OKay so I hate cleaning the oven more than anything.....

..........I buckled down and sorted all my yarn out, tidied my desk and table and crammed every nook and cranny with yarn. The next few days will see me finish a couple of orders then I'm going to tackle more brooches and garlands.  Winter will soon be over here such as it was, I'm already thinking of spring garlands and light colours.
The portuguese chicken is sending out the most delicious smells, lets hope its tastes as good as it smells. 
I feel very satisfied that the craft room is tidy, lets see if I can keep it that way, though for those of you that know me I can hear you you know, i can read minds......... ROTFPML.

I had a break from the cleaning and went and mowed half of the back lawn until I ran out of petrol, pulled a few weeds, raked up a few leaves.  Its amazing what a bit of blue sky and sunshine does for one. 

You know, I think I'll go and sit on the back verandah now with a glass of wine.

J

My name is Janet and I am addicted.........

.................to yarn, threads and crochet.  Here I sit in my chair, surrounded by my addiction, this is actually quite tidy for me.  The TV remote close at hand, my coffee cup hidden by the arm of my chair, the biscuit crumbs vacummed up by the dog.

My big table and my desk , again I had a quick tidy up, see the long cloth covering the table, hahah - thats hides everything underneath. Which reminds me of a little story when we first came here - we lived in a half built house in the middle of the rainforest, wooden floors with big cracks in between - perfect for sweeping all the rubbish through and since it was a high set all the dust and everyday muck went back to where it had come from in the first place, the only problem being if there was someone underneath at the time of sweeping.  Nowadays in my little low set I just sweep everything out the back door and hide the big stuff under tables and beds.

 Under the table is 4 boxes full of yarn from my stash.

This is also quite tidy, bags of yarn still to be unpacked, boxes - I also have an addiction to boxes, I buy them and just throw stuff in, then stick the lid back on and I don't have to look at it.  All my embroidery threads, beads and findings are in these boxes on the shoe rack and would you look at that, another bag of yarn bits and a box full of yarn and hidden behind it all is another bag of yarn and unfinished projects.

Oh dear, this is what happens when you just don't think.  All this yarn is what I bought after I had made a vow not to buy any more yarn till I got my stash down, this is all the stuff that won't fit in the boxes (yes Boxes).  I have a 50 ltr box that is crammed full of yarn or I did have, I now have 4 20 ltr boxes full as well and will have to buy a few more to accomodate all the new stuff.  Considering the 50 brooches I've made, the 6 flower garlands, at least 15 pr of mittens and hats in the past two months I've got it down a lot else i would have had to take 4 pictures to get it all in.  Now my friend tells me there is a yarn sale on.  Please, please someone come and tie me to something heavy, take away my car keys and wallets, hide my cards, put a restraining order on me forbidding me going anywhere within 10 klms of a yarn shop.

Helppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp.........

J

Little things that give us pleasure....

For me - its a new pruning saw, such a pretty little thing, unfortunately they didn't have it in pink (but I'm going back for the pink secateaurs next week) so I had to get the green. Its blade folds up into the handle and it is so light to use.  Needless to say yesterday  I pruned every stray little branch in sight. I'm eying up my neighbours garden now. I wonder if the council would mind if I just pruned these trees a little!

My craft room is a mess, no - that is definately an understatement, it is a terrible mess, its the worst its ever been. I am ashamed with myself. I go in to grab some yarn and then beat a hasty retreat.  Today is Show Day, everywhere is closed, there is nothing to do, I shopped yesterday, I'm about to put a chicken casserole in the slow cooker, the rest of the house is clean, the plants are watered and I am sat here reading blogs. I've even cleaned out the microwave and the kettle.  This is avoidance tactics at their best - the oven really really needs cleaning and it is a job I hate but I would rather do that than venture into the craft room.

Everywhere is sooooo quiet, tooo quiet.   I know what we need - Meatloaf, Bon Jovi, Guns and Roses, Metallica. If I've gotta clean then I might as well have some loud music to go with it.

J

How very strange......

I wrote a post complete with piccys the other day and it has disappeared. I'd updated rantings and thought I'd better update here as well.  Gremlins again.

Oh well, I can't remember what I said so I'll make a new one.

