Friday, January 28, 2011

Friday evening on the coast


Friday is kind of the beginning, rather than the end, of my 'working week' with another Apollo Bay Saturday morning market tomorrow.
The car's packed, and let's hope I get out the door without forgetting my skirts again this week!
I've had to do a u-turn and come right home again the last 2 weeks to get them.
The forecast is looking sensational down here, not too hot, no wind. I hope everybody doesn't head straight off to the beach.
Although, maybe I would!
I'm having a beer and joining in with Wendy again this week.
It seems right to show a favourite print by one of our local artists, Pat Shannon, who you'll also find down at the market most weeks.
I really think she's captured our rugged and rather wild coast in this picture. There's a pair to this one hanging on the other side of our dressing table mirror, but perhaps I'll save that one for another week!
Happy weekend!


Thursday, January 27, 2011

Possibilities


Just collected from the post office this morning, this ooh and aah inducing parcel of Liberty cottons.
Sometimes I make an order with a particular project in mind, and then the fabric arrives and a whole new possibility presents itself.
I can't stop looking at, and patting these!
I'll be dreaming in Liberty for this week while their purpose reveals itself.
Others will have more definite things to show you over here!


Monday, January 24, 2011

Keeping on top of things


Remember this gorgeous little pile of kimono silks so kindly sent to me at Christmas by my friend Anne?
With a bit of cutting, and piecing, and sewing, I've turned a couple of them into this...


And this...


I honestly couldn't pick a favourite between these two, but I do love the pale pinks and creamy colours sharpened up with a bit of charcoal in the top one!
And then, I love the bit of pattern similarity between the red and grey floral silk and the cotton in this one.
It might seem a bit mad to be sewing scarves in Summer, but the calendar of markets I have coming up in the next several months has startled me into a bit of action!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

They're back!


My not so secret guilty pleasure!
I lurve a bit of 1980s nostalgia.
Gene and Alex, and the Quattro of course, in Ashes to Ashes.
Week 2 tonight, I'm out (again), but I'll be firing up the vcr (oh yes, it's 1980s high tech around here) so I don't miss a minute.
I know my friend Crayon Chick will be watching along too - possibly in shoulder pads and big earrings!

Monday, January 17, 2011

January...


How's your January going?
I have a love/hate relationship with this month.
I love all the busy, happy, holiday crowds.
I love that friends rent houses here especially to come and spend time with us.
Other friends come and stay with us, and we love that too.
I love going to the seasonal cinema at our lovely old Mechanics Hall.
I love the cheerful and busy Saturday markets with stallholders we don't get at any other time of the year.
(blueberries, smoothies, jams, organic apples and garlic...)
Usually, I love getting a bit of time at the beach!
On the flip side....
I hate having to squeeze in sewing around trying to spend a proper amount of time with our friends.
I hate being so tired (from all the socialising) that by this time of the month all I want to do is stay in and have a week of early nights!
And now, I've got a wretched Summer cold (thanks for sharing, my darling old bloke), so I'm grumpy, tired, and have a hideous cough as well.
Oh, and a ps...
I'm not sure if you noticed, but the lovely vintage tea towel (1983) I just snapped a photo of by some bizarre coincidence has all the days of January falling exactly the same as this year.
Now that's a little spooky isn't it?

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Imagine

Image from here.
Like so many others, I have very dear friends who live in the city of Brisbane.
I managed to get hold of her on the phone this morning, and she's in remarkably good spirits considering they live in one of the suburbs listed as 'on alert'.
Her office was evacuated yesterday, and she's running around this morning trying to get in some staples we all just take for granted that we can pop down to the shops to buy if we run out.
I'll be donating a little something, as it was said on the news this morning 'cash is good'.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Hot Saturday with scarf musings


Here's an early morning shot from the Apollo Bay market.
A pretty hot start to the day after a very rare (for here) hot, hot night.
Did anyone sleep anywhere in the state last night?
Thankfully, a wind change cooled things off for us a little about 9 this morning, and the rest of the day was rather nice.
I'm enjoying the holiday market crowds, everyone's in a good mood - even with a lack of sleep. I had a great surprise visit from Jacquie as well.
I missed out on my favourite apricot jam for the second week in a row, and our free range egg seller was sold out by the time I got over there as well.
Ah well, I'll just have to wait until next week!


Perversely in this hot weather (which I've been longing for after our cold Winter and Spring), I've been looking at this beautiful scarf and wondering if there's any yarn in my stash that might do the job.
I've never been much good at using circular needles, but for this I'd be prepared to have another go!
Never mind if it's 30ish in the shade....

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Friends


A happy new year to everybody!
I'm a bit late, but we've been having a few days with some good friends to visit, doggie friend Trev included.
What a pair of handsome boys, eh?
It's been walking on the beach, watching the cricket, eating and cooking some fabulous food (thanks Julie, you are the queen of the kitchen), playing hilarious games of 500, going to bed late and drinking probably a bit too much.
We've invented our own version of the Bellini - sparkling with fresh peach and ginger ice-blocks. Yum.
We've named it the Bellskeenie after Skenes Creek. It could catch on.
There's nothing as good as a relaxed few days with people you've known for years, a lovely reminder of the importance of friends!