Back to school

After reading all about U3A. In 

https://sparklingmerlot.blogspot.com/?m=1

I decided I needed to do some research and discover if we had one here   

We do. I hopped into the website and found they had a calligraphy class

It’s on every second Tuesday

I filled in the form, paid my membership fee and yesterday had my first class

There really wasn’t enough students to warrant a class so the have extended it to encompass any craft or just come for. Chat. 

There was one calligraphy student but wasn’t present

So I got all the teacher’s attention 

My teacher is 90 years young. Her arthritic hands can’t write with the nib pen anymore so she uses a thin texta to show you. 

I picked up the pen and I was instantly back in primary school. This is the first pen I ever used. We had the ink well and blotter paper. 

I didn’t “ know” how to use it, but my hands and fingers did. 

It was quite a bizarre experience 

Anyway I got given practice pages 

The first two on each line is the example. The rest are mine 

She was very impressed with my A’s. 

I still to this day write my A’s like that. So they were really easy. 

I wasn’t learning.  I was remembering 

The two hours flew and it was time to finish before I even started to get bored with writing letters. Although the last few pages did have words to practice 

So now that I know I enjoy the class. I’ve ordered my own set of calligraphy pens and ink. 

Hopefully soon I’ll be able to write fancy messages on all my Christmas and birthday cards. 

Doing so much typing and so little actual writing these days , my hand writing has deteriorated. 

This should help reverse that. 

Outback dinner

Well dinner from our backyard 

Potato salad. It’s simple no mayo. 

Potatoes, onions, Italian spices, oil and vinegar 

It’s yummy. And we snack on it straight from the fridge 

Potatoes and onions from the garden 

Potato and leek soup  both vegetables from the garden  

It looks way more yellow than it is  

I added some of this 

Just to give it a taste boost. 

The weather took a nosedive Sunday. It rained all day. Not much we could do outside.  So we had a rare stay inside and watch telly days. 

Hubby watched motor sports, while I tried to work out what the bleep I had done wrong in the mosaic crochet. 

Today I pulled it all out and started from scratch 

Please l pray for me in this trying time 

Grrrrrrrrrrr

In the garden

it rained last night and today, although it’s warm, is overcast 

We decided to go work in the garden 

Hubby is trying to get the reeds out by digging them up  

It’s a hard job and pretty useless as the come back up again  

But he’s a truer  

Meanwhile I took the cage off the capsicum plants  

I weeded  and staked the ones that had survived. I cut off the really damaged parts and then in the space that was left, I threw in more seeds 

In the box next to it I pulled out the broccoli plants weeded and planted stringless bush beans. They don’t need anything to climb on 

I also harvested some of the silverbeet( chard) for dinner tonight 

Those eagle eye readers might notice some chicken wire in the first pic. 

It was in this wicking bed. But 

It bit me, twice!

I finally got angry and clever enough to just pull it out  

It’s in the back, ready to use if we need it  

Personally I don’t want to see it again  

Horrid thing 

I uncovered the tomatoes and staked them  

I had mini cauliflower growing in the back. 

I pulled the plants out, they had been harvested but left in so as to feed the chickens fresh greens  

They got them, and the broccoli plants today  

I’ve planted bush cucumbers.  Do you see a theme?

They too do not need anything to climb on.

I’ve got the covers over the seeds to not only protect them from birds feasting, but also to remind me to not plant anything there  

Because you know, my memory isn’t what it used to be  

It’s very humid out there, so by the time I did all that I had to come in  

My glasses were fogging up, I was dripping in sweat and honestly I found it hard to breath  

I’m having a wee rest, with a fan blowing straight on me. 

I’ll get up and clean the silverbeet and prep it. Then I’m going to have a shower 

The rest of the day I’m going to continue my crochet. 

That’s a whole other story there, which I will tell you about in a post of its own. 

Seriously it was quite the adventure 

Something different for a Friday

Two sides are straight with only the two shorter sides to go. 

It’s a tad bigger than I had anticipated, but I don’t mind. I love being wrapped in a warm quilt.  

I’ve started a mosaic blanket .  It’s been a while since I’ve made one and it took me a little while to remember Haiti all worked. But I got there in the end. 

I needed double the stitches as I’m using thinner yarn.  Unfortunately you can’t just double the amount. You need to add a few extra so that one pattern repeat, doesn’t just go into the second. A little gap is needed. 

Once I got the math worked out, and it took way longer than it should. I was on my way. 

