Instant-gram

There was no Friday Food last week because my cold was still too nasty. I baked a cake by Yotam Ottolenghi, and the recipe asked if this was the best ever chocolate cake. I gave the cake to MrsDrWho for her and her dinner guests, so I will tell you the verdict on Friday in my Friday Food post.

Today is the first day I haven't had a residual cold headache. I had an almost four hour nap (not quite sure you can call that amount of sleep a nap?) after my new Exercise Physiologist ran me through some assessment tasks. I can balance on each foot for 45 seconds. If you need a balancer, I'm your woman!!!

If you want mud, then surprisingly, Lorelai Gilmore is your Labrador:

She was in the puddle at the dam with Hedy, but came out the muddier of the two.

And here we have Rafa, Gilly and Hedy at the top of the 'hill' on our walk. It is the place we used to stop to farewell Sandy and his dad as they continued up the hill to their car and we went back down to ours. Hedy is doing a very good job of being a puppy dog!! We have turned Rafa to The Labrador Side and he wants a biscuit now too.

The weather has been Spring-y. We had some more wild, windy, wet weather and when we went to the dam today, there was a tree half across the road. The Ranger must have been there because some of the tree had been trimmed already.

Hedy has been, not very secretly, eating something she shouldn't be eating at home. Well, the plain flour in the shopping bag: the flour on her nose was a dead give away, but she is happily unaware!!

 I have started sewing the Jelly roll quilt as you go baby quilt. Phew, that's a long name...JRQAYGBQ, and the acronym looks like gobbledygook. I used a batik jelly roll MrsDrWho gave me for my birthday and some flannel for the backing. I used spray adhesive to 'baste' the backing and batting together as I am still a bit wary of my injured finger becoming more injured: which is has, which finger do you think The Labradors squashed against the fence and made bleed?? You'd be right if you thought my injured one. It had a bandaid and antiseptic and seems to be healing well.

I think I am ready to start knitting again. I have some normal feeling in my fingertip, still pins and needles, touch-the-freezer-in-the-supermarket at the sides, but I am going to give it a go. I have some lovely wool, Katia Darling, from the wool shop. MrsDrWho picked it out. They had some new sparkly Opal, but I had just knitted her a glittery pair, which I realise I have no photo of: ahhh, maybe they don't exist??

I have joined The Instagram. I have resisted The Twitter and The Facebook, but it suddenly struck me that people whose blogs I used to follow, now have The Instagram. I can keep up with them through a new medium. And so I joined and then before I knew it I was on The Instagram. I am not sure how to properly drive The Instagram, but I had a quick lesson from the lovely WoolShopDesigner, and she said I am doing OK! I am not at all sure about Instagram Etiquette. When I searched it was all about following and then un-following or some such strategy. I don't want to gain followers, that's not my goal. I just want to keep up. Trying something new makes my brain work hard and keeps it on its toes.

And have I shared my birthday shoes? My sister sent me money to buy a specific pair, or two, of green shoes she had found, but they didn't come in my size. Bah humbug. So I ordered some shoes from The Homyped people. I have to wear sensible shoes because I have a sore knee and it seems silly to endure pain for a high heel. Well I think so. I bought two pairs of shoes, one is a mineral metallic which goes with everything and the other a darker olive than the photo, which I am very pleased with. My sister is very kind!!

 

 

Our Council has instigated a Food and Garden Organics kerbside collection: FOGO. Our bin arrived in the wrong place, but our kind neighbour pulled it all the way around the corner and up the back of our house. We have three bins now: the ordinary Monte Carlo biscuit filling colour regular bin, the yellow lid for recycling and this new bin has a green lid, so we are chuffed. There is also a little FOGO caddy to keep in the kitchen and carry up to the big bin. We don't have a lot of FOGO waste, but I have already put some lettuce core scraps and banana peel into the caddy. It is not a big change, but it might help make a difference.

Cold, Always Believe In Your Cold. You’ve Got The Power To Know You’re Indestructible.

I have a cold. Pretty much everyone I know has has a cold, a bad cold, or the full blown ‘flu and I have been lucky. Until Saturday night, and I have had a cold since then. We still go for our walks, because come hell or high water The Walk is sancrosanct. It means Hedy does a lot of running after the ball and catching it, and Gilly can roll in something smelly and then play in a muddy puddle.

