In The Eye of the Beholder.......

Hello there, we're being engulfed under a sea of late season Zinnias......

It's time for them to be pulled out but I don't have the heart to do it.

 The bees are still collecting pollen and the plants are still doing their best to flower, albeit smaller, daintier blooms but they are looking tired and it's time.....

So.....I donned my new gumboots I do feel rather stylish wearing them, hehe..(Target jobs)found a pair of secateurs and picked a hoooouuuuge bunch.

 I'll wrap them up share the love and give them away to a few friends, then I won't feel so bad about pulling out the spent plants.

The garden will look awfully bare, but it needs a rest. I haven't saved any of the seeds as they self seed and even as the weather is cooling down, little seedlings are popping up here and there.

I hope I have encouraged some gardeners in the Northern Hemisphere to give these beauties some room in their garden.

Please let me know if I have.

I would love to see some pics...✿✿✿

It's been a little while since I posted so here's a quick catchup on what's been going on here in the SBL household...

I had my usual stall at the Bright market last Saturday.

 

It started off extremely foggy, a right 'pea souper' and as I dawdled along the road barely able to see 3 metres ahead of me I did wonder what on earth I was doing up at sparrow pop instead of being tucked up in a nice, warm and cosy bed!!

In fact, I think my subconscious was trying to tell me something, as I had dreamt I had the dates wrong and the market was cancelled hehe!!

The day turned out to be a stunner and by mid morning all the stall holders were peeling their layers off as the temp. headed towards 24 deg.

I was more than happy with my new Brooch stand and although sales were just average it was still a lovely day out (despite the early start!!)

After the market finishes and I've packed up my stall I always head up the main street of Bright. It's particularly pretty in Autumn and the two op shops are open till late afternoon, yippee

There's always the hope of finding a forgotten treasure and I was happy to spy another vintage sewing box tucked away on a high shelf. 

I'll show you this little beauty next time.........

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 A row of trees along the back road between Porepunkah and Bright.

Beneath each tree a circular carpet of fallen leaves. 

In the mid afternoon light, the colours are delicate, everywhere you look the Autumn colours just take your breath away......  !

Back home and someone has forgotten to check on the Feijoas in the back orchard.....ooops!!

✿✿ Hellebores ✿✿

A wedding anniversary pressie for my hubby........

We celebrated 19 years on Tuesday.....where has the time gone?

He would like a carpet of Hellebores under the Silver Birches in the 'Wild Wood', so I thought they were the perfect thing.

(I just deleted the pic of the other plant, arrrgh! which is a Pink spotted Hellebore.)

He does like the regular varieties but I thought these were quite striking.....

The weather has cooled down quite a bit in the last week and the wood heater has been making things nice and cosy in the evenings.

 Along with the shorter days and cooler temps, Milo or hot chocolate with marshmallows starts to make an appearance with

Brambly Hedge mugs marking the change of seasons....

A short break with a warming drink before I start dinner makes a nice end to Autumn days.

Tig's favourite spot to enjoy the late afternoon sun.....

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There has been a subtle shift in blogging and crafting here and I'm trying to figure out what's behind it......

I won't be doing any markets in May due to time away so I will be  able to get out into the garden and give it a good tidy up which is well and truly overdue.

A nice drop of rain last week has given the weeds a new lease of life...... At least the ground won't be rock hard when I try and pull them out.

Before starting this post I armed myself with a coffee and a slice (or two) of cake. I was worried that I was going to have all sorts of issues after reading of other bloggers frustrations with the new  blogger interface.......

But, I have to say despite having a trial run a few weeks ago which caused me no end of frustration I have surprised myself and found it relatively easy to use today plus there are some great, new features.

I am not keen on changes to routine etc. but it gets the thumbs up.....next time, well, we'll see hehe....

Thanks for popping by for a visit despite my sporadic posting.

I hope you are all well and I wish you a wonderful weekend.....

We're off to Mt.Beauty Music Festival, No. 1 is playing and it's his 21st. birthday tomorrow....

Someone asked him if he was having a party for his birthday and he replied "party, hah, I'm having a whole festival" yep, he's excited......

Till next time....

