Water Lily Time

                                        Water lily time again.  This is only one plant in the dam. 

New flowers appear every day.



The Girls are Ready

The girls are now happy to be all dressed up on brooches.  Tomorrow I will be at the Daylesford Makers Market with lots of new brooches. 

Sunday I'll be at the Arts Centre Sunday Market in Melbourne. 



New stock for Christmas Shoppers

Each week I make buttons and I need to make extra this week.  Next weekend I will be at Daylesford Makers Market on Saturday and Arts Centre Sunday Market on Sunday.  Great markets for Christmas shopping.

Small tea cosies for the 1 to 2 cup pots.

This colour combo of raspberry, pinks and mauves is very popular.  Travellers to the northern hemisphere for Christmas need hats and scarves.



The Echidna is Back!!!

Darwin was barking at a bush!!!  Brie thought it may be a snake so very carefully investigated

No snake to be found.  Instead the echidna had returned.  Well I think he or she lives around here now.

Darwin ans Mopsy had to come inside and be quiet.  Within about 20 minutes the echidna was all brave again and wandered off.  Thanks for your quick thinking and the photos Brie.

And I promised photos of Darwin swimming in the creek. So here he is having a look around.

Each day Darwin likes to swim in the creek or the dam.  Mopsy likes to walk but is not so keen on the swimming.

Darwin's life has not been dull after the echidna left for a more secluded home.  Cows and calves have moved into the paddock opposite to eat down the grass.  One cow gets out at least once each day much to Darwin's amusement.

Monday Vintage Find

This was my Mother's shopping list gadget.  She would use this every week.  I remember being so excited when I was allowed to make the list by moving the small red beads.   I notice that the ice cream red bead is a little loose!  This list maker is from the days when I would go to the grocer with Mum.  The teddy bear biscuits (and all the biscuits) were in square metal tins which had an illustration on the front showing the type of biscuit.  The required biscuits were weighed and sold in paper bags. 

The list gadget was made in Austria.

Which way shall we go???

Brie has been home writing essays which means the dogs have been on lots of walks.  Walking Mopsy and Darwin is an adventure time for them.

They are vaguely thinking of going in the same direction.  So many smells of rabbits, hares and foxes.  And horses have been up the road as well.

 

Mopsy may have found something more interesting over there. 

For a short distance Mopsy and Darwin are walking in the same direction.

I forgot to take a photo of Darwin swimming in the creek.  Next week I'll take a photo before Darwin shakes water all over me.

Our Duck Family

Our duck family used to number 3 or 4 ducks.  They come to visit our dam after a swim in the creek.

With such a great season the duck population has increased enormously.  I have counted 31 ducks this year.

After a chat the ducks are leaving to visit the dam next door.  The ducks leave in 2 separate groups.

A Few of My Friends

 I just love my "hair do"  As soon as it gets to the length I like and my wool looks stylish she decides its time to shear us all.  You just ask the other girls how they feel about having the right look!!

I have grown so much wool this year she will be happy with my fleece.

I have the best fleece of all.  Well that's what I'm saying.  And she can't have it to spin until this weather improves.

I'm bored.  Let me out into the paddock again.

I hope to get shearing organised in the next month.

A Wet Wesley Hill Market

Saturday was very wet at Wesley Hill.  This is the view from our market tent early in the morning.  We were dry and our stock was well protected.  On a sunny day the market is busy early and we are set up by 7am.

Wesley Hill is a great market.  Lots of plants, good quality fruit and vege, some excellent bread and hot food for lunch.  There are some treasures to be found as well as our woolly products.  We will be back there on the 5th November with lots of new colours in the sock yarn.

Garden Time

This year the garden is producing some amazing colours.

I even had enough iris to enjoy some inside.   Love the colour combination of the iris with the orange tulips.

The vegie garden is gradually being weeded and prepared for the next round of vegies.  Have found far too many snails.  Am looking for some more guinea fowl as we only have one left. 

Wesley Hill

Last Saturday David and I set off early for the Wesley Hill Market at Castlemaine.

The weather was perfect and we were set up early.

The market opens at 7am so we enjoyed a great coffee as soon as we were set up.  I purchased plants and fruit and vegies from other stall holders.

We plan to be at Wesley Hill every fortnight.  You can always check our Newsletter to find out where we will be.

On the Loom

Today I am finishing weaving this floor rug.  The wool is from my sheep and is a blend of browns with a touch of grey.  If I get back to work now the rug will be finished before dinner.

On Saturday David and I will be at the Wesley Hill Market, Castlemaine.  The market is from 7am (yes we will be awake very early) and finishes at 1pm.  The rug will be available at the market.

Sock Friday

I have dyed lots of sock yarn this week along with chunky yarn.  This morning I wound all the yarn into hanks and this afternoon I will label and pack for Sunday's market

The sock weight yarn makes a lovely shawl.  Each hank is 400mtrs and if you wish to make a large shawl I'm happy to dye 2 or 3 hanks in the one dyelot.

The week has been very busy so I'm pleased today is Friday.  Outside work has been  in the vegie garden as there are lots of weeds to remove before planting again.  I have a tea cosy nearly finished and I hope to complete the knitting tonight.

Enjoy your weekend.