Today is the first time I have been out. I went to the shop to buy vegetables for The Labradors and salty crisps for me. And the ingredients for the Feel Better Chicken Soup: garlic, ginger, chilli, chicken, noodles etc. 

I also changed the bed. I needed a big rest after that. Since the paddle pool was filled there have been many wet and/or muddy feet on the bed.

Hedy Lamarr loves to play with WinnieWinston. He is a black Labrador toy that is meant to suction to a window with his suction feet. Hedy likes to dip him in the paddle pool, and then just duck him under a little more to get him really wet.

Lorelai Gilmore is losing her Winter undercoat. Big time. It comes out like clumps of merino wool. Luckily she likes to have her legs and fluffy bits ruffled and patted and so we can make a furry mess outside. The weather has been warm, 20*C today, but we had a huge electrical storm with teeming rain at the weekend. Gilly likes to cool off in a puddle, thankfully we have the paddle pool at home.

And just when Gilly is having a lovely time, along comes Hedy to stick her nose in. She’s putting on the brakes, and I think her ears are air brakes!

So that has been our little world these last four or five days: bed, a walk and sleep. I have had to cancel outings, and a visit to the vet for Gilly’s blood test. I can’t go to our 100th Knitting Dining Out tomorrow, that’s one hundred months over ten years, and I am sulking about it. I am very cross, but that is just the way it is.

We had some sad news that one of The Labradors dog friends, Jet, died yesterday. He had been sick for over a year. He was a lovely boy. Here he is playing with Gilly and our lovely Peri Naughty. Jetty is in Dog Heaven with Peri Naughty and Sandy.

We had some marvellous news as well, with one of my friends  becoming a grandmother for the first time. I had a few happy tears tonight when she told me. I must get better and sew the baby’s quilt.

I have my usual appointment at the GP on Friday, so she will be be able to check if I am on the road to recovery. I am so annoyed, my friends are on school holidays and I could be gallivanting about. Well, gallivanting slowly, in a cafe, with a cup of tea!

 

Don't Chew Want Me Baby. Don't Chew Want Me Ooh?*

It has been five weeks and three days since Hedy Lamarr accidentally chewed my finger, and I am doing very well: in fact the dead part of the fingernail fell of this morning when I was checking my injury. The skin covering my finger has died and is ready to slough off, like a snake skin. I realised this is why I had weird pins and needles feelings. When I touch the tip of my finger I touch the dead skin, then there's a layer of air and then the brand new pink skin. You can see some of the brand new pink skin below the fingernail. It is very strange. The dissolving stitches have dissolved and the remaining growing part of the fingernail should soon be growing. I hope. Because I have a suppressed immune system, it is a longer healing time than normal, but keeping the wound dry and clean has really helped.

I have still not knitted or sewed. I have two almost finished knitted hats from Before The Chewing. The first is just a plain and simple beanie I am making up as I go along, in Felici Worsted in Time Traveller (Doctor Who stripes, but they can't say that) for Uncle Dutch's birthday. The second is the Fisher Cable Hat for MrReno's birthday. Both are covered in dog hair because Lorelai Gilmore has started moulting. She helpfully had a big cuddly pat right next to the hats and I am just not up to removing all the dog hair yet. I plan to make MrsDrWho a Pussy Hat, and MrsReno is making one too, both from some Caron cakes.

The Labradors went for their Dental check in August. Last year we found out that Gilly had her very own auto-immune disease and so it is marvelous that a year later she is almost better than good. Hedy scored a 10/10 and Gilly a 9/10 and she must have another check in six months. Her auto-immune illness is managed by one tablet every second day and she can't be immunised. This is a worry, but she is well and happy. She leaps over trees in a single bound!!!

And such a look of concentration.

Hedy Lamarr has a different look. She has a muddy look!!! The weather is warming up and so when we get back to the gate at the dam she insists on running through and cooling down in the puddle.

Hedy is also helping around the house, and by that I mean by making a mess all around the house. She has never been interested in toilet rolls, but last week this one just took her fancy. And she just doesn't care. At all.

MrsDrWho, MrsReno and I went to The Quilt Expo. Outside there was a patchwork Mini!!!

Inside there were some wonderful quilts. I bought 16 mixed green batik fat quarters for $20. Such a bargain. One of the prize winning quilts was hand pieced (3000) hours and hand quilted (2000 hours).

And here is the owner of Esme's Patchwork's Splendid Sampler. I started this when Hedy came to live with us and because she came to live with us I stopped!!

