wideblueyarn

A Pause

2008-09-30T12:45:00.000+10:00

Apologies for the quietness of the blog recently. Even when I’ve posted my heart hasn’t been in it. I think I’m going to take a little break…a few weeks or so.
Everything is overwhelming at the moment, boxes, house stuff, moving and adjusting. There are so many ideas, directions, people and tasks that are clamouring for my attention that it’s hard to know where to start. I need to stop, regroup and prioritize, as well as have a think about the blog and its direction.

SO….I hope everyone enjoys the next few weeks and I will be back soon, bright, shiny and raring to blog again!

Hay Ewe!

2008-09-23T09:17:00.001+10:00

In addition to improving the quality of the soil in our garden we had decided we needed some mulch as well. Preferably straw which is light, insulating and can be dug in to the soil as it composts down.

After an exhaustive and fruitless search of the Internet ebay produced results and for a nominal amount and a bit of a drive the straw bales would be ours.

Sunday was an early start, we borrowed a Ute and a trailer and headed up towards Bendigo. The day was sunny, the sky blue and wildlife out in force. We saw horses and sheep and cows of course but also many parrots, three very fat Kookaburra's and an echidna crossing the road as fast as his little legs would take him! (moving too quick for a photo unfortunately). However I did take a few shots during the day.

The open road...

Fields of green.

Fields of yellow!

On the way back some cows were very interested in our trailer load!

More exciting for me was the sheep...because sheep = wool = knitting. Also knew that in Bendigo there is a Woollen Mill although we didn't go there because we were on a mission. Can you see the sheep on the hill?

The long road home
The trailer load

Our Haystack! I keep going outside to look at it!

Dirt, dirt and more dirt

2008-09-22T14:58:00.014+10:00

We had a bit of an adventurous weekend. As recent posts show we’ve been trying to get the veggie garden but one of our main problems has been the quality of the soil. In our absence the garden was badly neglected and in order to improve the soil quality and water retention ability we needed to do something fast.

We looked around and did our research, trying to be frugal at the same time, and we decided that we needed compost....large quantities of compost. After wandering around a number of garden centres....something that I am quite happy to do with or without a reason, we were about to purchase a trailer load or two when the grandparents came to the rescue. Gardening is a little beyond them now and their compost heap had been getting out of hand. It's a win-win situation!!
So Saturday was spent shovelling the most lovely loamy compost on to the garden! And the best thing is it was free!!!

The first bed to be composted....you can see the difference between the soils.
A trailer full of dirt

The garden bed after composting, digging and raking.
Carrots!! I'd bought a punnet of carrot seedlings not so long ago and when the bed was ready I was able to put them out. All 87 of them!!!!!!!!! eek
Of course that wasn't the only adventure we had this weekend.....stay tuned!

Argh me hearties

2008-09-19T15:49:00.006+10:00

well I don't often post twice on the same day but I just had to share this bit of info....today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day!!

And in honor of the occasion I shall share my favorite joke in the world, which just happens to be about pirates.

Q. Why are pirates called pirates?

A. Because they Argh!

hehehe never fails to make me giggle!

Seedlings

2008-09-19T08:38:00.001+10:00

Wow it's been a week of garden posts huh! Well it's what I'm doing at the moment I guess and I am rather excited by the fact that I have my first seedlings (that I have sown) of the season. Blurry but growing and I can see movement in a few other pots so by next week everything should be bursting with life.

Store bought seedlings are coming along nicely too

Pumpkins....

Red Cabbage...
Ruby Chard...
My strawberry runners (Red Gauntlet) have settled into their new homes and are putting out new leaves.And my rhubarb looks equally as happy to be here

Space utilization

2008-09-18T08:34:00.000+10:00

Found this on the weekend and figured it warrented a photo! I know these will grow anywhere but this is a tad ridiculous right! Who'd of thought we'd have to check our guttering for plants!!
Pretty tho. Will have to find a spot in the garden and transplant it.

Fruit trees...my not so secret love

2008-09-17T08:25:00.006+10:00

I love fruit trees. I love the blossom in the spring, I love standing under the trees and pretending it's snowing as the petals fall around me. I love the hum of the bees that are attracted to the flowers and mostly I love that something so beautiful will produce delicious fruit with very little help from me!

Surprise Socks!

2008-09-16T13:49:00.002+10:00

I was very grown up a month or so ago and went through all my WIP's reclassifying some of them as "on hold" and some of them "No, never, what was I thinking". I even restrained myself from starting others I knew I didn't have the time for, what with the billion & ninety boxes I need to unpack etc.

This obviously triggered that part of my brain that is responsible for the levels of craziness my life aspires to and seeing those levels drop dangerously close to normal it has kicked into overdrive. I found myself signing up for the Ravelolympics. I didn't mean to, I sorta didn't want to...but I did it anyway.

To those who are not knitters this is the Knitting equivalent of the Olympics. While the Olympics are on knitters all over the world take part in various knitting events and a whole lot of knitterly fun is had by all.

Having just finished my first ever sock (not pair...just one), decided to take part in the "Sockput". I swore to finish one complete pair of socks before the Olympic flame went out. I seriously doubted my ability to complete one sock let alone two in just over two weeks but what the hey! Socks are small right!

Of course the Olympics are long over now but I was unable to post about the socks until they had reached their new owner. Having just heard that this has happened I am now free to post about it.

Sadly I didn't complete the socks by the time the Olympic flame went out. I was roughly a toe short on the second sock and once the deadline passed (predictably) other things got in the way so it was almost a week after the deadline before they were finished. However they were infinitely better than my first sock which is good since they were a present and also gives me hope that one day I'll be able to do those lovely lacy socks I see all over knitting blog land.

I love the colour,

I love that I finished two of them with little trouble, I love that I got them done inside three weeks, I love that I was able to give my knitting mentor something so special and knitted AND I love that they fitted!!At the finish line I was here, just about to start decreases for the toe. I still don't understand why the leg part of the socks are the same (pattern wise) but they change at the heel. Very odd I reckon.

Close up of colour and pattern

And of course proof that, although I felt they were a wee bit on the small side, they do actually fit!!

Things of gardeny importance

2008-09-15T14:44:00.006+10:00

Well I remembered to use the camera this weekend so there are quite a few photos to document what we got up too.
Below is the area that we have dug up in readiness for the tomatoes. We have had many discussions of late about the garden and in the end we've decided the lawn needs to give way to more productive plants. I guess this is the beginning of that.
The two newest additions to the family....2 rather nice looking blueberry bushes. Blue Rose is the variety. I am assured they are delicious and also prolific croppers.
One of my weaknesses. In the garden it's important to me for plants to have a purpose. Mostly that means food, however this little plants only purpose in life is to produce heavenly scents. It's a Boronia.
One of the staples of my garden. I finally managed to pick up a couple of Lemon Verbena plants. These are vital to my preparations later in the year but I will save the details for then...when it will all become clear.
Can't let a weekend go by without muffins! These are raspberry and white chocolate. They are also almost all gone!

Thursday night

2008-09-12T09:27:00.000+10:00

It’s Thursday night right now…at least in the UK.

Thursday nights are Grey’s Anatomy nights.
Thursday nights are knitting nights.
Thursday nights are girly nights at my friend K’s house.

Thursday nights were great. We’d sit around waiting for Grey’s to start. We’d talk and catch up, we’d knit and talk about knitting and where I’d gone wrong this time. We’d discuss the allotment or bitch about work. We’d crack open a bottle of wine or perhaps just have a cup of tea depending on the mood. There would be laughing and gossip and planning of excursions. There would be knitting lessons, bead talk and the odd foray into crochet. The boys would disappear down the workshop and we’d be left in peace to watch our show, which might not be the most influence show on TV, but contains some great storylines, good acting and some extremely dreamy actors!! Thursday nights were the best nights of the week in the UK.

But in Australia…it’s Friday morning.

Some things I have learnt recently.

2008-09-09T16:12:00.000+10:00

10 things I have learnt while moving back in to our house....

10. Nothing you order and want in a hurry will come in within the promised week.

9. There will always be somewhere you forget to clean.

8. It is best not to touch things that aren't broken (like the pressure valve on the boiler) in case they suddenly break. (ahem)

7. Cutlery multiplies the same way socks disappear.

6. Baking soda cleans just about everything.

5. Even when you have spent what seems like years scrubbing your walls and have taken a layer of paint off you will still find dirty fingerprints. Usually the minute you show someone what a good job you've done.

4. Nothing but nothing removes icky smells from the grout in the bathroom andno matter how many times you scrub the tiles in the end you will rip them up anyway.

3. Allow for the fact that some things will make it through 6 years of storage, being unpacked and washed only to break for no apparent reason when you dry them.

2. Despite the large grossness factor you will regret not taking a before photo of the toilet once you have it shiny and white again, if only to scare people with.

1. If you are looking for something it will be in the first box you look in....but you won't find it till you've looked in all the others.

Spring has Sprung

2008-09-08T07:46:00.002+10:00

Well I’m going to ignore the fact that last week seems to have passed me by. I meant to post I really did but it was a hard slog of a week and somehow blogging just didn’t rate high on the priorities.

This week, however, for the first time in ages I am feeling positive about the house and the move. I can feel us moving forward now, not just treading water in an ocean of bubble wrap! Also now that we have a phone and internet at home things are starting to feel much more normal and the blog should return to its normal levels of mindless drivel soon. The house itself is starting to feel more like home. Sometimes we come in and do a double take as it’s looking very much like it used to. It’s familiar and strange all at once.

The eternal struggle with the boxes continues and as time goes on our ‘stuff’ from the UK draws closer. I am going to have to make an effort this week to get some more things unpacked so we have room when the UK boxes arrive.

We bought some seeds and vegetable plants over the weekend and have started with the planning of “The (veggie) Patch”. Now all I have to do is wait for it to magically dig itself…….but more on that later.

I think that the little bit of sun over the weekend is what is helping with this change in our frame of mind. After two winters the signs of spring are in the air and the way everything seems to be bursting in to life with so much joy is quite contagious.

I managed to take a few photos around the back yard before the camera battery died…..and then another photo before the second battery died. Some things never change!!
Below is a fruit tree.....we planted quite a few before we left. But after 6 years away who knows what survived and what didn't and we no longer remember what sort of fruit it is. It's quite exciting really!

Disappearing act

2008-09-01T10:36:00.006+10:00

Another Monday morning, another spent weekend. And what do I have to show for it? Well….not as much as what I’d hoped for, certainly I didn’t get everything on the to do list done but then my to do lists are rather long and so long as I get the top five done I’m happy.

Saturday started out with a wild search at a local park for a farmers market. We never found it and suspect that the date was wrong on the advertisement, however we did discover that the park had a farm/zoo. There we were, driving along looking for farmers and suddenly there were Emu’s by the side of the road!!! I whipped out the camera and took this….
Well when I say whipped I mean, turned it on only for it to tell me there was no card in it and then I had a fight with my phone camera, which is useless anyway since I can’t download photos from my phone then in desperation I turned on the digital again and lo and behold there was a card in it after all….
While all this was happening the mother and two baby emu’s wandered off so I can’t show you a photo of them. I guess that means I’ll have to go back next weekend!
(the above process is becoming more and more like the norm. Mr Blueyarn now turns the car off whenever I get out to take pictures.)

Sunday was spent at Bunnings. I know we did others stuff…and possibly went other places but all I remember is Bunnings. I think in future I’m just going to check my wallet at the door and tell them to help themselves….what a dangerous place it is! However we were there on a mission as it seems we are missing various household items that we should have. Since the storage unit is now empty of boxes we have to admit the truth.....

The mice have made off with our laundry basket....
the gremlins stole all our pegs...
the pixies have hidden all our coat hangers...
and the ghosts have appropriated our dish washing rack!
Luckily for us Bunnings stock all such items and our household is starting to look normal again!

Just your average weekend

2008-08-29T11:45:00.001+10:00

The weekend is upon us and I can’t believe how excited I am to have two whole days of nothingness.
Of course I’ll be filling the nothingness with a whole mess of stuff. Remember I have a gazillion and ninety boxes to unpack, plus the garden needs to be stared at harshly in the hope it will fix itself, the bathroom needs a good talking to about its personal odour and there are muffins to be baked! I suspect there will be several visits to the hardware store and at least one to the plumbing store. There are several family members that need visiting and Mr Blueyarn has promised me breakfast at the local café.

In amongst all this I am determined to sleep in, go to a market, see a movie and get some beading done!

Just your average relaxing weekend really!!

We are in the Building!

2008-08-27T13:31:00.003+10:00

Yup, you heard right, we are in the building. In fact we have been in the building since Saturday when we (with the help of some wonderful people) managed to transfer just about all our junk from the storage unit to the house in one trip!! it was a site to behold...
Not only are we in the building but we have carved out a small area that is classified normal (read no boxes allowed).
It's spartan, lacking in the personal touches and both the walls and carpet are in need of more cleaning but it's home.

Matter over mind

2008-08-20T21:37:00.005+10:00

I'm busy at a course for work for the rest of the week. It started today and I think it perhaps has something to do with the very large box of fabric I opened Tuesday night that when ever the guy taking the course said "text styles" I heard "textiles"!

I can't wait to set up my very own craft room

No visible movement

2008-08-18T20:57:00.005+10:00

Well despite working our buts off over the weekend and even taking Friday off to get a little extra done we have yet to move into the house.

I think that if we were younger and less exhausted and if mums place didn't have an open fireplace and a large supply of wine we might have made the effort. However the bathroom still smells (despite do everything I can think off including a little angry dance), the doona is
at the dry cleaners and we have (so far) one chair and a beanbag between us!

