Stanley

"As I gaze upon the sea!  All the old romantic legends, all my dreams, come back to me!"

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

Had the weekend in Stanley!  I love that place!!!

I walked on the beach

Caught up with friends for lunch

Walked on the beach

Browsed the shops

Walked on the beach

Caught up with friends at church

Walked on the beach...

 

 (it was high tide morning and evening when I walked)

 (with some amazing skies)

(this is sunlight - not moonlight - breaking through the clouds)

 

(sigh!!)

Didn't want to come home...

 

Can you blame me??

 

xx

...on Christmas day in the morning...

Spent the day helping out at the Combined Churches of Deloraine free Christmas Lunch...

 (setting up the hall)

(some of the guests arriving)

 

 

We had around 60 people...locals (aged and/or alone), newcomers to the area, travellers, etc.  I spent 5 hours in the kitchen...preparing food, helping serve and cleaning up.  I did get to sit down to a yummy meal when those attending had been served :)) 

 

The guests were entertained with music, singing and games.  I think they all had a good time :))

 

I enjoyed catching up with some of the other workers from last year.  This is my 3rd year helping out. 

 Intend doing it again next year!!

 

Hope you all enjoyed your Christmas celebrations :))

 

 

 

And will combine this with my Yarn Along post...

 

 

Still working on my neutrals blanket...

(have 2 strips of 5 squares sewn together so far)

 

And knitting a vest for myself in pure wool...

 

Should be enough to keep me out of trouble :))

 

xx

 

 

A quick Yarn Along

Joining Ginny with my Yarn Along post!

Finished my retro granny blanket, and have taken it to the Alpaca Shoppe here in Deloraine in the hope that someone will buy it...

And while I'm on a roll...I've started another one...in browns and creams...pure wool yarn that I had on hand.  This one may be a keeper as these are more my colours...

Reading another Anita Shreve book that I picked up at the Op shop...

That's it folks...short and sweet... :))

 

xx

The week that was...

Last weekend was daughter Marnie and Phil's wedding!

I don't have any official wedding photos yet, but it was a lovely time :)).  I then had Denver with me for the week while they went on their honeymoon!!

Here's are some of the family chilling out between the ceremony and reception...

 (son Ben; grandsons (Marnie's)Denver and (Natasha's)Oliver; daughter in law Hayley)

(son Jefferson and his girlfriend Amy)

And one morning this last week (even though it is summer) I got to walk in my favourite fog...

(through the trees)

(across the water)

(reflections)

(the water is very low over the spillway...it's been a dry winter)

And now for something completely different... 

 

Have finished the 36 granny squares I was working on in a previous post and have edged them in green.  Will then sew 4 green edged squares together to form a larger 4 square, and then edge those 4 in orange before joining all together...

(the retro granny)

Recently finished reading this book.  I enjoyed it, but found the ending a bit disappointing.  Not that I expected them to 'all live happily ever after', in fact I had no idea what the ending would be until I got there, but I felt the whole book was leading up to something, and when the ending did come it seemed rushed and incomplete.  Having said that I would definitely read more of her work...

(how could I resist...with snow on the cover!!)

This is where I'm at as of now with my retro blanket...

(getting it together...in acrylic yarn)

And daughter Natasha liked this one, that I finished recently, so much that I gave it to her...

(this wool and alpaca blanket is now living in Texas with Natasha)

 

Gosh...they almost look like the same blanket :)))

 

Funny how I love working/crocheting with bright colours but loath to wear them.  My whole wardrobe is pretty much shades of grey!!  With a bit of black and khaki thrown in for variety (??)

 

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along for the book/crochet bits, and have put a new header photo up (in case you hadn't noticed).  I know...I know... it's summer!!  But the photo was taken in summer (last week) and I just love my fog :))

 

Enjoy! xx

Frazey Ford

Just discovered Frazey Ford.  What an amazing voice!!

A for apples, B for books, C for crochet

Made this yummy apple cake/slice the other day...

 

I changed the original recipe a bit, so here is my version (with notes)...

