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

Just One Of Those Days

It was one of those days............foggy, Wintry, just perfect for heading down the road to Beechworth.

No. 1 was up for it too.

We headed straight for the bakery, ordered some breakfast and found a spot to sit in the window, where we could look out onto this beautiful day.

After breakfast we went our separate ways..........

I mooched around the shops but sadly no treasures to be found in the op shops today.

No. 1 happily retreated to the car with a guitar magazine.............

With mooching over we headed to Lake Sambell so I could take a few photos.......

I think this is the best/worst pea souper we've had this Winter.

The above pic is relatively clear.

I was a little apprehensive driving in such thick fog as you could barely see metres in front of you.

It's amazing how many people only had their parking lights on, which meant you couldn't see them until they suddenly appeared out of the fog, which was a bit startling...............

A splash of colour to brighten the day.

The Wattle is blooming all around the area, I love to cut bunches of it and bring it inside.

It was just one of those days, where the hours were frittered away doing bits and pieces, relaxing, enjoyable and not feeling guilty at all about the fact that I STILL hadn't finished my Sunflower tea cosy..............

I have recently been given an award by the lovely Cuckoo

So I have to tell you 7 interesting things about myself.

Hmm,.......... interesting now that's a challenge, but here goes,

1. As much as I try to be organised and keep my work area neat and tidy, I seem to work better amongst chaos and mayhem. When the creative mojo is in top gear there's no time to stop and tidy up. It's just go, go, go until the job is done and then groan..........tidy up.

2. I love looking at the night sky and try and go out to see what's on view every night. We live in the country so there's very little light pollution from neighbours.

Life's simple pleasures are often the best.

3. When ever it rains I have to go on 'Worm Rescue' patrol...........they wriggle out of the flooded soil onto the pavers where they remain like beached whales.

I always feel I have to rescue them before they die or the birds find them.

I put them back in a sheltered part of the garden where they get on with what they do best.

4. I would love to have a go at living in the bush, you know, Bear Grylls or Survivor style.

I think it would be 'fun' to pit yourself against the elements with just a few basic pieces of equipment. You know, find out what sort of stuff you're made of..............

5. My sister gave me a skateboard for my 17th birthday. They had just come onto the market. It seemed a bit of strange gift as I don't think I had expressed an interest in them. No. 1 is a skateboarder and I think he saw me in a new light when I told him I once had one..............

6. I used to lack a bit of self confidence at times and could feel intimidated by other people, but now I am alot more comfortable with who I am and my abilities. If need be I can easily strike up a conversation with strangers or stand in front of a room full of people and give a speech.

7. I like to have a good laugh. When I get together with my sister we talk about silly things, act like kids, play jokes on each other and have a good belly laugh. It's fun, it's good and it's the best exercise.............

Okey dokey that took me forever..............

Now I am meant to pass this award on to 3 other bloggers but I as you are all so versatile, creative and interesting, it just makes it too hard.

Does that get me off the hook?

Sooooooo anyone who would like to play along and tell us 7 interesting things about your self, please feel free to join in.

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

Well, as you can see I have been having a little play around with my blog layout.

Not being a techy type it's taken me alot longer to learn what you clever things have no doubt known for ages.

I had quite a bit of fun and frustration working it all out but I am happy with the final result AND I didn't have to ask No.1 or hubby for help.

Needless to say there will be a little bit of tweaking going on over time and if you have any little tips you would like to share, please feel free.............

I hope your week is going well, thanks for dropping by to read my ramblings.

It's always nice to hear from you,

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

Darn It All, I just Broke My Foot................

Yes, I just broke my foot...........my darning foot that is and I also broke three needles before that, grrrr......

It's not that I am careless, just a little too enthusiastic when inspiration hits.

Fortunately, No. 1 is in town and on a 'mercy dash' to the sewing shop to pick up a new foot for me.

Having felted some woollen jumpers last week I felt the need to make some wrist warmers. The fact that it was pretty, jolly, chilly yesterday might have had something to do with it too.

This cherry, red number would fit someone with a hand a little larger than mine, but they turned out well and I love the blue and red together.

Sometimes, the longest part of making them can be deciding how to embellish them.