However, we have some smaller bits of furniture, the bed is screwed together, there are towels in the bathroom half the kitchen stuff is unpacked and about half of that is washed and ready to go and the pantry actually has food in it!!

Plus miracle of all miracles the fridge (that is mum's as mum has ours...very confusing hey wot!) started after 9 years in storage. Ooh they don't make em like they used to!

Opening the boxes has been a little exciting. 6 years is a fairly long time and without realizing it your tastes and opinions undergo subtle (and sometimes not so subtle changes) There's a lot of stuff in storage that I wouldn't buy now and much I would have thrown out over the years had we still been using it. I suspect a giant garage sale is in my not too distant future!

SO things have progressed somewhat...just not as much as we'd hoped and so it will be another week at least before we move back into our house. If I'm grown up and sensible this is for the best. This will give us time to unpack a bit more and get organized, which will make the eventual moving in much smoother.

Now if only I could convince myself that I wanted to be grown up and sensible!!!

More house stuff...

2008-08-18T20:48:00.004+10:00

Finally got a moment to sort out some of the photos we've taken of the house. Things are a little more positive now but every now and then we stop cleaning and look around only to realize just how far we have to go before this place is comfortable and ours again.Above is the backyard. It's in better condition than we thought with the drought and all. A lot overgrown and very neglected but workable. My veggie patch will go in against the far fence I think. Although I'm a great believer of integration so some stuff will go in to the garden with everything else.
This is some roof damage. Three separate leaks in this one spot right above the chimney. We think we may have fixed the leak but repairing the damage is another issue all together.
Lovely!
The gutters or as I prefer to think of them...my rooftop garden
The oven...after 5 goes with "easy off". It's approaching what I would term normal. I wouldn't be happy to have my oven in this state myself but I don't think it's out of the realm of normal now.

What a difference 6 years makes...

2008-08-13T12:26:00.006+10:00

Right well the house....I'm not sure that I really want to go over it all again but I'm sure your all curious so here I go.

We did a walk through the house as soon as we got the keys back last week. It was dusk and there was no electricity but it looked ok. There were issues to be sure but overall the house was still standing. However Saturday morning in the harsh light of day, with our sleeves rolled up and our sponges at the ready things looked a little different.

It took two days of constant scrubbing to get the place somewhere near decent. I'm not discussing the toilet and the oven might need to be replaced because even if we can get it clean I don't think I could bring myself to trust it not to poison me.
Aside from the cleaning there's a leak in the roof, rubbish left everywhere, gutters that have fully grown gum trees sprouting from them, (well almost) dog poo all over the garden and various items missing or damaged, including walls, doors and light fittings.

Cleaning wise I'm sure there are much worse houses out there. I also sure that I've never been inside one of them. We both get that it's a rental and that people don't look after them like they would their own place but I still don't understand how anyone would want to live like that. We fully expected wear and tear, what we didn't expect was the complete lack of care these tenants had, not just for the house or for their own quality of life but also for their kids.

This has been a lesson in just how 'different' people can be.

However we have a choice here. We can stew over the unfairness of it all giving ourselves ulcers and generally being miserable. OR we can roll up our sleeves, hold our noses against the strong doggy smell of the carpet and get on with it!

And we are doing exactly that...getting on with it. We've cleaned till our fingers bled and we are all set to move in this weekend. (bleeding fingers crossed) We've toyed with the idea of painting everything (goodness knows it needs it) before we moved in but quite frankly it's been 6 years since we lived on our own and we just couldn't wait.

Once we get our furniture and belongings in there it should start to feel more like home and I think that's when inspiration for the colour schemes will come.

Can't wait for me to be sitting on my couch in my house watching my TV and knitting my sock!!

Sock-tastic!

2008-08-12T15:59:00.001+10:00

The sock is done! It isn't perfect but it is finished. It is also warmer than my other socks, which is good motivation to start on the other one!

I'd have more/better photos but am still pretty flat out with the house. More info and pics (maybe) of that when I can bring myself to relive the weekend by typing it all out.

But I have my first ever sock!

No more cold ears!

2008-08-08T08:06:00.001+10:00

Apologies for the photos that are less than inspiring however I figured that without photos this was just another post of me saying I'd knitted another beanie (everyone shout YAY!) and you must be sick of them by now. Even with photos I think I'm pushing it but hey...with all that's going on right now your lucky to even get a beanie post!!

Knit on 4mm circulars in Stockinette Stitch (or all knit as it's in the round). The yarn is Cleckheatons Nature Country Spun, colour no.83 (i think) and is a lovely pale mossy green closest to the photo below.

Now my ears are all toasty!

Lilly

2008-08-07T09:00:00.000+10:00

Gorgeous CurlsGraceful Lines

Elegant Hues

'nuff said!

Changing Seasons

2008-08-06T21:20:00.001+10:00

I'm all turned around with the seasons at the moment. One minute I'm about to go into Spring and the next I'm once again at the start of Winter. I should be eating strawberries and picking my veggies now but instead the few seedlings I've managed to grow have gone to seed.

To add to the frustration I can't find a single magazine in Australia that deals with vegetables. And I don't mean a general gardening magazine...there are heaps of them. I mean a dedicated veggie mag like Kitchen Garden or Grow your own. I think I'll have to purchase a book or something just so I can get my head around the seasons in this hemisphere. Especially since I once again have a backyard!

So because I'm feeling nostalgic here are some veggie photos...I grew 'em myself!!

beanszucchini
cheery tomatoeslollo rosso lettucestrawberry

Relief

2008-08-05T21:34:00.002+10:00

As the deadline for the tenants moving out of our house has drawn nearer the stress levels have risen. The fear of the unknown has led to our imaginations painting all sorts of horrible pictures of our house.....dirt, grime, dead rats, strange smells, rotting unidentified objects, the garden a barren wasteland, the house a burnt out shell or simply a pile of rubble with the letterbox hanging sideways off it's post.

A frightening and unrealistic projection that has lead to many a sleepless night and distracted day, however all was revealed today and of course it wasn't half as bad as what we had imagined.

After six years of no maintenance the house wants for some TLC as you'd expect. There are some additional issues we're not best pleased about BUT overall the house is A) still standing and B) almost livable. With some serious elbow grease, some intense airing out and a lot of ongoing handyman type activity we will, once again be able to call it home. (I oversimplify somewhat but you get the idea.)

SO, although we're relieved (I can't tell you how relieved we are) we are still looking at a week or two of extremely hard work of scrubbing and cleaning before we move back into our home. If in the meantime the blogs a little light on, my apologies. I can't type in marigolds.

my first (half) sock

2008-08-04T21:50:00.007+10:00

There's a lot going on in our lives of late and few things are simple or
black and white. However there is one tiny, simple thing that brings me joy and happinesses. My first sock

My first sock is full of tension issues, pattern mis-reads and dropped

stitches.

My first sock has surprise elements like increases and decreases and

even the occasional ladder.BUT my first sock......looks like a (half finished) sock

I love my first sock!

it's coming

2008-08-04T07:55:00.000+10:00

A-ha...the sun was up before I was today...just. Now I know that summer is a while away yet but this is a very good indication that it is coming.

Considering the fact that I've already done winter once this year I am holding on to this ray of hope with the strength and dedication of a knitter at a boxing day yarn sale!

Mosaic

2008-07-31T19:00:00.002+10:00

I've been seeing this around the blog scene recently and, loving the idea of it, I just had to try it for myself. I've listed the titles and photographers below cause I think that's important.

Why don't you try it out for yourself?!?

The Rules....
1. Type your answer to each of the questions into the Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page, pick an image
3. Copy and paste each of the URL's for the images into Mosaic Maker

The Questions....
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. Your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you?
12. Your Flickr name?

My Answers....
(titles and photographers for the above)

Sunrise at Katherine by Morland Smith
Flickr loves Sushi by Drp
Art deco bathroom, Elltham Palace by Whipper_Snapper
Red Source by Chis (archi3d)
Smoking by El sueno de un Mayordorno
Acquarello by Konrad
Iceberg “Isle of the dead” – Antarctic by Blather
Mini pies by bellnad
One would by antimethod
Jonathan Livingston seagull by jalca
Underwater rose by freg
Into the wide blue yonder by your funny uncle

I begin to make some sense

2008-07-30T19:00:00.001+10:00

I finally made it back on to the Sideways Jacket project. I've been distracted by beanies (still am a little!) and beading and all kinds of laziness. The main problem was that I put it on to circulars due to the large amount of stitches (this is knitted sideways y'know) and then couldn't get my head around how to knit it.
I find this happens whenever I have a glass of wine...it interferes with my knitting gene. It had been annoying me for a while as to why I'd done this, clearly stupid thing. I was sure I'd be able to fit the stitches on my straight needles. It might be tight but it was do able and I'd lost valuable knitting time because I'd tried to be clever.

So after giving myself a stern talking to and still not remembering why I'd switched over I finally returned the project to its rightful needles. I put aside any thoughts of being clever ever again and things seemed to progress really well.....right...up...until...Sunday...night!
That's about the time I realized that I'd forgotten to cast on some stitches. 66 of them....yup 66.

You can't fake 66 stitches.
You can't claim it's a personalization of the pattern.
You can't pretend that people wont notice.
You also can't fit another 66 stitches onto already crowded needles.

It was then I remembered why I'd switched to the circulars needles!!

expanding stash

2008-07-29T19:00:00.000+10:00

Yet another beanie has fallen off my needles. This one is plain black and knitted as a work beanie for matt.I've decided the next beanie is for me. I went to see my nephew play football on the weekend and realized that I had never made myself a beanie. And you know what that means.......Cold Ears!!!

Of course you know what else this means......I needed more yarn!! hehehe SO I went out and bought this. The beanie is on my needles as we speak and Mr. Murphy and his law not withstanding I should have photos in a few days!

The Melbourne Quilt and Craft Show

2008-07-27T17:11:00.005+10:00

Well the title kinda gives it away. Saturday was spent in craft heaven as I wandered around the Melbourne Quilt and Craft Show. Friday evening there was a bit of panic as I realized that the tickets hadn't come through on the email as promised (life has been hectic recently, normally I would have picked this up much sooner!) but armed with our confirmation email we had no trouble getting in. In fact the lack of tickets raised not a single eyebrow so I wonder if there hadn't been some issues with the tickets.

Anyway....as soon as we got through the doors we raced to book in for the classes we were wanting to attend. That done we, Sandra (aka mum), Gina & myself, happily wandered up and down the aisles, grabbing a coffee when we got tired and spending money on all manner of crafts!

The show itself was huge with an emphasis on quilting (as the name suggests) but there was a wide variety of other crafts including my favorites, knitting and beading. I have no idea how it compares to other years as this is the first one I've attended but we managed to fill the entire day, arriving before 9am and leaving after 4pm!

I attended a class on the Magic Loop method...or knitting socks on one circular needle and have made some progress
I'm still not sure why I picked that colorway as it contains pink, however it is growing on me! I am rather excited about it all as I've tried socks before several times and had no luck with the DPNs....fingers crossed I can finally get a pair finished!

Aside from the sock class I spent a reasonable amount of money...less than I expected and more than Mr Wideblueyarn would have liked. Which is a nice compromise!
Above is a pic of the haul!! Pretty impressive I think! There was, in the end, only one ball of gorgeous kid mohair and lame yarn which will make me a very beautiful dark blue (and slightly sparkley) scarf. Of course there are various beads and findings that I picked up as well but as with the yarn I was very restrained and only bought those beads that sparked an idea or tied in with an existing project. Until our container arrives from the UK and we have sorted through the boxes we have in storage here I feel a little weird adding to my stashes.

Instead I decided to stretch myself by trying out some other crafts and so I bought a patch working kit (top right hand corner with the big red flower), under neath that next to the sock yarn is a very funky Christmas Cross stitch, and just under the sock yarn is an embellished silk scarf kit. this is possibly the most beautiful thing at the craft show and it makes the creative me salivate and want to ignore work and housework and people that want dinner made!

I think I will try to wait until we are in our own house and I can spread out a bit as this project does require some thought and I do need my sewing machine out of storage!!

I think I did pretty well out of this show!

Where I fall over again!

2008-07-21T20:42:00.003+10:00

This weekend just gone was a really busy one for us. We have been a bit slack in the catching up with people department of late....lulled in to complacency by the routine of work and the open fire at mums place!

In addition to catching up with a large amount of people we also decided it was time to start having a look around at houses. Not that we're rushing into buying something straight away but it is something we're thinking about and so we need to know what's out there. Plus its fun to
peek into other peoples houses....in a completely not creepy peeping tom kinda way of course!

It was in between a couple of these house viewings that we decided to pop into a well known liquor store to pick up a bottle of wine to take with us to our dinner with friends (as per the catching up with people we know program mentioned earlier).
I must stress that it was before I went into the liquor store that I fell down the steps....but it was
after we came out, when we headed to the coffee shop when I went over on my ankle and hurt more than my pride. Boy did it hurt and although I don't think I've strained it or damaged anything permanently I am still limping.
I do seem to be making a habit of this falling over thing because on the Friday afternoon I nearly had my legs go out from under me in the nearby shopping centre. It was raining and my shoes weren't bought for practical reasons but that didn't make it any less embarrassing as I struggled to stay upright.

Anyway aside from falling over I had a great weekend visiting people, peeking in houses, watching the Banyule Bears under 15's win their match and I even got some knitting in!

Sometimes I even amaze myself

2008-07-16T01:10:00.000+10:00

I bought some trousers on the weekend and had to take them up as normal. I'm pretty good at it now having had to deal with this my entire life. I have a system and it works ok. I got to work Monday morning and happened to see myself in the mirror of the ladies toilets........one leg was definitely shorter than the other.

