A fiery end to autumn

Darling Daughter was away for 10 minutes at the beach capturing the last day of autumn at dusk. What a fantastic display from the sun, moon, ocean, smoke and clouds. The colours are just glorious tonight. You have to know she is only 12 and she has a little 2.1 mega pixel Canon camera. Tomorrow I'm going down with her to see how I go with my bigger camera.

With this hand I create

I am strongly right-handed and here is my hand carved in stone and this is the only view of my hand you are likely to ever see as I am a chronic nail biter. So be happy with this image from my self portrait series I am working on for my blog.

Autumn days

'Snazz' looks very satisfied with the autumn happenings in our garden.

Bursting forth.

New hope.

......and I'm green with envy, see what's over my fence!

The last days of autumn

The only good thing about cold weather is the cooking. I made my first hearty vegetable and lentil soup yesterday and it was a hit last night. This wonderful cake was also made and when the kids returned from school yesterday they could smell it so they cut nice big wedges each and enjoyed until I showed them the recipe! I noticed only one child took a piece to school today, just knowing there was something green in the cake was too much for Surfer Boy. So the moral of the story is don't tell them what's in it, just let them eat and know they wll be healthy. Maybe I should have said "don't be eating too much of that, it's not healthy", this was suggested by Maddy, and it made me laugh.

Green Tomato Cake

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg (or 2 small)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups SR flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup sultanas or raisins

1 1/4 cups of diced or blended green tomatoes

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly beat into the egg mixture, blend well. Stir in nuts, dried fruit and green tomatoes. Pour into greased ring tin and bake for 40 minutes or until tested and wooden pick comes out clean. Turn out onto rack and cool. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

I love where I live because........

.......it is so easy to get around by bicycle and you see so much more than if you whizz around in your car. Today was a perfect almost winter day to get out and snap some photos for you as we cycled around our area. Dear Husband and I rode about 18.5km this afternoon, it is great to just get out in the fresh air together.

To the south there is a fabulous island that is now connected to the mainland by a sandbar that has built up over the years we have lived here and it is a Nature Reserve, one day I will take you over there for a look around. This area was once a busy shipping harbour and there are a few relics left from those early days.

This is the mouth of the river and we live across this lovely protected bay and today the sea is very flat, but it can be a wild churning mess on stormy days.

The river mouth protected by a chain of rocks with a lonely pointed end that looks north to a small unmanned lighthouse that guides the many ships that pass by our shores every day.

Rock pools fascinate me and there are also many amazing rock formations all around this area to explore.

Late autumn vege gardening

Last of the summer garden was picked and the soil prepared for our winter garden. Green tomato chutney or something similar will have to be made.

Winter veges ready to go in, we also planted some fresh coriander, moved the chives and fertilized my lemon tree.

The final job. Why do garden hoses always get in a knot? I love the watering in of new plants. It's so satisfying to see all the potential in your own garden. This garden should keep the family in fresh greens for the next few months.

Finally it's finished

This felted bag has been a long time in the making, the knitting went well and I liked the finished bag pre-felting but when I washed it it shrank well but the Celtic cable all but disappeared with the hours it took to put it there in the beginning. The other major problem was the strap.......too short for my shoulder to fit into nicely. So what to do........big scissors, snip through the strap and knit a new section that tapered down to the centre and then out again. Next........off to the local boating store to find good quality stainless steel rings to attach the strap extension and also the closure I had planned. What is the verdict on the bag? I took it to town yesterday and it was very comfortable to wear and use and I am pretty pleased with my happy accident bag. When I knit this again for a pattern which has been requested I will leave out the cabling, make the beginnings of the strap shorter and the extension piece longer so the rings are closer to the main bag making the bag even more comfortable.

Nuts and seeds

You can't imagine how good these smell. I have just toasted a big pile of sesame and sunflowers seeds, almond slivers and pinenuts in Temari sauce and they are cooling in the kitchen now. These are delicious when they are eaten by the on there own or sprinkled on salads they add a bit of crunch and are really good for you.

