2paw

I can has 'armburger????

Little or no knitting yesterday, but MrsDrWho and I splurged on upmarket burgers. And what's a girl to do to while away the time while she waits for her order to arrive?? Well, one takes self portraits in the window!!!

Yes, I can has hamburger: an alliterative Apple Isle Tempter and a Lamb burger with crispy chips, dipping mayo and a cup of tea!!! See the beetroot???!!!

The it was off to watch some Stargate and lo and behold it was The Scourge with Le Ambassador Francais. He threw a tanty or two and  was your stereotypical Frenchman: longish blonde hair and those arty black rimmed spectacles. He was saved from 'death by beetle' by SG1.

So today I finished the second sleeve: I can has 'armburger?? Non?? Well non et oui. Peri has been helping with the pictures again  and I didn't realise how big her tail was, I mean that's two sleeves to fit my arms, and then there's her tail. At least she is happy. I'm not saying my arms are meaty Popeye burger-sized arms by any means, and things in a photo may appear larger than they really are. Apparently. And so next, onto the back of the Cardigan and I just have to find that other big ball of Bendigo.......

The whole Le Soc Sportif wasn't happening at all. It is fine when she wears the sock inside for treats, but then when it really counts, Peri tugs her little foot away and I don't want to hurt her. Tomorrow her little foot can spend some time in a salt water bath. She is very dextrous though, and shoots down the stairs outside on three feet as if on all four. They had a wonderful walk this morning and I'm pretty sure they were looking at the kangaroos. The kangaroos ( wallabies really) are out and about in great numbers. They hop right across the path in front of you. I am never quick enough to get a picture. Harki is feeling really happy and so full of energy, most of which she expends trying to make me get her more food. She's really affectionate and needs pats on the head while I'm at the computer and on the couch she whacks me, gently, with her paw when she wants to be patted.

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I bought myself a little present, an amuse oreille (as opposed to amuse bouche) It is certainly music to my ears, though I'm not sure not about other people. Harki and Peri don't really like it, and kittens certainly don't!!! Oh and I have a picture of The Madonna Hat to show as well!!! Au revoir!!!

And The Company Jumps, When We Play Ravelry

There was no Boogie-Woogie on Saturday, not even any Rum and CocaCola, but the company was delightful. The Northern Apple Islanders had a Ravelry meet up at Blue. We were all so excited, well I was so excited that Kate who'd ratherbeknitting* had left by the time I took the picture!! So the Ravellers are, from the left: MrsDrWho, Shrekgirl63*, AmandaJ, Magdalena* , Katt and Sharon. [* Ravelry Link] We were all so excited that we plan to meet again in three weeks for some more Ravelry!! Amanda made me a giant brooch, well actually it's Cuzmo [whom I want to call Cuzco] a Knitted Babe, and he matches my new Cardigan. He is lovely and came with a wonderful letter warning of the ill effects of Labradors on a Knitted babe!! Here he is, pinned safely to the corkboard above my computer, like a green guardian angel. Amanda was right: Harki and Peri did want him. They wanted him a lot!!! Thank you Amanda, and rest assured while he has a holey head, at least he's not holey all over!!

I started some new socks at the meet up, but I unravelled them after the gusset decreases because my high instep refused to fit. I have started them three times, and the third time's the charm: Diamonds in the Stream. [I sing along to Dolly and Kenny in my mind] The wool is from the Wonderful Katie at Live2Knit and it's Rita dyed in the 2paw colour!! I wanted to highlight the colours and so I needed an expanse of stocking stitch, but I still wanted a pattern. I have ladders through my purls. I don't have ladders through my knits. I hope they block out. This wool is so nice to knit with, it's delicious. I'm using 2.25mm and 72 stitches and doing my usual sock thing.

MrsDrWho and I went to the pictures to see Iron Man on Friday night. Excellent film!! Well we thought so, and so did the rest of the cinema-goers who were geeky boys. I think we may have been the only females there. I'm up for comic genre films, happy to give them a go, and I need to see this again. Two hours and twelve minutes and I didn't want to check the time once. Lots of nice Robert Downey Jr muscled arms and a plot that didn't let up for a second. Stay till after the credits. We did, and so did five other males. Does no-one else check out the Internet before they go to the pictures to see if it's worth sitting through the credits???

