2paw

I Don't Care If You Are Called The Rare Miss Frigidaire.

'Cause you're sensational. Yesterday I defrosted the freezer. I don't like this job, and I put it off. The freezer was mainly filled with a bag of ice and things in ziplock bags. I don't know what some of them were or how long they had been there. I saved the raspberries for a cake I made today. Other than that everything else went.

Peri and Gilly thought the bag of ice ice-cubes was the best thing since sliced bread. It kept them amused for ages. PicMonkey has added a collage tool. I haven't quite mastered it yet, but I am feeling very happy to have a selection of collage options again.

On Friday MrsValley and I went to the Greek Restaurant further up the river. The day was reasonably OK when we started out. We had Arni Yarni Lamb pot pie, Pumpkin and Feta tart and then semolina custard tart with lemon syrup. We spent almost three hours catching up and having a good chat. The pictures are poor, I think the lens was fogged up. Everything was absolutely delicious.

The weather was not. It started raining as we left and there was a huge downpour that lasted for more than a day. There were roadworks and gravel and it was all a little scary. I drove at 60kph but there were people who wanted to do the 100kph speed limit. The council hasn't cleared the drains of Autumn leaves around our suburb, so there were deep puddles across the roads. There were minor floods: a hospital, roads near MrsDrWho's school and in the south of the city. It stopped raining last night and we have some sunshine today.

MrsValley bought The Labradors a lovely treat. Blackmores have a pet division now and she chose some special kangaroo treats. They are perfect for Peri and Gilly: low in fat, easy to break into small pieces and according to them, the Best Treats Ever!! Picture from the Blackmores' site, and we have the Labrador packet of course!!!

I sewed a goanna bag and I am working on my next felt project. Semi-secretly.

I've also been wearing my beret, trying it out to see if I like it around the house before it debuts in public!!

All my Library book Christmases came at once and I sat on the couch reading while the rain poured down endlessly. I couldn't read all of I am David because of the sad part at the almost end. I read either side of the sad part. Rose Levy's book has some wonderful and unusual cakes and I want to bake quite a few. It's hard to find a new series of books to read. I listened to Radio National when they had their broadcast from the Sydney Writers Festival and jotted down a few names. I always scan the book section of Saturday's paper. I use the 'recently added' button (well, you organise by most recent date) on The Library site and keep an eye on authors I already follow. I long to find authors I haven't read who have a long book list for me to enjoy!!

I have new dog walking shoes. The shop says they were $60, but they were on super sale for $10. I think the khaki and pink colour scheme may have put some people off. I'm deciding which shoe laces work best.

My aqua shoes with a velcro closure stopped staying closed. They weren't cheap shoes and I was a bit cross. The lady at the shop where I bought them told me that the shoe repair man could replace the velcro. He did, it's black not white, but you can't see it and it only cost $18. An excellent price and I have a 'new' pair of Winter shoes now!!

Zoe and her family are on The Mainland now and Zoe will be having her bone marrow transplant tomorrow. There's a long hard road ahead for them all. Lucy has not been well, her health is deteriorating. I keep them in my thoughts.  One of Uncle and Auntie Dutch's dog died last week. Tommy was a lovely boy, a boy's boy, and he could be a bit of a grump too. He was fourteen which is a good age.  Poppy, the other dog, seems to be coping by herself.

Later on this week I am going to The Hospital to participate in a session with the doctors in training. I'm going to talk to them about my illness, let them do some observations and then answer any questions they have. I'm not sure how it will go, but they are sending me taxi vouchers so I don't have to worry about looking for a parking space. I'm very happy about that!!

By George, I Think I've Got It!!!

And by it I mean a dress that pretty much fits and looks nice when I wear it!! I saw Michelle from Buttontree Lane sew the Simplicity Amazing Fit 2247 dress and I thought I might give it a go too: patterns were half price, and the material only cost $14. I like the material because it looks, to me, a little WWII and suits the pattern.

I overestimated my size again, though I think the instructions are misleading. I think you should cut for your high and not full bust size. Still, I did sew the dress up first with the seams on the outside so I could more easily adjust and fit them myself.

