Day Three in the Big Brother House (or jetlag crossed with persistent rain - the result)

We have just completed Day Three and the British weather has turned on everything in its arsenal to make things super special. Or not.

We drove up to a small market town - home of the fabulous Millie Moon and Marmalade Yarns
and the further we drove from home the heavier the rain got. Once there it reached the point that both children strapped on lifejackets before exiting the car. However a restorative break in a really old-fashioned tearooms made Grandad a bit happier.

Jetlag is being handled quite well with both of them still being awake after 9:30 tonight. Fortunately muchos bob was delivered as the bags were unpacked on Monday. Yay for Cherry Ripes ;-)

Sylv and I were both doing a little showing off on Monday afternoon and the despised Noro hat was claimed for repatriation to Australia so my friend will have to live without. T.G. I never told her about it I s'pose.

Some very exciting news about Millie Moon but more on that tomorrow

a sneaky peek, two finishes and a Summer project.

i don;t know if anyone remembers the saga of me trying to knit a chippie scarf and the Twiggy knitting group, both some many months ago but one of the side-effects was an intensification of my Noro dislike.

However with the wool sitting upstairs getting progressively twiggier everytime I looked at it I finally knitted it up into this hat last Winter.

But I didn't actually follow a proper pattern, just did the requisite number of decreases once I thought there was enough height to the hat. There is some possibility I may have left it a little late to begin those decreases ;-)

Fortunately the friend I am gifting it to (same one who didn't get the scarf it was originally) needs it to cover her ears as well as keep her head warm so YAY for my over-zealous hat knitting technique!

The Lower 40 has seen more than abundant growth over the last few months and Princess Curly-Wurly was delighted to pick this mahoosive marrow from her side of the acreage.

She was posing as Atlas just so we could all see how heavy this beast of a vegetable is - 4.62 kgs!

And there you have my finishes, wanna see the Summer project?

Coming home from a dog walk last night d/Boy asked if he could paint his cricket bat. As I listening to him enumerate his design ideas I thought 'Why not?' So many times children hear grown-ups say 'No' or some platitude that amounts to the same thing - Yes dear, Maybe later, or Oh no, I don't think so.

What a gift to be able to say yes. Yes my darling, go and use your hands to create something of beauty. Yes my boy, take your clever idea and your interest in cricket and join them to make a project you will remember forever. Yes d/Boy use your imagination. So once home he got his bat and rubbed it down with sandpaper, checking several times to see what came next. Finally he was able to apply the filler.

This morning he took up the task again and sanded back the filler. His mind buzzing with ideas of how to execute his design. I shall keep you updated.

And finally my sneaky peek.....

...... oh Summer Swap object how I have loved making thee.

imagining .....

..... is my favourite thing. Finding a spark that lights a creative fire. A sound or sight creating the desire to seek out other new things. Seems to me that so often as we age we lose 'imagining' and make ourselves fit into the section titled
'expected'.

'Expected' is necessary I grant you, and is sometimes extremely useful, but I watch people refuse to let themselves take part in the flight of fancy with the toddler who is convinced she has ridden a moonbeam to a distant planet. 'Expected' can be quite sad. Not wanting to sound too Pollyana-ish but 'imagining' lends itself to growth and development. However old you are imagining is fun, the stars are within your reach and even if you did look silly do we really care what the rest of the world thinks? No! So please over the coming weekend take time to let your imagination come out to play, watchthe clouds, lean across a stranger's fence and literally smell the roses. Sometimes a box isjust a box and others it can be a swamp, a jungle, the desert, anything you choose.

Nice things that have come to Trash Towers recently.

Had a text from Wonderwoman (not!) reminding me I hadn't taken my jam home when I left.

So I dropped back in to collect it just before lunchtime and I am sooooooooo glad I did.

