Sleep

I think I was a bit more than knackered last night. I didn't feel 100% but not enough to do a RAT or really worry. I sat up late watching Merlin (a TV show from over 10 years ago that is on Netflix but about to be pulled so I want to watch them all) and then went to bed and read for a bit. I didn't wake up until 11.15!! And it was genuine sleep not lying there with my eyes closed summoning the courage to get up.

It is now mid afternoon and I have done nothing but faff around on the computer. I have too much stuff I HAVE to read! I think I need to get rid of facebook. I don't do much on facebook but the socks. Oh my goodness all those socks. And that leads to checking out Ravelry and down another rabbit hole I go.

A few bloggers have mentioned Christmas baking. Something I have never really done but I am now hankering to try my hand at a home made Christmas cake. I have left it too late to really let it cure but I will see if I can find a nice boozy recipe for a rich dark cake. I might even give shortbread a go - I have many recipes for shortbread but it is so delicious and buttery it never lasts long in this house.

Speaking of baking, this popped up in my facebook memories today. My dear old dad the day after Mum's funeral. We took him to the park behind the aged care facility they lived in and he sat there watching model aeroplanes flying whilst eating goodies that Amy had baked. He loved a sweet treat, did Dad. Him, I do miss even though we weren't that close - again a generational thing. He was a very clever man and a true gentle man. He was 95 in this photo and died 5 months later.

Tapping Tuesday

I have been out for most of the day and I am knackered. 

If you don't like tap dancing, I shall see you tomorrow.

But really, what's not to like? 

 

And yet another how we met story ...

The ever wise Ms Moon recently posted about how she and Mr Moon met all those moons ago (I couldn't help myself).

Several others have shared their stories so here is mine. Nowhere near as romantic but it makes for a blog post!

In the mid '70s I had left home and was living by myself and working in an administrative role for Lifeline. One day I was walking to the station and had a panic attack. I thought everyone was looking at me. (To be fair, I was walking through what was then a large Greek area of Melbourne, with lots of coffee shops frequented by many Greek men, and as a young 17 year old with long legs in a short skirt it is possible they were looking!) I fled back to work and the director was still there. We had a chat and he said counselling would help but they couldn't provide it as I worked there and he recommended another organisation close by.

For several months I saw a social worker once a week and we worked on lots of things that stemmed from my upbringing. Eventually she announced that I would benefit from being in a group environment as that would allow me to engage with others in a safe space. I was painfully shy and didn't cope with meeting new people. Remember this was the 70s. The decade of encounter groups, Transactional Analysis, Gestalt Therapy, and all the navel gazing that went on in that decade of introspection.

I was enrolled in a group with 5 other participants and two social workers who led it. At the ripe old age of 18 I was way the youngest. There was a bloke who was a bit vague about why he was there - we thought he was looking for subject matter for his writing. There was a woman who was trying to work out how to live in/get out of an abusive relationship (her husband raped her - bloke A said how could he rape you if you are married. Yes, that attitude was alive and well in 1975). Two other people were there to work out marriage issues (not as serious as the first woman). Then there was Himself and me. 

Himself had married young. He had been going out with his first wife since they were in their very early teens and their parents had decided when they were 19 and 21 that it was time they got married so they did. Step son arrived a couple of years later. It was a classic case of two young people marrying way too young and then growing up and apart during the marriage. Infidelity on both sides and in the end first wife announced she was leaving. They agreed to marriage counselling and ended up in the same organisation as I was. She went to another encounter group and he came to mine.

As the only two single people (although technically he wasn't but he had nobody to go home to) we would sometimes catch up for a drink after the group and he drove me home a few times as I didn't drive and I lived a fair way out of town. Late trains and all they entailed.

Over the months we all got to know each other well and as a group we were trying to work out how Himself and first wife could resolve their differences. We did the inevitable 70s group exercises and would take it in turns with who we paired up. Remember that old trust exercise where you fall back and trust the person will catch you? Himself and I were the only two that trusted each other enough.

Time went on and the inevitable happened. When Himself told first wife that he had developed feelings for me she decided to return home. Her words "I might not want you but no one else is going to have you". He went and spoke to the priest that married them looking for advice. You can imagine what THAT was. He would declare we were over then come and see me - again and again.

We continued in this on again off again limbo for a while and then I said "By xxx date you must make a decision. Either leave her or leave me but I cannot go on like this."

