quarter of our income, just need a better laid out house design with the toilet being a separate room with an extra toilet thrown in, in the laundry area, yes we are blessed to have a roof over our heads, we live in NSW, Australia.

So much potential here. Start by buying an interiors magazine eg "inside out". Choose something in a slick modern style in colours you like. Now find a similar colour palette already put together... If you are new to decorating, grab an interiors paint decorating catalogue from bunnings and choose a colour scheme out of it that more or less matches the inpiration magazine pics. Now collect samples of bench tops from kaboodle in bunnings... again use your magazine inspo as a guide for something similar. You can paint the cabinetry with white knight paints..see cherie barber youtube clip on how to. Update tapware to modern black. Curtains ..for starters..try to get off the rack s old sheers from freedom. Black or white or neutral .