Thursday, May 3, 2012

On The Third Day of May..........





 Monday got off to a good start, a coffee catchup with friends and the latest Mollie Makes magazine......

It was a cool morning but I spied someone with a pair of thongs on at the next table......can you see that naked foot hehe?


(UK mags always make it into our newsagents a month or so after they've been issued unless you want to pay extra for an Express Delivery issue)








Today I took a little road trip down to Benalla, Op shopping along the way......

I found this beautiful hand knitted jumper and had to buy it.

Someone has put a lot of 

Love
Care
Time 
Effort
&
Thought

into making it....





It's soft and warm......

'You can't beat wool for warmth'
My mums words ringing in my ears.

It's in perfect condition, either it hasn't been worn alot or it has been well cared for.........

There's a little row of ♡♡♡♡♡♡ at the bottom of the pattern and a little further up.


Is it vintage retro or just old fashioned?...


It's definitely not the latest fashion, but I love it and will wear it when I have a coffee catchup....
 Sitting outside in the cool weather I'll be as snug as a bug in a rug....



Another recent Op shop find is this sewing box.......

After the Bright market and a visit to the local Op shop,I spied this little beauty on a high shelf above my head.

It needed some tricky, tip toe action to reach it.

It's quite heavy with a wooden base and  was made in Czechoslovakia....




I ummed and aahed.....did I need another sewing box? 

Of course not, but at $3.50 it was a bargain and would anyone else love it and appreciate it?

The inside is pink satin and in perfect nick apart from the strip of fabric on the RHS which I assume held reels of cotton....

 ♥♥♥

How many items do you think you have to have before you can call it an obsession/collection?



Back to Monday and it was a lovely day, perfect for gardening.

I pulled all the spent plants out of the vegie garden along with the Zinnias.

It was great to be out in the sunshine enjoying the Autumnal beauty...


Ever lose your gardening fork amongst the foliage?

I do regularly, it's very annoying, so I grabbed a spray can of cherry red paint and fixed that problem once and for all!!






Surprise, surprise after pulling out the pumpkin I found not one or two but three Avocado plants had sprung up from some vegie scraps I had dug in.......It's there right by the gardening fork

I left one in to see what it might do. 

I think some frost protection might be needed for this little experiment.....





The cows chowing down on the plants.....they certainly enjoyed them...


Forest Pansy Tree



After a fine start to the week, Wednesday turned out to be grey, gloomy and damp.......perfect for staying warm and cosy inside and working on something creative.

Crochet and sewing haven't featured much this week instead I have been tinkling the ivories......

My piano playing needs practice at best, but my boys don't seem to mind......bless 'em.

It's been alot of fun and I hope my enthusiasm continues and my playing improves.....

Today though, we are back to sunshine with a sprinkling of clouds and the temps have definitely plummeted.
 As I sit here tip tapping away, the fire is crackling and glowing in the heater and there's Spaghetti Bolognaise ready and waiting for dinner so I shall say 'toodle pip' for now.

Thankyou one and all for the lovely comments, birthday and anniversary well wishes on my last post.

No.1 had a great day with no less than 3 renditions of Happy Birthday sung to him  before the start of his festival gigs, hehe....


Take care,

Claire ❀❀❀


P.S. For those of you who are still wondering .......that thong clad foot can be spied through the hole in the glass table, first pic.....


Think they might be wearing socks by now, it's a tad chilly...

20 comments:

  1. Thats a very nice find indeed. I found a similar cardigan in browns and ill be sporting it everywhere I can, (mostly at home as thats where I spend my time) thanks for popping by! :)

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  2. How great that the cows help with the gardening!!! Love your op shop finds...the jumper was made by someone so clever , I am sure it will look super nice and warm while you have that coffee. xxx

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  3. Love the sewing box - a fab find. The jumper is a lovely colour.
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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  4. How nice to see the sun as it has got lost here in England.
    Tricia

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  5. Some lovely bargains Claire - love the cardigan and the sewing box is great too. Well, hopefully we will be peeling off our sweaters soon - or am I being too hopeful?! Liz xx

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  6. Hi Claire,

    You found some lovely things. That sewing box looks beautiful, so does the sweater. Especially the sweater has a very vintage feel to it. It sort of reminds me of the sweaters Billy Elliot wore in the film.

