Dry Effects

I have been taking a walk late in the day around the garden the last few days but it hasn't been uplifting like it usually is. The recent weeks of 39 - 47 deg heat have taken their toll. Even though we have been soaking the beds and containers every second day it is no combatant to the heat and the hot winds.

the top photo shows one of my tomato bushes just 3 weeks ago and the bottom photo was taken yesterday evening. Dried leaves and stems and sunburnt tomatoes.
In the next lot of photos the top 2 are of a shrub planted 3 months ago - the wind and sun once again taking their toll; and the garden bed it is in (this was soaked for 4 hours 2 days ago). It is due to be mulched again but what mulch was there has been blown away by the wind.

 As usual the weeds and burs are thriving. I have a lovely lot of shrubs in the form of Bathurst Burs, and beautiful ground covers in the form of 'cats eyes' (3 pronged jacks). I haven't sprayed for about 2 weeks which has given them time to come through the ground and take over!! Not for long - a predicted drop in temps over the next few days so 'Sir Roundup' and' Lord Shovel' will be working long hours getting rid of them all!!!

From the disheartening to the uplifting - surprise in the mail this week - lovely labels from Cheryl at http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com.au/. I was one of four lucky recipients of these in a recent giveaway on Cheryl's blog. Thank you so much Cheryl!! I have already earmarked them for several Opams this year!!

That is about it for today. Busy weekend in the garden and crafting. Hope you all have a fabulous Australia day weekend!!

TEASING & FINISHING!!

I have been busy this past week designing, setting up and sewing my items for my swap partner in the

that Cheryl over at http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com.au/ has organised.

First I spent a lovely hour playing with fabrics and still didn't have a final decision so picked 12 fabrics and narrowed them down.These are the final selection which has resulted in two items.

Then it was on to deciding and designing what i was going to make. That done I drew up the patterns.

Then onto the cutting out. design 1 is below.

And design 2 is below!

And because i cannot decide which one I like the most my swap partner will probably receive them both with some choccies. No initials showing so the surprise is still a surprise!!!

And onto the cushion which has been sitting in my sewing basket three quarters done for 5 years. Well it is now sitting on one of the lounge chairs finished and waiting for its insert. Such a good feeling!

My sewing addiction has been well fed this past week and i am feeling good. tomorrow will be a day in the garden assessing the damage the 45 degree heat has done. I think the vegie garden is to the stage of pulling out and getting ready for the autumn/winter plantings.

More on that later. have a lovely evening.

SUMMER VISITORS

 

We have had some special visitors here this past week. A pair of Major Mitchells graced us with their company for a few hours last Saturday evening. You can see one on the power lines and one on top of the pine tree below the single power line.

 

It is a few years since I have seen these birds - the last time it was out in the dry area, where they are more common. This pair were very quiet and very close to our house.

 

They were actually checking us out very closely. one even got a bit cheeky and hung upside down for a few seconds (flew to its mate just as I had the camera focused on it! 

After about 15 minutes they flew off in the direction of the hay shed. I do hope they stay around for a while. They are very uncommon in the irrigation area these days!

Two of our grandchildren came back with us from Wee jasper last week. This is the first time they have actually been away from mum and dad for more than just a couple of days.
Lachlan is 9yrs old (nearly 10 he says - in April) and had come in from helping pa-pa out in the lucerne paddock. he had been at it for a few hours and was tired and thirsty.

And Abbey is 7yrs 6mths (she tells me). Here she is helping me to make rissoles for dinner one evening. They have had a great time down here visiting their cousin, aunties and uncles, and their great grandmother.

I am going to miss their company when they go home on Monday (mum and dad are travelling down here at the moment); but i will enjoy the quiet and the good nights sleep!! they both toss and turn, talk and walk in their sleep. i had forgotten how children this age constantly bicker (the air around each one is theirs and theirs alone !!1.... ah yes i remember now!!
The heat has come back with a vengeance again the last 2 days but a drop in temp for the weekend which will be most welcome.
Have a great weekend and I hope you are safe from the awful fires that are springing up all over the country. have just heard that one fire in NSW has had light rain falling directly over it.Hopefully some of the other fires do to!

