Hibernating

Just to let you know that I'll probably be absent a bit in the next few months.  I don't do winter very well and unfortunately I'm heading for the black hole again.  Bummer!!

I'll try and post a few bits and pieces when I'm having a reasonable day.  I have been working my butt off to avoid this horrible place again but obviously I didn't work hard enough.

I'll be reading your posts even if I'm not posting myself.

 

Bye for now,

Anne  xx

Saturday baking

While making apple and rhubarb crumble for dessert this evening,  I was admiring the red colour of the fruit so much I just had to take a photo.

Of course I had to take a photo of the finished product and I'm happy to report it was delicious with a dollop cream.  There is enough left over for tomorrow night too.  :)

I also made some chocolate chip biccies today to keep the family happy.  When I was putting them away into an air tight plastic container, I realised just how boring plastic is.  A pretty tin would be so much nicer.  If only they were air tight.

 Do you a tin or a plastic container to store your yummies in? 

I'm off to see the new "Pirates" movie with my daughters tomorrow.  We are all in the mood for a bit of light hearted nonsense.

Enjoy your Sunday,

Anne  xx

Yarn ply information update

In a bid to answer my own question about how to tell the ply of a yarn that is not labelled, I did some more research and found this link which would seem to answer my question.  http://www.knitting-naturally.com/yarn-comparison-chart.html.  I'm just about to print out the information and put in my crochet folder.  I'll be very interested to see what the thin 8 ply yarn comes in at.

Thank you for putting up with my grumbles.

Anne  xx

Yarn ply confusion

Calling all knitting and crochet enthusiasts.  I need some clarification on how to interpret the discrepancies I'm increasingly finding with the stated ply of yarn on labels or no ply stated at all.  How is it that one acrylic yarn, Marvel Premium - purchased at Spotlight stated as 8 ply is much thinner than Carnival Soft 8ply acrylic bought at Big W?  The new Panda Magnum Soft 8  (Spotlight) ply is thinner than the Carnival Soft, which is to my understanding the same yarn marketed under a different label.

The Slouchy Hat that I have remade using the correct crochet stitches is too big although I tried to judge what ply the yarn was as it wasn't stated on the label.  Apparently I got it wrong and used the wrong size crochet needle.  I have printed out some conversion charts from the internet in an effort to try and eradicate confusion.  However confusion still reigns supreme!

Most yarn labels will indicate what size knitting needle is needed but does that relate to a crochet hook size too?  Moda Vera pure wool 8 ply (Spotlight) states I need a 4.5 needle size rather than a 4.00 as indicated on the label of the Marvel Premium, Carnival Soft and Panda Magnum Soft 8 ply yarns.  I do understand that these suggested knitting needle sizes are for gauging tension, but what do you do when you are using a pattern off the internet using yarn terminology that is different and a yarn with no stated ply?

The four yarns on the left are all supposed to be 4 ply.


I know I'm sounding like a winger here, but I do not wish to be limited to buying a particular yarn for a particular pattern, the yarns which are mostly unobtainable here in Australia anyway.  Is there such a thing as a measuring tool for working out the ply of yarns, a bit like this spaghetti measuring tool?  Yes I am getting desperate. :)

 

 O.k. another gripe over with.  Any suggestions or help offered would be greatly appreciated.  A photo of the finished Slouchy Hat coming soon and will be modeled by Miss G. as I look like a dork in hats and Miss C. thinks that hat is too dorky for her.  Thank goodness Miss G. is very much an individual and loves wearing stuff that is out there.

 Bye for now,

Anne  xx

Crochet frustration

I suppose it's my own fault really, I didn't read the slouchy hat pattern
through to the end. But.......why oh why can't the U.S. and the U.K. get their acts together and have the same crochet terminology, at least for the sake of the crafter's sanity.   It's just SO ridiculous to have different names for the same stitches.    Doesn't happen in knitting does it?!!

  Most patterns on the internet state whether it is in U.S. or U.K. terminology, thankfully.  So I shall start again because I'm stubborn and I won't let some stupid pattern get the better of me.

Tantrum over.  :)

Have a lovely day everyone,

Anne xx

Crochet fun

Slouch hat in the making.

