For Me, Today Is Thursday Disguised as Friday

Falling way behind on the blog (photos to come). Craft weekend was a blast: five girls, two sewing machines, 2 banana cakes and The Shining on Saturday night (digitally remastered version)...there was screaming (Mavis) and lots of OH MY GOD! Run, run, run...and several Tony imitations (RED RUM, RED RUM)...but huge laughs. How strange is Shelly Duvall? As Two Bear's pointed out "She looks like a human muppett".

All up I managed a small coin purse with a zip and another little zippy (bigger purse) with lining and all. Sewing in the zips was exciting and frustrating. I am not great on a sewing machine, but it fun having a go. I had a lot of help from Nora! - who leaves today to climb an active volcano in Indonesia (like you do). Go NOrs!

Another weekend of laughs ahead. Tomorrow Two Bears, Mavis, Jan(ome)- named after her new sewing machine, ObeOneJanome and Tezza head off to a small country town with a mega quilting shop and lots of crafty goodness. This time I'm just taking my knitting (a very trippy pink scarf)and wine.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Scarf, Mummies & Sharks before 11am.

Sometimes I can't believe how much information, useless or otherwise...we humans accumulate. I don't know why it struck me this particular morning but as I was sitting on the train knitting my (2nd ever) frog green scarf, I put it around my neck for a test run and realised it felt a bit scratchy. It's 100% wool, so assumed it wouldn't be.

I'm one of those freaky people who can't stand wearing anything even remotely scratchy - especially around my neck. That thought prompted me to remember a time when I was about nine. We went over to a friend's house for dinner (can't recall who) but I was made to wear a new outfit (yes. I freaked OUT and had a FIT) because it was pants and a little vest but it was also Tartan and unlined. By the time we arrived I was almost in tears and I spent the whole night quietly going insane...

So would it be okay to gently hand-wash my new scarf in wool mix or something?



I put my knitting away and started reading my book. It's a corker read: Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Survival and Obsession Among Great White Sharks by Susan Casey. It's a book about the white pointers just 30 miles west of San Francisco at The Farallon Islands. Casey's writing style is both quick witted and fascinating. I got to a part about a shark attack (he survived...480 stiches) and felt a bit ill!

With only ten minutes left of my journey to work, I flicked through the The Age and read an amazing story about three 500 year old mummies found in 1999 on the peak of Llullaillaco in Argentina. There was a incredible photo of this Incan girl - almost perfectly preserved, due to altitude, weather. Her clothes, hair, skin - just jaw-dropping. Experts say she was left on the mountain as sacrifice and froze to death.

No wonder I need a coffee.

This Saturday Both Bears are off to a friend's house for a CRAFT WEEKEND...Yes, a bunch of us are going to craft our heads off during the day and watch The Shining Saturday night. Sunday we're going to a fantastic market for some serious thrifting. Best of all - I'll get to use a sewing machine (could be dangerous!).

Behold My Weekend Madness

There wasn't much but while it was out, I could feel the top of my head smiling - nothing beats warm, late afternoon sunshine. Spent Sunday morning driving to Flowerdale - a very, very little town...with a cute Sunday market. It's about 40 minutes from our place - via the Valley of a Thousand Hills! I don't know about that, but the hills looked so wonderful and iridescent green it was like they were plugged in somewhere or lit from the inside. At the market I got some old knitting needles and last week, some other strange thrifty things: basil brush and a doll house family with slightly alarming faces (very X-Files) but I couldn't help myself. I've started a new scarf (more green) and went totally nuts at Borders and came home with a stack of magazines....another little obsession that is currently out of control. Oh and a little Teddy that I made - nearly drove me freaking crazy. Behold....

Little Purses

Thanks to Lyn at Molly Chicken (http://mollychicken.blogs.com/my_weblog/) I've had heaps of fun making these purses. Thanks for the great tutorial.

Swap Heaven

Here is the amazing craft booty from Shell at the wonderful http://sacredheartarts.blogspot.com/. The pic doesn't do justice to all her fine work and detail. Thank you so much - can't wait to create something.

Time Table Love Part Three (Has Anyone Seen My Intro?).

Okay. I'll be honest. I should be working and I kind of am but I can't find my introduction so I thought I'd divert myself and go back to the piece I'm trying to write with a renewed sense of hope.

Catching the 5.30pm home later today. For some strange reason the train was really packed this morning and a few very tall people ended up standing up for a good 40 minutes - swaying, really... reminded me of sea-weed in deep water. They were remarkably soothing to watch - a little like watching fish swim around in a tank or an open fire. Anyway, before I knew it I was nodding off in a fairly unattractive fashion...mouth open a tad, neck on the side - not pretty. Fortunately I woke myself up before I dribbled or made any really embarrassing noises like ArGGhchh.

Socrates The Sock Dog.

I saw this book cover ages ago and couldn't get that sweet socky dog out of my head! Here is the result.

Wasn't It Monday The Other Day?

A pic of my (first ever) square for Quilts For Katrina (http://www.flickr.com/groups/81115043@N00/). An amazing project organised by Shanna at http://www.twotreeswithrootslikethese.blogspot.com/.

Time Table Love - Part Two

I'm getting to know all the regular commuters on my train. Some of these people have been catching the same train for years and the carriage is a like an extension of their lounge-room. Yes my friends, there is Train Etiquette. Here a few observations so far.

1.
Seating:
Every morning people sit in the same seats and then on the way home, they sit in the same but different seats depending on how intense the setting sun is. Including me. It's like locomotive ballet.

2.
Sniffing:
I'm sure she's a delightful human being, but she's also a serial sniffer. No hanky, no tissue, just a sharp nasal sniff every 12 to 14 seconds (yes I counted). At first I thought, get a grip - she's sniffy, that's all, just read your book. (SNIFF). Just concentrate. It's not like you don't have any annoying habits (SNIFF). Screw it. If I don't move I'm going to have to take of my scarf and smother her. I moved.

3.
Teenage Dim Sim Eater.
I'm sorry, but since we still don't actually know what's in a commercially made Dim Sim, let's not be eating them on a packed train.

4.
The Bloke.
He's just left the office. Tucks his brief-case (lone orange, yesterday's paper) under his seat and s p l a y s his leg so wide, the women who want to sit past him have to virtually climb over the scaffolding of his body. His voice is loud enough to drown out the engine noise. He leers at the girl who walks past and nudges his mate.

5.
The Conductor.
Always different but always lovely. They snip your ticket using punches that leave a little love heart or teddy bear.

Tickets Please.

I was just about to write some more about my train adventures...but realised the time and now I have to run to catch my train home...

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: ''If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction''.

PS: Summer evenings are on the way - you can see the colours in the sky.

Glad to be Back.

Goodbye Bo, goodbye Hope, Oprah, Dr Phil and the entire Hi Five! team (don't ask). Goodbye bad mid-day movie, "Just leave. Don't turn around, just walk out that door and and never come back''. Thanks for getting me through the feverish sweats, the head-aches and the enlarged glands.

I know I'm better cos work is great! Could also be the medication I'm still taking. Whatever. Two Bears have booked a holiday to Byron Bay and I can't wait. So excited. Here's a peek.

Blahh.

I've been sick since Sunday: horrible flu (I think)...coughing, whezzing and feel like all my bones have been replaced with ice. Boring. Here are some pictures from last weekend. I made the two little toys on Saturday and Bear Two did a great job with the new bird house.