Baby birds and a lino cut

I managed to just get a small amount of the baby honey eaters this morning, not terribly good but it shows that I think there are 2 in the nest.
It is still freezing cold and the bottom photo is a scan of an easy cut lino cut, this was the first pull and I can see where I need to deepen the cuts more, but it is back breaking work! I sat with Bryn Terfel on a light behind me and a blow heater on trying to get this right and am now rather disappointed. I will see if I can eliminate some of the lines I dont want tomorrow when I am fresher.
Apart from that I collected two of my grand daughters and took them home, did some markings for some ponies and the shopping.
I am still trying to finish a hug me tight for my mother, she may not live long enough for me to give it to her the way I am going, it is taking forever and far more wool than I ever thought it would.
Now to think about tonights dinner, something simple I think.

My quilt from the quilt swap arrived .

This wonderful quilt made by Sandra Chapman in Tasmania arrived today as my swap in the Little Quilt swap that Kate North ran. I am absolutely thrilled to bits with it.
I have been missing a bit, the day before yesterday we went to The Currant Shed in McLaren Vale with friends and had a wonderful lunch, this was to farewell friends who are going overseas for a few weeks and I took this photo from the car park, it shows winter vines with the hills The last photo is a bit dark but is a corner of my bedroom and I put it up just because I had taken the photo. Unfortunately I havent cropped it so you can see the ironing board and the water jug for the iron!
Yesterday I went to Adelaide to see my mother, who slept most of the time I was there and certainly didnt look very good. Very depressing, but then I went to lunch with three old friends, well I suppose they that we are getting older but they are people I have known for years and we had a slightly naughty boozy lunch with lots of laughter and fun. I drove home very carefully.
It made my day .
Today is freezing cold with depressing damp drizzly rain and it is a good day to stay in and catch up with some inside stuff.

TAST 20 the baby birds have hatched

The first photo is of my TAST for this week, buttonhole wheel cup, only one as I was playing with Medieval thoughts and used it as acenter piece for something I was playing with.
A nice stitch which has lots of possibilities. I put a bead in the middle of mine.
The baby New Holland Honey eater chicks have hatched out and there are a busy pair of parents feeding them. I am sorry my window is dirty but there is noway I can clean it at the moment. Here is one of the parents.
I would love to try and get a photo of the babies but it is a bit awkward and the parents have a fit if I get too close.
It has been a grey day with a little bit of sun today, we had 9 mm of rain overnight, it is lovely to go to sleep listening to it on our tin roof.
The last photo is of the cockle train passing by when we walked on Saturday, this wasnt the steam train unfortunately but the other one. I love the steam train.
I have been in to get the mail and the papers and done the ironing so feel rather virtuous, but that wont last!
We have a Federal Election called for August the 21s and I am sick of hearing about it already, seems only the other day that they had the last one. I would really like politicians to be for real, hearing the side who got rid of the last Prime Minister in a rather nasty fashion sounding so good and clean is sickening.
Do they really think we are so stupid.

More this and that

Yesterday we walked around by Pt Elliot again and saw in the far distance whales and closer in seals around the rocks.
The white horses on the waves were quite magnificent and at the entrance to the walking trail there is this sign.
No snakes in winter.
I have had a busy few days and did some cooking yesterday, tried out a new casserole recipe and made pumpkin and sweet potato soup, very nice.
Here are a couple more pages from the little book I showed the other day, I think if you click on the pictures you may be able to read the rather violent poems.
Then in between planting out a few plants and doing a few other things outside I did this, another one of my easy prints using a pencil and a meat tray and then inked up with acrylic paint and tried to see how it works.
I did another on fabric but I will show that later when I have stitched it.
I know I could do these with lino but it hurts my shoulders and this is quicker and I can see if I like the design or not.
I am also thinking about how to translate my very favorite paisley pattern to use on a gelatin print. I have a few ideas and will try it later in the week if and when I have time.
Oh and yes Julie the stitched gelatin print from my last post is on fabric.
I seem to have a pretty busy week coming up. Nice busy, out to lunch twice!

This and that

I havent blogged for a couple of days, mostly because I really havent had time. My day in Adelaide on Thursday started early and was long and tiring, Friday is shopping day and by the time I had done that I really didnt want to do anything much except what I had to.
I am not sure if this is just an excuse or that getting older is actually catching up with me. Something I dont want to admit to.
Two wonderful books arrived this week and this one by Jan Messent is an absolutely must have book, if only for the illustrations, let alone what she has done and the ideas that are tumbling around in my head.
I knew that when we were in the UK last year there was a reason I was going to all those areas and steeping myself in the history of the celts and the Vikings and generally the Middle ages.
I should start at the beginning but that is not the way my magpie mind works!
The first photo is of another of my gelatin prints that I have done some hand stitching on, I love doing this it is so relaxing.
As well as shopping yesterday we walked along the cliffs near Petrels Cove, it was one of those cold still days when the sea and the sky seem to merge into one.
A long slow swell was coming in as you can see from the first of these photos, this is a magic time of the year for walking these cliffs and the mallows were in full flower, I think they are introduced but I really dont mind when you see these lovely bright flowers on a dullish sort of day.
We had parked the ute in front of the sign, I know it is unsafe as I nearly drowned there once but it is still a lovely beach, no surfers today, they had a carnival on further down the coast, and no whales either although sometimes they can be seen from here.
I rather liked the way the rocks going into the sea at the end of the Bluff look like a dragons tail.
Click on photos to enlarge them.

The finished scarf and a tiny book

I have finally finished the scarf I was making, a very simple but effective design I thought.
I took the photo in the sun room and there is dear old Jake peering through the window at me.
I have had this tiny book for a good few years and when going through some stuff thought I should scan it, it is tiny and as you can see was given to Sophie by her mother in 1889.
As a breeder of pugs I collected it somewhere but cant now remember, a junk shop I expect. Some of the poems are a bit rough and almost nasty, I will put up a couple of others tomorrow if I have time, it is an early start and Adelaide.
I think if you click on the photos you may be able to read what they say.
Still cold and wet and blowy so I will be quick when I have to go out to do the animals.

A few minutes ago

The wind came up and a vigorous front went through, I took these seconds before the rain came down.
Wintry and wet and yet this morning I was in my shirt sleeves cutting back the autumn joy sedum.
I had been in to get the mail and papers and drop a letter over to Tabby and as I came home I could see the sky at the end of the valley turning very black.
You can see in the last photo how the wind was blowing the lemon scented gum branches around.
Nice to be in by the fire, although I must go and feed the dogs and chooks in a minute.
Glad I have some knitting to keep me busy in weather like this.