I have been buying myself some Fat Quarters as they take my fancy. I am going to do some sewing (See Katt and Sharon!!) and not all for me, obviously, as they are not all green!! I am attached to them though.

After our walk this morning we were quite late, it was almost time for Elevenses when we came home. I bought some yummy French Earl Grey tea from Tonic, good sourdough rye from the bakery and some Chilli Salami from the deli at the trendy shop at the corner. My teapot has lost it's little knob and I was at a bit of a loss and then I did some Girls' Carpentry and found a nice green wooden bead and Voila, it's fixed!!!I didn't eat and drink at the same sitting, the one would have destroyed the taste of the other, but Harki and Peri really wanted some salami. I offered them bread. See what happened. The slight shaking is when I laughed!! We do 'Sit and Wait' but this time they were taking it way too seriously......

Now my blog is sidey-waysie, Toni doesn't like it. I'm not sure, I put all the 'business things' at the right and the reading at the left. I'm not sure I don't want to have it symmetrical again. It is ever so slightly weird.......

The (Break)Fast Show

We few, we happy few, have been lucky enough to know and see The Fast Show. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is "The Labradors Eating Breakfast", very fast and at break neck speed. I am using my special phone answering voice!! I have no idea if I talk like this all the time, I expect I might!!! Harki and Peri are eating rice, chicken, celery and carrot. Very healthy and apparently very delicious!!!

Late this afternoon Auntie and Uncle Dutch came and planted my Christmas Lemon Tree in The Forbidden Zone. I am so happy, I have never had a Lemon Tree of my own before. Typically, I an unable to take a presentable picture of the tree in situ, so I hope to do that for next time. After that we walked up to the cool and trendy cafe on the corner and had an early tea and a few glasses of heavenly wine. Then we walked home and I am worn out from all the excitement!!!

Thank to everyone who was keeping something crossed for me: uncross now!! Donni's Second Ravelry Tea Cosy Swap Parcel arrived safe and sound on Friday. How lucky I was to have Donni as my swapee: even though she thought it strange I should take so many weeks just to knit a cosy, she was patient and uncomplaining. I actually made a few extra things. Donni often pops some green wool or titbits in the post for me and I wanted her to have a nice surprise!! So, here we go: and if I am lucky this might magically pop up in a new window and be bigger!!!

• An old fashioned tea cosy, beribboned and becabled,
• A Knitting For Snow bag, so that she can have the pleasant chill of Winter with her wherever she goes,
• A Skiing Dude drawstring bag for bits and bobs,
• A Skiing Dude Sock Tote, for socks of course,
• And finally a Snowflake Ruffled Apron.

Of course I has sent a parcel before Christmas and it had some things almost, but not quite, the same.

I want to thank Donni for the lovely Make My Day Award. I am glad I sometimes amuse with my goings on!!! I also want to thank Tales From Simon's House for the Arte Y Pico award. I certainly do like green and I do make quite a lot of things, not all of them sensible!! Now I am no good at the awarding, utterly hopeless, but if I visit your blog, I like you!! Nowadays I only do things I like to do, things I want to do - enjoyable things that make me happy. Life is too short to be cross, bored or unhappy. I count myself lucky to know so many nice people internetally!!!

It is a bit of a record for me to be posting so soon after my last post, but the weather is Autumnal and I am feeling tired, cool and happy, and able to think rather more clearly. Tomorrow I am off to watch more of Blake's 7 Season 3 at MrsDrWho's house with Cleo and Caramello. This reminds me, I am thinking of making another ZippyUppy Cardigan. I will want something else other than Doctor Who though: maybe a Stargate, or the Blake's 7 logo, or some thing from Firefly, or Buffy?? Of course I must sew up my Errol CardiFlynn (CPH) first, but then the Universe is my Oyster!!!!  I just have to decide on what to choose.........