Have a lovely day everyone,

Anne  xx

Throne room improvements

Sometimes the smallest room in the house gets neglected, it's just not a priority when it comes to decorating.  However, this small but important room has been bugging me for some time as I like things to look nice.  I think the following photo says it all adequate but not very nice.

I'm sorry about the quality of this photo as it was taken very late in the day and using the flash made the colours look all wrong.

Here is our improved throne room.

 

I didn't want to spend too much money on this improvement and the only thing I paid money for was the metal storage unit which I found on Friday for $22.  All other improvements came from using what I had.  Frugal decorating, I love it.

The first thing I did was spray paint the basket that previously held the toilet paper with a flat white paint.  I only gave it a light coating so that some of the natural cane colour would show through.  I had thought I would buy a new  rubbish bin but suddenly hit on the idea of putting the bin in the basket to hide it.  It also hides the toilet brush.  Yippee!  Cost $0.

I wanted to add some sort of all day fragrance to the room but wasn't prepared to buy an expensive solution.  So I copied an idea which is in many of the lovely home wares shops.  I've seen these priced at $38.  I found a small glass bottle I already had and filled it with water and added some drops of my favourite essential oil.  I found wooden satay sticks in my kitchen draw and added them to the bottle to diffuse the essential oil.  I found disused saucers from espresso cups and used one to go under the bottle to protect the surface of the metal storage unit.  Cost $0.  

 

To add a little more decorative interest, I placed some pebbles on another saucer.  The pebbles were in the garden and were originally found on a beach visit some years ago.  After a good scrub they came up looking gorgeous and just the right colour.  Cost $0

The toilet rolls were  placed on the lower shelf and for a little more interest, I added the hanging heart which I made years ago and was previously hanging on the toilet door handle.  Cost $0.

Here is a closer look.

Such a long post for such a little room.  :)  What do you think?  I'm very happy with the outcome.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone,

Anne  xx

Nature knows best

This is Missy, one of our two Isa Brown chooks.

Last Monday we noticed that she wasn't interested in her food which is most unusual for her.  She was looking lethargic and rather unhappy.   Two of our other chooks died quite some time ago, becoming ill in a similar way, so I was most concerned that we were going to lose another of our gorgeous girls.  Tuesday morning she was no better and in fact seemed worse.  

 

Our chooks have a good diet of wheat, layer pellets, kitchen scraps, greens (weeds) from the garden etc.  They have a large run to roam around in but it is looking quite bare these days from all their scratching.  I decided to let both chooks free range in the entire back garden which is usually out of bounds unless they are closely supervised.  My  hope was that Missy would instinctively find something in the garden that would help her get better.   After a couple of days of free ranging I am pleased to say that she seems to be improving, is eating, scratching happily and making contented chook noises.  I'm holding my breath that she will be o.k.

Both Missy and Eagle had a good scratch around the roses and found all kinds of bugs, grubs and worms.  Perhaps Missy needed a good protein meal or two.  They seem quite inquisitive girls and came down to the deck at the back of our house numerous times looking in through the window and even pecking on the glass to let us know they were there.  Very cute.  Anyway, enough rambling on about my chooks.

Have a lovely weekend,

Anne  xx

Paw lickin good

 How cute is this?  One cat, one empty tin of crushed tomatoes with a little sauce remaining on the sides and bottom.  What have we got?  One kitty having lots of fun!!

 

 

 

 

Have a lovely day everyone,

Anne  xx

Early winter

With an early winter setting in, I'm very glad I made another neck warmer.  The colour is a deep chocolate brown and not at all the colour the photo portrays.

 

Don't you think the back gate post makes a stunning model? :)  

A couple of weeks ago I lifted the strawberries out of the ground and planted them in an old aluminium cauldron.  Mum use to make jam in the cauldron but as we don't use aluminium for cooking anymore, she very kindly donated it to me.  Hubby drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage and put it on bricks so the strawberries will be off the ground.  

 

The garden is very wet underfoot with all the rain we have had this past week.  Yesterday and last night we had thunderstorms and hail with more rain this morning.  My roses are looking very bedraggled and will be sitting as is until they get a prune in late July, early August.

