Something else under the sun

There are so many stories of car accidents in Australia which we read without thinking of how many people can be affected. This one is however more personal (to us) than most - John grew up with the man involved (in fact we saw him a fortnight ago), and our sister-in-law was one of the first people at the scene. John's parents have gone to Dubbo with the parents/grandparents of the people involved.

Please pray for the family (and ours).

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so men are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpectedly upon them

Alex turns 2

Our little Entropy warrier has now turned 2. While we can't imagine life without him, it does seem to be so quickly that he has changed from a helpless (contented) bub to a small "independent" child with a definite mind of his own.

We celebrated by staying at my parents and having dinner with cake. Alex then got to stay with his grandparents while we went to the movies.


This year he sort of knew what was going on with the cake - he waited till we finshed singing and then attempted to blow out his candles! He had also had fun "helping" me ice and decorate said aformentioned cake that morning.


He also had fun opening his presents. Even three days later he is "reading" his cards like books.

The Emperor's Rhyme

The King of Peru
Who was Emperor too
had a sort of rhyme
which was useful to know
if he felt very shy
when a stranger came by
or they asked him the time
when his watch didn’t go.
Or supposing he fell,
by mistake, down a well
or tumbled when skating
and sat on his hat.
Or perhaps wasn’t told
Till his porridge was cold
That his breakfast was waiting
Or something like that.

So whenever the Emperor
got into a temper or
felt himself sulky or sad,
he would murmur and murmur
until he felt firmer
this curious rhyme that he had.

“Eight eights are sixty-four
Multiply by seven.
When it’s done,
carry one
and take away eleven.
Nine nines are eighty one
Multiply by three
If it’s more
carry four
And then it’s time for tea.”

So whenever the Queen
took his armour to clean
and didn’t remember
to use any starch.
Or his birthday, in May,
was a Horrible day,
being wet as November
and windy as March.
Or when sitting in state
with the wise and the great
he happened to hiccup
when signing his name.
Or The Queen gave a cough
when his crown tumbled off
as he bent down to pick up
a pen for the same.

So whenever the Emperor
got into a temper or
felt himself awkward or shy,
he would whisper and whisper
until he felt crisper
this odd little rhyme to the sky.

“Eight eights are eighty one
Multiply by seven.
If it’s more
carry four
and take away eleven.
Nine nines are sixty-four
Multiply by three
When it’s done
carry one
and then it’s time for tea.”


A. A. Milne Now we are Six Metheum and Co, UK, 1927

Fun with Friends

This weekend we had some friends from Sydney come and stay with us with their new little baby. (We hadn't met him before)

We had a lovely time doing all the things one does with friends - chatting, drinking tea, eating too much food, and playing - and also enjoying some of the activities in Canberra (despite the rather wintery weather).

We went to the Gallery of Australian Design which is new and small and interesting if you like architecture-type things (which my friend does) and also to the National Portrait Gallery. which is not so new or small and has a slightly broader appeal.

My friend and I went to a ladies afternoon tea at our church (the men looked after the sleeping toddler).

The men went to the movies and we crafted while the little ones slept.

Alex was fascinated by Max - he kept bringing him toys, bouncing him in the bouncer, and trailed whoever had Max in their arms. By the end he actually wanted to cuddle Max and is trying desperately to cuddle him while he is on my knee. Since they left he has been very attentive to his teddy bears!

Five things in May

This is what I did in May (not the extraordinary things, just the normal everyday things):

Listened to Classic FM. My radio was retuned to fuzz one day so I tuned it to Classic FM instead of the news in the morning.
Read Mao's last dancer. I won't talk about this too much because I want to save it for a book meeting but if you get the chance to read this do. (Although parents might want to read first to work out what age/if their child should read it). It is the autobiography of Li Cunxian who was plucked out of his commune in China in the late '60s to study ballet. In the early '80s he defected to the US. He now lives in Melbourne with his Australian wife. It really made be realise how blessed we are to live in the time and place that we do.
Made the invitations to a birthday party and crochet squares for a quilt.

Drank tea. My sister gave us a box of T2 sampler teas which we are working our way through. I am particularly fond of the spiced black teas - one or two cups of creme brulee is a good substitute for dessert!
Watched Yes Prime Minister. This is one of my all time favourite british comedies and we have been watching part of an episode before we go to sleep (we can't quite stay awake for the full half hour).

What everyday things have you been up to this month?

