Spring Fever Has Me In It's Grip !

A worrying, niggling feeling has been lurking here in the Sweet Birdy Love household. Not that the two males in the house would notice! But there has been a slight change in the air, be it Spring Fever I'm not sure. The lure of the sewing machine has been waning and the lawn mower, whipper snipper (strimmer for those UK readers), shovel, rake and implements of the gardening variety have been calling me outside.

Now this dear readers, may not seem unusual to you, BUT I have to say for the last ooh,year or so the call of the garden has been fading and has been replaced by the song of the sewing machine, crochet hook, embroidery bits and pieces and all things of a textile nature.

I once was a very keen if not efficient sort of gardener and crafting was something I dabbled with occasionally.

So it has been a very strange feeling to walk past the sewing machine and head to the laundry to don my gardening gear.

Mind you, at this time of year the garden seems to consume every spare daylight hour you have. The lawn (ha, ha) needs mowing every week and the weeds are like something out of "Day of the Triffids"!

Oh, think I am exaggerating do you?

So,it was with a sigh of relief when the desire to sit at the machine and finish some bunting I started last week, overcame the urge to garden!

I made a deal with the two conflicting voices I was hearing.

"Let me sew, till my morning coffee and then I shall get stuck into the garden"

That seemed to keep 'everyone' happy.

So the jolly, polka dot bunting is finished and I am veeeeeeeeeeeery happy with it.

You do know how much I like red,white and blue, don't you?

It reminds me of Noddy and his little polka dot kerchief tied round his neck. I am sure he would approve of this and may even need some to 'jollify' his little abode.

It always helps if you have a tall person in the household to drape bunting prettily (well, as prettily as a 19y.o. male can!) in the Manchurian Pear tree.

Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them and get a better view of everything.



Talking about red,white and blue.......

Who could resist taking a pic of these colourful chairs? I snapped these during my stay in Daylesford recently.

They are in cafe called Frangos and Frangos.

We had a delish breakfast there of sweet potato pancakes and bacon with maple syrup. If you are going to order them, a word of warning:- Make sure you are really, really, really hungry.


Whilst in the throes of worrying over the lack of creativeness I had to whip up some muffins, so thought I would share a couple of photos just to prove to myself that all was not lost.

Homegrown raspberries form last season and dark chocolate mmmmmm.................

I used block chocolate which I cut into shards and then put the left over chocolate into a container and hid it in the .................. drawer!

No 1 son has a very keen nose when it comes to sniffing out chokky and as this was particularly yummy chocolate, albeit cooking chocolate,you know how it is. When you need chocolate, any sort will do.




The finished product. Yep, they taste as yummy as they look. I had to double check just to make sure!!





Finally, a bit of Spring colour from the garden. This little Daffodil is so sweet, it reminds me of an egg that's been scrambled. Not a particularly romantic description, but there you have it.

A variety of Daffodils from the garden, lemon meringue in front, scrambled egg to the left and in the middle at the back, well I'm' not quite sure about that one, but the colouring is very delicate and lovely. They are such cheery flowers and they have put on a lovely display throughout Winter and Spring.

Here we have Prunus Elvins a week later, such a change (See last post for comparison photo) and give it another week and it will be pinker still.

The bees are buzzing away , if you are quiet you may even hear them!

Check out the dam in the background, how full us that?

Beautiful blossom out in the orchard. How gorgeous is that colour?

Such a lovely time of year. Each season has it's own beauty. Sometimes we just have to look a little harder. But I am sure you will all agree that Spring is a show stopper, no matter which corner of the globe you live in.

The creative drive may be in first gear for a little while as I need to tend to things in the garden and keep them under control. But rest assured that it shall return in due course.

Hey guys, thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings. I hope it made you smile, maybe even laugh or just shake your head in disbelief ! If you would like to leave I comment, I would love to hear from you and what's happening in your corner of the globe.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

The Jury Is In

It's official, I love owls.

Not sure what it is about them that is so appealing, but they've got the X Factor......................

A little bit of stitching took place today. An idea that had been brewing and bubbling away for quite some time was put into action. Above is the back view, which can be as interesting as the front sometimes.

The black and white is quite effective don't you think?

Ta dah..... the front. Click on the photo to enlarge.

I am reasonably happy with how it turned out, but I think there is something missing, not quite sure what.