Its showtime - for the first time ever I went to the Malanda Show, the rain held off (which is very strange). I really don't know wether its me being jaded or just everyone, the craft exhibits seemed lack lustre, nothing jumped out and said WOW, it seemed like no effort was made at all to do something different, it was the same old same old. Its the Atherton Show on Monday and I don't know wether to go to see if its the same, its usually bigger and a bit more showy.

Flowers are all over the house, blossoming their little hearts out, I just love making them or am I actually addicted to  making them - just a couple more before bed, just one more  to balance out the arrangement before I go to the shops, perhaps we'll see what this colourway will look like..............

They have brooch backs added, they are sewed onto hats and scarves, the lie scattered amongst the ornaments on the book cases, the bedroom curtains are adorned with them, my grandgirls wear them in their hair, my snazzy new market apron wears them, I might not have inherited my mums green fingers but I certainly inherited the love of flowers from her.

So what to do today, the day is quickly passing and only one pig made, my fingers are itching to do something new, winter doesn't last very long up here so I don't really want to make any more hats and mitts, though the mitts have been doing very well. I know the craft room is in dire need of tidying up, despite uttering somewhere in blogland that I would not buy any more yarn I have bought more yarn in the past 3 months than I have ever bought.

I do have three hats on order that I have to make and a couple of pairs of mitts, maybe I should do those this weekend and then thats all the winter stuff out of the way and I can start thinking about what to make next (and can I stick flowers on it)

Okay so I think maybe I'll go be creative for a while , uploading all these piccys has whetted my appetite, maybe just a few more for another garland, maybe I'll sew a couple on a pair of mitts...........mmmmmmmm, wheres the dog gone!

Long Weekend.....

....and I'm being lazy.  This long weekend we have had the Tour De Tablelands, bikes and lycra everywhere.  The roads are always horrendous with rolling road closures all weekend so I stay home and vegetate.  We also had the Peeramon Pig Hunt and the Tinaroo Regatta, so the last thing I wanted was to be sandwiched between a ute full of dead wild pigs and a heap of boaties which has happened in the past.
The weekend has been beautiful weatherwise, not too cold and not too hot, a bit overcast on saturday.
I've been busy crocheting flowers for garlands and earrings.  I bought more yarn from Spotty - I think I hit my record in there, 2hrs and 40 mins but I only spend just over $50. I treated myself to a couple of those cute cake tins they had in the sale. 
I also bought in a second hand shop a very cute telephone table, its been crackled in an off white with beautiful apple blossom flowers painted on. I tried to haggle but it didn't work, I'm happy with it anyway and now after 19 years the telephone finally gets a place to live (its been on a stool, before that it balanced on the arm of the sofa or on the floor)
We had out craft fix, our bling fix and then our kitchen fix and yes, I walked out of Robins Kitchen without buying one thing.  We actually made it home in daylight and had time to go food shopping (with what money we had left).
I forgot to ring up about my blood tests and I reckon if they had found anything they would have rang.  I'm not worried, I'm actually feeling quite good, I mean the memorys still full of holes and I have to write notes to myself all the time but otherwise I'm sleeping a lot better and I have more energy than I have had for a while - perhaps that could be due to the fact I'm actually cooking proper meals for myself again.
I cleaned out two cupboards yesterday and tackled the spare room which seems to be the junk room at the moment, it can't be used as a bedroom again till I get the floor fixed so we (me) just open the door and throw things in. I've sorted a few of the things out in there and stacked them in a pile and I've also put the girls toys in there, I've put stuff over the broken floorboards so the girls can use it has a playroom for the time being and my walking machine is in there.
Well, I have these two pretty cake tins empty, just crying out to be filled. Do I bake this arvy or do I sit and crochet and ignore their plea's?  Decisions, decisions.

As Usual........

yesterday my mind went off on one of its little jaunts. I was supposed to be working, I wanted to make an early start so I would be finished by lunch time and have the rest of the day to visit a friend.  Lunchtime saw me still in my jami's, hook and yarn flying furiously, sink of boiiling water ready and the carpet littered with multi-coloured orts.   The felted flowers have been a great success, the big and bold flowers with vintage bits added have been a success and hopefully the felted bird brooches that I have just created will be a success.
The flower swags/garlands are growing like, well, like a garden.  My mind refuses to stop creating, while I'm hooking away another idea pops in and I have to stop what I am doing and create whatever it is that needs to be created.

