2paw

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!!!

That's When Good Neighbours Lead To Good Ends

Today is a day to remember Harki-Parki-Parker-Posey. It's been two years since she died and I don't know where the time has gone. Harki was the most wonderful Labrador, and we still (in the style of The Waltons), say good night to Harki, Vundy and Tori every night.

Today is also Neighbour Day.  The idea behind The Day and how it began is explained on their website. In our little part of the street three of our neighbours came for several hours and cut down the branch that had fallen over in the garden, and some other branches and ivy and things and took two ute loads to the tip.

Here's the before:

And here is the after where it is too sunny for Peri, but Gilly's young eyes are working really well.

Good neighbours do make good friends!! I baked Chocolate Stout Cake, Sticky Gingerbread Cake, Banana Caramel Muffins and Raspberry Brownies for each of them: to say thank you. And I made scones, jam and cream and sausage rolls for morning tea. It will be a sunny, open backyard in Winter and the wire strung across near the house, that we use for a clothesline, will get so much more light and air.

Thank you Neighbours!!!

The mornings have been very cold, so cold that we had a frost and The South had the coldest morning for fifteen years.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the technology to build the world's first bionic hut. This hut will be that hut. Better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster. Well maybe not faster, but the steel is definitely stronger than the old treated pine supports which were destroyed by vandals.  I think the new picnic hut at the dam will be a good one and so do Peri and Gilly. They have given it The Sniffs of Approval.

This morning we went outside the back door to discover water was cascading through the garden, down the steps and through to the next house. It was barrelling down the garden.  The water is still running in torrents, thankfully down the drain outside the gate once I moved the leaves, nine hours later and it is a horrid brown colour. We have a reduced water flow to the house as well. There has been a big digger excavating parts of the road. Who knows what happened???

Knitting? Sewing?? Any kind of craft?? No. Nothing at all. I'm just not feeling the craft 'love' and I have no idea why. It is very strange, especially as the weather is lovely and cold.  Maybe this week the 'love' will be back and I will be motivated? I've been thinking about Me Made May. It's not Me Made March or Self Stitched September this year. May is just not a good month for me to wear things I have stitched. Basically I wear jeans/ trousers, a long sleeved t-shirt or top and a cardigan. The cardigan is the only thing I have 'stitched' and it's going to be pretty boring seeing the same five cardigans six times. I think I will give it a miss.

North By Northwest is on TV and it's become a film I must watch to the end. Each time I see or hear something new. I'm addicted to it!!! So The Labradors will have their dinner, and we will watch Roger and Eve wend their way through the twisty-turny plot.

Grace Under Fire Ban

On Thursday when we drove towards the dam, this is what we saw:

Just when the temperatures are going sky high, 39* in the Southern Capital today (the record is 40 point something) and 34* at our house, they decide to burn off. The Labradors and all the other dogs and their human companions  were flummoxed as we had no warning. We went to The Tail-Race, where Gilly used to walk when she was a puppy.

Lots of pelicans, and when Peri had a moment off her lead, plenty of mud through which to chase the pelicans.

Today the area was open again and the burn off complete. The Walking People seem to think they have done a pretty good job. I can see that the gum trees are all still alive and it is just the undergrowth that was burnt. The bush needs careful and controlled burning for some things to regenerate. The Male Walking People talked to the Ranger and found out that it was a slow burn so we could stop worrying about the slow echidna being burned.

All the dogs were very happy to be back to their normal routine: Peri, Gilly, Jet and Sandy!!

It's good to keep cool in all the heat and so I have been watering the lemon tree and the rhubarb and they both seem to be doing well. The lemon tree has lots of new buds and the lemons are getting bigger. The rhubarb has more leaves and longer stalks. My patented blue acrylic wool and dowel seems to be keeping it fairly safe!!

Peri and Lorelai Gilmore keep cool in the pool as soon as we get home.

Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust the pattern: it's not exactly what Guy Clark meant but I should have trusted the pattern and my instincts. I cast off 246 of the 256 stitches of the scarf I am knitting and it was too narrow. Then I has to un-cast off the stitches and now I am knitting on more successfully with the second ball of shiny metallic wool. In the last three or four days I've knitted and watched all last season of new Hawaii Five-0 and I am right up to date on this season. Not sure what i'm going to watch next.

The sewing gods smiled on me and I made a new skirt. The BSODL (tm) brochure showed new Lisette patterns and material, so I bought a pattern and some material and whipped up a skirt.

It is cut on the bias and I was worried it was too short, so instead of a normal hem I used a strip of fabric as binding. I set in the zip by hand. It is ever so easy and if it holds up I might do that every time. I think I might have just got away with it. I really need to clean the verandah mirror, I didn't realise rain could fall that way.

