Saying goodbye....

....to more friends...

This morning was my last morning at bible study before I move. I have been a member of this ladies bible study group for many years.  I will miss my dear friends.

Friends

After church today my friends Carrie and Hazel came and had lunch with me.  We had a lovely couple of hours together.  I will miss them when I move. 

Packing and knitting

I've been packing today....

Among other things, I've been packing up these crocheted blankets that I had in the craft shop...

And I'm itchin' to get started on my next knitting project.  A vest for daughter Marnie (in the grey) and daughter in law Hayley in the wine colour (it's called merlot, although it looks pink in the photo).

The wool is 20% bamboo and 80% wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills.   Unfortunately I don't have the right sized needles to get started so will have to wait till monday and run next door to the post office (which is also a wool shop!).  So might work on my crocheted lap blanket over the weekend....

knitting and reading

While I was in Brisbane I bought 2 balls of wool which cost me $5 and knitted this little jumper and hat for charity. We had our monthly charity knitting group get together yesterday so I took it in.  I have been co-ordinating the group for the last 5 years, but as I am moving, they weren't sure whether they would keep going.  Anyway, they decided they would, but have simplified things by just concentrating on donating to a couple of charities rather than the many we had been sending to. 

This little jumper and hat and the other blankets, scarves and slippers that the ladies brought in will go to Mission without Borders. They operate in Eastern Europe and we have been donating to them for a number of years.  We deliver the knitted items to a lady in town, who delivers them to the state co-ordinator, who sends them on to Melbourne or Sydney.  There they go into a container with lots of other donated items, and when it is full, it is sent to Eastern Europe for distribution.

Last winter Marnie had knitted lots of baby beanies and kindly left them for me to sew up...which I did while visiting her, and then mailed them to another charity...KOGO... who distribute here in Australia.

 I also knitted two little 'green eyed monsters' ...one for each of my two eldest grandsons for their birthdays (Denver who turned 10 in May and Dylan who turned 9 in June)

And I've almost finished reading this most interesting book 'The Russians' Secret'.  The author, Peter Hoover, lives about a 20 minute drive from here at the Rocky Cape Christian Community. It is a Hutterite community.

Recipe: Apple and Bran Muffins

Made these muffins yesterday...

They were delicious....

Here's the recipe:

Apple and Bran Muffins
1 1/2 cups of self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups wheat bran

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used maybe 2 teaspoons)

1 large 'Pink Lady' apple, grated (I used a golden delicious apple)

1/2 cup stewed apple (I used a golden delicious apple)

1 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

Topping: 1 tablespoon brown sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 190'C/170'C for fan-forced oven.

Grease a 12 hole muffin pan.

Place flour, baking powder, bran, sugar, cinnamon, grated apple and stewed apple in large bowl. Stir to combine.

In smaller bowl mix milk, oil and egg.

Add to dry/apple mix and stir till just combined.

Spoon into muffin pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar topping.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Stand in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Delicious!!

PS - I added some sultanas. I think dates or other chopped dried fruit would be nice too.

Lunch

Homemade chicken soup and multi grain toast...yum!!

moving....

In anticipation of an upcoming move, I will be closing down my blog on wednesday until I get resettled.

Thanks for visiting with me and I hope to see you all again a few months down the track. xx