The date arrived and I was sitting at home when the door burst open and Himself stood there with a 6 pack of beer announcing he had made his decision. I still remember his long hair and bearded face grinning as he waved those beers around!

We had our ups and downs but married in '77 and although it hasn't always been smooth sailing I can't imagine living with anyone else. He knows me better than anyone which can be bloody annoying but is also so, so lovely.

First wife and I eventually became friends. She would come for dinner and stay the night when stepson was little. We called ourselves wives-in-law. We were very similar in a lot of ways.

Eventually she moved to Queensland and stepson followed. Sadly she developed a melanoma and despite an amputation and treatment it spread. I remember her ringing me and asking for my honest opinion as an oncology nurse. I told her and she thanked me. In her final days I rang stepson to see how she was doing. A voice from the background yelled "I'm not dead yet!" 

Of course there were issues along the way and we would never consider ourselves best friends but at least, on the whole, it was civilised. She once suggested we all live together. That was a step too far for me. 

When we got married many people (including my mother!) gave us a year. 45 years later we say we are just too lazy to change. But deep down I know the truth.

Sunday snips.

On Monday I knelt down on a hard concrete floor. When I got up there was a scrape shaped bruise sort of thing on me knee. Nothing big or scary or painful. Yesterday morning I woke up to this ...

The scratches are from where I pruned the roses yesterday (they never give up without a fight). The scar is from my knee replacement. The bruise is discolouring rapidly - today it's a deep purple with yellow highlights - so I have no idea what caused the damage or when it happened. 

Tonight for dinner we are having chicken and vege bake with our own spuds and zucchinis. The spuds are interesting. A couple look completely different from the rest. I wonder if they were the original seed spuds.

 

My mother died 9 years ago last Thursday. My brothers and I placed death notices in a couple of papers including The Age - our Melbourne rag that prides itself on being for thinking people. It took two very long phone calls where every word had to spelled out (I was talking to people in the Philippines we think). They sent me the draft after the first phone call and it was wrong, wrong, wrong. I rang them back and finally got something we could agree on. My very quiet, non-confrontational brother wrote to them. This is his email and their reply. (It popped up in my facebook memories this morning). He then received an email saying the case had been resolved and asking for feedback!

Mother and I did not have a good relationship although we did get a bit closer in her final years. This would have made her laugh. I miss her - although I think what I really miss is the relationship we never had.

Who will win?

Fresca asked "where do you write your blog?"

I might upload photos onto mine on my phone and, if pushed - like yesterday - will write words as well, but normally I sit at my desk on my PC.

Looking around my desk is this view. Yes, it is a mess. It is my craft room full of stuff. Through the window is my front garden and I can see people walk by if I am so inclined.

This is to the right of my PC

and this is to the left. 

To my very right is a window that looks onto the driveway. Not terribly interesting but I do get the morning sun.

Above my desk (looking up) is a cork board but it has all sorts of personal stuff on it and I couldn't be bothered taking a photo and removing all my details. Trust me. It's full of memorabilia and bills.

It was quite warm today. We wandered around to vote at the primary school in the next street. For all the reporting about early voters we expected it to be quiet. Not at all. They had been hammered since the doors opened at 8.00am. 

Both our candidates were at the polling station. The Liberal candidate was going up to people and introducing herself. She is a personable lass. The Labor candidate is well known to many (Paul Mercurio - starred in Strictly Ballroom all those years ago and is the son of Gus Mercurio, a boxer and sporting commentator from many moons ago). Interestingly he seemed very shy and stood under a tree with his minder and didn't speak to anyone. His minder spruiked him up. According to one news outlet we are the most marginal seat in the state.

Regardless of who you follow it will be an interesting night. My only hope is that someone wins outright and doesn't have to form a minority government with the Greens or other minor parties. We are in too much financial/political strife to be held to ransom by people with specific agendas.

Once home I gave all my roses a tip prune, ripped out veges that had gone to seed and ... drum roll please ... harvested my first spud!

 I was giving all the pots and planters a good water and thought I would have a peek. I sprayed the hose into the spud tub and this little fellow tumbled out.

Two games of scrabble and Himself won both. I am still three up for the month but we have 4 days left. Anything could happen.