PS I accidentally lost this entire post but since I have the Mind of a Troll (Terry Pratchett Troll) at the moment, I pretty much managed to recreate it word for word. If only I could use my powers for Good, rather than The Trivial!!!!

Our Home is Skirt by Sea

It all started when Harki caught her nail when she was hopping into the car. She gave a little yelp but then she seemed happy on her walk, and it got me to thinking that I should clip The Labradors' nails. Usually the Doctors do it, but I can't run to the Hospital every time their nails need clipping: and so it came to pass that Mr Clippy came to live at our house. Oh he's small and innocuous, that Nail Clipper, but he has certainly stirred things up. I decided I would bribe The Labradors in order to clip their nails with fewer hassles. At first, just smelling Mr Clippy or letting me touch their paws merited a special piece of Dog Muesli bar, and then we moved onwards and upwards. By Day 2, Harki was happy to lie on the bed and I could have clipped her nails morning, noon and night- with or without bribery. Peri, on the other hand, is made of sterner- or less clever- stuff, and she is still very flighty. It was during one of these 'flights' that she leaped onto my lap and her paw, with its long nails, made a big hole in my favourite Dolphin skirt. What jolly good luck that I had already made a new green skirt and now I have my new Green Labrador skirt as well. Two new skirts, so on Australia Day our home is truly skirt by sea!!! 

This year, today, Australia Day: I went to the Citizenship Ceremony, or Nationalisation as I like to call it. There was only one 'mateship' uttered, so on the whole it was pretty good. I did get a tear in my eye when the choir sang 'We Are Australian' and then we all sang the National Anthem. Afterwards there was morning tea with delicious Egg and Lettuce sandwiches (green and gold colours!!!), ANZACs, sausage rolls and Lamingtons(green and gold coloured too!!!) After the discussion about biscuits, I was forced to have some Iced Vovos for my Elevenses the other day. They weren't as bad as I had anticipated. I think I will have to try some Lemon Crisps next, as brought to the fore by Donni. These were first made her in 1962, a very good year, and are crisp salty biscuits filled with a sweet lemony cream. Very unusual and moreish. And Wagon Wheels?? Well they made the amusing SMH list today and here is a little selection.....

You know you're Australian if …

• You know the meaning of the word "girt".
• You understand that the phrase "a group of women wearing black thongs" refers to footwear and may be less alluring than it sounds.
• You can translate: "Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas."
• You understand that "Wagga Wagga" can be abbreviated to "Wagga" but "Woy Woy" can't be called "Woy".
• Hamburger. Beetroot. Of course.
• You know that certain words must, by law, be shouted out during any rendition of the Angels' song Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.
• You believe, as an article of faith, that the confectionery known as the Wagon Wheel has become smaller with every passing year.
• You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose.
• You still think of Kylie as "that girl off Neighbours".
• When returning home from overseas, you expect to be brutally strip-searched by Customs - just in case you're trying to sneak in fruit.
• You find yourself ignorant of nearly all the facts deemed essential in the government's new test for migrants.
• You know, whatever the tourist books say, that no one says "cobber".*

Harki has been having a lovely time playing with her Squeaky Shrek Head, and she has learned its name and can pick it out of a Toy Line Up. Peri has been hoping that there might be some more tasty treats. She's not a dog to do things by halves, and dives right in!!! There are not any treats in the box, just aromas......

I have finished the Pearly Queen Bag. I made it especially with linen, some Japanese material for the lining of the bags and handles, and sewed it with cotton thread. Instead of interfacing I used very thin cotton quilt wadding so it is soft yet sturdy. I have hidden my tag in the very bottom. I am very pleased with the handles, I cut the contrast fabric 6mm narrower than the outer handle fabric so when I turned it right side out, the brown linen rolled over the contrast and it sits really nicely.

I have also, Ta Da!! finished my Mum's The Word socks. At last!! They are all done and just need to be de-dog haired and then posted off. So, no photo yet. I don't know what to knit now. I owe MrsDrWho some TARDIS socks for Christmas, but they are beaded and I have never knitted with beads before. I want my Brain to be totally cold and functioning at its peak (Ha ha) before I tackle them. I expect I should finish CornuTOPia. Get some wear before the Summer is over. And sew up my Errol CardiFlynn aka CPH. Then again, I have pomegranates, so I think I might make a little dessert. How I miss Smack The Pony TV series (avert your eyes from this link if you are a little delicate), I should get the DVDs: are you reading this MrsDrWho?? Smack The Pony. Need the DVDs. Are you in an ordering mood???

