I have a cold

I dont very often get colds and this one is awful.
I havent done a lot, read a book, done some easy sewing,and this morning went in to shop which nearly killed me!
So a couple of photos of the garden, and just to say, I am still alive, just, but not enjoying a streaming nose and sneezing.
Just as well I cant give it to any one over the computer.
Still feeding the dogs and getting the hens in and have seen from a distance the two new foals born today and yesterday.
I hope they dont get whisked away before I get photos, my daughter is too efficient and off they go to new paddocks which are too far away for me to get to unless some one drives me.
Off to do battle with the rooster!

Hot and still

 John had a morning into the afternoon meeting so I went in to get the mail and paper and also a walk along the beach, so different to the last walk along here.
It started to warm up so after I had done my half hour or so, and chatted to some nice people on the beach with a corgi dog I came home with the temperature rising all the way home, but it was pleasant on the beach.
I needed to make this little doll for my hairdresser as we wont see her before Christmas and I think she is going home to South Africa.
Any way here is Elle who is another fairly new angel but is a little surprised with the trumpet she was given as she always thought Angels played harps.
I hope she is liked.
So I have been fairly busy even though the house has got rather hot, the chooks will be put away late tonight but Oscar is complaining about not being fed so I had better go and do that.

My week in stitch

Quite a lot of flowers this week, mostly it was cool and damp.
Monday I whirled around doing a lot of odds and ends and not getting any where really.
Tuesday we tried to tie up the clematis, time will tell how clever we were but it is flowering fantastically.
Wednesday we went for a cold walk along the beach, a lot of wind and it was cold!
Thursday I went up to spend some time with my neice in Adelaide. I havent driven up to Adelaide much on my own lately and it was tiring.
Friday I shopped and put some seedlings up in to some pots and also planted a few things in the garden.
Saturday we walked again and it was a much better day.
Sunday was again spent in the garden, not all of it because I did some sewing, it was also a time to enjoy the flowers.

Morning walk at Pt Elliot

 My life has been in a bit of turmoil lately and John has not been feeling well but we did finally go over to Pt Elliot for a walk, cold, windy and the odd shower of rain.
It is schoolies week end down here, the caravan park over there was full and a few despondent looking girls with not enough clothes were wandering. The boys had their music cranked up high and were gathered together well rugged up!
We havent been over there for a while and although it tests my eyes and my knee it was a great walk.
The rough weather and high tides have changed the beaches, the purple sand was new.
There were four surfies out on the point and a dead shark on the beach!( I now have some smelly teeth that my dear husband offered to get for me, he knows me too well.) There are no photos of the shark, not sure what sort it was, had a thresher type of tail and having teeth is not a gummy shark!
Home I took photos of the orange flowers on the tree grevillea (g robusta), usually I forget and these are not the best as it is such a grey day.
I managed to drive to Adelaide on Thursday to catch up with my neice and give her some photos I have of my sister, it was lovely to catch up with her and share a few stories.
A long drive home, I havent been out driving on my own much since I had my knee done, I must get out more.
double click to enlarge the photos.

Making a box and a windy walk

I am slowly trying to make a box, it is fun but fiddly. This is the inside, I still have to sew on the outside and then do quite a lot more.
We walked this morning, cold and damp and windy, there were a couple of windsurfers out, schoolies week starts tomorrow so I think they may be the early ones.
I was well rugged up and even then I was cold.
We go from hot to cold overnight at the moment.
Makes my joints ache.

My week in stitch

 Using rusted fabric does have its moments, some things dont show up as well.
Monday we walked and I did the washing.
Tuesday we walked as well but I had a rather depressed and miserable day.
Wednesday we walked along the beach towards the Bluff and there were a lot of dead shearwaters on the beach, an awful lot, quite depressing.
Thursday we walked again and we managed to walk down to the beach at the end of the Petrel Cove walk, all in about an hour and a half, the best I have done yet. I love the cairn of rocks at the beginning of the beach.
Friday was Adelaide and the memorial for Felicity, not as bad as I thought it might be.
Saturday we had coffee with friends.
Sunday I was tired and my knee hurt and John was fishing so I tried a stitch I found in Jan Messents book on her embroidery, plain old running stitch laced with a rather nice piece of dyed ribbon. It almost looks braided, something I think I will use in future.
The photo is of one of our walks showing the sea, some lovely clouds, the Bluff and Wright Island.
Peaceful and lovely.
Double click to enlarge.

Walking this morning

 There were sheep on the dam bank as we walked along near Petrels Cove.
I actually managed to walk to the end of the beach and back, I havent done that in months. I feel very pleased with myself.
It was a little sad as there are so many dead mutton birds ( shearwaters) all along the beach. In our walks lately we have seen hundreds of them. I have never seen so many but we have had wild seas and winds and I suppose it is natures way of not letting populations get too big.
There was also a large dead seal on the rocks, at first we thought it was a rock as it was on the beach a fair distance below us, but now I have looked at the photos I took it is very obviously a seal.
I havent put that photo up here.
The Billy buttons are still flowering well above the beaches and I added a rock to the welcoming cairn on the beach.
Tiring but as I had felt terribly depressed this morning it cleared the air.
I am not really looking forward to tomorrow which is the memorial for my sister.
Perhaps when it is over I will feel better.

