Halls Gap

I think that the last time I saw Halls Gap as green and lush as it was had to be at least 8 years ago when we camped down there for the first time when James was just a toddler.  It was amazing just how much water way lying around.  Sheets of it on the paddocks, water falls were flowing and misty rain greeted us most mornings.  The bus was cozy and warm and always had all the comforts of home laid on ie chocolate, drinks and plenty of food.

Of course no trip to Halls Gap is complete without lots of Four Wheel Driving.  The Suzuki went everywhere we asked it to and then some.

There were lots of lovely tracks like this explored.

Flowing creeks to cross over or even drive through.

Very rarely did we have to stop and turn back.  The storm that lashed Victoria during the week certainly did its best to damage parts of Halls Gap.  Massive trees were snapped like they were matchsticks and apparently Halls Gap was without power for 24 hours the day before we arrived.

There were waterfalls to examine.  Luckily no one fell into the water – although all the kids admittted they were hoping it would be me that fell in.

Taking photos  was serious business.

Even yours truly had her photo taken.

We came home to sunny skies and semi warm tempretures which was handy as you could not see the laundry floor for washing.

Get Off The Roads

Look out world – the roads may no longer be safe.

Elise went for her Learners Driving Permit this afternoon and passed first time.

While waiting for her to complete the test, her mother being a bundle of nerves, did quite a bit of crochet as it kept her mind busy and her hands occupied rather than sitting there chewing her nails and hoping that we would not have to repeat the whole procedure.

Can I just say the the actual permit was the cheapest part of the whole deal at just under $20.  Never mind the $30 it cost me for an appointment at Vicroads!!

Next time you see me I may seriously have white hair and no nails let alone fingers from stressing over Elise’s driving.

I think I may turn into Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) – from “Keeping Up Appearances” Fame and spend my days sitting beside Elise as she drives calling out warnings that there are pedrestrians, cyclists and buses on our route.

Only kidding………..I think.

Wool and Motor Bikes

I have said everyday since I don’t know when that I’m going to blog today.  As you can see it still hasn’t happened.

As always, chaos reigns surpreme around here, especially since the holidays have started and we are leaving to go to Halls Gap for four days on Thursday which has meant the bus needs a thorough clean and has to be packed.  Throw in the usual grocery shopping – which I haven’t tackled yet, the purchase of a new camera (as mine fell off the bench “mysteriously” and now doesn’t work) and Mum’s birthday which is today and I’m not getting anywhere fast.

We have had two weekends where we have gone “bush” on Sunday’s  so Ashley and the kids can ride their new motor bikes.

The first weekend saw me gingerly perched behind Ashley as he promised me a ride. I wasn’t too sure if it was a good thing or not and he had to promise faithfully not to go to fast cause if I fell off there would be hell to pay.

Needless to say he was very careful but yes that is sheer terror on my face!!!!  The ride wasn’t too bad but it isn’t something I am to repeat too often.

The Awesome Foursome

The second weekend they all had their motorbikes so spent about four hours exploring out friends bush land where we also spend Easter collecting wood.  I sedately drove around in the go cart with Ajax tied in tightly so he didn’t fall out and Milly running beside me. The poor darling – Milly that is – was exhausted by the time we got home.

On the craft front I have been playing at crocheting and have done so much I ended up with a migraine this morning.  Should have stopped sooner but you know what it’s like when you are having fun playing.

I also, finally, got the sock yarn I hand dyed wound into balls but have put them away lest they tempt me away from other projects which need finishing first.

I had had some discussions with Karen as to how to dye the wool as it is a protein and needs different dyeing techniques to dyeing fabric.  Hmmmm – quick search of my books, reread Karens advice a couple more times  and I just made it up as I went along…vbg.

I had to soak the wool in a mix of 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water making sure it was well and truly wet.  I squeezed out as much vinegar/water mix as I could, laid in a cat litter tray and drizzled Procion MX dyes over it where I wanted them.  Squished the wool a bit with my fingers to blend the colours and carefully laid the wool skein in the rice cooker steamer tray. Put the lid on and let it steam for a good 30 mins carefully turning it at the 15 min mark.  Pulled out the wool, gently sqeezed out any excess water and laid it in the litter tray again to cool.  When cold I soaked it in a tub of cold water over night then washed it gently by hand in warm water.  Rolled it all in a towel to get the excess water out and hung in front of the fire to dry.  The result – lovely soft  92% wool/8% acrylic sock yarn all ready to knit.

Might I add no animals were harmed in the dyeing of this wool but a rice steamer and pair of tongs were sacrificed in the pursuit of creativeness…roflmol.

More “S” Things

Yes more things starting with “S” for todays post.

My socks are done.  Finished.  Being worn as I type.

