Officially last day of Winter

Well, here it is the last day of Winter. I treated myself to breakfast in bed, I made up a lovely tray with 2 fresh, free range eggs courtesy of my "girls", some lovely grain toast a pot of tea and a lovely china cup and saucer which needs to be used on a regualr basis, it's so pretty. I sat in bed and gazed out at the mist covered hills and enjoyed watching the rain falling as it came through the valley.
Winter is one of my favourite months, you can always get warmer by adding another layer of clothing unlike summer, when you have stripped off there's nowhere else to go!!

Spring is in the air well and truly the daffodils are on their last legs they have put on a lovely display but some wee nasty has been munching on the emerging flowers leaving some of the misshapen, but still pretty from a distance.

The Manchurian Pear has been showing off her Spring dress for a couple of weeks now it puts on a long lasting display as long as the weather behaves! The Grape Hyacinth which are sitting neglected in pots by the shed keep coming up year after year and the purple haze is so appealing, the roots would be such a tangled, matted mess, I look at them and think next year I shall sort them out!!

The "girls" are starting to lay a little more regularly not that we eat many eggs but it's nice to have a few in the fridge in case the urge to cook something should suddenly strike me, even if it is only scrambled eggs with parsley sprinkled over them.

It has been raining quite a bit over the weekend which has been just lovely, in the past week we have had almost an inch and a half, the tanks are full to overflowing and the dam has risen a little. The garden has had a good drink and the grass is growing like topsy and we won't be able to mow it until we get a couple of fine days by which time we will most likely have to bale it11

I would love to let the cows in to have a munch but they are not particularly discerning at times so I imagine there would be more than just grass to turn their heads.

Well, it's so long to Winter officially and hello to Spring but the rainy cool weather is set to continue for a while longer and I will enjoy each and every day.

Last of the WIntery Days

Well, this is the last week of Winter and today is certainly cold, windy and somewhat rainy, much to my delight. I am not yet ready to pack away the jackets, scarves and gloves and think about warmer weather, particularly after last summer's scorching temperatures. The people in Greece certainly have my sympathy, according to the news reports it sounds as if they are having a terrible time with the fires. Mind you at the other end of this country, there are 100 fires burning in Queensland due to the wild , windy weather, quite bizarre considering it's still winter.

On the crafting front things have been bubbling along nicely, I am finishing off some lovely stripey red white and blue bunting to hang around my stall at the craft market held once a month. I have decided to use a gazebo (once I learn how to erect it!) which is blue and the bunting should really jazz it up. I also found a lovely supper cloth (not a full scale table cloth) at one of my favourite Op shops. It cost me $1.00 and is a lovely rosy floral on a bright blue and white background, Everynow and then I drag it out of the kitchen drawer just to have look at it and enjoy those lovely colours.

Tafe is going well although my visual diary is more an invisible diary, I am not one for doing my homework as the sewing machine is always beckoning me!! Over the past few months I have gotten to know the ladies in my class reasonably well and they are a very talented bunch. It's always inspiring and alot of laughs are had in class, just the same as when I was at school!

My next project is to learn how to upload photos on the computer myself and not have to ask Mr GP or No 1 son. Hopefully, this will be a painless and quick procedure, so please come back and visit me soon and hopefully there will be something interesting to look at next time.

Friday Again !!

Friday comes around soooo quickly but it's great because it's back to Tafe to have some fun
playing, creating and learning.

Some days I go "yay" I've learnt something useful and have something to show for all that time spent and some days I go" well I learnt something, but not soooo much to show " Getting to know the other ladies a bit better and feeling more comfortable around them. I certainly appreciate their creative talents and they are happy to share what they know.

I have to give a short talk next week on a technique I use in my crafting, so that will be interesting. Today we learnt about wet felting and there are lots of people out there who do it, but as yet I had not dipped my toe into the soapy water, but it certainly was fun. Bought home some wool to have a go at my leisure.

The Autumn colour is absolutely glorious this year despite the drought and our maples are putting on a glorious display. In years gone by they have usually been blown off in a storm after only a couple of weeks, but this year they started changing in February and still haven't peaked. Absolutely stunning, I have gone out to pick up a basketful which I will press and then arrange onto a cardboard shape, usually an oval and that will hang on the chimney above the heater for the duration of the winter or until I have the heart to take it down and dispose of it.

The 'girls' have slowed down with the egg production as the weather grows cooler and the last of the summer vegies are being used, namely the zucchini.

Looking for ward to a weekend with a bit of crafting a bit of housework and a bit of relaxing.
Hope your weekend is enjoyable, take care and don't forget to slow down and smell the roses, or should that be admire the Autumn leaves at this time of the year.

Regards

Claire

Well what a wet, wintery weekend we have had, all up we have had 54mls of rain which in the old scale is 2 inches, yahoo. I have certainly been in my element, being a lover of cold weather!!

The Mt. Beauty Music Festival was on, so I spent Saturday up there with Mr G. and No.1 son who was performing at the festival. It was fresh and it rained on and off which wasn't the best weather for the market stall holders, but we do need the rain.

Despite the inclement weather I think everyone was enjoying the festival, so I hope it was a success. The boys will be home later this evening with news of how it all went.

The Autumn colour up there is stunning as usual, one of my favourite seasons, it's hard not to fall in love with the range of colours that decorate the trees. When we slow down and look around us there is beauty to be seen and it doesn't cost a cent!
When I came home yesterday afternoon I lit the wood heater and enjoyed watching the sky, the cloud formations and the colours were wonderful. Nothing beats listening to rain on the roof, watching it fall outside and being coccooned inside by the heater. I crocheted a few a couple of squares for my blanket, it's very relaxing and so enjoyable creating something that hopefully will be put to good use.