We always play music when we play scrabble. I have a scrabble playlist on Spotify. Today we listened to Ms Moon's Thanksgiving playlist that she gave us a link to in her Thanksgiving post. Himself stated that the Moons and the Merlots have very similar taste in music!

Time to go and watch some of the election coverage before I have to drown myself in gin.

 I am sitting outside the hospital waiting for Himself to have his procedure. I could be here some time!

The number of near misses and road rage incidents as I sit here are fascinating. And they all involve very expensive vehicles!

And what does one do when one has to wait for potentially hours? One knits socks. These are for Sally.

This is on my wish list once I have mastered colour work. Yes. I am bored sitting here!

Anyway. Typing on my phone is a pain the proverbial. I hope Himself's proverbial is behaving.

I'll let you know tomorrow. 

It begins

 

Himself had his last solid food at around 10am. He is now on clear liquids and has just started to take the prep. In an hour or so the fun begins. Notice how the Picolax is described as having a pleasant lemon taste? Yeah, no.

His instruction sheet only mentioned the colonlytely but he was given two sachets of each. I rang the rooms and the chick I spoke to didn't seem to really know but we decided to alternate. When I was looking for the images I found one practice that said picolax the day before and colonlytely the day of. Too late. He's already started on the colonlytely. Either way he is getting a double dose so he should be well and truly cleaned out.

TMI? 

I caught up with J for brunch and we had a pleasant couple of hours chatting and knitting. I finished the pair of socks (my pair had 3 - sort of like a baker's dozen I suppose) and they are both the same length. Thank god - I didn't have enough yarn left for another one! 

I am going to knit my next pair with contrasting cuff, heel and toe. I have some beautiful yarn to knit Himself a pair but need to perfect the technique first. As I will be hanging around Malvern waiting for him to finish his procedure for heaven only know how long, I shall get plenty of knitting done tomorrow. Parking is abysmal around the hospital and the paid parking is horrendous so I am hoping I can find a side street not too far away with unrestricted parking.

Dinner tonight will be rice with butter and cheese. Comfort food from my childhood and something Himself won't be envious of. Although he did say the dogs' meat was even looking appetising. I offered to cook some for him for tomorrow night when he can eat again.

Frances, for some reasons your comments went to spam. I have no idea why but am checking every day now.

Wednesday

Yesterday I did the two (and a bit) hour resin art workshop. It cost us $150 each and we made two things each. Considering the cost of the raw ingredients and the knowledge of the teacher I think it was good value. I don't know that I could invest that every week as many do, but I guess if you want to do this as a hobby it could be cheaper than investing in a helluva lot of equipment. It is NOT an environmentally friendly practice, that is for sure. Nothing is reusable. The plastic/paper cups you mix the resin in, the sticks you use to mix it, the plastic cloths you need to cover every single surface - that stuff is sticky. And the resin and the colours you mix in aren't cheap. 

Anyway, we had a great time and these are what I made. The top is a trinket dish about 20cm long and the bottom is a cheese board. They should be properly cured in a few days and I can pick them up.

Another craft that seemed like witchcraft but now that I know how to do the basics I am happy. Ticked off my bucket list. If you wanted to make a lot of stuff to sell at craft markets and could get a decent return it might be a reasonable idea as the basic stuff doesn't take long at all. The teacher had some amazing work which would have taken a long time as she built up the layers of resin. You would need a dedicated space, though, which couldn't be harmed with spillages.

It was chilly again today but we didn't get any significant rain. Himself has buggered his back and went to the physio. He came home all taped up. Tomorrow he starts his prep for a colonoscopy on Friday. The hospital he is having it done at is a good hour and a bit drive from here and then I will have to hang around until god only know what time as he is last on the pm list. 

Fish and chips tonight - his last proper meal for a couple of days.

Use by or best before

I'm not sure if other countries have this but in Australia any food that is packaged must have either a use by date or a best before date. The former is used for foods that will perish and could become harmful. Think animal proteins, dairy products and the like. Best before is a guide. So you can buy an iceberg lettuce and keep it as long as you see fit - Himself can make them last up to three weeks still crispy. If you buy said lettuce prepackaged (why would you) then there has to be a date on the packaging. This link explains it better than I have. Whilst is says that foods with a longer than 2 year shelf life don't have to have these dates on them, I have found many that do.

I wonder how much perfectly good food gets tossed because it is past its best before date.