I've been taking my trousers up for so many years I don't even bother to check them when their done now!!! Serves me right! Made me feel a little odd for the rest of the day!

Sideways Jacket

2008-07-14T20:10:00.000+10:00

This is my current project (not counting the beanies that I'm addicted to) and so far so good. It's the Sideways Jacket in the Patons Book 1261 (style 14). It's interesting so far...little bit of patterning and knitting the thing sideways is keeping me awake while watching some very suspect TV. Fingers crossed I'll be able to wear this one when it's finished!!

Close up of the pattern....not a good shot color wise.

This one is closer to the color I'm working with.

The arm....taa daaaa!!

Extreme close up of the pattern. Cause knittings all about the extremes!!

Crafty times are here again 2

2008-07-11T18:30:00.000+10:00

Despite trying very hard to limit the amount of beads I brought over with me in the suitcases I ended up with a lot.....ALOT!! And then in Canada I managed to add to that substantially (they have great beads in Canada!) Anyhoo I figured I could justify carting them half way around
the world if I used some of them to make things.....
Above is the floral spiral ....loosely based on something I saw in a magazine but ending up nothing like it!!
The silver spiral...need to make one of these for me now.
This was my foray into knotting which I think turned out ok. I've yet to try it again though. Something for a rainy weekend I think.
The Golden spiral. I like the way the pearl round beads gave this one a softer feel. That's the great thing about beads. You can use the same design but switch some beads around and you get a completely different look. Of course after three or four spiral's I'm looking for something a little different now!!!

Crafty times are here again 1

2008-07-10T06:58:00.000+10:00

Righto....time for some photos of crafty stuff. I've not been overly productive since arriving in Australia but before then I churned out a fair bit and I think it's time I posted some photos.
I knitted quite a lot of beanies recently for gifts n stuff. I love knitting beanies. So quick, so easy and so much cheaper than therapy!

Plus I love me circulars!!!
Oh and I also knitted a couple of bears from some kits that I found. My first attempt at knitted toys and I think they turned out pretty darn cute. However I doubt I'll make a career of the toy thing so these ones are set to be collectibles!!

And my pride and joy. My first attempt at lace. I think I did rather well in the end..of course it's quite a simple design but has given me the confidence to try something much more advanced!

Brisbane photos

2008-07-09T05:35:00.000+10:00

On our way back to Melbourne we stopped in Brisbane to visit my Dad. I'd not been to Brisbane before and I have to say it's a brilliant place. The weather was fantastic, the people friendly, the city was relaxed but with heaps going on and the beaches were gorgeous! I'd definitely consider moving if the right opportunity came up.

View of the skyline.

London has it's pigeons, Brisbane has these things!

The pond in the botanical gardens

What we found in the pond at the botanical gardens!!

Wagtail

Turtle

Our first cockatoo's in 6 years!

View from a hill

When lunch came with a flag I just had to get out the camera!

Normal is as normal does

2008-07-07T21:09:00.006+10:00

Despite good intentions life has once again got away from me and it's been weeks since the last post. Life is however, slowly returning to normal for us...or the Australian version of normal at least and so hopefully I will get more time now to post of our adventures.

We've been back in the country for five weeks now and those five weeks have been a whirlwind of faces and places, most of which are familiar to us but one or two new ones as well. We've managed to find ourselves a car and both of us have started work again which makes for a big chunk of normality and routine. Normally I'd say that routine can be a bad thing but in this instance it really is nice to know what the days hold, where I need to be and when I'll be
getting paid for it!! Even so we're still living in at mums (Thanks mum!!) and I doubt we'll
really feel settled or truly at home until the end of August when (fingers crossed) we get back into our house.

It's strange how quickly you adapt to massive changes in your life. How you can be completely uprooted from all that you know and love and still you go about each day as if it were normal.

However we are finding that this time is much harder to adjust to. When we left for the UK we were younger and in need of an adventure. I'm not saying it wasn't hard.....just that we wanted the change and so I guess it was more exciting than difficult. This time we are older (and wiser) and less willing to uproot our lives. We're in a different place now and not eager for the disruption. Plus we have benefit of hindsight. Knowing how hard it was and how long it took us to really feel at home in the UK warns us that this move won't be easy.

With the physical move mostly over now and the things that are considered requirements for everyday life (job, car, medicare etc) taken care off I'm constantly lulled in to a false sense of normality....that I'm home and that everything is as it was. Only to be kicked in the stomach wit h reality whenever I think about home or hear from friends overseas. Each time it hits me that I'm not where I subconsciously thought I was I realize that this move, this grieving for what was, is going to take a long while to process and I really wonder if it will stick or if we'll end up going through the whole thing again!!

expats return

2008-06-04T09:08:00.005+10:00

Things have been hectic for such a long time that I scarcely know what to do with myself now that we've arrived back in Australia. We have been back for around two weeks now and have been struck by a bad case of motivation loss. This makes it hard to get anything done...including blog posts.

The lack of posts...while making for slow reading does make for a backlog of news and photos and so for the next week or so I shall try to catch everyone up on what we've been doing on our protracted journey home to Oz...and of course what we've been doing since we arrived!

The time we spent in Canada was, as usual, not enough but we had a great time over there catching up with everyone and of course....shopping! If I didn't already have more countries to live in than I know what to do with I'd say that Canada might be the place for us! The people are great and always friendly, the country is beautiful and has loads to see and there are loads of yarn stores!

Eventually we had to leave and a sad day it was too. Although by that stage we were looking forward to finally getting to Australia we knew we wouldn't be back in Canada for some years and the mammoth flight in front of us was not something we were looking forward to. Between
the only bus with available seats going to the Toronto airport being 3 hours earlier than we needed to be there, various flight delays and finally fog in Brisbane leading to us landing in Sydney first it was a very long 33 odd hours later that we actually arrived in Brisbane. And so it was tired, confused and zombie like that we got our first blurry glimpse of Australia after 6 years.

I can't tell you what it was like as I really don't remember. My brain wasn't operating at the time. I do remember feeling happy I was off the plane but that was about it!!
Anyway the next few days we spent wandering around Brisbane...which is a lovely city and somewhere I intend to go back and explore properly.
We spent a lot of the time pointing out familiar shop names or wildlife we recognized. Even Noisy Minors are exciting when you haven't seen them in years.

After a few days it was time to leave for Melbourne. Somehow we managed to get everything into our suitcases one last time and after that...the rest was easy. The most exciting thing was seeing packets of Twisties in the vending machines at the airport!!!

So....we've been back two weeks today. It still feels strange. With everything being new and familiar and different all at the same time we're never quite sure what to think or how to feel. It's not a holiday but it doesn't really feel like home yet. Hopefully with some time, a car and a job we'll start to settle in.

Anzac Day

2008-04-26T05:35:00.000+10:00

Lest we Forget...

Phew!!

2008-04-23T05:19:00.005+10:00

I am blogging from Canada now as we arrived Sunday night. I had planned to make a last post from the UK but like many plans they just didn’t pan out the way it was supposed to and there were many things that I hoped to get done that I just had to let go. We were so busy that our heads are still spinning and we had to prioritize quite severely. However most tasks were completed in time and although we’re extremely sad at leaving I can’t say that we’re not happy that the actual leaving part is now over.

So once again all our worldly goods are packed in boxes and due to be shipped back in a few months time, our suitcases were allowed on the plane despite them bursting at the seams (who knew that hand luggage could be heavier than normal sized suitcases??? Our flight was uneventful...which is how you want a flight to be and we arrived in Canada ½ hour early and whizzed through customs in about 10 mins! Very unlike last time when we stood in a queue for 2 hours!! The best news was that they didn’t even question my new ‘airplane’ safe knitting needles and so I spent most of the flight happily knitting away and impressing the stewardesses!!

Anyway the big move has commenced and in a month we’ll be back in the land of OZ, sweltering in the Autumn heat and fighting off the spiders (not that I’m scared or anything!) For now however we’re taking a well earned break! My Internet access is limited here so posts will be intermittent although I will try to post some more photos when I get the opportunity. For now you will have to make do with the photos below as taken from the plane.

This one is taken whilst over England. I love the patterns the clouds were making.

The one above and the ones below are all of Canada as we were flying over. The amount of snow and ice that was still on the ground was amazing and the patterns created...stunning!

Free Slippers!

2008-04-11T22:15:00.004+10:00

Ooooh Wednesday was looooooovly! I was treated to a day at the spa with some friends and we wallowed in the lap of luxury like we'd never wallowed before! It was just what I needed and the best birthday present ever! (aside from a puppy)

It was a gorgeous day too...nothing but cloud free blue sky.

No packing, no leaving of anything, no "This is the last time I'll do this". Just a day packed with steam, heat, water, massages, free slippers, great food, bestest friends, loads of conversation...both meaningful and meaningless.

This is the Hilton...the spa is underneath the hotel.
So what did we do? We swam, got massages before lunch, ate sausages and hamburgers for lunch and then steamed, saunaed and hot tubed our way through the afternoon!! Brilliant!
Blurry shot of our reserved table by the window!!
You know your somewhere classy when they let you take the slippers home!

The what have I been doing list

2008-04-09T00:31:00.003+10:00

And after the snow came the sun. Today has been as sunny and warm as a spring day in Australia and after re-potting some plants this afternoon I could almost believe I was back there already!
Here’s an example of what you don’t want to find. (for the record this is not my plant!!!)

Anyway I figure it’s time to catch up on what’s been going on during my absence the last few weeks and the best way to do that is a list!

1. Went to London at the end of March for the Stitch and Craft show (Link goes to the 2009 site) which was GREAT! We had so much fun there and spent a bit more than what I meant to…but hey….it’s craft! There was loads of cross stitch, knitting, beading and paper craft (the only thing that didn’t interest me greatly)

2. While in London I took the opportunity to finally see St.Paul's Cathedral. I've wanted to see it for so long now and although it was too late in the day to climb up the dome, the church itself is beautiful and definitely worth seeing if your in London.
My little point and shoot camera couldn't quite cope with the scale of the building!
3. Went to see Step up 2: The streets, at the movies. It’s very much aimed at the teenage market but myself and Karen couldn't resist seeing it as it follows on from the “so you think you can dance” TV show (US) that we love.

4. I've been to a couple more beading classes and shall post some pics of what I've been doing later in the week.

4. The great pack-a-thon continues and I can't wait till it's all done. Things progress though and it's possible that I can almost sense that there might be, somewhere, the shadow of the light at the end of the tunnel!

5. There have been several big nights out since I last posted regularly. However all photos of said nights are never to see the light of day since they are all really, really......really bad! Still....great nights out usually equal bad photos!

6. Tonight I am off to see Yamato, The drummers of Japan. I think this will be rather good and will let you know

7. Some knitting news. Well...sorta. I'm still knitting...frantically as it happens but am unable to say too much as its the gift variety. However it's all coming along very nicely and I promise to post pictures soon.

8. Tomorrow I am doing a surprise activity. Well I know what it is now but it was a surprise before Monday. I'm not going to post about it now but I am going to have a wonderful day tomorrow and I'm all excited. Details and perhaps photos on Thursday!

...and I think your up to date now with what's going on in my life, which is more than I can say for myself!!

Winter Wonderland!

2008-04-08T01:52:00.004+10:00

Well there are heaps of things I could post about at the moment but they will have to wait because the most exciting thing to happen recently, by far, is SNOW!

We decided to go up to London on Sunday to see the relo’s and say good bye to a few people and so started out early to avoid the traffic. Only half an hour into the journey the weather started to close in and suddenly it was snowing. But it wasn’t just snowing......

Visibility dropped and traffic slowed right down. Now I know that those living in more inclement areas of the world will be snorting their amusement at my description but in my world….this was a blizzard!!
It was the heaviest snowfall I’ve seen since coming over here and it even settled overnight. If I look out the window now I can still see our roof covered in a layer of snow around 2-3 inches thick.

Not having driven in snow before heavy or otherwise it was a bit nerve wracking but I was so happy that I’d finally got a decent snowfall that I couldn't wipe the grin off my face all day! The fact that it snowed in April…..well I can live with that!
Trees that had just started sprouting leaves had their branches covered with snow, flowers were weighed down under it and the whole of London took on a slightly magical feel.
Of course in London it didn’t last that long although it snowed on and off during the day. However when we got home last night it was to find the place still covered with the wonderful white stuff.
We saw numerous snowball fights taking progress and snowmen everywhere. I just wish we’d been home for the day because the park down the road was littered with the remains of snowmen and masses of snow.

Enough Already?

2008-04-04T18:26:00.002+11:00

Well I just don’t seem to be able to get this blog thing happening at the moment. I had planned to keep a record here of the whole moving country thing but the slowness of the dial up connection and the way time is moving at the speed of light is conspiring against me.

Anyway suddenly we’re down to 2.5 weeks and life is hectic, frantic and extremely emotional. Everywhere I go I think to myself “is this the last time I’ll see/do this?” There’s heaps of events and shows being advertised right now that I’d love to see but we’ll be elsewhere, not to mention the fact that finally all the TV series are starting again!!
I’ve actually run out of time on the weekends and almost all our week nights are busy too. We've already seen some people for the last time which is really sad but worse than that is discovering all the people we simply won’t have time to catch up with. It’s quite depressing really.

I know I should be more positive about it all but all we seem to be doing is leaving….we've been doing it for months and it’s hard to be upbeat about it. I love it where we are. This is my home and I don’t know what’s waiting for me back in the Land of Oz. I'm discovering that there is only so much leaving a person can do.