A QUICK TRIP & THE SADDER SIDE OF SUMMER!!

Last Thursday we did a trip to Sydney (6.5hrs) for a specialist appointment for my husband. On our way back we stayrd overnight at our sons on the Wee Jasper road from Yass. You might remember in September last year I posted photos of the Murrumbidgee above the Burrinjuck, well it is a completely different picture now. This is the view from the Wee Jasper side of the bridge over the Murrumbidgee in September

and this is the view now 4 months later

i do wonder how that much water can just dissappear in such a short time. Even so it is still a spectacular drive scenery wise.

Of course last week was when the Cobbler Rd fire was in full blaze. Our son was one of the many fire fighters who battled and patrolled this fire. Fortunately it was fairly wll under control by the time we arrived. We were expecting a lot of smoke the closer we got to Yass but it was hardly noticeable. What we were expecting was a very red sunrise due to the smoke and that we seen at Temora - it was magnificent.

Now there is a fire tearing through the Warrumbungles - we have had a shed fire and that was frightening enough - to be caught up in escaping or fighting these bushfires is something I cannot imagine. I feel for the people who have lost their homes, memories and livelihoods, who would be so grateful to have been able to walk out alive. So devestating. And our volunteer fire fighters are our true aussie heroes. But for how long can they keep going. With over 140 fires being fought and monitored last week and something like 100 this week it is surely taking a toll on the RFS volunteers and all their reserves and supplies. My thoughts and prayers are with them all.

My next post will touch on some happier things (my swap in the 2013 Valentine Swap and our two grandchildren staying with us).

FIRST EVER SWAP AND PLEDGE.

I am participating in my first ever swap this year it is for Valentines Day and I am doing it with group of charming ladies through http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com.au/. I have been busy thinking and looking in magazines for inspiration for the swap.

On that note I decided I would taker the swapping pledge (even printing it out to constantly remind me so I get it done!!).

And then I am going to have a Nana Nap as we have just returned from 30hr return trip to Sydney (husband's specialist appointment) and picked up our 9yr & 7yr old grandchildren, who will be here for 10 days. Might not get much blogging done but I am assured to be busy!!

I will try my utmost...

· To always swap on time.

· To always email a THANK YOU to my partner.

· To be considerate and thoughtful when choosing a gift.

· To give my partner the quality of gift that I would like to receive.

· To communicate when it’s required.

· To NEVER over commit and let a partner down.

· To advise the swap mama when I receive my gift.

 

 

PROJECTS

Well 2013 is off to a good start - my second blog post this week and I actually started and finished a long term project that should have been a short term project!! You see I have had these bridge chairs for quite some time 14 years the one I worked on today. Mid last year a friend pulled them apart and fixed them up for me. Of course i was going to cover them asap. Hmmmm..... well the asap began today.

Fed up with doing everything that should be done and not doing anything i feel like doing i went into town with trusty Lincraft Gift Voucher (xmas present) in hand to look for some fabric to cover these chairs.

Started on the back first up.

Decided to add some more padding and then a final cover of wadding (pretty much lumpy and worn out after all the years of use it had before it came to me)

Ready to put the back of the cover on and then onto the chair. Wrong..... I found out the hard way that it had to go onto the chair first!! Oh well ... just pulled out some of the side staples, put it on the chair, put on the screws and restapled the fabric into place.

I had some observers whilst doing all this - typical male no help offered just watched and slept! This is meggsy - the last of the litter that our Bobtail cat had. he is staying!

And this is Bobby Girl (Meggsy's mum), she just watched and slept too!
Now I am aching all over and my shoulders and wrist are becoming stiff (because it is many years since I was a contortionist which I remembered you had to be to recover furniture!!). BUT I am very very happy with the end result.

Now to do the other 2 chairs - I the same patterm fabric but 1 is black and the other is taupe. I will be getting another metre of each cvolour as I have decided that these are going to be our dining table chairs so I need 6!

This blogger is off to bed after a Kahlua and Coke ( I have earnt it today!!).