Teapot Tuesday

Well it sounds good so that is my caption.
I know that both of these tea pots are broken, I picked them up for very little in 2nd hand stores but I love them both.
The first is my Federation of Australia teapot, both sides are different and this says on the bottom Doulton, and a few other things but whether it is Royal Doulton or not I dont know.
The other which is my absolute favorite, and some one else's too as it was repaired when I bought it, it is a Wedgewood one and it is stunning.
I used to do a lot of junk shopping but not any more. I really dont mind if things that have a special meaning are broken or not.
It is wet we have had gales but luckily no damage, half the power in Adelaide has been out but not here.
My knee has ached all day and I am increasingly feeling frustrated, dont seem to be able to settle to any thing.

Making holes

I have signed up for Dale Rollerson of The Thread Studio's Holey Moley Club where for 12 months we are going to make holes.
There was much discussion on a couronne which she had on the list of what we should or could have.
As I am temporarily not able to do much I decided to look it up, on google. Lots of Couronne but not what I was looking for until finally I found a blog,
http://lacemaking-needlacer.blogspot.com
This took me to several pages on the history of lace and lace making and right at the end a description of a couronne and how to use it.
So I found an old teddy bear stuffing tool and some thread and made holes, it really is just winding thread around a stick of some sort and then button holing around it. What fun. So a photo of the stick and the two I have made and then a scan which is closer. They are not brilliant but I can only get better.
It is cold and grey and windy today.
I took this photo out of the bedroom door, again.
I have been in to see the physio and she told me I had done far too much and only stand for 10 minutes at a time and not too often.
so I am now back in my box probably not doing what I should, It takes 10 minutes to do the dishes, how can I cook?

Frustrated

I did too much on my leg yesterday and I just feel so frustrated it isnt funny. So much I want to do and I know if I do too much it will take longer to get better.
I had to go to the market yesterday and also do some shopping and that did it.
Today we have to go to lunch but I think I can sit for most of the time. Johns clothes are ironed so he has something to wear.
I am also pretty frustrated about this small quilt, it is not looking as I would like it and I am in the terms of my grand daughters, so over it!
So I walked outside the bedroom door and smelt the wood smoke from the fire and saw these few lemons on the tree, it had a really hard time this summer in the 47 degree heat and all the lemons cooked on the tree and I was wondering if it would recover. It is a miracle tree any way as with our frosts Lisbon lemons, which I like the best are not supposed to grow here but perhaps we were lucky and put it in the right spot, it is also grafted onto a more frost resistant stock.
We had heavy fog yesterday morning and trying to take a photo in the fog was not easy as the flash kept going off and I think they are fog droplets the round circles on the photo.
Our weather has not been typical winter weather lately, not much rain but quite a lot of moisture and the lows in the wrong place. So far no frosts but I suppose we will get them.

Seagul

I had a physio appointment today, I have a damaged and swollen ligament that could take about 6 weeks before it is right and I have to rest! According to my physio a word I do not know, but I do rest sometimes.
John took me for lunch as he had been in to a meeting as well and we sat in the corner of the Anchorage and this sea gull sat and watched us so I took his photo, I thought perhaps the camera would flash but it didnt and I am really pleased with these photos.
The third photo is of a gum with an interesting bark and trunk that I saw when I went to drop the car off over at Tabby's the other day, so I took its photo too.
It is amazing that since I started my two blogs I now think quite differently about texture and can I use it either in textile stuff or painting. I always carry both my sketchbook and my camera with me.

I did a foolish thing

Last night I climbed onto the dining room table to get a book from the top shelf of the book shelf that almost goes to the ceiling and some how I slipped and fell off.
Luckily no bones broken but a very very sore knee and I am staggering around using a walking stick, have the knee in an elastic thing to hold it in place. Seen the doctor who says I am very lucky I did not break anything and have a physio appointment for tomorrow.
Not a happy person at the moment and I ache all over.
These photos were taken a couple of days ago, when I could still go for a walk!
The Welsh colts in a paddock, some toadstools by the side of the road and the early jonquils are out.
I have a house to clean and things to do, but I will take it a bit easy today.
Oh and I have just got The Painted quilt by Linda and Laura Kemshall, I had it on order from the local bookstore as I had been given a gift voucher and I am enjoying all the things in it, I dont know if I will actually do much but it is great to look at and think that maybe I will.
We have had a good couple of days of rain, very wet and muddy outside.
I saw my mother yesterday too, she seemed better but it is still day by day at the moment. At least she is walking around again.

