Goodbye Summer hello Autumn.......

 Hello there, well it's time to turn over another page on the calendar and welcome March......which means Summer is over and we now move into Autumn.....

Of course we can still experience warm weather throughout March, but days of temps in the 40's are well behind us thankfully.

This morning I headed over to Beechworth to visit the Farmers market and check out the op shops....as you do!

I picked up this mans jacket, I've been after some fabric like this for a while. I have a project in mind, but for the moment I've pinned my little vintage van brooches to it.

I made these this afternoon and I have to admit once started it's a bit hard to stop stitching them....

I've been waiting patiently the last two days for some rain. 

I could see it was falling around us this afternoon and I could smell it and eventually it headed our way.

 Not much probably a couple of mls if that, but it was still lovely.

You can see how dry things are.

This week hubby has been heading down to the new property we purchased to do some weeding in the vegie garden.

The garden was set up quite some time ago and was very productive, but hasn't been used for some time.

A good drop of rain would make the job alot easier.

We've uncovered herbs, Rhubarb and Asparagus growing in it.

He's enjoying getting away from the computer and spending time outside.

 It's lovely seeing him so enthusiastic about it as it's a big job and it's alot easier now that the hot days are behind us.

Thursday evenings' sunset.....what a beauty.

There's also an established orchard on the property, just look at these beauties.....

They were absolutely delish eaten straight from the tree.  Despite nets being over the trees, the birds know how to find their way in and get to the fruit.

I lightly cooked some of the softer peaches with a Vanilla Bean, but they didn't last long.....surprise, surprise!!

These most definitely aren't the fruit eating culprits but some interesting visitors from last weekend.

Gang Gang Cockatoos have an unique call which sounds very much like a creaking gate.

The male is the brightly coloured of the two.....

The first time I've ever managed to photograph them.

 Another stitchery finished this week.

'Through the Hedgerow'

It's now winging it's way to it's new home in Devon......

I found another little nest to add to my collection. 

It was in the Chinese Star Jasmine in the front entry.

Unfortunately, the birds chose the wrong spot to build as our coming and going through the front door always startled them and eventually they abandoned it.

 It's such an amazing construction and has blue  baling twine and lovely green moss in it.

Would love to know how they actually start it off......such clever little things.

March is shaping up to be a busy month here, with lots happening and of course there's the Folk Festival from 21st to the 23rd.

We'll be billeting one of the performers so I'll have to turn my sewing room back to a bedroom of sorts for the weekend. At least I've got plenty of blankets for visitors!!

We've also got to get moving on our house plans and make some decisions.

  My head is full of ideas......things I want to sew, house plans, vegie garden plans etc. etc.

Just need to take a deep breath and not get overwhelmed by the 'To Do' list........

So what have you all been up too.

Any exciting discoveries or plans being made?

Do tell......and thanks so much for visiting.

It's always lovely to hear from you.

Claire Xx

Sunshine, Stitching and Songs.........

Hello girls, I may be wilting in the heat but this Sunflower is loving it.

This is a low growing  variety of but it's certainly making an impact in the garden.

The heat this Summer has been on going.......my poor garden is looking a little worse for wear.......

The tomatoes are red and juicy and fruiting beautifully......and thankfully there's no fruit fly this Summer.

The beans on the other hand are growing but not setting.

There are flowers here and there but leaves are burnt.

I used some old bed sheets to make shade tee pees over them, but I'm not too hopeful of getting any beans.

On these hot days I tend to stay indoors in the aircon. and go out to water the garden in the cool of the evening.

The heat seemed to sap my creativity last week and my sewing machine sat around gathering dust which was most unusual.

But thankfully, my mojo seems to have returned and I've been stitching some little birdies......

The hotter it gets the more I dream about cooler days.

It comes out in my stitching .......

This lady rugged up in her hat, coat and boots seems to be featuring and I think she may become part of a series of stitcheries.