Of course I had to try them out and when it was time for a hot drink out came one of my favourite Winter mugs.

In the background you can make out the clothes horse in front of the heater.

It was quite a chilly weekend so the clothes weren't going to dry outside.

My boys were away, so I had the house to myself.

Today, I have been beavering away at more wrist warmers, for a market on the 21st.

It will possibly be the last market I do in Bright until Spring as it gets very chilly up there.

Standing at your stall shivering away is not a good look and there are so many stalls, I doubt the organisers could find a venue large enough to hold it in.

Obviously, Autumn leaves feature..........

Along with hearts...........

The embellishments are yet to be sewn on and now that my machine is out of action for a little while some 'slow sewing' will be taking place.

The middle pair of wrist warmers are a slightly darker lemon than the photo shows and they are 100% Cashmere, so soft and delicate, just lovely.

Hmmm, do I really want to sell them?

With the boys away I decided to head up to Beechworth on Saturday morning to visit a Farmers Market and just soak up the Autumn colour.

It's such a lovely place and the Autumn colour is spectacular.

I love the pattern and texture of these Liquid Amber seed pods. They are actually a bright green, my little camera doesn't show this too well, but the textural beauty is very interesting.

I wouldn't like to stand on one in bare feet as they are very spikey, not nice at all.

I googled them and found out the seed pods are also called:- Space Bugs, Monkey Balls, Bommy Knockers and Cuckoo-Birs among other names.

I have actually never heard of any of these, have you?

A beautiful carpet of leaves all the way down the street, varying in colour from tree to tree.

A visit to Beechworth isn't complete without checking out the two Op shops.

In the first I found a beautiful jumper made of Shetland wool. It was quite large and a light weight, loose type of knit. The muted colours of Turquoise and a Heathery Mauve caught my eye straight away .

I picked it up, checked it out, thought about it, carried it around the shop and then hung it up again.

I felt that it would end up sitting in a cupboard and I couldn't bear to cut it up for wrist warmers even though they would be lovely in those beautiful shades.

I finished browsing and then headed off to a couple of other shops still thinking about this jumper. Eventually, I decided that I should buy it so walked back to the Op shop and of course..... you guessed it....... it was gone. Oh well, that's the way it goes sometimes, but I thought I was showing amazing self control. Never mind, it's new owner will love it, I just hope I don't see someone walking around with Heathery Mauve wrist warmers made from Shetland wool.............

What I did pick up was this beautiful childrens book.

It was a Christmas present to 'Jason with love from Grandma Salmon, 25.12.1979'

I hope Jason enjoyed it as much as I do.

Love the illustrations.

More toadstool love happening and look at all those swallows.

I've never seen them in great numbers like this.

We usually have just a few flying around here and they nest in the roof vent.

Fancy feeding all these mouths.

Blue Tits, lay 8 to 15 eggs.......

Poor mum and dad they would be busy as, feeding this brood.

There's a lot of sweet birdy love going on here.

Here we are in Autumn, with lots happening in the woods..........

There's something very appealing about older style children's books.

I'm not sure what it is.

Maybe it's the fact that they were around before computers and TV took up all our time.

That you had to pick up a book to find out information, but I just love them and my collection continues to grow..........oops.

Do any of you feel the same way about books?

Maybe you can explain the attraction better.

I would certainly love to hear what you think.

So a very pleasant couple of hours was spent in Beechworth, then it was home to light the heater and do some sewing. A very enjoyable weekend in all

The boys arrived home in the wee, small hours of Sunday morning. It was nice to have them here for Mother's Day and spend some time relaxing together.

I hope you all had a good weekend and a lovely Mother's Day spent with family.

We are heading into a chilly week with rain forecast, so as soon as my new darning foot arrives, I shall be back in my regular posi at the sewing machine.

I hope whatever your week brings, you enjoy it, thankyou all for stopping to say "hi".

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

Summer, Winter, Summer.................

So here we are into another week, hope you all had a great weekend whatever you did.

My weekend started out a little differently than expected.

I woke very early as I was planning to head to Bright for the monthly market, but it was pouring with rain, so I decided not to go.