Catch Up

Went away to Farm. Visited friends on way. Got sick. Came home 4 days later. Washed. Cleaned. Worked. Packed. Went away to Sydney. Shopped. Caught a cold. Visited Friends. Went to 90th Birthday Party. Came home; still sick. Worked. Clean house. Cooked. Worked. Washed mountain of clothes. Still sick. Packed (again). Went to Mum and Dad't for Mother's Day. Got sicker. Toddler now sick and grumpy. Came home. sick. Worked. Cleaned. Washed. Gost hair cut. Locked self and child out of house. Worked. Cleaned. Cooked. Went to charity dinner. Slept in. Toddler learnt how to climb out of cot. Worked. Cleaned. Worked. Spent afternoon "sleep time" putting jack-in-the-box toddler back to bed.

Whew.

That has been our May so far. (I think I just wrote about 4 blog posts worth of stuff). It has been so frenetic that I haven't really had time to think because we have been so busy doing. (That's not quite true - I have thought quite hard at work but not on matters of my choosing). This is the first week where we haven't been away for the previous weekend - and for the first time this month I am not behind in the housework.

The rest of May is looking better - we have three (that's right three) weekends where we are home (not free but home) before we possibly go away again. This cold/sore throat should go. Maybe then I will be able to post some photos of what we have been doing ;-)

Hope to catch up with you more often!

Weekends Away

We seem to be in the midst of a mad set of busy weekends at the moment combined with cleaning for the biannual dreaded tenancy inspection.

We were in Adelaide at Easter, and have just been away to the farm. [The one in between we were supposed to have visitors but they cancelled, so we went to a birthday party and had friends over instead!] In the next fortnight we head to Sydney for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday and then to my parents for Mother's Day weekend. Somewhere in all that April came and went and it now feels like the middle of winter!

I hope that you enjoyed the flashback series I set up while I had no time to blog, and I shall hopefully have some photos of our recent activity soon.

Flashback Friday

The love of reading starts early.


This must have been taken some time in 1984 as well (it was in that section of my mother's photo album...) when some friend's of my parents came to visit. I think it may have been more posed than "snapped" though

Flashback Friday

Two little girls in Pink


This is my little sister (there are only the two of us) one hot riverina summer (~1984?) at the back of my parents house.

Flashback Friday

For all those out there that think that Alex looks like his Dad... Here is my Mum and I circa 1980.

"We shall not all sleep..."

Little boys and Bible study don't mix.

We have been a little irregular with bible study lately (sickness, visitors, being away etc) and Alex seems to have gotten out of the habit of how to behave when he is there. Up until recently he would play/chat for a short time, before (mostly) going to sleep in his pram. Last time was not so easy

he refused to sleep in the pram - he doesn't seem to like being strapped onto his back to sleep, and lately has been taking longer to get to sleep (even at home in the cot)
He played noisily when he was up - not content with books, or sitting quietly Alex then insisted on wriggling and playing (noisily) with cars through the study.

The effect of this was that instead of properly concentrating on the bible study I spent the time attempting to corral Alex with the following monologue running through my head

"Maybe I should just put him back to bed... but then he'll scream and distract everyone and wake the other children...maybe he should be disciplined and made to sit still... but that will not be quiet (at all) and will distract everyone even more...I'll let him play so long as he is quiet.... which he isn't....maybe I should just put him back to bed"

and so on and so forth.

The point of this is that I am now not sure what to do. I would really like to keep going to Bible Study, but there does not seem to be much point if Alex is going to be distracting the entire time. I could try bringing the portacot - but that will involve dragging extra stuff through the house, and may not work anyway. Or I could perservere and get Alex back to sleeping in his stroller (or at least until he is big enough to put into a bed).

I think that I am going to have to pray on the issue and reassess what else we do that day (maybe a visit to the park in the afternoon will tire him out...), but if anyone has any other suggestions/thoughts/ideas etc then I would love to hear them.

Immersed in Austen

This weekend I have enjoyed a feast of Austen (or more specifically Pride and Prejudice). I read the book for lunch (not literally of course!), savoured the 2005 movie version as an entree, feasted on the BBC 1995 production as a main course (at my husband's suggestion ;-)!)and then finished my Austen feast with the much more light hearted Lost in Austen. So here is my take on how these different mediums of the classic novel pan out.

(For the record I am a "Austenophile" - I have read all her novels (many times), own the DVD's and own/have read books on "The life and times of Jane Austen". Someone less immersed may have different opinions to me!)

