A bit of sewing and some flowers in the garden

More autumn crocus and some of the self sown cosmos in the garden. I have finished the second cushion for the show and sale over Easter, and all four of my little goddesses are also now ready. Slowly I am getting things done but unfortunately I am not sleeping well, I am not sure if I cant wait until my shoulder is replaced on 15th of April, or I am dreading the thought of the whole thing.Probably the latter. I am trying to get things done, especially as I leave for Ballarat on Easter Sunday for a week at Fibre Forum. I am a bit worried about how tired I will be, but then again, it should take my mind off things.

Morning walk

After a messy sort of week our walk this morning was lovely, low tide and some wind but rather lovely. I never tire of this walk as the beach is always changing. Yesterday John decided to take me for 'an airing', a trip to Adelaide as I needed some things from spotlight before next week, drop eggs off to P who wasnt home which was sad, then back to Victor and we had a nice lunch at The Anchorage and on for me to have my CT scan at the hospital. Not the nicest or most comfortable things to have and I came out feeling a bit shattered. it was the way they put my shoulder to scan it. So today I am being a bit slow, although some essential house hold stuff has been done, boring things like dusting, washing and making bread. Sarah is off with two ponies to show at the Adelaide Summer Royal, not sure how we will go but it is good to get them out. At the moment my shoulder doesnt cope with a whole day standing around so I didnt go.

My first blue egg

I bought a couple of Auricana chicks a while ago and finally I have an egg, they lay blue eggs, the brown ones are from my brown layers, the small white one from my silver laced pullet and the slightly larger from the australorp. It is fun to have a few different types. We went for a walk this morning, took photos of some flowering gums and came home to clean out ONE drawer, it is the one I stuff all sorts of things in including bank statements and John needed my interest. four hours later!! Any way it is sort of done. A lot of wind this afternoon which meant the small amount of rain we had got blown away but we have just had a bit more now. Oh if only it would rain all night.

Collection of photos of Halls Gap.

If you double click these photos should get bigger. I am still trying to get the house in order and making myself tired by doing so. I thought if I put these into a collage I would get more up. Generally these are views of Halls Gap from a walking trail, the Barumbuk cultural center where we had our class es and a few of the class photos, in particular making watercolours from what is basically dirt. All fascinating but I feel a long time ago now! It is much cooler and we have had a bit of rain, and a long walk on the cliffs this morning, but I forgot my camera and although I took photos with my phone I am not sure how to transfer them! My friend P is home from hospital so I had a long chat this morning and my youngest daughter had an arthroscope on her knee this morning and she rang me sounding dopey but I think all ok. I am finding it all a bit stressful but with another room to try and tidy tomorrow it is all go here.

Six days with Sandy Webster

Totally exhausted but it was worth it. The drive over and back, 6 hours each way is a bit of a killer but the town of Halls Gap is delightful ! I stayed in a lovely peaceful cottage. We made pigments from earth's that we had brought with us for the first 2 days, fascinating, and then made boxes and books for the last four. Our main box was a field box to carry with us, with smaller boxes to carry things in and a hand made journal. All absolutely wonderful and it has really enforced things I sort of knew but had not used for ages. Boxes and books here I come. My normal computer has jacked up and John is off fishing today, so I can't put up the photos I took while I was away. It has taken me for ever to unpack and wash so more I hope tomorrow. Sandy lived up to my expectations and it was a great class.

For Joy

A friend asked to see some of the bits of hand stitching that I had done. Of course I cant find any where the ones I was talking about and I have run out of time to look as packing for going to the Grampians tomorrow seems to have taken longer than I thought as well as the odd interruption. Any way these are four small pieces of hand stitching using scraps of material that I just happened to have put into a more or less pleasing pattern. I mostly use running stitch with a bit of other embroidery sometimes and on the last one some couching. Will be back in a week with I hope lots of exciting things to write about. Wish me luck for a nice easy drive. I dont think I will be able to connect to the internet but it may happen, you never know.

Happy surprise this morning

In the mail was a lovely surprise, Kerry Keyes arrived all the way from America from Penny of' art Journal blog '. She is great and I will take her with me, as well at Matilda to the Grampians with me as she would love to see some of the country, but slept all the way in her box so didnt see anything of her long trip to get here.Matilda is very well travelled, around the world and lots of other places. Another cushion I have made and am in the middle of making an autumn themed one. Probably wont get done before I go but it is under way. We walked this morning, a lovely calm sea that every so often threw a large surge at us and we had to jump up the beach in a hurry. I went over to Goolwa today and at the shop that has cotton Indian stuff bought on special 3 tops and a dress, I like to wear the cotton ones around the place and when they are half price are not to be sneezed at. Not totally sure of the dress but I think I can find a place for it. Better do the feeds, animals are not pleased when I am late.