I have a secret to share, I actually went into town today and bought some more wool in totally different colours for another rug!! Am I mad or what ? I do wonder sometimes. The colours I bought are inspired by Autumn, burnt orange, cinnamon, soft gold, deep turquoise, red, they just cried out to be crocheted into a rug. I think I might try a different pattern, maybe a hexagonal shape inspired by Attic 24, check out her blog, she is a very clever lady.

Anyway, I better go and check the heater, put some soup on for dinner and try and decide which rug to work on tonight, the ironing will just have to wait!!

Hope you all had a good weekend, rug up and stay warm, winter is on it's way at long last!!

Well, the weekend is almost upon us again and another music festival to attend. This time it's the Mt. Beauty Music festival, I am told that it's going to be cold up there on the weekend as this cold snap moves through the state.Everyone who knows me knows that I love winter and cold weather, any opportunity to dig out the gloves and a scarf and rug up!!

Had a fantastic time at the Canberra National Folk Festival at Easter. It's HUUUUUGE, if you are into people watching there's enough to keep you entertained without going to any of the concerts.

No 1 son, played 4 sets and had a great time and did very well in a couple of competitions, all in all an enjoyable weekend. There is alot of talent out there.

I have been sidetracked from my usual crafting and have caught the crochet bug, inspired by Fi at Marmaladerose and her gorgeous granny square blanket. I raced out to Spotlight and bought some Cleckheaton wool, fortunately it was on sale, but it still added up pretty fast!! Yes, it is addictive and if I don't crochet at least one square a night, something just isn't right!!

Back to Tafe tomorrow after a 2 week break for the holidays, a little confession I haven't done the homework I should have BUT at my age I am not and will not feel guilty. I will take responsibility for my actions and any consequences!!!

It's my wedding anniversary to Mr. G. tomorrow and No.1 son is 18 next week, amazing how time flies. I know this happens all the time and to make the most of every moment, but it still comes as a surprise.

No 1 son has made an outdoor fire pit using an old 44 gal drum, he cut a design in it using the angle grinder and it looks very effective when there's a fire burning. We just sat outside and had a bowl of pasta for tea whilst sitting around the fire, enjoying the stars better than anything on the TV.

Well, have a great weekend and take care and start digging out those winter woollies, it sounds like we are going to need them at long last, yahoo.

Easter's on it's way

Only two more days to go and then it's the Easter break, yahoo!!
The weatherhas that typical Autumn/Easter feel to it. Coolish mornings, dew on the ground, nice sunny days, the sky is a little bit hazy, no doubt there is burning off going on somewhere.
Evenings are cool enough for long sleeves and slippers, love this time of year, but of course rain would be most welcome.

We are not going on our usual Easter trip, but heading up to Canberra for a few days, No 1 son is playing at the National Folk Festival, very exciting and should be alot of fun. Great acts to see, great music to hear and a great time to be had by all.

Have to get busy and tidy up the house as my sister and her hubby will be house sitting and looking after the animals. Nice to have someone here while we are away, Tigger our ginger Tom misses his cuddles when no one is around.

I will be taking a bit of craft work with me, I have packed a bag with some crochet needles and wool as there will be hours sitting in the van sandwiched between Mr. G. and No1 son, so if there is a bit of room to move my arms, I hope to crochet some flowers and turn them into brooches to sell at my market stall.

When we get back I must get Mr. G. to show me how to upload photos , I feel it will be involved but everyone else seems to manage very well, so it's a new skill I must learn as I do have lots to show you and I am hoping someone will be interested!!

Stay well over Easter and if you are travelling take care (double demerit points apply) stop and have a power nap if you're tired. Don't overdo the chokky and y'all come back real soon now, y'hear

Bye for now

Is anybody out there?

If there's anybody out there and you may have just stumbled upon this by accident, any chance of leaving a comment, just to say "hi"!!

Well today was my second Friday at my Tafe course. Once again watching talented ladies work their "magic" with fabric, thread and dye made me want to disappear into oblivion, BUT I perservered and by early afternoon I had something happening with my little fabric sampler.
I had sandwiched together three pieces of fabric and then free hand machine embroidered a pattern taken from a drawing of some bark. Exciting stuff , stay tuned! then I cut through the two top layers of fabric to reveal the underneath and in so doing had 3 or 4 different colours coming through.

Not earth shattering stuff, but I could see where I was going and my sampler was saved from the rubbish bin and my dignity also.

Of course everyone is very encouraging, but when I got home and showed No1 son, his comment was a very enthusiastic " that's cool, i really like that mum" and that's when the shoulders straightened up, the chest was thrust out and I could really feel good about it.

Surprisingly, I trust his opinion more than most other people and if he thinks it's cool , then that's a big thumbs up in my book. Obviously, we are quite alike and share the same tastes in some things, but being a muso he's creative in his own way and is not mainstream in the way he sees some things, so it's interesting to hear his views on what I do.

We've just had a big thunder storm which dumped about 20 mls of rain in a short space of time. Fantastic to see the rain as it will top up our tanks and dam and give everything a good drink.
It was quite heavy and was blowing in under the door and at the window sills, but nothing compared to the poor folk on the Mid NSW coast.

Floods at one end of the country and bushfires at the other end, guess where they should be putting the pipeline!!

Well, school hols are on the way that means 2 weeks away from Tafe so I will have to do some homework, that will include a lino print and some other samplers, so I better get busy and get drawing, sewing and general crafting.

Hope to have some photos on my next post if we can find a simpler way of doing that.

Bye for now.