I have plans to make a quilt-as-you go baby quilt soon for my friend's first grandson. It will be a race between my finger healing and the baby arriving.

In Australia we are participating in a, what I consider to be ridiculously expensive and unnecessary, postal survey about same-sex marriage. We elect politicians to write and enact laws. And it is going to cost $122 million. I am voting yes. I believe that marriage is a civil contract. I am not religious, and feel very cross that some religious people want to tell non-religious people what to do. I think it is right and proper that churches decide which couples they will marry, that right is a binding law. But the world will not end, the sky will not fall if there is fairness and equality. Yes, there is activism on both sides, but without the brave and forward thinking Suffragettes, women would not now have the vote. I know that other people will not agree with me, and that is fine. Australia is a country where I can disagree with you, and you with me, and I can live with that. I will be very sad if the law is not passed in the affirmative. It's Time feels as appropriate now as it did back in 1972, albeit for a different cause. Here's a link to the video. I hope that if anyone disagrees they will do so in a polite and respectful manner. We don't have rudeness or swearing or cruelty on this blog.

It's Time

It’s time for freedom,
It’s time for moving, It’s time to begin,
Yes It’s time

It’s time Australia,
It’s time for moving, It’s time for proving,
Yes It’s time

It’s time for all folk,
It’s time for moving, It’s time to give,
Yes It’s time

It’s time for children,
It’s time to show them, Time to look ahead,
Yes It’s time

Time for freedom,
Time for moving, Time to be clear,
Yes It’s time

Time Australia,
Time for moving, It’s time for proving,
Yes It’s time

Time for better,
Come together, It’s time to move,
Yes It’s time

Time to stand up,
Time to shout it, Time, Time, Time,
Yes It’s time

Time to move on,
Time to stand up, time to say ‘yes’,
Yes It’s time

 

 

The ABC showed the first of thirteen Countdown specials, one for each year it was broadcast, last Sunday. I grew up watching Countdown and on Sunday I turned the sound on the TV up to 60 and did sad, old people dancing in the lounge room. Gilly and Hedy thought I was having a conniption. I knew all the words and all the tunes and all the people, and I am very much looking forward to the next twelve shows.

*Human League

Don't Chew Worry 'Bout A Thing

Well that was an unexpected turn of events. I had a ride in an ambulance, a couple of days in hospital and some plastic surgery: no new nose or perky breasts though.

I have left handedly sewn some kitchen cloth over my bandage in an attempt to keep it somewhat clean.

Late Friday afternoon Hedy Lamarr stole a pig's ear from the shopping and was eating it in her little box. I put my hand in her mouth to extract said pig's ear and she chewed down at the same time and accidentally chewed my finger. There was no malice on her part, no pulling or tugging, it was just an accident. I have put my hand in dogs' mouths for twenty-eight years and never been chewed before.

Her tooth went through the centre of my middle fingernail on my right, and dominant, hand. It was like taking a well roasted carrot and pressing your finger into it. There is a hole, and the edges of the carrot split: I did worry I would lose the end of my finger.

Our wonderful health system kicked in. Neighbours rang the ambulance and applied pressure and held my arm up. Dion the paramedic put on a dressing and then took me to the Fast Track Emergency. They cleaned me up and I saw a doctor and a plastic surgeon. I was bumped by a young man who had punched a window and broken a hundred bones in his hand, and by 9pm I was in a bed on a ward.

The worst part of the whole thing was not eating from 2pm Friday until 9-30pm Saturday. I had the best sandwiches in the world, saved from dinner by the nurse. I had talked about sandwiches all day. No liquids either, but I had three bottles of antibiotics and a litre of fluids through my cannula. The nurses, doctors and ward staff were wonderfully caring and made sure I was as comfortable as possible.

The next door neighbours looked after The Labradors. My friends came to visit and I dozed on and off. When they finally took me to the operating theatre, the plastic surgeon decided she could operate using a local, rather than a general, anaesthetic. Apparently I am brave. No one realised I had only have two paracetamol until Saturday morning, I just put up with the throbbing, I thought it was normal. When they gave me some Endone the pain went straight away.

The surgeon didn't need to remove my nail, she just stitched the top half on to protect the nail bed, stitched the nailbed and finger closed and Bob's your uncle, it was over.