There are still a few things I'd like to fix: the puffy sleeves (though MrsDrWho likes them, is she just messing with me??), the front bodice needs to be taken up about 2cm at the shoulders. I always have forward shoulder seams and as I am definitely going to be sewing this dress again I want to add 2 or 3 cm to the front shoulder seam and take it away from the back seam.

I inserted a zip by hand again, but really this dress doesn't need one, I can easily get it on and off without one. I enjoy hand picking the zip, and it is much easier than using the zipper foot on my machine, which isn't terribly helpful.

On the whole, I am very pleased: I had my nice beaded sandals to match and my new Short Scene cardigan matched perfectly too. And off I went to Afternoon Tea with my knitting friends!!!

I did have not-a-very-good go at cleaning the mirror, and of course my lovely Labrador assistants assisted me!!!

I've been lucky enough to win two prizes of late. MrsDrWho and I went to a Trivia Night with some of her colleagues and we won!! It's a nice bottle of wine and some Lindt chocolate. I already have several nice bottles of wine I received as Christmas presents that haven't been opened and I can't eat the chocolate so MrsDrWho has two prizes!!!

I didn't know I had entered Cyndi's competition, but I left a comment won a prize!! She sent me some really interesting Kanzashi flower makers. Reading the back of the packet I know it is a traditional Japanese fabric folding art, but I think of them as a kind of flowery Suffolk Puff makers. I am looking forward to be-flowering quite a few things!! She also sent some beautiful fabric, and every piece of the set has green in it, and some cuter than cute tiny 2 1/2 inch charm square packs!!

Noah the dog and Wilson the cat sent Peri and Gilly some dog biscuits. They were so very kind as to send vegetable biscuits so that they can have one almost every day and not worry about F A T.

Peri has been eating her breakfast and dinner at a higher level than Gilly. She's very clever to balance and eat quickly at the same time!!

Lorelai Gilmore has rediscovered an old toy and so there has been a big gumboot clomping about inside, and out!! She is experiencing gumboot bliss!!!

And after giving in and finally fixing the cuff of my mittens, I found the rest of the ball I had carefully put away, and so I unravelled the cuff for a third time and now it is finished. Except the mittens are so grubby after our walk. I can't believe how grubby they are!! It's been dull and rainy today so no chance for washing and drying them before tomorrow. I'll wash them tomorrow and they will have until Thursday to dry.

I am hoping nothing very much happens this week because MrsValley and I are driving of the city a little for lunch on Friday. I want to rest up and prepare. In saying that, I've had series 2 of Sherlock here since before MrsDrWho went away to Singapore. We think we'll rest Due South and watch some Sherlock one night this week. Maybe I'll sew some more cute hexagons for April's Craftsy blocks and maybe we'll sew May's blocks before June!!!

Run, Peri, Run.

The Hydro is laying pipes across the park at the dam where we walk. Peri and Gilly have had to have their leads on so they don't run into the path of the digger. On Saturday it was all quiet and so they could have a lovely run.

Gilly ran:

And Peri ran. Away. For ten minutes we couldn't find her. I knew where she was. She was up the hill near the smelly things. Gilly and I drove to the gate and back and parped the horn. Peri was waiting at the spot where the car was parked and came running to us.

She ran so fast I didn't have time to get out of the car before she arrived!! I didn't worry that she wouldn't come back, but I thought she might have been caught on a branch or some wire by her collar, or have hurt herself. She just had awfully smelly, muddy feet.

It's been reasonably quiet here, although there was a bit of a stir in the neighbourhood when the new people over the road lit a fire in their garden. The smoke was very bad, I couldn't even see over the road. My washing, and the knitting that was blocking, smelled smoky and there was ash all over the car and yard. Luckily it was a bonfire of wet vegetation rather than a dangerous fire.

He did come over later on and apologise, but I think we've all checked the Fire regulations and next time we'll ring the Fire Brigade instead of dithering for half an hour.

That's the roof of our house and the smoke wafting high up into the sky.

Whilst doing nothing very energetic I have managed to finish my Short Scene cardigan, which fits, and find some very good buttons. I think finding buttons is the hardest part of knitting a cardigan.

There's a new hot water bottle cover, and a repaired cuff on my mittens and the Dexter Haven Hat.

The beret is finished, I just need to sew in two ends. I am hoping it looks OK. Hats don't suit me, I don't know why. I finished the Secret Knitting for MrsDrWho as well.