Our local new whizz bang deli obviously got a bit excited and bought a truckload of South Cape Brie cheese.

It has a best before date of 16th October. Anyone who knows soft cheese knows that they improve with age (within reason, of course). The deli is selling these beauties for $3.99 each, 3 for $10 or a box of 6 for $12.00. We are on our third box of 6!

Yesterday I had the crumpets that Three made. What do you have with crumpets? Honey of course.

I am very particular with my honey. I refuse to buy a particular brand because it is rumoured they add Chinese honey to their Australian brand. I buy Beechworth Bee Cause honey because it is a) locally grown and b) supports the ongoing health of the Australian bee keeping industry. And c) it's bloody good honey! As I was drizzling the delicious gooeyness onto my crumpets I noticed it had a best before date of 2014. Considering edible honey has been found in archaeological digs going back thousands of years, I find a 2 year expiry date a bit disconcerting! Obviously if you contaminate your honey it may go mouldy - or the contaminant might. Honey can crystalise and grow cloudy if the conditions aren't the best but I have never heard of honey, pure honey, ever going off in the container it was sold in.

How many foods have these silly best before dates and how much ends up in landfill or down the drain. Manufacturers must be rubbing their hands with glee at all the extra products they can sell with this legislation.

Done

Today was the last day of the Women in Workshops 6 week sessions. We had a ball. The men were delightful and apart from the odd one or two, I don't think there were any issues with the men. It was organised is such a way that it would not detract from their time in their Shed. Those that wanted to get involved did, and those didn't weren't put out.

The six women leaned so much and the confidence in ourselves blossomed over the 6 weeks. One woman set herself a project to make one thing every week and she did it - with help from the blokes.

We had picture frames, miniature beach boxes and dolls houses, a cheese press, plant holders, spice racks, tool boxes, lazy susans and, off course, a bread bin.

This shows the bread cutting board slid out of the bin. It just needs to be oiled. I shall use vegetable oil so it's not overpowering with smell or taste. It was made using a hard wood so the knives won't scratch it as badly as they would with pine.

This was taken at the shed just as I'd finished putting the handle on.

And these show it in it's gorgeous honey coloured glory. I need to let it rest for a day or so and then add another coat of beeswax. I love the shine on the front. It is flawed. Oh, it is flawed! But every little thing is a learning thing. Every time I look at it I will smile at the happy memories of making it and with pride of having done it.

This is the plant holder one of the women made. It will hang on a fence. The triangles will hang in a tree with a plant pot in the hole.

The only downside was standing for long periods which really buggered my back. I must take this into consideration when I do any future courses.

Tomorrow I have a 2 hour workshop on making things using resin. 

Right now it's time to set up the scrabble, pour a gin and get the towels ready as Himself has taken the dogs for a walk and it's just started piddling down.

Social Sumday

For someone who values her peace and quiet we had a busy day. 

I finally rolled out of bed after forcing my eyes open. It rained on and off overnight which was pleasant to listen to (as long as you didn't think about the poor buggers in the flood hit areas) and somehow I knackered my back. I walked like an 80 year old. It has still been dodgy today and my neck has been spasming as well. Himself told me to get a massage but I am a bit wary when my back is bad unless I know the person knows what they are doing. Angela, would you be able to message me with the name of your ouchie person? That's if she's taking new clients.

I sanded off the breadbox and attached the lid, filled the holes and left them to dry.

I then came upstairs and baked a batch of caramel slice to take to the Shed tomorrow as part of our thank you afternoon tea for the blokes. While that was baking I "burnt" the butter for some chocolate chip biscuits and popped it in the fridge to set.

And then we were graced with a visit from Three and his lot. Sally bought some fancy toy she got for her birthday and spent most of the day playing with it. It involved building shapes out of very small plastic blocks, spraying them with water to make them sticky and something else. At the end she will have models of things. Or something.

This one was happy to sit in her highchair and eat biscuits.

Those curls. I just love them.

 She constantly wanted to play row row row your boat with the rowing action where she just rocks back and forth (very cute) and open shut them. 

The novelty quickly wears off but when a chubby toddler waddles over to you and says "wow wow" what do you do?

Amy had baked some loaded chocolate cookies for us. Oh my giddy aunt they were loaded. They are now known as Diabetes cookies! Three brought some home made crumpets. I am looking forward to them for breakfast. Or maybe even a before bed snack.