MrsDrWho brought me home and The Labradors were more excited to see her than me. My friends brought me so much food the fridge is too full and I had to freeze a quiche and some homemade soup. Hedy was afraid of my hospital smell, but Lorelai Gilmore took it all in her stride.

I am allowed to drive if I forgo the drugs, so we went for a walk this morning and now we are back in bed, full of drugs, and ready for a day of sleep. Oh and a month or so of no knitting or sewing or legible writing. And showers with numerous plastic bags and sticky tape.

An awful thing happened, but in the end it was all sorted out and not so bad. Accidents happen and you can't change that. I am grateful to have wonderful family and friends and live in a country where there is free health care. I don't have to pay a cent for my stay or operation as far as I can tell.

Gilly and Hedy outside the back door. Hedy has "opened" one of their beds, collected some sticks and chewed her red placemat. Gilly is just a good girl.

 

Yes, Pie Crust Promises.

Yes,  pie crust promises: easily made, easily broken. Thank you, Mary Poppins. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and really annoying letters. I was being prepared for Friday Food. I made sweet shortcrust pastry, I blind baked the pastry case and let it cool and then I opened my letters.

The jolly Superannuation people sent me a cheery and celebratory letter telling me that in seven and a half years I could think about retirement: retirement party!!! they said. And I could top up my super and look forward to a fabulous retirement. And so it went on, and on...

Obviously the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing at that company. It made me a tad upset. I have been retired for coming up to seventeen years now: a retirement I didn't choose and it has been no 'party'.

I rang up to let them know that their letter was rather thoughtless and cruel. The woman I spoke to was very apologetic, and understanding. She said they would put a flag on my account so I didn't receive any more overly cheerful and depressing letters. I do worry about other people in my situation though, who may be more negatively affected. I am going to go into their office on Monday and ask to speak to someone and find out exactly what is happening.

And then I didn't feel like doing any more baking.

The Labradors have been enjoying the cold weather. Gilly has been investigating the frozen puddles. It has been a very frosty Winter so far and the puddles are, more often than not, frozen. The grass is crunchy and white with ice and it is a cold Labrador playground of fun!! They run and play so much more when it is cold. Tonight as I was on the phone to my mum they were in and out, and round and round the lemon tree, in the freezing cold night-time.

Gilly is also very interested in the water cracker biscuits in my pocket. She comes up and nuzzles my hand and looks at me with her lovely eyes and I give in, and give her half a biscuit. Lorelai Gilmore is still lovely and thin and she is allowed to have treats, such as they are.

Hedy Lamarr is not talking to me. I put ear cleaning drops in her ears and she has sent me to Coventry at home. On our walk it is a different story. It is all Billy Ball, all the time. She is so happy, hyper excited and then doubly so if she catches the Billy Ball: bonus!!

I have a not terribly good photo of the finished Star Wars Wall hanging. It still has a rogue pencil line and Hedy's muddy paw prints on BB8, but it is complete. MrsDrWho likes it and I found a kind of starry hanger as well.

I hope to finish the Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Pie tomorrow, and I will post it next Friday. Once it gets to Sunday I always feel the Friday moment has passed. I am OK with Saturday,  but Sunday is beyond the pale.

Wondering Woman

Judy-May has a new house!! How exciting!! She organised a House-warming Afternoon Tea and so I said I couldn't possibly have a catch up with my Sewing friends on Tuesday afternoon because: House-warming Afternoon Tea. In the back of my mind I had a niggling memory of something happening Thursday afternoon. I expect you can see where this is going.....

There I was, sitting at home with a present and a TimTam Brownie and I realised I didn't know where to go to find the new house. I plaintively posted on The Ravelry about said situation and feeling out of the loop. I don't have The Facebook, I am not Modern and the others are Modern. Turns out, the House-warming was today: Thursday afternoon. I took myself off to bed with a cup of tea and had a nice lie down on Tuesday!!! I am surprised we let me out of the house sometimes. My kind Knitting friends had a laugh with me this afternoon. I am wondering what I will forget next.

Here is the Wonder Woman table runner. I used one pink and two red fat quarters and just 20cm of the Wonder Woman fabric. I did a little hand quilting and fussy cut Diana for the centre of the squares.

