Magnolias. Magnificent.

These magnificent magnolias have unfurled in my office

Creamy, pink and sculptural.

A  wonderful way to welcome my new job.

Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung ... the grass has riz  etc

And so has my hay fever.

That itchy throat and scratchy tongue has been waking me the last few mornings.

Followed the sneezes.

Looks like it could be a bad season.

When we were in France two years ago in Spring ...  same thing ...  

I needed some hay fever spray for my nose - but try translating that into French!

After miming, sneezing and scratching at my throat, James came to my rescue.

He offered Malaise de printemps - sickness of spring.

There was the ah-ha moment in the pharmacy and all was well.

Miserable

The little girl is sick again.

Nothing serious - just a head cold, headache, achy body and lots of sneezing. Feeling pretty miserable. No school tomorrow.

I can hear her coughing in bed now, and tossing and turning.

Keeping her company - as always - Teddy.

Everyone should have one.

Gorgeous Girl

Gorgeous Georgia is growing ... more beautiful every time I see her. xxx

Peas in a pod

There's something comforting and old fashioned about shelling peas at the kitchen table.

I found the boy and the girl completely immersed in the activity after the market this morning.

They were nattering away away shelling peas, popping a few into their mouths and laughing as the odd pea bounced off the table and onto the floor.

The boy says he used to shell peas when he was .. well ... just a boy, after he and his dad came home from the market.

The tradition continues.

And the colour is gorgeous. Probably May Green , if I had to choose a derwent to match!

Not to mention, freshly podded peas taste soooo sweet.

I've got a crush on ...

That bloke who holds up the score cards on Rock Wiz.
Enough said.

Rainbows 2

At home, the little girl has her own box of rainbows.

(Secretly, I love them more than she does).

I always wanted a box of derwents when I was a little girl.

I still do.

I love the name of the colours stamped in white on each pencil.

Copper beech
Imperial purple
Orange chrome
Crimson lake
May green

I love the way they smell when they've been freshly shapened ...
and the way the shavings fall in curly woody waves.
When I use them I don't care if I go outside the lines.

Rainbows

It appeared for just a moment.

I stopped the car and snapped it, right in the heart of the suburbs.

Just on dusk.

Glorious.

And then it was gone.

A Bowl Of Sunshine

A bowl of lemons, picked from our tree on a wintery day, looks like a bowl of sunshine in my kitchen. I smile every time I see them.

Our tree was heavy with fruit.

Lemon curd, preserved lemons, lemon cordial, lemon delicious, roast chicken with lemon and fennel coming up!

Kitchen Porn

I want one

I want one

I want one

I want one

Then I want to watch the dvd it comes with, over and over and over again.

Slowly.

Progress

I'm feeling pretty chuffed tonight.

The girl has been sick for a couple of days :( and in between bouts of vomiting and piles of washing, I've been sewing, while she's rested and dozed on the couch, poor thing.

And I've made real progress on Georgia's quilt.

The top is just about complete. I'll pop into Spotlight to buy some fabric for the boarder, binding and backing then move into quilting mode.

The split 9 patch came together quickly. It will look gorgeous in the cot.

The girl's much better tonight and is on a promise of seeing Mama Mia tomorrow, if she's well enough. We both need an outing after a couple of days of going stir crazy!

Hooked

You crafty types will know what I mean.

I'm hooked. On crochet right now.

I keep thinking about it.

At work, in the shower, when I wake up in the morning.

Different stitches.

Variegated wool.
Colour combinations.

It's so quick. That's what I love about it. 20 mins and you've got a result.

I've started making flowers. Self taught from the Patons Beginner Crochet book. And very proud I am too.

I've made flowers for my friends, my daughter, my sister, my niece (not the 5 week old one, but her turn will come) and for myself. Ive added them to my denim jacket, a great poncho I picked up and a couple of my favourite hats. Gorgeous!

Georgia's Quilt

Georgia Louise, my niece, is 5 weeks old and as sweet as sweet as can be. I'm making a cot quilt for this angel.

The cutting out is done and the first stage of the sewing is complete. Phew!
It's a split 9 patch quilt - something Í haven't done before but it looks easy enough (I think) and the effect means it looks a lot more complicated than it really is.

I've made 12 x9 patch squares and now I need to cut them in half, then re-piece the quilt in whatever fashion I like, then sew it all together.

I made a quilt a couple of years ago for Eliza ... and it looks so sweet on her bed.

It's quilted with hearts because it was made with love .... ahhhhhh.

Mushroom Soup

What to do for dinner ...It's the question we all face after work every night.The girl had an easy early dinner ... but what can I pull together for us?

Ahhhh the mushrooms on the bench - I could do something with those. The boy picked those yesterday. The recent rain has been kind.

I grabbed the latest copy of Delicious - remembering the cover featured mushroom soup. Perfect! Within 30 mins the soup was on the table ... a rich dark concoction. It tasted like the forrest (but in a good way, you understand). I whipped up a salad and slathered some fresh goats curd onto some sourdough toast ... and that was dinner. A glass of wine of course. Bloody delicious it was too!

And I've got to say I'm feeling pretty proud about uploading these pics taken on my new digital camera!