I have had a Red Hot Go at replying to my comments. Actually for the last two days it has been Luke Warm as the Internet has been having a conniption. So slow it could be almost Not Moving At All. Sigh. I think it's because The Apple Isle is at the Unfashionable end of the Internet Line. Don't hold you breath, but I hope to be back with the Ice Cream recipe and pictorial evidence that I have knitted some socks!!!

* Actually The Apple Isle is the Last Bastion of "Cobber"!!!

*See Biscuit

Because I can't eat many kinds of biscuits, it is always a joy to find a childhood favourite that I can eat on special: Lattice biscuits. Of course these used to be much larger and flakier. Mum would halve them and fill them with custard and with vanilla or lemon icing they became Homemade Vanilla Slices. In fact there is a recipe on the wrapping paper still. Generally, biscuits are getting smaller as I get older: Iced Vovos, Salada and SAOs. In the past could You fit a SAO in your mouth in one go?? Never could when I was younger but I reckon I could now. And this is in No Way because I have got a big mouth. Just saying that before anyone else does.

The Labradors have been helping me with my sewing, mainly Harki but you can just see little Peri's front paw. How they don't get stabbed by the pins I will never know. No wonder everything is covered in dog hair. I have finished my Green Labrador skirt and I wore it today.

We have had rain, a whole day of rain, and it has been much cooler. There were big puddles of water in the car park at the dam so we drove right in. The Labradors had a big paddle and play in the long puddles. You can see their reflections. The weather has been sunny, but still chilly. Peri wanted to be under her doona in the bed and she popped under and stayed there. Harki and I are made of sterner stuff and I managed with just a sheet, though I did cover my feet later on!!

So, I have unravelled and reknitted my Mum's The Word sock. So there is just One Word. My new camera takes much better close up pictures. I will have to see just how close I can get. These are knitted using The Knittery's old Cashmere Merino (Merino Cashmere?? CashMerino??) in Blues and the pattern is Diagonal Fern. Still haven't found my notes so I will be counting stitches and rows on the first sock to make the second the same. It is definitely deliciously squooshy and warm.

I have taken the advice of those more sage and added some button swirls to the front panel of my little brown linen bag. I am quite pleased. I can still see my first attempt in there, but the swirls break it up quite nicely and it looks much more abstract and random. Well I think it does. Now I can start sewing the actual bag. I have even bought real cotton thread. Going all out here.

MrsDrWho and I had a leisurely brunch this morning. I had a BLT with chilli mayo and a beautifully poached egg on top and MrsDrWho had fish, salad and chips. She gave me a chip: that's what friends are for. Then we browsed in some shops. She was measuring bookcases for school and so I got to make a spreadsheet of all the measurements. I also looked at watercolour pencils. I had tins of 72 different colours when I was still at school. Nowadays the most I could find was a tin of 36. We also found a surprise selection of Christmas fabric and bits'n'bobs in a craft shop: and 3 balls of Patonyle too!!!

Thankfully, MrsDrWho's wine rack dilemma...has been solved!!! I expect I might be able to help just a little with her other wine related problem!! We have just 6 episodes of Stargate: Atlantis the Thirdly Season left to watch and then, oh the torture, what shall we watch next??? Blake's 7 Season 3, Babylon 5 Seasons 2 though 5 and we have Crusade, the movies, the Rangers movie and also the latest straight-to-DVD movies too, Battlestar Galactica, old and new. We are too spoiled for choice. I think we will probably go back to Stargate the Original series and keep going with that.

I have been doing lots more this last week or so than in the whole of December I think: it is so much cooler, and I am feeling a bit better. Next time I will have skirts to show, and maybe I will finish my Little Brown Linen Bag. And think of a better name for it too. Oh and I want to make Nigella's Pomegranate Ice Cream: I had never eaten a pomegranate till MrsDrWho one on her fruit platter just before Christmas. They make me go all Delia and Nigella!!!!

