some gems

Found this little christmas book from 1969 which has lovely pictures,



and lovely letters:










I especially like this last one....

feeling hot!

Feeling all summery here:









Yes that last photo is of a redback I found on the basil just before i ripped it up to put on the gnocchi... Beware!

Chunkychooky's FIVE big questions

This lass is having a 'share' thing and I found the time and inclination to play along. Go check out what funny people would say when asked by going here:



Four things I always carry:
1. A handbag minus my phone – those who really know me are v patient
2. Tight tight shoulders (as above - only not so shapely) &
3. A bustling mind
4. The hope that i won’t lose my stack at seatbelt/shoe/apple/leftvright dilemmas from the son

Four things that are in my bedroom
1. A book or two on the run, plus
2. a Richard Scarry for the morningses
3. at least one basket of clean washing that needs to be folded and rehoused
4. Shadows / shapes at 3am from the trees outside – DINOSAUR!


Four Things that I would like to do but haven't done yet
1. Have a baby (i mean really HAVE one). I may regret this in a month.
2. An open ocean swim
3. Create my forever garden and STAY there
4. Find myself at the front end of a plane on the way to Europe

Four things that you don't know about me:
1. I have a scar of unknown origin on my arm from first year of uni
2. Super navigator – I always know where north is – like a bird
3. I will me making gnocchi from scratch this afternoon
4. Trevor, who taught me to dive, showed me how to survive a tiger shark attack – back to a rock/wall/coral, eyes forward, hold onto your buddy and ready to purge reg if sniffed.

Four things I often wonder
1. Why there are signs on the freeway from Newie to Sydney saying “Mine subsidence causing cracking’ etc but there are never any signs to explain those other cracks that seem to be filled with some rubber stuff...
2. What this looks like from behind
3. Why they would bother asking me not to put extra screws in the wall in a rental house...
4. How decaf can still be satisfying – tea/coffee etc ALL GOOD!
(Sorry edited to include two extra ideas that have just popped up)
5. Is this the cutest photo ever taken...?

6. Could we please make a Happy List or a Nice List - Australia's happiest 50 people... How should it be measured?

my creative space

have been extending last weeks 'cut and stick and stitch' to 'PLAN, cut, stick and stitch'. This has taken some effort.
SO far have made up some of my favourite foods. Not sure how gnocchi would look if a little person was sporting it. Or vegemite toast. Watcha think?




Oh and i got some tags made up in preparation for a homemade christmas!


This parcel is here, and I am wanting to make a quilt with it (and some others). This would be a serious extension of skill and equipment (i currently own a 5 pack of needles)... Any ideas would be very warmly received!

Fleamarket finds...

Love this map desk - was not so much a bargain - someone entrepreneurial had seen the value in this one and MILKED me. But I had to have it...



I now have mine own little work corner. To do STUFF in.

creative spaces

I am not not not a sewer. Unlike my novo mate Mosey who recently made me this bit of gear for her FIRST EVER project, sewing for me has mostly been an avoidance of resewing buttons onto shirts/pants/pjs...



until... i got a good dose of insomnia of late and tried a bit o' applique-ing which i found out involves a needle and thread.



The results:
are not straight,
are not even
have 'charm' +1 sore index finger (ideas please for pinpricks - scared i'll go the same way as sleeping beauty?)

but i am more than proud. And seeing in the wee hours.

Have also been creative in the kitchen - this time savoury. Pork schnitzel being my latest thing:


- pork butterfly steak - beaten
- flour
- egg
-breadcrumb mix (blend up some old sourdough, continental parsley, parmesan and sesame seeds + S&P)
Fry with a bit o oil and eat with carrot salad from here... Mmmmmm

For the good stuff, go over here.

small photographer in the house...

Rex commandeered the point and shoot on saturday... We were reading papers so lacked the enthusiasm to intervene. So this is what he shot...
thrifted 'computer' - new (but old) and clearly very loved

then he got closer


until his viewfinder found round body parts


and rounder and rounder


swam 2.5kms today. That's fifty fifties. I love it.