So On and Sew Forth......

So or should I say 'sew' what's happening?

Well, another week has passed by the first for the New Year...........

I hope it was a good week for you whether you are still on holidays or back at work.

My week has been centred around my sewing as I was on hols, yippee.

These are my latest 'makes' .......

Little cottages.....

There are quite a few around blogland, most being just a house and very cute they are too.

Below is my version....

They will have a ribbon loop for hanging and on the back I have embroidered

" Home is where the heart is" with a polka dot heart (oops forgot to take a photo).

I did consider embroidering

"home is where you can scratch where it really itches",

it made me laugh but not everyone has my sense of humour.....

So what do you think?

They are just a little decoration you can hang somewhere around the house.

I am doing a market in Bright next Saturday and these will be for sale.

This will be the first time I have done this market, so it will be interesting.

It's held in a park by the river and they usually have live music , so it should be quite enjoyable and Bright being a tourist destination I imagine it will be BUSY.....

Well, it's 'on the road again....' for the boys. The summer music festival circuit is in full swing.

The boys headed off, the van loaded No 1 son at the wheel, dad in the passenger seat...

3 gigs in 2 days, home late Sunday night.

I imagine they will be rather tired and glad to fall into their own beds for a decent nights sleep.

For those readers who may not be familiar with my little family, No 1 son is a muso and Dad goes along as the unpaid roadie, co driver, manager and as Dad.

There is quite a bit of equipment to be set up, so help is needed and Dad is happy to take on that role, plus we both enjoy the music.........

I stay home, look after the animals, garden and so on and sew forth!!

On Thursday, Hubby and I had to make a trip to Bright, so we decided to have fish and chips down by the river for dinner.

Rock Salt is a gourmet fish and chip shop in Bright that does the best and I mean the best f & c I have ever tasted.

Now, be warned, being gourmet it doesn't come cheap, but it's worth every cent and talking about money they don't have EFTPOS either.

A fact I was unaware of till I got to the head of the rather loooooong queue and then realised, gulp...

Hubby had gone for a wander so there I was scrambling in my bag for a few final dollars, checking every pocket.... twice, discovering some 'egg money' phew.

Bit of a giggle, but the young fellow was very understanding.

Now don't be put off if you see a long queue as they are so fast.

The guys cooking were going hammer and tongs, sweat pouring off them.

In this box we had 2 pieces of fish, 2 king prawns, 2 scallops, 2 potato cakes, 4 calamari and a small serve of handcut chips which were cooked to the most perfect golden brown.

A sweet chilly dipping sauce and a most delicious garlicky tartare sauce.

Is your mouth watering yet, 'cos mine certainly is....

Sadly, f & c just won't be the same again after this feast.

Let's take a look around the garden.....

The Zinnias are putting on a lovely display, not quite as good as last season. All the rain we have had, caused a fungal disease which really knocked them about in the early stages and the slug population has been out of control.... but those that have survived have been stunning.

This season the coral and orange seem to be the most predominant colour, last season it was this lovely purply/pink.

Together the colours are certainly eye catching.

Gayle over at Garden of Daisies is a fan of Zinnias too.

Out to the back orchard to check the Peacherines to see how they are coming along, almost ripe.

Looking lush and red.....

We don't have many due to the storms but what we do have will be delicious.

There will be a few less if this little chick gets her way, look at he eyeing off a peacherine that some sneaky bird has already had a go at......

The chicks are growing fast , they love being in the orchard, chasing grass hoppers, moths, scratching around, doing all the usual chicken things including looking cute as...

Last but not least my Dahlias have flowered this year. The photo is a little washed out but they are putting on a fiery show.

We never had any blooms last year, so I am certainly enjoying these.

Well, that's just a little bit or what happened in my week.

The holidays are drawing to a close, so I will have to get back into a work frame of mind and my uniform........

I would just like to thank everyone for visiting last post and leaving a comment it's always a treat to hear from you.

I hope the first week of the new year is going well for you........

Time to think about dinner, feed the chooks, do a bit of watering and tidy up the mess I have made sewing!!

Hope you have a great weekend and I look forward to hearing from you .

I must say a BIG thankyou to Sandra, Jenevieve and Tanya for helping me out with some bloggy issues.

A new year and I have already learnt some new computer skills, woo hoo.....

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

Yummier than chocolate cake and better for you..........

Isn't that an eye full of gorgeousness?

Turquoise, pink, purple, yellow and everything in between.......

"What on earth do you want these for?", I hear you ask.....

