COLD & WET BUT STILL BUSY

Thursday, Friday & Saturday brought us rain - lots of it - around the 50mm mark.

The rain brought us cold - VERY COLD - down to the zero mark at nigh

 and only about 9 during the day.

The cold brought the WIND - I estimate at -10!!! - that is what it feels like when it

cuts through you anyway!

Maybe not as cold as many places are at the moment.... but we have ben spoilt this winter and had reasonably warm weather for June.

So there has been no gardening, no walks. just no outside activity.

But I have been busy inside. I have vacuumed, cleaned, washed and dried. And I have cooked meals for 5 days which means I don't have to tax my brain to think about what we are going to

have for tea each night this week!

 

I have also been busy playing with yarns - all sorts of yarns.

And thus my market stall will be looking much better in a few weeks.

 

 

Some time spent mixing and matching until the selection looks good together

 they laying them all out and pinning in place I move onto the fun part

 - sewing like a crazy woman all over the washaway

 

 

once I have calmed down it is into a bath filled with warm water to rinse

and after doing that twice, it is onto the clothes horse to dry and then

they become these.................

 

beautiful scarves

 

each time I make a new batch I think I will keep this one or that one

for myself but as yet I haven't

 

Now sitting on my sewing table are the fabrics for not 1 but 2 tote bags

 

Both are gifts and I am really looking forward to making them.

I made bags for several years and sold at markets - to the point that I never wanted to make another again!! Maybe it is because I have plenty of time to make these and I have chosen

to do them because I want to that I am looking forward to making them.

 

That's it from me for today - I hope wherever you are that your days are nice and sunny!!

 

IT'S STARTING TO FEEL

 

A BIT LIKE XMAS!!!

 

 

Finished Xmas in July gifts

 

 

all wrapped up and on their way

 

 

to.... you.... or you..... or you.....?????

 

These are everywhere in blog land at the moment!!!

 

 

 

NOT MUCH TO SHOW FOR THE EFORT!!

 

A day in the garden today - 5 hours in fact and although I can see what I have

 done  it doesn't really look like much. Lots of re potting and we wheelbarrowed a pile of composted straw into a garden bed that was started 6 months ago and can now be planted up with shrubs in the spring.

 

 

my helper and I re potted 9 yuccas - which look fairly scrappy at the moment but as they all had good root systems they will take off in the spring. We also re potted 8 geraniums that were struggling. The soil was like rock in the pots so we added a heap of potting mix and compost so they should also take off in the warmer weather.

Whilst my mother was in Melbourne last week I asked her and my aunty to check out op shops for old teacups, teapots etc that would be okay to use for succulents. My grand daughter is nearing the end of her footy season and wanting to start doing markets again so I thought potting up succulents in these would be something a little different.

 

 

Well this is just a few of what they bought for me lol!!! I cannot let the pair of them out on their own again!! here I have 19 cups, 2 teapots and 3 bowls. I haven't opened the other boxful yet! I am inclined to keep the 4 white cups and 4 bright coloured cups for myself. Might substitute for some in my kitchen cupboard.

 

That is about it for tonight - tomorrow I am going to try to convert pallets into vertical gardens - my helper will be out again - this could be interesting (or rather the results will be!!!)



ANOTHER WEEK GONE BY

 

I am having a battle with time flying by lately!!

 

The last ten days have just disappeared on me! I have been looking after

 one of my other grandchildren!!!!

 

 

this is Pepper - who I have had the pleasure of looking after whilst my daughter and grand daughter are away for a week. She is just a beautiful, sooky, cuddly heavyweight!! I have to brace myself when she comes running to greet me because she run

 flat out and leaps at me - no easy task staying on my feet!!!

 

I have also been looking after my mothers house and dog whilst she has been away - so a drive into town each day for that, our 16yr old grandson has been here for the week also and as he doesn't have a licence I am his taxi for him to catch up with a few of his old friends (he did get on the tractor/slasher; forklift & lawnmower while he was here and did a lot of jobs for me!!

And my own baby, 20 year old Isaac had a hernia op last Tuesday so guess who wanted his mother at his side  all day and half the next - he can't drive either so I have been checking on him also.

 

I did manage to finish the Xmas In July Swap items!!!!

Here is a peek of them!!

 

 

Sorry for the quality of the photo but it I keep forgetting to take photos outside during daylight hours and my camera does not take good photos inside at night.

 

So that wraps up the last 10 days for me!!

 

Plans for the weekend - Saturday is creating in the garden, and

Sunday is creating at the sewing machine.

 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend planned doing what you enjoy the most!!

 

 

 



What To Do Today........

 

So lovely and sunny here today after a very cold morning. What to do?? Stay inside and do the mundane washing, cleaning etc or go outside and do some more in the yard!

 

 

So I have combined the two..... sorting stuff in the old house and taking it outside to the burning pile, and picking up rubbish and garden clippings (twigs, branches etc) and adding to the pile. Later this evening I will burn it and then sit beside it absorbing the warmth, watching it burn, deep in thought (as i always am at the side of a fire) with maybe a glass of wine.

 

 

I hate sorting house stuff..... what do I get rid of, what do I keep........ supposed to be downsizing BUT................ maybe the kids will want this or that, is this important or not...........

 

some of the 'stuff' has been saved many times over from the bin...... maybe it is time to hand it on or dispose of it!!!!!!!!

 

think I will take a break and wander around outside for a little while - much nicer things to look at out there ........... like these Christmas cactus that just keep on flowering.........

 

back inside for another go at the sorting........... 35 years of hanging onto stuff has got to stop!!!!

usable or not most of it has to go because we haven't USED it for many years!!!

 

I will feel good about the job I have done when I come back across to the old house in the morning and there is considerably less to sort through!!

AND none of it is my 'craft' and 'sewing' stuff!!! I did that big sort out a couple of months ago and that really felt good........ I can find most things I go looking for now!!! And quite a few people were very happy to receive what I discarded!!

 

Ahh well - another day nearly over - and I do feel really good to have sorted and discarded the amount I have today, plus cleaned up a bit more dried out prunings etc from around the yard.

A couple of hours and I can have a pretend bonfire on my own and think about what a great job I have done today!!!!

 

But tomorrow I am having a day sewing!!!

 

 



WooHoo ... catching up in the garden....

 

5 Sundays of 2 of us working in the vegie garden and we have finally beaten the weeds and rubbish!!!

Remember the fallen tree branch, well that coupled with the marshamallow plant weeds that were waist high are 'gonski'!!!!

 

 

And how good does the vegie garden look now that it is all cleared. Now my side kick (Little Nathan, 14) will be spending an hour in there each week instead of 4. Mulching and manuring to finish in preparation for our spring sowings!! We will now start on the garden beds around the yard of both houses - who knows what surprises we will find in them!!

 

 

Some of our 'finds' through the weeding last Sunday!

On a wander around the garden I found 3 rose bushes just covered in blooms - and all pink

 ones but each different

 

 

checked the succulents and cactii that we uncovered earlier in June and they are all going well

 

 

Such hardy plants - and interesting all the different shapes and colours

 

We will soon be able to start taking cuttings and potting up again - some for bigger pots to place around the yard and some to go in the garden beds.

 

Enough for today - found some other pretties that I will post about another day!!

 

 

 

 



JUNE OPAM'S

 

Quite happy with the number of finishes I have had for June OPAM 2013 -

9 items and that was with a week away in Melbourne!!
2 Christmas, 2 mug bags, 2 plastic bag holders, 1 crochet baby jacket & 3 beanies!!

 

 

That is without counting in the Xmas in July Swap finishes which I have t

 keep a secret until the end of the month!!