The Book is still the gold-standard. Rereading the book I was reminded that the language and characterisation just sparkle - there is at least one quoteable wittisicm on every page, and the ability of Jane Austen to describe a character in one or two sentences is rarely paralleled. I enjoyed this reread so much that I have started going through the rest of my Austen collection this week.

The movie sufferes from condesing a long book into ~ 120 mins and therefore scenes are removed or concatenated, as are some characters. The effect of this is that some of the irony and sublety is missing (consider the "don't judge me Lizzie" scene after Charlotte Lucas agrees to marry Mr Collins - true to the sentiment but in the novel acheived over several conversations) and the timing of some of the plot is sped up. (Eg Lady Catherine turns up at Longbourn within hours of Jane's engagement to Mr Bingley, which was the event which precipitated her travelling to Longbourne). I think that the casting is generally excellent, Rosamund Pike is a fabulous Jane, and Brenda Blethyn and Tom Hollander bring an empathy to their characters of Mrs Bennet and Mr Collins respectively. The two characterisations which are the poorest are Mr Bingley - who comes across as more foolish, rather than amiable, and Mr Bennet, who suffers greatly from having his wittisicms cut short (I also cringe at the American Accent of Donald Sutherland). The cinemetography is also excellent - I especially like the scene at the Netherfield ball where the camera weaves through the crowd showing vignettes of the what is occuring. Overall the film does a good job as a cut down version of the main dish.

The 2005 BBC series at five hours long is indeed a feast of Austen (it takes me less time to read the book;-)). With the luxury of time, and a producer and director who wanted to be faithful to the novel. This means that most of the wittisicms and keen observations remain - with the authors voice being taken by Elizabeth or her father. Watching this again after the movie I did feel as if Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, were perhaps a trifle old for their parts, but the performances are excellent. The ending is a little more rushed than the novel, (Bingley's proposal occurs in the second visit rather than the fifth as in the novel), but that is because the chapters in question don't describe in detail the scenes but are more concerned with Elizabeths state of mind (I am reminded of one literary critic who writes that Jane Austen writes the comic romance rather well - the proposals of Darcy and Collins - but seems embarrassed to write the real thing (in the book it is merely glossed over with a Elizameth stammered a reply to the effect that her views were no longer the same!)

I finished off my feast with the second half of Lost in Austen. This really was dessert to the more serious courses with the modern day Austen lover (Amanda Price) somehow swapping places with Elizabeth Bennet and causing havoc with the plot. It is well cast and well written - although more than a few liberties were taken with the plot! (Wickham is apparently not the blackguard we thought) This was a very jolly take on the period drama/"fish out of water" genre. If definitely sped up the ironing!

So, for true Austen read the book(s), but either the movie or the miniseries will sate your Austen appetite - particularly if you would like to do something else (like mending or ironing) while partaking!

Quick Takes unFriday

This is going to be quick, because I really don't have time to blog, but I haven't blogged for a while and I thought I had better post an update... just so that those who read this know I am still alive ;-)

Lessons from the last two weeks

1. Going away for consecutive weekends strains my ability to keep up with all the housework - hence the lack of blogging!
2. I still cry when I read Anne of Green Gables - I reread this when I was staying at my in-laws a week ago and even though I knew what was going to happen I still cried!
3. Alex needs to be supervised when he "helps clean". He decided of his own accord to clean the TV screen last week (after watching Daddy do it the week before) and managed to temporarily break the TV via over enthusiastic spraying into the electronic controls.
4. I really like card making. I made these cards from my new "Three for you" stamp set and punch.





5. "No Spend Month" would go better if we a) did not go away so often during that month and b) didn't plan holidays which need paying for that month either. (Other than that no-spend month was OK - I only went to the supermarket once, and if you deduct the holiday costs we did save money. The most important lesson was the need for delayed gratification. If you still want it/need it at the end of the month, then its probably an OK spend.)
6. It is better to sleep than to have a clean house. I suffer from the problem and inertia - I want to get up and do work before I go to bed (tidy, pick up toys etc), but am too tired to move so I just sit there. On Sunday I had a three hour afternoon sleep and I now have the energy I need to get through the rest of this week.
7. Alex is not yet ready to sleep in a bed. On Friday night we stayed at my parents and Alex slept on a mattress on the floor (having attempted to climb out of their cot on our last visit). Between when I went to bed and 2:30am he fell out of bed 4 times before we had enough and just put him to sleep between us. He then slept soundly (once he had reached preferred sleeping position of head near Mum and Dad's feet!) till 7am.