Hmmm, there could only be one reason for so many hankies.

Surely, you have guessed by now.....

Yes, more bunting.

You thought I had left my bunting obsession in 2010.

No siree, I have dragged it into the new year with me and sooooo glad I did.

Mind you it is a wee bit tricky to get a good pic of it!

Ah, now that's a little bit better.

Hanging in the orchard, where beautiful bunting belongs on a summery day.

Or at garden parties, birthdays, weddings, any sort of celebration really.

Remember the old slogan "Things go better with coke" (cocoa cola that is!!)

Well, I've updated that to "Things go better with bunting!"

Do you think it will catch on?........

So here it is, in all it's floral glory.

There are 9 flags in all, but 8 make the photo.....

I had intended to make a recycled bunting, but when I spied the pack of hankies in the shop and saw all those yummy colours, well.......

You know how it is

And yes, we couldn't leave the Kombi obsession in 2010, it had to come with me as well.....

These little beauties are rolling off the production line, waiting for new owners to love them.

Need a little finishing off though, but that can wait till Heartbeat is on tonight and then I shall

be tying and snipping, ready for the next stage of production.

Do you have a favourite colour Kombi?

Mine's a toss up between he red and white polka dot and the pale blue polka dot, but then again I rather fancy the green one too.....

Heartbeat is being played right from the very start and I am enjoying it as much as I did when it first aired, oooh, about 16 years ago ..........

When we visited the UK back in 2007, we took a drive up to the Dales where they filmed part of the series.

Can't remember the name of the little village now.

But we saw Scripps garage and the pub they used in the series. The village green etc. it was lovely and made the trip even more memorable.

Are you or were you a fan?

This bunch of roses is for Julie at www.juliewhitmorepottery.blogspot.com . She asked for a pic a couple of months ago and they are bloomin' beautiful at the moment.

Some of them have had stems close to a metre long.....

Obviously very happy in their garden posi.

If you are not familiar with Julie's work, take a little trip over to her blog and be enchanted

by her wonderful hand painted faience pottery.

This is how Tig is spending the majority of his time at the moment.

I must admit on a warm day, I could quite easily do the same......

Well, this week is passing quickly and the lack of schedules etc. due to holidays has been lovely, but it also means that I'm a bit out of my routine and haven't achieved quite as much as I would have liked to.

Never mind, I'm not worrying about it, as I have enjoyed the week.

Most days after lunch I sat down with the boys and we played a few rounds of cards.

It was fun and relaxing and times like this don't come around too often you have to make them happen.

With school hols etc. it's been fairly quiet on the road past our home. No school buses, less work traffic, so quiet you can her a pin drop.

We all need to slow down, recharge our batteries, reconnect with family.

Well, it's time to hit the publish button and think about dinner.

I am trying a new recipe tonight:- Kebab Bi Karaz, lamb meatballs with sour cherry sauce.

It sounds and looks delicious and now my mouth is watering just thinking about it, so that's it .

Cheerio for now, till next time,

Take care,

Claire X

Summer's Pleasures

Despite all my moaning about Summer heat etc. there are simple pleasures to be found and one of them is a vase of Gardenias on my bedside table.

I love their stark whiteness and beautiful perfume wafting by on a warm Summer evening.

I have also picked up an op shop treasure. I was drawn to the book cover, tattered and torn as it is, it appealed to me.

I've just read a few pages, it's about an Aussie girls adventures in England back in the 1930's.

Letters sent home to family and friends were kept and then turned into a book.

For a dollar I don't think I can go wrong do you?

Another of Summers pleasures, home grown veg. The beans are from our garden, the spuds from my sisters.

Our garden is just starting to swing into production, there is silverbeet galore, which I love but a certain someone can't stand.

When I was pregnant, I never had cravings but I remember one occasion when I was at work and all I wanted was a bowl full of cooked silverbeet.

I couldn't wait to get off the train and head to the green grocers and buy a bunch.

I even rang ahead just to make sure they would still be open , I was desperate for it.

Maybe that's why No 1 son can't stand the stuff!!

The only other craving was for some raspberry cordial and No 1 definitely likes that....

The Sunflowers are still going strong, although they don't seem to like the heat either.

But the cool of the morning sees them refreshed and ready for another day.

Now as I was rudely awakened this morning at some ridiculously early hour, by a certain furry, four legged someone, who incidentally had not been put to bed !!

I thought I would get up and enjoy the morning before the rest of the household woke up.......

