A head start

At the beginning of this year, you may remember I did heaps of Christmas sewing 

To use up my stash of material so I didn’t have to store it and then move it back into the craft room

It was like I knew something! 

We now know if I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t of had ready made presents and I would had to go out and buy 

Stuff. 

I know. Not a catastrophe but still I like to give hand made where I can 

Keeping this in mind I’ve started on next years stash 

These are my practice ones so I’ll be keeping these for myself 

But the first thing made in the new room was this quilted Christmas bauble 

The process is really easy and there is no sewing 

Once you get your head around it. It’s rather meditative 

And it uses little squares so I can cut up the pieces from my scraps and then use them to make something nice 

Next I made this entree decorations 

The you tube said you can use whatever templet you liked as long as it was round 

Well I did and I choose a template that was too small 

It made them fiddly and hard to turn and kinda wonky

So again these will be mine and I’ll find a bigger template to make some to give away 

Also I tried to sew on the angels. But it was just too hard. 

So I ended up gluing them 

I recommend the glue gun method. Much easier 

So as you can see 

I’m having fun in my room again 

Making messes

Learning from my mistakes 

having a lovely time lol 

Only one more day after today of 2020 to get through 

What a year it’s been 

One for the history books for sure 

Stay safe and well 

See ya xx

All done

Finally done 

I’m sooooo sore and tired. But it’s done 

I’ve tried to keep like with like but it wasn’t  easy towards the end 
I kept finding more of the same sort of thing 

But it’s pretty good. 

I like my work area. I’m hoping it makes the process more streamlined 

And I don’t end up doing too much walking from one end of the room to the other. 

I’ve got a couple of fans in the room so I can keep the air circulating on those hotter days 

Both the back door and trixies doggie door are clear and it won’t bother me to have people or fur babies coming and going 

The green bag of yarn is for charity 

I’ll drop that off next time I’m in town 

So that’s it. The end of a very long process 

I wanted to start a new project but I’m pooped! 

I really wanted it all done before the end of the year 

Now to start cleaning my spare room

I’ve still got things in there from when we emptied the caravans but I can pile them in the corner 

Neatly and clean the room, strip the bed linen and give them a wash before remaking the bed 

But for now

I think I’ll just make myself a cuppa and go and admire my new room

Stay safe and well 

See ya xxx

Rest day (kinda)

After the hustle and bustle of the last two days hubby and I decided we needed a rest day 

But we can’t just sit and not do anything. 

So he decided to put my new cabinet together 

He took his time and just plodded along and got it done 

Doesn’t it look nice

Meanwhile I had bags and bags of yarn all over the work bench and on the floor 

So I proceeded to slowly organise and put that away 

The work bench is now clear and ready to be used. Yeahhhh 

There are projects that have been started so I’ve left them in their bag

They are safe up there. 

There’re mostly sewing projects. I decided to just concentrate on yarn for now. And I’ll sort sewing next 

I did make up a big garbage bag of yarn for a friend who is going to start crocheting again 

After many many years so I rang her and she came over to gratefully accept her bag of goodies 

I still have a heap of stuff or organise and pack away in the spare room but it is 

Much less than the start of today 

Won’t be long and I’ll have a working craft room and a spare room again 

That will be lovely 

Hope your all well and happy and not too full from Christmas feasting 

See ya xx

Christmas 2020

Christmas is over for another year 

Christmas Day I had my children and grandchildren over for breakfast 

Then baby girl went to her in-laws and wonderson and my beautiful daughter in law stayed for a relaxed lunch 

After they left we went to a friends for drinks 

And today to my parents for a traditional lamb on the spit

I’m exhausted but we are all grateful we were able to have our normal Christmas 

I hope Santa was good to you 

Merry Christmas to you all 

Stay safe and well 

See ya xxx

Two days till Christmas

Only two days until Christmas and I’ve got my table decorated for the occasion 

I also have one tree up. 

