30 questions and answers about me

I found this questionnaire somewhere online although I cant remember where now but I thought it might be fun to answer them. The photo above is me and the man with a new born Baby #3! She is having her own first baby early next year and I hope she has a calmer baby than she was! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and maybe even wading through this long epistle about nothing much at all.....Blogger seems to be giving me grief this morning and I cant figure out the new fonts and sizes gggrrrrr!!!!! 

30 questions and answers

1. Who are you named after? 

My fathers sister, my Aunt Eva. 

2. Last time you cried?

I've been a bit teary for a couple of weeks but I feel the urge for a good cry coming up any day now. Does wonders for the equilibrium, I feel.  

3. Do you like your handwriting?

Yes I do. And when I need a change I just re-learn a different style and use it for a while. I used to do a bit of calligraphy a long time ago so thats helped shape my handwriting.

4. What is your favourite meat?

I was vegetarian for 22 years, then 5 years eating occasional meat - but I'd have to say my fave is salami. I know, I know but I'm European...what more can I say? Now I'm vegan and quite happy not to eat meat at all. 

5. Longest relationship?

37 years. Gosh that sounds like I'm really old....but I was only 19 when we met!

6. Do you still have your tonsils?

No. Had them out when I was 7 and received a gorgeously soft baby doll when I got home. I still have her.

7. Would you bungee jump?

NO WAY. NEVER.

8. What is your favourite cereal?

I don't eat cereal. Maybe the closest would be chia pudding? Or porridge? 

9. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

I only own one pair of shoes with laces and I leave them laced up all the time, just loose enough to get them on and off, so no I don't untie. 

10. Do you think you’re strong?

Yes. Both physically and mentally.

11. Favourite ice cream?

Ssssh I rarely eat ice cream but if I do it used to be a Golden Gaytime. Now I eat a yummy vegan one but not often!

12. What is the first thing you notice about a person?

The radiance of their smile and the light in their eyes. Theres just something about a shining smile that makes my heart sing everytime.

13. Football or rugby?

No idea.

14. What colour trousers are you wearing?

Black tights - they are my standard winter attire along with a mid length skirt and several jumpers!

15. Last thing you ate?

Quinoa tabouli salad and lightly fried tofu...and for a sweet after dinner treat, a raw ginger biscuit ;)

16. What are you listening to?

Dj Drez on Spotify

17. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be ?

I'd be more of a loose and splashy paint and I'd be purple.

18. What is your favourite smell?

A warm summer evening breeze with scents of blossoms and sunshine and moist earth. I have a really keen sense of smell (which can be bad when the dog farts!) and so smells are very evocative for me very easily. 

19. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

My son in law who needed help with a home they are buying. But I must mention here that if you asked me that on any day at all, it would probably be one of my children or their partners!! They ring me a lot for various things including just a chat ;) 

20. Hair colour?

Brown with a few old streaks of blonde and ginger and some random grey.

21. Eye colour?

Hazel although they are getting bluer as I'm getting older - is that a thing?? 

22. Favourite foods to eat?

Well, I have to be honest and say 'anything sweet' but since I'm trying not to eat sugary things in recent times, my next favourite food would be salads of all varieties. Cant beat the smell of a freshly chopped salad!

23. Scary movies or happy endings?

Only romantic comedy with happy endings. 

24. Last movie you watched?

Game Changers on Netflix. Might be classed as a documentary?

25. What colour shirt are you wearing?

Today it's a red one but really any nice bright colour will do - but only plain ones never stripes!

26. What is your favourite holiday?

The sort of holiday where we just drive and meander along in a small town and then drive some more and repeat. I've never been on a holiday to a tropical resort type place so I cant say, but I dont think I'd like to just be sitting around on a deck chair for days on end. I need to explore things! 

27. Beer or wine?

Neither. Beer is horrid and unless the wine is very sweet it's not worth drinking in exchange for the headache the next day. And yes even with just one glass! 

28. Night owl or morning person?

Gosh, I'm not sure! I do like the odd lie in but generally I prefer to be out of bed and dressed fairly early in the day. I'm good to go pretty much straight away! At night I feel the least likely to be disturbed (maybe a left over trait from raising all those kids ;) so I never want to go to bed. Although I'm always in bed by 10 at the latest.