The weather has been both very cold and quite warm: the other morning it was 1*C when we went for a walk, but today it was 18*C and I went out in a Summer skirt and top. Peri and Gilly are enjoying the not too hot Autumn sun. Gilly has been feeling quite well, though I watch her like a hawk and try to discourage mad beserker-bonkers running in the backyard.

I've made about five batches of Lemon Meringue Cupcakes recently. These were for the doctors and nurses at The Animal Medical Centre. They look after Peri and Miss Lorelai Gilmore so well!!

So basically, we're having a lazy time here: resting, lying on the couch with a hot water bottle and a quilt, taking a book and a cup of tea outside in the afternoon to enjoy the sun.  I'm saving up my energy for an outing to Afternoon Tea on Sunday. There may, or may not, be a new dress. Only time will tell!!!

1 2 3 4: my5

Flybuys is a card with a points system that used to be for saving up your frequent flyer points. Now it has been relaunched by Coles, with Dawn French, and they implore people to choose their 5 favourite items and get 10% off.  But in some ads, and only on half their promotional material, you find that you must spend $50. It does say you save 10% on the products of your choice, but then the tiny, tiny print says you choose from their special 800 product list. The things I would like buy are not on their list. What a surprise.

I think I shall not really be 1 2 3 4 my5-ing thank you very much.

The new Knitty Surprises have been released and lots of lovely people pointed me to something very appropriate.  I am knitting it for MrsDrWho's birthday and although she doesn't read my blog all the time, I am making a clicky link so you can see what I am knitting and look at my project. I am almost at the border. It is something I could knit again, I am really enjoying it.

The Short Scene sleeve Mark III has been very successful and I think I might just knit another. Two sleeves in a cardigan are better than one. Just one last sleeve to go, sewing the sleeves into the body and grafting the back of the neck and it is done. Hurray.

Lorelai Gilmore has been well. She has appreciated all the lovely comments and well wishes. The drugs are excellent and she has been as good as new. We finished the drugs today and so now it is a waiting game to see how she goes. My poor baby. She has loved being able to go for a walk again. She's most obedient and hops in the car when she is called. Peri doesn't always come straight away though:

But when she does, she zooms!!! (Courtesy of PicMonkey, a good Picnik replacement and they will soon have collages. Thank goodness)

And then they both stand there, good as gold, ready for a treat.

Mohairmama  set up the Fingers and Toes display at The Craft and Quilt Fair. I went along to give some moral, and a little bit of actual, support. We had to leave A4 size spaces fr a piece of paper with a torso, arms and legs, but when MrsDrWho and I went along on Saturday, the paper wasn't there.  That's why the spacing is a little weird. People were voting for their favourite items.

We loved looking at all the quilts. I have decided I like the actual patchwork part and not so much the painted on fabric or just quilting on a plain-ish background. I bought a silicone thimble, some Labrador fabric and some 2ply Fern coloured mohair for a scarf (Dairing) Mr 'Dairing' was glad to talk to someone who knew about 'fibre'!! I was quite amused, I think a lot of scrapbooking people were asking him a lot of unanswerable questions. The Labrador fabric had a happy panting Peri, a little Gilly and I think a lovely Harki as well. MrsDrWho and I bought a Christmas embroidery pattern and she also acquired a rainbow jelly roll!! We had a cup of tea half way through our two hours, but I had to sleep for three hours when I came home and I had a tired-and-I-can't-sleep headache later on.I think I still need a little more recovery time.....

MrsDrWho lent me her second best iPad when she went away and I was not very good at anything apart for the Find the Hidden Object game and the Rise of Atlantis, which is like a big game of Connect 4 really. It eats up time. I would play a whole level and an hour or more would just disappear. The iPad has gone back home and I am sure it will have a much more varied and happy life!!

MrsDrWho and her sister chose some tea for me and she brought it back from her holiday. I have tea from Raffles and tea from the special tea company TWG. I have tried the peppermint, ginger and chamomile and tomorrow at morning tea we will try a new one. I also have the whole tea menu, with an authentic tea smudge, but it it too dark to take another photo now. There are at least twelve kinds of Earl Grey teas!!!

Everything is so beautifully presented. I have some more presents to show next time. I am so lucky!!!

