Peonies!

A quick pic before I have them in a vase.

Brea Bag is finished

I've been procrastinating over Brea. The actual knitting took only 4 days but I was dreading the seaming and sewing up the lining.
Pondered way too much about the insides of this bag. I wanted to give this bag a bit of form and structure rather than being a floppy potato sack. I bought some light red cotton drill material use for easy cleaning and durability. Modified it by crocheting more rows at the opening and used a zip instead of a crochet loop and button as the opening was too gaping for my liking. Used extra wooden rings from my curtain rods.
Our local haberdashery store did not have leather straps/material so until I investigate where I can get a proper strap, I'm using one of my old belts. This was an eyeopener for me. I haven't worn waist belts since the lowslung buttcrack showing fashion movement came in. Not that I wore these type of skirts and pants, you just couldn't buy waisted garments off the rack. So last nite, I took my old belts and tried them....OMG my waist has exploded! DH was laughing until I told him to try his old belts. :)

Here's BREA!

I know DS won't starve...

DS is a big fan of Jamie Oliver.
About 2 years ago at the age of 13, he got hooked on JO's TV shows. If only JO had cooking classes for kids. (normal ordinary kids and not the hardknock ones for the "Fifteen" restaurants)
So when cooking was available as an elective extra at school this year, he signed up. They have had only 2 classes but he's learnt how to make ANZAC cookies and sausage rolls. Now and then for a break from homework/studying, he comes to the kitchen and potters....
Now we have to teach him how to clean up his mess effectively...

Pics before these babies burn...

Herbaceous Peonies

Deep Red Rose - "Papa Meilland"

Bearded Iris "Beverley Sills"
It's a little early to have hot weather in Oct but we have had 3 days of high 20'sC. Today's another one with warm winds so I thought I'd take some pics before these lovely blooms get cooked.



My Zelkova Serrata bonsai one year since the last pic - first attempt at the broom style. It didn't have as many shoots after the cut but it's not looking too bad in it's second year of spring.

An Opportunity to Get More Done

DS went for his first East Region Athletics Shield Meet last Saturday. Curious to see what it was like, DH volunteered as a track judge while I found some shade and worked away on the Brea Bag. Cool breezes and a very sunny day, the red yarn almost burnt my retinas!

I hate sewing up and finishing off. Partly because the euphoria of knitting a new project is over and that it just takes me so long to do it!


While gazing at the runners waiting to be called, I looked at DH’s track spikes and it made me think of his first baby shoes.
I had bought these baby Ladybirds a few years before I was married. Just saw them and thought they looked too gorgeous to pass up. It didn’t occur to me that if my firstborn was a boy, red shoes was not a good look! There was a navy pair but the red patent part got me.

I wouldn’t say DS’s a late bloomer but while I marveled at all his precocious peers getting involved in playing instruments, sports, singing and dancing while as tiny tots, DS was not into The Wiggles, Barney, Hi-5 and the singing/dancing parts of Sesame Street. (It’s the same with DD but a slightly different story there).
Here was Mum dancing and singing with the shows and little DS and DD looking at her, thinking “What on EARTH is this MAD WOMAN doing??”
We coerced him into playing the piano and swimming and for a time, he did it just because it was just another activity.
Then something happened in his second last year of primary school. He was promoted to squad training for swimming. Let me tell you, this is gruelling stuff! I felt tired just watching these little guys do dozens of laps. After 3 years of training, it was just too much to keep up with the training and school. He was only just at the state qualifying time for his age group and would need more training to improve. His secondary school inadvertently introduced him to running and with that, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ woke up.
He has changed schools but his interest in running has stayed him. The new school has no compulsory sport program so we enrolled him in our local Aths club.
And this are his track spikes (which is one of 4 pairs of running shoes and he wants another! - a pair of racing flats)…..

Oh yes... and another thing...It's more COOL to play the guitar than it is to play the piano, Mum!
He switched to classical guitar :)

"Danger, Will Robinson!"

More like "Danger, Hui Leng! You're casting on too many!"
I've been feeling stuck with my Precious project - testing knitting, proof reading etc, checking and writing -
that I need something new to do.

So within 48hrs,
I started swatching for my idea of a summer-y jacket.

Then I thought my next Precious test knitting should be done in blue. Casted on.

While power walking, I thought about knitting an adult version on the Precious baby cloche to wear instead of my dumpy freebie hat. Casted on.

And in Ravelry, one can get carried away looking at all those gorgeous FOs and not resist knitting something new.
So I casted on Brea (Norah's Gaughan's Brea Bag) in the afternoon and finished one side


Yesterday I took a deep breath and stopped casting on more new projects.
But I want to do more!
So much for being chaste to one projeect.....

10,000 steps a day...

I love food too much.
I'm usually very good with breakfast and lunch aided by time constraints.
But it goes pear shaped once I hit dinner.
I'm starving by then.
I'm trying to change what I eat to more protein and vegetables.
So it's 10,000 steps a day to help me get into some sort of shape.
I know I know... Round is a Shape!
It's my 3rd day into walking 10,000 steps.
I'm hoping I'll see some results in 3 weeks.

I found Bovril at Safeway!

Whooppee!

You'd never know this IS Melbourne!

This, ladies and gentlemen, is hip and happenin' Melbourne. One of the many lane ways in the city that have sprung to life in the last few years where sushi and pasta eateries mingle. There's a blues guitarist busker at one end and another having a break at the other. The cafes are packed as we jostled thru the walking lunch time crowd. One is so tempted just to sit and have a latte enjoying the sights, smells and sounds.
To think that Melbourne was doomed when an urban study report in the '70s said it would lose activity to its growing suburbs.

Bovril

These 2 tiny bottles almost cost me an arm and a leg. It was already hard to find in our local supermarkets and with the onset of the Mad Cow disease, sales dropped and alas, Bovril was gone.
In 2004, Bovril changed its beef extract recipe to yeast to help bolster sales. I've yet to taste it but according to web sources, tastes tests say it's the same.
I made this desperate purchase at www.treatsfromhome.com.au. I will still scour our local supermarkets to see if anyone might have it. For now, my appetite for Bovril, tomato/cucumber slices on Ryvita crisps is appeased. :)