There is a Total Fire Ban over the whole island tomorrow as we are expecting very hot weather again. There's one big fire in the South that is inaccessible at the moment, but not threatening any property or life. We're having bushfires and Queensland's having floods. One more very hot day to endure and then mid 20s and rain to come. At last.

I have read both The House of Silk and Death Comes To Pemberley. The House of Silk was OK, I guessed what the silk meant and so it was a case of enjoying the story to the end. There was a lot of buzz about this book, and it I was giving it a score, I'd say 6/10. Death Comes To Pemberley only rates 4/10. It wasn't a gripping murder mystery for me and I also strongly disagreed with PD James' ideas about the characters in P&P. She retrospectively assigned what I believe to be wildly inaccurate and inappropriate emotions, thoughts and actions to the characters. In the end, dear reader, I skimmed. For me it was a disappointing book, and it also had lots of good press. I think I should steer clear of sequels written by writers other than the original author.

It's 30* inside here at the computer and we are not planning to sleep any time soon. The Terminator is on TV and I am a sucker for that film so I'm recording it. Again!! I see more scarf knitting and Arnie in my immediate future!!

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.

A Swim-Win Situation

One hot day The Labradors went swimming with their friend Jet, or Jetty. Peri and Jetty both love retrieving sticks, though Gilly wasn't up for a swim with Peri. But once she saw how Jetty's mum and dad encouraged him, she was all for having a go and she did some good, if brief, dog paddle. I still think it may have been a bit of an accidental swim!!

Yesterday we met Jetty and Sandy and there was a Big Dog Party of playing and fun.

Gilly and Sandy love to run far and fast. Peri really just likes to roll in something smelly. I wonder if Jet knows he is playing One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others??

When we went to the dam to walk we found one of the picnic shelters had been vandalised. People had been drinking beer and left the bottles scattered and they lit a fire in the grass and made deep tyre marks as well. It is very disappointing.

A car was set alight not far up the road. We were asleep in the afternoon so didn't hear the uproar or the fire brigade.This is very unusual for our quiet neighbourhood.

I am consumed by the hot weather, which is set to continue till Monday when it will drop from 30*C down to 19*C. I cannot wait. The Labradors are so hot they let me mist them with the hose, and Gilly hates that.

The Australia embroidery is complete and drying on the line after a quick wash. I have been watching Mapping the World, and so in tribute I am going to hang Australia the right way up for Southern Hemisphere people!! It means Tasmania really is where it should be, at the top of the world!!

I am having a small personal protest against google. I cannot give them a capital letter because I am cross with them. I love making photo collages of The Labradors and other things and Picnik was a fabulous tool. MrsDrWho and I even paid to gain access to the extra features. The google bought Picnik two years ago and now they are shutting it down and moving it to google+. I feel they are blackmailing me, trying to coerce me to join the google+. Instead, I have decided to slowly disengage myself from the google machine. I've changed my search preference to Bing. I am planning to close my gmail account and move from the google reader. I know it will mean nothing to them, but it makes me feel better.

Two imaginary friends are going to have synchronised cup of tea with me: Janette and Taphophile. It is like being in Get Smart: we will have to synchronise your watches and maybe even take a picture. I shall have tea, and a biscuit I think!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Miss Three!!!

Happy Birthday Lorelai Gilmore. Miss Gilly is three years old and here is a collage with one photo for every month. She has grown to be such a lovely girl, and what a wonderful sister she has in Peri.

Gilly received a new green collar and a squeaky football for her birthday. And there was some fresh chicken breast for their breakfast. Isn't Peri such a tidy eater??

MrsDrWho's niece and nephew gave them rawhide candy canes for Christmas. They both ate the twirly red and green stripe first so it must have tasted delicious. MrsDrWho read the back-of-the-packet information and raw hide is fine as a sometimes treat.

The weather has been very hot and humid and I have been poorly for almost a week: a few days in bed, lots of air cooled with ice, cool flannels on my forehead and a weirdly painful neck. Yesterday the weather cooled and this morning we had rain and the breeze blowing in the window now is positively cold. We all went back to bed after breakfast and slept till after noon.

The Labradors have had to walk on their leads and avoid the evil grass seeds. Gilly's eye is fine now and we want to keep it that way. There has even been some swimming. Peri is such a good swimmer: she launches into the water with a diving splash and retrieves like all get out. On the way back she has to keep coughing because she is low in the water and keeps swallowing some. Gilly just prances about next the edge. In case. You have to be nimble to avoid being soaked when Peri shakes herself. I can see how slim she really is when she is wet.