It’s the smallest one we have and it’s the one melody gave me and she decorates it 

It’s enough and the presents are now under it waiting on the girls to come and get them on the day 

I am slowly organising my craft room but Christmas has taken over as the priority 

So I’ve been busy getting organised for that. 

On the 21st Trixie turned two years old and I bought her a new bed 

She loves the fluffy beds and she has taken to this one brilliantly 

She sleeps next to me on the couch on it 

The weather  has turned cool and wet. But as soon as the sun comes back I’ll be able to wash her other beds and make them nice and fresh again 

Then one will be in my craft room so she can sit and watch me work

How are your Christmas preparations going? 

Hope your on track 

Stay safe and well 

See ya xx

Moving day

First thing this morning we started to put together my yarn storage shelves 

The first one takes ages as you read and re read the instructions 

But the second one was a snap 

I’ve already started to fill it with yarn 

I sort by colour and if it’s acrylic or natural fibres 

I was trying to hurry so hubby wouldn’t see just how much I had! 

He didn’t say anything but the eyebrows did go up once or twice 

I’ve still have more but I’ll leave it for when he’s back at work lol 

The heavy stuff is now in 

So I just have to slowly sort and pack it all away 

I do have another cupboard coming this week so I’ll just leave the stuff I want to put in that on the floor for now 

I’m exhausted. 

I still have days of work, there is still more stuff in the spare room! 

But the bulk of the heavy work is done 

The rest will happen 

I’ve decided I’ll put one little tree up for Christmas just so I can have somewhere to put the presents under 

But that’s for tomorrow 

Now I think a drink and a relax 

Hope your all safe and well 

See ya xxx

CARPET

Finally we have carpet 

I’m so relieved 

This is the craft room so now we just have to bring everything back in

Set up the new shelving I’ve purchased 

And then I’ll start to organise it all 

I mentioned we had decided to change the carpet in the living areas so it would all match 

And it’s lucky we did. As the underlay was wet and mouldy 

Because the carpet I had was plastic backed we didn’t realise it was still wet. 

We thought we had dried it out 

But obviously it was wet where we couldn’t feel it and it had wicked 

So now it’s all been replaced

This carpet is more expensive, as it’s 80% wool 

And you sure can feel the difference 

I’ll be almost organised by Christmas, I hope 

What a year and a journey this has been 

Right now I’m exhausted but very happy 

Stay safe and well 

See ya xxx

Checking in

It’s ten days till Christmas and I still don’t have carpet. But the good news is it’s booked for this Friday 

So although I won’t be putting up my decorations I’ll at least have some semblance of normality for Christmas Day 

The weather the last few days has been really hot, Sunday we went to a friends for a bbq lunch and a swim in their pool 

I stupidly forgot to apply sunscreen and I’ve  burnt quite badly. So the last two days in the pool have been nice and soothing on my 

Shoulders, arms and back 

On the pool front, as of tomorrow we no longer have to book in advance and can just turn up and stay as long as we like 

So slowly slowly life is getting back to normal

We still have to wear a mask in shopping centres but if we are outside or eating in a cafe or restaurant we don’t have to wear one 

We have opened our states boarders to international flights, so we are all hoping this time quarantine 

Works and no more community transmissions get out of hand. 

I picked up a parcel I treated my self too 

A knitting pattern book all about Harry Potter 

I’ll spend the summer looking it over and start knitting again in the autumn 

Once I have a nicely organised craft room, and this whole experience is long over and forgotten 

I’m not complaining, this has been a hard year for so many

Lots of people have not made it to the end of the year due to covid and many others are facing uncertainty in the future 

I feel blessed to have my family still here. Healthy and happy 

We are battered and bruised but we have survived 

I’m a few weeks it will be a new year and with it new hope 

But for now

Life is slowly moving on 

Stay safe and well 

See ya xx

In the veggie patch

We have been eating beetroot salad from our garden and you can see in the background 

The silver beet   It’s been lovely eating fresh again. There’s always a break between the winter 

Garden and the summer and you sure do miss going shopping in the back yard 

I’ve also been picking spring onions. I leave them in the ground and use as needed 

The first red tomato 

It’s going to taste very yummy 

I’ve got some tomatoes that have self seeded in the garden beds so once these have finished hopefully 

They will start to produce 

The zucchini plants. There was one baby zucchini I saw a few days ago 

And checking today it had grown heaps   They do that zucchini, one minute they’re tiny the next 

They’re huge!  