Claire ✿✿✿

To Do or Not To Do?.... that is the question.

Hello there, did you all have a relaxing weekend and enjoy some beautiful weather?

I hope so......

My 'to do' list has been keeping me busy with a market coming up this Saturday.......

I've been working on another tea cosy or two......

Autumn's beauty surrounds us here.......

Hmmm, a dodgy camera angle has my cosy looking slightly wonky on one side.

'Autumn burned brightly, a running flame

through the mountains, a torch flung

to the trees......'

Faith Baldwin

I love this saying........

The good old gum trees have a beauty of their own but you can't beat English trees in Autumn.......

Saturday afternoon on a whim, I grabbed florals and polka dots to have a play and see what came out of it.......

Truth be told I was avoiding one of the jobs on my 'to do' list....

I didn't want to be too particular with the lettering.

You know I prefer wonky and frayed to straight and perfect.

I like the character and texture machine embroidery adds.......

The longest part is deciding on fabrics and design. Maybe it's just me but boy, it can take a while to get a pleasing design happening....

In preparation for the market I have been finishing off some crochet flower brooches. For some time, I have been searching for a picture frame to use as a brooch display.

I finally found a suitable frame, although a little larger would've been perfect, but I could work with this.

It was silver but a quick spray with Cherry Red has it looking rather spiffy and eye catching.......

Adding a contrasting yarn to the 'petals' of the flower has given them some more definition and interest.... I like the effect.

There are still more waiting to be finished off so my little brooch stand will be simply blooming.....

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I couldn't let you go without showing you a treasure or two from the garden now could I ?

The Forest Pansy tree is a myriad of colour and when the afternoon sun shines on it........

It literally glows, in the gathering dusk with the last of the sun's rays catching the leaves.

They may be smaller than the mid Summer blooms, but the splash of colour in the shrubbery brightens the day.......

Rain is forecast for later in the week, which is great as the garden is rather dry...

It's Feijoa season, yay.....

(Feijoa/Pineapple Guava/Guavasteen - an evergreen shrub growing to between 1-7 metres, it's native to the southern highlands of Brazil and other South American Countries. Widely cultivated as a garden plant and a fruiting tree in New Zealand.

For more info. ask Mr. Google it's quite interesting...)

The first for the season were all mine on Sunday afternoon as the boys have been away during the week and I found these nestling in the grass.

I was told recently that 'they aren't ripe till they drop off the tree'...... I wasn't going to argue with this 'font of knowledge' as he seemed to be a rather self appointed expert on a number of things, hehe.....

They explode in your mouth with their fruity cocktail of flavours....

Believe it or not, some people have them growing in their gardens and are blissfully unaware that the fruit is edible!!

I'll have to look carefully when I'm in the orchard next as the egg shaped fruit are well camouflaged amongst the grass.

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The 'to do' list is a little shorter now, but the job I was avoiding is still on it, hmmm.....I can't put it off any longer.

The boys are home after spending the week in Adelaide.

I had the house clean and tidy for their arrival and shortly after they walked in there was 'stuff' on just about every horizontal surface and a load of washing piled up in the laundry.....

Welcome home ♥♥

Thanks for all your lovely comments.

I enjoy reading every one of them....now I'm off to rediscover my horizontal surfaces!!

Have a great week, thanks for visiting and take care,

Claire ❀❀❀

Cooeeeeeee I'm Back

Hello there, how are you all?

Sorry I have been away for longer than usual.......it's been a little busy here.

We spent Easter in Canberra at the National Folk Festival. No.1 was on the bill for the first time, so the three of us headed north for the break.

We had a lovely time, Canberra is a very picturesque city and more so in Autumn with all the English trees changing colour and beautiful parklands....

I did manage to visit an Op shop or two on Saturday morning but no treasures leaped out at me.

Normal life has resumed now we're back home and a little sewing project had me side tracked today........

Some sweet Babushka print fabric from Spotlight has been turned into key fobs......

After a bit of snipping and sewing they just need a little stitching to finish them off and some hand embroidery gives them a personal finishing touch.

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A cold snap over Easter had me searching for some extra warmth Saturday night.....