Today Me-Made-May begins. I have really enjoyed all the Me-Made Marches and Self-Stitched Septembers, but May is just long sleeved t-shirt tops, a cardigan and jean month. Not very exciting really and nothing I can sew or knit in time. So, I recall a comment suggesting I should sew something this month instead. Maybe I will even finish my cardigan? So I shall try to under promise and over deliver!!!

Heston's roast potatoes?? Absolutely delicious: crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the centre. I made these again the next night. The new Family Circle Winter magazine is out and I am swooning over the recipes. I can't wait to make something for Friday Food this week!!

I Name This Day, Fiona!!

I'm sorry you'll read that again, and wonder whatever I am talking about. This afternoon I went to Petrarch's Bookshop and the lovely Fiona McIntosh:

signed her new book, The Lavender Keeper, for me. It begins in Vichy France WW2 and tells the story of Luc, a lavender farmer, adopted into a Jewish family. I have only read three chapters, but it has already drawn me in.

Set in France, it is no spoiler to say that the sequel will be partially set in Tasmania. Fiona was inspired by The Bridestowe Lavender Farm and if only I could transmit scent through the internet, you could smell the fragrant French Lavender Perfume she spritzed over the page after she signed. I keep opening the book and smelling the perfume. Scent is a powerful trigger for memories, and I think I will always associate lavender with Fiona now!! I have read all of her books: fantasy, children's and crime, apart from Fields of Gold. I missed that somehow.

She is a lovely person, and listened attentively as I chatted away to her about how much I loved her books, and had read them all. She graciously signed the first three of her books I had brought along and then gave me a hug. It was so exciting to meet her. And after I have finished posting I am off to bed for a little R&R, that's rest and reading!!

Peri and Gilly had an Easter Carrot Hunt. Peri was quite happy to sit for an Easter Carrot picture, but Lorelai Gilmore thought I wanted to take her carrot away and she was off. But off slowly, as she didn't want to be too disobedient and I think she was conflicted!!

The weather has been very Autumnal: long, loud and bright electrical storms and then 1*C icy cold mornings. I knew the weather would be windy and rainy because my white Camellia is in bud, and you can guarantee as soon as it blooms the wind blows and the rain falls to make the delicate flowers brown and bedraggled.

Peri and Gilly love the cold weather and they are extremely happy and full of joy.

The NextDoor Neighbours have a party every Easter and Peri spends the whole day at the fence, joining in vicariously. This year Gilly spent quite a lot of time there too. Sadly for them, the guests know that there are no treats for The Labradors, but they live in hope.

This week is the week when I catch up with all my friends, except MrsDrWho who is still away overseas. I have been dining out with my Knitting friends where we waxed lyrically about the wonders of turning a heel, something we still find miraculous after all these years:

I had some yummy veal last week and some Trevalla with a tangy crunch salad yesterday. Tomorrow I am off for Grand Afternoon tea with friends I used to teach with and then again on Friday I am off to The Gorge for lunch with two friends I met when I first moved here to teach. Even though we don't see each other as often as we would like, when we do catch up it is as if we last met yesterday. I don't have a Facebook full of friends, but my friends are the loveliest I could hope for!!

We have been going to bed early as it makes me very fatigued to be social so many days of the week. On Saturday I am going to visit Toddler Lucy and Baby Zoe for afternoon tea to wish them well as they leave soon for The Mainland.

Next week I am planning on sleeping every day I think!!  At long last it's cold enough to knit, so I might spend a couple of hours sorting out the patterns for my two Half Finished Cardigans: You Only Rib Twice and Short Scene. I have two new emerald coloured tops for Winter and I must have a new emerald cardigan to wear with them. I shall have to knit like the wind!!

The Internet is conspiring against me. I wouldn't let me comment on Wordpress blogs, though I have changed my email address to one I never use and I seem to have out manoeuvred it, and now Typepad won't let some people leave a comment. Ha!! I have turned off the new Word Verification and now comments are moderated. By me. So your comment won't appear immediately.

I am sure it is not just me who finds the new Word Verification thingies terribly hard to interpret. I hope that this has ameliorated the problem. Happy commenting. I am slowly, but surely, answering my comments so I may email you soon.

Now I am tired so please excuse any errors I haven't caught......