Mug Monday

Well it was supposed to be Monday but here it is Tuesday, this was suggested by Pat of weaver of grass blogspot and as I have a lovely collection of mugs I thought I would incude a very old family christening mug, not sure which one of the name as there were several but at least over 100 years old, no mark on the bottom and repaired.
Finally one my mother gave me which is a pretty cheap but nice coronation mug of Georg V and Mary.
My photos look to be on a rather bad angle they probably were as I couldnt find any where to take the photos and had to crouch to get them and my arthritic knee is today telling me that I have walked to much and it is wet and cold and drizzling. I would like it to do more than drizzle as our rain average for June our first winter month is about half what it should be. Doesnt auger well for the year ahead.
I bought this great book while I was in Melbourne from Dale of The Thread Studio, a very lovely and comprehensive book on silk paper by Sarah Lawrence. Lots of ideas here for me and I love making silk paper.
Finally the last of the post cards in an online postcard swap we did, from Marie J in Victoria, her first ones got lost in the post but I am so pleased with this one.

Home from Melbourne

These photos are not quite in the correct order, although they are on the camera!
We walked yesterday morning along to my favorite beach, Kings Beach not far from Victor and quite wild and not many people go there at this time of the year, a couple of young surfers on the break on the point, not where I would like to surf at all. There is a seal colony on the Island and so sharks, white pointers are some times seen.
Looking the other way towards the Bluff, it was a funny morning, we had had quite a lot of fog but sun by the time we got there. So a lot of moisture and the tide was higher than I have seen it on our walks there.
Then a photo I took looking down the Yarra in Melbourne. I had a lovely few days, caught up with the children and not a photo did I take! I was coming back from seeing the Salvatore Dali Exhibition at the re furbished Art Gallery when I took this photo. Loved the Dali, it was very comprehensive and interesting. Well worth a look.
I had half a day at the Paperific Show at the Showgrounds in the morning, I walked from the Newmarket Station and although after all the years of showing horses at the Melbourne Showgrounds I thought I was lost as it has changed and somehow looks different on foot. Met up with Dale and a few other people I knew there and bought a few bits and pieces. I caught the tram and then the train back!
The Welsh Pony Meeting I had gone to see was interesting and my granddaughter Fenella was awarded the Young Ambassador of the Year which is really exciting although we all had to go home almost straight afterwards as she has an exam today so not a lot of catching up with people.
I came home very tired which is really bugging me, so much to do and not much time to do it in and then I have trouble doing it.
We lost a little mare over night too not sure why she didnt seem terribly ill but was dead this morning, very upsetting for us all.
The Spode plate, inherited as a small 8 piece dinner set broken up from a much larger set that was in John's original family home called Stonyfell in Adelaide. I dont think it is terribly old and I know you can still get the design, or at least you could. I think this may date back to the 1920's but could be earlier, we have had it I think since the 1960's.

Walking the old road

Here are few photos I took the other day when Jake and I walked the old road. Here is the gate into a neighbours paddock, Jake himself waiting for me, the lovely bit of stone work under the new road for the creek to go through and then lately we have been having some spectacular sunrises. Well the photos are not quite in that order but I guess you can work out what I mean.
A beautiful morning and then overcast and a few spots of drizzle.
I am packing for Melbourne and wondering how much to take.
I did go over to Pt Elliott with John this morning, he had to have his photo taken for something and I sat in the sun and sketched and walked the beach.
We have a dinner to go to tonight and the plane leaves at 12 midday tomorrow and we have to be there, well I do by about 11 am I need to buy a book to read and I always have to take my shoes off when I go through security so I like to have plenty of time.
I feel quite stirred up and not settled. I am not sure I really want to go and will feel an absolute idiot because I have some masks to wear incase of swine flu. With John's asthma I cant bring it home.

Quilt blocks

I am trying to get together a quilt for Kate's latest quilt exchange.
Not being a "proper" quilt maker this is interesting.
I have done a Kantha style block using silks and organza to give a vague impression of city sky lines. It looks a bit odd close up but much better when you stand back from it. Now I have one more to do and put them in a pleasing way together, that is going to be the tricky part.
More on this later.
Today was Adelaide and I have come home with what the footballers call a groin strain, well that is what it feels like any way, probably all that walking yesterday. I need it to go away as I am going to Melbourne on Thursday for 3 days.
I saw my mother, a bit like me up and down, she seemed very sleepy and tired, I dont think I am going to ask if she is on any different medication. I just hope she is alright while I am away.

