I AM STILL HERE!!!!!!

OK, I know I've been quiet lately, but I've not been well (again!).  Seems like I have a bad case of sinus, which has sent me downhill, with lots of yukky stuff about it, especially not being able to wear my glasses all the time, which makes using the computer a tad difficult.  I'll leave it at that, as I'm sure no-one needs the details.

Now, although I've no mojo or energy, I've been trying to get along with at least a few bits'n'pieces.

READING.
I'll admit to not doing much of this so far this year, but am just finishing one of these.

I read Walking Home first and thoroughly enjoyed it, so borrowed the other and have nearly finished it now.  I have laughed and cried my way through this one so far, and am finding it difficult to put down.  I actually don't want it to finish.

GARDENING.
I have only done a little pottering, but have achieved something, I think.  Tomatoes in pots for now, lettuce in an old tin bath tub, silver beet in a self watering trough and beans and marigolds in the back veg bed that we want to make into raised beds at some time which will be easier on back and ribs. (sigh)!  Some bulbs in pots have flowered too, though are finished now.

CRAFTING - Crochet.
A finish on the crochet front and a new start.

This is now finished and I can't find the photo????

This is the Spice of Life rug that is shown on Jo's blog Through the Keyhole, that is running as a crochetalong.

Quilting.
Back in August, I actually quilted 2 old tops and will probably take them to the children's hospital as a donation.  They were both made a looooong time ago to try out something new or because I liked an element of a particular quilt.  I have the bindings to handsew on both, and this is being done of a night along with the crocheting.

And this has been sitting on the machine ready for a quilt for nearly 3 weeks, as I just can't get my act together.

Well, not a brilliant post for the first time in a month.  We did a lovely walk a couple of weekends ago, so I'll try and post about that over the weekend along with anything else I may have done last month that I've forgotten.
Tomorrow, and I still can't believe this, here in Victoria we are having a 'public' holiday, all because of a football match.  Yikes!!!!
Take care all.
Susan.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

It's been quite hectic over the week or so since my last post, and yet although we've been out and about, they have been fairly futile forays to find things.  I've been out in the garden quite a bit and hubby is on a roll with fixing our MM.

SOME GARDEN PHOTOS.

Crocus bought at the garden show and planted very late when we moved here.  Most of the bulbs I put in  are up, although not sure all will flower.

The magnolia I bought a couple of weeks ago, ready pop open any day.

Muscari and jonquils around the silver birches in the front garden.  These were already in situ when we moved in and I've planted some things here and will change a few others in this bed.

A patch of violets in the back border.

Now I do wish we had 'smellavision' or something similar.  A little plant in the back garden has come into flower and smells absolutely heavenly.  A lot of my northern hemisphere readers aren't going to know what this is, so here are couple of pics.

Brown Boronia (an Australian native.)

Closeup of above.

We also discovered today, that we have a pond full of wee little tadpoles, but being so small I couldn't get a photo, but this little beauty was sunning itself on the edge.

A skink.

A QUESTION.

Does anyone know what this is?

Looking up into a beautiful blue sky with a few fluffy clouds through the tasselly flowers of an acer.  I've not yet seen this in leaf.

A not so good arrangement, but ever so pretty.  

I was going to post a few more pics, but they will have to wait, as while I've been doing this, I've also been preparing our tea.  A little quilting has been happening, but with these lovely sunny days, after such a long cold winter, it's been too nice to stay inside.  I'll do another post over the weekend with a catchup on other bits.

Take care all and hope your week has been good so far.
Susan.

NEARLY SPRING.

The last of winter is nearly here and the weather has definitely been better the last few days.   We've taken advantage of that.   Last Wednesday I hankered after a walk along the beach and smelling the sea air, so took a quick trip south of home through the hills to the coast.  It was cool and windy and I forgot to take the camera on the walk, but managed to take a few photos near to the car park.  Having a wet, cold and windy winter has the beaches looking quite forlorn and filled with debris from high tides and wayward waves.
A big thank you too, for all my lovely comments on last posting.  I've tried hard not to use the computer as much lately, so I can catch up on lots, but do pop in and read my emails and bloglist, but alas just didn't get around to replying on my own.

Some of the debris gathered together.

Looking toward the headland.

On the way home we saw these.

Daffodils and jonquils beside the road.

Rain clouds gathering, but precipitation didn't eventuate.



SATURDAY.