29.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I would love to live in an old castle/manor/cottage/barn somewhere in a tiny village in the UK. Size isn't important but the older the better and the more unusual the building the better too! It's a dream I've had for a long time and was working on making it a reality within the next five years.....until COVID hit. An old cottage in Italy would be another choice....but again I think maybe I will need to find one here in Australia. Mind you, we really don't have any truly old buildings!!! 

30. Favourite day of the week?

I think I'd have to say Sunday. Its the day when I really feel like it's ok to totally relax and just do whatsoever I please. Its the day Stuy has off and in fact most people have off so it has the feel of a relaxing type of day. A bit like Christmas really - the whole world (well, ok not the whole world but a large percentage) is in Xmas mode so somehow the collective conscious has a 'Christmassy feel' to it. Celebrating Xmas in July just isn't the same even if I put up a tree and make a xmas dinner!! 

august scavenger hunt

 I had such high hopes of finding and photographing all the different prompts this month however once again Im searching through my files instead. Thats ok though because I'm having such a lot of fun finding long ago events and reminiscing about the past! So here goes with this months pics - I've slightly rearranged the order just so that I can put the prettiest photo right at the beginning!!

1. Starts with D: Daffodils!!! This beautiful display is seen as you drive into our little town - along both sides of the road in fact! The photo here was taken 2 years ago when the granddaughters were a little younger and shorter but the daffy display is just about in full bloom again and it must be time take another one! I've been hibernating at home a lot more in recent months (I suppose we all have really) but here in Tasmania we are able to be almost back to 'normal' so it's time for me to head out and about. To 'wander... lonely as a cloud...and see a crowd, a host of golden daffodils'. Or several crowds of them I hope!! 

2. Moving: This was the state of our lounge room last year when we were packing up to move into the bus and head off on our adventures. Looking at it now makes me a little home sick. We have a friend renting it from us at the moment but since we are not heading back into bus adventures for a while, I wonder if we might move back in? I'm still in love with the gold crushed velvet curtains and the mural I painted on the wall behind the wood heater. I'm still delighted with the rainbow coloured art trolley and the multi coloured hearth tiles. And I miss the many impromptu meals that were shared with beloved friends and family around our large dining table. 

3. Boxes: I've had to add two photos to get the full box plus guinea pig experience. My third daughter was gifted with two lovely guinea pigs when she was 5 years old and although she's now 22, she still has a love for these delightful rodents. The first two lived to a ripe old age due to being so pampered and loved up and when they left their earthly abode for greener pastures, my girl replaced them with a couple more. And so on and so on - although sometimes there were more than two! Miss E is a frugal one and likes to reuse stuff, hence the practical hay box. Or impractical as Bucket the very hungry guinea pig must have thought! Bucket was always one to climb up and into all manner of things and was always hungrier than the others, so of course she had to climb right into the box!! 

4. Breakfast: Once again I can't help but share a family tradition. This time an Easter one which sadly didn't happen this year in quite the same manner as usual. Or should I say not as many family members were able to be here. This is Easter breakfast, a meal we share every year after having spent an hour or so searching for baskets of eggs under bushes or beside woodpiles or any number of other spots a rabbit might hide eggs! I really love to feed them all up!! 

5. Making: Another view of the header that I have on this blog. We picked, dried and saved jarfuls of camomile flowers before we moved - most of which I still have because camomile tea is not my favourite. But I do enjoy making the most of the free harvest, as well as making tea for anyone with headache or sleeplessness. 

6. My own choice: Another arty one just because I saw it as I searched for the others and I like it!! There really hasn't been enough art in my life lately and I must remedy that as soon as I can!! 

So there we have it again! I'm late this month so hopefully I can still link up to I live, I love, I craft, I am me - now I'm going to spend an hour having a rest on the couch and a peek at every one else's scavenger hunt!!! 

today is friday

So I've been pondering on my peanut dilemmas these past few days and while I don't have a particular solution, I do have a few new thoughts to share. 

Firstly, thank you for all your useful comments on my last post. It's always helpful to have use of a 'brains trust' and I'm also a firm believer in the axiom of 'Ask...and you shall be given lots of information that may help with your dilemma'!! 

My thinking is that yes, I do the best I can - although I know I can do better. Not necessarily just with plastic bags but also with plastic containers. An example would be when I buy olives or sundried tomatoes from the deli, I could take my own glass container instead of regularly bringing home the little plastic ones. And if I need a top up of flour or dried fruit, I can head to the wholefoods store and buy a kilo in a paper bag rather than from Woolies in the regular plastic bag. The wholefood shop doesn't have easy parking but you know what? I have enough time in my day to have a long phone call with a friend or a leisurely cuppa in a cafe, so I certainly have time to walk a little further!