There aren't too many flowers out in the garden now.  However when I was raking leaves in the front yard last week, I noticed the snowdrop bulb leaves already coming up.  They shouldn't be doing that yet, so I have no idea what is going on with the weather.

Have a lovely week everyone.

Anne  xx

Quick and easy Lemon Coconut Slice

If you are needing something for morning or afternoon tea or a lunchbox treat, here is a quick and easy slice recipe that is lovely and moist.

Lemon Coconut Slice

1 cup of self raising flour

1 cup dessicated coconut

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

125g melted butter

1 cup icing sugar

1 teaspoon soft butter

1 lemon

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add milk and lightly beaten eggs and mix well.  Add melted butter and half of the rind from the lemon. 

Put mixture into a lined lamington size tray.  Bake at 190deg for about 20 minutes or until golden on top.

  While slice is baking sift icing sugar into a bowl, add the soft teaspoon of butter, the rest of the lemon rind and enough lemon juice to make a smooth but slightly stiff icing paste.  Ice the slice while warm allowing the icing to melt over the top of the slice.

Cut, eat and enjoy.

I've just noticed what an odd assortment of kitchen storage containers I have now that they are lined up in the photo.  Some of them I've had since I was first married.  They still do the job beautifully.  :)

Bye for now,

Anne  xx

Today

Mothers Day flowers

Beautiful gift with beautiful wrapping paper and gorgeous owl eco carry bag from Miss C.  Thank you darling.

Views from walking in my neighbourhood.

A nearby creek.

The laneway opposite our home.

Our front yard is behind the post.  You can just see a stone wall in the centre of the photo, that's ours.

We had our first frost last night.  We don't get too many of them where we are because we are quite sheltered.  I'm thinking of you Claire up in the cold countryside air wearing your lovely new wrist warmers.
I'm sure the fire is roaring today.

Enjoy your day,

Anne  xx

Changes

Who likes changes?  Well I suppose that depends on what those changes are.  Perhaps it's getting married,  starting a family, changing jobs, starting university, opening your own business, becoming a grandparent.  So many changes can happen to us.

Google images

  There is one change that is happening to me that I don't like.  Wait for it........ it's changing shape.  Ha, you were expecting something deep and meaningful, weren't you?  Tricked ya.

I went shopping for a pair of jeans Friday.  I live in the things and the two pairs I have are on the way to seeing better days and just don't cut it for best anymore.  Oh I have more than two pairs of jeans.  I have another two pairs in a size 10 that I'm going to fit into again one day.  I lie not, (yes I do).

So how does one cope with a body that is changing, changing it would seem of it's own accord, with only a teeny weeny bit of help?  I've always been wide on the hips but I just can't hide the extra treats I've put into the saddlebags in the last few years, in a pair of wide leg jeans anymore.

Google images

You know the kind of treats I'm talking about, chocolate cake, chocolate, ice cream, two biscuits instead of one!
  The tummy is looking a bit like those cream sponge cakes I love to eat too.

Google images

It can't be hidden underneath a pair of high waist jeans like the svelte retail assistant assured me it would.

Google images

Heck, I wore high waist jeans in the 70's.  Maybe I should have held on those too.

I went into many different shops in a bid to find a pair of jeans that were acceptable in style and in price.  I tried jeans on in the help yourself type stores and the "What size do you need" shops, none of which were particularly wonderful experiences.  It's those mirrors.  I'm sure they install those fun house mirrors that make you look like this,

Google images

with legs and a behind that look like this.

Google images

Gok Wan encourages me to embrace my womanly body, lumps, bumps and all.   And I would, I truly would if only I could find a pair of jeans that would not remind me how much I've been embracing food.

So as you can see I'm having a bit of a crisis.  A crisis in not being able to find clothes, jeans in particular that will fit my changed body shape.  You see I can get away with wearing something that I'm less than happy with around the house but I have two very special events coming up soon and I don't want to look like a dork, and a lumpy, bumpy one at that.  These special events are the 21st and 18th birthdays of my two gorgeous daughters.  Now before you get all worried, I'm NOT trying to compete with my daughters and I certainly don't want to look like "mutton dressed up as lamb".  URGH!