So lets head through the gate and down the paddock and see what's about.....

No I'm not paranoid we are being followed.......

Cows are such curious creatures.

"Who is that wee, furry beastie?"

Poor Tig is starting to feel a little threatened by these giants, so he's off............

Musn't get our hoofs wet

.

Their manners left a bit to be desired.

Sounded like they were sucking up the last little bit of their milkshake!

Looking back up the paddock to the house.

Love the reflections in the water.

It's a beautiful morning, there's a little bit of haze around.

I think it's going to be around 30 - 32 deg today, which is very pleasant but at the moment there's a chill in the air.

Tig is now feeling safe!

Where sky and water meet, for those in the middle of Winter here's a little bit of blue, Summer sky to warm you.

So what's happening on the crafty front?

Well, today I plan to make some brooches and yes, of course, chooks/chickens feature......

I have been asked to make one for a friend, so I might whip up a few extra while I am at it.

I may have been woken early, but I find the mornings are the best part of the day.

I am the most productive then and feel refreshed and inspired, so I need to strike while the iron is hot...

Not that I want to be up 6am every day Tigger, grrr!

So wherever you are I hope you are enjoying the first week of 2011.

Thankyou for popping by for a visit, always love to hear from you.....

Oh, I'm starting to fade, might need a 'power nap' later on to get me through the day!!

Ah, holidays don't you just love them, no timetable or schedules.

No feeling guilty about relaxing and enjoying the day.......

Okay let's plug the machine in and get going, there's sewing to be done first.......

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

Goodbye 2010................

Well Christmas has been and gone for another year.

As usual it was a very relaxed affair in the Sweet Birdy Love household, no stress, no fuss.

A day to relax, but Boxing Day was the biggy for us. My sister and various family members came and had lunch with us.

Very enjoyable, but it meant clearing all my sewing gear off the dining table!

My sewing bits and pieces were banished to the spare room for a couple of days and I must say it was nice to get reacquainted with the table .......

Well, after Boxing Day, various things started reappearing on the table, a snippet of fabric, pair of scissors, thread and finally sewing machine.

It had to happen.......

As I have 2 weeks off work, I have had a number of new projects swirling around in head and finally I started one.

I had been wondering how to use up a recycled woollen blanket and pot holders sprang to mind. Something I had tried earlier in the year but wasn't happy with my design.

I trawled the net for an appropriate saying and once I had that, everything else just fell into place.

There are ends which need to be tied off and tidied up, a job to do while watching TV. Backing to be sewn on and voila, all done.

Click on the photo to enlarge, the saying is by George Miller -

"The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again"

And of course it had to be polka dots.

With all the rain we had recently the garden has gone berserk. The Aggies are almost shoulder height.

"Morning Tigger"

Summer has finally reared it's head and with temps edging 40deg I thought I better rescue some roses which were putting on a beautiful display.

I couldn't bear to go outside and see them fried to crisp!

Beautiful Buddleia, filling the room with waves of honey scented perfume.

A bunch of artichoke flowers from a friend, just stunning and will last for months.

Purple, just looove it.

Well, the new year is just a few hours away.

What will it bring?

Do you make resolutions?

I don't make resolutions as such but in a reflective frame of mind try and make a few changes here and there, avoid pitfalls and bad habits and move into the New Year in a positive way.

Oooh, getting a bit deep, better finish up now.....

To all those who have dropped by to read my ramblings throughout the year thankyou and to those who have posted comments an even bigger thankyou, for your friendship, encouragement advice and interest.

However you celebrate New Years Eve, enjoy it, stay safe and all the best for a happy, healthy and creative 2001.

Until next time, take care,

Claire X

Of Flowers and Feathers......

I knew the little crocheted flowers from the last blog post, would come in handy for something.

I had an end of year catchup with a friend recently and we exchanged gifts.

I made her a cover for her sketch book.

It was something she had asked for, unfortunately I didn't take a photo of it.

When I had wrapped the pressie I knew just what needed to be added and was very happy with the look.

Might crochet a few more in different colours to add to gifts throughout the year
My friend's gift to me, is one of her beautiful paintings.

A very special one which I shall blog about when it's framed.

I 'll give you a little hint what the picture is about.

The subject is red and feathery, yes, you guessed correctly.....

The nectarines this year may be just a few, due to the wild storms we have been having BUT what we do have are ginormous.

I hope the birds don't sneak in under the netting and get to them before we do, they are pretty cunning...............

Love the rich red in amongst the greenery....

Does it remind you of anything?