Miss Puss waiting for the first rays

Our little old cat sits here every morning on our front fence patiently waiting for a little warmth from the sun. I took this photo an hour ago and she is still there but has turned around and is sunning her right side now. Our fence is high so she feels safe from the neighbourhood dogs who roam around occasionally. What a great life being a cat, only worrying about your own comfort and when the next meal will be placed in front of you!

Two hours later and she is very dopey from all the sunbeams, she's even a bit annoyed that I disturbed her slumbering. The look says it all!

Coffee table reading

I guess a lot of you have probably worked out that I love flowers and walking around my garden late this afternoon was very dissatisfying, nothing botanical rocked my boat, so to speak. Anyway here is an arrangement in my lounge room and you will notice the most gorgeous book of Kaffe Fassett's work which has been loaned to me by a girlfriend. I own several of his books but as yet have never made anything from them but the photos in them are just so wonderful to look at over and over again. I love just browsing through them and feasting on not only the projects themselves but the items that inspire him to create and the wonderful settings used to show off his ideas off to the max. This book was bought second hand quite cheaply, I recommend his books to anyone who loves textiles, antiques and colour.

The girl with the pearl earring

Left and right, 'the girl with two pearl earrings', and a much shorter haircut, perfect for cycling helmets which aren't very kinds to your nice do. My friend 'the lady with the lamp you can't see' was Dear Husbands grandmothers. Not really what she desired when she sent her husband out to buy a new lounge suite, he returned with the lamp and a painting! We are the keepers of 'the lady with the lamp' but not her owner, we look after her for my sister in law who travels OS for work for extended periods and is planning another soon. The lamp is a plaster art deco lady on a pedestal with an electric lamp resembling a flame and she just seems to suit our odd collection of 1940's furniture.

Copper maids

What can I say, my newest friend amazes me almost daily, he is one very talented man who happens to be only 90 years young. This is his last piece of copper work which is his own design and is 2 feet long and too heavy for his wobbly legs to get off the wall for a better photograph. I know you will all appreciate the work that has gone into this fabulously creative work.

Nana bag

I have been thinking of my little 4'10" Nana today, it's just gone 10 years since she passed away and I miss her. We could chat so easily and fill in many hours pottering around her garden, working together in the kitchen or crafting together in the evening. This bag I made a year or so back is made from some bits and pieces from Nana's collection over the years. I love the antique crazy patchwork look of it and the soft colours I know Nana would love. I use this bag to hold unfinished embroidery projects or sometimes it even goes shopping with me.

Here she is Louisa Lily, she was born in 1913 in March, Cambridgeshire, England. She was the youngest child in the family and her mother tragically passed away at 45 from Tuberculosis when Nana was only 7. She was raised by different siblings until she was 16 when her father decided to bring her to Australia to look after him and one of his sons. They lived in a tent and then a slab hut, not quite what Nana was used to, life was hard. Nana met and married a few years later and raised her own family of four in the NE of Victoria.

Swarming with bees

The tree next door was alive with the sound of bees buzzing while they busily collected pollen when I walked by this morning. I couldn't resist trying out the super macro setting on the camera but the tree was swaying in the breeze so it's not perfect but you get the idea. It made me smile on this very balmy late autumn day. Click on the photo for a closer look, not quite focused, I will try harder next time.

Finally I can show you this bag

Donna began knitting this bag while we were away cycling but we ended up being too tired in the evenings for her to get past the base so I completed the knitting and felting for her. She phoned yesterday because her parcel had arrived in the mail and she was very surprised her bag was all finished for her and ready to use. So now I can show you. Donna chose the colours from a bag of wool I took with me and her husband kept saying, "Your not going to use those greens are you? There awful!", as you can see she didn't listen to him. You would think a farmer would love any shade of green with the severe drought conditions most of Australia has endured for the last 5 years. I've decided he is probably colour blind as so many men are so don't worry about their opinions on colour at all.

Ginny has come to live at my house

This is Ginny the Alien Giraffe and she was a gift from my sister for organising our recent cycling holiday and she comes from the studio of Kate at Two Little Banshees in the west of Australia and I wanted you all to see she is enjoying her life on the east coast of Australia especially the beach which is about 100m from my door. She leaves behind a fabulous family of friends who are also looking for new homes and two of the most gorgeous little curly haired girls, you have to have a look at Kate's blog to appreciate them. Thank you Donna for my newest mascot who is keeping me company in my sewing room.

