It has been a long time since I've felt like writing.
Saying goodbye to Venus really knocked me for a loop and I tucked myself away, thinking nothing was worth saying.
But I have been quietly busy, teaching myself new skills.
I have given embroidery a go and despite my lack of patience and preferring fast results, I love sitting quietly, threading the fabric with colour.
I caught covid and when I wasn't in bed sleeping it off, I was tucked up on the couch watching documentaries and series, working away on the countless projects on the go.
My friend is having a baby in October so I made her a Call The Midwife inspired blanket.
And booties from my Nanna's vintage pattern. I'd like to make the whole set but people don't seem to dress their babies in bonnets and mittens any more.
Another friend had twins! So for her I made matching blankets.
Her tiny baby girls can both fit under one blanket at the moment. Too cute!
I've made a couple of dresses for myself.
I used jersey stretch to make this 2 panel dress.
By panel I mean back and front!
No other seams that the shoulders and sides.
Perfectly simple!
I've become obsessed with ribbons and lace and made myself two of these flanelette nightdresses. The other has long sleeves. I didn't use a pattern, just winged it, as I do, and am so please with how it turned out. My boys call them ghost nighties.
The garden has been a very slow point which saddens me because i get so much joy from having a garden.
This giant bed was here when we bought this house last year but I want raised beds as I'm not getting any younger, and high walls will make it a bit harder for chooks and ducks to munch my vegies!
So sand was trucked in and leveled out.
And slowly the grass runners I plant are spreading to give a nice lawned area to enjoy in summer. Toward the fence I will have my raised beds which I excited will order in a couple of weeks. Then I can get back into the joy of growing my food.
Now some unhappy news.
My heartbreak of losing a furry love will be happening again very soon.
Kitty-puss had a large lump on her chest that was removed and sent for testing which came back with the worst results.
Cancer.
An xray was done and has shown that it has spread to her lungs.
The original expectancy of 12 months has been reduced to 6-8 weeks.
So my beautiful, 13 year old Scribble is getting her favourite cooked chicken as often as she likes, and having all the snuggle naps with me we can manage in between work and chores.
It's just not fair.
Im not sure if I have he strength to go through another loss, especially so soon after Venus, but I have no choice.
I must keep in mind that I have tried to give them the best possible lives they could have, and maybe I'll see them again one day.
I welcome its cool air wholly as a break from the delayed but sudden heat of summer.
I open the door at let it in to fill my heart and home.
It brings with it promise of kinder days ahead.
Days with iridescent rainbow clouds.
Clusters of Soul Sister roses.
I think the soul sister that gifted me this rose for my birthday last year sprinkled a bit of her gypsy, hippie, witchy magic on it while sneaking a surprise package into my letterbox this week.
How else do you explain such luscious blooms?!
I think some of her magic dust blew onto the zinnias too.
Such pops of colour.
The world needs it.
Beautiful frozen fireworks that no bee or butterfly could resist.
Fairy umbrellas or parasols?
Their tutu fabric?
This one reminds me of a sea anemone.
And this one of the singing flowers in Alice's Wonderland garden.
Ahh.. all in a golden afternoon.
These pinkies keep my climbing rose company as it makes its journey over the archway by the gate.
Autumn has crept silently into my life for another year and I am so grateful.
My favourite time of year.
It's almost as though everything slows down so much and becomes quiet enough to hear the Earth taking a breath.
I was inspired to sew myself some skirts.
Complete with wide elastic belting to cover my mum-tum and 'love' handles.
Having a short torso, huge sticky-outty handles and long legs makes it hard to fit nicely into clothes and cause many pouty days of dressing tantrums, and a lingering feeling a being nothing more than a lump ol' caterpillar.
But sewing these skirts to suit my body type, my style and comfort makes me feel like I've transformed into a butterfly!
Way to go me, for lifting my own spirits, being motivated and creative.
I sit in my slowly evolving nest, safe space, home and garden and watch the sky declare it is dusk.
I take in the colours, the brisk air, the birds settling in for the night, the peace.
Then inside I go.
To serve a lovingly cooked meal to my family (another accomplishment, cooking and I have had a bitter hiatus but I'm forcing myself to be better - I repeat.. anxiety sucks!)
I shower and maybe watch some TV with Boof while I work on some new twinsy blankets.
Or I crawl straight into bed and if the day hasn't taken too much out of me, I'll read a chapter or two.
Currently The women's Doc by Caroline De Costa.
But very soon my eyes sting with tiredness so I turn off the light and daydream until sleep finds me for its midnight mind movies.
I've been flat out busy chasing my tail one day and staring at the ceiling bored the next!
I am enjoying being on holidays, who wouldn't, right?
My boys are away for a few weeks so I'm feeling a bit out of sorts which will probably reflect in this post.
We did sneak in a very quick trip to the beach the day before they left.
We were there not even an hour and got quite burnt.
I hadn't realized how hot it was.
Later in the afternoon I popped the sprinkler on to water the vege garden and the ducks took advantage of the cool spray.
That is Sniffles watching me take pictures, a very wary duck who gets her name from her regular sneezing.
Scooter is head down-bum up as always. She gets her name from the way she scoots around the back lawn chasing flies.
I had another go at wood burning.
This is just a furniture leg/foot/thingo from Bunnings that I burned the designs (found on Pinterest) onto.
I pencilled them on freehand but couldn't erase the leftover visible pencil off after, so I hope I remember that next time.