I had alot of fun putting them together

For some time I've wanted to try a different design for a tea cosy.
 I wanted to create a patchwork look and keep it simple.
It's certainly an 'in your face' colour combo.....
not everyone's cup of tea...
 (hehe, no apologies for that one!!)

and on the reverse side......or is this the front.

You figure it out, I'm confused!!

Outside things are very dry, the grass has browned off. 
Living in the country where our water supply is from the tank or dam, we don't waste water on lawn.

It gets brown and crunchy and when the weather breaks in Autumn and we get some rain it greens up again.

Despite the hot days the evenings cool down enough to sleep well....I think I've had a fan on only 2 nights.

Thankfully this week we did get a cool change and a couple of nights I even had a blanket on!!

Temps are back up for the weekend and windy conditions Sunday  mean we'll be on high alert for bush fires.

Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of the "Black Saturday" bush fires here in Victoria.

I remember it was still 40 deg at midnight on that particular evening......we certainly don't want to go through that again.



You've heard of Kitty Litter, well there's a new product out called Kitty Mulch!!

Tigger has his own way of keeping cool.
 Not my idea of fun, but you know what cats are like!

2014 is shaping up to be a big year for us here in the SBL household.......

We will be selling our home and building a new one.

There'll be limited time to sew but the creating will still take place to help keep me on an even keel!!

Our little Folk Festival also takes place in March.

I'm really excited about this years line up as one of the performers is a blogger from Melbourne........

Mezz Coleman from Mezz Makes Stuff will be performing.

 I won her CD in a giveaway last year or was it 2012?!!

 I suggested she put in an application for the festival and she was accepted woohoo.......

Can't wait to meet her and see her perform live.

If you'd like to have a listen to her singing

 Shelter by Eric Bogle,

 here's a link, be warned it's a powerful song

 you'll need to have your tissues handy.

Righto, girls that's it for me......time for a cuppa and ooooh maybe some stitching, better dash, see ya and thanks so much for all your lovely comments last post....♥

Claire Xx

Coooeeeeee!!!

Hello girls, are you still talking to me? 

I certainly hope so........

I'm still here doing what I love doing, just not blogging about it as much.

I'd like to think that I would put up a weekly post, but I'm afraid that's probably not going to happen.

Facebook has won me, it's quick......post a pic, a few lines and there you go....done.

I know a few of you play over there, so come visit and say 'hi'.

This little, happy string of bunting is now hanging in my sewing room.I whipped it up on the weekend, it's thready and teeny, tiny and there's polka dots......♥♥

For much of the past year I've been interested in eco dyeing or printing and I finally gave it a whirl this week.

I gathered some Eucalyptus leaves and garden flowers and made a 'sandwich' between layers of watercolour paper and then steamed the bundles.

The Eucalypt leaves left a very strong print the garden flowers barely made an impact, but it's all experimental at the moment.

It's quite alot of fun wondering what results you'll get.

Eventually I want to try this on fabric and potentially eco print on clothing.

If you google 'eco print images' you'll see some amazing photos.

The Magpie family which have made our house yard  part of their territory continue to visit daily and entertain me with their antics.

The birdbath has been a popular spot in the recent heat wave.

We're due another hot week, so I'll have to keep an eye on the three birdbaths dotted around the garden and top them up each evening.

January has been an extremely dry month, but thankfully we got some rain last Friday..... a bit hard to see it in the pic.

This young maggie was enjoying a change of weather and not at all perturbed by the rain. The weekend was lovely and cool and I enjoyed sleeping under a blanket for a change!!

Christmas day is pretty much no great event in our household, at least. The 'reason for the season' is very important to us just not all the hoo haa and consumerism that goes with it.

So we have a no fuss, no stress, no debt, but a very relaxing day.

We breakfasted late and then finally did what we've been saying we'd do for years.

 "Have a ham sandwich, down by the river for lunch"

So at 3pm we found a lovely, quiet spot, I had packed a picnic basket, tray table, chairs and fly spray which was an essential.

It was so peaceful and relaxing and we had the yummiest ham sandwich followed by........