Recipe Book

This recipe book is at least 70 years old.  It was one of my mother's treasures and she gave it to me when I moved into my first flat.  I wish I had asked her who made it.  The book looks like it was a woodwork project and I think my father may have made it at the Stawell Technical School.  He made a table and other items as well as producing some cool technical drawings.

The book is made using a cut down school exercise book.  The "cook" is drawn onto the ply wood and then painted.  The edge is decorated with burnt notches.

My first recipes were rather basic and some are recipes I had cut out of the Womens Weekly.  There are a few of my mothers recipes as well as a list of plates, cutlery, salt and pepper shakers.  I guess that is a list in preparation for a party.

A Woolly Week

A woolly week is  of course not unusual for me.  This week has been very much starting from the raw fleece.  This yarn has been handspun from some grey English Leicester Romney cross fleece from a very handsome sheep.  Just fabulous wool to spin.  This yarn will be available at the Arts Centre Market in Melbourne on Sunday or you can contact me if you are unable to make it to the market.

The Girls

Two of the new brooches for this weekend's markets.  I just love these buttons  - so much personality.

And the popular farmer and his sheep as well as the tree and house. I'll be at Buninyong on Saturday and the Melbourne Arts Centre on Sunday.

Now I'm off to Daylesford to have lunch and celebrate a special friend's birthday.  Market packing to be finished when I get home.



Weaving Yarn

This hand spun lumpy bumpy yarn is ready for weaving into a floor rug. The wool is natural colours and I think the contrast of the light and dark browns will work well.

I was up early this morning.  The goose was making a lot of noise which sometimes is a signal that the fox is lurking.  No fox but a frost.

Just a hole

All that is left under Mopsy's kennel is the hole.  The echidna left and didn't return.

Lovely to see some spring colour.

My crab apple trees are covered with blossom.



End of the Echidna Saga

For those who would like more info on an echidna have a look here Echidna info

This is a very focused Mopsy.  We moved the dogs well away from the echidna.  Mopsy was not pleased.

The dogs were put to bed in the shed last night.  Mopsy pushed her way out through the smallest space and sat outside our bedroom window until David went to see what she was doing.  Next thing she jumps on the bed thinking that is where she would sleep.  The echidna had moved by this time and Mopsy was put back in the yard.  Now it was Darwin's turn to cry.  He was not going to sleep in the warm shed if Mopsy was having a more exciting life.

Echidnas can live for up to 49 years. I wonder how long the echidna has lived here?

Just Packing

Usually I am packed and ready by now for Sunday's market at Arts Centre in Melbourne.  But I am not.  Yarn (sock and aran) is dry and tea cosies finished.  Need to print some labels before I can finish packing. 

Time for a cuppa and then back to work.

I'll finish the echidna saga later - we had disturbed sleep here last night!!!

Echidna Update

No photos.  Well I could show you a photo of dirt under Mopsy's kennel.

The echidna is now asleep where Mopsy's kennel used to be.  We tried to gently persuade the echidna to move this morning but it could dig faster than us!!!

After a phone call to the Wildlife Service the plan was made to move the dogs.  So we moved the kennel and the dogs when of course the heavens opened and hailed upon us.  It is thought that if the dogs are moved away the echidna might wander off on his/her merry way.

Not so simple.  The dogs found great joy in their new homes and needed to bark and tell the world.  I have just been into town to buy big bones.  Now the dogs are quiet.

And the echidna is sleeping soundly and hasn't moved an inch.

All Creatures Spiky and .....

Our week of adventures began when Darwin found a snake when walking with David.  Darwin thinks all things that move make for play material.  Luckily no snake bites and we will be very careful where we walk now.

And today we have earth moving works happening.

Darwin is the guard dog. Maybe he will divert me from finding out what is going on in dog world.

This is the echidna, the cause of much barking, interruption to my afternoon of wool dyeing and a cross Mopsy.

An unhappy dog.  I have shut Mopsy out of her yard as she was digging  like crazy.  Firstly I thought she was trying to retrieve a hidden treasure.  Mopsy has many hidden treasures.  The digging frenzy made me then realize there was more to this.  After the snake sighting I became wary as I saw movement under the kennel.  Then I saw the echidna.  The echidna has obviously gone into shock or is just stubborn and won't come out from now a lovely soft earth home.

Still have barking dogs, an echidna on strike and dog yard fence to repair.  I am surprised how far down Mopsy has now dug under her gate trying to get back into her yard.



My Friend the Sheep

Included in stock for the markets this weekend is the first of my new range of brooches.

I'm all packed and ready for Daylesford Makers Market tomorrow.  When I arrive home it will be a quick repack for the Sunday Market  at the Arts Centre in Melbourne.  Then I will cook a Fathers Day dinner as I will be at the market on Sunday and by Sunday night its time for an easy meal.

Last night we had, well the goose had a visit from the fox.  The fox slightly injured the goose.  Tonight I have moved all the sheep into the yard around the goose yard.  David has set up motion lights and we have a spotlight we can turn on quickly.  The fox has been on the prowl and sadly killed and injured our friends chooks last week.  Our goose is very grumpy but we are very fond of him

Enjoy your weekend.

Late in the Afternoon

At the end of a market at the Arts Centre in Melbourne the sun has moved to the west.

The shadows take over where children have been playing

My depleted stall is ready for the pack up and a trip home.