My Sunflowers are blooming........

Love the rich burgundy, dare I say Autumnal tones, of this flower.

I had seeds in an envelope in the shed and actually didn't read the description so I have been pleasantly surprised by the colour and size of the flowers.

The chooks love eating the seeds so they serve a dual purpose.
I barrowed loads of cow manure into this garden bed and I think all the effort has paid off. One of the plants is well over 2 metres high.....

The Buddleia is also putting on a lovely display. The butterflies love it.

I just love the rich, dark, purple and the scent, mmmmm.....

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to last long when cut and bought inside, but that won't stop me...

Recent storms have weighed the branches down and I will need to have a serious pruning session, but not till it has finished flowering.

As you can see there is still quite a tinge of green to the hills in the background. It's nice that everything hasn't browned off and gone crunchy underfoot....

The weather is finally starting to warm up a bit, but more rain is forecast for the weekend. Hopefully not in such great amounts as we have experienced recently.

Another photo shoot for mum and bubs. They are growing quickly and beautifully marked feathers are sprouting. I let her out each evening so she can forage and have a dust bath. It's so much fun just watching them.

I love hearing the chirping noise she makes when she has discovered a tasty morsel. The chicks come running over and then there's a tussle over the tucker.

Well, that's just a little bit of what's been happening here.

I would just like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best for a happy, healthy and creative 2011.

Take care wherever you are particularly if you are travelling.

Thank you all so much for visiting my blog throughout the year and commenting..

It's so nice to connect with people near and far, I hope you will keep visiting in the New Year.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X

Why did the Chicken Cross the Road? To See The Polkadot Dinosaur

I have my last market for the year this Sunday morning and it looks like it's going to be wet.... yet again, so the market will be held indoors.

I wonder if it's worth even going as it's alot quieter when the weather's miserable and being this close to Christmas people maybe finishing off their shopping in town.

Oh well, it's worth a try......

Last market I was asked if I had T shirts with designs for little boys. I only had T's for girls so I said I would have some this month.

I thought about designs - cars, trucks, robots, rockets, all the sorts of things little boys would like but nothing was really inspiring me, till I looked in my fabric stash and that's when I decided it had to be polka dot dinosaurs......... Of course, it was obvious!

I think they look rather cute, that is, if you can call dinosaurs cute...

I hope someone else like them too.....

Dorothy has finished hatching her eggs, from the five she was sitting on we have 3 chickens but that was very nearly 2.

I cam home from work on Monday to find she her out of the cage and out in the chook run with her two little chicks. I was a bit concerned that the other chooks and the rooster might be a bit too curious and accidentally hurt them, but she was being a very protective mother. It was amazing to watch her with them. When a crow flew over head she hid them in some long grass and they were very well camouflaged.

They're not the fluffy, yellow type, more brown and grey, much like their mums. Dorothy was sitting on a variety of eggs. But they are still cute as and it's amazing watching these little creatures, scratching, eating and drinking.

One morning, one of the chicks found a little beetle and ran around the pen with it in her beak, trying to find a spot where she could eat it in peace and quiet. Mum was following her to see what she was up too.

I refer to them all as she, hoping that we have females and not roosters in the making......

This is the one that nearly didn't make it.

When mum got off the nest and took the older 2 out into the run, she left this poor, newly hatched little chick on the bottom of the cage.

It wasn't moving when I saw it and I was worried that it hadn't survived, but when I picked it up it gave a little cheep and was moving.

I raced inside with it, straight to the bathroom and got the hairdryer out. Well, it needed to be warmed and I thought that would be the quickest way. Gently blowing some heat onto it. Bit of a rub with a towel, place it in a box on a hot water bottle and a couple of hours later it was moving and opening it's eyes.

24hours later and it was up and chirping and moving around in it's new home.

I kept it in the box with a lamp for 2 days till it was strong enough to go out to mum. As it was smaller than the other two, I was concerned that it would be picked on, but it seems to have settled in nicely and happy to be out of the box and with other chicks.

Here she is with her brood the one to the left is Noddy (named because she kept nodding off under the heat of the lamp) she is quite a bit smaller than the other two which are already developing feathers. They have beautiful fine markings on them.

The chick in the middle of the photo is Dorothy's bub, you can see she is the same colouring. I think the other two are Barnevelders, but not 100% sure.

It's been a very interesting week, with all the goings on. Certainly a lot of time is spent in the chook run, watching these cute little bundles of fluff.