They have to be the most comfortable warmest pair I own.  Of course I could be just a tad biased but hey – I’m allowed to be…vbg.  It was a real wrench to put down the needles and wool when I was finished them – but salvation was at hand.

My sock wool from The Simply Socks Yarn Company arrived in the mail at lunchtime.

As always no affils but their service has to be seen to be believed.  I ordered and paid for this wool on June 16th and it was here in my hot little hands on June 22.  Now that’s what I call fast turn around and to come all the way from one side of the world to another in such a short time – I’m so impressed.

I have also attempted to crochet some  Granny Spiral Squares with moderate success.  No photos (cause I forgot to take them ) but you can find the pattern here and trust me if I can manage it then you can.

I have discovered I enjoy crochet but give me the choice between knitting and crochet I will take knitting everytime.

Right off to check my wool that I’m dyeing and now steaming in my rice cooker. Photos soon – providing it all works the way I want it too.

A Strange Alien Being

There has been a strange Alien Being wandering around our house of late.

Quite scary stuff if you come across this Being on a dark night dressed in Bike helmet and blue, white  and orange striped pajamas.

Actually I’m not sure what was scarier.  The Being in striped pj’s or the dozen or so self portraits that the Being took of himself.

Look……..here’s another self portrait.

In the end Mum had to take a photo of the Alien Being aka James on his brand new motor bike.

The “Boys” have decided that Sunday is the day to test out the new Motor bikes so we are going to take a picnic lunch and make an outing of it…..providing the weather doesn’t suddenly change for the worse that is.

Things Beginning With “S”

Socks and scarves today.

I did have plans of blogging this post yesterday.  Bit of housework I thought, take Cleo to the vets for a check up following last weeks health scare (infected anal glands – trust me it’s not a pleasant condition and the procedure to fix the problem is even less so)  then on to hanging out washing, and then blogging.  Hah – should have known that my plans wouldn’t work out.  Got the washing out – at lunchtime – so of course it wasn’t dry.  Took Cleo to the vets – she got the all clear thank goodness then off to work with Ashley pulling wires through a motel roof to hook up the 18 new hot water services they are in the process of installing.  I didn’t get to knock off work until 3.15 pm and that was only cause I had to pick up kids from school.

Now forgive the leg of the model that is wearing this sock but I just had to show you my first sock.

I am soooooo proud of myself.  Remember I have never, ever, ever knitted socks before – yet it worked.  How good is that?

Just have to show you a side view.

Again forgive the models leg.  It’s incredibly hard to photograph socks on myself I have discovered.

Progress is happening with Sock Number 2…..

I’m pleased to report that since this photo was taken I have now finished the heel and am working on the foot heading towards the toes.   It’s so exciting seeing this wool transform before my eyes and from my needles.

Can I just say with all the clothes and even the few jumpers I have knitted I have never known such satisfaction from making something as I do with these socks. As a consequence I have bought more sock wool from here -  Simply Socks Yarn Company.  No affills and all that but they do have the most delicious range of sock yarns.  If the Aussie/American dollar was better I would be tempted to buy even more as there were lots there to tempt me.

The pattern I’m using for these socks is here at Knitting-Socks.com.  I looked at heaps of tutorials and this one I have found to be the best.  Each part of the sock is a seperate step ie Casting on, The Cuff, The leg etc and is clearly explained and has loads of photos which show a novice like me just how to knit a sock easily.

Now the other part of the “S” post.

While I was sick I worked very hard on some scarves.

Remember the Keuropatra Snake Scarf?

Last time I photographed it I was up to here and I don’t mind admitting I began to wonder if it really was going to work the way I thought it would and the pattern said it would.

It did!!!!

This is an incredibly easy pattern to knit – depsite it’s appearance.  Ohh and the colours in this photo are more like the true colours – not sure what happened in that first photo.  You can find the pattern here at String or Nothing and trust me it is easy.

I also worked on the Easy Drop Stitch  Scarf in Bamboo.  Lovely and soft but the bamboo was a  real pain to knit with but the results are worth it.

The colour should show up as more a mint green – not this bluey green.  The pattern was fairly easy but I must have been really sick as I pulled out heaps mainly cause I stuffed up.  The pattern is a freebie and you can find it here at Frazzeled Knits.  It wasn’t the pattern that was hard might I add – but the bamboo that I used – very fine and slippery but worth it.  Each ball was only $1.99 Australian and it took less than 1 and a half balls to knit the length I wanted which is long enough to wrap around my neck or to tie loosely in a knot.  For those who like actual measurements it is 133 cm long.

Kind of Here, Kind of Not

I will readily admit that during the past couple of weeks since everyone has been sick and are now back at work/school that my attitude to life and all it’s foibles, problems and hassels has been “Bugger Off World – I need some ME time”.  For once in my life I listened to what my body and mind needed and have done just that – taken lots of ME time.