I made and baked MY chocolate chip biscuits which were also nice - and less full of chocolate! Hers had nearly 2kgs of chocolate!

After they left, Deb, who runs the Women in Workshop program popped in so Himself could do something woodworky for her. Her son was with her and we all had a pleasant chat.

They left. I sanded and shellacked the bloody bread bin and then thrashed Himself twice at scrabble.

Dinner was quiche and salad and I am now going to watch some telly before bed.

Chill

A bitty day.

I didn't sleep well (don't know why) and woke up anxious so consequently I lay there with my eyes closed pretending the world didn't exist. What? Doesn't everyone do this?!

Baked a loaf of bread, fed One's dogs, sanded and shellacked the bread box (I'll post photos when it's done), went to the deli for cold meat and something for dinner, made sandwiches for a late lunch and disappeared down the rabbit hole that is colourwork! I bought the child's version of the pattern I will be making. It is suggested that swatches (practice bits) be knitted but I hate doing swatches so I thought I would have a go at knitting a teeny tiny jumper (for a teeny tiny Henry) and if I stuff it up the amount of yarn wasted would be minimal. I have heaps in my stash so I may as well put it to use.

This will be after I knit the third sock in the pair I am currently knitting after the second one ended up two inches too short. I have no idea what I did but I obviously stuffed up my measuring monumentally. At least they are ankle socks so a) I had enough yarn left and b) it won't take too long. God, I am frustrated with myself.

Another day where the weather doesn't seem to know what it wants to do. Warm, dry, wet, cool.

I have an appointment with my psychologist at 5pm. Strange for a Saturday but there just aren't enough appointments to go around at the moment. 

I had better go and get myself organised. 

Later ...

It was an interesting visit to the psychologist. We talked about anxiety and the physical reaction to it. One things I didn't realise was that our temperature rises. So a simple way to ease the physical symptoms is to cool off. Ice packs, cold cloths, wet wipes, stand in front of a fan and so on. I shall report back.

He won at scrabble and is now cooking dinner.

And this is for Ms Moon ...

Religion and other sorcery

So I have been watching the White Queen and being set in the 1400s religion plays a big role.

Yet another reason I am a non-believer. Everyone prayed that their enemies would be defeated/die a horrible death and they would reign as victor. Everyone. Praying to the same god. I think it is safe to say god had nothing to do with it but the stronger army won (or the most underhanded - whatever).

The queen and her mother were decried as witches and a sorcerer was brought in to weave a more powerful spell. Why were they witches? A storm developed which ended up in the death of someone's son and heir which meant the king and queen had one less opponent (or something along those lines - I was knitting socks at the same time) so obviously they must have cast a spell.

It is very easy to look back down the centuries and laugh at such silly beliefs until one thinks about today and QAnon and conspiracy theorists and extreme religious nutters and realise that, sadly, nothing has changed. Except we no longer drown witches.

A glorious day today. The weekend has more storms forecast but today reminded us that we do live in a sunburnt country. 

I caught up with J and C at the yarn shop and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours choosing yarn for our colourwork projects which we will start next year; probably around March as the yarn has to be ordered.

These are my colours. The top one is what I will do the colour work in and bottom will be the main body. 

And this is the pattern I will be using.

Now I just have to hope for a very cold winter! The others will be using sock or fingering weight yarn. I am using DK which is twice as thick but the pattern the others are using doesn't do fat.

One and his lot are at a wedding this weekend so we have fed their dogs. Does anyone else find it strange going into someone's home when they aren't there? Even family?

Happy Birthday.

Today our granddaughter Audrey turns 5.

This was taken on a camping trip earlier this year. We don't see them that often because they live on the Central Coast of NSW.

She is real cutey and has bundles of character. Huge blue eyes that look like sapphires, strawberry blonde hair and a cheeky grin that you can't help smile at.

From now on she will have to share her birthday. At 4.18 this morning her baby brother was born.

Welcome Henry Edmond. 3.75 kgs and 52 cms. (a smidge over 8lbs and just over 20 inches long).

I'm not sure if it's the lighting or if he had a rough arrival although I am assured everyone is fine. 

They are home now.

 And that is it for me today. I am over the moon at finally getting a grandson. I only had sons and was thrilled when we got granddaughters but little boys are special. They melt your heart.