Fortunately, there was a stall at the Festival market selling the most wonderful, fingerless gloves and hats.

They are Fair Trade, hand made in Peru and 100% organic. So many beautiful designs, colours and all beautifully soft.

These gloves will get plenty of wear this Winter.....I love the colours, design and the comfort factor is very high.

Reading some of the information about the products and how they are made proved quite an eye opener......

"The women use urine from young boys which is fermented for 2 weeks and then used to help 'fix' the indigo blue dye.

The urine has to be collected from the children as it doesn't contain alcohol!"

If you would like to have a look at some more of their products take the link.......

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Beautiful Autumn weather continues here and the days have warmed a little....

The garden is putting on a colourful show in one way or another...shall we?...

Beautiful Camp David roses are reaching for the sky, or the roof at least.

The blooms are huge,

velvety, highly perfumed and quite voluptuous.....

The photo doesn't do them justice, but you get the picture...

Under the Manchurian Pear there's a carpet of Autumn leaves.

The colours are glorious....reds, golds, burnt orange....

Maples along the driveway continue to colour up adding to the overall display in the garden...

Chrysanthemums are starting to unfurl their Autumnal beauty......

lovin' those colours...

I picked the pumpkins yesterday as we had a couple of frosts recently......

These pumpkins grew on a vine that popped up in the garden after I dug some compost in.

20 seedlings poked their heads through the soil and we pulled them all out bar one. Initially only 2 pumpkins were growing on the vine a poor harvest......but in the last couple of months more pumpkins appeared and I have picked 6 and I think there might still be one or two hiding under the leaves.

Guess what we are going to be eating over the colder months?

Pumpkin soup, scones, roast pumpkin,

hmmm, any more suggestions please leave a comment.

By the way, they are Kent pumpkins and generally very tasty indeed...

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Now let me introduce you to my new friend, Wilfred.....

During a visit to the Op shop yesterday as I passed the toy section this sweet, little bunny caught my eye.

Perhaps it was the hand knitted pants and jacket that swayed me.

Or, perhaps it was the fact that he was just so darn cute.....

Whatever the reason he was coming home with me...

Someone took great care to knit his outfit as they made sure there was a spot for his little cottontail.

Wilfred has settled in to his new home and

become firm friends with Tigger, hehe.....

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Well, my blogging voice is in full swing again, but as for my own voice it's coming and going thanks to a cold.

I'm on the improve but I have been squeaking and croaking for the last few days which has been quite comical at times.......

Whilst typing up this blog post there was a knock at the door and my wonderful and thoughtful neighbour ( you know the kind they are real treasures) Lindy popped by with a mug full of delicious, steaming hot, home made pumpkin soup and some slices of scrummy Milawa Ciabatta bread.

I had dropped in to visit her this afternoon and deliver a 'thankyou' gift for looking after our animals while we were away.

She knew I was on my own for dinner this evening......

what a sweetie.

Do you have wonderful neighbours?

I hope you are all well and enjoying some lovely Autumn/Spring weather wherever you are....

Thanks for stopping by to read my ramblings and say 'hi' always enjoyable reading your comments and a big welcome to all new followers.

Take care,

Claire X

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If the Hat Fits.........

Hello there, I have been a little wayward in posting recently still recovering from the Folk Festival last weekend and getting back into the swing of things......

So, how are you all, I can't believe it's Thursday already.....no I'm not going to mention the 'T' word and how fast it's flying.

Would love to clip it's wings and slow it down a little!!

Anyhoo, grab a cuppa and let's begin with something a little crafty

Sweet, little crocheted flowers inspired by a garden bed full of vibrant Zinnias has inspired me to whip up a few of these........

I still haven't managed to crochet leaves that I am completely happy with, so the next best thing was to make the leaves using felt and some machine embroidery.

I just need to sew a brooch back onto the felt and there you have it a couple of new brooches ready to brighten up a dull Winter's day.....

I am in love with turquoise/bright blue, call it what you will. It just makes me smile and when you add that colour to a Kombi/camper van........woohoo I feel a little giddy.

Do certain colours or colour combo's make you smile.......do tell...

The inspiration for my brooches........although there's no blue to be found here!!