I really just want to be left alone with my hooks and my yarn stash, but unfortunately the world keeps creeping in and people and things demand my time.

I forgot my hospital appointment way back in April and had remade it for last week, I thought I was on top of things, it was in my diary, on my calender and then I lost a day, I had rescheduled everything that week to fit in this appointment, then the hospital phoned and asked where I was.  I showered, dressed and got to town in 30 mins.  I got the full ultra sound on my heart - working fine, grafts still holding up, blood pressure fine.  She was concerned about the breathlessness and tiredness and fatigue, so I had a iron store test, considering my memory (or lack of it) as well, I could be a bit low on iron. We'll see hopefully later today when the results should be back.  I think the memory worries me the most, I'm forgetting words in the middle of a sentence, forgetting peoples names, I know my mind is otherwise engaged at times but its gone beyond a joke now.

I had an unusual burst of energy yesterday afternoon and got the work I had to do finished in record time, I even had enough energy left over to make a 'proper' evening meal with enough left over for dinner tonight as well.  I put the washing away, I tidied up, watered the garden and sat down with the tele and my hooks and got started on making more birds.

Today the washing is done already, the house is tidy and nothing needs my attention. I do have to nip down to the chemist to get my script but that can wait till I go over to Malanda on my way to my friends.

I managed to get side-tracked yet again before I finished this post.  Felted 5 birds, checked the post, made the bed and looked for some yarn. 

Now at 10 a.m. I am having the porridge I cooked for my breakfast 3 hours ago.

J

Stash Busters

Since breaking my resolve and buying all that extra yarn I've been looking for quick and easy projects to use up some of the yarn that maybe was a wrong choice.  I've been doing mobius cowlettes (neck warmers).  I love mine, it was made in Spotlights Marvel 8 ply which is a thin 8 ply and not what I wanted for the amigurumi dolls, it works up beautifully using a 6.50mm hook, nice and lacey and drapes well.  No pictures yet though, I'm waiting for a model who doesn't have a double chin and turkey neck.  I've also made a few pairs of fingerless mittens, another quick and easy project, using a crochet rib and a smaller than usual hook and using Big W's 8 ply these cro up nice and firm and stretchy.  Then with all the left over yarns in my stash I've made small flowers and attached them to headbands, they look so pretty. I decided not to make all the felted and larger flower into brooches but will sell them seperately with a couple of leaves and people can make up their own minds where they stick them.  The girls claimed two - Stacey wanted the hugest pinkest rose and Jessica-Rose chose a dainty black rose with pearl centre. I'm waiting for them to come round so I can use them to model the headbands for a photo shoot, the photo I took yesterday doesn't really show them at their best.
For the past two days I have been creating, totally oblivious to the time.  I missed breakfast and lunch on both days, its been a long time since I've done that and yes I did enjoy it.
My craft room which I had finally managed to lick into shape is back to being a mess.  'A place for everything and everything in its place' seems to last for only a few days. Perhaps I should do a cross stitch or applique wall hanging to have hanging up so I see it every day.  Knowing me though somehow I really don't think it would work. 
July will be chilly Cheryl.  You might need some fingerless mittens and a neck warmer.

Excuse the bad quality of the photo, I'd forgotten to change the setting on the camera then the batteries died. 

Well my fingers are itching to get hooking again, funny the carpal tunnel hasn't played me up at all, my elbows a bit stiff though.  Just had another idea so off to get it into action.

J

Rosy Posy

In my quest for the perfect crocheted rose I have ended up with a rose garden blossoming all over the house, 60 roses in just over a week have graced my craft room.  I have perfected the rolled rose and the irish rose but my favourite is from the Hook Hound. I had made something very similar when I was designing the amigurumi dolls but couldn't quite get what I was looking for. I had made the base of the flower in a spiral but not into the back of the stitch.