 

The horrid hot weather encouraged me to sew a cool dress. It is a very simple A-line with ties at the side and I am still undecided about the sleeve(s): to sleeve or not to sleeve? That is the question. This is some material I dyed a while ago. I am very happy with the colour. I shall make a small hem with biased binding. Maybe it will even peep out.

There has been a tiny amount of knitting too. Tiny amount of tiny knitting.

I've caught up with friends for After-Christmas Christmases and there are still a few to go. Christmas can last till Australia Day. At The Gorge we were entertained by the peahens, chicks and a cheeky peacock. I hope they clean the tables well.

I have joined a Quilting Block of the Month course on Craftsy. It is free, which is why I joined. Now there is an ongoing email discussion with MrsDrWho while we each decide which fabric we will choose. There are twenty blocks, so two a month in spite of the course name, and then the last two months are for piecing together, quilting and binding. I have watched the first two lessons and I feel I could whip up two blocks in a week if I was feeling poorly for the other three weeks. So it looks a good bet that there could be a quilt, or two, by the end of the year.

We are celebrating the arrival of lemons on the lemon tree, and they have grown larger and look healthy. Now all I have to do is leave them alone. Maybe I will water them. I wonder if I should add some smelly seaweed liquid fertiliser?? I have no idea!! Gilly is providing a nice background even though the lemon is totally out of focus: starting the year off as I mean to go on with poor photography.

And now I am going back to my tiny knitting, a series about the history of Ancient Britain and the promise of three more cool days to come.

Labradors By My Side, Singing Christmas Songs....

"It's Summer time and I am not in my singlet, shorts and thongs!!"  You can watch the original Aussie Jungle Bells video on The Youtube. I really do sing, rather loudly, lots of Christmas carols and songs as we drive to the dam for our walk.

There has been some more Christmas-ification here:

I sewed a Christmas skirt which I have been wearing every time I go to anything Christmassy since December 2nd. It has many and varied Christmas dogs and a few cats. It is mostly green and very amusing.

Some Christmas pencil cases for The Friends' Children at yesterday's Christmas barbie. I used this fabulous tutorial that has a nice lining that finished them off beautifully inside. I know I should have been able to work it out for myself but the heat befuddles my brain.

There's an owl apron, which had even more pocket dilemmas. Well, I lost the good pocket and so, in desperation sewing, I used a remnant of the Tree Skirt and it had convenient circles which I made into the 'o' parts of the word Hoot. There, I fixed it!! Oh and a Felt Owl Tree Decoration from my Fa-la-la-la Felt book.

I am crocheting some things for MrsDrWho's nephew. Can you tell what they will be??

They will be Cars from the Cars film. The red one will be Lightning McQueen, the blue one will be Strip 'The King' Weathers and I may also make a yellow and a green one too.

MrsDrWho's class made a whole swag of Scary Reindeer Biscuits. I cooked the gingerbread men over several days and in an hour they had all decorated two each. I didn't take a photo, but I made some chocolate gingerbread Reindeer for The Friends' Children.

My present from Mr Reno in the Present Roundabout Thingy was this, oh and a gorgeous Labrador mug from The HouseOfs:

Rhubarb plants, some green gardening gloves, dog friendly Dynamic lifter and a cordless screwdriver. The Dynamic Lifter pongs but I was very popular when I arrived home!!

Peri's tablets seem to be working and she is no longer The Widdler. She is very, very happy and has a waggy tail. Gilly has been going berserkers-bonkers and is running about like a mad thing. I could only make the photo programme fix one of her glowy eyes. I don't know why.

They have had lovely walks, but the creek is slowly getting lower and lower. I shall have to start bringing them a drink to have before we hop in the car to go home. Here they are having a little rest before we go home. Gilly is wearing her sturdy red collar. If you press a button the collar flashes and/or glows.

Our Christmas get together yesterday was most enjoyable, and we had almost the full complement of people, which was great. I was out from 3-30 till 8-30pm and The Labradors were soooo starving when they had to wait till 8-45pm for the dinner. Today I have lain about, being very tired and had two extra naps. I watched Going Postal Part 1. It is quite good.

This week I have a few more Christmas outings. I am trying once more to pace myself and take things easy. I've had my last appointment for the year with my wonderful psychologist and her expert help has allowed me to be far more reasonable about what I can, and cannot, achieve for Christmas. I plan to do some more sewing and crocheting and then some festive of cooking. The weather forecast is very cooking friendly, but it is still 25*C as I am sitting here at the computer at 9-30pm.There is a cooler breeze in the lounge room though.