The Cows And The Chickens, We Went To Hear About Dickens

I loved listening to Miriam Margolyes much more than a bushel and a peck!! MrsDrWho and I sat this far away from her in the front row in the foyer, as she entranced us with tales of her life and career for an hour. Afterwards MrsDrWho said I should go up to speak to her and so I did. I said how much I enjoyed her TV show Dickens in America. She said something back, but I was so in awe I forgot to remember what it was!!!

The aqua intrusion into the photo is me!!

A posh local restaurant was, foolishly, snooty towards Miriam and she gave them what for on the radio!! We all applauded as we think said restaurant is snooty too!!

This afternoon I went to visit Toddler Lucy and Baby Zoe. Zoe slept through almost my whole visit, but I had a lovely time with Lucy and her family. I took The Dutches part of their Christmas present!! I am always late. It's a small reindeer, about 25cm tall, and not a cushion as described in the pattern at all. Still, it is inordinately cute!!

When I came home I found that a branch had broken after all the rain and fallen into the garden. Both Labradors were fine. My stomach turn over and I felt horrible for a minute or two. Last year when I was feeling depressed and anxious I would have had to go straight to bed and have a cry. Instead, I checked the fence was OK and I will worry about it later.

Peri and Gilly met Sandy and Jetty on their walk, and Peri had a lovely swim. Peri and Gilly love to run, just for the fun of it. They are so happy, their ears fly in the wind and they go like the blazes.  Peri has a great big smile, but I think Gilly is just checking there isn't going to be a lane change.....

I have completed the Starship Enterprise, detachable saucer section and all,

and I am one phaser into the five needed.

Just the shuttle and Jean-Luc to go and then an awful lot of hot glue gunning and some press studs. I think I my meet my deadline.

To Market, To Market, To Be At The Gig

We went to the new Harvest Farmers' Market and came home again, home again, jiggety-jig with a few bags full of produce.

Dutch Cream potatoes for $1 a kilo, the red onions, baby bok choy, radishes and a bunch of chives all for $8, a kilo of the freshest and most sweetly smelling and tasting strawberries for $8 and 6 medium zucchini for $2. I missed out on the sourdough bread, but because I know the baker's wife I have been promised a loaf at the next knitting outing. I can't stop eating the strawberries.

I have some new wool, it looks like liquid Mercury. In truth is is acrylic and viscose and I want to knit a scarf. I need a pattern with lots of stocking stitch that will show up the liquid silver sheen of the wool.

The roof of the vandalised picnic hut at the dam has been saved and moved to a grassy area. Peri thinks it is the best thing out and likes to run through the roof.

Miss Lorelai Gilmore is not so sure and though by the second day she was brave enough to go closer, when the wind made the struts sing, she was very wary.

Gilly has been playing in the paddle pool and then burying a bone. It is not good for the complexion or the eyes, but it is an enormous amount of fun and makes her very happy.

In the last nine days MrsDrWho and I have radically improved our patchwork skills. Or maybe we just concentrated and chatted less?? We made the second patches in a little over an hour and there was successful use of the rotary cutter, special ruler and not once incident of sewing the right side to the wrong side. So that's both of January's squares out of the way. We hope to get to February's before we are too far into March.

The GardyGardeners and MrsDrWho have kindly offered to replace Harki's stolen roses. There are lovely people in the world. I may have to chain the roses to the wall.

RN, the newly styled Radio National, has a changed programme this year and I have discovered In Our Time, which explores the history of ideas and I can listen on-line. I'm also enjoying First Bite, which is all about food. I can add these to my usual listening diet of The Science Show, Lingua Franca and  Background Briefing, all available to download or to listen on line.

The Oscars are coming up and so I was interested to watch a short video about The Bechdel Test. It made me think. I had already been thinking about films because it was mooted that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy would not be shown locally. On further investigation and a lot of back pedalling on the part of the cinema, it has been confirmed for late March. The same thing happened with The King's Speech last year, and we saw neither hide nor hair of the Harry Potter Postcard where in the weeks leading up to the last film they showed the whole series on Sunday afternoons. (I am running out of puff and so there are no more film links) I had thought I might try to go more often to see films, but they just make it too hard. As do the TV stations, which is why the DVD of Sherlock season 2 is winging its way to our house!!!

