Month: June 2013

I begin to wonder if hibernation would be a good thing lol
Wednesday morning we couldn’t see further than our noses

And we had a Brass Monkey morning today
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_monkey_(colloquial_expression)

Well -2c / about 29f in our eyes is Brass Monkey weather
It was just a little bit frosty and ‘Lance’ did not approve at all lol
(if you want you can click to see the big picture)

 However there is one good thing
Today is June 21st, it is the shortest day here in Victoria
and the time of the Winter Solstice in the southern hemisphere
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

We all know what that means 🙂
From now on our days (hours of sunlight) will gradually grow and the nights with their hours of darkness will decrease.
 Normally we’d be preparing for our trek to the warmer weather in Queensland and I did mention this a little while ago – however things have changed and I’ll tell you about that another day.

But in the meantime – here’s to warmer days!! 

I woke Sunday a bit tired and grumpy from the lack of sleep (see previous post) – the morning was bright and sunny with  just a few black clouds over the hills – just the way it should be to walk all your troubles away – so I took myself off down to the little park. 

 I managed to amble around and discovered the pond aka ‘the wetlands’ had filled from all the recent rain and what was better still was that the Purple Swamphens had come out of hiding and were mooching around the side.   They tend to wander about away from the edge (out of harms way) and because of their colouring can be hard to see in amongst the reeds – and even tho’ my camera doesn’t take marvellous pictures I try to get something to remember the day by. 

When the clouds were getting thicker on the mountain (The Dandenongs) I decided it was time to head home and this is what greeted me as I came round the corner.  It was decidedly darker up there – heavens opened not long after! 

Not quite so tired and grumpy 
a hot chocolate and the walk put paid to all that

I hope you enjoyed your weekend

Most of you know I knit – nowadays I seem to knit a lot!
I learnt to knit when I was quite young – I taught my girls to knit when they were quite young – I taught some of my grandaughters to knit when they were quite young – but sadly even tho’ they are all capable – I don’t think any of them have knit for quite a while. 

I don’t think there are many women my age who can’t knit yet it went out of favour for many years.  Slowly it’s re-emerging and becoming a favourite craft again and these days there are lots of younger talented knitters in the community.

I’ll often have something small tucked into a bag, easy to pick up to take in the car or even on the odd occasional train trip.  Last year I even found a nice new bag for these times – it’s just the right size and shape, has a large top zip opening and two zipped pockets on the back – is fun and looks good as well
These photos will enlarge

Found on a market during our Central America cruise 
the front is covered in little ‘Worry Dolls” 
Worry Dolls date back to Mayan traditions. Handmade by Maya Indians living in the highlands of Guatemala from wood and scraps of material to create an amulet to soothe away fear and anxiety. 
The tradition is to tell your worries to the worry people then place them under your pillow at night and let the worry people take your worries away.

Yes, I know those little dolls are supposed to go under your pillow but for me they are just a reminder that life is there to be lived – should be fun and not to worry about things.
 
Back to the knitting – 
because of this renewed interest it wasn’t a suprise to me a few years ago to learn that a group had declared one day of the year to be a
Knit in Public Day. 
Nothing new for me but taking a lot of courage for other knitters
It’s now morphed into a world wide week long event
and this year World Wide Knit in Public Day 
runs from 8 – 16th June 2013
http://www.wwkipday.com/about-world-wide-knit-in-public-day

This all fell nicely into place because last Sunday we had one of those dry sunny dry days I spoke of previously and as I was feeling a bit brighter we took a drive out to The Golfers ‘club’ – and what went with me in the car – yes some knitting.  We spent some time tucked up in the corner of the big lounge (out of the way of other people) warm and cozy enjoying the view from the big picture window.  

In the spirit of the day I clicked away – which I normally wouldn’t do in the club,   the golfer caught up with some magazines (no prizes for the subject)  
we enjoyed scones and coffee and then I walked over to the rest rooms. 
Guess what I saw on the way
Two other ladies with their knitting – chatting to each other and enjoying life.
Looks between us told the story – yes we were all Knitting in Public 🙂

And what was I knitting on Sunday?
(Photo taken this morning 
finished fingerless mitts and another pair on the go).

Now how about you – do you craft in public?
Have you heard about Knit in Public Day and would you?
There is still time to get in on the act!

https://www.facebook.com/WorldWideKnitinPublicDaytheOfficialSite
http://www.wwkipday.com/
https://weteachme.com/onabee/world-wide-knit-in-public-day-kensington-melbourne
http://www.meetup.com/Knitting-in-Public-Sydney/events/110715112/

Thats how I felt about the book I finished last week

The week just gone was a mixture – some dry sunny inviting days and some cold wet miserable sit indoors days – and coupled with that feeling of being not quite right thanks to the cold I was carrying (see previous post) – meant I spent some of the time rugged up outside quietly putting some of the roses to bed for the winter and some other time indoors curled up with my latest borrowing from the library

Some may remember my delight last year at finding a new (well new to me) author – Tracy Chevalier – and how I fell in love with the books I read in Queensland.  I related the story in this post and then after we got home went on to hunt down more of her books in our home libary.  She writes a novel that is based on historical facts – not dry uninteresting reading but reading that seems to hold you from the word go. 

So I’ve learned about fossil hunting, Dutch painters and their methods, William Blake and life in 18th century London, flemish weavers, family history and life in 16th century France.  Edwardian London is covered in Falling Angels, and recently I discovered there is a copy in a rural library and that is being sent over soon – cross your fingers it doesn’t take too long because, well you know what it’s  like with Melbourne winters – they are either glorious or yucky.  Glorious I can take – yucky I can’t lol 

I was really good and didn’t look at any reviews of her latest book which I knew dealt with Quaker migration, quilting and life in Ohio during the 1850s as well as slavery and the underground railway and that meant I started to read with an open mind.  The Last Runaway was an easy read and held my attention and as with all of her previous novels was finished in a couple of days – but I was so disappointed with the ending.  Turning the pages I was wondering how they (the two central characters) would solve their problems and then it ended – they just packed up and left town – moved on to another part of the country. 