Walking Pt Elliott

To day I went over to see Gaby, my grand daughter and her son Mason and when I arrived I found she was baby sitting her little half sister Millicent, so surrounded in grand and great grandchildren we went for a walk.
After the cold of the last few days the sun was out and we got quite hot pushing the children up the hill and around to the look out where we looked for whales but not one in sight, and Millie chatted incomprehensibly all the way.
We went down the old heritage walk to the flying fish cafe, which used to be the kiosk on the beach and had a coffee and a snack for the children and then up the hill and round about and home again.
About an hour and a half all up I think so that should be good for the figure, although perhaps the coffee wasnt.
The first is a bit of Gaby looking over Horseshoe bay, then looking the other way towards Victor Harbor and then back the other way again, Millie who decided she wasnt going to look at me, that was the pusher I was pushing, and Mason in his pusher. They all got hot and we had to take jackets off them.
It was a lovely morning but of course I am now home feeling tired!
I have managed to plant the pansies that have sat by the back door for days while it was so wet.
I have had a lovely time investigating other blogs, none of course listed here, but on my other blog. So many lovely ones out there I could spend hours doing nothing but look at blogs but really I do have other things to do.

A cheese dish, some flowers and Saturday walk

Some how Blogger seemed to think I was spam so I was locked out of my blog, terribly frustrating.
All is well now.
We have certainly started winter, I picked these late fuchsias last night and painted them today, they are on my other blog which of course you cant find as my side bar links have gone. It is http://penny-withmybootsandsketchbook.blogspot.com or click on my profile and you will find it listed there.
Yesterday we walked the beach near the Hindmarsh River, the river is now open to the sea so we couldnt walk far but I took photos of the river and the birds and of the lovely pieces of wood that are what are left of the groynes. My first photo looks terribly wintry.
Then one of my cheese dishes. This is to go on from the plate collections and I have quite a few cheese dishes so I will one day do a photo collection of them. Doing the plates reminded me of some of the bits and pieces I own. None of them very valuable but lovely to have.
I have also just been in a charm swap but more of that another day.

Plates

On Dale Rollersons blog she talked about plates and these had been suggested by Elizabeth. Now when I tried to put up Elizabeth's blog into my links I lost the whole area of links and the bit that told me how to do it so the clux that I am I have lost the lot. I have no idea what to do now to get it back.
Any way it is freezing cold and not nice weather to be outside so I collected a few of many many plates and took photos. Some not terribly well.
Any way here they are, some old some new.
I love the Japanese one of the fish and I equally love my damaged dragon bowl, the funky vegetable plate and the saucer that is all that is left of a large saucer and cup. and finally the modern platter I bought on Kangaroo Island a couple of years ago. I seem to have a thing about fish.
The dragon plate says something and then Worcestershire on it, the saucer says Adams and the others dont have a lot on them at all.
I wish the flash wouldnt be so aggressive, I tried several settings but they were all about as bad, even Museum didnt show up well.
Yesterday was flat out so today I am not doing much except wrecking my blog settings! Oh I did go shopping but it is so cold and windy at the moment sitting by the fire seems like a good option.

Doll face

This is the little face I made with Barbara Willis on Tuesday. She is very sweet and will be a fairy, then I dont know what I will do with her.
Yesterday we were busy and today I am pooped.
We went to 2 Spotlight stores looking for trim and then to K Mart where we got some clothes and then we went for a quick lunch and I took her over to the friend she is staying with and headed off to see my mother who was very tired and a bit wafty and still not right. Very depressing but they will let me know if anything happens.
I have had a big few days and feel absolutely as if a sleep for a day would be nice, if all the other parts of me that ache would let me.

Saturdays walk

I know it is now Tuesday, but I have had a week end and a half.
My mother to those who enquired looked very thin and frail when I saw her yesterday but alert and bright. So I think we take it all day by day.
I went on to the doll class I should have been doing but sat and quietly chatted to another friend who wasnt getting a lot done due to a nasty case of some sort of fybermyalga, she is over 80 and a bit scared of how things are going.
I brought Barbara home and today has been very wet and rainy and so we have sat by the fire and made doll heads, well I made on and she has made the others.
Tabby had to take the car so we couldnt go any where and I think Barbara was rather tired.
We did have a lovely walk on Saturday, goodness knows when I will get the next one. This was all along the mouth of the Inman River.