The girls didn’t come today. They had grandparents day at daycare. Their mummy was able to get them in for the extra day so they didn’t miss out on it. 

We went into Ana’s room first. She painted and coloured. Making her master pieces. 

We stayed with her for 50 minutes and went to see Georgia. 

We didn’t think she would understand what was going on, but apparently she gif upset as everyone was being picked up and cuddled and she wasn’t. 

The lovely carers picked her up and gave her cuddles. 

When she saw us so was a bit confused 

Not to mention grandpa had shaved his beard off. But she soon gave us smiles 

Grandpa was playing playing ball with her. She got excited and actually send it to me. She didn’t want grandma to miss out. 

We left then as daddy said he would pick them up. 

I don’t have a car seat for Georgia. 

I felt bad leaving them there, but daddy wasn’t far away. 

Got a message from their mummy. Born girls were very tired. 

Georgia just fell asleep 

Five days of daycare is just a bit too much.  

They have a much better day with grandma 

Potatoes

our first harvest 

These are roasting and some have been boiled for a potato salad 

If this is any indication, the whole harvest will be massive. 

Potatoes for every one 

And something to make you giggle 

I haven’t put this blanket away as yet and I walked in to see this

She never gets in the coffee table 

Obviously she can’t resist sleeping on a mummy made blanket 

Weekend update

Friday the girls arrived, both grandma and grandpa were both still asleep. 

I heard the car door slam shut and jumped up. 

It didn’t matter. Grandpa was staying all day. So I could get things organised 

Even with the girls here. 

Ana and I went out to get a Christmas project started  

The toilet roll were all painted and left to dry  

I know what I want to do, but I’ll have to do a dry run and see what works best and what is easiest 

For Ana  

We did have fun painting them, and chatted about all sorts of things  

Meanwhile grandpa and Georgia were fast asleep.  How adorable do they look  

I love the way she’s cuddling his belly, that’s why grandpas  and grandmas have big belly’s 

So that grandchildren can cuddle in and be comfortable 

Well that’s my excuse anyway 

Friday night I finished the dragonfly square blanket.

So now there are four, no granddaughter will miss out  

I’ve gone back to the EPP

Until I decide what yarn project I want to do next  

I have a few I am really itching to start  so it’s a tough decision 

Hubby used what mulch we had in hand to finish off what I had started.

I’ve kept all the brown paper bags my groceries are delivered in, and I told him to use those to patch all the spaces with.

I didn’t check, so I’m not sure he listened.  I’ll just have to trust he did.

If not, well, it’s going to be his job to weed. 

All the usual housework is up to date

Ready for a new week to begin 

Soon it will be time to think about Christmas 

The planning has begun 

Stay tuned 

Busy

This week has been very busy so far. 

Monday was scans on my left shoulder this time. 

Once out of the house I quickly ran into the big reject shop and got some cleaning 

Supplies. 

Then I headed home as I was having the girls for a few hours while their parents 

Went to the daycare for a parents information night. 

Poor little Georgia is teething again and was a bit unsettled. 

Grandpa kept her busy and he eventually got her to sleep. 

Here she is trying to find anything in the cup holders  

Obviously there wasn’t anything and she looked at her grandpa with such a look of disappointment that I laughed  

Tuesday we had to head into the city to see the financial advisors 

We are starting to think about what will happen when hubby retires  

Plans were discussed and alternatives for different scenarios.

They did say we had good options and that we are in a good place for our age

That did take a lot of worry off my shoulders  

Even though I didn’t drive, last night the sciatica pain was really bad  

Between being in the car and walking up and down stairs, I had aggravated it  

Thankfully after a good nights sleep, I was feeling much better.

So I had a plan  

First I had to get me some bricks, logs or anything heavy  

I needed it to hold down some cardboard 

I started to turn this into this

That was tiring enough. Then I hauled them over to the vegetable garden  

That was all I could manage.  It’s a start  

I have lots of brown paper bags and we will use those to cover all the spaces.

I asked Wonderson to pull the front hose out of its container.  It’s one of those that once your done 

It will automatically reel it back in.  All you have to do is give it a gentle tug.  

Pulling it out is hard work on your back and shoulders , so I get someone to pull it out for me  

After watering all the plants under the front porch, I left it as it was so hubby can get it to roll up again 

So now I’m inside sitting and resting   

I’ve been sewing those squares into a blanket.

I’ve got all the strips sewn and now I’m sewing them all together  

The big reveal will hopefully be in the next few days  

So now your all caught up with my not so exciting life  

Just normal everyday events