Tomorrow though Matt has the day off work and we’re going out for a drive somewhere. I’m sure there’s a castle, pub lunch or a beach out there with my name on it. I’m determined to enjoy my last few weeks here and not just spend them franticly racing around like a headless chicken. The weekend is full of bead classes, movies, pubs, shopping and a visit to London to see the relo’s at some point too!

What was that about a headless chicken?

Sausage Love

2008-03-24T22:41:00.005+11:00

It was well over a year ago now that myself and Karen attended a sausage making course. We had high hopes of being able to make our own sausages...not for profit but for fun. However our talent at procrastination got the better of us and despite having all the equipment we never got around to it.............until now!!!!!

We decided that Saturday was as good a day as any, got a hold of the meat, dug up the mincer/stuffer and got stuck in. It was a steep learning curve just to work out the best way to mince the meat and after that, looking at the 21 pounds of mince that we had yet to transform into sausages, I'll admit, we experienced a few doubts about getting it done.

Still we rolled up our sleaves and got to stuffing. The first lot of sausages were slow going however it was very exciting to see them forming up into recognisable shapes. We seemed to be doing it right.

Of course the jokes and comments from bystanders were colourful to say the least. It's a very visual and hands on process with the manual mincer/stuffer.

And in the end we got them all done and twisted in to sausage looking shapes. Below you can see them drying out.
We made plain pork, pork and leek and lamb and mint. We completely covered the place in sausage meat and exhausted ourselves in the process but we were rather proud of our efforts in the end and it was one of the most fun days I've had in ages. Really satisfying and I'll definitely be doing it again.
Look just like the real ones huh!
They are the best sausages I've ever tasted!!!

Happy St Patricks Day!

2008-03-18T04:13:00.005+11:00

Sadly the great day falls on a week day this year and so aside from a wee dram of Baileys later tonight I shan't be celebrating the holiday in normal style. This is very much the theme of things at the moment. Although we now have most of the packing done and dusted there remains the annoying things. Stuff too big for boxes or strange shapes. Stuff that needs to be taken apart and boxed up, paper work that needs to be sorted through and all that stuff you don't realise you need on a day to day basis but it turns out you can live without it.

So....annoyingly the packing remains unfinished and I've spent yet another day moving boxes up and down the stairs! Remind me to never buy a house with stairs.

Two things are bright and shiny despite the packing cloud that we live under.

One is that we managed to re-do the conservatory floor over the weekend. It's a bit of a surprise for the MIL who is currently in London. We ripped up the horridly stained carpet and spent Sunday laying down on of those 'fake' wooden floors. It looks great!! So so good. I'll have to get some photos of the finished product....at the moment we only have before shots.

The other fun and shiny thing I have been doing is bead classes. Matt's cousin opened a bead shop in Eastbourne about a year ago with a friend of hers. It's fantastic by the way and although they are not yet online they have a great range if your out that way. Below are some slightly arty shots of what I've been doing. I'll aim for some better photos later in the week.
This is a free floating necklace with three strands. The pearl like beads are actually a soft pink colour....not gold.

This is worked mostly with seed beads and has loops spiralling around a central rope. Unfortunately it's not very clear however it's quite hard to get silver seed beads to look good on film. I will try again soon.

ho hum

2008-03-11T21:21:00.004+11:00

I was a bit quiet last week wasn't I. It wasn't on purpose exactly. Time is slipping by very fast at the moment and I'm up to my ears (and over....I'm not that tall) in boxes and packing materials. It's amazing how much stuff you collect over 6 years and it all has to be sorted and either thrown out or boxed up. It's also amazing how much dust is involved.....I must have sneezed about elevently million times yesterday!

I should have it pretty much done by the end of this week but it's meant stealing time from other activities like blogging and knitting etc.

I have managed to squeeze in a tiny project that I found as a kit in a pound store. (If you'll excuse the slightly blurry photo)
It's a teddy bear!!! It doesn't look like much right now but after I've sewn it up and stuffed it I'm hoping that the cuteness might take hold. I don't know if you can see but they are actually joined. They are knitted all in one piece and remind me so much of those paper cut out people...where you fold the paper and then cut out the person so it unfolds into a whole series of people. I always cut in the wrong place and would end up with loads of individuals. I did toy with the idea of continuing knitting but decided that would be silly.....for now!

Juniper

2008-03-08T22:23:00.004+11:00

Well this has been finished for a couple of weeks now but I've been unable to get enough light near a mirror for decent photos. These two are the best I can come up with for now.
Overall I'm happy with it and I love the pattern. So quick and easy to knit up. However next time round (or if I can be bothered to undo everything this time round) I'll be changing a few things.
Firstly I'll be making the sleeves longer by at least an extra 1". Although I did a larger size to make it a baggy jumper it's turned out quite small. Probably my gauge was out.
Also as you can see the bottom is a rolled edge which I hate. I knew I would hate it and should have changed it when I started but then I can be stupid sometimes. Next time it will definitely be a ribbed edge.
Other than that I love it and it's so warm and soft and comfy.

Pattern: Sirdar Juniper V Neck Sweater 8969 (no ribbon detail on mine)
Yarn: Sirdar Juniper 514 Ginger

Happy UK Mothers Day

2008-03-04T02:25:00.004+11:00

Yesterday was the day that the UK celebrates Mothers Day. So Happy Mothers Day all you UK mums!!

This morning was like this. Blue sky and sunshine. It's raining now though. I think that Spring is here, but to be sure I will gather proof this week and report back on Friday with my findings.
I love bumblebees. They are so furry you just want to touch them. I don't of course as that would be asking for trouble. However I do take photos!! If you click on the picture it should make it bigger and then you will be able to see the hairs! So fuzzy.
No bees were hurt during the making of this post.

Off to see the wizard!

2008-02-29T21:24:00.003+11:00

When we first came over here to England it was because we needed to shake things up. We needed a change, to break out of our routines and explore new possibilities. It really wasn’t about the travel and the opportunity to see other countries….although that’s been great. It was a lot about family and getting to know people I’d only ever heard about. It was about really getting out on my own and seeing what I could do. It was about expanding my horizons and finally coming in contact with a country that had been calling me all my life.

Since we’ve been here most folks we talk too from back in Oz have a strange idealized view of our life. Like we’ve been on one big six year holiday, travelling to every country in Europe and generally flitting about the world. The reality has been much harder. Although we’ve traveled a fair bit we’ve seen relatively few countries and I’ve spent more time commuting to work than I have wandering the world. Picking up our lives and moving to a different country was far more difficult than I could ever have envisioned and it took us years to feel settled and comfortable again. I think I can now say that the grass is not greener on the other side…..just different.

Despite the difficulties coming over here continues to be one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve made some friends that I love and will keep for the rest of my life. I’ve seen different countries and environments and stood in front of iconic buildings and works of art that most folks only see in books and movies. I’ve broadened my horizons, matured and grown, worked out a lot of what is really important to me, taken a gazillion photos, worked with some amazing people, gained loads of experience, grown to love a new country and way of life and seen the inside of more pubs than I care to mention!!!

I do love England. While I’m always proud to be Australian this country has so much to offer as well. A huge and interesting history, first row seat on the world stage, proximity to just about everywhere, a huge mix of cultures, beautiful and varied scenery, great pubs and some hilarious accents!! In particular I’ve come to love Brighton. It’s a ‘Me’ sized town with everything a girl could want. It’s London without the hassle. With the sea on one side, the countryside on the other and a vibrant city life in the middle. We love it.

And I think that is a problem now because where do we call home? Is home only a place where you hang your hat? Is it friends and family or is it a connection with a house, a town or an environment? The one thing I know is that the answer to that question cannot be found here. We know how we feel about England but after so long away how do we feel about Australia? Do we still call it home? We need answers.

That’s why in May we’ll be moving back to OZ.

100% Goodness

2008-02-29T00:42:00.002+11:00

I picked up an Innocent Smoothie yesterday. I love their smoothies & juices so I do. In a world full of additives, preservatives, diet concoctions, added sugar and salt and god knows what else it's nice to be able to find something that tastes good AND is good for you.

Anyway this isn't advertising or product placement. I just wanted to comment on the fact that the bottle was 100% recycled. I was aware that they were previously part recycled but didn't realise they'd managed to produce a bottle from 100% recycled plastic.

I guess I'm just impressed that there's a company out there that's willing to do a little R&D to make a difference. The only question now is ...."if they can do it, why don't others?"

Egypt Photos

2008-02-28T02:23:00.002+11:00

Well I've finally managed to sort my way through the thousands (yes thousands) of photos we took in Egypt. More importantly I've managed to narrow down the "to display" list to 68 in order to have some chance at getting them uploaded. I am only on dial up after all!

So the photo site is reached via a link at the right hand side of this page.....or for those who are lazy.....here! Hope you like them.

Great night out

2008-02-27T01:16:00.003+11:00

I had thought that we'd run out of tickets. I usually book things well in advance and have a nice little stack of events, gigs and shows to look forward too. I thought we'd run out. Then suddenly I discovered something hiding down the side of the drawer. It was David Gray tickets! WOO HOO! I'd forgotten all about them....lucky I remembered in time!

Anyhoo we went last night and it was great. It was better than great it was Fantastic. You know when you get those moments....when it all comes together, when everything just seems to click and you look around and realize that this is a moment you want to imprint on your brain and keep forever. They can happen any time, you can be alone or in a crowd, doing something momentous or insignificant, it doesn't matter. The moment is just there and it's something to treasure.
Perhaps I'm getting a little carried away...it was just a concert. But as we were listening to these songs that I absolutely love played live by some incredibly talented musicians everything clicked. The atmosphere was electric, the lighting was amazing, the crowd were enthralled and the music soared.

In addition to a great performance by the man himself the support act was a surprise as well. Her name was Beth Rowley. What a voice. I would have been happy to sit and listen to her all night. I can't wait till her album comes out...def one to watch for the future.

We have Ribbing!

2008-02-23T02:30:00.002+11:00

Yup, as you can vaguely see from the photo below we have ribbing on the Juniper Jumper which means it’s almost done.
I say 'almost' with an impending sense of doom as earlier today I noticed that the one side of the neckline had developed a strange line (very hard to see on the photo) where the ribbing joins the body of the jumper. I am now debating ripping it right back and redoing that section. I think I will as I’d like to actually wear this one.
Even so it should be done by early next week!

In other knitting news the Pippa bag has been felted and now only requires putting together. This means handles attached and contrasting pattern motif sewn on. This project has been pushed to the back of the line on many occasions so it will be great to finally get it done. It felted nicely and using my previous experience at felting I left this one in the machine for only 30mins. So it’s shrunk less and is not as thick a fabric as before.

What else is new and exciting….well we had men in the tree at the front yesterday. It was great fun to watch (yes I was procrastinating) however I think they over did it and the tree now resembles more of a stump than a tree…sigh. I know they mean well.

Also the Egypt photos are nearly done and should be ready by Monday I think. Considering that we had nigh on 2000 photos in total I think I’ve done very well to narrow it down to 50 odd!

And finally for today the central heating has been replaced and is up and working. The house is now toasty and warm. The two days we were without heat or hot water gave me a chance to wear my thermal underwear which I really don’t get to do often enough!!

Frosty Mornings

2008-02-21T01:25:00.003+11:00

We've had some lovely sunny blue sky days here of late but of course during winter months they go hand in hand with cold frosty mornings. So I thought I'd post a few frosty photos...

I love the way the frost highlights the veins of the leaves.

I love this one. I don't know what plant it is but the leaves look like they've all been dipped in sugar!!
Daffodil outside the house. Its not frosty...just pretty!

10 things on a Monday

2008-02-19T02:22:00.002+11:00

1. I went swimming this morning. It’s something I want to get back into now that I have time and I’m finding it to be a very positive thing in my life. As I was meandering up the lane with the sounds of splashing in my ears I thought to myself it’s as much a mental thing as a physical one. Anyone who’s ever been on a diet will know that doing things that are good for you don’t always make you feel great. So something that doesn’t just increase your well being but also creates a feeling of well being and positivity has got to be twice as good for you!!

2. I need to get out into the garden. The sun is out, the birds are a-tweeting. The daffodils are in bloom. It’s way too early for it but the proof is there…it’s spring. And the garden is not ready.

3. Went to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the cinema Saturday night. If you get the chance to see this…Jump. It’s fantastic. It’s a musical in case some don’t realize it (and some haven’t) and Johnny Depp is his usual amazing self in partnership with Helena Bonham Cater. The story might be well known but the telling (thank you Tim Burton) is lively, clever, funny, seedy, musical, creepy and absolutely brilliant!!

4. I am making Moussaka tonight. I’m enthused at the moment about cooking. For a while I just couldn’t be bothered…these things run in phases. But now I’m once again reading cookbooks for fun and buying too many magazines. I shall let you know how it goes.

5. I am on the last sleeve of the Juniper jumper. If I can be bothered to sew it up and everything goes well with the neckline it may be finished sooner than I thought.

6. Solitaire on the computer is a bad habit and wastes much time.

7. Cinnamon Latte’s are not quite as good as vanilla ones…which are in turn not as good as Gingerbread ones.

8. Gingerbread Lattes appear to be seasonal…which is disappointing.

9. Whilst flicking through the TV channels recently I came across Dirty Dancing. What a great film that still is.

10. At the start of the year I decided I wanted to expand my reading habits. I read a lot but tend to stick to Fantasy or Sci-fi. I figured I needed to delve into not only the more classic titles but also some of the more popular stuff too. I picked up a copy of “Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, at the second hand shop today and have started that. I remember when it came out I was working for a book store and got so sick of the hype I couldn’t face reading it then. Judging from the first few chapters I think I did myself a disservice but we shall see how the story unfolds!

Spring was here...