My yellow squash the early plantings of seeds have grown and you can even see a little flower 

These are those little yellow button squash. Very yummy 

And our first zucchini’s. I picked the little one as I didn’t want it to grow huge 

There are a couple of others so I left those for next time 

That’s what’s been going on in the garden for now 

I’m sure as the weather starts to heat up I’ll be harvesting more 

Hope your all well 

Stay safe 

See ya xxx

The first day

My beautiful daughter in law gave me a FRIENDS advent calendar

And inside today’s was a Christmas tree decoration of the frame around the peep hole in the 

Girls apartment. 

I’m excited to see what else I get. 

Happy December everyone 

See ya xx 

A clean Bill of health

Today we went off to the vet for a check up and our yearly immunisation 

Trixie is getting used to her car seat, it’s perfect for relaxing and still being able to see out 

When she realised I was taking her pic. I got a smile lol 

She loves the camera 

The vet said she was in perfect health and was a good girl getting her shot 

Because of social distancing rules. I couldn’t go in with her. 

So I had to let my baby go by herself to get her vaccinations 

I was a nervous mummy waiting for her. But it wasn’t a long wait and the nice nurse was in there. 

No matter where we go. Everyone wants to cuddle and pat her

Which Trixie loves. She’s such a people dog  

The lady at the front counter even gave her a treat for being a good girl 

I bought her a new toy for the same reason lol 

After all the excitement of going out 

Trixie just bombed and slept 

She’s a little sookie right now. I’m typing this with her in my lap. 

But I’m sure she will be fine by tomorrow 

We have had over 28 days with no new cases of corona so we are said to have eradicated it. 

Although with boarders opening up I’m sure we will get a few cases here and there. 

Hopefully nothing more and we can continue to open up 

Looks like we might be able to have a family Christmas 

Stay safe and well 

See ya xx

Feeling happy

Any day I get to see my babies is a great day 

They are growing too quickly 

This year I have missed so much 

I’ll never get that time back 

But the reaction I get every time I see them 

Makes my heart sing 

Counting my blessings 

Stay safe and well 

See ya 

13 days of donuts

Donuts is what we call a zero. Like the Centre of a donut. A big 0

We are all so happy as it means we might get to have a normal Christmas with family and friends 

As long as we continue as we have been 

We are all complaining about the masks 

But if it means I can have my family with me Christmas I’ll happily wear it

For as long as we need. 

This morning  I woke early and hit the ground running. I had a parcel to pick up 

In town and so I decided I was going to keep driving once I’d picked it up and head into bunnings. 

I had plans!

I bought some sugar cane mulch and hydrangeas 

Some pretty foliage plants for shaded areas and headed home to start 

Along the fence it’s really hard to mow or whipper snip so I asked hubby to help me 

Add some compost and then mulch and I planted the hydrangeas inbetween 

The Camillas 

Hopefully they will fill out and stop the weeds growing making it easier to keep the area neat 

I’m facing north as I take the picture so it’s shaded by the fence for most of the 

Day. To the left is the west. So it will get a little bit of sun but there are big trees that will dapple 

The light 

And this bit pot needs some love 

So I added compost and filled it with the plants 

Hopefully they will grow big and lush and look very pretty 

Under my front porch 

Resting now 

I watered everything and all the existing pots 

And I’ve finally come inside as it’s the middle of the day and getting to warm to be outside in the sun

Hope your all doing well with whatever stage of lockdown your in 

Stay safe and well 

See ya xx

A perfect day

Had the best visit from the girls today. 

