A Lovely Weekend

Well I think this says it all, the maximum temperature reached 42C on Sunday after a hot Saturday so we stayed indoors with the air conditioner just set on 'dry' and 24C which is very comfortable. I watered the garden and filled up the bird bath early in the day.

This pretty candle holder from the op-shop reflects the blazing sun...

For Christmas I made bunting with thread and dry gum leaves, if I'd had more time it would have been nice to write a wee note on each one...

while watering I spotted this big pod on my Bower Vine...friends have advised to put a paper bag over it to collect the seeds when the pod bursts as it will eject them far and wide...

I finished my first socks using the Not Just Socks yarn from Spotlight...the pattern is on the ball band and it uses one ball per pair of socks...normally sells for $13 so I watch out for it coming on sale and buy a few at a time...it's quite fascinating both watching the colours develop and also the intricate construction of shaping the sock...

On Sunday I also made this 'back pack' from a curtain remnant and some cord...I needed help from Marie at the DTE page as I couldn't visualize how the cord worked...this pattern is similar if you want to have a go, they would make useful gifts too...

filled with a cushion...I would prefer to use this than a shoulder bag while walking around town...

I made a yummy lamb curry and rice for Joe and I but Dad needs something mild and soft so I made him a quick seafood meal, wild caught salmon and prawns, a potato cake and some soft broccoli...this is a bread plate as he needs to eat small meals now...he loves his seafood and would happily eat fish and chips for every meal!

That's my round-up of recent happenings here, today I am going to see Elizabeth and the boys and get the paperwork started for C to start secondary school next month. Just the cost of the uniform is mind boggling and I have no idea how many families can afford it at all. At this new school there is a Student Support set-up where you are sent if you turn up out of uniform. They will lend you a complete uniform until the end of the day when you go and change back into your own clothes...the humiliation of that makes me cringe.

Bye bye for now
xxx

A Rainbow In My Garden

Hallo there, I'm just 'playing' with the camera and trying to improve my photos ahead of a holiday soon, I've walked around the garden and found a rainbow of delights...would like to learn to use a collage 'thing' for Windows 8 but Joe is at the dentist and I'm scared of downloading a virus etc even though we're fully protected by Norton!

Let's see what this looks like anyway, the camera is a Fuji Finepix S4000...

Red rose~Papa Meilland

Orange hibiscus~unknown name but it is as big as a plate!

Yellow~ pansy

Green~passion fruit leaves

Blue~ that sky today

Indigo and Violet~lobelia and a pansy, these are my favourite colours I think.

At school we learned to remember the order of the colours of the rainbows by remembering this gent's name~~~ Roy G. Biv. It still works for me after 50 years 😉

Aren't we fortunate to be able to see these delights?

Love from Sue

xx

Knitted Hearts

I made a few knitted hearts last month to decorate gifts...they can then be kept as Christmas tree decorations or as I like to do hang them from door handles around the house...they are quick to knit and use minimal wool...

these are gifts for our grand-daughters, musical tins of shortbread from Aldi...one kept tinkling even when it was wrapped up! Can you see that one is wrapped upside down too...never a dull moment around here lol I used wrapping paper this year because I found 3 full rolls at Dad's house that Mum bought years ago...

  The pattern I used is here: it's a ravelry pattern by Amanda Berry. Have you joined ravelry? It's completely free to join and has thousands of free patterns, tutorials and groups for knitting and crochet, I love it.

I did like this Christmas Day photo, Charlie is obviously tall enough for me to lean on now and Bree never stopped laughing, we had all sorts of treats for dinner, oysters, king fish that Bree treated with lime juice and served raw, prawns, ham, turkey, gozleme and our favourite salads of course.

 The top of the china cabinet looks like a museum setting, the clock is from around 1905, the photo from 1955, the robin is by Beswick China and is rather battered these days, the china on the right is from the UK in 2000, Auntie Brenda bought me the watering can. I don't know how old the crystal vase is but it's quite unusual in that it has a crystal base or foot...the card was Joe's anniversary card to me...he excelled him himself this time ;)

I took Dad to see the specialist on Friday about the hernia that was noticed last time he was in hospital in October....it appears that most of his stomach is above his diaphragm now instead of below it! It's not causing any pain and the surgery would be too risky at his age but he will need to get to hospital very quickly if he feels ill or pain. Old age is not for sissies is it?

So on that cheerful note I shall leave you...oh! our new neighbours have planted some roses...these almost match the ones on my china...

Bye bye xxx

That Sunset

Thank you all for your lovely comments yesterday...head over to Winwick Mum's free tutorial with step by step instructions on sock making, she even discusses wool and needles first and she's lovely to talk to if you need help. I love to watch the construction techniques as the sock takes shape in all it's parts...so much more than a sock 😃

Last night we had this spectacular sunset, I borrowed Joe's Samsung mobile/cell phone as I've noticed that he and Bree take much better photos with them than either of our cameras can...something to work on methinks...

Silence is golden too!
Love from Sue
xx

Happy New Year

Hallo my friends, just a few photos to post and to wish you all a Happy New Year/Bon Annee!

We had a nice quiet Christmas and are just pottering along, this Summer has been mild so far compared to some we've experienced.

My old barbecue looked quite charming in the early morning light after I'd watered all the pot plants...I spray painted it this bright blue last year, inside the hood behind the front pots is a great space for storing tools and pots. My chandelier and birdcage were rescued from the verge where they'd been out discarded as rubbish...(grrr)

the silverbeet is still going well although I have given up on growing tomatoes as the little green caterpillars are relentless and I won't use pesticides...

Have also become as obsessive knitter these days...lots of socks...these are Winwick Mum's free pattern, I have used Bendigo Woolen Mills 4ply Merino and Nylon yarn for these socks for Joe...Christine has blocked hers but I don't feel it's necessary...

I made a second Feather and Fan stitch scarf with the Jennet wool from Northern Yarns in Lancaster , the first one was posted back to Lancaster to my cousins who sent me the wool...

and Spotlight had that gorgeous Jeans yarn on special again so Charlie will have two posh jumpers this Winter lol...it has some nice wooden buttons on it now...it's such a soft acrylic and a delight to knit with...pattern is free of course from ravelry, Meabh's Cardigan (isn't she a cutie, Charlie wouldn't wear the hat so I'm not making that...am also making a complicated French pattern for him and am knitting the collar for the third time as I watch tennis on telly...

Dad is doing quite well but now I'm making him 7 meals a week, it's a challenge as he needs small meals of soft foods and is rather fussy, I plate it up on a bread and butter plate and write what it is, when to eat it and hot or cold otherwise he will just eat rubbish and then have indigestion again! Cue really bad photo...

In other news our dear Rhonda has been unwell but is in great spirits and has started her blog again, just if and when she feels like writing, I can't tell you how much influence her simple lifestyle has had on me and many thousands of others, do have a look if you haven't already...

Down To Earth blog

Always leave them laughing...Charlie is now just the right height for his ole Nana to lean on lol

Christmas Day <3 My tablecloth is a length of Christmas fabric from last January when it was 75% off the original price. I forgot to get the crackers/bonbons out so that's one thing less we'll need to buy this year lol

Keep well and be happy,

Love Sue

xx