We decided to head to Mirboo North, as we knew there was a little bric a brac shop, which  also sells old building materials, hoping to find some timber sleepers and pavers. (maybe!) On the way we stopped at a small lookout point to eat our sandwiches and this was our view. Lovely and green at the moment.

When we arrived in town, the shop was closed, so armed with my camera we walked around town, looking at the lovely murals.  They are somewhat faded these days, but still special.

Some of the murals above..  Notice this one has a kookaburra, magpie, cockatoo, blue fairy wren, kangaroo, wallaby, koala and bilby  with the two men.

On the way home, we followed a narrow gravel road, which is frequented by log trucks on weekdays when they are working in the forests.  Glad it was the weekend.  We stopped where the road widened and I took these photos.  Sorry it's a bit heavy on scenery today!

Moore green hills.

Cattle taking a walk across the farm dam wall.

SHOULD I TELL AND SHOW!!
I pulled this tub from underneath my quilting machine, as I've done very little on her lately and am ashamed that I do have a stack of my own to finish at some time.  Some were made to learn a new technique, showcase a wow fabric or made "just because".  I'll keep some as gifts, some for charity and special ones to stay until I feel they can be let go.

The tub.

Tub emptied into stacks, which is quite scary and very messy.  Most have backings with them, so that is good.

I've also been playing with fabric and this is on the design wall at the moment and crocheting whilst watching TV of a night, along with a spot of reading.  The latest book was 'Walking Home' by Simon Armitage.  It is about a journey along the Penine Way from north to south, instead of the way most people go, which is south to north.  I found it very informative and entertaining too.  The best part was that this walk travels through two villages where my ancestors came from.

More about this in time.

Giant granny square, with quite a few more rounds to go.

A pretty full week with our outings interspersed with the usual mundane housework, making meals, a little gardening, catching up with friends and trying to design a quilt for seven embroideries which I showed way back in May 2013 and must get done.  Hope all have good week ahead and take care.
Susan.

MID AUGUST ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a quick post.
Why is it that we seem so busy, but when you look back on the past week, you begin to wonder what you've actually achieved?  I suppose we are still busy sorting, tidying and getting ourselves organised with both house and garden.  It is all coming together slowly.
Last Wednesday these appeared on our roof.

12 solar panels to generate some electricity for us and help the planet.

These won't be up and running properly till they are certified.  The red tape you have to go through these days is mind boggling at times.

Yesterday we visited DD and family and I helped with some craft.  She and the children had been making bookmarks to sell on a stall at the church to raise money for much needed new chairs.  I punched a lot of holes and threaded them with pretty ribbons.  Hope they do well.  I also got one rose pruned for her and also picked a bunch of Earlicheer jonquils to bring home.  I forgot to take camera, so no photos of their efforts, but here's one of the flowers.

Jonquils in vase on end of my  kitchen counter.

Today I did a quick bit of baking and made a Lemon Drizzle loaf and a chocolate slice.  Talking of baking!!  Last week I decided to make some biscuits and prepped my tray, made the mixture, rolled teaspoons of mixture and placed them neatly in rows.  I then went to the oven and OMG, the tray wouldn't fit.  I'd not realised how small this oven is.  I had to take them from the tray and place them onto the smaller slice trays and cook them with only one pan in at a time.  Now that took a lot longer than it should have, so I'll have to do some thinking about that situation.

Notice in the pic above that the cyclamen is still flowering, though I've had to deadhead it a few times.
One last photo to end this post.  I do love the moors when covered in pink/purple heather and I have two lovely plants in my garden which are flowering at the moment.
I'll finish this post now, because sitting here typing is just a tad painful today.  Earlier I asked hubby to help me move something and I got on one end and I think I twisted awkwardly and now have a very sore back.  

 Not sure whether it is the same as the native UK heather, but is still very pretty.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and take care.
Susan.

PROGRESS!

A REVEAL.

My FPP star quilt.

This is the quilt I've been trying to get to the pieced top stage and now all I need to do is add a border, although the original didn't have one.  The pattern was in a magazine called Quilts with Style (now discontinued) and ran over 6 issues in 2006.  Janette and I started ours, we think, sometime in 2008, so definitely what you would call a long term project.  Once I've worked out a border, I'll tell a bit about why it took me so long.

WORKS IN PROGRESS!

The Garden, which will always be a work in progress.