2008-02-15T20:30:00.002+11:00

It’s freezing today which is disappointing since it's been very Spring-like the last few weeks. Well ok it's not literally freezing but it is definitely quite cold outside. Plus we are in the process of having the central heating boiler replaced we’ve been without heating and hot water for 24 hours now and the house has cooled down significantly. So I thought that I’d try to warm up with some photos I took earlier this week. The first snow drops I've seen this year.
A tree. I like the way the sun lights it up.
I've been thinking of this photo for weeks now...every time I walk through the park and while I'm quite happy with this shot I think I need to take the bigger camera down there and do it properly...and without the guy on the bike!

But there was more...

2008-02-15T00:08:00.004+11:00

Egypt wasn’t all tombs, temples and pyramids tho. There were heaps of other things going on. The Nile was an amazing river, full of life and activity. The countryside was beautiful, the towns were full of life, the food was gorgeous (we ate so much!), the culture was exciting and the people so, so friendly.

We spent a day just wandering around the Khan al-Khalili market in Cairo. It’s massive and has different sections to it. We bought spices (hibiscus tea…yum) and some touristy trinkets, scarves and the obligatory shot glasses for the collection.
Mostly it was just great to walk around. People calling out, colorful scarves and clothing fluttering about and everywhere you looked something new to stare at.
The Mosques were extremely beautiful both inside and out. The call to prayers which we heard at various times immediately evoked a feeling that you were somewhere different. Somewhere exotic and gave the cities an amazing atmosphere. The Felucca ride along the Nile was one of the most relaxing things we’ve ever done. Drifting along with the wind and the sound of the waves lapping up against the boat…lovely!
Gorgeous scenery of contrasting environments. A ribbon of green farmland hugging the Nile and surrounded by the red and tan sands of the desert. Hmm that was nicely poetic!!And of course the donkeys. They were everywhere…even in the middle of Cairo! Carrying massive loads on their backs or pulling carts piled incredibly high. Gotta love the donkeys!

Finally.....some knitting!

2008-02-13T01:57:00.000+11:00

It feels like forever since I spoke about knitting but strangely it just hasn’t been a priority so far this year. I think that after all the frantic Christmas knitting I needed to take a break. Plus I’ve had no projects lined up after my Le Slouch hat.
In fact inspiration didn’t grab me until I ventured into the LYS on a completely unrelated mission and found a new Sirdar yarn called Juniper displayed on their wall. I went back the next day and bought the yarn in the Ginger colour and a pattern (8969) for a jumper.

It’s for me. I don’t have enough confidence in my abilities yet to knit something so big and fitted for anyone else. The best thing about this yarn is that it’s chunky and knitted on 7mm needles which means that even though I’ve only been working on it for a week I’ve already got the back finished and the front is ¾ done too! I should (fingers crossed, touch wood etc) be wearing it by the end of the month. It’ll be the quickest ‘large’ project yet!

Above is the front. Very nearly done as you can see.
This is the back....just waiting for me to pick up the stitches and knit the rib around the neckline.
The usual arty shot of the wool.
And another arty shot....cause you know I can't resist getting all arty with wool!!!

Where I am very happy with myself!

2008-02-12T01:33:00.000+11:00

Ok I could go on and on about Egypt and I might later in the week but for now I’m too excited about other stuff. Like the goals and resolutions we all set for ourselves at the start of the year. Two months in and how many of you have forgotten them already? A few of mine have quietly faded away but I’m rather pleased with myself as yesterday I ticked one off my list!I can make sushi!!!!! Yesterday afternoon I attended a sushi course and surprised myself with how easy it is…once you know how!

There are quite a number of sushi places in Brighton but the one I pass by regularly is called "Okinami" and they frequently have a board out on the footpath advertising their lessons. So Sunday I went along and it was great!

We learnt how to make the sushi rice, how to shape the rice and how to roll with the mats. We made Inari, Nigiri, Temaki, Maki rolls and California rolls.
An arty shot of the sushi...
Another arty shot of the sushi that I made.

Yes I am rather happy with myself at the moment! Just wait...I'm sure I'll do something stupid to repair the balance any minute now!!

What lies beneath

2008-02-08T22:30:00.000+11:00

The Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens were two of the most impressive places we visited. To get in the complex’s themselves you had to run the usual gauntlet of stalls selling touristy junk and within the complex’s the crowds made getting around hard. But to see…to actually go down into these tombs and to see the vivid colors still on the walls, to contrast the unfinished caverns with the mirror smooth corridors and to comprehend the amount of work that went into covering every available space with carvings, both stories of life and assistance for the afterlife, was truly awe inspiring.

The valley is all rocks and stone and cliff edges. It’s remote, dry and very dusty. It’s overlooked by the pyramid-like mountain peak of Al-Qurn.

The entrance to the tomb of Ramses 4th (KV2). All the entrances were equally unassuming. Just holes in the ground with no hint of what lies beneath.

The entrance to the tomb of Ramses 9th (KV6). The entrances and corridors were much bigger than I thought they would be. Not like the Pyramids at all. All the corridors and chambers were covered in carvings and paintings, much of which looked as vivid as if they were new.

Digging out the entrance to another tomb. To see the amount of effort it takes just to excavate a tomb puts things into perspective when you try to imagine the scale of work involved in carving a tomb out of the mountain side. I doubt there's any one person today who could inspire so many people to work so hard.

By comparison the Valley of the Queens (above) was dead (excuse the pun!) We were pretty much the only people there, which although nice, made us fair game for the tomb guides who followed us into the tombs explaining the hieroglyphs and holding out their hands for baksheesh!!

Gateways to the Afterlife

2008-02-08T02:03:00.000+11:00

The pyramids have to be one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Egypt. Who wouldn’t want to look at the only remaining survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World! They were definitely one of the highlights of the trip and I feel really privileged to have been able to see them. Still have to keep pinching myself!
We also went to the sound and light show that goes on at night. It was very touristy but it did gave us time to sit and take it all in...ponder the meaning of live and think about the enormity of these monuments!
Saqqara is the massive cemetery complex of Memphis which was the capital of Egypt for much of the Pharaonic period. It was actively used by Pharaohs and other important people for more than 3500 years. The Step Pyramid (photo above) is the earliest stone monument in the world, built in 2650 BC. Before this tombs were underground rooms covered in a mudbrick slab or 'mastaba'.
This pyramid belongs to Zoser and was designed and build by his chief architect, Imhotep, who developed the mastaba style tombs upwards and built them out of stone to deter grave robbers.
So this is basically the forerunner to the pyramids. Perhaps that’s a bit too much info for a blog but I thought it was worth sharing.

Although there are many other pyramids in Egypt the ones at Giza are the most well known and live up to the hype that surrounds them. They are Massive and awe inspiring and amazing and unbelievable and very surreal. Although there is a bit of space around them the city is quite close and that does add a touch of the strange to it all.

The oldest is the Great Pyramid of Khufu (above) which used to stand 146m high (now shorter by 9m) and it’s reckoned that it was built with 2.3million limestone blocks…weighing on average 2.5 tonnes each.

The Great Pyramid in front with the Pyramid of Khafre behind. Near the right corner you can see a person which gives some perspective on the size of the blocks used.

The Pyramid of Khafre stands at 136m high and is still capped with the limestone casing that all the pyramids would have been covered in. It gives you an idea of what they would have actually looked like when first completed.
We actually went into this one and it was not really a fun thing. Very hot inside and loads of people in a very small space. The tunnel in is very steep and even I had to bend double so as not to hit my head. The sarcophagus is still there but there is little decoration on the walls. I would not recommend going inside to those who even think that maybe one day they might be claustrophobic.

And this is a camel that was camera shy. I waited for ages but it wouldn’t turn around!!

No Hassle Free

2008-02-07T02:39:00.000+11:00

Well we are home and things are returning to normal now. Although the trip to Egypt was short I can honestly say that its effect and memory will be lasting. The place, the culture, the people….they get right under your skin.

As I said in my last post we started in Cairo and spent our first day pinching ourselves as we stood in front of the pyramids. I still can’t quite grasp that I’ve seen them. I wish we had of had time to go back again because it all seems so surreal now. They are massive beyond anything I expected and that’s on a physical, mental and spiritual level.

We also visited the Cairo Museum which is stuffed full of amazing things, not least of which are the items from the tomb of Tutankhamun. We wandered around old Cairo, visited synagogue and church and mosque, did a little shopping, ate some fantastic food and generally walked around with our mouths and our eyes wide open in amazement!

We took an overnight train to Aswan. I shall only say this about the train…if you can organize it…fly instead. Aswan was a different world. Admittedly we were a little dazed after our train ride and very little sleep however after Cairo, Aswan was quiet, peaceful, brighter, cleaner and the Nile was blue. Here we visited the Philae temple complex, Abu Simbel, spent an afternoon on a Felucca, haggled our way through the market and wished we could reorganize the trip so we could stay longer!

But we had to keep moving and so we made our way to Luxor by way of the Kom Ombo and Edfu temples…both were amazing with vivid carvings covering every inch of their massive structures.Luxor was much more like Cairo than Aswan with more traffic and plenty of hassling. Whenever we passed by a shop people would appear out of nowhere calling, "Come look in my beautiful shop" and "Come look at my rubbish!" Horse and carriage drivers would walk slowly beside you on the street and taxi drivers would call out "Hey lucky man....you want to rent my taxi?” Luxor didn’t let up on the amazing though. With the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and both Luxor and the Temples of Karnak we were kept in a constant state of “gob-smacked-ness”!!

It is possible for someone to get ‘templed-out’ and I’ve been there before but not this trip. In fact the more temples we saw the more information started to sink in and we were able to recognize hieroglyphs and what they meant or understand why things were built the way they were and get a taste of the culture back then. It's hard to equate the civilization that was with ruins that are left behind, but every now and then we'd turn a corner or come across a painting or carving that for a second would give you a glimpse of the sheer scale of what used to be. It just took your breath away.

After Luxor we, somewhat reluctantly, caught another overnight train to Cairo. This one was better than the first but it’s still a rough trip. Our last day was spent wandering around the Khan al-Khalili market…a great place to wander around. So many sights and sounds and colors, so much to buy, so many people trying to talk to you and get your attention. By now we were at ease with the aggressive nature of selling and this was one of the highlights of the trip. I love markets!

Egypt is a fascinating place so full of contrasts that it makes your head spin. The people are friendly, the sights are amazing and neither of us wanted to leave when our time was up. We only had a whirlwind tour of 8 days or so and it was nowhere near enough to see and do everything we wanted but what a brilliant ‘taster’. We’ve already decided that we are going back…tomorrow would be good for me!!

Over the next few days I’ll post some photos of the places we saw. As per usual we took quite a few photos and I’m still in the process of sorting them out….

hello...where you from?

2008-01-28T05:36:00.000+11:00

Coming to you direct from exploring the market streets of Aswan....I've managed to locate an internet cafe with internet! (not as common as you would expect)
Egypt is an amazing place...very hard to describe its so full of contrasts. I'll perhaps try to explain it a bit better when I've got more time, however we are loving it. People are incredibly friendly and once you get used to tipping every one....sometimes just for being there....you find that people will do just about anything for you.
We spent two days in Cairo, visiting the pyramids, museums, churches, temples and the old Cairo area before catching the overnight train to Aswan. It was not a good trip. In the end the train was 4 hours late and we spent the last couple of hours dodging mice. I'm not even going to mention the toilets!!!
Aswan is a completey different feel to Cairo. More relaxed, calmer and less hectic. The Nile is the centre of everything and although we've seen some amazing temples here I think our highlight so far was the felucca trip we took out around the islands today. So relaxing just to see the world float by.
I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to post as yet. We've already taken an embarrasingly large number and I'll get some online as soon as we get home.

Off again...

2008-01-22T23:59:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow we're off to Egypt. We'll only be gone for a week but the blog will be quiet unless I find some Internet access out there.

We're rather excited at this point to be finally going to see a country that we've read so much about. Of course there's the pyramids which will be amazing but there's the vibrant culture and ancient history as well. It's a 9 day trip and we'll be visiting Cairo, Aswan and Luxor. Not quite long enough to get off the beaten track but we figure we can always go back!!

Of course we'll be taking a hideous amount of photos that I will endeavour to share with you upon our return...goes without saying really!

Ok...now I really must go and pack!

When friends drop in!

2008-01-21T23:25:00.000+11:00

I love entertaining. I love when people come over.....particularly when it's people I haven't seen for years and we have time to sit down and talk for ages. So when Ali & Matt said they'd like to come and stay for a night while they were in the UK, I bounced around with joy for ages. I'd forgotten how exciting it was to go to the airport to pick someone up.

Anyway they arrived, we picked them up and took them out for an English Pub lunch!

Where we let both Matt's change the tire on our car!!

Then we showed off some of the English countryside and played at being Maria.
Then we bought doughnuts and mucked around on the Pier!
And even won something!
Before going home, doing some washing, opening a bottle of wine and chatting long into the night. It was great! We finally got to meet Ali's "Matt" and we agree that he is rather nice!! We got to show off some of our much loved town and we got to chill out and catch up which was fantastic.

The only sad thing is that they had to leave....

By the skin of my teeth!

2008-01-19T02:11:00.000+11:00

Essay three for your approval! My brain is dead but I'm rather proud of myself really. The threat of shame is great for motivation.
In other news I’m a bit lost knitting wise. Having finished off all my works in progress I’m not quite sure what to start next. I have cast on a scarf for myself (I need a green one) in the left over Patons Moonglow yarn which is nice and so, so, so soft, but hardly challenging. It’s so simple even I don’t have to look at the needles! Cast on 17 stitches on size 10mm needles and knit every row! The larger needles give that holey look and knitting every row makes every second row raised….which makes the scarf lovely and squishy with loads of texture. Perfect!
I think I need a larger project and will have to go through my list of “wants” to see which one comes next. Very exciting.