    Happy evening!

    Madelief x

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  7. As always, it's beaut to visit and read your posts Claire! Am at a bit of a loose end today and you've inspired me to take a trip into town and go on an op shop trawl. I shall hit the Salvation Army one mid-morning and have some scones and coffee at their little cafe too :D)

    I did so love that beautiful woollen jumper. Such a great find and one that will give you years of happy wearing. Yes, I agree, such a lot of (loving) work has gone into its making.

    I have experimental avocado trees growing - I just couldn't resist planting the huge seeds... every one grew and I love the foliage. If the frost does make its leaves curl, a bit of a prune will encourage beautiful new growth after the frost threat is over. Have fun.

    Love your cows too - I miss patting mine and feeling the warmth of them :D)

    Cheerio for now, Susan xx

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  8. You can never have enough haberdashery! I'm sorry I've been out of contact Claire, we have just had news that Andy got the job he wanted and in hectic rush of finding somewhere to rent for a bit, packing etc, etc, so am not ignoring you, just going a bit loopy! XXX

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  9. Hi Claire,

    I.m back from my trip away (last night), and Im sitting in bed this morning with my cup of tea, plate of toast and laptop catching up on blogland.

    I enjoyed reading your post, as usual, gosh we have a lot in common. I've just added amateur ivory tinkling to the list.

    Love the jumper. Green is my favourite colour. And I agree with your mum - you can't beat wool for warmth.

    How many items would you need to have to be an obsession - ooh, I don't know, I would have said about thirty,...

    Do I lose tools in the garden - all the time.

    I was itching to get back from hols so I could get out into the garden. Not a lot will grow out here at this time of year, but I picked up a few seedlings on the way home anyway, which Im planning on planting today.

    Maybe you can give me some gardening tips as Im very amateur at that too.

    cheers
    Fi

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  10. Hi Claire - I have sewing box envy! Love the idea of painting the fork handles - ingenious :D Avocados - very yummy, love 'em!

    Off to enjoy May holiday weekend here - enjoy your Spag Bol :) :)

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  11. Jumper is lovely but the sewing box is the real treasure. Thanks for the lovely comments about Barn Owl... finished him last night.
    I have been fantisising joining you for a cup of coffee in a nice brightly coloured mug. Rather like the idea of finding out if you have an obsession of sewing boxes...;-P

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  12. Haha! We'[re both enjoying our latest Mollies!!! :-)
    I am extremely, extremely jealous of that sewing box!
    Carly
    x

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  13. Hi Claire, love the oppy finds! I really like the jumper, The fair isle is not too over the top and the colours are lovely, good shopping! It is freezing here today, something wool like that would be perfect! You play the piano too, you have a lot of talents! When are you going to join your son up on the stage, maybe a duet is on the way!! :) have a good day! Julie x

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  14. I love the colour of that jumper, someone's done a lovely job knitting it.

    That is such a good idea painting the garden tool handles red; I often think green and brown are stupid colours to use. I've been doing some gardening at my MIL's today and came across a long lost full size shovel!

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  15. The jumper is so pretty, I would wear it with no fear, I think that items like this one never fall out of fashion.
    I have a similar sewing box, needless to say that I never use it, I have my sewing gear scattered on the working table...

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  16. I am LOVing you vintage sewing basket.... what a find!!! The jumper is a fab find too, whether vintage or old fashioned I love it!!!

    Thank you very much for your comments on my recent post, you are so kind!

    Hope you are enjoying your weekend xxx
    Louise :)

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  17. Dear Claire, hope you had a good weekend. I have left an award on my blog for you xx Liz

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  18. Lovely to catch up, and I enjoyed your 'finds', we have had so much lovely sunshine on our little island, it has been soooo lovely to feel the warmth of the sun again, so the planting process is just beginning here, seeds all in propergaters and onions, tatties and carrots planted out :-)

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  19. Thank you for your kind comment :)

    What a beautiful view from your garden!

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  20. You can always use another sewing box! You have a whole craft room to fill up! ;-)

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