Reading won't solve your problems. But then again, neither will housework!

It's been a very pleasant week weather wise, until today and now it's all turned to custard. And as they say in Games of Thrones. A. Lot. Winter's coming.

I sit out on the deck most days with a cuppa and more often than not I have a wee visitor, a friendly fantail. I love these little birds, such characters, I love the way they flit about and chirrup. They remind me of the tits back in England (and no I'm not referring to my fellow countrymen still living there!) They are of a similar size and colouring.

I love the expression on his face, "Is this my best side?"

Echo was giving me the eyeball, so she got snapped too.

I've been a bit of a domestic goddess, I don't know what came over me on Monday but I did shit loads of jobs! I sprayed the weeds in the garden, I still need to do the drive, the garden alone took three backpacks of 18 litres. And there's less to spray now we've mulched some areas. I did three loads of washing and I baked a cake!

A feijoa and coconut cake. I'll share the recipe another day.

This cake, by the way, was nearly never to be, as I carried it over to the oven, the bottom fell out of the cake tin just as I placed it on the stove top!

Luckily I managed to clip the base back in without losing too much cake mix. What oozed out got scooped up and plopped back in the tin. There are advantages to those ceramics hob tops. Good job it was clean.

As you can see, we've been tucking in to it.

I even made some bread and butter pickles. The recipe is on the blog somewhere, all you need to do is search for it. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, I kinda winged it and I might have put in too much cayenne pepper and turmeric. It's quite spicy, we like spicy in this house so it should be good.

I can't remember if I shared these courgette pickles that I made a few weeks ago or not, I made 6 jars, I could only reach 3 jars, I'm a short arse.

I'll share the recipe for this another day too.

I've been reading a lot and crocheting, crocheting can sometimes be a bit difficult when the cat thinks your yarn is for laying on!

 

I'm really loving how this is evolving, I want it to go on the spare bed and I hate to say it, I might not have enough yarn!! Won't it be terrible if I have to go out and buy more!!

 Monday the 9th was the fifth anniversary of losing Bonnie. It's hard to believe that five years have gone so fast. We still miss her, she was such a smashing girl, even when she was stealing my knickers and leaving them on the drive for all and sundry to see!!

 

 After she died we bought a rose, called In Loving Memory. 

I have to say it's not the best performing rose we have in the garden, but this one lone flower has been blooming all week.

 We buried her in the garden and she rests under this stunning Acer, you get the best view of it in the paddock, the prevailing winds come from the south west; and so the side that faces into the garden is a tad windswept

 There are even some bulbs out!

 And now for something to make you giggle, well it might not if you're a Trump supporter. If you are you may wish to look away now!

Back tomorrow with an update on the calendar quilt

Ta ta for now

New gadgets, the return of my sewing mojo and the first Suesday of 2015!

I really don't know what has happened this past week, thank goodness I take photos. At least they remind me of what I've been up to, I had intended to do a blog post in the week but then that week passed and now it's the weekend. Ah well doesn't matter, I don't know, don't care what day it is, I don't have to be anywhere. As long as I remember craft is back on on Thursdays and to turn up on Suesdays all is well in the world. What a simple life I lead eh? You won't ever hear me complain about that either, unless I forget I said that and complain about it. Walking into a room and forgetting what I went it there for happens all too often these days, so I walk back out again, remember, walk back in and forget. Couldn't have been that important could it?
So what was I saying? Ah yes, what happened this week? We-eell, I did some sewing, craft is back on after the Christmas break and I had a Suesday! Yay!! Too hot to be doing things outside, not unless you get out there early.

Some time ago I started a black and white quilt, I've been working on it and have got the main body of it finished, I'm happy with it. I would like to put a inch wide red border around, to pick out the red and then finish with a wider black border. I'll take this one to be quilted.

Another quilt started an age ago is an Eye spy quilt I wanted to make for my nephew Mason, I made one for his brother Aston some time ago and now it's Masons turn

Aston's quilt, I can't find the photo of it finished.

I'm in the process of machine quilting Masons and I've used a colourful fleecy backing, so called 'Eye spy' because it's got a little bit of everything in it. I hope he likes it.

Earlier in the week we went out and bought a new vacuum cleaner, I know, I know such excitement, I kill cleaners quite regularly, I'd had a few over the years and to be honest some of them can only have been designed by a man who has never vacuumed in his life. Don't get me started...here's the new vacuum...I like it, well I don't like it really because I hate vacuuming, but it works well, and nothing has fallen off....yet! Bloody cheap plastic shite...don't get me started!

Gadget number two bought this week, a George Foreman Mix & Go, Joe was after the Nutribullet or whateveritiscalled, but opted for this one, better motor or something he said...can't remember! ;-D He's used it and said it was good, it will at least keep him regular! I've yet to try it.

Gadget number three bought this week, an ice cream maker. I used it yesterday as friends and Michael & Tash came for a BBQ, and I'm not entirely sure what went wrong but it didn't set, so will have to try again.

