Monday, October 24, 2011

Its A Wild, Wild Life.............

Hello there and welcome to Monday, a little late in the day here but Monday all the same.
I hope you all had a lovely weekend, I certainly did despite having to work Saturday.

I felt I needed some smaller 'makes' for my stall, so today I have been drawing, snipping ironing and sewing up some yet to be filled Lavender Bags.
First up I snipped into an old doiley and mixed it up with some polka dots.

I love the combination of colours..........red, blue and yellow, very vintage looking.

The rest of the Lavender Bags have wee houses on them, click on the pic to get a better look.

Lots of nice and bright,eye catching polka dots.

Sorry about the pants pic.............

Another three to be made up...............

So, after a bit of playing it's back to the usual 'makes' for my stall.

I'm thinking of doing another market next month, so I better stop talking about what I'm going to do and get on with it..........


I'd like to introduce you to a little visitor I found womble- ing around my yard today.

It's an Echidna, or Spiny Anteater.
I had spotted it out in the paddock yesterday and today it has come into the house yard.
It might be small, but it's certainly not slow.
They have very powerful legs for digging and they're like a mini tank barrelling along and not letting anything stop it ...........well almost.

A baby Echidna is called a Puggle ( although there is some dispute about this) I think that is such a cute name.........



I don't think our rooster was too keen to see it enter the chook run.
It followed the fence line till it found a space under a gate and disappeared into the orchard.



Wild life of a different sort.............
The late flowering Crab Apple is covered in a frothy, sea of beautiful blossom and some little beetley critters were enjoying the bounty.

No idea what they are, but there were quite a few of them, on the flowers and flying around and not just by the Crab Apple but in other areas of the garden as well.

If you have any idea what these beetles are I would love to know.
I did a search online, but couldn't see anything resembling them.




The roses are starting to bloom at long last and this beauty is Abraham Darby a stunning David Austin rose.

Wont' be too long before I can cut a few bunches to bring inside.

Fresh flowers in the house, on my bedside table and in the bathroom...........



There have been a couple of interesting visitors recently.

I found this young Magpie sitting in the garden Sunday morning.
It wasn't moving and it let me get close enough to touch it.
Obviously, it's just learnt to fly, but was struggling a bit.

It was still covered in alot of down with a few wing feathers.
I couldn't see mum anywhere and was worried that it had been abandoned.
I rang a friend who's a Wildlife Carer, Jo advised me to just keep an eye on it.
She said the Magpie mum would be around somewhere, but it was a warm day, so I put a dish of water next to it.

Mum eventually showed up and the baby followed her around the yard. I had to go out and when I returned a few hours later they had both disappeared.
It's nice having these interesting visitors, I much prefer them to the long, brown, slithery kind which can be found at this time of year !!

--------OOOOO---------

It's been fairly quiet here in the Sweet Birdy Love household, with the boys being away for a few days but they will be home in a couple of hours which will be lovely.
I have been busy doing all those houseworky things that I have been ignoring for a little while, lol.......

It's been a dull, overcast day here and trying hard to rain. We haven't had any decent rain for close to a month and with the warmer days the garden is drying out. I don't want to start the watering regime just yet..............
I even did a load of washing and hung it out hoping that might help the clouds drop their load and give the garden the drink it needs, but sadly they didn't and the washing dried, hehe........

Well, I have some Lavender Bags to fill, so I'm off to do that now.
Thanks for swinging past to check out my ramblings, it's nice to have you come visit.

You know I like interesting visitors.......

Till next time, take care,

Claire X


P.S. It's raining, woohoo...........finally.
I can hear it running down the spouting, but more important I can hear all the plants enjoying a drink, hooray.........



Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Markets and Gardens and Everything in Between..........

Hello there, how are you all?

Things have been a little quiet on the blogging front, but not on the sewing scene.

I had two market stalls last weekend so leading up to them, I was busy sewing up the proverbial storm.......

My 'new' sewing basket made an excellent display stand for some pincushions.

The markets were a lot better this month which was reassuring after the last two duds.



I whipped up quite a few Blanket Bunnies and Moonbeam Babies thinking they would last me quite a while................not so.

The little 'white' flecks on the Moonbeam Babies are stars, sewn with metallic, silver thread.
The writing 'Wish upon a star.....' is sewn in 'glowy' thread which glows softly in the dark.

The little egg cup which has tipped over in the photo was one that No.1 hand painted when he was very young. I used it to prop up the egg cosy.

My great auntie Ellie owned the little brown case, she kept her piano music in it and I've had it sitting in the cupboard for some time.
Not sure why I kept it, but it's certainly come in handy now.

Let's take a 'turn around the garden' shall we?
My late planted Poppies, have started to bloom.

Their beautiful, bright petals are so delicate........so far only orange Poppies have bloomed, I hope I get a variety of colours.


They are quite a splash of colour out in the garden.


Ah, Lilac.........I absolutely love it and this variety is dark purple with a white border.


The Irises are blooming, putting on a wonderful display........

You can see those little maroon leaves of the Forest Pansy tree, are a good match for the Iris.