Mmmmmyummmmy, homemade raspberry & loganberry jam on toasted bagels for lunch :-)

As it is the end of the school year ALL the artwork, notes and pieces of paper that have been lurking in the bottom of their drawers have turned up finally turned up at my house.

One of the things was a 'surreal' piece Pr. C-W did in art. Her father repeatedly plays them a very limited number of songs every weekend and 'Land Down Under' is one of them.

There is supposition the theme may have been somewhat loosely interpreted ;-) but I like what she has done. Everything flows across the page in a dreamlike manner.

Can you see The Sydney Opera House? The sun with boomerang rays? The Snowy Mountains with the river running down? A koala? Bush hat complete with corks? Boomerang? Didgeridoo? Ayers Rock? And how about that possum???

These images are my favourites.

And then today I got my firstest parcel from the Secret Swapper. OOooooooOOooooooo!

This gorgeous variegated 100% merino soft, softy yarn.

It has the wonderfullest name of 'Mint Julep'!

This was the first email exchange with my secret swap partner and, as usual, I threw in a 'gag' line about expensive jewellery.

Guess what was in my parcel?????? A MAHOOSIVE princess cut (I think) emerald.

How much fun is this?

It is meant to be a key ring but let me just say that as a big toe ring - it works ;-)

Dear lovely Secret Swappy person,

thank you for my parcel. I am loving it.

Trash

Summer holidays start tomorrow.....

Wooohooo!** Edited**

Have just had a phonecall from my N.V.Q. Assessor/Supervisor/Person to say

"Congratulations, your N.V.Q. Level Three was successful."

Yay me!

**EDIT**

Having momentarily lapsed in remembering my jetset status I forgot to translate from British to Foreign. I shall endeavour to do so now. My default is set to Australian so if anything falls between the cracks for anyone just comment and I shall clarify where possible.

Otherwise I shall just make it up!

An N.V.Q. is a National Vocational Qualification and a Level Three is equal to two 'A levels' in a particular subject. 'A levels' are equal to the old-fashioned HSC, Matric or final year of Secondary education. They can be achieved in a million different subjects including but by no means limited to hairdressing, engineering and care. (hello, this is the voice of reason. There are actually just over 1300 different NVQs to choose from. Thank you.) This does not mean you should ever let me near your hair with a pair of scissors. Regardless of how much I beg.

Hypothetically speaking ....

....... open-toe shoes at a job interview. Unprofessional, right?

It all kicked off yesterday when The Ashes started!

At the toss England elected to bat.

So Australia broke out the spinners.

Both deep and wide cover were necessary but the fielders relished the challenge.

Despite hosting The Ashes for the first time the facilities were stunning.

Then it was in for tea.

Wanna see what I got from Winchester?

As soon as we walked through the doors at the Winchester Guildhall Missus Moog spotted a table of yummy, yarny goodness. She was restrained long enough that we got to look at some other beautiful handmade items on display before we pounced!

The nice wee lady with the teeny weeny baby was a little taken aback as the Southern Division of A.R.S.E. invaded but seemed quite happy once we paid for all the lovely skeins of softy hand-dyed merino, alpaca and sock yarn we chose.

I also bought a box. Look its got a little hole in the side! What do you think that might be for?

*rustle, rustle*

Look what popped up in all those gorgeous coloured paper shreds .


*rustle, rustle*

A Half an Acre sock bunny!

He is only here for a little while before he goes off to his new home but we are loving him while he visits.