Next time I make one I will change it slightly maybe make the owls bigger...........

Any thoughts, ideas, tips are always appreciated.

I had fun making it and that's always a good thing.

Another little stitchy piece I came up with last night, love the nautical look.

The stripey background fabric was hastily put in behind the picture so I could take a photo and is slightly wonky but that will all be sorted before it's ready for sail !!

I get the feeling that there are a few more of these fabric pictures to be made somehow before I move on to the next idea.

Today has been a real mixed basket weather wise. Its typical Spring....changeable. One minute it's raining cats and dogs and then sunny as then back to showers, windy and then the sun's out.

I stayed inside in my 'cocoon' enjoying the 'show' In the great room (kitchen, living ,dining area) we have glass on the north and south sides so you get a wonderful view of the mountains and the garden and paddock.

Couldn't resist this photo, love the contrast in the colour of the clouds and just outside the photo to the left was blue sky................

This photo shows our dam and how full it is now after almost 5 inches of rain in the last week. We moved here in 2002 and it was probably fuller than it is now, but over the ensuing years it has dropped considerably. We only use it for the vegie garden, orchard and my shrubbery. We haven't put a proper lawn in so we never used the watering system we put in. Each Winter the rain has been decreasing due to the drought so it has never filled up, BUT this year is different.
It's soooooooooo nice to look out the window and see it filling up. I think it's safe to say the drought is officially over.
To the left of the photo is my Prunus Elvins, the buds are just starting to pop open. It's a beautiful tree and in a week or so will be covered with squillions of pale pink blossom deepening in colour over time. The flowers line every branch and twig and look like coloured popcorn. It's very showy, you wouldn't think so to look at it now, but pop back in a week or so and I will post another photo.





These beautiful Daffodils are from a dear friends garden. They remind me of lemon meringue pie , the lovely yellow filling and the meringue topping, mmmmmmmm. Is your mouth watering yet?

The girls found something very tasty in the 'lawn' when I let them out this week. Not sure what but usually they scurry off to the shrubbery and spread mulch everywhere. They have been leading me a merry dance when I try and shoo them back to their enclosure. My 'new' chooks have decided it's fun to play chook chasey, with me being quite an unwilling participant. So armed with long branches I can be seen running wildly around the yard trying to herd them back to their run in one go.

Tigger has decided that when I am on the computer he needs to be right there in front of me, not wanting to be left out............

He is good company when the boys are away, but there are times when.........

It's been a quiet week here in the Sweet Birdy Love household.

My boys have been interstate where the sun is shining and the temperature is a good ten degrees warmer.

No, I am not at all envious, the warm weather will eventually head this way.

I had grand plans to get on and sew my little heart out, but they have been thwarted by things to do and people to visit. A little bit of stitching has taken place, enough to keep me happy at least. There are threads over the floor along with little scraps of fabric and designs hastily jotted down from ideas that keep popping into my head.

It's been a good week if not as productive as I had hoped !

I hope you have all had a good productive week wherever you are.

Thankyou for dropping by, I would love to hear what you have been up to if you would like to leave a comment.

Until next time, take care and have a fab weekend,

Claire X

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

Spring has sprung..........actually it did a little while ago, but I still had some Winter to enjoy.

This is my Japonica - Flowering Quince, it's called Apple Blossom, easy to see why.

I love the simplicity of the bare branches and blossom. Unfortunately, some little, creepy, crawly,critters have been chewing on the flower buds and when they open up , there are bits missing, but I still think they look pretty.

Anyhoo, my Japonica has been the inspiration for a new tea cosy order. I was searching for inspiration on the weekend, when I spied a vase full of Japonica on the coffee table. I thought a sprig of Japonica is just what I needed. Not too busy, I like the minimalist look and the colours.
Click on the photo to enlarge, the above photo is with a flash, the 'writing' shows up better.

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This photo is minus the flash, I'm pleased with the colours, although, I think I could've added a bit more pink. Oh well, there's always next time.

Close up of the blossom. Not exactly sure what I am going to do on the other side, let alone what colour felted jumper I will use.

I will have to do some surfing on the net for an appropriate saying and maybe some nice floral teacups will complete it.

The Daffodils are putting on a cheery display at the front gate, like sunshine on a stalk.