The two hellebores I inherited with this garden, which still amazes me, as it basically filled with so-called "low maintenance" planting.  I've always loved hellebores and these two are beauties.  I have two more in pots which I brought with me awaiting planting.

Along the back fence which shows what I meant in the last caption.  12 pittosporums, lomandras, (spiky things) and seaside daisy (erigeron), which spreads and self seeds in gardens here in Oz and just a jolly nuisance.  This bed will eventually be planted with some lovely small trees and shrubs with perennials, bulbs and annuals in front. 

Looking toward the shed where hubby has his woodworking gear setup and we store garden tools.  As you can see more of the yukky stuff, but on the right in the photo is an olive tree (we don't like olives), but there is a new nest that the magpies have built, so this tree will definitely being staying, as I love our birdlife.

The first rose to be planted in the garden.  There are no roses at all here and that just won't do.  This one is Julia's Rose, which I've had in most of my recent gardens.  We think there are two blueberry bushes behind it,  I'll have to wait and see.

Behind the little shed is this area, where we found the potatoes and which I'll use for now as the veg bed, until we see how much shade that tree casts.  The parsley was already there and I've just put in a rhubarb plant (a must).  You may have to click to enlarge to see it.

We also planted a magnolia, but the photo has disappeared, so I'll have to take another one and post again sometime.  More garden photos will hopefully be popping up often as the weather improves.  It was lovely spending time in the garden yesterday and finding a couple more spuds when I was digging over the above bed.

TWO MORE WIP's.
No. 1.
I'm still working on my giant granny rug, though not as much done as I would have liked, but am also handsewing a binding to a quilt.  Have to work on these alternately as the chillblains are still hanging around.

Rug

No. 2.

Poor old Brute.

On my first ever blog post in January 2013, I showed our beloved Morris Minor.  Over the years she has been on the road, she's taken us to many places in Australia as part of the Morris Minor Touring Club, towing for a while our small camper trailer, on local club outings, then as hubby's transport to work for the last ten years before he retired.  Now she really does need some extra TLC.  We acquired her in 1991 when we saw her in a blackberry patch.  The local farmer said if we could get her out, she was ours.  Hubby and the two boys managed to wangle her out and she's been with us ever since.  Originally a panel van, but as the back was just completely rusted away, she became a ute (pickup), was registered in 1992 and went on her first trip that year to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.  Hubby did all the work himself, but she doesn't have her original engine, has had the cab extended a little as he's quite tall (6'3") lovely timber boards on the back and runs on both gas and petrol.  OK, for those who are new to following, I'll pop on the better photo too.

OK, enough for now, so I can post this and get to a few other things as the sun is shining after a few brief showers this morning.
Hope all had a great weekend and take care.
Susan.

A DAY LATE!!!!!!

This was supposed to be a post about the 1st August.  The day got away from me and I was tired last night, so just watched mindless TV and crocheted.

First, I would like THANK all who commented on my previous post, but time wasn't on my side and I didn't reply.  Sorry.
We'll now pretend.  HAPPY YORKSHIRE DAY to all my family and friends in that gorgeous county.  Happy Birthday also, to horses here in the Southern Hemisphere and there was to be another, until I realised that in 1992 the "powers that be", changed Wattle Day from the 1st August to the 1st September, even though there are clouds of yellow brightening roadsides and bushland now.

The above is an applique which I've shown before, but it was in the WIP box which I've been sorting through and I'm now thinking about how to use it.  I thought it appropriate for this post.
And, the photos I chose from our trips in 2009, 2011 and 2014, which are some of my favourite places, I wasn't going to label them, but I'll be good and then everyone knows what they are.

Brimham Rocks

Fountains Abbey

Whitby Abbey

Saltaire Mill with the allotments in the foreground.

Malham Cove.

Roundhay Park with one the show gardens from Chelsea reconstructed in the grounds.

A gentle giant.  These beautiful shire horses would have to be my favourites.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY

The above photos are in no particular order and only part of what I could have chosen.  Although late, I do hope the weather was kind and being a Saturday, that most of you could get out and about to enjoy your wonderful countryside.
During the week I hope to post again (trying to keep to a bit more news), but this afternoon we are off visiting and also getting some "horse poo" for my veg bed.  Hmmm!!  Best go and turn out the chocolate cake we are taking with us, before it gets too cold.
Have a great weekend all and take care.
Susan.