I intend to make all the roses I made into brooches and am now searching out broken vintage jewelry to adorn the roses.  I cruised round all the Accessories shops looking at how the fabric flower brooches that they sell were finished off, they were all pretty tatty looking on the back, so I am not worried at all about the backs of mine, they look exceptionally neat compared to those in the shops.  I have felted some of the roses using a varigated yarn from Big Wand gives lovely look to the roses, especially as the colour runs. The outer edges of each petal tends to darken while the inner petals fade slightly.  The pink roses below were all done from the same ball.  I used up a fair amount of yarn from my stash, I found some gorgeous vintage kid mohair which I managed to make three roses from.   My stash, which at the start of the year I vowed to not buy any more yarn till i could get the lid on the box has now tripled to three boxes and if I buy more of the varigated yarn today will quadruple. I knew I couldn't do it. But the wool is so pretty and soft and it spoke my name, I couldn't leave it there.

My fingers are itching to get hooking but I have so much to do today.  Thursday I had a hospital appointment down on the coast, everything is okay, nodules on the thyroid have only grown a little bit and my thyroid is not misbehaving so I have a reprieve for another year. We hit Spotlight after the hospital and we spent over two hours in there, we certainly made up for the previous two visits where we only had 30  mins at the  most and came out spending under ten dollars, this time I went mad and spent over 50 dollars - well it was stuff I needed (honest).

I've been snuffly for the past two days, got lots of lemons ripe on the tree so I'll be making myself some hot lemon and honey - might even go to the Bottle shop and get a small bottle of whiskey (even though I hate the stuff).  It was 8 degrees at pre-dawn on thursday - I was out standing around in my jami's and sheepies looking at the planets......and yes you can say 'and you wonder why she has a cold'.   Not sure what it was that hurried past my feet as I was scanning the sky, it was dark coloured and definately not a cane toad.

Well I have a couple of hours work this arvy over in Mareeba, so better go get out of my jami's and get presentable. I want to get some shopping in as well while I am over there.The new fridge is bare as are the cupboards, the dog and I have been on left-overs all week.