Not a good day for the world

A bit of silliness cos I think the world needs it right now.

When I read the news about the shelling of the Polish village all I could hear was my late father-in-law's voice with his thick Polish accent "Bluddy Rrrrrrusian bastard". He had no love for the Russians. Contrary to popular knowledge, it wasn't just the Germans that invaded Poland in WW2. About three weeks after the German invasion the Russians took the opposite side. My father-in-law was arrested by the Russians as a dissident and sentenced to death which was commuted to life with hard labour. He was sent to the Siberian salt mines. When the Russians and the Germans fell out he, and many others, were released and he went on to fight with the allies in the Middle East and Italy. I am sure I have talked about this before. Anyway, he would not have been happy with today's news. And one has to wonder if history is about to repeat itself. Please no.

Then I heard that the great Orange One announced his bid for the next USA election. Apparently not all were that enthusiastic about the news and many media outlets chose not to cover or cut him short. You'd think he'd get the message but megalomaniacs tend not to see these facts even when thrust under their blobby orange noses.

The calendar tells me we are a couple of weeks out from Summer. The weather tells me we are back in the depths of Winter. Last week it was air-conditioning - today is central heating and hot water bottles at bed time. The funny thing is that we complain about this every year but when I look back it's the same thing every Spring. 

We played scrabble this afternoon. I showed Himself a better move and he consequently won but in the next game I annihilated him. He is now cooking dinner. 

Netflix

I watched a really good series called Marco Polo. It isn't that new (in fact the Harvey Weinstein production logo at the beginning was quite off-putting!) but it was so good. If you like historical dramas I highly recommend it. It is a bit violent but so were the times. The acting is outstanding as is the casting. The scenery is breath taking. The costumes are stupendous. It went over two seasons so lots of evening knitting and viewing.

When I finished it I was hunting around for something else to watch. I have started a few historical shows but none really grabbed me. Last night I settled on The White Queen about Lady Elizabeth Grey who married Edward IV. Think of the Wars of the Roses and the houses of York and Lancaster. It is based on an historical novel so considered fiction but based on fact. I am enjoying it but it pales against the excellent production of Marco Polo. The costumes look machine sewn. Everyone is too clean. It just doesn't feel real like a good historical piece does. But I will continue watching it as nothing else appeals at the moment.

Today planet Earth reached a population of 8 billion. We are fucked.

Stop.

More heavy rain overnight. 

This is the town where a friend lives...

Like any of these things it hits home just that bit more when you know someone directly affected

I know people who have lost everything in bushfires - my parents included.

I know people who have survived the horror of cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons depending on where you live).

To live in Australia means you live with these things and we accept them as the price we pay for living in this wonderful country but for the love of all things holy can the rain please just stop.

Say no more

 

Don't knock it til you've tried it. It has a very pleasant taste and you hardly notice the crunchy bits. Very nice with a soft brie whilst playing scrabble.

Enough

I am an atheist, as I have mentioned before. I was brought up Anglican (Easter and Christmas - you know the sort). I went through a couple of intensely religious phases in my teens - as you do - so I do know the bible. Which is probably one of the reasons I am now an atheist.

I respect all religions. I respect your right to follow your own faith and practice your beliefs as long as you don't harm others. 

AS. LONG. AS. YOU. DON'T. HARM. OTHERS.

Nothing makes my blood boil more than religion being used as an excuse for oppression and cruelty. My heart bled when the Taliban took back Afghanistan. My heart bleeds for those who suffer in the name of religious extremes regardless of the brand. There are some pretty awful stories among all faiths. Hard-line Christians aren't exactly full of Christ's love when it comes to certain members of society. In fact hard-liners of any description are not the kindest of people when dealing with anyone different or who expresses a different version of life.

The recent death of Mahsa Amini has been in the news. Her death was another example of persecution and oppression, in this instance in the name of religion disguised as government. 

Rightly so, people around the world are voicing their outrage. Steve Reed posted about some interesting graffiti on his blog. Go and have a read. It's inspiring.

And then there is this family putting it all so well and to music to boot ...

Remembrance Day

 

Will we ever learn?

An unsettled day both in the weather and my mood. I think the two are very much related today.