Autumn colour in the background

Some little Kombi vans rolled off the production line today, ready to be made into egg cosies for my next market stall.

Turn them over to share some Polka Dot goodness....

Are you thinking about chocolate?

Ok, let's backtrack to last weekend and the Folk Festival.

It was a wonderful weekend, of great music, friendship and fun.

We billeted a very talented young lady by the name of Maggie Rutjens and her lovely mum Cathie.

They travelled over from South Australia on Friday and despite being tired Maggie performed Friday evening and wowed audiences with her beautiful voice.She then had another 3 or so performances over the weekend and this being only her second festival she did a brilliant job.

Richard met her at the Fleurieu Folk Fest last October and their friendship developed. He has been a bit of a musical mentor to her and when she was accepted to perform here it was natural that Maggie and Cathie would stay with us, so we could share our little town and festival with them.......

Head over to Youtube and type in her name and you can hear the voice that sent shivers up my spine and in certain songs had the tears welling up.......

Take note of the multi coloured jumper Maggie is wearing in one of her videos........

Cathie knitted it 30 years ago and it was hidden away in the deep, dark recesses of a cupboard until Maggie discovered it and claimed it for her own. I was surprised that moths haven't been nibbling away at it over the years, but it was in pristine condition.

It's a work of art in itself despite Cathie's protests that it shouldn't see the light of day!!An unseasonal cold snap had everyone reaching for their beanies, and jackets on Friday night and Saturday, but the sun showed it's face for the market on Sunday and the day was a right pearler.

Of course I spied the bunting from a distance of 50 paces......

Hats seemed to be a common theme over the weekend,

whether it was for warmth or for fun....

These little animal hats were popular with the kids both big and little and it wasn't unusual to see a bovine clad head wandering through the crowd at one of the concerts.

I thought they were chooks and asked if I could take a pic.....

They were actually Penguins!!

The bows under their beaks were a dead giveaway!!

Hmmmm....

More hats....a top hat and a flat cap

Very stylish lads.

Now, I know it's a little hard to see, but I wasn't about to walk up to the front of the stage to take this pic.

Seated at the drums is Cara Robinson she was wearing the most beautiful vintage green dress with a sweet hat AND a snood.

Done up in her finery she belted those drums like there was no tomorrow.

Each performance she wore the most stylish vintage outfits.

Google Hat Fitz and Cara Robinson to check out their music and her wardrobe.....

The weekend sadly came to an end and I can tell you we were all exhausted.

Sunday night found us sprawled over the couches reliving the great music we had seen and not wanting the weekend to end.

The countdown is now on there's only 11 months and 3 weeks to the next Yackandandah Folk Festival, but hey, who's counting!!

Back to reality......

It was time to get out into the garden today, specifically the 'back orchard' and do battle with the weeds, grass and berries.......

I was in charge of the secatuers, chopper lopper thingies and the wheelbarrow.....

No. 1 bought in the ride on, the push mower and between the two of us we chopped, snipped, mowed, raked and finally rediscovered the fruit trees and berries.

Since the discovery of a brown snake a couple of months ago we had pretty much stayed away from the orchard.....

But today we staked our claim and it's looking tickety boo.

The cows enjoyed the grass and prunnings and No. 1 shared a joke with this gal who looks like she's only got 3 legs.....don't worry it's just the angle of the pic!!

Five years ago you wouldn't have seen No.1 within cooee of these beasts. Up close they are rather large and intimidating and when they start flinging their hooves around stand well back...

Awww ain't that sweet......

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Well, it's close to pumpkin time so I better head off to bed.

It's been a rather smokey week here due to the DSE carrying out controlled burns which is usual for this time of year, although not much fun it does give us beautiful sunsets.

I hope you are all well, thanks for popping over for a visit.

A big thankyou to all my new followers and to everyone for all the lovely comments you leave. It's always great to hear from you and never ceases to amaze me as to which part of the globe you are visiting from..........

Take care

Claire ❤❤

A big thankyou to Alison over at Tweed Delights for her help with all things computer related.It took a while but it just goes to show you, that you can teach old dinosaurs new tricks, hehe.....