FriYAY!

Remember when Fridays were special days? They still have a special feel to them even though each day is much like the last or next.

While I was knitting Himself's jumper in front of the telly last night the cable broke. So I had to take the cable I was using with the socks to replace it as I need a really long cable for the jumper. I doing that I managed to bugger up my stitch placement in the sock. I went to Friday craft today and pulled it out and started (yet) again.

J was there. C didn't want to go. J and I decided we really don't like the vibe there at the moment. Too many personalities striving to be top dog makes for a noisy, bossy afternoon. I will pop in every few weeks. I have my Wednesday knitting for now and will catch up with J and C on alternate weeks.

Because the car seat was in Himself's car, he picked the kid up. 

She and I planted some carrot and tomato seeds. We were going to plant peas and beans but the idea of cutting soft drink bottles down and using them created a headache for Himself because perfect and all that. 

It is hard being married to someone for whom "over there" with a general wave isn't specific enough for placement of a garden bed! This is the man who has used spirit levels and tape measures when planting seedlings.

He has now gone to Bunnings to look at timber to build a platform for the specifically placed garden bed to leveled on. Because they might have different timber from all the timber they have had in the past when he has been there looking at timber.

He has also gone to see if he can find frozen peas. There are no frozen peas to be had anywhere. 

Sally wants to type so I shall finish this and set her up with a word document. 

I'm a bit tired

I had a great session with the psychologist but it has left me feeling a bit wrung out.

So you get pictures.

My most favourite appliance in the kitchen. The cause of the kitchen renos!

This is my favourite room in the house. 

I think you can guess why

It's like living in a treehouse and the birds love the flowering gum.

Looking back down into the kitchen/family area. The empty plastic bottles are to be made into seed starters. 

 I dropped a stitch as I was just finishing the heel of the sock so I had to pull it back. I have started again and will change it up a bit to make it just what I want for Himself. It will mean another trip to the yarn shop for another reel of mohair but I can buy smaller needles and pretty sock yarn to make a pair for me. And everyone I know!!

A big day.

I have had a huge day. A lovely day but a big one nonetheless. I went to knitting with Angela and had a great time. Then back to her place for a coffee and good natter. A really nice way to spend the afternoon. And I got heaps done on my sock.

Then I picked Sally up and brought her home. 

While I was out I put the oven through its self cleaning mode. I just needed to clean the racks and the glass in the door. Himself decided he could do a better job. So I let him and went to supervise Sally with an activity book I bought her through the school's book club. 

As he was reassembling the glass in the door he managed to snap off a piece of plastic. After much breast beating and gnashing of teeth and trying to glue the offending piece back he listened to his long suffering wife and realised it was just a guide and wasn't integral to the assembly process. 

All this while helping Sally write her own Harry Potter story. 

I then took Sally to deliver her to mum at day care as Alice was being collected. As always we had a long chat. I found out that Sally had fallen off a toy and hurt herself "down there". Only Sally hadn't told anyone that was how she hurt herself and all sorts of nasty ideas were going through everyone's head. To the point that the doctor was asking some very pointed questions and it looked like the authorities could be involved. Then she decided to tell everyone that she fell of her aeroplane and that's how she hurt herself (she landed on the tail fin - ouch). Big sighs of relief all round!!

On the way home Three rang - poor bugger really needs to get out of his toxic workplace. A manager asked for Three to be released to another site for a week and was told no he could have someone else. This is a site that is just up the road from Three's place instead of an hour's drive. I am still seething on his behalf. It doesn't matter how old your kids are, no parent likes hearing anger and despair in a child's voice.

Leftover pie for dinner. 

Tomorrow I have an appointment with a new psychologist.

A pictorial of a pie

I was very chuffed with myself at this stage. I had made the pastry, rolled it out and placed it in the dish.

Not sure what happened with the lighting here as the bench is not that colour and the baking beads are white.

The curried mince filling. It was just minced beef, onions, garlic, curry powder (with extra turmeric for colour) and some gravy mix to thicken it. Oh, and a tablespoon of tomato paste as it needed some sweetness.

I had some pastry left over so made L hearts C. Cos I'm a sentimental old fool. 

Out of the oven

Plated up with frozen peas.

Success.

Buy in season and save money - this was the advice given on the news last night. I thought everyone knew that if you buy fruit and veg out of season you pay more and often don't get the best quality. They recommended buying apples and mandarins instead of strawberries and raspberries. Surely people aren't complaining about the cost of summer fruit in winter? The drought and then the floods have caused huge issues with supply but you still wouldn't be getting berries in winter.

Rain and flowers and a postie.

My brother and his wife spent the weekend at their property in the country. They nearly didn't get out. This is their driveway. They were able to get out through a neighbour's property. Seeing as they are both still teaching in Melbourne it could have been a bit awkward!

Pretty little violets peeking through the leaves.

The jasmine is so close to blooming.

A friend gave me this camellia. I have been trying to espalier it without a lot of success. It does have beautiful flowers, though.

I love King Alfred daffodils.

I saw my GP today. My liver is OK. I have another form for Centrelink which I have sent off. Fingers crossed. I was explaining to her how hard it is to cope with this overwhelming anxiety and how even things I love doing can raise the stress levels if there are too many of them. She is a lovely GP.

Tonight I fancied a pie so I decided to make one. I have the pastry chilling in the fridge. Never made this recipe before so I hope it works. I cooked up some curried mince which I will use as the filling. If the pastry doesn't work we can have mince and rice!

When I was sitting in the doctors' waiting room the postie dropped some mail off. It was our old postie who has changed his rounds. He remember me and the dogs and came over after his shift so say hello to them. How cool is that?

Wine o'clock and pie making time.

Sleepy Sunday

It's a miserable day. Cold and wet and windy. A good day to stay inside.

So I have.

I have baked a batch of biscuits and fiddled around with the new centrelink job search site. Why do they change these things around? I have had to apply for a couple of jobs but hopefully after seeing my GP tomorrow I will get another 3 month exemption. Only 6 months until I qualify for the age pension. I hate wishing my life away.

Last night when we were having dinner (steak - yum) this happened:

 It makes us happy.

While I have been baking and faffing around I have been listening to music.

This song by Stephen Pigram played. I really like his music. 

Check the link on his name and listen to the clip there as well.

Off to knit more of a sock.

Dust

 

This popped up on facebook today. I'm not sure if I have shared it before but I love the sentiment.

Today I have baked a cake and a loaf of bread, knitted some more of my socks, sent Himself out for seed raising mix, read some of my book and am listening to music I heard about from Debby. I have felt the sun on my face and a gentle breeze this morning. 

When I am old(er) and can no longer do these things I will have memories of people, places and happy moments. I will remember my house full of dog hair and dusty paw prints and love and laughter and delicious cooking smells. I will remember my loved ones wearing my lovingly created items. I will think of fascinating books I have read and hum tunes in my head. I will still feel the sun on my face and a breeze on my cheeks. 

My dusty house won't care.