MissSingapore is a celebratory age this year and MrsDrWho suggested a cup, saucer and plate. That could be my "thing" and I could buy it for her from now on to make a collection. MissSingapore is vegetarian and I just went to Cocoon by chance and there I found a gorgeous cup and saucer by LyndalT, which is animal bone free. It is Fine New China and perfect, as Miss Singapore can drink from it knowing it is free from animal products. Lyndal is an Australian and I rang to say how pleased I was. She was lovely to chat to. I am borrowing the photo from her website, I will put the clicky link here. The cup and saucer are secure in their box and I am too afraid to remove them.

I am knitting a doily to accompany the tea cup and saucer. It is Flacon, not a Ravelry pattern, using 4ply cotton and 2.5mm needles. I have four more rounds and then the crocheted edging to finish.

I am knitting MrsDrWho a cowl using Time Traveller in worsted Felici from The KnitPicks. Which is of course on sale now. I took it to MrsDrWho's house on Sunday to try for size and now I can't find it. More wondering.....

Vandals regularly break into The Dam area, after the gate is shut, and drive all over the grass areas.

Sandy's Dad thinks the Parks & Wildlife need to use a motion activated camera to catch them. The P&W put some rather large rocks to block the side, but the vandals just pushed them out of the way. Now they have cemented in two upright logs. Up the hill the vandals pushed the logs over and now there is a huge felled tree and more rocks. Their efforts seem to be in vain.

The construction in the dam area has not started, but I managed to kick Hedy's Billy Ball under the fence.

She was very upset. She cleverly ran around to the opposite side because it should have rolled out there. It didn't. I had to find a stick and hook the ball and pull it slowly towards us. Thank goodness I succeeded!! Hedy Lamarr has faith in me.

Lorelai Gilmore is just smelling things. That's what she wants to do. That, and roll in something smelly herself.

And now some Labradors running. Gilly sees Sandy and his Dad walking down the hill from our car and she keeps and eagle eye out for them. Now Hedy copies and does the same, but she takes her Billy Ball with her. When Sandy appears they run to greet him, and then they all run back through the gate.

 Gilly might stop and smell something and come last, but fast!!

This week I made a mash-up dessert: Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Pie. I didn't take any pictures, but Onyi has requested it for Friday Food tomorrow, and her wish shall be granted!!

Wasp The Eye Doesn't See, The Heart Doesn't Grieve Over.

Hello Denizens of The Internet. It has been Some Time, though I tried to keep up with Friday Food. The end of February, and all of March, has been hot (30*C and hotter in some places), and we suffer from heat stress, The Labradors and I.

And now I am sick. I have a sore throat that has worsened and I have fifty antibiotics to take. They are less powerful and more targeted, but it has been five days and I am not feeling terribly much better. I may have to go back to the doctor. I was going to have lunch with MrsDrWho and Mrs HouseOf today and I went for a little lie down and overslept by an hour. Even the phones ringing out didn't wake me up.

What we do have is a wasp nest. I went outside yesterday in the late morning and there were a bazillion wasps circling outside the back door. There was a nest between the rocks in the retaining wall. My next door neighbour saw me looking worried and came over and put some wasp killing powder in the niche. As the gardener was here whipper-snippering we all had to stay inside, so no Labradors were in danger. They did have a middle of the day walk instead of a morning one:

Hedy was confused,

Gilly took it all in her stride.

Lorelai Gilmore has taken to running interference when Rafa and Hedy Lamarr play in, what she considers to be, a rough way.

Lorelai Gilmore is just checking up to make sure everyone is OK.  Hedy is showing everyone her belly!!!

Christmas has long gone, but I have been catching up on a few late gifts. First a Christmas banner print fabric sewn as a bag for AuntieDutch and a Star Wars bag for me!! I know: for me. Bags 108 and 109.

And for The Dutches a Reindeer apron. I bought the panel off the roll, but the pocket was too small before I even started sewing, so I added a border to the top, and a lining, all in one. Now it looks like the apron is smiling, and not in a good way.

I also made a Christmas Grumpy Cat cross stitch for MrsDrWho. Actually I made two. A certain puppy may have knocked a cup of tea over the first one in the middle of last year. I glued a teeny tiny bobble border around the little frame. If you click on the clicky Grumpy Cat link, the pattern is free, just scroll down the page.

And now it is time for a cup of tea and a rest. It has been hot again today, 28*C, and the same tomorrow. The BOM have forecast a cooler week ahead and some rain, at last.