*No Tobey Maguires were harmed in the writing of this post, even if Peter Parker and Mary Jane have entered into some weird comic book agreement with a Faustian character and had all memory of their marriage wiped from The Universe in exchange for Aunt May's life??????

Dog-tor Evil

The Labradors have been swimming at the Tailrace in the rain. Harki has also been mudlarking about. Peri has not, she stayed nice and clean and well away from the gluggy mud!!! She was actually on a mission to get a pelican and a ducky, but failed miserably on both counts. The water seems to attract the birds, it is fast flowing as it has just been through the hydro power station. I think they must like its swirliness.  We saw a Mother Duck with her ducklings swimming behind her in a flotilla. Harki and Peri turned instantly into real dogs and they wanted to 'get' the duckies: they were all alert and pulled on their leads and really wanted to run into the marsh and chase the ducks. Of course there is no chance of that, and they quickly revert to Un-dog-tors Evil, or Dog-tors Good!!!

MrsDrWho is behaving very inappropriately: she is holding my special ChocMint sock wool, from The Knittery, hostage. She has even started cutting off little pieces. And now she is letting Cleo 'play' with my wool, it will be all covered in cat spit :-(  I really wanted to just knit a pair of plain socks with it, but instead I have had to break out the pink and green Opal Acapulco and start The Narnia Girl socks. These are fairly plain, but I am ribbing half the stitches, the back of the sock. The Narnia Girl herself has slim ankles and legs and I think the ribbing will shape the socks nicely, without having to increase or decrease. I should have these finished by October 19th. I shall have to see how I go with that. I do like stripy wool though. There is something very satisfying and speedy about seeing the sock grow when there is a self stripe.

The Henry VIII Socks are finished. I am very pleased with the pattern and they look very nice on an actual foot too!! I made them from Katt's Moss hand-dyed wool and used 2.75mm needles and 64 stitches.

Daylight Saving has caught up with me and I have been feeling really tired. I can't get to sleep of a night and then we all wake up when Peri wakes up, however early that is. So I have been lounging on the couch reading books. I have read 10 books this week, I just finished the latest Alex Rider, Snakehead, this afternoon. The Alex Rider series spans the year he is 14, and at the moment we are at mid-November, so I'm thinking there might only be one more book. I do like that there will be an end to it though, and we won't be left in literary limbo. MrsDrWho is hoping his parents will magically appear alive. I am not holding out any such hope. It has also finally come to my turn for the Amy Butler book, In Stitches, from the Library. Craft people must be very nice as the paper patterns are in pristine condition and even the little sticker inside is not torn. I am looking forward to sewing some things from the book.

I have won a prize from YARN Magazine. It is a spindle and some unspun wool. Though I am exceeding excited, I have no idea what to do with them, at the moment they are a decorative addition to my house, but I know I am meant to do twirling and stuff!! The wool must have a lot of smells in it, because The Labradors really, really want it so badly!!! Thanks YARN Magazine, I love my prize, and one day I might even do spindling, though I fear it will take me to the Dark Side!!

I can see that lots of people would like to win a prize for my Bloggiversary, and I still have to make/buy/do anything about it, but rest assured I work best under pressure!! There are such lovely and happy comments and even one from Harki's godmother, so I am very chuffed!!!

The recipe today is inspired by BH&G Magazine. I made these for supper on Thursday at Sewing. Friends and I went for lunch at a Vegetarian cafe, and though the roasted vegetables with garlic aioli and beetroot relish and the stuffed mushrooms were delicious, I still can't come at a lentil burger!!!

Mini Pizzas

• 2 sheets of butter puff pastry, thawed
• tomato paste, I had one with extra herbs and garlic OR
• basil, and garlic etc extra if you have plain tomato paste
• a little grated cheese, cheddar, parmesan or some Camembert
• punnet of cherry or tiny Roma tomatoes, halved
• thinly sliced deli meat, I used hot salami, but whatever you like, or you can be vegetarian.