I really wouldn't buy peanuts more than once a year, so there is only one large plastic bag which does get re-used. I do buy almonds, cashews, oats, sultanas and quite a few other things, every 3 months, however since I share the kilo quantity with friends, I don't always get/keep the bag! And yes, the ones I do keep get re-used in all sorts of ways before they head off to the soft plastics bin! So overall the amount of plastic is still smaller than if I bought small bags of nuts or whatever from the supermarket.

I re-use and recycle and repurpose. I rarely buy new clothes. I shop at farm shops and markets as often as I can. I use fabric produce bags and take my own shopping bags to carry things home with. I do many other small things that I cant even think of right now. I do them all so that my grandchildren's children can still breathe fresh air and explore unpolluted seas. 

I know that the small alterations you and I do can produce big results for the future.  

I just wish that everybody would stop buying plastic Stuff!!!! 

*I was looking for a photo for this post - a flower or something pretty - and I found a pic of one of my art journal pages. Appropriate I think ;o) 

may's photo hunt

And just like that...its June!! I cant believe how fast this year has gone - although I've been saying that for a number of years now! Are they going by faster? Has time sped up? Is it just that I'm busier? Or that I'm older? I can remember the years dragging on when I was in high school. Although maybe the summer holidays went faster, I think. Hmm. Certainly I shall have to savour each and every moment from now on!!

So now that we've established that it's June, I shall share with you some photos from the month of May. This time I actually went looking for some suitable subjects since the prompts are all shapes!

1. Triangle - There are a lot of old and older fences here on the property and while I drive past this one quite regularly, I'd never really 'seen' it. Only when I was actively looking for a triangle did I notice how triangular it was! 

2. Circle - This one made me reminisce on my childrens younger days - when we homeschooled with a decided Steiner/Waldorf slant using lots of colour and creativity. These bright and cheery mandalas were churned out regularly just for fun! I found these two in a box of random paper bits and will stick them into my art journal for posterity. 

3. Splat - Another arty one! From the time my oldest granddaughter was around 3 years old, I have painted with her. She has numerous art journals that were filled on the days she came to stay and she continues to make art of all kinds now that she's older. We still make art when both girls come to visit but whereas we used to use lots of acrylic paints, we now use watercolours. It's interesting how different children are just within the one family - the second granddaughter is not half as careful and particular with paints and we've had a few mishaps with acrylics, hence the watercolours!!! 

4. Square - I crocheted up these two dishcloths using a ball of thrifted cotton yarn. It's a really bright and garish colour but I figured it wouldn't matter after a few washings up! Neither of them are actually quite square but I thought it was close enough to it!

5. Star - The bloke that owned this property before our son bought it was a demolisher and he left behind a treasure trove of goodies! All manner of timbers and loads of old iron gadgets, machinery and paraphernalia. There's a pile of the smaller bits in the shed and the light was shining directly at this star shape when I was browsing around recently. I think it's the foot pedal from an old buggy or carriage although that's just a wild guess. I just love the patina of age on old metal objects, don't you?

6. My own choice - I'm in love with this photo and might even use it for my blog header one day! It's the only tree on the very top of the hill on this property and even though it's dead, there's a simple beauty about it. Lots of birds use it as a vantage point and it will be a sad day when it eventually succumbs to the elements and falls. The Best Man and I had a little picnic lunch up on the hill a few weeks ago and I snapped a quick pic. Perfect!

And here is a link to this months photo hunt although I cant seem to leave my link over there...oh well, do have a peek and see what other bloggers found for these prompts.

last night

Last night I could not get to sleep. 

I. Could. Not. Sleep. Again. 

I counted way too many sheep 

And slowly back from ten.

My brain was overfilled with thoughts,

My heart was full of dread.

The what if’s and the maybe’s

Went round and round my head.

So I tossed and turned till three,

And thought. And thought some more.

I tossed about most carefully - 

So he could calmly snore.

And when I finally fell asleep

That blessed peaceful state,

Into my mind there crept a dream. 

I’m sure you can relate. 

This dream was big and bold and bad

With pictures so insane,

That when I woke, I felt as though 

I’d been run over by a train!