I baked some burnt butter chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) I found on a blog. (I had to go looking as I couldn't remember which one! It was here.) I found them a bit too sweet but might give the concept another go and tweak things a bit. You brown the butter and then let it come back to room temperature texture in the fridge so it adds a nuttiness to the biscuit but, as I said, a lot of sugar and 400gms of chocolate chips (recipe called for 360 - 480 gms so I settled for 400 which was two packets). I am glad they are too sweet for me - it means I won't be tempted as they are deliciously chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside.

Himself wants to remove the wooden palings from the decking surround and replace them with marine grade wire. We had this in our previous place. It will open the area up a bit and the dogs can't chew it! He will do it himself, of course, so has gone to check out somewhere that does metal fixings. 

Last night when he was out the dishwasher started leaking. In the past I would have turned it off and waited for him to come home. The little bit I have done with women in workshops gave me the confidence to do a bit of trouble shooting and investigation. The kick plate under the kitchen bench isn't fixed so I took it out and couldn't see an actual source of water. I did notice that when I opened the dishwasher door to turn it off (it's integrated so the controls are inside the door) a saucepan handle was hard up against the door. I moved it and shut the door and cleaned up the water. After not finding an obvious leak I restarted the dishwasher with towels handy. Ta daa! I had found and fixed the problem. All without the inevitable wailing and gnashing of teeth had I waited for him to come home and over-react!

This is one of my favourite photos. It is of Two and me on his wedding day. I was so proud of him and happy for them both. His photographer got some great candid shots that day.

Thursday thinking

The rains are coming - again! Hopefully they will be short lived and not too heavy.

I sanded my bread bin bits - 120 grit and 240 grit and tomorrow I will hand sand them with 500 and 800. I hope A approves of my efforts!

There is a lovely professional dog walker who we met at one of the parks we go to. She is more of a dog whisperer and has taken a liking to our two - especially our big boy. She has started up a dog grooming business so on Saturday she is going to do the two of them for us. I am sure I could find someone less expensive but I know she will be gentle with them, she won't muzzle them and they love her. Himself took them for a walk this morning through the local bush and then to the park for a run so he could chat to Katie about the washes. They are now completely stuffed.

I love the blogging community (or at least the blogs I read!) because everyone is so supportive of one another and yet random anonymous gits leave nasty comments here and there. What cowards they are and do they really think they are clever? Yet again the interwebs makes me question whether we really are better off with all this technology. It seems we are losing the ability to be courteous and kind. 

And what about all these hacks that are happening? Scams are one thing - surely by now people should know not to click on links or share financial details but when some pimply face wanker from god knows where hacks into what are supposed to be highly protected sites with sophisticated security and steals highly personal information and tries to ransom people? I shudder to think what the future is going to look like. We are at the mercy of these idiots and the companies that don't do enough to protect our information.

Himself has an appointment with his psychologist this evening. He has gone for a drive to get his head in the right place. I take this as a good thing. I hope. It's quite late in the evening so no idea what we will have for dinner or when we will have it. I suggested he pick up a pizza on the way home. He didn't respond!

Later

We are having pizza for dinner. The rains have passed for now but there is more on the horizon.

I am knitting my short sock and so far so good. I might even finish it in the next couple of days. I think I might need a pair of these:

Weary Wednesday

 

Well I did it. I went out three days in a row. I had a ball every day but I am now officially exhausted.

It was lovely catching up with sister in law. 6 months is too long. Actually, it is more like 7 months since we caught up. We had a lot to talk about and could have kept on going for several more hours. There is always next time.

We always ended our days out with a visit to Koko Black for a chocolate affogato (me) and a chocolate mousse and peppermint tea (her). To our horror it was no longer there and when we tracked it down it was just a chocolate shop - no café. We found another place which was acceptable but we were still disappointed. At least our favourite Papa Rich Malaysian restaurant hadn't gone and we had a delicious lunch.

It has been warm but storms are around so the barometer is up and down. Add to that today was the worst day for pollen levels this season and it hasn't been a comfortable day.

While I was out Himself sanded down my spare board to show me that I can use the finishing sander to get the worst of the roughness out. This will certainly make the job easier. That is on tomorrow's list.

For now, a gin and tonic and an anti-histamine to stop the itching eyes.