Preheat oven to 180*C (350 F) and line 2 trays with baking paper. Cut the puff pastry into 12 or 16 even pieces, depending if you want one or two bite-size pizzas. Spread on a little tomato paste, then add a little meat and be very sparing with the cheese. I think the trick is less, rather than more here. Finally add 1/2 a tomato, salt and pepper and then bake for 12-15 minutes. If you are adding fresh herbs, you add them now, right as they come out of the oven. Serve piping hot, but these are just as tasty cold the next day. I also made a few with a Fetta type cheese topped with Cabernet paste and I think smoked salmon and Brie would be delicious too.

   

Raisins To Be Cheerful: Part 1

The latest craze at our place is Raisins. I had some raisins languishing in the cupboard. I gave one to Peri, and now she is hooked: Might as well face it, she's addicted to the above. She will do anything for a raisin, even have drops in her ears. She breaks the World Jumping On and Off the Bed Record hourly, she comes at the Speed of Light when I call her, she turns herself inside out with anticipatory delight. Harki? She can take them or leave them, they're a good treat but not to die for. Harki has donated blood again at The Hospital to help a dog who ate rat poison. The Vet gave her a whole bag of treats and she graciously shared them with Peri. They have some new toys to play with and so there is endless squeaking and toy snatching afoot. Only a mother could endure such a cacophony.

MrsDrWho had gone over to the Dark Side. It must have been the strange confluence of events, the unusual planetary alignment or the weird coincidence at The Black Spot of DoomLight. We had wandered in and who should we meet but The Bionic KnitterWoman( Wagner.. geddit!!!??) Whilst chatting to her, who should have arisen from her sickbed to shop, but the pale and interesting Amanda!!! Then we met our friend Janette, who was Amanda's Grade 3 teacher. No wonder MrsDrWho has been magicked into knitting. The Bionic KnitterWoman also found a new knitter: The Stitch Wrangler. I am not sure if she is truly here in The Apple Isle, or from The Mainland. You could visit and offer commiserations to the former and encouragement to the latter, or vice versa, whatever.....

I have finished one of Amy's Secret Socks, turned inside out to protect the innocent. I have also knitted one ball's worth of Paton's Shadow Tweed using The Yarn Harlot's One Row Scarf Pattern. It is such an easy pattern and the Tweed is nice. It knits up easily and changes colour nicely and it is not for me, and I know the NiceLady Nextdoor will like it, so the lack of greenness is mitigated. I just read a book where a point was 'mute'. How did this get past the editors and proofreaders?? Have writers missed the whole moot point point?? Mitigated just reminded me of moot.

I have transmogrified the Sad Clown: washed his clothes, trimmed his matted hair, gathered his outfit and added new frills and ribbon. I still have to oversew his hands and feet with matching embroidery thread and darn a hole in one hand, but he is pretty much made over. I have also sewn tissue holders. Nine tissue holders. I have started my own tradition of giving the members of The Knitting Coven a present on Our Birthday. Today was our 3rd Birthday and we lunched heartily and I drank Earl Grey Tea and my very own little bottle of sparkling!!! Happy Birthday to Us!!!

Many Kiss Biscuits have been made with the Teapot cutter (I love my new cutter!!) and my Mother's Kiss Biscuit recipe. It is the best recipe and MrsDrWho requested plain icing (pink) and raspberry jam filling. I like to 'jam' two biscuit bottoms together, so there is a 'top' on the bottom as well as the top. Luckily I remembered to bake half the biscuits reversed. There could have been an awful tantrum otherwise!!!

Kiss Biscuits

• 4 oz/ 225g butter, softened
• 4 oz/225g caster sugar
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 8 oz/450g plain flour
• 1 tspn baking powder
• 1 tbspn (20ml) cornflour
• your favourite jam
• icing sugar
• 100s and 1000s

Preheat oven to 180*C (160 FF) and line trays with baking paper. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla till light and airy. The mixture will look light in colour too. Beat in the egg, then sift in the flours and baking powder. Mix well to make a sticky, then not so sticky, dough. I usually use my hand, it's easier. Then you may need to refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes or so.