Also found on Pinterest was this cool idea for recycling toilet paper rolls.
The video showed measuring but I am not one for such formalities, so the roll was cut into strips and hot-glued into a snowflake design.
*note to self, must remember to respect carpet and not use hot-glue on it!!
I have only made two so far.
The first I painted after assembling but it was quite tricky to get into all the little nooks so the second I spray painted.
Again a bit fiddly and seemed to waste a bit of paint trying to get all the hidey bits.
I have pre-painted a few rolls to make some more.
Add glitter at the end and voila, festiveness!
I've been working through some books in the quiet time.
I read 'Mum, I Wish I Was Dead' by Adam Schwartz. A recount of a a teenage boys battle to overcome depression. His openness gives valuable insight that has, and will continue to help families in similar situations.
I started a few pages of 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' by Lionel Shriver but couldn't get into it. It's tale is based on a fictional school shooting and is formatted in the way of letters from the shooter's mother to his father. From what I read in those few pages it seemed hard to grasp onto as there was far too much information or 'scene setting' in the memories recounted in the letters that wouldn't typically need to be described to someone who was actually there. So simply for the formatting, I didn't enjoy the read but will try again.
I am almost halfway through 'The Denniston Rose' by Jenny Pattrick. A book given to me by Elvis' mum with a good review. I am so far really enjoying it.
Yesterday I bought 'The Year Of The Farmer' by Rosalie Ham, who also wrote 'The Dressmaker'. I haven't read that but love the movie so will one day get a copy.
I also bought 'In Pieces', Sally Fields' memoir. I adore her acting so am eager to read about her life. I had only seen a few movies with her (Forrest Gump, Mrs Doubtfire..) but a few years ago was introduced to Gidget and holy guacamole she is the cutest, sassiest, and most down-to-earth person you could hope to be friends with! Haha!
The sun is shining beautifully outside and I knew I should've gone out and enjoyed it earlier, now the sea breeze has set in and is making a pain of itself as it often does to my hot little temper, blowing the curtain in my face so I can't see and making me cold.
Big problems hey??
Well I have babbled on more than enough now.
I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and were safe and happy surrounded by friends and family.
I will definitely make the most of my late Christmas when my babies get home in over a week. Until then...
Oh, I wanted to share a funny picture of my silly cat.
Ever since the first day bringing her home from the adoption shelter she has been a tongue-poker!
It's like she just forgets to put it back after cleaning or yawning!
So funny :)
Ooohh and one more thing I wanted to share..
I was recently loaned a copy of 'Walk the Line', the movie about Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.
I do wish I was warned about a sad part very early in the movie, probably would've howled my eyes out regardless, but I LOVED it and have been youtubing clips of Johnny and June since.
I feel like it has been so busy around here lately but I have no idea what I've been doing!
We had some family visit for a few days which was super special to me as I don't get many visitors, especially family.
I gave Elvis' mum a copy of the novel, The Help and we have both raved about it since.
Such a great book, and movie too!
I've just started reading the fourth instalment of the Miss Peregrine's series but have already decided after it I will read The Help again, it was just so good!
I had a go at making a lemon and poppy seed cake, it was nice but a little dense..
like me, hehe ;)
There was also a pavlova made.
Always such a pretty thing to make.
My kids and I call it pavola these days ~ we saw a funny kids tv show about primary school student antics (just a fun fictional show) with an episode about their teacher making a birthday pavlova, but one boy called it pavola, it stuck with us :)
More cinnamon rolls were made.
A double batch even!
These were for my staff morning tea and seemed to be a hit.
I don't want to look at another one for a while now!
This is something a little special I want to share..
This is Elvis'
secret~but~I~think~he~knows
Christmas present.
I bought the wood burning tool at the hardware store for a decent price and had so much fun making this present!
Elvis is obsessed with smoking bbq, I'm sure he dreams about it!
He chews up his phone internet data on youtube videos on smoking meats.
For his birthday a few months ago I surprised him (but he knew, goshdarnit) with an offset smoker. I can be a real good girlfriend at times.
He always has to google what the correct temperature for particular meats are though so I thought a little board to hang by the smoker would be handy.
I can't take credit for the images, which I found on Pinterest, so thank you to that clever person!
I've had a hankering for some hot bread smothered in butter and honey so tonight I gave it a whirl.
Ive had zero success with bread making in the past but thought my cinnamon rolls worked perfectly and who could fail with my you-beaut oven?! ;)
Well, to set the record straight, I can fail with my you-beaut oven hehe
But the bread worked out just fine.
Globs of butter and oodles of oozy honey
*heaven*
It's the simple delights that are all I need sometimes and it felt really good to achieve something, even if it is small, private and downright uneventful as making a ball of bread (I don't think it deserves 'loaf' title).
So I ate and ate, and ate some more until I thought I would burst!
But you know what...
There's another ball/baby loaf on the kitchen bench and I'll do it again tomorrow! ;)
The summer veggie garden is really coming along and we are already watching lots of tomatoes forming, zucchini babies stretching, and harvesting the mature crop of carrots.
The bugs must be holidaying at the neighbours because the plants are finally getting a chance to do their thing.
So exciting!
I love being in my garden, and being able to use it to feed my family is so satisfying.
I send my thanks out (probably not as often as I should) for my little safe place.
Some days its all I have.
But its all I need for me n my lil family :)
Time to get some nunighs, maybe I'll dream of homegrown beefsteak tomatoes and basil on homemade bread, mm mmm!