Trifle in a glass......it's easy peasy and can make individual serves which means no tempting leftovers.

 Hands up all those who overate at Christmas time!!

This little beauty has crushed Oreos for the base, sliced strawberries with a splash of Balsamic Vinegar ( if you've never tried it, it's wonderful) Strawberry jelly, cream and a dusting of chocolate.

Then a cuppa to finish off a lovely lunch.

Guess where we'll be having Christmas lunch next year?

Maybe we'll find a different spot further up the river for a change.

And two days after Christmas guess what appeared in the supermarkets?

Greedy supermarkets, out for every dollar they can get.

Easter eggs were out as well.

 No wonder the year flies by...... no sooner is the Christmas dinner table cleared than they're pushing Easter on us.

So the creative journey continues here. I won't bore you with all the things I've been working on but I particularly liked this stitchery.

Some different elements in it for me. 

It was fun putting it together and seeing how it turned out.

It's quite surprising how long it can take to make. 

Here's a little insight into what's involved.....

First the design, then finding and choosing fabrics, cutting out all the individual pieces. Placing them, rearranging, changing, deciding if it looks right or not. By this time quite a few hours have passed by.......I find it's not a process I can rush through.

Once you have everything sorted just the way you like it, it's time to start stitching.

Oops, too late, it's time to tidy up and start thinking about doing a couple of jobs before dinner.

Next day with fresh eyes you start stitching, oops forgot to find a saying to stitch on it.

Ok, time for a coffee and find the perfect saying an hour goes by. Found the saying, happy, happy, keep stitching.....darn the bobbin's run out.

 Wind thread onto a couple of bobbins, keep stitching.

 Feeling peckish, so have lunch.

Back to it, several changes of colour, stitching, snipping,

 looking, assessing.

Well, I think you get the picture, hehe.......

But I'll keep making them as I do enjoy it.

One thing I have achieved this Summer is to grow a bed full of Hollyhocks.

They self seeded last season and popped up here there and everywhere.

I have dark pink doubles, pale pink singles and white singles.

I love them all and some of them are at least 2 metres high.

The heat we've been getting has burnt some of the buds and the rain knocked them about a bit, but they make me smile and I love them.

In the rest of the garden the Tomatoes are fruiting nicely and we are getting loads of Cherry toms and Romas. The zucchinis are growing nicely and the beans are doing well too.

The pumpkins have been very slow in getting going, so I doubt we'll get anything from them before Autumn and the Capsicums are slow as always, but it's so nice to pick fresh veg from your own garden.

The self sown Zinnias are flowering away, but I don't have as big a crop as last year, but there are enough to cut and bring some inside.

And finally I asked Tigger to pose for me.

 I needed to draw a cat for the stitchery and this is what he gave me!!

There's one in every household, cheeky thing.

Well, thanks for popping by to visit.

I hope the year is going well for you.......

I hope it won't be so long until my next post, but in the meantime you know where to find me!

Take care,

Claire Xx

Snip, Snip, Snippets

Hello everyone, how are you all going with your Christmas preparations? 

Not enough time to get everything done?

It's such a busy time of year.

Well, I have been busy stitching for what seems like months for the inaugural High Country Christmas Fair which was held in my little town last Saturday.

I had hoped to have everything finished the week prior but of course this was the scene on Thursday as I finished attaching brooch backs and stitching bunnies' nether regions!! 

You know I love English Robins, so when I found this blanket at a local Op shop, I knew straight away what the design would be.....

Just can't help myself.....

First time I've ever stitched Buddleia but I love this shrub and it's beautiful, honey scent.

It's just started flowering in my garden....delightful.

Last Saturday, turned out to be the perfect day weather wise. The sun was shining, a breeze blowing at times and with all the bunting hanging up around town there was quite an atmosphere of anticipation.

The final bunting tally was announced publicly by the member for Indi Cathy McGowan.

She started with the '3' and worked up to the '7' and kept us on tenterhooks. Had we beat the current world bunting record or not?