Thank you for all the lovely comments, I plan to reply as soon as the weather is cooler and I feel better. I do appreciate that despite the unplanned interruptions to blogcasts, kind people (and dogs) leave us comments!!

Bedly Nightshade

And so it goes, every morning and every night: The Labradors play on the bed. Lorelai Gilmore feels so well that she is imbued with a new enthusiasm for play. And a biscuit as well, if possible. This is her "Hopeful Biscuit" face.

The best new toy is a hair elastic: it stretches, it pings, it flies, it can make a noise- best toy ever. Tonight they played for most of the 100 minutes I was talking to MrsDrWho on the telephone about her first two days with her new class. They played with the hair elastic, a plastic cup and then the leg of the dinosaur toy. Hedy used to have the upper hand, but Gilly has learned her wily ways and gives as good as she gets. It does make the bed a dangerous place for people who don't want to have their stomachs bounced on unexpectedly, or find themselves staring at a Labrador's belly as their head lies on the pillow.

I let Hedy Lamarr wear her new Walking Harness so I could take some photos. She loves to wear it, as you can see from her proud stance, she thinks it is a delight!! And she walks like a good girl on her lead, so it is a bonus all round.

Lorelai Gilmore has spent rather a lot of time in the paddle pool. The weather has been very humid for the last few days. I know it has not been 45*C, but here 19*C overnight with humidity is a heatwave for us. Gilly likes to dip, turnaround, maybe have a drink and then hop out. Her belly is still a little pink where her fur has not fully grown back yet.

Last time we went to The Vet I took these Donna Hay Caramel Biscuits. They are sooo easy to make and use so few ingredients I am not sure why I haven't made them again.

I have finished two new hats: The Neil Diamond (Michele) and The Video Chat (Skyping Beanie) hats. Neil Diamond was finished in time for MrsDrWho's God-Daughter's birthday tea. The colour is not right, the grey is much nicer. The Video Chat Hat is an excellent pattern and though I look terrible in most hats, this one might be OK. It isn't for me, it is a hat to knit when I talk on the telephone with the headset on. I didn't have any short 3.25 KnitPro needles and so I cast on fewer stitches for the band with 4.5mm ends and then increased. It means the ribs don't line up from the band through to the hat. I must remember to get new needles.

There are four new flavours of TimTam biscuits, made in collaboration with Gelato Messina, which I must confess I have only vaguely heard of. Oh, when I clicked through I recognised some of their gelato cakes from MasterChef. I cannot comment on the flavours as I can't have chocolate, but I shall ask MrsDrWho about the : Salted Caramel & Vanilla, Black Forest, Choc Mint and Coconut & Lychee.

What a surprise!! Bags #106 and #107 for my friends MrsMauritius and Bella'sMum. We met about twenty-nine years ago and after we transferred to other schools we continued to catch up over the years. Now we are all retired and we had lunch in town on the first day of school. I am lucky to have such good friends. I made an Australian wild flower bag for MrsMauritus and a "dogs with hats on" bag for Bella'sMum. Bella is a black Labrador.

WeeJock and Bessie's Mum left a zucchini in a bag on the gate. Hedy hasn't had a lot of zucchini and last time she ate some she was sick. Apparently it wasn't the zucchini. I put it on the bench inside the back door, and then later on went outside to find Hedy Lamarr had stolen it!! It is very yummy. I rescued it and Gilly and Hedy had some later on with their dinner.

I must confess that I haven't done any posting. I have spent the better part of every day asleep over the last week. I think because it is cool, I did too much: three social outings in a row and then sewing and knitting and baking: all too much. And I have a slight niggle of a toothache. I have a dentist appointment next week, but I always worry. Dentists are so expensive and my teeth have suffered from all the drugs I have had to take to keep me alive: hmmm, good teeth or being alive?? No doubt it will be something hideously expensive. Still, I must look after my teeth and gums. They are a source of horrid germs, and germs and I don't get on.

I have no idea what I will be baking for Friday Food tomorrow. It will be much cooler, I am making a curry, and maybe something banana or the Better Homes & Gardens super quick and easy pineapple slice?? And it is 11pm so it is time all good (and naughty) Labradors were in bed............

Waffle On. Waffle Off.