As it turned out the market was cancelled, but not before a few die hard stall holders had made the trip and set up.............

I decided it was the perfect morning to head down the road to Beechworth for breakfast. It's a lovely little gold mining town with alot of history, beautiful old buildings and lots of lovely shops.

I took the above photo about 10.30am, one minute it was clear and then the fog rolled in.

It didn't hang around for long, but you know I love this sort of weather.

Mind you it wasn't at all cold, in fact it was quite mild.

We had 36mls of rain all up and it had fined up by lunch time.

It was actually rather steamy which is never pleasant.

The second building on the left is the Beechworth Bakery and in this sort of weather I like to order coffee a savoury scone (or two) the local newspaper and grab a seat in the window, to enjoy a relaxing breakfast, look out into the street and while away a lazy hour.

Hubby and No. 1 son had gone to the Cool Summer Festival at Mt. Hotham for the day.

Apparently, it was quite wet and blowing a gale, but the scenery was spectacular.

The outdoor stage was moved indoors and it sounds like everyone had a good time.

Sunday was the monthly Lions Club market in my little village.

Earlier in the week rain had been forecast for Sunday as well, but it had cleared off Saturday afternoon.

I still had the car packed from the Bright market so off I went.

It was a lovely morning if a little breezy.

I put my basket of Pirate Cats and Blanket Bunnies on a little tray stand covered with one of my op shop tea cloths.

Feb. is usually a quiet month after the rush of Christmas and school hols etc. so this market was a little quiet.

But we still had people coming from far flung parts to visit.

I sold a few things, but nothing like previous markets still that's how it goes, swings and slides..........

I

There was live music, as a fundraiser for the Victorian flood victims.

Gives the market a lovely atmosphere.

It's always a good opportunity to catch up with some locals and have a chat.

I had my crochet with me and almost managed to finish a granny square..............

(No I'm not that slow, just alot of interruptions, welcome ones of course......)

This morning was lovely and sunny and I had promised myself a day in the garden.

More like I had neglected it for so long it was threatening to take over. So armed with secateurs and chopper lopper thingys,I donned the gardening gear and attacked.

I cut chopped, trimmed, pruned and the pile of prunnings grew and grew and grew.

While I'm outside it's a good opportunity to let the girls out of their run for a change of scenery.

They're great little helpers, eating all the little nasties, they have brilliant eyesight.....

Ever seen a chook wearing glasses? Thought not......hehe

Poor Tig felt a little under threat, safer to stay inside whilst Mrs Brown is on her bug hunt.

Here's my secret weapon, in the gardening war.

No 1 son and a ride on mower with trailer.

While I pruned and the piles grew, he gathered them up, loaded them into the trailer and took them into the paddock for the cows to graze on.

There were several loads and the cows had a lovely feast.

We didn't even have to call them, they were mooing and running.

It's not like there's no grass in the paddock for them, but I guess it's a nice change from their usual diet.

By the end of the day I had hacked, mowed and whipper snipped the jungle back into some semblance of order.

As I headed for a nice warm shower with a feeling of contentment at my achievements, I hoped that I hadn't overdone it, as tomorrow I have to go to work.

Always nice to be able to move without sore muscles accompanied by moaning and groaning......

Not a good look when you work in a hospital.....

Tig has the right idea, I plan to do this as soon as I have finished this post.

I'm sure I will sleep soundly tonight.

Hope I don't dream of killer shrubs, their leafy tentacles reaching out to strangle me!

It's a cool, dare I say chilly, evening here, I have had to put on some layers and have dug out my Winter slippers.....

No. 1 started stacking away the wood (see previous post) later this afternoon.

I told him I couldn't wait until we could use the wood heater.

He rolled his eyes, but he's used to me.......

BUT fear not, Summer isn't done here yet, we are expecting temps to climb back up to 30 by the weekend........

So hopefully the zucchinis will keep growing and the tomatoes keep ripening before I have to start using some of that wood........

I hope your week has gotten off to a good start.

Thanks for dropping by and reading my ramblings, it's always nice to hear from you and I must say a big 'WELCOME' to all my new followers.

Look forward to hearing from you all,

Till next time, take care,

Claire X