Morning walk

We went to the beach near Hayborough this morning again, We had had a huge thunderstorm early this morning and did score about 11 mm of rain which isnt much but anything helps. The clouds were spectacular and people were out walking their dogs, the only draw back about this beach, too many dogs.
I loved the leaning pine tree and the green curly seed pods on the coastal wattle.
We both came home and worked like mad, I have to get this house in some sort of order for the judges next week, so I began by sorting out the pots in the sun room and moving a lot of them out to their summer quarters, my sun room gets terribly hot in summer but is gorgeous in the winter.
I have made up the beds, tomorrow I hope to really start cleaning, John had thank goodness done the shower alcove while I was away yesterday.
I have a really busy week, up to Adelaide for a Melbourne Cup lunch and see my mother, hope for a better mood then, back on Thursday for the Craft Fair, the only day I can get to it.
John has meetings almost all week too. Then the Show on Saturday and Sunday and entertain the judges for 2 days.
I am also hoping we can manage to get to the opening of the Fleurieu Biennale on Friday evening, this is the richest landscape prize in Australia.

Today we made dolls and had lunch

Up to Adelaide for an early start and dolls were made, or partly made and a delicious lunch was served under the shade of a tree on one of those days that I think only Adelaide can provide.
Several of us arrived at our friend Christine's house and chatted and as I had made my bodies before hand it was a fun time to stuff the bodies and do the faces. I will put mine up when they are all finished.
Not such a fun time was visiting my mother who was in a foul and angry mood, I think as it was around 4 pm, the so called sundown syndrome but boy it wasnt nice and in the end I walked out feeling terrible but unable to pacify her. I only hope she cant remember when I see her next. I hope I never become like that, it is so sad, so horrid so unforgiving.
A long drive home and I can see why it is not good for people to drive when they are upset.
We did have some good news though as four of the stud's poneis have qualified for the nationals. A very good advertisement for our prefix.

Big round bales and the Willunga Hills

I have always meant to stop and take this view and as I had to go over to McLaren Vale this morning to collect some oysters, i stopped off on Malpas Rd and got the bonus of the big round hay bales as well.
I love the Willunga hills but in some ways it is unfortunate that those hills that I always knew as bare and with fascinating folds and shadows in them are now being re vegetated and so we are losing a lot of the lovely lines they have.
I suppose it is a good thing they are being revegetated but for all my life until now they had sheep on them and were large acreages, now they are smaller areas . I was told once that originally the rabbit plagues wiped out all the original trees but i dont know how true that is.
Certainly rabbits are becoming a problem again, even here where John has been assiduous over the years in controlling them they are reappearing, small blocks, hobby farmers who wont want to kill things, all have their problems.
To think that we got married on the money he got from rabbit skins and selling newly caught rabbits.
There was a film for Charity locally last night, Richard Gere and Diane Lane in Nights in Rhodanthe, the north Carolina scenery was stunning and it was a beautiful film, even John enjoyed it. I can recommend it.

Beaded bracelet

I have been working off and on on this bracelet for months, started with a peyote base and then added the flowers and leaves and other beads.
Rather pleased with it but heavens why did it take me so long! I think the explanation is that I only did it on beading nights and I missed a few months .
Was away for most of the day, up to Mt Barker to, go to Spotlight and got lost, the place has grown so much, then back to Ashbourne to look at my little mare that went down in a friends float. I think we will look at her for a week or so before making any drastic decisions, she is not wanting to stand on it but there doesnt appear to be much swelling so I doubt if it is a broken bone, maybe a stretched ligament any way she certainly cant be floated home.
No where near as hot as expected, infact it is now overcast and quite warm and humid, we would love some rain.
I had a delightful walk tonight, and then another one with Annette Emms in Exmoor, on her blog
Fairy shoes, it is on my side bar as I dont seem to be computer literate enough to put a proper link in here.
I also for the great sum of $1 bought two books to alter, I am not much into altering books but Maggie Grey suggested we got them for the on line course she is running for those of us who bought her Textile Translations book. I have one small one, hard back ex school, Macbeth and one larger which is a rather old and out of date one called I love Skiing, well so do I but I think this one may fit the bill.
Cant wait to find out what we do with them.

More Fairy shoes

I have had a lovely time making these, I have two more cut out to do, but as far as being Christmas presents I think they would take too long for the number I have to make.
Actually the thought of making Christmas presents is not enthusing me at all this year , I just cant find something small and relatively quick that I can make about 24 of that I havent made before!!
I am still struggling along making samples for Fibre in Forum, havent got onto the tyvek yet although I am used to doing things with tyvek so that is not such a worry.
So far I have not put any of my samples up as they are mostly in white or cream and dont look very interesting as yet.
I have finally finished one of my beaded bracelets, so for beading tonight I have a new one to start on and for a change I think I have all the stuff ready to use.
Thought I had worked out how the scanner on this new machine worked, WRONG! I now have a dozen files, somewhere on my computer with about three scans of the same thing, finally I scanned what I wanted but have no idea how I got it where I wanted it to go. The joys of modern technology.

My mother's 96th Birthday

Most of the photos taken were pretty odd,but thanks to my friend P the group one of the immediate family is reasonable, although I was leaning forward to try and get Millie to smile. This was only half of the party and i think Mummy did well to last for 3 hours.
We had two of her deceased sisters children here and their spouses as well but some how I couldnt get them all in the photos.
So a photo of baby Mason, Mummy's great great grandson (and my great grandson!!) and then the group one with me and John on both outsides, Mummy, my sister, and at the back Gaby and Mason, Tab and John oh and Millie in the high chair.
It was great to get together with relations I dont see often, and I think a great celebration, we only had one minor incident involving a loo but that was by the by.
Very tired though as the organisation was rather hectic.

This afternoons walk

We walked along a favorite bit of beach below Hayborough this afternoon, the wind was still from the north but much cooler and a southerly was blowing up so we wanted to do it before that happened. A lovely walk and the sky and clouds were magnificent.
I found the little orange starfish and popped him on some kelp before taking his photo, actually I think he was dead.
We had a black filly this morning so the Welsh B stallion has made up for all his colts by now having 2 fillies, the mare is a Welsh A and this foal is having a few problems getting under to the milk bar as her legs are so long.
It has been so windy lately that we lost a large branch off the fed flowering callistemon by the bedroom window, such a shame as it was covered in its bright red bottlebrush flowers the birds and bees love so much.
I made a cake for my mothers birthday tomorrow and burnt it!! Some one rang and I totally forgot it, no good for tomorrow but I have frozen it, too rich a cake not to be able to do something with it. Maybe a trifle or something, it has loads of butter and walnuts and eggs in it, such a gorgeous cake and I messed it up.
I have been making dolls, but so far only bodies so not much to show for it, and I made some bases for the Fibre in Form class, not enough of them I am being a bit slow but fun, no good taking photos or scans as they are all white and not painted yet.
Oh and I have sort of worked out at least how to get a scan from the new printer/scanner, but there is a lot more to learn on this one than the last one.