This is the first time I have had chickens hatch and I am sure it won't be the last, it's been a lot of fun.

Talking about nests and feathery things. No 1 pointed out this little nest that has 'appeared' in a Silver Birch tree in the 'Wild Wood'.

Amazing structure, very soft, made from spiders webs and other bits and pieces.

I had to google Birds Nests to find out what bird it belonged to but had an idea as I saw a little red breasted fellow nearby.

It actually belongs to a Mistletoe bird and whilst I love birds and Mistletoe birds are rather similar to Robins which I love. I am not so keen on the ways of Mistletoe birds.

They eat the berries from mistletoe and spread the parasitic growth via their sticky droppings. We have lots of mistletoe growing in gum trees and they can kill trees.

We have a beautiful, big old gum growing on our verge and it gives lots of shade to the paddock in summertime,

It's old and gnarled and has been there many, many years, but the amount of mistletoe growing in it, is not good. We would have to hire a cherry picker to reach it and cut it out.

Earlier in the year I discovered mistletoe growing on one of the Silver Birches. It was like someone had grafted a branch from a gum tree on to it, bizarre.

So these sweet looking birds with their amazing nest building skills, have some rather unpleasant ways.

Well, another weekend is upon us and it's going to be quite a cold, wet one here. There's even talk of snow in the Alps.......in December.

I hope wherever you are you've had a good week and enjoy the weekend.

I shall let you know how the market goes on Sunday morning.

Thanks, for stopping and taking the time to read my rambling, even more thanks if you read the rambles AND commented.

Take care and please visit again,

Until next time,

Claire X

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That.............

I had the opportunity to do a little crocheting over the weekend and came up with these flowers.

Quite festive looking, don't you think?
They look a little like crocheted jelly fish, with all the ends still dangling..............

I went away to Daylesford for the weekend and as usual I always pack a few bits and pieces to do when things are quiet.

With limited wool, I decided to do these flowers, the pattern is from a crochet magazine and as you know these things can be a little addictive...............

I have been meaning to take a pic of these flowers ever since they bloomed recently.
Any idea what they are?

They're Feijoa flowers and they are just gorgeous with their red 'bristles' with little yellow spots on the end.
Feijoas are a fruit, for those who have never heard of them.
Also known as the pineapple guava, they are a green fruit, shaped like an egg and about the size of an egg.
They were discovered in Brazil by a German explorer.
They taste, somewhat like a cross between a strawberry, lemon and a passionfruit.
Not every ones cup of tea but we all love them.
With loads of flowers on the bush, hopefully we will get a crop of decent sized fruit this year.

I spied these gates, right next door to where we are staying..............

There are alot of very creative people living in the area.

I would loved to sneak down the driveway and see what other wonderful creations were hidden behind the fence, but I restrained myself .............


Another favourite destination in Daylesford is Cliffys cafe.
An older style building, it's like stepping back in time.
Quite dark inside with shelves and dressers brimming with products and vintage kitchen ware.
It's quite crowded inside but very popular and the staff wear lovely retro aprons, just like your mum or grandma wore.
I bought my hubby some locally made 'apple pie' muesli, sounds rather scrummy doesn't it?

Shall have breakfast there next visit, they have a lovely little corner in the window with couches, just the spot to while away an hour over coffee , the papers and maybe a spot of crocheting!

Am I game enough?
Yep, you bet..........


Well, another lovely visit to a favourite destination comes to an end and it's back home to washing, cooking etc. etc. etc.

I have some more crochet flowers to make this evening in colour combinations that I have been itching to try, so we wont' get too serious about the boring 'housey' stuff until the working week starts..........Monday!



Just wanted to show you a pic of where Mrs Kafups likes to spend some of her day...........
This is the underneath of the Wisteria.
She's in there, if you click to enlarge the photo you can see a little, green eye, peering down at you.
She blends in very well, doesn't she?

Just another little interesting fact for those of you who live in Victoria.
The bakery in Lancefield sells the best Vanilla Slices in the state, according to a sign out the front of the shop.....................
So, of course Big Sis and I had to buy one.......... to share.
Really didn't think we needed one each.

It would have to be one of the best I have eaten and I have eaten a few over the years.

I did buy one for No. 1 Son as well.
It's sitting on the kitchen bench taunting me................arrghhh I wish he would just eat it!


It's nice to go away, but even nicer to come home.

Hope you've all had a good weekend, whatever you did.

Thanks for dropping by , love reading your comments, so if you have time, please say 'hi',

Until next time, take care,

Claire X