It’s been months since they have been here 

They sat in the princess chair 

Played with Trixie, who missed them almost as much as I did 

Played peek a boo with wall hangings 

And finally played on the swing set that’s been set up for what seems like forever 

Unfortunately due to lockdowns and bad weather was not used 

Both grandma and Trixie are exhausted but oh so very happy 

Lots of cuddles and laughing running and playing 

These are the things that mean the most. 

Family

Stay safe and well 

See ya xxx

And so it begins

The year is slowly progressing towards Christmas 

And as I still haven’t got carpet in my craft room I can’t start decorating inside. 

So I decided I’d start outside. 

This is the front door. 

The lamps will get turned on during the Christmas week. Or they will 

Use up batteries but the effect of just then standing there is nice i think 

The nutcrackers are flags 

So they don’t take up space at all. 

When my nephew was here working on building the craft room I made this using up scrap timber 

He laughed thinking I had gone insane,  I think that ship has sailed lol 

But over the last two days I turn this 

Into this 

It’s not perfect. But I like it and it will be part of the decorations in the outdoor room 

The weather has been lovely the last few days. Very sunny and warm 

A taste of things to come 

We have now gone nine days of no covid cases 

We have almost all our freedoms back. 

We are able to travel all over our state 

Slowly businesses in hospitality, gyms and public pools are opening up 

There are limits on numbers. But it’s a start 

We still have to wear masks. But I hope that will go soon 

It gets too hot in summer for face coverings 

But we will wait and see how things play out 

Hope your all staying safe and sane in your world 

See ya xx

Looking up

Life has been progressing slowly down under and especially here in Victoria 

We have endured one of the longest and harshest lock downs in the world. But 

It’s worked. 

Even though we have whined and hated it. 

We have missed our families and friends 

Our social life and our pastimes 

But we have crushed the curve and we have had no new cases or deaths for a week now 

So today. The sun is shining 

The birds are singing 

The sound of lawn mowers permeate the air

And life is definitely looking up  for us 

Our state is reunited and there will be no restrictions as to how far we can travel to see our loved ones from midnight tonight 

A great day 

Meanwhile I have been trying to keep busy 

I’ve set up a worm farm under my trees near the veggie patch 

I hope to at least be able to use the worm wee tea on the gardens regularly 

I’ve also hung up, finally! My native bee hotel 

Aussie bees, some species anyway, live solitary lives and they love to live in small holes 

Having planted lots of natives and lots of exotic flowers I’m hoping some native bees and good bugs move in 

If nothing else it looks pretty there. So I’m going to get me some more to hang around 

We lost two trees due to mild flooding. 

This is a wet patch during the normal winter. But this year we had lots and lots of rain 

My swim buddy and neighbour Claire replaced the trees 

She had given me the original ones 

She loves to plant seeds and watch them grow 

So fingers crossed these will take off 

Can’t remember what they are called but they do drink lots of water once they are established and grow. So hopefully by the next 

Wet winter they will be fine and help to drain the excess water away 

Hope your all well and happy 

Stay safe

See ya xxx

Finishing off

Just because veggies gardens are productive doesn’t mean they can’t be pretty too 

This morning I added the tomatoes to the food area so that it’s all in the one spot 

The concrete walls will keel them warm. But unlike the concrete path the mulch will help keep

The soil temp down now the weather is going to start heating up. 

I wanted to pot up the grape cuttings and spaghetti squash 

So off we went to the nursery across the Highway for big pots 

This is what we bought for the grapes. It’s big enough for the roots to really spread out and we I’ll built a trellis for the vines to spread across the 

Back fence and around the side. It will help to create a micro climate and keel the temp down when it’s really hot. Also allowing the warmth in when it drops all its leaves in the winter 

These pots are large and squat. Perfect for growing the squash 

Hopefully the vines spread around the mulch staying clean from dirt 

All four seeds spouted so two in each pot  

It should look nice and lush here soon. 

Not bad for a mornings work 

I’m on the hunt for some timber now for the grape trellis 

Might have to do a bunnings run I think lol 

Stay safe and well 

See ya xx