Cooking from magazines is going exceptionally well, and I think by tomorrow afternoon I might have three weeks of Friday Food up my sleeve. I have some chicken baking in the oven and plums and ramekins for two more recipes all ready to go.

The weather is muggy, but cooler and drizzly and I feel a little more able to do normal things. Tomorrow there is no dog walking and so we can all sleep in and then read the paper in bed with a nice cup of tea. The Labradors would like toast as well, but crumbs are anathema. I like that, it means especially dedicated to evil, and crumbs in the bed are definitely evil. I might even read two books I have borrowed from Mrs HouseOf via MrsDrWho: The House of Silk, a new Anthony Horowitz Sherlock Holmes book and Death Comes To Pemberley by PD James, set in Austen's P&P world of course.

Oh and in other TV news, MasterChef is filming here for a week. Last year I was not so enamoured of the show, but I will definitely be watching the episodes set in our state: it was Salamanca Market today I think, so maybe they'll travel North now??? I don't know if I am anoracky enough to actually venture out to see them in person if the come.

Sick: Happy Nights To Happy Days*

With the not-going-back-to-school occupying me I had quite forgotten that at this time last year I was in Emergency and being awfully ill. I have had reason, great reason, this week to count my blessings. To be grateful. To be happy with my lot. Life can be really, really horrid and unfair for some people, and it is being that way at the moment. There's nothing I can do, except think of them and be brave and supportive. It certainly puts things in perspective when people you love face a difficult journey.

The weather is warm again, though we have had a short, loud downpour last night. I had to rush out at 11pm and bring the washing in. I went to Leukaemia Support Group today and then I had air-conditioned lunch with TinkingBell. We catch up on a highly irregular basis and chat non-stop whilst drinking cups of tea and/or coffee and looking at new craft books. We always have a lovely time. I sewed a Cyberman drawstring bag for her. The pattern has a square base and a clever drawstring construction. I put some extra interfacing in the base and doubled the lining fabric too. I sewed the tube for the bag before I sewed it to the base, but other than that I followed the instructions and it worked really well. The fabric is from The Spoonflower and I love the red Cybus logo and used red ribbon and red sewing thread, though the lining is green!! It's Tink's red Poppy sock: serendipity!!

MrsDrWho and I had our first and only brunch for the entire school holidays on Saturday. We also went shopping and I bought The Labradors some new toys: a half price TeddyPiggy and TeddyCow. Peri likes to run about madly with the TeddyPiggy when it is time to go for a walk. She likes to tease Gilly. But Gilly loves TeddyPiggy and spends quite a lot of time lugging it about and generally having a bit of a chew.

Peri has so enjoyed the cooler weather and is very happy to be running about and rolling in invisible smelly things: all smell, no evidence.

The grassy area is very yellow and dry. Still, there is greenery to explore under the big trees.

And in the Why Oh Why??? section of my blog: A person, or persons, unknown has dug up and stolen Harki's roses from the front garden. Both of them. They didn't take Vundy or Tori's roses, as they are older and larger. Poor Harki-Parki-Parker-Posey, it is some little comfort that the roses won't survive the enforced transplantation and will die.

I am rather beihind in my Comment Answering. I like answering my Comments and it is not a chore or an onerous task. The heat is just, well, hot and bothersome but I will get there eventually..

*It is St Valentine's Day. Of late it has gained in commercial popularity, but I don't ever remember it being mentioned other that as a martyr's day at school. Still, here's a quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet!! It's the very last line of Act I Scene III.

Tea For The Tillerwomen

There's no cooking today. It's too hot to use anything other than the toaster for some English Fruit muffins. I'm feeling a bit poorly and not quite up to par thinking-wise either. I went to lunch at MrsReno's house and lots of friends were there. MrsReno knitted me a scarf. Isn't it lovely?? It is soft and feels very nice against the skin. Lorelai Gilmore thinks it is the best thing since sliced bread and wants to play with it. I have had to put it way up out of reach.

At High Noon I shared a cup of tea, virtually, with Janette and Antoinette. We all had some of the new Australian Afternoon tea: a blend of Orange Pekoe, Russian Caravan and Irish Breakfast. I love meeting my friends and having a chat and a cup of tea (or bubbly!!) and so it was fun to email as we had our tea and cake or muffins internetally!! The tea is strong and rich, but not bitter. I drank my plain, and it was delicious. Peri and Gilly shared a biscuit from MrsValley.