Now for Suesday! Yesterday was the first Suesday of 2015, for the latter part of 2014 these days were few and far between, There was too much going on with Joe after his op on his knee, appointments and all that jazz. So now he's back to work things should get back to normal, pffrt, normal?  I don't do normal hahha.
We did our usual round of oppies and I found some goodies, they were just leaping out at me. Here they are.....

 Heaps of crafting stuff and all really cheap

Cool flower pot, necklace, one of the beads has cracked in half but will easily be fixed with superglue and a big book of iron on patterns.

...and more books because I clearly don't have enough. 

I have set myself a reading challenge on Goodreads, 52 books in 52 weeks, so far I'm on track. I always loved to read as a kid, but over the last few years I haven't done much reading at all, too many other things going on I suppose. Since joining the book sharing scheme last year, I have got my reading head back and I'm making the time to read again.

Here we are at Hamilton lake yesterday after Sueshi for lunch! We're back!!!!

Go and check out Sue's blog "You can call me Sue"

I will leave you with this, someone shared it on Facebook and it made me laugh. I will admit to ensuring that one always looks one's best when one is sewing.

See you soon xx

Doesn't it make ya proud!

My sister, in the UK, has hanging baskets, she did them herself! If you know or were to know my sister you would know what a miracle this is! She can kill plastic plants!

So well done Sandra!! Take a bow!!

 And look!! There's more!!

 Awww, baskets by night................

Oh yes if you want some idea of what it is like in her house, this is her husband, Cahal.

Downton Abbey is back on in the UK, one must dress up for the occasion, what, what!

It's a wonder that I turned out sane at all!

Yup!

I had to share this.....

it's so me!

Friday funny - Too bluddy right it is!

Never a truer word said! Have a great weekend everyone ♥

Dog lead macrame and bare butt walking!

 
Since losing some weight I've starting walking, aiming to walk at least 5 times a week 5kms on each of those days. I've been enjoying it and have been pleasantly surprised how much easier it is the more I do it. But today was a real challenge. I decided to take the dogs, something I've resisted up until now as I know what they are like on a lead, plus they're not really used to roads and traffic. So what possessed me to take them out today? No idea...maybe it was the look on their faces that said "Can we come mum?" Stupid, stupid move!
Just getting them out of the  car was bad enough, Clyde (border collie) is always well behaved and stays in the back until I tell him to get out..but Max (foxie) being a law unto himself was almost wetting himself with excitement leapt out of the car and was sniffing around the grass verge before the back door was open! Luckily he was easily grabbed and on a lead before any mishaps occurred. So now I have two dogs on their leads and they are dancing around each other tangling the leads and one of them is now around my wrist and there is a serious risk of the blood circulation being cut off to my hand! I still haven't locked the car yet! Maybe saying the 'f' word loudly outside a Christian Camp wasn't a good thing but as I'm damned for all eternity for past demeanors I wasn't too worried.
So now the hand is untangled, car is locked and the walk has begun, well not so much a walk as a mad dash across to the other side of the road where such exciting smells awaited that Max could hardly contain himself and in the process trussed himself up like a Christmas turkey. Meanwhile Clyde is looking up at me saying 'But where's the beach? We always go to the beach...I wanna go to the beach...let me off this lead at once!' leaping like a lassoed wild horse.
It was at this point I should have admitted defeat and got back into the car, but no! Onwards and upwards, it's the first Jenny Craig weigh in since before Christmas tomorrow, so something had to be done!
The other day at Save Mart I bought some sporty stuff to go walking in, today was the first time I wore the leggings. I was about 5 mins into the walk when I realised there was a problem! There was no elastic in the waist and they were making their way down to my knees! Shit! The dogs had settled into a steady pace by this time and although there was still some lead macrame going on they were walking ahead of me quite nicely so when I tried to pull the leggings up they kinda got pulled down more as at that precise moment Max lurched into the long grass and Clyde did his impressions of one of those Lipizzaner horses!  Who knows what the milk tanker driver thought of me as he went past me with both hands down me drawers, one dog-a-leaping and the other dog choking on the end of his lead!
I thought I had solved the leggings problem, I really did, and kept walking. It didn't take long though to realise it was happening again! Bugger, but now somehow my knickers have rolled themselves up and were disappearing under me butt cheeks! Oh dear this isn't going well as now the leggings are slipping down again, I did turn back at this point, the tanker driver drove past again just as I was trying to reclaim me drawers...feck! It was the longest, almost 1 km back to the car I think I will ever do constantly hoicking up me drawers as I went.
Heaving a huge sigh of relief as I got to the car I went to pull everything back up again then saw the fella mowing the grass in the Christian camp looking straight at me, so I quickly shoved the dogs in the car and jumped in the drivers seat just as the leggings won the battle and I drove home bare arsed wondering if it was too early for a large gin!

Monday mirth.....