As I headed into town for a coffee last week, I stopped to pick a bunch, as they were all bowed down under the weight of recent rain. I shook the water off, thinking someone would like a bunch of flowers.

I walked into my favourite coffee shop and the owner, Julie, jokingly asked were they for her. I replied they were and she was quite taken aback. It was her fathers birthday , but he had passed away a year ago, tough day for her.

You never know when a small gesture on your part can make a big difference to someone else's day.

So here's to small gestures and they joy they can bring to others.

Stand back, here comes the rush, chooks heading for their run and dinner time. They look quite funny as they run.

I have one chook, who I think, must be deaf. No matter how loud or long I call, she keeps scratching away in the garden long after the others have returned to the yard. You can be sure that 'Mrs Rock" is the last to go back in the yard and you will always have to go and find her!

Ah, the Silver Birches or the Wild Wood as we call it. I just love the silvery, papery trunks. Standing out against the green and blue of their surroundings.

Spring is waiting in the wings, blossom buds are swelling on the Manchurian Pear, the Daffodils, Violets and Camellia are all flowering their little heads off.

The grass is growing slowly as the weather starts warming up and the days are getting longer. Come Spring, everything will go berserk particularly the weeds, which means mowing every week. Just as well we have a ride on mower, it takes an hour or so to go around the house yard.

This past week has been a rather unusual one for me. I have been out of sorts and am only just getting back into the swing of things.

We had visitors recently which meant we needed to use the dining table aka my sewing table. So I packed/chucked (ooh, my mum hated that word!) everything into the spare room.

The table looked wonderful, all that lovely old timber, the whole room looked tidier, but I felt things weren't quite right. I couldn't just sit down at the machine and play when I had a spare five minutes. I'm sure that's why I felt so at odds.

Anyway, the situation has been rectified, I have dragged it all out again (or most of it!) and everything feels as it should be now. So here's to creativity and the joy it brings.

I hope your week is full of creativity and joy and maybe a small gesture on your part will bring a smile to someone who needs it.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting. If you have a minute to comment, I would love to hear from you.

Your small gesture, always makes my heart skip a beat and bring a smile to my face, I love mail.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

First Day of Spring



As if on cue the wether has turned on a bumper day for the first day of Spring. As I sit here typing fluffy, cottonwool type clouds fill the sky, admittedly they look a little grey underneath but the rain seems to have disappeared for today at least. The sun is shining, it took a while to come out and stay out, but everything looks so vibrant and fresh.



Yesterday, was quite the opposite, cold, windy and wet a beautiful finish to winter. I say beautiful because I was cocooned inside by the wood heater playing at the sewing machine, what better way to spend a wet wintery day. Not all was as planned I did get a call after lunch to go and do a shift at work, that threw a spanner in the works for a few minutes!!



The magpies seem to gather here in the mornings and it's quite amusing watching their antics. On wet days they come right into the courtyard looking for an easy meal of worms that have been marooned on the pavers. This morning I noticed one on the door mat right outside the door. I thought it must've found a tasty morsel but on watching closely I realized it was pulling the fibre out of the mat, filling it's beak and then flying off, presumably to build a nest. I thought perhaps I should leave a small pile

of fabric scraps and thread lying around to see if it would be interested, hmm!!



They are quite interesting characters to watch, the other morning there were two of them having a tussle in the grass with a group of onlookers warbling encouragement. I could just imagine what they were saying "Go on get the beak into im", 'wing him wing him" Like a bunch of footballers having a brawl!



Creativity must be in the air today, whilst I have been sitting at the sewing machine have some success with my latest project, No1 son has been busy writing songs and come up with 2. Sitting outside in the sun with all this beauty surrounding him has certainly got the creative juices flowing. Sometimes I wonder where he gets it from, my mother was very good at putting together funny little verses, limericks and poems. I like to think that's something I have inherited from her and passed it onto my son. He amazes me sometimes, the sensitivityin the lyrics he writes makes me realize that he can be a deep thinker and look past the obvious and see what many his age don't. For all his faults many of which came from me, he has turned out to be a caring, snesitive and quite thoughtful young man. Of course there is still alot of room for growth and that not just for young people. Hopefully, we all keep growing and learning as we get older.

Secretly, I am hoping for some more cold weather, I am not ready yet to pack away the electric blanket and doona, we can always do with more rain as well. But for now I shall enjoy the day we've been given and make the most of it.