Well that is seven quick takes of our fortnight - hopefully I can get back here again soon.

Megan's Book Giveaway

Megan from Half-Pint house (whose blog I surreptiously read) is having a giveaway for
Through his eyes: God's perspective on Women in the Bible by Jerram Barrs. She is apparently willing to ship to Australia so if you haven't heard about the competition and would like to enter you might like to do that on her blog post here

Reflections on fiery matters

How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

To you, O LORD, I call,
for fire has devoured the open pastures
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.

Even the wild animals pant for you;
the streams of water have dried up
and fire has devoured the open pastures.
Joel 1:18-20

I have been reluctant to post anything for the last few days, because all the thoughts in my head seem so trivial compared with the suffering that those in Victoria have been experiencing. It is a good reminder that we cannot control the world around us, not matter how hard we try, nor can we escape the inevitable judgement.

I am however slightly annoyed at some of the surrounding events:
1.The media who ask people who have lost their family, friends or homes "How are you feeling about this?".
2.The fact the the media can get access to these people (to ask inane questions) when their family can't.
3. As there is little new "news" to report, and the enquiries will now take months to report, the news is that.... Australia made the news in the US and Australians have donated so much money to the cause.
4.Confidence tricksters who use the tragedy and people's generosity for their own gain.
and lastly, and perhaps most heartbreakingly, a Christian pastor claiming in a press release that the bushfire happened because of Victoria's abortion laws. While I don't support the laws in Victoria, I think that the application of a passage in Chronicles is very poor exegesis. A better application would be that of the tower of Siloam (Luke 13:4). Jesus asks his listeners if "those killed were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?". His answer to the rhetorical question is "I tell you no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

That is the lesson that we all must hear, that we all, poor sinners, must face death - and we never know when or how it will come.

What we do on our weekends away, Part V

Visit Friends and socialise

Ok that explanation is really nor sufficient - what I really mean is travel away for the express purpose of visiting friends to socialies (attend parties or events of some description). Here are some photos of the more recent trips!

Here is our little family walking down the red carpet at our brother-in-law's recent birthday party.

This party was on Sydney harbour and had the theme of the "red-carpet". They had even arranged for a photographer and a reporter with a video camera to take photos as people arrived!

And here is Alex having a lovely time playing with his cousins at a family Christmas party in Sydney


(I should point out that at this point it was after 10pm and our sleepy little boy who is normally fast asleep well before 8 was still partying despite NOT having a sleep earlier in the day.)

Beating the Heat

Unless you've taken up residence in a cold-room for some bizarre experiment, or hail from the Northern hemisphere, then you would have noticed that it has been HOT. The only people who are not bothered by this are either
a) cold-blooded (these people can be identified in winter as they insist that the heating should be set at 25oC) or
b) have air-conditioning.

Unfortunately, the majority of our family fits neither of these two categories (and the one that does fits both when he is at work!) so we have spent the time working out ways to "beat the heat".

1. One of the effects of this warm weather is that no one finds it easy to sleep so there have been a lot more lethargic games played.

2. In the evening before dinner, Alex waters the garden (but not just the garden of course)

3. Playing with ice. (I discovered this one when Alex got into the freezer and pulled the tray of ice out and tipped it all over the floor



4. Not cooking, but eating salads, sandwiches and BBQs

5. Eating ice-blocks/cream


This is actually frozen yoghut that I made earlier this summer. It comes from The low GI Family Cookbook. I also made iceblocks using pineapple that had been blended. (better than juice as it retains the fibre)

Makes 10 iceblooks

250g fresh or frozen fruit (berries, mangoes work well)
600g low fat vanilla yoghurt
2 egg whites
2 tbspn honey

1. Blend fruit and yoghurt together in food processor until smooth
2. Whisk egg-whites until stiff peaks form. Add the honey, a tablespoon at a time,, whicking well after each addition until thick and glossy
3. Fold eggwhite mixture into fruit yoghurt mix until just combined
4. Either
a) Pour the mixture into 10 1/3 cup capacity moulds. Tap the moulds to settle the mixture. Freeze for four hours or until set.
or
b) Pour the mixture into an airtight container and place in freezer for 4 hours or until frozen. Break the mixture into chunks with a metal spoon. Blend again in the food processor until smooth. Return to the airtight container and refreeze for 3 hours. Serve in scoops.