Cut the dough into quarters and work with one piece at a time. Roll out on a floured surface until about 3mm thick and cut out shapes with a floured biscuit cutter. Then knead the leftovers together with a fresh quarter of dough. Place on the tray, they will spread a little, and bake for 12 minutes. I usually swap and reverse the trays after 6 minutes. The biscuits should be golden brown un the bottom. They cool very quickly, so you can mix the icing sugar and water to make icing while you wait. Ice a biscuit, add 100s and 1000s by pressing it into a plate of the colourful spheres. Spread a base biscuit with jam and then join the two together. These are nice to eat straight away, but they are much better after a few days as they soften and the jam permeates both layers.

Take Me Out to the Bowl Game

Here are two faces: faces that not only a mother could love. Innocent, cute, gorgeously happy Labrador faces...And while I was out, something bad happened. No, I'm not indulging in some experimental art, or sculpture. I'm not branching out and making stained glass windows or any such thing. Again, no, this is not the beginning of an outdoor water feature.This was my favourite Pyrex mixing bowl. It went into the microwave to make fudge and caramel, it was fantastic for making cakes and muffins. You could reheat things in it: in fact it was perfect. It WAS perfect. Now it is an ex-bowl. It has ceased to be, pushing up the daisies etc.  I left the bowl on the table when I went out. I know I should have put it away, but I'm hot. It's hot. It's STILL hot.  Someone or other, somehow, someway, somewhere, took the bowl off the dining room table and disassembled it into myriad sharp and dangerous pieces. Who could it be now??? The table is high, how did they get o'er??? How was no-one cut to smithereens???

Well children, which of the Labradors broke the bowl, who do you think it was: Harki or Peri? Let's listen to the song and then find out...(Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men song follows)

Was it Harki or Peri Pup

Took the bowl and smashed it up?

Which of those two Labradors there,

Was it Hark or was it Per???

Who do you think broke the bowl??  Ahh, another unsolved mystery.

Thank you for the very kind wishes for my health, or lack of it!!! No-one can really 'do' anything for me, despite such kind offers. I can only encourage people to maybe donate blood if they feel so inclined. Just saying.... So now I'm pretty much in the pink. I had a good night's sleep despite the heat, and without the incessant thudding in my ears that always accompanies unwellness. I walked up the stairs this morning without stopping on every one for a few restorative breaths!!!! Wouldn't you know it, at the mere hint of some actual medical intervention, my numbers went up all by themselves?? From 65 to 69. I laugh in the face of my old numbers now, I am surely way into the 90s!!!

I did get a whole lot of Samuel Clemens #1* knitted up. Truly, this is more of a sleeve than a sock. How endlessly long can a sock be?? I am racing the wool to the end of the ball. I have 2 or 3 more centimetres to go until I start the toe and the foot has to be 28cm long. I expect I will use just a smidgen of the new ball. The K2 P2 rib is quite soothing and looks very nice indeed. Everyone thought I was ever so clever to be making the stripy pattern, They weren't even sad when I told them I wasn't. They were amazed at my sock knitting ability and surprised when I said socks were becoming a popular item to knit.  * Mr Madcage is Mark and so I immediately thought "Mark Twain' and then, again, Samuel Clemens. I couldn't help myself.

Have you had a Happy Hippo lately?? These are a new confectionery treat for the chocolately challenged: ie Me!! They are a crispy wafery concoction with meringue and a plain white filling, rather in the Raffaello style. I bit the head right off mine!!

MrsDrWho has been outdoing herself in the culinary stakes. She cooked me tea the other night: a delicious salmony treat that necessitated a Harry-Met-Sally moan of delight after every single mouthful. I hope I might get to see Nigella soon,MrsDrWho is stealing all my cooking thunder!!!

The new MagKnits is here, though there is still no sign of any Vernal Knitty. MagKnits has some socks that are quite nice.  I have spied some possibly new Opal sock wool too, here!! These are Donna's ZigZag socks, but I was momentarily dazzled by the green wool!!! See how I am saying 'NO!' to this sock wool, though if you fancy some lovely hand dyed wool at the moment I can recommend some Australians:

Katt's Wool, The Knittery, Live2Knit, and Yarnivorous Yarn.