There has been much socialising and, ergo, much sleeping ensued!! We walked at the dam this week, but we slept all day and all night. Twice. I think today we have caught up at last. Private school teachers are already back at work and State school teachers return next week, so there has been some determined catching up. MrsDrWho had a BBQ and I made Donna Hay ice-cream waffles. Oh they are so easy and look pretty fabulous. I made all three kinds:

1. Raspberry and white chocolate ice-cream with raspberries from MrsReno's garden, dipped in dark chocolate and coconut.
2. Mashed banana and peanut butter with vanilla ice-cream dipped in milk chocolate and pecans.
3. Chocolate ice-cream with choc bits, a few pretzels and a smear of Nutella, dipped in nothing as they were chocolaty enough.

I bought frozen waffles and filled them and froze them for two hours and then did the chocolate dipping. We had a little heatwave of 30*C so I didn't want to bake. I didn't taste any because I can't have chocolate, but the BBQ people said they were delicious. And as a bonus they keep in the freezer for ages if you don't eat them!!

The next night we went to the posh restaurant at the Casino and then on Sunday I had a long and leisurely brunch with Judy-May. I came over all faint and woozy as it was hot and she kindly reorganised the seating and I spent the bulk of the time over the air-conditioning vent, feeling soooo much better. How kind!!

I sewed a Rey Zippy pouch. I am a big Rey fan, Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I have been buying material at The BlackSpot of Doomlight (TM) Their Christmas material is on sale for $2-50 a metre, or $1 if you buy the rest of the bolt and with member discount it comes down to 75 cents a metre. I may have been back three times. I did buy some material to make my Rey dress. Now it is home I am not sure it is right.

There was a better khaki colour but it was plain, and I always spill things on the bodices of my dresses. The Rey material has a tiny bit of green on her outfit, a bronze/khaki colour. I think I might wait and see if there is a better colour later on. This green will not go astray!!

I am racing against time to knit a hat. Today I suddenly remembered a vague promise to knit a hat for MrsDrWho's god-daughter, and it is her birthday tomorrow. We are so old that a god-daughter is perhaps thirty??!!

I need to knit 250 metres by tea time tomorrow. I have knitted a ball so far this afternoon. I've made this hat before, it is the Michele hat, and I have named this The Neil Diamond Hat and I am using Merino Magic 8ply from Heirloom. I am knitting as fast as I can. The slip stitch pattern is easy: one row K6 Slip 1, the next row just K to the end.

Such good news for Lorelai Gilmore at the vet. Her results were excellent and from a starting point of 3 1/2 blue tablets every day, she is down to 1/4 of a tablet every second day, and an Imuran(sp?) every second day too. Dr Tim was very pleased and Gilly seems so happy, playful and normal again. The days have been delightfully cool, but sunny in the afternoons and so Gilly likes to lie on her cushion and soak up the warmth.

Hedy Lamarr pulls like all get out when she walks on her lead so Dr Tim suggested a new harness. I don't have a picture, but as soon as she put it on, she walks like a good girl. MrsDrWho bought Hedy a rope toy for her birthday last week, and she loves to fetch it. I also think it is hefty enough to survive her sharp chewing teeth for quite a while. We are making Hedy work when she wants to play: she has to sit and not bark. She learned to sit in no time flat but she is contrary and barks if throwers are too slow for her. Sadly, that means she has to wait even longer.

We haven't really done very much at all, what with all the sleeping and resting in bed. We are very grateful for the cool weather, it even rained this afternoon!! The poor people in Sydney have been suffering from the heat with the hottest month ever in January, but Cooma has had 36 straight days over 35*C. Now I must go back to the couch to watch The Weekly and knit, knit, knit......

Rogue Won

There will be spoilers, so if you don't want to know what happens in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, don't click on that clicky link, and/or scroll way down to my review.

Last week I decided to give away the 100th shopping bag I sewed. And it is now 9-35pm on Tuesday 24th January and I am doing the draw right now. Hold on....

I wrote the names on pieces of paper, folded them twice, popped them in the hat, closed my eyes and drew out a name: Bloss has won!!! She will be able to take the 100th bag shopping!!

But wait, there's more: you win a prize, and you win a prize, and you win a prize......

Oprah would be proud. I sewed some small buttoned pouches in my favourite, and pretty much trademark, green with a Labrador appliquéd to the front and a nice green button that closes the pouch with an elastic loop. I hope you all enjoy some Labrador happiness. Thank you so much for your kind wishes for Gilly's birthday and the 100th bag. There are eight little pouches, I thought maybe no-one wanted the back end of Labradors walking away, so there are some repeats!! I will send an email anon to everyone. Can't promise it will be tonight.