 

Easy Apple Cake

 

 

175g (6oz) self-raising flour

175g (6oz) melted butter

175g (6oz) castor sugar

3 beaten eggs

2 peeled and chopped apples

1 tsp cinnamon

grated rind 1 lemon

60g (2oz) sultanas

　

Add melted butter to flour and sugar. Add eggs gradually and beat well. Stir in apples, cinnamon, lemon rind and sultanas.

Bake at 180'C for 40 minutes or until cooked.

Dust with icing sugar to serve.

　

My notes: I replaced some of the flour with almond and hazelnut meal, and some of the castor sugar with brown sugar.

I also replaced some of the cinnamon with mixed spice and cardamom, and some of the sultanas with currants.

Enjoy!

 

Recently finished reading another two by Anne Lamott...

 I can so relate to her writings!

And this one from the library...

Beautiful book!

 

Picked up these from the library yesterday...

where to start??

 

 

 The blanket is finished...

And remember these strips I was knitting?

They now look like this...

 I know...I know...  You'd think I had nothing better to do!!!

But I'm just not in knitting mode...

So they are now starting to look like this :))

 

 

Joining Ginny at Yarn Along!

 

xx

 

 

 

Hoofing it

Some shots of my early morning walk around the river a few days ago...

 Mist through the trees

 mist on the river

 over the spillway the river is quite low at the moment as we need rain

 halfway through my walk the mist had cleared

 this is one of at least three platypus in the river

 and a family of native hens

And back home...

 picked my first roses from the garden...they smell divine!

 finished another Anne Lamott book from the library...good...as always!

(that's the last charity blanket I was working on finishing in my last post)

and here it is ...finished!

so now working on sewing together this blanket for myself that I started many moons ago, and dipping into these gardening books from off my bookshelves

Had Jenny and David from Mission Without Borders come to speak at my church on Sunday, and tell us about the work the organisation is doing in Eastern Europe...

 these are some of the blankets and other items the knitting group has been working on over the last few months, finally finished, and heading off with Jenny to eventually make their way to Eastern Europe

And I thought you might like a peak inside my church...it looks better with people in it :))

 from the front to the back...getting set up for the morning service

and from the back to the front..that's Jenny from MWB getting organised :))

 

 

That's it from me :))

 

Have a good week!!

 

xx

PS - almost forgot...linking in with Ginny for Yarn Along!!

Patches

Still working my way around the blanket squares with 2 rows of green/blue yarn...

 (10 squares done...10 to go)

Just finished Bird by Bird.  Really enjoyed it!  Have read a few of Anne Lamott's books,  but I think this was the best...

Started  The Future of God by Deepak Chopra (from the library).  Will see how it goes...




And here are some patches in my garden...

herbs (mostly mints) and roses

 up the garden path - succulents and apple trees along the side fence

and a little fuchsia (which I thought had died but it was just tricking me) under the first apple tree

 

 

more herbs - oregano and catmint,  (daphne) and wormwood at the back.  The irises came up by themselves (clever irises!!)

 

 

 beautiful beginnings! lettuce and rocket

mint and parsley - in one of the raised beds

along the back fence - roses, curry plant and (more) daphne

 

The roses, daphne and apple trees were here, and as I am only renting...they must stay.  But I've filled in some of the gaps with herbs.  Have I mentioned that I love herbs!!!

 

Looking at doing something herby (perhaps a table at the local Farmer's Market) next year when I get into my own place, the plans for which have been approved by council,  so hopefully building can start soon :))

 

Have started taking cutting and potting up...

 

And reading up on herb info in my various books...

 

Also looking at possibly doing a herb course next year...

 

 

Will leave you with a final quote from Bird by Bird, on trying to find some elusive sense of serenity(p221)

 

"The world can't give that serenity,"  he said. "The world can't give us peace.  We can only find it in our hearts."

 

"I hate that,"  I said.

 

"I know.  But the good news is that by the same token, the world can't take it way."

 

xx

 

Oh...and...  linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along!