Thursday, May 12, 2011

Twiddling My Thumbs

During a visit to Spotlight today guess what I spied?

Check out that gorgeous pattern, yowsers.......

I need something to line the pantry shelves which I have previously lined with paper.

This looked like just the thing.

Easy to wipe over vinyl, long lasting and nice to long at.

Certainly brightened up my day.

I wonder if you can get the same pattern in fabric?


This is my 'photo of shame' .........

Breaking my darning foot, wasn't the only problem I had this week.

In my enthusiasm (read carelessness..) I also damaged the metal plate on my machine.

The needle had hit the plate and caused a number of tiny nicks in the metal. The fabric catches on these nicks and so it's stop, start causing lots of frustration.

There's nothing to do but order a new metal plate, which means I can't do any sewing till it arrives.

So time to do a bit of dusting, hmm, obviously it's been some time since I have.

Must remember to do this regularly.




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We've had quite a cold week, with temps of not much more than 11deg. pretty chilly for May.

So I have cranked up the wood stove as well as the heater and now we are warm and toasty.

It's so nice having the wood stove going and the kettle boiling away.
It's taken a long time to find a nice heavy based kettle to use on the stove. It actually belonged to my sister, she used it on her wood stove when she and her hubby owned their farm.

When they had the clearing sale before they sold up she asked me if there was anything I would like. So the kettle now lives with me, wish I had asked for the clothes horse too.

She has the clothes horse my mum had, it is huge and made from wood and can hold a whole load of washing. It opens up to about a metre wide and you just don't seem to be able to buy them like that anymore. I have two pathetic little wire ones which just about bend under the weight of the washing.........

It's too cold and wet to hang washing outside this week.



Looking at this pic, I realise we did get some sunshine this week !

We also had some colourful visitors to the yard.

These are Galahs, noisy birds when they get together in a group.
This lot were busily eating some grass seeds.
I managed to open the sliding door and snap off a couple of pics before they decided to fly off.

My gorgeous Flame Robin was back to visit today.
Brightening up a gloomy, misty rainy afternoon.
Personally, I love this sort of weather. I don't mind getting out in it as long as I am dressed for it, but I do prefer to be inside by the heater looking out at it all.

So as you can see my week has been a mixed bag of events.

Nothing terribly exciting perhaps, but there you have it.

I hope to be back sewing over the weekend and will be much more careful of what I am doing.

I hope your week has held some interesting, maybe even exciting events.

I would love to hear about them.

Thanks for taking time to visit and say 'hello' always nice to have visitors.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

18 comments:

  1. Oh oh! Your machine really is in the wars! Good time to take stock and have a spring clean. I know what you mean about clothes airers these days, they are pathetic. Perhaps that could be our new business venture...proper sturdy clothes airers that be handed down to the next generation.

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  2. hi Claire, Ouch, bad luck on your machine, but once its repaired I see beautiful lined shelves. That would make a great tutorial. Love the pattern on the vinyl. Your home sounds so warm and cozy, love that wood stove. Your view out your back is AWESOME! Interesting birds there.....

    ~Emily

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  3. Oh Claire, I love that patterned vinyl, it's so pretty, I could think of a million uses for it but lining shelves would be at the top of my list too.

    Shame about your sewing machine, but just think how much dusting you can get done while it's out of commision........every cloud has a silver lining.......and just think how wonderful it will be to have it back in tip top condition for all that sewing your itching to get on with,

    lily x

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  4. I feel like a complete fool as I have just realised that you broke the foot of your sewing machine not your actual foot! I can only blame it on being like a headless chicken at the moment, planning a big event which has taken over my life, hence not reading things properly! I am very glad it was NOT your real foot.

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  5. Claire, Are those Galahs pink and look a bit like parrots with whitish tufts on thier heads?
    In your yard??
    Julie

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  6. Ah, poor sewing machine - hope it's mended soon!
    Emily x

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  7. I just love all the red in your kitchen! Sunny inside if not outside...