And the Winner Is........

The winner of my giveaway is......



Catherine

Your bookmark will be arriving soon.

PS The only other entrant Bethany will also receive a handmade cross-stitched bookmark

Giveaway Reminder

Just a reminder that My Giveaway ends in 26.5 hours!

To enter you must leave a comment on the Giveaway thread by 7pm AEST Monday 02/02/02.

What we Do on our Weekends away, Part IV

Play in (John) or Watch (Alex and I) Kendo (a Japanese martial art)

Well John trains for this on the weekends (and during the week) that we don't go away, but occasionally (3 or 4 times a year) we travel to tournaments, gradings or seminars.

Just before Alex was born we went to Melbourne to the Australian Championships (John came 3rd in his grade, and his team came first). We spent a couple of days either side having a holiday.

They had also won a teams competition about a month before that.


We've also attended competitions in the ACT and in NSW.



Alex has so far been pretty good - especially as it is not a quiet sport! - sleeping in the pram when we've been places and charming everyone when he is awake. Maybe all that time listening to Kendo in utero, and then being made to sleep while Band of Brothers was playing when he was a newborn actually worked!

Organisation Fever

I have recently been hit by a recurring bout of organisation fever. This reoccurs several times a year - perhaps triggered by searching vainly for a document for 3 hours, or being unable to close a cupboard door, or external factors like tenancy inspections.

This particular bout was triggered by the combination and the New Year and my return to work for an extra day a week. The symptoms included
a) cleaning out the pantry and typing up an inventory and map for the door
b) tidying Alex's cupboard and inventoring his books and toys.
c) putting together a household folder

Here is Alex's cupboard after being cleaned




Here is most of the teddy bear collection. [As a side note, how can one child, who has had 1 birthday and 2 Christmas's - where on all occasions his parents purchased nothing - have so much stuff?)


Now it may seem like a good thing to be organised - and there are definite advantages - but personally I have found there is a limit where one can be too organised (and this is a heavy admission for someone who is strongly J on the Myer-Briggs scale).

1. It can cause conflicts - my husband is more "lets take if flexibly" regarding routines, and being hyper-organised tends to annoy him, while I have a tendency to get irritated if my carefully constructed plans are thrown into disarray.
2. Getting and staying organised takes effort and, once the organisation fever subsides, I cannot continue the effort to maintain the high level of organisation that this fever brings on. (and I present exhibit A: >10 unfinished projects in the last seven years). Maintaining the effort of staying organised means that I don't spend time doing more important things - like playing with Alex!
3. It makes you think that you can control everything around you. This is particularly insidious, as most of our lives are beyond the scope of our control.

Unfortunately the only cure for Organisation fever that I have discovered is getting organised, so I shall go off and benignly organise something else (arrange my wardrobe by colour, or alphabetise the music collection)

Giveaway

I am hosting a giveaway in honour of completing my UFO's.

To enter, leave a comment for this thread by 7pm AEST Monday 2/2/09

The winner (as determined by a random number generator) will receive this cross-stitched bookmark.

Scrapbooking

Since I finished most of my UFO's I have been able to start on some of the planned projects that I have in my head.

After going through the files on the computer and sorting out our filing cabinet I realised that there were hundreds of photos that were just taking up space (virtual or otherwise) so I had started sorting them to put in Albums.

In the last three weeks I have managed to complete 5 pages - courtesy mostly of a predesigned kit.

Here are the pages I have done so far. (I haven't quite got the journalling and titles done - but that it because I am still working out how to do them).

Alex's Birthday


Skiing




Other photos of Alex (for some reason, these uploaded on then side and I can't work out how to fix it!)

Chrstmas Holidays - Fun and Farm

Despite all the work involved in the flooring adventure we did manage to get in some fun activities during our holidays.

In between laying floorboards we went swimming.

Once the work was done we could play so we went boating.


Alex watched his father very closely when he drove the boat and first opportunity he got - he was copying how to drive.


The grown ups went water skiing - although some of us a better than others! ;-)




After being at the dam we went and had a few days at the farm in Central NSW where John's family live. In between yet more work (moving cattle and around 28 tonnes of wheat) we had plenty of fun - Alex enjoyed playing with his cousins and being allowed to roam free after being cooped up in the cot for 5 days.