Lots of sweet,
little,
heart,
shaped leaves, which will increase in size over the coming weeks.


As you can imagine the Wisteria is a mass of purple and the perfume is heavenly.

Our trellis is completely covered with this and I have to walk under it several times a day to feed the chooks, get to the vegie garden and potting shed so I am certainly enjoying this display.


Racemes of flowers hang down from the trellis, creating a floral curtain..........

A well placed garden bench, provides the perfect spot for a relaxing cuppa.




I decided to have a little play today and came up with this 'Wibbly Wobbly' town tea cosy. I would have finished it only I misjudged the measurement of the lining fabric and after sewing it on I then had to unpick it...........the whole three rows. grrr!!

Oh well, you have those sort of moments......don't you?

Well, the weather has started to warm up quite a bit and a drop of rain would be nice or I will have to start watering the garden soon.........

Monday, No.1 and I spent outside mowing and raking and turning the green stuff into something resembling lawn.
It was a beautiful day and we were certainly happy to count our blessings as we enjoyed the beauty of the countryside.........

I'm off to a local craft night tomorrow night.
It's being run by the local community centre, gold coin donation and bring along a project you are working on.
I thought I might pop along and see what's going on, should be interesting.
Not sure what I will take, probably some crochet, so I can sit and chat as I hook.

Speaking of crochet, have you seen Jules wonderful blanket over at Little Woollie.......

She had her 'Ta Dah' moment this week, when she finally finished her beautiful blanket. She's been posting regular updates about it's progress and I think you will love the colour and design of it.
Pop over and have a look for yourselves.

Well, that's it for me, Tigger is here on the couch sleeping as cats do and I'm about to do the same.

Thankyou for coming over for a visit and sorry, I've been away for so long.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X




Sunday, October 9, 2011

I ♥Red

Hello there and welcome to the weekend, or the last half of it for some of you.........

I hope you are able to enjoy some down time, me time or creative time.


I enjoyed some 'me time' last Tuesday and took myself off on a little 'road trip'
Nothing too lengthy, just under two hours drive down the road.
Stopping along the way in two towns and doing a spot of treasure hunting at Op shops.





Yes, you guessed it, I found this wonderful sewing basket at an Op shop at my destination , Benalla.
I heard the two volunteers talking about sewing baskets and my ears tuned in........
no it's not eaves dropping, ear wigging or being rude, hehehe...........

I was down the back of the shop and fortunately I didn't have to fight my way through crowds to bag this little beauty.

Isn't it just gorgeous...........red, I ♥ red.


Despite it's age, it's in excellent condition, with the fabric on top being a little discoloured and rust spots a few marks inside.
It's pure vintage Made in Japan not cheap rubbish and I know you can pick up new ones at Spotlight, but this is the real deal and it was only..............$2.oo
Yes, the dot is in the correct place, that's two whole dollars !!

I assured the ladies that I would give it a good home, where it would be loved and admired for it's beauty, practicality and general gorgeousness.

Ok, I better stop there I think I am getting a wee bit carried away.
We had something similar around when I was young.
It was made with plain varnished cane and had a lovely pale green satin lining.
I wish I knew where it ended up, must ask my sister I wouldn't be surprised if she had it tucked away at the back of her cupboard.





This was the day I chose for the road trip.
Clear, blue sky for as far as you could see and although this photo doesn't show it.
This view is absolutely stunning on a clear day and that line of blue on the horizon are hills and mountains, which were clearly visible on this day.............

Just as well I chose this day as the rest of this week, has been mostly grey and gloomy and has been trying very hard to rain.
Today it has managed to do so, in brief spurts............

One of the mandatory requirements for a 'road trip' is coffee and cake and I didn't let myself down, lol.........

On my way home I found a cafe where they had a delicious display of cakes, so it was decided that a slice of baked raspberry cheesecake and a pot of tea was needed.
I can assure you it was as yummy as it looks too.......

Coffee was also involved but that was at breakfast time, which was hours ago and sustenance is important to maintain energy levels for hours of Op shopping.

Sadly, my sewing basket was the only treasure to be found, but you know what, the whole day was a treasure as I had a lovely little catch up with my cousin's beautiful daughter and I also spent some time mooching through a second hand book store.
Do you ever walk into one of these shops and the aroma of history and old books pervades the air? I love it, breathe deeply and enjoy the antiquity.

I love it and this shop was a rabbit warren of little rooms, beautiful, old books and when I thought I had seen everything, there was an upstairs section as well. I could've spent hours there, but had to be content with one book
'Afoot in England' by W H Hudson printed in 1911, which was given as a gift
'With best wishes from S E B ' on August 8th 1915.

So my week continued with some sewing at long last............



A pretty little tea cosy was on the 'to do ' list.

Flowers, maybe a chicken and definitely a ladybird were asked for.
It's for a one cup teapot and is a lovely fit.

I was very happy with the way it turned out and it should be winging it's way across the oceans
to warm the teapot of a tea loving blogger ........