Two down......

2008-01-18T02:36:00.000+11:00

Isn’t is amazing what a little motivation and accountability will accomplish? Rather that get to the end of the week and post that I was unable to complete the task I set myself, I’ve somehow found the dedication to (so far) complete 2 whole essays!
I’m currently ½ way through the 3rd one, which I hope to finish today and then perhaps tomorrow I’ll get on to a 4th! She’s on a roll people!!!
It hasn’t been easy. I used to be good at this essay stuff but I seem to have lost the ability to plan the train of thought in them over the decade plus that I’ve been out of the education system.

Still I’ve been sitting myself down every day at the computer and I’ve found that "treats" work great for getting the paragraphs to add up. Promising myself chocolate and “online time” might not be ethical…some might call it bribery!

I call it 2 down, 1 to go!!!

A new week, a new challenge

2008-01-15T22:58:00.000+11:00

Oh I’m having a bit of trouble. I’m really a routine kinda gal at heart. Without routine I have a tendency to become distracted and before I know it I’ve spent the day on some obscure task such as alphabetizing my collection of theatre programs or reorganising my spice rack.

I’m finding that without work to set the routine I’m struggling to make the most of my days. Ok….no what I’m struggling with is the studying. Or rather the discipline that’s required for studying. It seems I can force myself to sit down for an hour every night for 4 months and spit out a cardigan at the other end but try to sit down at the computer for an hour or so and suddenly scrubbing the toilet seems like a great idea!

Even now I’m supposed to be studying. And here I thought that losing my work broadband connection and having to rely on my “home dial up Internet that is slower than a snail with a brick on it’s back” would prevent me wasting days of my life on the net. No sireebob!

SO…due to the mild success of last weeks finishing binge I am making another online commitment. I will finish four…no three (lets live close to reality) essays this week and post photographic proof on this very blog. If I don’t do it all of you who the statistics say are reading please feel free to post a derisive comment. On the other hand if I do manage to finish them I expect congratulations, hoorahs and some balloons!

Strange how it can be so hard to do things that we want to do….even when those things are those we are interested in.

Photos of pretty finished objects!

2008-01-15T01:20:00.000+11:00

Here are the two finished items that I was unable to post last week...just to prove they really are done!

The first is my Le Slouch beret style beanie, knitted in Paton’s Moonglow. Perhaps a little hard to work out from the photos…..taking a photo of a hat on your own head is a bit of an art form in itself! It’s basically an over sized beret. The wool was a little awkward to use as it varies greatly in thickness however the end product is great and very warm. Just what I need right now!!!

Another angle of my head!
A close up of the wool. It has silvery sparkly bits through it.

The second project was a circular needle holder (matching a previous straight needle holder I made). Also I think a little hard to work out from the photos but basically it has 6 pockets for the needles, which fold up concertina style in a wallet type fashion.

The pockets....three on one side....there on the other.
The concertina bit....hard to see in a photo I think.

Strangely though I still have many other projects that need finishing!

Gone but never forgotten.

2008-01-13T21:14:00.000+11:00

Apologies for the sudden disappearing act last week. Although I did continue to finish the items I had planned to finish I was unable to post of my successes as Matt’s Uncle Tony passed away and we found ourselves, understandably, with other priorities. Although he’d been sick recently it was still a bit of a shock.

He was a lovely, funny, chatty, friendly, happy, helpful, loving and caring old soul who will be sorely missed.

Cross the line again!

2008-01-09T20:38:00.000+11:00

My second finished item for this week is not a knitting project but another Christmas present hang-over. I have finally finished moving all of my MIL's addresses and phone numbers from her old and tatty book to her new and beautifully floral book!

A small victory perhaps but a victory none the less!

Also....the sun is out, it's going to be a lovely day!

Beanie Baby!

2008-01-08T22:07:00.000+11:00

Right…it’s the start of the year but a week for finishing things off. One a day till the end of the week! Here’s today’s project already done and dusted. Matt’s Christmas Beanie.

It was my first circular needles project and I think that I’m in love! I’ve never used needles that were easier or more smooth and lovely to use! I don’t think that they will completely replace double pointed needles for me but I think I’ll be using them in preference.
See the happy recipient modelling!(Please excuse the thread hanging down his neck...I have temporarily lost my weaving in needle)

I know this might be controversial (in the world of knitting) but having tried socks (and failed so far) with DPNs I think I might try them with circulars! GASP!
Oh I do like to live on the edge!!

I am the List Queen...hear me roar!

2008-01-05T00:56:00.000+11:00

January....from my calendar

Well the start of the year loomed in front of me a few days ago like a big black hole of potential unknown-ness....and for a little while that was all too much to deal with. After several months of stress and headless chicken behaviour I apparently needed a couple of days to rest and recuperate....who would have thought!

Those couple of days gave me the chance to think about some of the things I'd like to do this year and once I started writing stuff down I couldn't stop. The list is very long so far however it appears that a list is what I need to give direction and purpose to my life, (probably not very healthy but to each their own) and so a list I now have.

So...a sample -

Watch the entire series of Buffy - yes this is what I got for Christmas!

Knit four things with wool from the stash - the stash is growing at an alarming rate...some of it must be used. Four things should be easy

Learn how to make sushi - I've wanted to do this for forever...this is the year!

Go swimming - I was doing this several times a week a (long) while ago but work got in the way....now that I'm footloose and fancy free it's time to do some of the things I enjoy

Read 10 must read books - the list is yet to be finalised but I wish to extend my reading genre's. I'll probably post the list at some point.

Get CV up to date - boring but necessary! Although I'm not working now I will need that CV in the future

Enjoy my time off - this is a biggie for me. Apparently there's a big chunk of my self worth that's tied to my work and so I don't do unemployment well. I feel guilty, I worry and I stress. The couple of months I'm taking now is not without purpose and as such I am giving myself permission to enjoy not working. I have earned this break and will do fun things with it such as visit the shops, walk along the beach, take photos, knit and have coffee in a different cafe each week/day/hour...as the need hits me!

This year is going to be great....I know...it says so on my list!!

Rowan Embrace Felted Bag

2008-01-03T23:55:00.000+11:00

The Mystery Project Revealed...

Rowan Embrace Felted Bag

Finished but unfelted.
The embroidery before felting
The bag after felting
The embroidery after felting
The handle detail

Happy New whatever...

2008-01-03T00:11:00.000+11:00

Good lord is it 2008 already? I'm not really ready for it at all. I have no goals, no plans, no aims. The remains of Christmas are strewn around the house and the tinsel just looks garish in the hard light of 2008. I'm not that fond of this time of year. The aftermath of christmas, the insanity of the sales, the pressure to know what you want from the next 360 something days. It's all too much and this year I can't seem to work out what I want to achieve or work towards...very strange for me.

Anyway enough of me moaning away. Here are some photos for you to look at while I try to figure out the meaning of life etc!!

The view from our cottage
Farm type buildings seen on one of our walks. I love the colour on the hills!
Fields of sheep also seen on one of our walks.
Lighthouse at Strumble Head
Newgale beach

A moment of reflection please

2008-01-01T01:29:00.000+11:00

I think this time of year is for reflection. While most of the world seems hell bent on making resolutions that they swear this time will stick, I like to take a moment to look back over the year that is almost over and think about what I achieved…or didn’t.

At the start of each year I write down a couple of things for each part of my life that I’d like to achieve. Now that does sound a lot like New Year Resolutions but that's not how I think of them. For me these are not amazing and life changing things as resolutions usually are, but are experiences, tasks or skills that I think will stretch me and enhance my life a little. I guess there's little difference really but it's my blog and if I want to call them goals instead....I will!!!

I don’t always get them done. Life is fluid and changeable. What is right now might not be so right in a few months time but the point of it all is to find ways to live my life rather than just let it go by in a haze of 9-5ness.

So what did I achieve this year?

Well…I got myself sorted out online. Not only did I set up this blog but I’ve also managed to post fairly regularly! Gotta be happy with that!

Cooking wise, although I’ve not kept track exactly, I’m pretty sure I’ve managed to try a new recipe at least once a month. It’s certainly been a good year for soups and muffins!

Knitting of course has been successful this year and I have knitted two cardigans….one of which I actually wear!!

Although I haven’t finished my Correspondence course like I wanted to I have made good progress on it and am rather pleased with how I’ve integrated the things I’ve learnt into my life.

It hasn’t been a good year for writing unfortunately (aside from the blog and essays) and that’s something I’ll have to address in the New Year, however sometimes life goes in different directions and you have to accept that.

It’s not been the easiest of years for us. Lots of big decisions, hard choices and not a little fancy footwork to keep life moving forward. However it’s time now to move on, to take what we can and to welcome in the New Year with as much positivity and champagne as we can!

Have a Happy & Safe New Year everyone. I just know it’s going to be a great one!!!!

Ho Ho H-over...

2007-12-31T03:57:00.000+11:00

I hope you all had a wonderful, merry and entertaining Christmas. We certainly did. Our Welsh Christmas turned out even better than we planned. The cottage was situated in the middle of the valley of nowhere, somewhere down a dirt track and there was no one for miles…except sheep and cows...and one resident robin!
We walked around the coastline, meandered along very blustery beaches, shopped our way through some of the towns in the area and spent our nights in such a peaceful and relaxing blissfulness that we really didn’t feel like coming home.

It turns out that doing nothing is harder than it looks and we found it hard to adjust at first. I found myself sitting down all peaceful on the outside but inside I’d be racking my brain trying to figure out what it was I was supposed to be doing!! A kind of panic set in as we realised we were to have no mobiles and no internet. There was no list writing, no timetables and no plans of things to do or see but by the end of the week we were wondering where the time had gone!

Christmas day we went out for a ramble in the countryside that turned into a full on mountain climb as we took the hard way up the hill…completely ignoring the pathway. It was however the very thing we needed and once home we were able to eat, drink and open presents knowing we were simply too exhausted to go out again!
We walked around Strumble head, along Newgale beach, explored Pembroke castle and Haverfordwest town, had coffee in St Davids and got drenched in Carmarthen.

Prior to leaving I managed to get everything I needed to done. Which of course means that some things fell by the wayside. I did get the scarf done (at the eleventh hour) and the mystery project (photos later this week) A few last minute, non-craft subsistuions were made but once again it was knocked in to me that I can't do everything...at least not in the month of December!
Once we reached the cottage all motivation (and my brain) disappeared and all I was capable of doing was stocking stitch on the “should have been long finished” Pippa bag. Even that didn’t last long and I switched on to cross stitch…which I haven’t been interested in for almost 2 years! The change was nice tho and all aches and pains have since disappeared.

Photos I have in abundance, and will post them over the next week or so, of knitting projects, Christmas and Wales!

Silly Season Salutations!!

2007-12-23T16:44:00.000+11:00

Well it's still dark out and we're setting off in a mo to Wales for our countryside Christmas but I couldn't leave without wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!

May your turkey cook all the way through, may the weather be exactly right for where ever you are, may you receive no paper cuts, may all the toffee's in the bowl be the ones you like, may your Santa hat not fit too tightly, may you eat more than you should be able too and may none of your presents require that fake "OH I love it!"

More seriously I hope that each and every one of you spends Christmas surrounded by friends and family, knowing exactly how lucky and loved you are, giving thanks for it and sharing the feeling around when ever you have opportunity!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Hear those sleigh bells jing-a-ling...

2007-12-21T23:17:00.000+11:00

hmmm...not sure if those are the exact words but that's the way I sing it. And carol singing I am these days since I picked up a '4 CD' compilation of Christmas songs. I think I now have every song with the word Christmas in it that's ever been written!!

Today is the end. The end of my contract and thus current employment, the end of work for everyone else, the end of my time to get things done. What doesn't happen today doesn't happen.
Most folks have until Christmas day. I have no such luxury because I am off to Wales!! We have hired a lovely cottage in the middle of nowhere and will be taking off this weekend with some equally lovely friends to spend a relaxing, peaceful, countrified Christmas.

It's going to be great! Lovely winter rambles through the countryside, long wanders along blustery deserted beaches, warm cozy nights in front of the fire! I might even get lucky and have some snow! (although they say it's going to warm up a bit by then)

It's not all joy and tinsel tho as I'm teetering on the edge of what I think will be a nasty cold and my hand is still playing up making knitting of presents more painful than is comfortable.
However.......
Cards all done
Calendars all done
Presents all done
Mince pies all done (thank god!)
Biscotti all done

...just a bit of a scarf and 1/2 a beanie to go...then it's Christmas!

It's a wrap!

2007-12-19T22:46:00.000+11:00

I’m convinced there is a black hole specifically for mince pies…if not even more specifically for mince pies that I make!! No sooner do they come out of the oven than they disappear faster than I can count, the little buggers!

But aside from the mince pies, frantic knitting, aching finger joints and rampant tinsel that is my life at the moment…

I was hoping to have some photos to post today but see above sentence for reason as to why that hasn’t happened. Perhaps tomorrow……although if I'm honest that's not likely either!
I am having a Christmas night tonight. I am sending the other half out and spending the night in delicious Christmas-ness. It’s the bit I really enjoy (aside from the cooking)…the wrapping of presents! There's nothing like a glass of wine, a CD of Christmas carols and miles of shimmery ribbon to get you in the Christmas spirit!

OK I get that this doesn't work for everybody. Some folks prefer death by tinsel to wrapping presents. So here are my top tips for Christmas wrapping in the misguided notion that they might make things easier...if only by providing a distraction from the task at hand!!