It's time for a cup of T2 Turkish Cherry tea I think. My neighbour gave me a little sample that came with her parcel. They are having free postage till the end of December and her parcel was beautifully wrapped free of charge: it was green wrapping and she gave me the pom-pom. I am not sure how long it would take to arrive, but it is a nice gift to give. And here are The Labradors because they heard the baby gate into the kitchen open. They are sadly disappointed. At bed time they can have a rice craker!!

Now, Bring Us Some Fiddly Puddings.

This week I helped organise some easy craft activities for LSG. We decorate the tables at our HmmHmm Lunch and we usually have a choir from a nearby school to sing carols and generally entertain us, so we send them home with things we've made. Whether they like it of not!!

We made plum puddings from Chocolate Royals, candy cane reindeer and peg angels.

The men loved making the 36 candy cane reindeer with boogelly eyes, pom pom noses and antlers made from brown pipe cleaners - or chenille sticks according to the BSODL.  Others formed a production line and turned out 36 little plum pudding biscuits with white icing, spearmint leaves and a raspberry, wrapped in cellophane. I designed a little felt dress and wings for the dolly peg angels, who have novelty wool hair and a tinsel pipe cleaner halo. They have a little gold cardboard stand to keep them upright.

My dental check up went very well, no fillings, no other horrid things and the clean and polish made my teeth shiny and white again.

I also had an appointment with my specialist. Things are OK, some results are higher or lower than we would like, but I tested negative for the important horrible things tests, and I can just keep taking all the drugs and hope things continue to go along nicely.

And that's pretty much taken up all my energy this week. I had unexpected tea and an episode of Farscape at MrsDrWho's house last night. I went to her school this afternoon and we made a list of HmmHmm activities for her class. I am hoping to make these with the children, well, I'll cook a batch and they can decorate. There is not much learning to be gained from watching me mix up some dough and cut out biscuits.

Poor Peri has hay fever of some kind and her little eyes are watering and her muzzle is itchy. There's nothing to be done apart from steroids, which have nasty side effects. When it rains the pollen or dust is dampened down and she is much happier. I moisten a cloth and wipe her little eyes. Gilly is as happy as Larry and helpfully licks Peri's face.

They both managed to get cornflour all over their faces. My phone instruction booklet had some cup of tea spilled on it and the cornflour soaks up the excess moisture. And, if you are a Labrador, it makes for a pleasant tea flavoured make-up.

MrsDrWho and I bought some fabric from the FatQuarterShop. I bought a kind of green jelly roll and some lovely Labrador fabric to make The Labradors a little quilt. I should say another little quilt. It has two Labrador pups running along together and one sleeping on a little green pillow.

I also received a beautiful gift from Jan with a lovely card which made me smile. It has some great patterns and lots of good reading too. The green ribbon is Jan's addition!! It looks as if it belongs on the cover. I really need a green coat next Winter, it's not so cold I really need one, I just fancy one.

There hasn't been any knitting at all, but Mrs GardyGardener sent me a dolly who needs a knitted cardigan, a dress and underthingies. She found her in an Op Shop for $5 and I have the perfect fabric and matching wool. The Advent Calendar embroideries are all done bar two, and I have recreated the missing ones while wathcing Lie To Me today. I have been putting off watching the last four epsiodes because the show was cancelled, and if I don't watch them, it's still technically, continuing on. I don't like to watch the last episode of Blake's 7 ever either, and I'm keeping the last three episodes of Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles locked on my DVR. If I watch them it will all be over.....

I wonder if I am especially mad??

It's been warm this week, and today it was warm and now it is teemng with rain. Gilly keeps going outside to get wet and then comes to give me a rainy cuddle. Peri is curled up asleep in her chair. All's right with the world.

Analyze (TAR)-DIS

This week has passed in a slight haze of extra tiredness and, I suspect, hay fever.

On Tuesday I was at the airport, waiting for this plane carrying a friend's mum home.

I'm not quite sure about Wednesday. I didn't fall asleep until about 4am and then I was up again at 8am. There may have been a nap at some stage but it took a few days to get back into sleeping synch. If there is such a thing.

On Thursday I visited Auntie Dutch for afternoon tea and her birthday. Auntie Electric and Toddler Electric were there so I gave Toddler this Citizen Kane Hat. She looks so beautiful!! Uncle Dutch came home too, so I had a lovely catch up.

I made Auntie Dutch this TARDIS Skirt and this matching box bag. Auntie Dutch is just the right size for drafting a pattern that will fit onto one metre of fabric!! It's from The Spoonflower.