Let's take a peek at the back view............
A cheeky hen is loose in the garden, but don't worry, I don't think she caused any damage.

Talking about hens or chooks, I have had to cover seedlings in the vegie garden with an eclectic array of wire cages, hanging basket frames and other wiry bits and pieces, to keep the girls from scratching up the seedlings and kicking the straw all over the place.

They have had the run of the yard over Winter as there wasn't anything they could damage, but now I have to keep an eye on them when I let them out of their run which is quite a pain in the neck, so drastic action was needed.
It's not the most appealing look for garden ornaments, but if it does the job !!!


Yesterday I headed down the road to Beechworth, another lovely sunny day and I needed to
visit it's two Op shops as they weren't open at breakfast time on Tuesday.

Rather inconsiderate I thought, hehehe..........

Once again no treasures, but a relaxing couple of hours were spent wandering around the lovely shops and admiring some beautiful spring gardens.

I spied this wheel barrow full of ornamental Kale which is running to seed.
It reminds me of little trees and the colours are stunning.


Another gem was this little corner of garden at a nearby gallery.

Love the olde world lamp post next to the the Silver Birches and underneath ..........



a brilliant display of Sparaxis.
I have only seen pictures in plant catalogues, so this display very nearly took my breath away.

It wasn't just the flowers, but the setting as well.

Let's take a closer look...........


Aren't those colours stunning?

I have a bank o Silver Birches on the slope in front of my house, there are about 30 of them.
Imagine if they had Sparaxis growing underneath them.
What a stunning display it would be.
Hmm, one problem, the chooks, love spending time under the Birches scratching away for hours and doing a wonderful job of breaking down the leaf litter and eating all the creepy crawlies.

I will have to see if I can track down that catalogue and order some for next season..........

One little beauty from my own garden, can't remember the name of this Iris, but isn't 'she' a beauty.
The colour and markings never cease to amaze me.

The Irises are on the verge of blooming and the Iris Farm directly across the road, is gearing up for it's annual opening. Shall have to wander over there with my camera and take a few pics and show you.

Well, I better get going, there are dishes on the sink and I have to go out so I will find my skates strap them on get moving.

Thanks for popping by and reading my ramblings.
Welcome to Followers new and not so, you're all very welcome.
It's always lovely to hear from you, so take a minute to say "hi".

Big thanks to Cuckoo for her techy help this week.

I ♥ bloggers...............

Till next time, take care,

Claire X


Monday, October 3, 2011

Afternoon Delight

What can make a beautiful Spring day even more enjoyable?

A letter
with a Royal Mail post mark on it,
one that has travelled thousands of kilometres across the ocean
a hand written letter from my sister in the UK...........

As this is a special occasion, I decided to set up an afternoon tea tray take a break from my sewing and head outside into the garden and enjoy the letter with a cuppa and something yummy.........


My sister and her family have just returned from a holiday to Tuscany and included with the letter was a lovely, little fridge magnet.

I love the picture, blue skies, sunshine, Sunflowers and a beautiful Villa..........
oh, I think I am a little envious.


I had been busy sewing another Sunflower tea cosy when the post arrived.

A moment of serendipity..................

While I'm outside let's 'take a turn' around the garden shall we..........


October and daylight savings has arrived.

The Wisteria is starting to open up, in a week or so it should be a mass of purple.
I think there will be quite a few cuppas had while sitting on the garden bench.

The perfume from the Crab Apples nearby is divine but what's that I can detect mingling with it?
Hmmm, Dynamic Lifter.............


Viburnum Plicatum, always puts on a beautiful display.

Crisp, white flowers line the branches, reminding me of snow on the boughs of trees.



Further along the shrubbery in the foreground is a Loropetalum .
It's a member of the Witch Hazel family.
It's pink 'shaggy' flowers and purple/green foliage contrast against a white May.

The roses are all in leaf with buds appearing.
Shouldn't be too much longer before I can pick a few flowers to bring inside.............




Around the corner is a Forest Pansy tree.
It's been covered in pink/purple pea like flowers for over a week and the recent rain hasn't dampened it's display, although there is a carpet of pink underneath it............



Let's take a closer look...............

In a few weeks it will be covered in heart shaped reddish purple leaves.

Throughout the drought it hung in, didn't grow all that much but has now put on some growth and looking so much happier.


Go Cats.............

While the AFL Grand Final was being played out on Saturday.
Tig was a chillin'........

Maybe he knew something we didn't !!

The boys were home for the weekend which is unusual for this time of year, so we turned on the TV, No.1 made 'killer Nachos' and we watched the Grand Final.
Well, I was sewing and watching, No.1 hung around till the food disappeared then went off to play some music and hubby was fully committed to the game.

Things have been a little quiet here this past week or so.

It's been very wet, typical, changeable Spring weather and I have found some of the grey, gloomy days haven't been the most inspiring when it comes to being creative.
Hopefully, this week will bring sunshine and the sewing machine will be whirring away once again............


Thanks for popping by and saying 'hello' .
It's always lovely to hear from you.

Till next time, take care..........

Claire X