Google images

However I would like to look like a slightly up-to-date 48 year old mum and not be an embarrassment to my daughters or myself.  Do you know what I mean?   

So I've purchased a pair of dark blue jeans in a style I've not worn before.  All I can see is hips and saddlebags so I'm going to enter the fascinating world of illusionary dressing.

Google images

To draw the eye up, up and away from those hips.

Google images

Here is what I've discovered can help me.  Wear a scarf, dangly earrings and a big smile.  I found a cute little top in a thrift shop in my colours, under which I'll wear a long singlet top to create a layered effect.  I've also discovered that a wide belt on the lower waist gives the illusion that I actually have a waist. Wearing a heel will also give me the illusion of being taller and narrower, not that I'm short as my height is 5' 6".  So this is the outfit for the 18th which will be a party at home with family and friends, good food, fun and dancing.

The 21st is going to be a slightly more formal affair but no less fun.  We are going to a restaurant we love with family and friends to celebrate.  I had a big think about what I had in my wardrobe and keeping in mind my newly discovered illusionary tips, put together an outfit that will be smart, dressy and up-to-date.  The only new thing I bought for this outfit was a wide black elastic belt and it was on SALE.  Yippee. 

Am I the only one learning to cope in a world that seems to only make clothes for the young and svelte?  There is a huge gap in the clothing market in Australia for my age group.  :(

While sitting up in bed this morning enjoying my Mothers Day breakfast, I decided to a little research online and see if I could find some web sites that would point me in the direction of how to dress for my shape.  To my surprise and delight, I found this website http://www.birdsnest.com.au  It has a special section where I can shop according to my shape.  I have no intention of buying from this website but they have very helpfully put outfits together to give you an idea.

I'm quite partial to these few outfits.
 

Above clothing images all from http://www.birdsnest.com.au

What do you think?  I'm going to trawl through my wardrobe and see what I can find that might fall into some of these categories.  I'm going to borrow this book written by Gok from my library 'cos I need professional help.

 What a self indulgent post this has been, but I know you'll forgive me because it's Mothers Day and it's all about taking a little bit of time out for me.

I hope you've had, are having or have a lovely Mothers Day.

Bye for now,

Anne  xx

Oil paintings

I thought I might show you a few more paintings I have done over the last couple of years.  I have others which I'm not so fond of and some that need a little more work done on them.  Mum is always asking me to put my paintings up on my blog, so here you are Mum.

This was my third attempt at painting in oils.  I had a lot of help with this painting from my teacher, especially to get the shape of the jug handle correct and the olive leaves.  At this stage I was still learning to get shapes, light and shadows correct (umm, still learning that should be.)  I'll happily admit to doing the olives all by myself though.  Painting them was a bit of a breakthrough for me as I was starting to see how to get that 3D effect with the paint.

This painting was taken from an image I found in the travel section of a magazine.  It was taken in India's blue city, Jodhpur where many of the buildings are painted blue.  I was attracted to this image because of the vibrant colours.  Much of the work I had done up to this point had been in muted colours, so the red, green, and blue really got me fired up.  I also like the subject material, the lady washing down her front doors steps with a bucket of water and a short straw broom.   I also like the way the water running down the brickwork has deepened the blue to purple.  It was my second attempt at painting the human figure, the first being my brother milking the cow which I have posted before.  I really enjoyed painting the folds and creases in the sari which was much easier than painting arms, elbow, feet and a face.

  

 The image for this painting of flowering succulents was taken from a gardening magazine.   As a person who loves gardening, how could I resist the shape and colours of the leaves, the richness of the colour of the terracotta pots and the contrast of the blue base.  This one took quite a while to complete, all those leaves.  :)  I gave this painting to my parents and every time I visit them, I get a nice surprise to see this work I love again.

The painting I'm currently working on, a Mosaic of flowers, is giving me some grief.  There is so much detail and trying to get the colours right is proving difficult.  I've been working on it for quite a while now and am looking forward to finishing it so I can start on another painting.

It's interesting looking at my older paintings as I can see the flaws in them.  It is also nice to realise that I am improving little by little, thanks to the great tuition my teacher gives me.

Bye for now,

Anne  xx