I love my childhood desk. It must be at least Vintage by now!! We chatted for about half and hour on the email, shared some photos and talked about knitting and how some people might think we were strange!!

I knitted a hat for the new Baby Electric 2. She's just arrived and Aunty Dutch rang half an hour ago to let me know. I think it is just lovely. Doing garter stitch in the round is a bit of a horror and I made the ear stalks and bulbs flat and seamed them. It was much easier. It's the I Name This Day Fiona (In It's I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again Tim Brown-Windsor says to Fiona: "Oh Fiona, name the day." Fiona then says in her best QE2 ship launching voice:"I name this day Fiona.") I used a ball of Full o'Sheep left over from my Freshly Cut Grass Cardigan.

If my next door neighbours don't seem to be paying enough attention, or doling out enough seaweed rice crackers as treats, Peri and Gilly have found that this works for them:

I couldn't resist their plaintive gazes either.

Happily Ever Afternoon Tea

This afternoon my sewing group (wittily named in our emails 'Sew Chatty' because there is a preponderance of chat and a general lack of sewing when we meet) went to Grand Afternoon Tea. And it was quite good, and a bit grand. There was the option of Champagne Grand Afternoon Tea and we all chose that. It wasn't posh bubbly, but delightful on a hot afternoon all the same. And we had endless cups of tea and coffee as well. It didn't rate as highly as it could for me, because the tea was made from tea bags while the coffee was brewed. Oh, MrsDrWho just emailed me this menu for High Tea in New York. To paraphrase Mick Dundee: That's an afternoon tea.

That's our afternoon tea and we all love the tongs. The sandwiches were lovely and fresh, the egg ones being especially delicious and I had two!!! The scones were light and slightly warm. The little pavlovas were yummy and the brownies, I gather, were also rich and moreish. The place setting were very nice and the serviettes were fabric.

I wore The New Dress I sewed out in public to Grand Afternoon Tea. I added sleeves with some pleats and I bound the hem with green biased binding and the neck with the dress fabric. The FBA went well, but the darts are too high. I don't think anyone else would notice, but when I make my next dress I'll move them 5cm lower. Peri is not quite sure about The Dress. I think she's worried it will be Self Stitched September all over again!!! The Dress is quite cool, but I think The Next Dress made from a lighter cotton will be even cooler.

In The BlackSpot of Doomlight(tm) their sale fabric was half price so I picked up three metres of this border print to make another version of The Dress for just $7-50. I plan on over-dyeing it. I am thinking lime or chartreuse, rather than a darker green.

The weather had been nicely cool, but from today it started heating up again. Peri and Gilly have been enjoying the cool temperatures on our walks and they have been doing a lot of mad running.

My next door neighbour and I grew our own garlic last year. We bought the bulbs from a local grower and our first attempts have been quite successful. I am hoping to grow a lot more this year after our first experiment. Now if my rhubarb will just settle in and start growing things would be great.

I knitted another cardigan for Susan the temporarily one armed doll. I should have called it The Kimble Cardigan. It's the same general pattern as before, but using Ixchel merino/nylon sock wool in the Harry Potter colour.

I took a picture of the moon. I glanced out the window and it looked eerie. I clicked my little camera to the night-time-far-away setting and rested it on the window ledge and voila!!

Twinings are heavily advertising their new Australian Afternoon Tea. There was a blending competition and it is highlighted in this month's Delicious and in other media. No-one in either of our two supermarket chains knew anything about it and I was looking forward to a cup next week. I emailed Twinings to ask where I could buy it and they said: We are unable to provide store ranging on this particular product at this time and then urged me to ask at the stores. I don't think they actually read my email and they weren't helpful at all. Now I think I shall just drink some of the swish leaf tea I received for Christmas instead. I have a selection of about twenty to choose from. I am so lucky!!

On Thursday Peri and Gilly are off to The Vet, together, to be vaccinated, generally checked out and weighed. It shouldn't be so hot by then and we are going in the morning before 11am. The Vets are very kind and let them go in together and it only costs us for one appointment and no-one has to stay home alone howling like a banshee.