Week 3

It has been a surreal week for me. the loss of G hit me hard, but life goes on and we tuck our grief away, as many thousands of people are having to do all over the world.  It was only today, that I realized that we have already completed 3 weeks of lockdown, there is talk of of coming out of it after week 4 as over the last week new cases have been in their teens.  But there is a fear that the virus is lurking and will hit hard when we come out of isolation.  Fear is paralyzing the world, we  are looking sideways at people wondering whether they will infect us.  I think the psychological effect of this pandemic is going to be more damaging than the physical in the long run.   And I don't even want to think about the world economy.  Anyways on to brighter things, I really believe we have to take pleasure little things of life - cooking, cleaning, the garden, family connections, the birds singing, the antics of our pets and  of course U Tube, lol!

Over the last week I have been in preserving mode, I picked most of the grapes, leaving the rest for the birds and made 4 jars of grape jelly and 2 large bottles of grape cordial.

grape harvest

I have started on the apples, freezing them  an I think I will make some apple jelly from the Golden Delicious variety as it comes out a beautiful peach colour, the biggest apple tree is the Fuji , they store really well and so do the Grannie Smiths.  I am toying idea of making some mint jelly to have with lamb. The mint needs cutting back as it is getting out of hand, especially under the fig tree.

loaded fuji apple tree

 End of last year a new was fence erected in place of an old ivy covered fence that was falling down.  I making  a rock garden  along part of it as the soil is very stony, these stones I found on the property, I need some bigger ones and perhaps when we can move about again I will get some from the river.

 I am also thinking of growing some star jasmine around the posts and perhaps a clematis of some kind.

With three weeks completed in the lockdown I have been able to see how my stores are going.  I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I organized my groceries into 2 week lots, Well, I overestimated and each lot will last 3 weeks, so that is another 5 weeks of stores, I will be good to end of June.  The thing I am thinking of now is whether to continue using them when the lockdown ends or keep my level of stores at its current rate or even to increase the amount that I have stored away.  I would love to know what you consider an acceptable amount of stores without becoming a hoarder!  I know that they say for financial security to have 3 months out outgoings saved up is ideal.  I am thinking that in future there will be food shortages.  On a side note, my neighbour is an essential worker in the local bread factory, and he told me that the flour shortage here wasn't the lack of flour but that the manufacturers ran out of retail bags, so they had to get them printed.  I am thinking why bother, flour is flour!  Nobody is going to worry whether it is Champion or Pams etc., they just want flour!

On Sunday, I treated myself to some waffles, I had a craving for chocolate, and debated cook, muffins, biscuits and so on, I procrastinated all afternoon and fin ally after supper, I decided to make waffles but with chocolate bits in. I just used my usual waffle mix which is really a thick pancake mix and added chocolate chips,  Absolutely divine!

 I used butter to grease the waffle pan and it made them so crispy and crunchy. I will definitely be making them again.

I have been having a break from crochet, and have made this tunic for a little girl I know, Just need to go through my stash of buttons for the yoke.

Well that's it for today you all have a blessed day. 

Sharon and the kitties

 

A Rabbit Hole

Today did not go as I planned! It started with a phone call at 8.30, a dear friend wanted to visit this afternoon, I was pleased as we haven't seen each other for a few months.  Thankful I had made a stew yesterday I got on the computer and register for ancestry.com as I want to do a family tree on my mothers side for my brothers and sister as we know very little. Mum's father died when she was 8 and her mother married again and did not talk about him or her own family in England.  I had an idea that I could do a small family tree for my sister who has a birthday next week. HAH.........

Several hours later I was fully immersed in records and the excitement of finding out about my ancestry. LOL  I had heard that it was a rabbit hole, it is.  It is fascinating!  But really , when you got visitors coming and you are still in your nighty at 11.30 am, it is not a good look!  So I scurried about doing breakfast dishes, tidying the lounge and just sat down when there was a knock on the door.  I had a lovely catch up with my friend.  She left at 5.30, I had a quick bite to eat, and tried to find something on TV to relax with my knitting (I am knitting some socks! I have never knitted them before.) There that is my crafts element for the day, hehe.  There was nothing,  channels are full of the Commonwealth Games that are on in Queensland Australia. I like sport but don't find it relaxing!

So it was back to the computer, but I have managed to stay away from ancestry.com and decided to write a post so that I had at least one thing crossed of my list for today.

Not to say that I wont go there after a cuppa!

Yesterdays list 

Chop the mint back by the shed and fig tree - Done

Mow the front lawn

Pick some Apples - Done

Pick the ripe figs before the birds find them - Done

Wash the windows in the front

make a stew for the weekend - Done

Knit some of my sock - Done

Phone my sister in Australia this afternoon Done

Find a recipe (mint sauce) or what to do with all the mint I chop down (its needs chopping down as it is rampant, but I am loath to chuck it out. - Done

 

So 2 items are now to be transferred to tomorrows list

Mow the front lawn

 Wash the windows in the front

Write a blog post  with goals for next week

Go to church in morning

Relax 

 

I might flag the mowing the lawn if I am invited out to lunch as that can happen often.

 

So as they say the best laid plans of men and mice........

 

Have a Wonderful weekend  

Sharon

Stash Busting

One of the goals I have set myself this year is to stash bust!  Like all yarnies I have yarn hidden all over the house, it seems to be a compulsion to get yarn and more yarn.  Non yarnies shake their heads in bewilderment when we say we need to get more yarn for a new project as we haven’t got what we need.  They just don’t get that we must have that particular colour that is floating around our heads.  But, we all get to a point where we say ‘enough is enough”, usually when we have bought some yarn and then discover it is lurking in our stash!  I have reached that point. 

 

I thought hard and long about why my previous efforts to stash bust have failed miserably.  I realised that am a colour geek and I have to  fit that fact in my  projects.  It is no good say that I will do a new project using my stash it will fail!

For example, I had 3 attempts to make Around the Bases but each failed, I put it doe to a failure within me as it certainly was not the pattern as it was awesome.  I realise now that I was trying to fit in colours that I wasn’t entirely convinced about.  Strangely enough when I look at the now they are okay, but I have no desire to carry on. 

At this stage I was happy.

 

Here I hated it so it never got any further, perhaps one day I will frog it back and use colours I like instead of trying to fit colours in from my stash.  I think half of the problem is that my stash is bits and pieces and when a project gets to a certain size, I am at a loss.  When I went out and bought specific colours for this project it was a success and I love it.

So, how does this realisation help me get rid of the stash.  I have to tank Zelna Olivier of Zooty Owls Crafty blog. ( http://zootyowlcards.blogspot.co.nz/search?updated-max=2018-01-18T15:44:00%2B)

She is making stash blankets for charity using multiple strands of yarn in magic balls and links to how to do the magic knot.  A clanging bell went off.  So the long and short of it I am doing the same, but first I thought of making rugs for the bathroom and bedroom using linen stitch.

For the bedroom

For the bathroom

 

 

And even a stash basket which was a CAL in the Our Happy Cal Place group on Ravelry.

I am so happy I now can buy yarn for new projects and not feel so guilty as the projects use yarn up so quickly.  Win, win all around.