This sign about 15 minutes from my in-laws always makes us laugh. See if you can spot what is wrong with it? (hint: think geography and social studies!)

Wedding Anniversary

OK it is not Wedding Wednesday but it was our wedding anniversary yesterday (points to those who can guess/work out how many years)



It was a very hot day (not dissimilar to today) - so pity the poor boys in their woollen kilts - but by the time we had been married and gone to get photos taken a storm was on it's way and up on the hill it was very windy. The girls weren't too flustered by this but the men were not so used to dealing with short skirts and high breeze!



These pictures are a testament to my parent's garden before the drought- for some years it was claimed that the last time it had been green at home was the summer of my wedding. That silver birch behind the beautiful bridesmaids did not survive the drought.


[For the record - we spent our wedding anniversary...... at work! Although we did eat out at home for dinner!]

Fabulous Foodie Friday

Cath asked me to post the recipe for the panforte that I made at Christmas time. The book that the recipe is from is English, so I had to modify some of the ingredients. My comments/hints are in italics.

Ingredients:
edible rice paper (I just used the sort for rice paper rolls you can get from the Supermarket)
60g walnuts
115g blanched almonds (I just used plain, unpeeled, unblanched almonds!)
105g hazelnuts
45g chopped dried figs
150g glace mixed peel (I bought plain mixed peel rather than glace)
50g dried apricots
2 tbspns grated orange peel
2 tbspns cocoa powder'
60g plain flour
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (175g) honey
60g castor sugar

1 tbspn plain flour (extra)
1/4 tspn ground cinnamon (extra)

1. Preheat oven to 180oC (350oC). Line the base of a 22cm round springform tin with the rice paper (you shouldn't need to trim it). Place the walnuts and almonds on a small tray and bake for around 8 mins or until fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool, then repeat with the hazelnuts. When cool, tip the hazelnuts onto a clean tea towel and rub vigourously to remove all the loose skin. [I bought preroasted hazelnuts so could skip that step] Roughly chop all the nuts
2. Combine the nuts, dried figs, mixed peel. apricots and orange peel in a bowl. Sift in the cocoa, flour, spices and 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper and stir to combine, the make a well in the centre.
3.Combine the sugar and honey in a pan and stir over low heat without boiling until the sugar has dissolved (I did this step in a Pyrex jug in the microwave - less washing up as that can go in the dishwasher, you just need to use < 100%)
4. Pour the honey miture onto the dry ingredients, stirring until well combined. Transfer to the prepared springfrom tin and press in firmly. Smooth the surface with a wetted hand. Use a small seive to dust the surface with the combined extra flour and cinnamon. Bake for 35 minutes, then cool completely in the tin. Serve in thin wedges.

This makes a large panforte - I easily cut it into 16 pieces for my work colleagues. It is dairy and egg free if you have to cook for people with allergies as well.

Cath also asked for the recipe for the shortbread stars. I used the recipe from taste, but refrigerated rolled and cut it out rather than making a round shortbread. This is a very fine shortbread (uses icing sugar and cornflour), rather than a crisp one. The lemon and lime shortbread variation is also v. good.

UFO update

I gave myself about six weeks to get through my UFO's. and the timer is up. I also promised to post some pictures on the web of the projects that I have done so here goes.

1. Mending (done, - but no pictures ;-))

2. Lavender Bag (I cheated and 1/2 filled with lavender and used rice and lavender oil for the rest!)

3. Cross stitched height chart

4. One double sided multi-textured mat (still one to finish!!!) (the fluoro pink is actually a fluffy fake fur, and the white is some sort of plastic coated fabric)

5. Cutlery Keepers (I actually made seven)

Number six on the list is still unfinished, but I am working on crocheting squares for that in the evening.

This means that I can now go on to all my other craft projects (knitting, scrapbooking etc) that I have flying around in my head!

Belated Christmas Cooking

I joined in the making of edible Christmas trees fun and made Christmas trees out of shortbread stars. The ones that were straight looked OK, but there were far more that looked slightly lopsided (and yes, I did study engineering!) My two tips for decorating are: use a spacer biscuit between the larger ones (this means you have to make a lot of little biscuits) and secondly, decorate with caucaus THEN stack.

I also made about four panfortes (not all at once) which is a (marginally) healthier Christmas baking option (no butter and only uses a little honey and flour to glue the spice, cocoa dried fruit and nuts together.) Fortunately with cellophane and fancy ribbon you can make any present look good!