BLESSED SPEEDY

Managed to get a couple of "ufo's" (unfinished objects) off my list.  Firstly I finished the second sock of a test knit that I had been doing - I was distracted by working on another pair of socks (as you do) after finishing the first sock.  Im sure all you sock knitters can relate to that.  Interesting pattern and a great way the heel is done as you dont have to pick up any stitches. Secondly is my granny stripes blanket that I have been crocheting.  Really enjoyed it - the bendigo woolen mills cotton is great to work with and I do think the colours look great together.  Mind you I did buy way too much yarn so have enough yarn left over to make a second crocheted rug - think I might try a ripple blanket next time - stay tuned!

I spent a lovely day in Bendigo yesterday babysitting my two granddaughters Mia and Maddison.  They were both so good and we had a great time.  I even managed to get Maddison to have a sleep and she slept for 45 in her cot during the day which apparently is unheard of - I must have the Nanna touch! The absolute highlight was that Maddison said "nan" for the first time and continued to say it over and over so I got it on film! I also took my Mum with me for a day out and she had a great time too - after our "work" was done we did a bit of shopping and then headed home - tired but happy.

Here we are on week two of scatterdays - brought to you by the letter "r" First word is MAMMAL - not that hard for me...lol...our own Red Cow in the herd.  I actually picked her when we bought several cows from a neighbors herd and I liked her cos she "looked pretty".  Our advisor wasnt impressed but she has turned out to be a very good cow, produces lots of milk and is quiet and well behaved, just the way I like them!  Also a bit of trivia - her number is 3034 Next is TECHNOLOGY - R for Ravelry.  Its a fantastic website for knitters/crocheters/spinners/weavers etc.  I joined a couple of years ago and it has really got me enthused with knitting again.  You can make friends on it, join groups, download free patterns and also download some you have to pay for, search yarns, patterns etc.  And its Free! Next one is technology - this photo is of a Regulator - and its located in Pericoota State forest....

For those of you who have been missing "farm photos" here are some photos of our herd that I took while on my evening walk - dont they look contented?

Today I had a rare few hours by myself - Gary had gone to play bowls and I had nothing I had to do while he was gone, so decided to dig through my ufos.  Guess what I found? One of the two dear janes I have been working on VERY spasmodically. This one I've been working on since 2006.  Don't think I've touched it for two years but today I got to see the light of day. It's not the complete quilt but about 2/3rds of it and I'm doing storm at sea sashings. After spending a good half an hour working out exactly where I was up to I managed to get six of the cornerstone blocks done, as well as printing out a heap of foundation papers and sorting out what went where.  Mind you I had to actually force, and I mean force, myself to start doing this, but once I got going I got into the swing of things and really enjoyed myself.  I'm going to try and keep going and actually get this one finished sometime in the nearish future.

I've finished the first sock that I have been working on for a week or so now.  Its a test knit winter wheat  (ravelry link) and I'm quite pleased with it.  It fits well and the pattern is quite interesting - uses a different heel that I havent done before, you dont need to pickup any stitches which is quite nice.  Test knits are great as they keep you focused and keeping moving.  On the down side, the test only requires you to knit ONE sock so I've quickly cast on the second one in the hope that I will avoid the dreaded "second sock syndrome" (i.e. one sock is knitted and waits forlornly for its partner to be knitted)

With the weather being so hot - as can be seen by this photo that was taken two days ago in Cohuna (15 minutes drive away) at 7.30pm and of course with the cricket being on the television - thanks to my Grandpa who taught me from a very young age to really appreciate the "proper cricket" - i.e. test cricket and of course the "holy grail" of cricket - the ashes closely followed by the boxing day test, neither of which was on but still a great test game between Australia and Sri Lanka I have been working on not one but four projects at once, working on each as the mood takes me. Photo of all four is here - crocheted blanket in bendigo cotton, embroidery block from "love is" block of the month, a sock I am test knitting and chair covers for the two lounge chairs. I'm doing a bit on each in no particular order - just as the mood strikes me. But trying to do a "little bit" of each daily. Today I managed to finish the chair s...

First week of scatterydays and blogger wont let me directly up load photos so Ive had to resort to using old photos and copying and pasting the url's Expensive - water - without water we cannot function as a farm and its a much needed (but costly) commodity Music - walking along behind the cows listening to all the different noises that they make Exciting - walking - my granddaughter Maddison is learning to walk and using whatever she can to help achieve it! WIP (work in progress) - I'm working on the "love is" block of the month which Im really enjoying and actually managing to (almost) keep up with the blocks as they arrive each month to do be done.

Came down to Bendigo yesterday for specialist appointment so of course I had to visit the two most beautiful granddaughters in the world Mia was busy doing "schoolwork" in her journal/diary ready for starting school this year as she doesnt want to get behind! I took down a bag of apricots which Maddison immediately hopped into - she just loves fruit, which is a wonderful thing indeed. And another plus was I got to meet up with some real live ravelry  people last night. Its a group of Bendigo ladies who meeting weekly and or bi-weekly.  Just lovely. The only downside was the temperature 40C+ and its going to be the same for the next few days.  The drive home was comfortable of course in the airconditioned car, but was really glary so I struggled a bit - lovely to be home, even though it was 44 degrees and the vat had broken down due to the heat etc etc

Hello 2013~!!! So what do I want to achieve this year? Hard to pin it down into a few words but I did find this image on the net and it sort of sums up my intentions. This coming year will bring a lot of changes to our home and family - Megan will be leaving home to (hopefully) go to uni, we will be getting a new kitchen and more renovating (the more depending on the $$$).  I have been selected to be a part of the Dairy Australia Developing Dairy Leaders Program  so will be travelling to Melbourne and Canberra for that.  I've also been asked to be part of a study into hearing loss run by the National Centre for Farmer Health and that will involve travelling to Horsham.  So more time in the car - more audiobooks! Even though it sounds like I will be busy, Im actually hoping to slow down a bit - I will no longer be involved in school council, where I have been president for the last 4 years as Megan is no longer at school.  So no night time meetings and other...