Of course just because everyone else was back at work and school and reasonably on the mend didn’t mean that I was over the flu and I’m on the last lingering bits of it now.  It’s taken all this time to get my energy levels back and to a stage where I have actually felt like doing things.  The weather hasn’t helped – cold and cloudy with occassional showers but I won’t complain about those as we still desperately need rain.

I have managed to get the Seven Shirts, Seven steps quilt quilted and bound and it’s now residing in my car for those times when someone needs some quilty love and warmth.

I have also managed to get the 1930’s Follies quilt quilted and it has the binding machined on but still has to have it hand sewn down.

I’m not overly impressed with the quilting on each of these quilts but at least they are done. If I felt more picky I would be desperately dissappointed in my quilting as it really lets me down – but hey I’m not picky and not likely to be anytime soon.

There has been some serious knitting taking place around here.  Two scarves are done and one of a pair of socks.  As Elise said you need two socks for the project to be considered finished (fussy child) but I have started the second pair and they are progressing nicely.  I’m using this wool that I bought in Spotlight when I went to Bendigo with Elise for that specialist appointment.

Darn I wish I had bought more of it.  Not only was it cheap for sock yarn ($12.95 a ball) but it knits up beautifully and is so warm and cosy – yes I have tried the one sock on – just to see how it looked…vbg.  Photos soon I promise.  I would have taken photos today but the camera batteries are flat and Ashley has hidden the new batteries somewhere known only to him and I can’t find them.

Ohh and speaking of Ashley……………………………………. it’s his 39th Birthday today.

Of course he was thoroughly spoilt.  He received enough chocolate that it should last him a month – except Ashley is like me and we inhale chocolate so it will probably only last a week if he/we are good…vbg.  A new Wallace and Gromit DVD  and of course the new motor/dirt bike which arrived Saturday morning.

Ashley and James have been trying to find things to do together so they can have some “men time”.  I did suggest they garden/renovate the house but neither was too keen on that idea.  So Ashley (with lots of support from James) came up with the idea that they buy two new motor bikes so they “boys” can go off and play and spend some quality time together.   hmmmmmmm – I think I have been had somehow but if it keeps them happy and neither complains about the amount of sock yarn I’m tempted to buy then I guess it’s ok…..vbg.

Right back to the housework. I have vacummed the house – you should have seen  all the mud that was tracked in over the weekend and some more dusting. I have managed to thoroughly clean and rearrange the lounge room this morning and hang out three loads of washing so at least I’m getting somewhere.

Don’t be surprised if my blog posts are a bit on and off in the next little while.  I’m taking it easy and trying to finish a number of works in progress plus I have started to tackle the weeds and the garden again which is a massive job after so many months of neglect.  Still with the rain we have had at least the weeds are easy to pull out.

And The Little One Said….

…..roll over cause I have the flu too.

Yep in order of sickness we have…….

1.  Elise

2.  James

3.  Me

4. Nicola who jsut walked in the door in tears saying she has a migraine, feels sick and in general just wants to curl up and die.

So two guesses who is Chief Cook and Bottle Washer at Calidore’s house.

No it’s not me – my legs still feel like jelly and a new set of lungs wouldn’t go astray.

It’s Ashley who is so not impressed at being phoned and told to come home early as he has a dishwasher to unpack, a table to set, tea to cook and sick people to look after.

Poor darling.

If I didn’t feel like death warmed over I would even feel a bit sympathetic.

No I wouldn’t.  This Mum has gone on strike.

Aren’t you lucky germs can’t spread through the internet.

I Can’t Win

I woke up this morning happily contemplating the fact that I would have had four child free days where I was actually getting things done.  Tomatoes were pulled out of the freezer ready to be made into sauce.  All the other ingredients were collected and all I had to do was make the sauce and hang out some washing.  That’s it.

Hah – I should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy.

Last night the girls come home to tell me they had had their immunisations.  Elise had a tetnus shot – the one she missed out on because she was sick when they did the last round, and Nicola had her cervical cancer needle.  I woke Elise this morning  to the news that she was sick three times last night, had a migrane that was threatening to split her head open and her arm was swollen and sore.  Ok so she isn’t going to school today.

Nicola was fine apart from a sore arm and she did go to school.

James woke me at midnight to tell me he was dizzy and felt really sick and was still coughing and had a tempreture.  I dosed him up put him back to bed and decided then and there that he wouldn’t be at school today.  The newsletter that came home last night from the primary school said half the school was ill and the other half was coming down with whatever made the first half ill.  Terrific!!!!

So today I have started my sauce, done the washing and am about to go and knit a bit more on my new scarf. Yes another one.

I found this pattern on a Kureopatra Snake Scarf courtesy of String or Nothing and of course just had to have a go.

I have achieved this much so far and I only had to pull out the first section three times cause I stuffed up the knit one, purl one pattern.