This RainDear hat was finished in time and I made this DW Doctor Who (new season) 11 cloth to pop inside the bag.

And though you can't see from the first photo, cropped to protect the innocent, she was wearing everything at once!!

Our Knitting Dining Out group went to the local Institute of Hospitality. The students prepare and cook the food, make drinks and serve. The new building is very nice but the acoustics are just terrible. We all left with slight headaches and ringing in our ears. The food was delicious. I had a Very Berry Mocktail and this grilled sirloin with special butter, asparagus, mushroom and onion compote and beetroot glaze. It was so yummy, the only thing missing was some bread to sop up the lovely gravy at the end.

Today I walked with this pair of Labradors:

Peri and Gilly have The Spring Fever and every day they want to play rough and rowdy rebel games inside. I have to use my Teacher's Voice and stand up tall and point at the door and say, "OUT!".

I found this bamboo in my Monday Spring Clean. I have 15 balls of Cleckheaton Bamboo, enough for a whole cardigan. I wish I could point you to THIS pattern with a clicky link, but I am not sure of a pattern that will suit bamboo. Any suggestions are gratefully accepted.

And now this is the end of my post, I am going to sit and knit and watch this show, and then read this new book.

Snap! Crackle! Pop! Rice Troubles!!

Brownie #2, Caramel Crunch Brownie, was a bit of a fizzer. I followed the instruction to the letter, but it just didn't set. The instructions stated quite vehemently NOT to refrigerate the brownie, but even on a Spring day of 22*C the ganache didn't set. It seems that the brownie, toffee rice bubbles and then ganache layers retained too much heat and never cooled down enough to 'set'.  After a night in the refrigerator it went to MrsDrWho's staff room where it was pronounced tasty, but rich, and then proceeded to slightly fall apart again as it warmed up to room temperature. I shan't make this again. On to Brownie #3.

I have not been doing very much at all, mostly lolling about watching Rubicon which is the most fabulous TV show. They only made thirteen episodes and it is almost painfully slow, but riveting. I had to concentrate closely all the time. It is set in a Government think tank full of intelligence analysts and centres on a conspiracy. It reminds me a little of Nowhere Man, another show that messed with your mind. I have been knitting a hat while I watched as it is easy to just go round and round for 12 cm. These are the adornments and I need to felt the white ones. Auntie Dutch, do not click through HERE to see what I am making you for your birthday!!!

In the last three days I have been knitting the front of my Short Scene cardigan. The chart on Knitty.com seemed to be wrong so I googled errata and couldn't find any. I emailed the pattern's creator and she said that some symbols were missing. That was very kind of her and she answered the same day too. I had already gone ahead, willy-nilly, and changed the chart. Thank goodness I was right!! I shall finish this tonight and start the band for the left front.

Peri and Gilly have been enjoying their walks at the dam. Peri has been rolling in imaginary smelly things, which is good.

The she took off into the bush and wouldn't come when I called her: bones, we think. Sandy the Labrador's dad said there were bones to be had. Lorelai Gilmore likes to walk just with me, but she worries if Peri is away for too long. This is Gilly looking for Peri when I ask where she is. It is absolutely the right direction!!

This afternoon Peri was making muddy paws. Later on her legs were clean so she must have paddled in the paddle pool. Gilly was shiny and clean and playing with her plastic cup. You can see that Peri had stolen it!!

Some flowers are blooming in the front garden. Tori the Labrador's rose, Peace, is beautiful andd has a gorgeous sweet scent. The red camellias are looking lovely too. The white one always flowers when it is windy and rainy and goes brown and sad.

I have nothing to read. I am waiting for some Library boooks to arrive. I can see that the are in transit, but they have been transiting for a week. It's not that I don't have seventeen bookcases full of books, but I fancy reading :

• Joseph Lyons: The People's Prime Minister
• Revenge, the bridging book from Conspiracy 365 to the next series

and then almost on the way are :

• Chelsea Mansions by Barry Maitland
• Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves by Matthew Reilly
• You Are What You Speak by Robert Lane Greene

and MrsDrWho accidentally ordered two copies of Snuff by Terry Pratchett, so there's one for me!!

Graeme Base came to town a few weeks ago and I went along so he could sign his latest book for MrsDrWho who, annoyingly, had to be at school on a Tuesday at 10am.  How unreasonable!! Here's the website link to the Karnak interactive-ness.

I took a little sidey-waysie video while he was talking to the TV people. His illustrated/picture books are wonderful, I used Animalia, The Eleventh Hour and other when I was teaching. They are not just books for children, they are books for people of all ages to enjoy on many different levels.

 

Snap, Crackle, Pop, Rice Bubbles!