Now I'm planning to have a little nap, and then while away the evening with icy coolness, Dalziel & Pascoe and the West Wing!!!

Sunday, Muddy Sunday

Yes, filmic-ly, Sunday was a bit muddy, a bit fuzzy: The Labradors had a walk and then I went to bed at 10am and despite their best attempts to waken me, I slept through the heat of the day till 6-11pm. Now this cut severely into my sock knitting time. I was committed to doing things yesterday and I had only knitted up to the cuff. Luckily MrsMadcage has small feet and I was able to finish The Artemis Owl socks in time!! I keep typing Artemis Fowl, MrsMadcage likes owls and Artemis, the goddess, is represented by an owl, hence the name: Artemis Owl!!

So, The Artemis Owl Socks: knitted in Regia Crazy Colour #5443. The pattern is my own, my usual 72 stitches on 2.25mm, a slip 1 K1 heel and the little lace pattern that I just 'did' . This is the first of the Birthday Socks for the year, this being the Year Of Birthday Socks!!! 

We are hot and it is going to get hotter. Harki (standing) and Peri (sitting)  are happy to be wet and cool in front of the  breeze, or the evaporative cooler, whichever is coldest really.

MrsDrWho and I had a cool luncheon after my appointment of boogelliness yesterday and she had sushi. The very best part was the tiny plastic squeezy fish filled with soy sauce. Now MrsDrWho and I know someone who works at the Cafe and so she's hoping for a little stash of the fish for herself, rather than the fish being thrown away. They have little faces, sad faces I think, and little scales and fins.

I am glad there are other people out there who understand my comet suspicions!! John Wyndham's books are fantastic: The Midwich Cuckoos, The Kraken Wakes and my very favourite, The Chrysalids. His books are haunting and I'm keeping an ear out for Triffids... you never know where they might be lurking....

MrsDrWho has sent me comfort viewing : MacGyver, Blackpool, P&P and North & South. By way of thanks, I have turned her to the Dark Side and she has become totally and emphatically enamoured of Cleopatra the Kitten!!

The Accidental Lunchist

Peri is so lucky to have so many Birthday Wishes for Doggy things!!! I know she wants to pass on a wiggly waggly tail thump and a dribbly lick as a thanks to all: she's a sharing, caring kind of Labrador!!! When I look at her happy face, and Harki's too, it makes me feel very happy too. I love coming home and seeing them inside the gate, wagging their tails and ready for a big pat from me. They gaze at me with their big eyes and I melt into a puddle of give-them-any-treat-they-like...almost!! I love this picture of them with happy treat-anticipatory expressions!!

Having heard a boogelly tale about pork imports into Australia on RN, I have decided to only eat happy free range pigs, a la Restaurant at the End of the Universe!!! So armed with said happy free ranging ham as a gift, I went to MrsDrWho's house to watch Stargate Atlantis: Season 2 and eat smoked chicken salad for lunch. Atlantis was purchased after the horrid TV station graced our screens with only 3 episodes and then stopped. Just. Like. That. Then there was a phone call and we went out to lunch with Mrs Starsky&Hutch and Wee Jock's Mum!! Very nice and relaxed it was too, even if it was unexpected. I think sometimes the unanticipated outing can be the best!! Today there was a planned outing, but the cafe was closed and we went to the Gorge to eat and to watch the start of the Sports carnival: bike riding, running and kayaking/canoeing. I was able to exchange late Christmas presents and have a lovely chat to my friends!!!

One Artemis Owl sock is complete and I have till Tuesday morning to finish the second. I have one more round of rib to finish the cuff and then it's onto the leg. I really like the lace pattern and the way it continues down to the toe. It is pretty and, more importantly, quick!!!

It's hot, dammed hot, and it will be hotter as the week progresses. At least we are not exploding!!! Oh and there's a comet. Don't look - Day of the Triffids and all. I won't be looking, not that I think I can see it from here, but I need to keep an eye or two on the sock I'm knitting. A girl can't be too careful..............