Our First Winter Scrummies...

The girls have spent the last couple of days hanging out with me and today we got to spend some time in the garden. Ava used the fork and turned over some of the garden while Liv raked, they were quite enthusiastic and happily talked like two little chatter boxes as we did it. It was so lovely to spend time with them and the extra hands to help were much appreciated. 

 

We planted quite a few Borage plants for the bees, some Leeks, Coriander and two Rhubarb plants I split up from the ones in the drum. I also got a bit of weeding done which was great.   

Here are the first baby Carrots and Beets from the garden, they are so sweet and yummy. The girls just loved grabbing them from me as I pulled them out, they were so excited and even Lipstick got to sample one. 

A quick wash under the hose and then laid out in the shade to dry off in the breeze. They were delighted to take them home tonight. One of the last jobs of the day was cleaning out the chook house. One full bucket of dry chook poo which I spread (by hand, while grossing the girls out) across the garden.

It’s Curtains For These Blankets...

 

Over the weekend I had a quick sewing job bestowed upon me...to turn these old wool blankets into thermal curtains for my brother. We can’t take credit for the idea, which belongs to a creative chap who lives nearby, Nelson Lebo. 

He holds community workshops on diy home insulation ideas, has a wealth of knowledge on sustainable living and is the heart and soul of a beautiful community garden. Anyways, back to the curtains.

All I had to do was turn over the tops and stitch leaving enough space for wooden dowel to slide through so not a time consuming job, just a little difficult when my arm won’t handle much weight on it at the moment. 

Once they were done I zipped them up to my brothers where he immediately hung them up. Old wool blankets are brilliant for keeping the warmth in and the winter chills out, easy to come by and when hung behind your curtains you wouldn’t even know they are there. They also make terrific draught stoppers too...

Sitting In The Nip Pot...

 

No wonder its taking so long to grow, old bloomer bum keeps sitting in it! He does look purr-ticularly happy though.

Spewing Forth A Fit Of Stitches...

In the last few weeks I have been beading again and have made some really funky bracelets, earrings and necklaces. I already had a good selection of beads but it gave me a good excuse to get a few more and I found some good suppliers as well. 

I try to stick to glass and crystal beads/chips when making jewellery but they can make an item quite heavy so I am mindful of that in my designs. One thing I did need to invest in was a pair of round nose pliers...they have made things SO much easier. 

These are the Memory bracelets I made...the pic does not do these justice at all but its the only group photo I have at the moment so I thought it would show the general idea. They really are such a pretty bracelet and can fit anyone because they wrap around your wrist. 

Though it might cost more if you use quality beads and findings, the results are so much nicer...definitely worth the extra. I love the colours in these and while I did use a few foil beads, most are clear glass which gleams beautifully in the light.

The tags arrived for my clothing last week and they look fantastic, I was really pleased with how they turned out and I think they will do the job perfectly. I still have some pieces to unpack and hang up but I am halfway there. 

Once my broken wing is feeling a bit better I need to get back onto the machine and get some new things made up, my brain is near ready to explode with ideas and the only cure is to spew forth a fit of stitches.

Bee Thoughtful...

Not much has happened in the garden lately but I do have some very healthy looking borage, leek, white sage and coriander seedlings which will need planting/re-potting soon. They have done rather well considering how cold it has been lately. The carrots, onions, parsnips and beets in the little garden have been growing slowly but steadily and I look forward to the first taste of the season. 

The lavenders and rosemary I planted at the back of the bathroom have grown quite a lot since I put them in and are now starting to sprawl over the garden bed which is what I had hoped they would do...the smell from that garden will soon fill that end of the house with a clean, earthy musk fragrance and give any bees a quiet garden nook to go about their business. The borage and marigolds that I am growing with be dotted around the garden like I did two years ago which attracted lots of bees and bumbles and made for some quite cool pics. 

With so many bee colonies dying around the world it is a vital that we plant bee friendly plants and try to encourage a safe environment for them. I use all heirloom seeds myself and then I save seed from that seed for myself and to share with others...hopefully they do the same and then it keeps going round, keeping a good source of fresh heirloom seed in the community. Be mindful of any sprays being used around your garden and plant lots of bee loving plants. They need us as much as we need them =)

The Wheelie Girls...

Last Saturday night the weather was a bit miserable but I thought it would be nice to take the girls somewhere despite the occasional protests from Mother Nature. Hot pizza on a rainy night then off to the skating rink for a couple of hours. I remember spending hours whizzing around at the rink as a youngster and we had so much fun. It was great to see that apart from some improvements to the building, it has the same great atmosphere as it always did.

Liv chose inline skates while Ava and I opted for roller skates. Righty...Shoes off, skates on, lets rock! It was definitely a good night to go because we got a chance to meet a couple of the Derby Girls who graciously shared some tips with us. Liv took off like a bird in flight, all the confidence in the world...Meanwhile Ava and I gripped each other’s hand for dear life as we wobbled our way around the edge. “Hello Aunty” Liv would call out as she glided past not a care in the world. “Heya Baby” I called back as I looked down at Ava’s spaghetti legs splaying in every direction. A few more times around and we were really starting to get the hang of the skating thing (well, kind of hehee) it had been at least 28 years since I had been skating and Ava hadn’t done it before so I thought we did ok for a 6 yr old and 42 yrs young.

And then it happened...

 

Just as we were coming down the home stretch Ava’s legs suddenly went out from underneath her, me forgetting for a split second that I was “too” was on skates, grabbed her arm to stop her from falling and whoosh...out went my feet too. It all happened so quick there was no saving either of us and we hit the deck. After the initial moment of shock I looked at Ava whose little face was crumbling, I knew it hurt. Cuddles, giggles and the smoochie monster made everything better and soon Ava was itching to get back into it. By this time Liv had wiped out about 4-5 times and got herself up, a wave and smile then off she went again. 

Ava and I did a few more circuits but my left arm was feeling quite sore and I was quite happy to escape to the benches when the hockey gear came out. We left elated but after a sleepless night I decided maybe I needed to have my arm looked at after all. Turns out I have broken my radial head. Its painful and swollen but I can still do most things (even with a degree of difficulty). Luckily I was given a choice of having a cast or a orthopaedic sling...I chose the latter, its hard enough to get things done without an armload of plaster as well!