Busy long week end

My photos re a bit back to front, the last two were taken yesterday at Pt Elliot, we were a bit early for lunch with friends so stopped for a walk along to the sandy beach near the point. Huge amount of very smelly kelp on the beach. We had left early as there was an 'event' on in Victor which meant we had to do a bit of detouring. A lovely, lovely lunch and then a wander home. This morning we walked along the beach at Kent Reserve and it was quite cool, still but every so often a large surge and at one stage John got wet feet. I have made bread, washed 2 loads of washing and made a cake for my sister, she is 81 today and we are going up to Adelaide tomorrow. That will be a busy day too as we have lunch with her, dentist and hair and a visit to P who is in a bit of a panic about having her 2nd knee replacement next week. I dont blame her, but then I am having a bit of a panic about driving to the Grampians. Trying to get a heap of stuff sorted before I go and not a lot of a week left. Hope you had a good week end and enjoy the photos. Double click to enlarge.

In the garden

John had a day long meeting and my shoulder doesnt like me much so I had a quiet day. finished off some embroidery, walked in the garden and found the autumn crocus was out. Then in to see how the pumpkins were going, coming along nicely I think. My chooks were out busily gobbling up some grass I threw in for the, These are the ones with the roosters, I have my chooks in four different places and these and the Japanese bantams are the only ones with roosters. A lovely cool day and I did manage to sort out a few things I have been meaning to do for ages, so although quiet reasonably satisfactory, and I managed to rest my shoulder as well.

Today

John had brought me in the two hibiscus flowers. Hibiscus dont do terribly well here as they dont like the cold and frosty winters but these grow by the house and are protected, they dont have many flowers but I like the ones they do have. I bought the yellow canna to put in a pot, it was a tiny thing but is flowering and sending up more shoots from the base. I like cannas but again they dont really like the cold. we walked this morning, overcast and grey and I thought I had taken a better photo of the blue crane but this is what I took, I did hope I had a shot of it flying but when I looked, yes it was there but so blended into the backgound of hills you could barely see him I am starting to make another, slightly different cushion it has trees but not Christmas ones. I really wonder if I am going dotty as I couldnt for the life of me remember how I made the Christmas ones to translate into this one, and I made a heap of Christmassy ones. Oh dear I hope this isnt a portent of what is to come.

Bits and pieces and a plum cake recipe.

I have finished the small quilt, which I have titled Fragments from the edge, it goes into an exhibition for the embroiderers guild . Five little rabbits from the pattern by Rosalie Quinlan, I collected this from my local craft store and it was such fun, I think I have made eight in all. Pat asked for the Plum cake recipe using fresh plums, it is from an old Margaret Fulton cook book 8 fresh plums ( or less depending on how many fit in your flan tin) 2 Oz butter. 1 egg. 1/3 cup sugar. 1/4 cup milk. cinnamon and sugar to dust. Grease a 9 inch spring form tin, with a loose base, but I think you could use baking paper and a flan tin or plate, Set oven to 180 degrees C. Wash and stone the plums. Make a batter from butter, sugar, beaten egg, sifted flour add 1/2 flour and beat to combine, add milk and remaining flour, spread mix over base of the tin. Place prepared plums , cut side down on cake batter. Place in moderate oven for aprox 1 hour. While still warm sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. I have yet to make this but the one the friend made yesterday was delicious.

This morning we were invited by friends to pick fruit

We had a late morning, slept in, unheard of for us but it was cooler and far more pleasant, also we had been out to the pictures, saw The second Best Marigold Hotel, which we enjoyed but I did think the first one was better. It also rained in the evening, 1.4 mm. We had a phone call inviting us to morning tea and to pick plums, just as well we were late or we might have been out walking, as it was I got my walk any way picking plums. We have friends with a farm about 20 minutes away with a netted orchard and they were being over inundated with fruit. Lovely fruit some of whom I took photos of, the plum tree we took fruit from, apple trees, quince trees and lovely tomato plants. I went over with eggs and we came over with a heap of fruit, dont they look lush. The apricots and peaches were over, but we have plenty of peaches from our own tree. Figs are much later and we will probably do another pick when they are ripe as John has a great dried fig recipe. My freezer is getting full but lovely stewed fruit for breakfast from the freezer during winter cant be beaten. I was also given a lovely fresh plum cake recipe which I must try. Now I feel tired!! Oh and to Pat, The weaver of grass who made a comment on yesterdays blog about the black snake, I saw it again this morning heading into the bantam house, just a tail and we were not fast enough to get it, I dont mind the snakes, although if you are bitten it is a nasty poison, not many people die but enough to make one pretty wary. I am aware now that it is around so look for it, at least it is keeping down the mice, but I really would rather it went away as I dont see terribly well, only having partial sight in my left eye and the other is getting old and is probably due for cataract surgery before much longer, so sometimes a stick or a piece of bark makes me think it is a snake and gives me a fright. Apart fom that I hope every one had as good a day as I did.