We smashed it, the months of snipping and stitching that had taken place were well worth it.

There's bunting all around town.

Round the sports oval a couple of times as well as the tennis court. Along the roadside and through the drain under the road and up the other side.

Round the park, through it, under the rotunda, down the main street, into the pub and around the antlers of the Stags' head, back outside down the street and back up again and if you're tired reading all this, putting it up was no mean feat either.

Lots of people volunteered their time and effort to work together.

It was a great community project and so nice to come together around something happy and uplifting rather than when there is some sort of tragedy......

Now we just have to have our efforts verified by the people from The Guinness World records, so lots of paperwork to be filled in and sent off.

The day was very busy.

 Busy chatting, selling and generally enjoying the hustle and bustle of the market.

It wasn't until pack up time that I got to have a wander around and take some pics.

Love the bunting shadows.....

I have been doing markets for close to 5 years and I have to say this would have to be the best ever.....

I also had the pleasure of meeting fellow blogger Susan from Scribbling from Jumbunna 

She lives just 'down the hill' from me but we hadn't met till Saturday.

 It was so lovely to catch up even if it was brief.

She now has as a couple of my stitcheries hanging in her home.

Pop over and say 'hi'.......

ON THE HOME FRONT

 I bought myself a two seater bench to place under the Manchurian Pear tree.

 It's the perfect spot for a cuppa and rest or to take a break whilst gardening.

As you can see things are drying out although there is still a tinge of greenery in the distance.

The flies this Summer seem to be particularly annoying.

They are small 'bush' flies which like to hang around your eyes and get in behind your glasses and I have found out that it's a good idea to keep your mouth shut outside as I have managed to swallow a couple as well!!

Cicadas also seem to be in abundance and their noise can be quite deafening.

 They have made their way down to trees and shrubs just outside the house so there is no escaping them.

Thankfully, we had some decent rain recently and it filled our tanks up and gave the garden a much needed drink.

 Of course some follow up rain would be just as welcome.......Loving those stormy skies.

Out in the garden the Hollyhocks have self seeded and are starting to bloom. Just love those fat buds before they burst into flower.

The blooms remind me of layers of net and tulle of a frothy ball gown.

 Can't wait to see what all the other colours are.

The peaches are ripening nicely and the birds haven't discovered them, despite there being a couple of holes in the bird netting.

Must put my stitching skills to use and mend them.

We have a lodger in the chook house, actually under the steps to the chook house.

Imagine the fright I got when I heard some rustling in the straw on the floor of the chook house as I went in there one day.

Quick as a flash he scooted away before I could get a good look at him.

I'm used to him now but there has been the odd occasion when I see some thing move out of the corner of my eye, my heart skips a beat or five and of course the first thought is 'snake'!!

It's a Blue tongue lizard and quite harmless, in fact they are quite good pest exterminators in your garden.

So here we are a week later......

I have been busy out in the garden giving it some much needed TLC.

It's been somewhat neglected for a number of months, so it's time to give it a good tidy up.

I also 'met' another blogger,

 Ale of homemade@myplace during the week.

We skyped which was alot of fun and she told me about her life in Jakarta.

It was very interesting and so nice to talk in person.

This blogging lark has bought me into contact with some lovely people.

I wonder what you have all been up to, apart from Christmas preparations? 

Would love to hear,

Thanks for stopping by everyone, it's always great to hear from you.

Enjoy your weekend,

Claire X

Hello it's me.....again!!

The weeks are gathering speed as we race towards the end of the year......

So how's the season shaping up where you are?

We're still having changeable Spring weather, a warm day last week had me considering putting on the aircon and the following day it was grey and damp and long sleeves were needed.

The tomatoes are only just beginning to flower after recovering from frost burn. I did think we would lose a couple of plants after an unexpected frost ....

The Roses are literally blooming their heads off before the heat of Summer arrives and the trees are clothed in new Spring leaves and looking lovely and fresh.