Love and Hugs

Jan

potholes and speed bumps

Thats what my life feels like at the moment, not only is my path through life full of detours and dead ends but its also strewn with pot holes and speed bumps.
The new fridge scheduled to be delivered two weeks ago got badly damaged so I had to wait for another to be shipped up to the tablelands.  Then the thursday before easter they rang to tell me the new one was in but they couldn't deliver it till the next wednesday because they had sent all their trucks back down the mountain.  Finally today it came, the poor young man delivering it couldn't get the trolley over the edge of my kitchen step, slipped and the fridge fell on top of him.  No damage to him or the fridge but I had to go out the front door and round the back and push while he pulled and we eventually got it into the house.  I said I would unpack it and he went on his way.  New fridge in the house, half unpacked but I can't get it off the little pallet it is on.  So my old fridge chugs merrily still, dripping water everywhere and clunking and rattling every so often. 
One lot of guests checked in on friday and left early sunday,then new lot of guests were due to arrive at 2, which would give me plenty of time to do a full clean ready for them.  Sheets and bedding everywhere, washer going, dryer going, mop bucket in middle of floor, beds remade apart from one, towels in a wet pile waiting for the dryer. 10.30 and I stop for a coffee with my son and his family and share easter bunnies with the grandgirls, then i hear the door close next door, I rush over and there standing in the middle of all the mess is two new guests - You are not ready for us No.  "Does it look like it" I reply (how rude I sounded). I explain that they are not due to check in till two, they say 11.  Apparently they are not the ones who booked, I am expecting 4 adults and 1 child, No he says, its 7 adults and 1 child, No she says, its 8 adults and one child.  We don't have beds for that many. HELPPPPPPPPPPP.  I send them off for coffee and promise to get the house clean in an hour.  They come back within the hour with two other guests and sit quietly on the verandah waiting while little old me totally oblivious to them being there is muttering under my breath and cursing all and sundry because the damm king size feather doona refuses to lie still, a bulge appears in the middle like a dead body minutes after i made the bed, i push all the feathers to the bottom and put the towels on top in the hope that they will wait them down and keep them still.  As I leave the room I can see them gradually creeping up to the middle of bed. At this stage I really don't care anymore.
I phoned the owners who were holidaying down south and let them know what is going on. They have only paid for 4 guests, this is not on, I mustn't let the other guests in till they have paid up. I hand the phone to one of the guests who agrees to pay the extra money, the original bookee arrives with a face like thunder and demands to know what is going on. I say take it up with the owner and hand her the phone number.  All sorted, I agree to let them in and will go back and do the final cleaning and make up the futon bed in the office when they are out later that afternoon.  All happy, I smile and say if there is anything else they need just let me know - my customer service training finally getting used (Believe me despite being top in the class for customer service I hate dealing with the public)
I checked all my booking details the realtor sent me and it definately said 4 adults, checking in at 2.  I still haven't a clue how many stayed there. 
So today I have washed 20 sheets, 30 pillowcases, 20 towels, 16 washers, 4 bathmats, 10 t-towels and all my own stuff, I've had two washing machines going and one dryer. I now have to phone the owner and let them know that a wooden chair has been broken by the guests. 
After all that kerfuffle on sunday morning I went off later that afternoon for a cooked dinner at my sons new place, roast lamb cooked in a camp oven outside, the grandgirls and one of their uncles took off on the quad bike and motor bike, they have no fear. The eldest grand girl was disappointed grandma would not get on the back of the quad bike and go for a ride round the paddocks with her. She even promised to go slow - I've seen her go slow and its still to fast for me.  Afternoon turned to evening and we watched the stars come out, listened to the stone curlews and put the world to rights before my youngest took me home.  It was a nice relaxing end to a very hectic day.  I crawled into my bed still stinking of smoke from the fire but I didn't care.
Tomorrow I have one lot of washing to dry, fold and put away and that is that, the house is ready for the next lot of guests, I have to pay a bill, do a customer service assessment, fill a report out, report my earnings, shop, try and get the fridge off its pallet, weed, visit a friend, submit my invoice, and somewhere try and have a life.
I met a man - yes, you heard right. A MAN.  Only once, though we talk on the phone and text and email. We never seem to get free time at the same time. Lots of itty bitty things stop us from meeting up again. Is he the right one for me - don't know yet, we are opposites, he doesn't understand my sense of humour and I think he gets to uptight over simple things.  He's cute, blond, slim, hardworking and loves his dog, is that enough.
Saturday I did a market stall with my friend, didn't sell much but that didn't matter, it was a good day still.  I realised that the money i would make had no purpose, I had no intent for it, no bill to pay or shopping to do.  It was mine to do what I wanted with with no guilt attached.  So, I bought myself a pretty vintage apron, some honey  and a fancy tea infuser. 
So the pot holes and speed bumps are there to slow me down, to make me rest, to take stock of where I am and where I am going. I need them.  The detours make me see a different take on things.  I know I need patience in some things.  I handled the mix-up at the weekend well, I didn't panic. Despite me joking about it I think I handled it diplomatically.  At the market I didn't get upset that very few people wanted to buy what I had made, I enjoyed the day and the experience, sounds and colours of a very busy country market.  I got my kitchen clean ready for the new fridge, I washed walls and threw out old stuff from the cupboards.  I learnt that its okay to change my schedule, I can say No and not feel guilty. 
A long post - I know, but its probably going to have to  do you a week, read it slowly, in bits.  I'm now going to go make myself a cup of tea and a slice of toast, put my pj's on and curl up in bed with a book and the dog.

J

Finally...........

After much procrastination I got the patterns down. Everything should be winging its way soon.  I had a sudden burst of energy and whilst I had No.3 son to hand I made full use of him. Trimmed a few trees, weeded, moved rubbish, cleared and a dump run. Now I'm sat here picking splinters out.  I treated myself to a nice pale pink nail polish, I don't know why though, nearly every nail has been chipped and broken, not much left of them. 
Its rained off and on all day, woke to brilliant sunshine coming through the curtains and then by the time I'd got dressed and outside it was back to miserable again. I had a trip to the library and stocked up on chick books.  I'm struggling with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I've had it a week and have only got about 50 pages in. 
Not sure wether its the kids next door running around the house, trucks going over the bridge outside town or thunder.  Judging by the colour of the sky it could very well be thunder. 
Okay, well thats me out of here, I'm off to pick out the rest of the splinters, get dressed and curl up with a gardening book.

Jan