    Blessings, Debbie

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  8. Love your post Claire
    The wood stove is gorgeous. I'm a real estate agent and have a house at the moment with similar stove. The owner lights it for my inspections.
    Everyone loves it. I feel like cooking when I see it. !
    I'm off to dust my sewing machine.
    Chrisartist

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  9. I always enjoy your posts Claire and this one especially. I love your wood stove which makes me very nostalgic for my childhood. Mum use to make the most wonderful food, roasts, scones, sponges etc. She was married in the 50's and her stove didn't have a temperature gauge so she would put her hand in the oven to test if the temperature was right depending on what she was baking. She also had old fashioned irons that were heated up on the top of the stove.
    What make is your stove/oven as it looks quite modern. I'm trying to work out where the fire box is too but can't quite tell from your photo. I love kettles on the stove, always a chance for a cuppa at a moments notice. :)

    I like the vinyl you have chosen for your pantry shelves. Very, very cheery and should brighten up your day when you open the pantry doors.

    Your sewing machine has taken a battering this week. Let's hope the metal plate comes soon and you can get back to sewing.

    The Galahs are also making me nostalgic for my childhood home. Don't the babies make the most awful noises when they're begging to be fed! The noise they make when they're actually being fed is not much better. :) I do love them though.

    Not much in the way of exciting things happening here other than adjusting to an early winter start. It's been so cold here. I've been going out in boots, trench coat, gloves and a scarf. Brrrrr!!!! Today I booked an appointment for Miss G. to go for her driving learners permit. We start a bit late in this family as she is nearly 18. Miss C. came home from a busy 3 hour shift at Woolies today. She gets moved around between tidying up the shelves called facing up and going on the registers serving customers. I tell her she is my best little checkout chick. She has the most gorgeous big smile and happy disposition. Woolies don't realise how lucky they are to have her.

    I've just started to crochet a slouch hat for one of Miss G.'s friends. As I'm still new to the craft of crochet, I've had to start again using a larger hook etc. It's a great learning process though and I hope the end result will be acceptable to her friend.

    Have a lovely week Claire and stay WARM!

    Anne xx

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  10. Had you thought of coating the top of the metal plate with clear varnish as a temporary measure?

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  11. Thankyou for your comments and no thanks to Blogger for deleting the previous lot........... But we won't complain as it seems everything is back to where it should be.

    The wood stove is a Thermalux a brand which is made locally and the wood box is on the right hand side Anne. It also heats our water and we have solar hot water as well.

    Clare I wish I had thought of trying nail varnish, but I just ordered a new plate which has arrived and I'm back in business. Actually my machine is running very smoothly and quietly. I think I shall have to give it a clean out more often........

    Chrisartist you can't beat a wood stove for adding atmosphere and charm to a home, particularly at this time of year.

    Well I'm off to put another log on the fire, it's been a chilly week.

    Thankyou all for dropping by and saying 'hi'

    Claire X

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  12. Love the wood stove, seems so strange that you are now lighting yours when it's been a few weeks since we last had our wood burner on! Great for those autumn and winter days though! Hope you managed to get back to sewing again, it's annoying when you have to wait around for things to be delivered! :) x

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  13. We would be so dangerous shopping together Claire !
    I bought that spotted/ flower material to make swimming bags for the kids.

    Freezing here, loads of snow on the mountains and heavy sub-zero frosts already.

    Ditto on the washing, the chinese laundrey returns :(
    And ditto again - isn't it wonderful to have a kettle or crock pot on the hob - so easy for cups of tea and slow cooked soups - and cosy !

    Good Luck with the sewer - hope you get it sorted soon :)

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  14. A cosy blog Claire, the weather is pants here too, missly rain. We have an oil fired burner here with a huge orange kettle boiling away, made for days like this. Love the visitors!

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  15. Me too1 Me too! I love a bit of crappy weather. I love the cosiness of it all. I'm really missing the dark evenings too.

    Your sewing machine house keeping looks as bad as mine. Shame on us.

    I recenty did a spot of FME totally inspired by you. I'll be blogging about it now that the recipients of the gifts have received them.

    xxx

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  16. That stove would be enough to haul me away from the big smoke in a second (cos that stove BELONGS in the country) and I do love our stove top whistling kettle number. On an entirely different note, you never know when Spotlight is going to come up with something entirely unexpected and remarkable!

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  17. Wow snap I bought the very same plastic coated material from Spotlight, turned it into little aprons for when the children do washing up at the sink, they are great!

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  18. You do have the most interesting birds and animals down there! :)And my sewing machine looks worse than yours...

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