Secret Pal 14 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
No especial favourites but I have a great fondness for soft, soft yarns be they cotton, fibre, arcylic or other.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Currently they are all in a library bag as I am in the middle of sorting them. I am boycotting my local library!
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I guess I am 'intermediate' with pretensions to advanced but quite honestly I am too lazy and HOORAY for stocking stitch socks!
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
nope
5. What's your favorite scent?
clean scents but sweet too. Hmmm, apple, fresh laundry, plumeria....
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Sadly yes.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I don't spin but stitch, sew, paint and shout at children. I figure there is no point paying someone else to have all the fun ;-)
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
traditional jazz, swing, M.O.R./easy listening, blues, ummm.... c&w, classical...... errr..... pretty much anything I guess. Oh except thrash metal ;-)
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
love me some green
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Four people in the house and three dogs. chronologically two of the people are adults.
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Ponchos? Not since the 1970s despite my daughter's best efforts to convince me.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
squares, scarves, hats, children's jumpers and socks.
13. What are you knitting right now?
As above except for the scarves but I bought some new wool on the weekend so that will soon change!
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Oo yes.
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I use straights and don't mind what they are made from as long as there is no scraping sound when I am knitting.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Nope I have child slave labour ;-)
17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Knitted? About 18 months. I refuse to admit to the age of anything else!
18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?
I love Christmas bestest.
19. Is there anything that you collect?
mmmmmm... not really.
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I buy knitting magazines when I see one I like the look of but there are so many books and patterns in this house and online still to be used......
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I am determined to actually complete a proper lace and/or cable pattern before the end of the year!
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes I am. My feet are weirdly big for a girl. Not clown big you inderstand but big enough that I can rarely find shoes in 'normal' shops - 42/43/44 european depending on who makes the shoe!23. When is your birthday?
beginning of the year.
24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
I am Skippy on Ravelry.

A bizarre end to a lovely day.

The Southern division of A.R.S.E. arranged a group meeting on Sunday and it happened (magically ;-) to coincide with the occasion of Handmade in Winchester.

Attending were the Captain of the Eastern Division

And a trusty sub-altern.

What with it being a nice sunny day and all we sat out having lunch, peoplewatching and possibly doing a spot of knitting.

Lunch ..... mmmmmm ....

I took my slightly non-plussed RicRac monster out for the event.

Can you guess which one she is?

And having survived the Handmade event and visited with 23 Beech Hill, Monda and Half an Acre among and then assaulted the new Cath Kidston shop after lunch it was necessary to go and have a cup of tea apparently.

And what is afternoon tea without cake?

Just in case anyone is listening, Lesley refused to share my very gooey, uber-chocolatey one. Not even a little smackerel passed her lips, which was rather fabulous because then there was all the more for me! Yay!!

Then bombing off down the A30 with Maria Juanita Conchita Gonzalez topless all the way. Stopped in briefly to see my god-daughter and admire the canula strapped to her big sister's arm (! very unexpected by everyone that was) before pitching up home in time to have destructoBoy direct me up the drive from his vantage point sticking up through the roof of Maria Juanita Conchita Gonzalez.

After an evening spent stroking the divinely soft cashmere skein purchase and ooohing and aaahing a little bit over everything else I went off to brush my teeth before climbing in to bed. I came over all a quiver when right in the middle of the bathroom floor was this!

I would blame my assistant but she wasn't the one who left the front door open!

My husband had the day off yesterday and all I got ....

... was a whizzy 'new' car!

It is so pretty :-)

In the space of 30 hours I have gone from a grown-up, restrained silver Audi estate with enough room for a bazillion kids, 500 car seats and three dogs to a surfie chick, bush-bashing, (occasionally) completely topless jeep-y kind of thing with just enough room in the boot for a picnic blanket and an esky (coolbox) filled with sparkly wine and strawberries.

And I love it.

This afternoon we took the front roof section off and while the kids and I went bombing around back lanes they decided my whizzy new car is in fact a limousine! I feel certain the suspension has different ideas.

After much discussion we came to the conclusion that the best way to find out the car's name was to ask it so may I present ....

"My name is ....

... and I am one hot tamale! "

Put your best clothes on, polish your shoes and let's go meet the folks!

After some prodding I have finally convinced my sister Giovanna to post to the blog I set up for her.

She knits ....

she bakes ....

she takes photies ....

Go nag her to post pictures.

Or just go visit and share the bloggy love.