Her previous novels are listed here 
http://www.tchevalier.com/index.php/books
I’m just wondering what the subject of her next book will be!

If you like historical fiction you’ll enjoy this blog
http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/

Tracy explains researching for her books here
http://the-history-girls.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/when-to-stop-researching-and-start.html 

http://bookdout.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/review-the-last-runaway-by-tracy-chevalier/

Well I’m not quite sure what
It could have been a wayward sneeze or even a touch of a hand
It definitely wasn’t a kiss from a stranger!

It made itself known to me early last week
Itchy eyes, runny nose, a couple of sneezes of my own
Yes – it was that thing called ‘The Common Cold’

Now we have progressed to  
Oh, my nose is all blocked up
Oh dear, I feel so tired 
Oh, my thoat feels like it has a razor blade stuck in there somewhere.

All the old home remedies are being used
Hot water – Lemon juice – Honey – Paracetamol – my favourite Cough Mixture – Eucalyptus Oil on a tissue 
I know they make me feel good – but not quite as good as a long hot bath

Have you seen those photos of the Japanese Macaque Apes aka Japanese Snow Monkeys – the ones who spend part of the winter hanging around in hot poolshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Japanese_Macaque

They all seem to have a peacesful expression on their faces – they are enjoying the moment.  That lovely feeling of warmth all around – easing tired bones and muscles – feeling all the cares of the day just rolling off their shoulders

Well thats just how I’ve felt each evening as I’ve soaked in the bath before I went to bed.  Now if I could just find out who it was who shared their germs with me I’d tell them to stay home just the same as I have had to do this past week.

I’ll see you all another day
Cathy

Television doesn’t play a large part in my life – there is one in the lounge room and it’s usually on for part of the day – often there’s not a lot there that I’m interested in – and looking at the daily offerings on some of the stations I have to remind myself ‘its not right it’s not wrong, it’s just different’ and it’s a good job we don’t all like the same things lol

That being said there were a couple of programmes that cropped up on recent cold wet miserable days in May that kept me glued to the screen.  Both were documentary type programmes, neither of which I’d heard anything about before and both involved children, music and dancing – some of my favourite ‘likes’!

Climbed Every Mountain – The story behind The sound of Music
Introduced by Nicholas Hammond 
 who played the eldest son Friedrich in the movie
http://www.trappfamily.com/press/2012/11/sound-music-doc-hits-right-not
http://squarepegtv.com/climbedeverymountain_int.html
and here is where I hang my head and admit I was unaware that
The Von Trapp family were real 😦
a real life family on whose life the stage musical and the film were based 

Mad Hot Ballroom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Hot_Ballroom
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/mad-hot-ballroom/
There are lots of schemes that are supposed to help children become more confident and develop a better trust in themselves and their community
Teaching 11 yr old children who live in ‘not the best suburbs’ of New York to ballroom dance and then enter them in competitions has to be the most unusual one I have heard of.
It is one I liked. 

Note to myself – drinking several cups of hot chocolate means you use the breaks sensibly or get annoyed at yourself because you can’t hang on any longer and miss some of the film lol

And then there was the Date I had with The Golfer
a mid morning showing at the local picture house
where seniors are well looked after
with greatly reduced prices AND a free hot drink !

We went to see.
Quartet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartet_(2012_film) 

There were days recently when it took a lot to make me smile 
Quartet made me do that as well as laugh and think and even shed a tear or two
As well as recognising the main cast there was also the ‘spot the star moments’
You know – oh, what’s his/her name and what did we see him/her in??
The reminders were in the credits as well as loads of other fascinating information

What did you enjoy watching in May?

So here it is the first day of June and you can tell I’m feeling better – a bright sunny morning and clean windows yesterday sent me outside and had me scouring the garden for a few flowers to brighten up the kitchen window sill.  Sadly there’s not a lot out there at the moment 😦

So into a vase went a single late rose bloom (name unknown) – some brachyscome – a few tiny fuschia from the huge bush beside the deck (also unknown) and tiny coloured leaves from the japanese maple.  Purple flowered Lasiandra went into the other one.

I thought I’d lost the purple flowered Lasiandra aka Tibouchina because it was so dry over summer but it has decided that this is not its last year. The plant itself is hard to photograph – I’ve had it in the garden for years and it seems to come and go – it died right down to bare branches one year during the drought so I cut it to the ground meaning to come back and dig it out – then when the rains came I found it had shot back up again!

There are always some nick nacks there
(as well as other assorted bits and pieces)
Hey, I’m of a certain age and that’s what we do lol

Curly with the twisted tail sits there with some of his friends to keep him company.  I plonked Santa up the other end – He’s been hanging around since Christmas, he likes the cool weather so whats the point in putting him away.  Shells, big and small keep me going till I get to walk the beach and pick up some more and the garlic is there (probably not the best place for it) so I can see it when I need it.

What we see outside the window are the usual household trappings of recent rainy days – a very large umbrella and washing on the ‘baby’ line.  No fun in hanging it on the big one down in the garden and having to run in and out to rescue it!

It’s been a while since I have taken part in Today’s Flowers 
I hope they don’t mind me combining two posts into one

Clicking here will take you to all the Window Dressing posts
If you click here you will see beautiful flowers from around world