Happy Birthday Hedy Lamarr. Hedy is a big One Year Old Puppy Dog. She is so happy to be One!! Her little knees are dirty because she is such an enthusiastic stick fetcher that she skids on her knees when she comes close to it. How lovely it is to have two Labradors at our house, and it makes us very happy that they like to be together. I think, to be fair, there should be a give-away next week for Hedy's birthday too!!

Gilly and Hedy ate their delicious birthday chew bones.

Lorelai Gilmore has been secretly spending time in Hedy's Little Box, which is what we call her crate. I came into the dining room and there was Gilly, looking very at home, if a little worried whether she should be there or not.

I am catching up on Christmas presents. I sewed a set of three Star Wars bags (102, 103, 104) for MrsDrWho, The gold is very gold, almost brassy and very striking.

I knitted a Pussy Hat for me. It is green, it has two tiny stripes of pink near the top. I used some Vero for the ribbing and then couldn't find the other balls and had to buy some Kureyon for the body of the hat, hence the pink stripes. Of course this afternoon I found the rest of the Vero. The hat really makes cat's ears on your head, but I could only wear it for a few minutes because it has been hot. It was 30*C yesterday.

I shall try and be restrained and not go on and on about it. I am just very grateful to live here and mindful of the "First They Came.." poem. I must speak out if I can, and saying that I don't want to be annoying sounds hypocritical, but some people are not interested or it is not high on their agenda. I like to be aware of what is happening in politics, especially when it affects women and minority groups. I can't do very much, but I vote and I like to learn all I can.

The other hat, the Markedly Striped Hat, is for MrMadcage's birthday. It is the end of the Kureyon and some Rowan 10ply. I love that it looks like I have made a lot of striping effort, but it is just two rows of plain, one row of Kureyon until the crown, where they alternate - one row of each.

I fed MrsDrWho's mother's fish when she was away on holiday. There were nine when she left and nine when she came back: I am very proud of that. Sadly, now there are only seven. MrsDrWho's mum brought me back four metres of marvellous green fabric. It has a border on each side and it is light and airy. It will make a very cool Summer dress, which is my next project.

When it was 30*C yesterday we didn't know. After our walk we were so tired we slept till 2-23pm. When we woke up, the heat outside was terrible. Inside it was cooler, and The Labradors had the paddle pool for cooling down. MrsDrWho and I went to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It was not in 3D, apparently we do not warrant 3D. Or Gold Class, even though they insist on showing all the happy Gold Class people all over the rest of the continent.

I was enthralled by the film the and the two and a half hours flew by. Also I cried at the end. Several times. It was a sad film, but war is hell and people die, even in the Star Wars Universe. I saw Star Wars, now called A New Hope Episode 4, when it was first released and this film takes place primarily a few days or weeks before Episode 4 begins. There is a lot of chopping and changing of setting and at first I had no idea what was happening, but all becomes a little clearer as the film progresses. The characters are all very interesting and there is a great diversity: human and non-human. I loved that the actors seemed to keep their natural accents, more or less: Ben Mendelsohn (Director Krennic) falls in and out of his Australian/generic world accent, as do others. I was chuffed to recognise at least two Australian actors.

The action is fast and furious and people die. Lots of people die. Many things are unexplained and maybe the stories will be fleshed out later on, or maybe they are told in some of the books. It did not matter. I am glad that the film ended the way it did, there is no more of their story to be told. But it is a worthy part of the Star wars Universe. MrsDrWho told me that there are fans who are disappointed or angry. I am neither. I love the film, maybe even a little more than The Force Awakens. There, I have said it. I like these side stories and I would like to see more, as well as The Last Jedi, which follows The Force Awakens.

It was not only a marvellous film, it also whiled away almost three hours in air-conditioned comfort. When we came out it was sultry and cooler and we had rain by 10pm. I want to see Rogue One again, it is on for another two days, I may be able to squeeze it in.

Tomorrow we are off to The Vet for Gilly's blood test. She seems well, and even a bit naughty, so fingers crossed her numbers are good. We also need to investigate a new lead for Hedy, who pulls like a train engine and it all strength and determination. And then lunch with MrsMadcage for her birthday. It will be a lovely day.

And now I am just pressing the Publish button and being damned. And spelling or grammar errors will have to wait for tomorrow to be fixed.