Dot point Tuesday

• I spent the day at my favourite yarn shop with J and C. Lots of chatter and solving the problems of the world.
• The single sock will remain single.
• I bought some more sock yarn and started another sock. I want to knit a short pair to wear with sneakers over summer. And they take less time.
• I stuffed something up and ripped out 10 rows of rib.
• I had a doctor's appointment I arrived early for so recast on while sweating in the car - yes the temps have hit the high 20s - the car said it was 30*C.
• Saw doctor and got certificate for centrelink. Hopefully this will be the last one I need - she dated it until the day I am eligible for the aged pension which is a couple of weeks longer than usually accepted. Let's see what they say.
• I am catching up with sister in law tomorrow and have bought her yarn and needles to knit socks.
• Three social days in a row. I will be hibernating until Monday. Anyway, I have sanding to do.

Vindication

Today was the Women in Workshop day.

I took my trusty pieces of stained bread box in with the intention of glueing and screwing them together.

We had a really interesting first part where we learned how to change tap washers, how to install flywire and how to trouble shoot different types of door hinges.

Tea break and personal project time. By now my back was killing me and my thigh had gone numb but still felt I was being stabbed by a hot knife. I even took panadol before I went.

I was getting ready to assemble my bits when A, one of the nicest blokes and project coordinator, asked if that was just a rough finish or whether that was how I was leaving it.

*sigh*

I explained about the stain situation and he said it needed to be sanded back and a food safe finish used. 

Himself said he would do that at home. A said no it was being done at the Shed. He took to my poor bread bin skeleton with a belt sander and 80 grit sandpaper (very rough) and removed most of the stain. I have until next week to sand it all with 120, 240, 500 and 800 grit. So four lots of sanding on eight pieces of timber front and back and sometimes edges as well. It will feel like satin when I have finished it but I am in for a very big week of sanding. I will need to go to Bunnings and find a food safe oil so we can stain it next week and, hopefully, assemble it. 

I am going to have a very large gin and tonic.

I am knackered.

 

I can see clearly now

Another glorious spring day.

I have worked on my bread bin - sanding and staining. It's not perfect but it is my first attempt. I will never use pine for something like this again as it is too soft but I was guided by someone who shall remain nameless and doesn't like spending money. At the end of the day this is my first ever project and I will use it with pride. I am a bit concerned that the stain I have used isn't appropriate for the job. It smells quite strongly. I was going to get something else but this was already at home so we didn't need to spend any more money. The hinges were $24. An attempt was made to change them out for something else. The more I think and write about this, the more I think I will make another one using the timber and stain of my choice!

Standing to do all that has killed my back. I am in a lot of pain. Stretching has helped a bit but I will remember to take some panadol before I got to the Shed tomorrow as I will be standing for another 3 hours there.

The aunt has accepted that being dumped by the financial dude is a good thing. She has a very good friend up there who is going to help her navigate the centrelink waters. 

In light of the clearing rain and my slowly improving mental health I will share with you the following. Not the most well-known cover but one of my favourites.

Have a great week.

Blue(ish) skies and sunshine

And of all a sudden it finally feels like Spring.

The ground is still wet underfoot but every day it dries out a bit more.

Seeds are sprouting and things I planted a few weeks ago are going crazy.

Teeny tiny lettuces

Rocket, Pak Choi, a giant zucchini, some beans and some cucumbers.

We had some Pak Choi last night and it was delicious. Tonight we had rocket and salad leaves along with some radishes (we added store bought veges as well) and it was very tasty with a slice of quiche.

Pretty petunias

The tree dahlias have sprouted

Tomato in the front and crazy crazy spuds behind. They have buds on them now. I wonder how long before I can look for baby spuds.

Mojitos anyone?

Roses. I love getting compliments on them.

Some got a bit rain spattered but they are blooming beautifully

This one is Belle du Seigneur

This one is Julia's rose. It isn't as highly scented as my others but I bought it for the gorgeous colour. 

Tequila Sunrise

I think this one is Fiona's Wish or it could be Double Delight. It's dark and I can't be bothered going out to check!

I have forgotten this one but it is a pretty reddish orange.

Thank you for your comments on my aunt and her issues. She rang this morning in a tiz but she has a friend popping over tomorrow to discuss her options. She doesn't want to change anything because my late uncle set it all up so she didn't have to worry. 

I think I am in for a trying few days dealing with her but we will get through this.

I nearly gave up on the second sock but have decided to give it one more chance. Otherwise I will be looking for that one-legged person.