10. Never wrap anything if there are pets in the room…they will want to help!

9. Double sided tape is your friend.

8. Glitter is fun and pretty but you’ll be finding it on your face for the next three months…I’m just saying…

7. Always have a theme. Matching paper and ribbon/bows etc. It always makes presents look more special if they all look similarly wrapped.

6. Always measure and cut the paper to size. If you don’t you’ll end up with too little and you'll have to patch it or waste paper OR too much which results in bulky, messy ends! And nobody likes a messy end!

5. For awkward shapes either put into a square box for easy of wrapping or use non paper wrapping…cellophane, gift bags, fabric etc

4. Bows, ribbons and other adornments make people go “Ooooh” and think that you’ve spent ages on their present!

3. Don’t do it at the last moment. That's just asking for stress. I like to do all mine at once and make an occasion of it so I pick a day in the week before and do it then. Some folks like to do a couple a day or as they buy them.

2. Keep all your wrapping bits in one place. Paper, tape, cards, pens, scissors. There’s nothing more annoying and less festive than loud swearing drowning out the Christmas carols as you hunt for a pair of scissors or non existent sticky tape

And my No.1 top tip.....

1. One glass of wine gets you in the Christmas spirit…two will only lead to tears and presents that looked like the dog wrapped them.

I can see the light...

2007-12-17T22:02:00.000+11:00

Yup....faintly glimmering in the distance I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not there yet but I feel the weight lifting off my shoulders...that familiar "more things done than to do" feeling of relief.

The weekend was a productive one. Much running around like those headless chickens we always hear about, much last minute desperate snatching of odd items off the shelves, much substituting of ingredients I'd forgotten to buy!!!

Nah, actually it wasn't that bad. I did have to go back to our corner store about 5 times for things I'd forgotten during my mammoth cooking session in which I made 4 doz mince pies, 3 lots of biscotti, one meat pie and the stuffing for the turkey! The mince pies were all for gifts and would you believe I've run out!

Knitting News - Almost there. I'm about 1/2 way on the scarf and have cast on for the last beanie. The mystery project that must not be named is done bar the felting. Unfortunately my hands are starting to protest loudly so it's now a race against my joints! I might have to revise my knitting plans for over the holidays.

Saturday night we took time out from Christmas to go see Kate Rusby. Folk singer extraordinaire, it was a great night. Kate was on form and having as much fun as we were. We were all given song sheets at the door and eventually she got everyone singing and joining it. It actually felt quite festive and was a really friendly atmosphere.
Plus I got taken out to dinner!! By Matt, not Kate. We went to Carluccios a great Italian restaurant where I indulged my love of calamari, liver (I am strange I know) and gelati! Not all at the same time of course!!

A very bad picture of Kate Rusby on stage.

Oh No it Isn't!!!

2007-12-14T20:33:00.000+11:00

OH YES IT IS!!!! Yup it's Panto time again and this year we decided to go with some friends of ours. It's possible that we were the loudest people in the audience, it's possible that there is some embarrasment still lingering....and it's possible that I haven't had so much fun in ages!!

The title shot...which set the scene for amazing, glittering sets that had great attention to detail....I thought so anwyay!
Buttons (Jon Clegg) and the Wicked Step Mother (Dave Lynn). I'm still not sure who Buttons was supposed to be in the fairy tale but he was very funny.
The two Ugly Step Sisters, Kim & Aggie..their dresses were amazing.
I so want the little round handbags they have in this photo.
Prince Charming being introduced to the Ugly Step Sisters.....
A close up of their costumes. Many rubber gloves died for this panto!
Prince Charming (Jorden Bird) in full song, with his Valet Dandini (Ben Redfern)

Muffins, Pies and a Bus

2007-12-14T01:40:00.000+11:00

Finally here are the muffin pictures, which after all that waiting are sure to be an anti climax. They are Peanut Butter and Choc chip muffins (recipe below) which turned out rather well I think. Definitely a keeper although I’d like the Peanut butter taste to be a little stronger. I’m not sure how I’d do that though….increase the amount of PB? Not sure.

Also some mince pie pictures because it is the season after all! Don’t you love the mug too!!!
And some bonus shots. Last night we were sitting peacefully watching TV when we heard a banging sound. It wasn’t long before it became a drumming sound and very rhythmic and loud it was too. Then suddenly this appeared outside.
We think it was some sort of charity collection but there were no signs so we’re unsure what charity it was. The top was open and the band (drummers) were up there with a familiar face…… HO HO HO!
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Muffins

From http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=461

2/3 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter -- melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter and margarine until well blended.

Mix in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Combine flour with baking powder and baking soda.

Add to peanut butter mixture along with milk and chocolate chips.

Mix well. Spoon into 12 lined muffin tins.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in the center.

Back to Stage Two

2007-12-12T19:47:00.000+11:00

OH dear....still no photos of pretty muffins & mince pies. Sorry. I'm writing myself a note because if I forget again tonight they'll be all gone!!

I am much happier and calmer today as I was able to get some Christmas shopping done yesterday afternoon AND I only have two little things left to get!!!! WOO HOO It's a weight lifted off my shoulders, a dark cloud blown from my brow and the stage 4 red alert has been downgraded to a stage 2 slightly orange alert!! Which is pretty much normal in my life.

To tide you over till the food photos here are some pics of the needle holder I found time to make myself a couple of weeks ago. I love, love, love the bold fabric on the inside!

Such pretty patterns! And how arty is this shot!! I might be finally getting the whole blog photography thing.

Panic Stations!

2007-12-11T20:31:00.000+11:00

Like knitters all around the world at the moment I am starting to struggle with the terrifying and impending deadline that is Christmas.
Every year I overload myself with tasks and crafty type stuff to wow and impress people. (why I don't know) This year I tried to play it safe and be realistic about my time frame.
I knew the knitting projects would take more time and since the event is set to be rather low key this year I figured not so much craft was needed. And so my initial list was short, concise and full of smaller projects.

I think the key word there is initial!!!!

The list has grown. It has taken on a life of it's own and I am powerless to prevent new crafty ideas joining the queue. It's like a giant runaway conga line. Out of control and joyously snaking it's way towards my tinsel covered doom!

Somehow having a shorter list backfired and instead of having enough time to get everything done comfortably my underworked brain diverted itself (I am in no way responsible) to other areas.....thus creating more work and NOT creating more time!!! I've not even started on the annual Christmas cooking of biscotti and rum balls and eleventy million mince pies to give out and it's already two weeks to Christmas. (this is something I realised this morning) And I'm not any further along with the knittng!!!

Why does this happen every year. It's not like we don't know it's coming. But damn it I plan for this....so why do I feel so behind?

Here are some photos of my tree. Twinkly lights soothe the worried beast!

And with the light off so you can see the lovely fibreoptics twinkling away!

Is it a bird? A plane?

2007-12-10T20:35:00.000+11:00

No it’s the weekend flying by at the speed of sound…blink and you’ll miss it!!

And that’s exactly what I feel I did. I achieved nothing, I didn't get any extra sleep and I pretty much feel like I've gone straight from Friday night to Monday morning!!

I went Christmas shopping but bought nothing, I went out but did nothing, I cleaned but it didn’t make any difference, I knitted but seem to have made no progress! It’s like there was no weekend at all!

The only thing I managed to do was produce some mince pies and peanut butter and choc chip muffins. Both of which look so pretty I will take pictures tonight and post them tomorrow if only to prove that I actually did get something done this weekend!!

I lie though, I did do something else. Friday night was the night I’ve long and eagerly awaited. We had tickets to Crowded House!!!!! That I have to come half way around the world to see them was strange but it was the best concert I’ve been to in ages!
Despite the night being sold out the entire concert felt small and intimate. The band chatted to each other and the audience and were clearly having a great time. They got us all singing and involved in the songs and by the end we felt like we’d not just been to a great concert, but rather had joined in a jam session with the guys.
At one point the audience sang the chorus to "Fall at your feet" without the band and as Neil said...it was reverent. The feeling of happiness in the audience that the band was performing again was tangible.

I remember sitting in my room listening the farewell concert in Sydney over 10 years ago and feeling so sad I’d never got to see these guys live. Well now I have and it not only lived up to all my expectations but it blew them away! Absolutely Brilliant!

I guess the weekend wasn't a complete loss then!!!

Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera so I have no pictures for you all. I hang my head in shame…

Thursday Bit's n Bob's

2007-12-07T01:57:00.000+11:00

I don't have a lot to say for myself this week. it's been a bit of a slog getting out the Christmas cards, parcels, letters and what not and there's not been much room for anything else. It's all Christmas at the moment...even though we don't even have our tree up yet (this weekend) It's even got to the knitting...but then Christmas knitting is exciting.

I sit there and knit as usual but I also have the added pleasure of imaging the recipients face when they finally see what I’ve done. Particularly if they know a little about knitting and how long it takes and how much time someone has just dedicated to them. Of course there’s the trepidation that goes with it too…what if they don’t like it or already have one or are secretly and violently allergic to yarn (anything but that!)

I have several projects on the go at the moment and despite there being a distinct lack of time between now and Christmas I am confident I’ll get them done. I have been quite restrained (although some people don’t think so!!) Of my five projects I have one and a half done and two of the remaining should be easy and relatively quick. Ok the other 1 & ½ are not so easy, have the potential for disaster and will probably make my life a living hell for the rest of the month but I still think I can do it!!
It would be good if I could knit on the train as I travel to work and back but there's just not enough elbow room. That would solve both the time issues with the knitting and the lesser problem of what to read next!!

I have just finished reading Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden and I’m so excited that he has started another series. His last set were about Julius Caesar and a great read that kept me turning the pages faster and faster to get to the end.
Wolf of the Plains is about Genghis Khan and the first book of the series (the second book is released in January) is equally as well written and fascinating to read. I’m only disappointed that I’ve caught up to him and now have to wait until the books are released one by one rather than buying them all and reading them all at once in a great big orgy of story telling!!

It’s rare I find a book that I really like at the moment. With a couple of hours a day on the train I find I grab anything that looks remotely interesting in the library rather than searching for something I would be truly interested in. Mostly this is because after more than a year of this commuting I’ve read just about everything in the library that I would be interested in.
However this is a good way to find new authors…I wouldn’t have picked up Iggulden’s books otherwise!

So what’s everyone else reading at the moment? Any suggestions of good books for me to read?

Little peeks into peoples lives

2007-12-04T22:50:00.000+11:00

I like blogging. I'm not sure why because it actually creates extra work for me but I can't help myself, I like it. I get a weird sense of connection by putting my life out there. Connection to what? I don't know. Part of me refuses to believe there's anyone reading what I write here aside from my mum!! Who else would be interested? There's barely enough knitting content to interest knitters and way too much to interest non knitters!! (note to self :- decide who the audience is)

But it appears that there are a few of you out there reading away, despite my lack of faith, because not only did I find someone last night who reads my blog but also I have access to an Analyser gizmo.

Yup I have a tool that helps me make sense of the traffic that comes and goes on this blog. And so when I feel like no one else on earth could possibly be interested in what I have to say I can log in and prove to myself that such people do exist.

And you guys are from all over the place!!

There are places I’d expect to see on there. Places where I know people and have spread the blog word...like Australia (Melbourne & Brisbane in particular) and of course England but it never ceases to amaze me that there are so many other countries on there. Holland, India, Sudan, Indonesia, Spain, US, Germany, Russia & Japan as well as places in Australia and England where I don’t know anyone at all.

I love reading blogs myself and have quite a few I visit on a daily or weekly basis. I love reading about things other people have done, both in their lives and their crafts. Obviously I'm not the only one who feels this way because there are many thousands of people out there doing the same thing as me. (Just do a search on a topic that interests you and add blog to the end of it....see how many results come up!!)

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that there are people who like reading about my life!

Diagnosis Christmas!

2007-12-04T00:28:00.000+11:00

Well I’ve not been too well this past week so I apologise if the posts have seemed a tad half hearted. I’ve had some strange combinations of sinus pressure, earaches, jaw aches and raised glands.
The doctor says it’s stress related and showing up because I’m run down and not sleeping so good.
I say….what have I got to stress about??
Christmas sneaking up behind me? Travel plans not coming together? Being unemployed? Sending out a eleventy million Christmas cards? Never doing any study? Not having enough hours in the day? Family in Hospital? Turkeys that might not fit in the oven? Never seeing the sun again?

HA…I laugh at your diagnosis of stress………

No really it’s not so bad...for Christmas anyway. I think the sudden onslaught of winter and Christmas at the same time has caught a lot of people by surprise this year and the shops are heaving and scary with desperate people carrying obscene amounts of bags. Normally I’m done my shopping by now (Ok I think one year I was done early and I’ve never managed it again but like to think that that year was normal!) but this year I still have a few things to get and I’m too scared to venture out. Friday I came home early by way of the shopping zone and although it was only a weekday it looked like Saturday lunchtime.
It’s worse because I know I have to go out there next Saturday. I daren’t leave it any later...the craziness brings back too many memories of working retail in London over Christmas and the sales. Shudder…

On the weekend I managed to drum up the energy to go to the Food and Drink Fair at Ardingly. We went last year and got the best ham we’ve ever had and the same people were there this year as well. Plus the lovely wines, cheeses, sausages and pies that we got...it might be stressful but this Christmas is set to be a very yummy one too!

I finally got around to taking some pictures of the beanie (and my head) I recently finished. I didn't realise it came out so yellow. You can see the lovely self stripyness but unfortunately you can't feel the gorgeous softness of it!! It's Rowan Tapestry...in the Antique colourway I think.

Ok it's only a beanie...but it's my first beanie and I'm rather proud of it!
Now I just have to knit one for myself!!