The paddocks are turning from a patchwork of green and gold to a lovely, buttery hue as the grass is cut and baled.

A good drop of rain wouldn't go astray either.

More than happy to swap blue sky and sunshine for a few days of grey, drizzly weather.....anyone interested?

I'm still working towards the December market, leftover stock from my market days was very low, so I needed to put together some new ideas and get stitching.

This week amongst other things, I've put together a couple of new mini stitcheries which have turned out well. I had fun stitching up a vintage Singer sewing machine, with it's distinctive, silvery design work.

An op shop find of a vintage, blue blanket has already been used for a number of projects, including another mini stitchery and the beginnings of a tea cosy.

Love the colour combo of red, blue, yellow and white.

So lots on the go, in the sewing department, with more to be done this coming week.

Ready to head outside for a wander?

Photo quality isn't so great, but this is a birds nest I found hanging on a Silver Birch branch.

Can you see the open beak there? 

There were 3 babies in the nest, which belongs to a Mistletoe bird!

Unfortunately, these birds help spread mistletoe which can end up killing trees. So whilst it was a thrill to find this nest and bubs, I was a little disappointed Mistletoe birds were breeding close by.

In our 'Wild Wood' of Silver Birches, there are at least 3 lots of Mistletoe growing. It looks like a gum tree has been grafted onto a Silver Birch, quite a bizarre sight.

But I am always amazed at the construction of these nests.

They look like a little bag  hanging from a branch.

Spiders webs, thistle down even cat fur have been used to make this lovely, soft, cosy home. It feel like thick felt and would take an amazing amount of time to make.

A brief storm a week ago gave us a couple of mls of rain, nothing to write home about, but I got some nice, stormy pics.

I love watching the clouds roll in....

The Bottle brush are in full flower, attracting birds and bees and adding a splash of colour to the tree belt.

Tucked away behind a shed and next to the green waste pile is a Loquat tree which is groaning under the weight of fruit this year.

The birds are having a feast and it doesn't take long for the fruit to go off once it has a peck mark or two in it.

In past years the cows have enjoyed eating the leaves in Summer and caused quite a bit of damage, but after running some electric fence tape along the fence line it has finally grown back.

The fruit is sweet, but more seed than flesh. Once you spit out the seed and the skin, you really just get a mouthful of juice and that's it.

But on a warm day when you've just wheeled a heavy load of cuttings to the waste pile and the flies are driving you crazy, it's nice to stop for a few minutes, stand in the shade and eat half a dozen Loquats before getting back into it.

This is the view down our road from the front gate.

I love living in the country.

See the sign (red triangle with a white W) on the left?

That's for the CFA, to let them know there is water on our property in the form of a dam. If there happens to be a fire nearby they can get access to the dam and fill the tanker.

The berries are ripening, but an extreme prune by moi in Winter has meant we won't get as many as in past years.

But that's OK, I needed to get in there to prune and tidy up the canes.It was becoming a bit unruly.

I checked on them today and there should be some ripe enough to eat this week......yum!!

I have admitted in the past that I'm not very good at remembering to water pot plants, but these Petunias underneath the Maples are putting on a wonderful show. The fact that they are in the courtyard directly opposite the kitchen certainly helps.

Maybe our trip to Canada and the lush gardens and hanging baskets I saw prompted me to plant up these pots but whatever the reason. It's nice to have some colour in view every day. 

Back inside there are piles of sewing waiting to be stitched.

Little sleepy time, blanket bunnies, looking peaceful, best thing is they don't snore!!

Another week full of stitching ahead of me. Lots of ideas I wish I could chase, but I have to focus and start ticking things off the 'To Do' list, or I'll be in trouble!!

Well, I'm going to be a good, little bunny and head off to bed. If I set the alarm a little earlier, I might get out in the garden and do some flower deadheading before breakfast.

Will I get up when the alarm goes or press the snooze button?

Hope you've all had an enjoyable weekend and have a great week.

Thanks so much for visiting, always lovely to hear from you.

Take Care,

Claire X