Mud bath

Every kids dream, a huge mud puddle to stomp around in. Maybe I could use a mud mask with winter begining to take a toll on my skin but I think I prefer one out of a tube not the real thing. As you can see we have had some very welcome rain in the last few days but it is already drying up.

Ta Da

My little ballerina is very happy this evening, a perfect fit and they look so very cute. Note, these are a bit slippery on our polished boards but she thinks they are just great for sliding around in.

Big footed ballerina

Darling Daughter has requested a pair of felted ballet slippers for dancing around the house in. First step make an absolutely humongous pair of floppy ballet slipper shaped woollen thingies and second step throw them in a hot wash and we will see what turns out this afternoon. Keep you posted.

Red currant and rain

Its raining today, perfect weather for staying indoors and creating, what will I work on today? I finished this cabled bag last night, loved doing the attached I cord edge, hope it felts at the same rate as the stocking stitch knitting on the shoulder strap. It's going to take a few days to dry this bag once it's felted but I will add another photo as soon as possible, be patient. It's a fabulous shade of winter red which will add a dash of colour to the drab winter wardrobe.

I was teasing this morning

You can't really call a pair of jean clad legs and a couple of brown shoes a portrait can you? Here you are this is my portrait for today, not too much double chin action either. It's actually more difficult than you think to take your own photograph. For the very observant watchers of this blog you may have noticed I always wear pearls, they seem to be just something curious about me, maybe something to do with my loving the sea.

Another angle from my camera lens.

An incomplete quilt

For those in the know these are commonly referred to as UFO's or Unfinished Objects................and I have many of those just crying out to be completed. This one is a favourite as it incorporates my love of embroidery, needle turn applique, patchwork and hand quilting and it is so feminine and of course my favourite colours of pink and green helps. I think I will have to sit this in a prominent place so I notice it more often and do a few quilting stitches whenever I get a few minutes. It is a quilt called 'Leanne's House' designed by an Australian called Leanne Beasley . Click the photo for a closer look at the details.

Home is where ...........

I love where I live and as an avid stitcher I had to document this in the year 2000 for all to read in the years to come. I have always enjoyed hand embroidery and this sampler worked on dirty linen was fun to stitch as each line is a different stitch and it keeps you moving along and this was actually completed in the year 2000! We also had a stone sculpture made for our garden that year that also marked our 10th wedding anniversary and has carvings of our 4 hand prints on it. Something for each of the kids as a reminder of their childhood and the dawning of a new millennium. If you want to take a closer look click on the photo, it's under glass so it isn't a perfect view.

Self portrait

I have come to realise recently I have very few photos of myself as I am always behind the lens, so a new project has begun. I hope to in the next month to take a series of self portraits. Today you have a very simple easy to achieve shot of my lower extremities in which it appears I have leg length, you are sadly mistaken. Keep an eye out and you might see more of me in the next few days, fortunately for you there won't be much flesh as it is cooling off downunder.

Hobbies

This is proof that you are never too old for hobbies, Ron set up his camera and tripod this evening so he could show me some of his copper enamel samples and gemstone cutting and polishing he has completed and taught over the years. As I said before he is a very talented and interesting person who takes great joy in sharing his hobbies with me. I can only hope I am half as enthusiastic as he is when I'm 90. I appreciate all handwork but I myself mostly work with needles, threads and cloth, I can't stand getting my hands dirty and I'm way to messy for paint, ink or glues.

Another budding photographer

I just received this photo by email. It was taken by a little girl named Abbey who should be very proud of her efforts to catch the beauty of this camellia after a drenching in some very welcome rain. Everyone seems to know how much I love flowers. Click on your photo Abbey so you can have a real close look at your flower.

Bag bag

Her husband's out sewing the winter crop and she's inside sewing to her hearts content. Her new bag bag is great, so simple. Keeps those ugly plastic grocery bags very tidy while they wait to be used again. My little sis was inspired by an idea she saw on Barbara Brandeburgs blog this week.