This morning and an explanation

 It is hay season here and these are some of our neighbours big round bales, ours have been done too but these were by the side of the road and easy to capture.
I felt the need this morning to go over to the other coast where my sister had a house and walk on the beach and take photos.
The beach wasnt walkable but I did take a few photos of the Bungala creek going out to sea and the hills further along.
Some one asked how I was doing my weekly stitch. I am at the moment doing 2 weeks at a time and then joining them together and rolling it. I put the dates on the two week piece. I probably should put explanations but as I also write a daily diary what I have done is in there.
I have shown you both sides of the roll.
I am enjoying it but sometimes I havent a lot to stitch about, and I only seem to use a very few stitches although I am going back through my TAST ones but some are not terribly suitable so I tend to go back to the stitches I feel comfortable with.
Taken from tanglewood threads blog and she uses much more interesting stitches than I do.
John calls mine the Back Valley tapestry, not the Bayeux!
I am not sure for how long I will do this as I only started mine in August but I would like to do a full year.

My week

 Life goes on.
My week in stitch, Monday we walked in the morning and I cleaned the house and made beds.
Tuesday was the Melbourne Cup, I still cleaned and cooked but the Cup stops the Nation.
Wednesday I collected the two young Dutchmen who had judged at our show and and who were staying the night. I took them to our local wildlife Reserve and they saw Koalas amongst other things. It was quite hot. I showed them around the area and Sarah took them out to see the ponies and over to Tabs to see her Cobs.
Thursday they were up late and off to the airport, Sarah took them and I tidied up and washed. It was pretty wet and windy for the next few days.
Friday we drove to Adelaide and I went to the Craft Fair and looked at the quilting exhibition and P picked me up and gave me lunch and we chatted until John collected me, his meeting went on for over an hour longer than expected, we were both tired by the time we arrived home.
Saturday we went to look at a couple of exhibitons at Goolwa and then that evening we celebrated Tabby and Millies Birthday with a bbq at their place.
Sunday John went fishing and I planted a few plants and felt miserable!
The top photo is of Mason helping to cook the bbq, he did such a good job and the next is Millie with the box her dolls house came in, I think they had more fun with the box!
This morning we walked along the cliffs, the water was so stirred up it looked rather like a washing machine, a lovely but cold and windy walk.
We have had two new foals in the last day or so, a lovely Welsh A filly and a huge Welsh B colt, we had a huge break in the foaling and then suddenly it all happens again.
It has been cold and wet, we have had just over 30mm of rain in the past few days, glad all our hay is in and maybe this will grow a bit more pasture for the cows to eat.

the last few days

It has been busy, I had the two judges from our Welsh Show staying, nice pair of dutchmen, there is one in the background looking at a koala, I wasnt really in to taking photos that day, or any other for that matter, the days slowly roll by I think I am still in shock.
Having dick and Michel helped keep my mind off things abit.
Yesterday we went to Adelaide, I went to the quilt and craft fair and saw friends, bought a couple of things and P picked me up.
the jackaranda's are in full bloom, means it is finals exams time, even when I did them that is what happened. Such a wonderful color.
We went to look at a couple more exhibitions for the Fleurieu art prixe over at Goolwa this morning, after shopping. It is still wet and cold.
We had a take away coffee in the car park at Goolwa Beach and I took this quick photo through the sand hills it was very rough.
Oh and 2 photos of the road home near Willunga.
Double click to enlarge.

My week in stitch.

began well, ended horribly.
I will be glad when 2013 is over.
the grey fantails finished building their nest and started sitting outside the kitchen window on Monday.
Tuesday I had a day potting up plants in the garden.
Wednesday John finally shot the last rabbit in the garden, well for the moment any way until a new lot move in.
Thursday we walked among the granite boulders over at Pt Elliot.
Friday John had a cataract operation. I went in and out of Victor 3 times, a tiring day.
Saturday I drove 2 hours up and 2 hours back to our Welsh Show and we didnt do terribly well. One of those daysw.
Sunday I was told my younger sister had died in her sleep. A horrible day.

Totally devastated

I learnt this morning that my dear younger sister Felicity died over Friday night, Saturday morning. She died in her sleep, lovely for her but devastating for the rest of us. She was fit and well and just back from a great trip away, why didnt I ring her as soon as she got home instead of leaving it for a few days. I was leaving it until today to do it as John had a cataract op on Friday which kept me busy all day and our big Welsh Show on Saturday. I will post again when I feel more like it. I cant believe it.