It looks a bit complicated but now I have worked out the pattern it really isn’t very hard and best of all once you have 30 stitches on your needle (you increase slowly) you know you have done that section and it’s time to move on to the next.   Time will tell (as always) if it looks any good when I’m finished.

The theory behind the scarf is that it is based on a knitting pattern called Enterlac – you can find some good photographs and an excellent description on Wikipedia here.  I vageuly remember Grandma having a woolen rug knitted in this technique years ago and it fascinated me then – but not enough to try it with her guidence. Ohh the things I wish I had done while she was alive.  Now I’m busy playing with techniques that she would probably find pretty “old hat”.

If you want to have a little play with this technique there is a very good tutorial here at The Yarnpath with excellent photos.

Right off to stir the sauce, hand out cold drinks, wet facewashers, heat packs and dry biscuits and do some more knitting.

Have a lovely day

Head Nurse – Catherine

Back To Normal

I confess that I have avoided blogging the past few days just in case something happens and Elise comes home again sick. I know that blogging and her illness truly have nothing in common – but I’m not taking any chances…vbg.

Yes the good news is that Elise is back at school and I think enjoying herself.  “Enjoyment” for a teenager is such a subjective term.  Either way she is back and with no signs, touch wood, of being ill. She is tired which is to be expected but is back to eating and drinking normally which is excellent.  There was quite a few moments of worry on both our behalves on her exams which are due to start shortly however I simply cannot still quite believe just how good her teachers and the school in general have been in helping her to work out what exams she needs to sit and in many instances they are working out strategies for her not to sit an exam but instead have make up test or essay in order to gain this half years marks.  So far she is coping very well with all that they have suggested and is working really hard to catch up on what she has missed.

I wish I could say the same for Nicola’s teachers.  We had Student Lead Conferences last night.  A whole 20 mins was spent looking at Nicola’s blog, which I might add is now a school requirement (it’s supposed to teach them something but I’m not sure what) and whether she enjoys posting to it.  Hmmmmmm.  Not sure what the whole idea is but I though that a whole lot more work could have been done to warrant the praise the teacher we saw was heaping on it.  Apparently Nicola’s blog is the best in the class.  I’m sorry – but if that’s the best then I’m afraid that the whole blogging idea just isn’t working.  Don’t get me wrong I’m very proud of Nicola and what she has done – but I also know that she could have done a whole lot more work and improved it heaps if she could just be bothered.  There doesn’t seem to be much direction from the teachers in what they expect the students to put in their blogs.  I then proceeded to ask the teacher about the discipline issues in the class – many students in it could be a best described “feral” – to which I was told just concentrate on your own child (who I might add wouldn’t dare to be feral) and let us worry about the rest. Well that’s all very well and good but when one of those children thinks it’s ok to throw a table across a room and another child thinks it’s acceptable to bully my daughter then I will be concerned with it.  In the end  I came home so angry and upset that I just had to ring Ashley and vent and he uttered the same wise words that he always does …. “You knew you would be beating your head against a brick wall of teacher silence when you went – so why are you now so upset when they have shown that the only person they are concerned with is themselves”.    Too true.  Nicola asked me to mention the bullying and ask what the teachers were doing about it before we went to the conference otherwise I possibly would have saved myself the stress.  In the end she is coping with it better than me and time will tell, as always, if any of the problems can be resolved. I keep reminding myself she is only there for another five and half years then these times will be behind us. Fortunately she has a very good group of friends who are very supportive and just straight out wonderful kids.

I have been filling my very quiet days with lots of quilting.  I cut batting for seven quilts on Monday and had one basted on the gammil Tuesday morning, another quilt quilted by mid afternoon Tuesday and yet another loaded and about 1/4 quilted by the time I picked up the kids Tuesday night. Not a bad days work.

Not long ago I succumbed to buying the Lazy Girl “Wonder Wallet”.

I never seem to be able to find a purse/wallet that I like and the one I’m using is well past it’s use by date.

I made up one wallet using the original pattern.

Not bad but a bit too small for all the treasures I carry.

So I experimented with making another wallet.

This was a much better size.

The length of the wallet is the same size as the original pattern as are the pockets for holding cards etc but I did make the width twice the size of the original and added a zip to the coin pocket as there is nothing worse, in my opinion, than hunting in the bottom of the bottomless pit I call a bag for some change.  I also sewed down the middle of the card pockets just to hold the cards in a bit better.

I have been using this wallet for a few days and it’s growing on me but I must admit to wanting to play around a bit more with the pattern and adding more card pockets as I seem to have a lot of cards that guaranteed if I don’t have them in the purse then I will need them.   Nicola has assured me that if I don’t want to use this wallet then she will have it……I think she could make her own and maybe blog it….but so far that idea has met some resistance…vbg.