Winter Warmer Soup

2007-11-29T19:50:00.001+11:00

This is a great soup and definitely a keeper. Just the thing you need not only to warm you up but also cheer you up on a grey and dingy winter evening. Those days nothing feels better than to have a big bowl of warm and tasty soup and some crusty bread to sop it up with!!

Potato, leek and bacon
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
300g/12oz leeks, washed and finely sliced
300g/12oz potatoes, peeled and sliced
150g/6oz bacon, chopped. (I use 3-4 slices)
700ml/1¼pt stock (fresh chicken stock is best for flavor but stock cubes can be used)
290ml/½ pint milk (I'm not keen on milk for a variety of reasons and don't think the soup actually needs it. If it's a little gloupy - as potato based soups can get - I simply add more stock or just plain water)
fresh ground black pepper

Method
1. Sauté the potato, leeks and bacon in a pan, until soft but not coloured.
2. Add the stock and cook until the potatoes are tender. (about 15-20mins)
3. Whizz it, return to the pan and add the milk/stock/water.
4. Serve with warm chunks of bread or rolls spread with butter!!

How easy is that!! I love recipe's like this that produce loads of flavor and wow factor for very little work!

Night Lights

2007-11-29T03:13:00.000+11:00

These were taken a few weeks ago when we had to go up to London. I love this bridge so much, she's so stately and timeless. For me, she's the very heart of London.

Beanie Love!

2007-11-27T21:41:00.000+11:00

I have finished my very first beanie……for the second time!

This time I’ve sewn it up instead of ripping it back. (Read - taking a pair of sissors to it because at the time the yarn refused to rip and sissors appeared to be the only other alternative, PLUS cutting it was only slightly more scary that owning a too small beanie…I think I’d been drinking.)
I’m still not convinced that the finished product is a) neat enough to give away or b) the right size for the recipients head however it’s not all bad since it fits me quite nicely!!
Mostly though I'm just pretty darn proud of myself for actually knitting a beanie. Oh I know in the knitting scheme of things it's no big deal and next to the cardigan I finished recently this is small fry, I'll agree. But I love it anyway and the world seems somehow brighter. After the cardigan I was proud yes, but also exhausted. After the beanie I feel like casting on for another!!!
Suddenly there is so much oppertunity out there. Think stripes, think cables, think POM POMS!!!!

A-hem...unfortunatly I don’t have photos at the moment because I don’t have time for that sort of frivolity however I shall try to have some done over the weekend. No really I will try!!

It’s all getting a little ridiculous at the moment because the last postal dates are coming up quickly and with the huge amount of stuff I send out at this time every year...well lets just say I do put the silly in the silly season!
There are ‘things’ to be sorted and wrapped, cards and letters to be written, 7 birthdays to be accounted for and cards/presents to be included where appropriate. AND all of this needs to be carted down to the over crowded post office and indiviually weighed to get the correct postage to ensure that if something does come back to me…it ain’t my fault (are you listening this year Royal Mail?? The address to send the parcel/card to is on the front. Y'know, where the stamp is!!!!)
If that isn’t enough for you then I raise the stakes by sending said cards and parcels to no less than four different countries!!!!

Excuse me while I go open another bottle of wine!

That Knitting Feeling

2007-11-22T23:56:00.000+11:00

Knitting is cool…knitting is great…knitting is addictive and obsessive and compulsive!

Below is a selection of some of the things I want to knit in the new year.
The list is in no way complete, in order of importance and I reserve the right to find a gazillion new and exciting patterns to do instead or as well as, if I so want!!

Ribbed cap by Judy Gibson – currently in progress and about 70% done. It will look like a hat in time.

Juno Regina Stole by Miriam L Felton
Knitting Tote by Donna Yacino
Coachella by Fathom Harvill
Ariann by Bonne Marie Burns

It's my aim to get the stole, tote and two tops done within the next 12 months. I know I knit slow but am hoping that I will speed up a little with experience and so I don't think it's too much to hope for. Unless of course I find other equally desireable and distracting patterns that I must knit now!!

Beans Mean Soup!

2007-11-22T22:52:00.000+11:00

Ok…I’ll fess up…this is not a new soup but one we have again and again. It is however a winter soup if ever there was one as it’s so warming and lovely, plus it’s a cinch to make. All of which are exactly what I needed this week!

Bean and Tomato Soup
Ingredients500ml crushed tomatoes (I use a tin…it’s a bit less but does the job fine)
500ml chicken stock
500gm cooked red kidney beans. (again I just use a tin…two will make it thicker)
2 x garlic cloves crushed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp of harissa or chilli paste (to taste really)

Add tomatoes, beans and chicken stock into a blender or whatever and whiz till course (not smooth)
Put it all in a pot and add the garlic, lemon & harissa paste and heat till boiling.
Simmer for 10 mins or till well heated through and serve with chopped chives and parsley or grated Parmesan and crusty bread.

To atone for not having a new and exciting soup here are some more food pictures...

Banana cake! Hmmm……yummo
Beano pie! My take on one of the truly delicious pies we get from the shop down the street!

Now ok it's not the prettiest pie you ever did see but BOY did it taste good!!!

Dark Skies

2007-11-22T00:17:00.000+11:00

Nothing exciting has happened today so here are some photos of the houses behind ours two weekends ago. I looked out the window to see the sun shining as bright as it ever did in summer and with the black clouds I thought it looked very moody! Wasn't long before the sun disapeared and the rain came down tho.

No Brainer!

2007-11-20T20:18:00.000+11:00

I think I’ve used up all my brain cells.

I wasn’t aware that I had a finite amount but it’s becoming clear that demand is exceeding supply. The progression of the problem is such that it is clearly visible not only to myself and those that know and love me regardless but also to complete strangers.

I am a very organised person. I write lists…hell I’m the queen of lists. I have lists of my lists……which is another discussion altogether! It’s enough just to say that I squeeze many things into my days. Sometimes I take on too much but usually I manage and on the odd occasion that I don’t there’s always some knitting and a glass of wine to help me regain perspective!

However recently it seems that I am incapable (not only of doing nothing but) of functioning at my usual standards. Recently it seems I have trouble buttoning up my shirts! In fact things are so bad I’m surprised I’m still feeding myself.
I’ve sent cards to the wrong addresses, double booked (and bought tickets) on no less than three occasions…and counting AND this morning I was busy standing in front of the door of my train waiting for the driver to appear and unlock it so I could find my seat and go to sleep when another ‘regular’ on the train approached me. It went a little something like this…

Me (muttering to myself) – “What does he want? This isn’t his usual carriage, go away strange man.”

Man (not strange at all) – “You do know there’s another train further up?”

Me – “Wah?”

Man – “Your standing in front of the wrong train?”

Me (looking at watch) – “Huh?”

Man (giving up and starting to walk away from a lost cause) – “The train we catch is in front of this train.”

Me (comprehension slowly dawning on me and running after man) – “OH MY GOD! Thank you so much, that’s so nice of you, I can’t believe I was that stupid”

Man (clearly sorry he stopped to talk to the strange lady) – “ah…excuse me!”

This degeneration of my intellect has been going on for a few months now and I am steadfast in my placement of the blame. It’s the weather and Christmas. One or the other I could handle but Snow in November (cruelly not at my house) and prolonged exposure to loud Christmas carols has rendered me unfit for participation in my own life, let alone any involvement in the outside world.

However I still have enough of my facilities to be exceedingly grateful to the lovely man who, although I see every day I’ve never spoken too, decided to take a moment out of his morning to ensure someone else’s morning wasn’t incredibly disastrous. Thank you. You have restored my faith in public transport and those that travel on it. And after last nights nose picking, mp3 sharing hooligan that’s really something!!

Hibernation

2007-11-20T00:54:00.000+11:00

I am not a person who does nothing.

There are many people out there (and I doff my hat to them) who have no problems at all doing nothing. They will sit around all day without even giving it a second thought and achieve little but relaxation. See…I can’t even think of people doing nothing without hoping that they get something out of it. They might not be relaxed at all!

I should state that by nothing I mean nothing productive. I don’t mean simply sitting in a chair staring at the wall…although that is both doing nothing…and doing something…since you are actually sitting and staring…...oh dear!

In any case I am incapable. I spend my weekends in a hive of activity…I usually write a list so long that even superman would struggle to complete it. My week nights are carefully allocated time slots filled with dedication and determination. I will do everything, I will do it perfectly and I won’t waste any time about it!!!
I can’t help it. It’s the way I am. Some might say it’s unhealthy but I say no more so that other quirks people have like eating Vegemite and cheese together………

I have for some time now been working on ways to lessen the stress caused by not getting entire lists completed. Training myself to write smaller lists and to simply transfer the “un-ticked” items to a new list rather than throwing a tantrum. It seems to be working too. With smaller lists I accomplish a greater percentage of the items and therefore feel better about myself and life in general. It must be having a knock on effect as well because Sunday…

for the first time ever…………

I did nothing.

Now I’m going to qualify that because although it felt like nothing to me (ie I accomplished nothing) to others it may look like I actually did a fair bit. So to clear things up...

Sunday I sat on the couch, watched Sherlock Holmes for the entire afternoon and knitted a beanie!

What makes me feel like I did nothing is all the things I didn’t do. I didn’t cook, I didn’t do the washing, I didn’t study, I didn’t take any photos, I didn’t go through any paperwork, I didn’t check my email, I didn’t go down to the pub as planned, I didn’t move from the couch except to get snacks etc.
In my defence it was blowing a gale and snowing…or hailing or sleeting or everything and there was really nothing on this earth that would have moved me from my comfy warm spot on the couch!!

Of course now I have to get everything done tonight!!!

Thursday Soup Kitchen

2007-11-16T00:47:00.000+11:00

MY God was it cold this morning!!! Windscreens frozen over and the countryside as white as if it had actually snowed. And I had to look twice as in some places it did actually look like snow! Sadly it wasn’t and even more sadly I didn’t have my camera with me…these are the times I wish I had a camera phone!

Anyway perfect weather for soup I reckon!! Unfortunately I was all out of inspiration this week. I really wanted to do something a little different or more unusual but couldn't find anything I wanted to eat and just ended up chucking everything I could find into the pot.
It’s not a bad way to go about it, particularly when trying to use up vegetables towards the end of the week or just wanting something warm and comforting to munch on.

Mish Mash Soup, Whatever Soup, Leftover Soup, Bitsa Soup, 'Little bit of this' Soup, 'All together' Soup, 'You name it, we got it' Soup, Pot 'O Soup etc, etc...

So here’s what I put in…
1 large onion
2 sticks of celery
1 small carrot (would have put more if we’d had them)
Some broccoli
Some cauliflower
Large handful of rice (any will work just fine)
Enough vegetable stock to cover the veg
Herbs, salt and pepper as you wish (I did basil, oregano & parsley with some black pepper…I’ll add salt at the end if it needs it)

Chop it all up and then whack it all into a pot.
Bring to the boil and then simmer till the rice and veg are cooked.
Then you can either whiz for a smooth soup or leave as is for a chunky soup
Serve with warm bread rolls smothered in butter!!!

Note: - if you make this ahead of time like I do you may find you have to add more liquid to the soup when you come to reheat it as the rice will absorb it all.

And there you go. Never the same twice but always yummy and perfect for those days you can’t be bothered cooking. I’m sure you’ve all done something similar before.
I think the most exciting thing about this soup is that I was cooking a courgette (zucchini) bake which calls for the excess juice to be squeezed out of the courgette and in a fit of old style self sufficiency I saved the juice and used it in the vegetable stock for the soup! It was a very satisfying green colour and just think of all that extra goodness!!!

For those cooking type people I not only cooked the soup and the courgette bake but also did a smoked salmon quiche (so, so good!) and banana & butterscotch chocolate muffins (drool).
I’m feeling the need to do something really nice this weekend…something that requires a little more effort and if this happens and I remember the camera I’ll post some pic’s of whatever I make next Monday. Maybe a pie…

Wednesday Ramblings

2007-11-14T22:35:00.000+11:00

Having finished the cardigan I now find myself with a multitude of slightly smaller projects to knit for Christmas that need starting ASAP but for lack of yarn or the correct needle size or whatever I can’t do anything yet.
I am not worried tho noooo…I have from a reliable source that there are still 42 knitting days before Christmas and I am confident that I will get these things finished……stop laughing. As the local store doesn’t seem to stock very much of what I need I’ve ordered these things online and hopefully I shall be knitting happily away over the weekend. Currently I’m biding my time knitting this....the Pippa felted bag by Rowan

It’s a bag…it's a felted bag. It shall be pretty and make people stop me in the street to ask me where I bought it when I have finished it!! Oh yes it shall!
I have one side done so far so I guess that’s about a third of the way. It’s straight forward and mindless which is nice when you’re watching TV and trying to keep tabs on who’s got what power in Hero’s!

Can anyone else feel the hot breath of the festive season on their necks? We have our first Christmas card, restaurants are taking bookings and the stores all have their decorations up. Christmas adds are all over the TV and the race for the No.1 Music Chart position has started.
YUP, tis the season to huddle in fear under the duvet with a bottle of scotch...or is that just me?

The new program for the Duke of York cinema has come out and it is jam packed with loads of stuff I want to see but know I will never have the time. It’s not just sad it’s a crime to have such a cinema so close and use it so infrequently. I hang my head low with shame but see no way to change the situation…at least this year. (oh and you know Christmas is close when you start saying that!!!!)
Perhaps I should switch soup of the week for film of the week but I’m still not sure that would miraculously create extra hours in my week.

And to finish off this rambling blog here’s a weird photo for you. Took it a week ago through the window and I think it's pretty cool!