True this. But the funny thing is that I woke up with almost the entire poem rattling around in my head. How weird is that? Of course I quickly scribbled it down and gave it a bit of polish and an ending ;) And yes, thats the view from our bed, taken this bleary morning! 

april's photo hunt

I take a lot of photo's both on my phone and on my camera. Consequently most of them never get used on the blog... after all I can't really write quite that many posts! But sometimes I really really want to share them because they are pretty or funny or interesting. So when I discovered that theres a party happening each month over on this new to me blog, I thought it would be perfect timing to join in and use some of these extra images. And yes it was a hunt through Aprils photos to find some I hadn't used before and suited the prompts!

So here goes using the prompts that were given for this month -

1. Happiness is...... a healthy green smoothie for breakfast! With cucumber, almonds, spinach and coconut oil, this are not the sweetest smoothie on the block but it sure is packed with loads of alkalising goodness! 

2. Makes me smile....... walking into the bathroom and finding daughter Bee on the floor sorting out her extensive earring collection! She's off work for a while so with all the time on her hands she was inspired to pair them all up!

3. Relaxing with...... a game of Carcassone. Once again, living with the young folk - who are both temporarily out of work - means theres plenty of time to clean and play games! 

We all highly recommend this one.

4. Busy with.....bottling and pickling. I used to do a lot of this before I studied and last year moved into a bus and I'm really enjoying it all over again. Bee is keen to fill her pantry or 'store stump' as she calls it and I had fun showing her the ropes of bottling apples and pears. 

5. Positive about...... my sourdough skills! I haven't made bread in years and have had to re-learn the basics. The loaves have been progressively getting better and I'm feeling very positive that I've re-mastered the art of a good loaf!! 

6. My own choice..... how could I not share this gorgeous passion flower? They are such a fascinating design - not really showy in colour but making up for it in style! It was scrambling over someones front fence when I went for a walk. 

And thats it. Just a few random photo's from the April files.

Thanks so much for stopping by - its been lovely to see some new 'faces' here! 

Decay

I am feeling a trifle decayed right now.

Not sure why...... just a general feeling of lethargy and stagnation. 

These old disused bits of human progress spoke to me on a breath of wind and a sunbeam. 

In my present state of mind I felt drawn to their decay and inertia.

Wondering who loved and used them so long ago?

What joys or tragedies or everyday events were enacted around them? 

Eventually becoming unloved and unused..... to end up sitting in a paddock silently rusting away.

Returned to the earth from which they sprang by borers, wind and rain. 

I think waiting is taking it's toll....... 

On my mind....baby belly

Joining in with Rhonda's On My Mind again today. 

My slightly rounder Golden Girl came to visit last weekend. We had a lovely time catching up after our trip away - some time in the garden, lots of belly rubbing, a photo session to remember the (small) belly and a look at her crafty Christmas endeavours (which I will post about next week, stay tuned!) 

I've been thinking about her all week - thinking, hoping, praying, wishing - that all goes well. She rang me last night to say that the baby had turned and is now head down. I'm very pleased to hear that!

Oh, yes, I'll be away with the Best Man until Monday - he's organised a little Weekend Away Birthday Surprise for me - so I'll catch up with you all then!!  

On my mind....weeds!

While we were on our 5 week jaunt to mainland Australia this last month, a combination of warm weather and rain back at home caused a massive explosion of growth in the garden. I'd planted potatoes and peas, radishes and rhubarb, and various other goodies which I can't remember right now.

Naturally, everything has burst from the ground in a blur of prolific growth and the new garden is a plot of verdant green. Of course, one must take the good with the not so good - all those busy little plants that we like to call weeds, have germinated with abandon too, and oh my, they are certainly contributing to the lush green look of fence to fence outdoor carpet! 

As you see, we have already weeded two beds and one pathway between - which is piled with pulled weeds - and have quite a bit to go. I've been spending as much time as I can out there amongst the lush, sappy weeds and I'm making up excuses to be out there!! 

Inner voice 1 - "Ok, what do I need to do now....aaahh yes, it's 4.49pm, time to start preparing dinner"

Inner voice 2 - "Oh, but you want to plant more seedlings in the garden and the garden needs weeding really badly." 

Inner voice 1 - "Well..... I really need to feed the kids....... maybe they could wait........" 

Inner voice 2 - "It's so peaceful out there at this time of day - and the weeds smell so fresh and good as they are pulled......" 

Inner voice 1 (with very little guilt) - All right, just for a little while...... "  

This inner conversation has been going on every day since we got home last Sunday, Voice 2 inevitably wins and I always get carried away and stay out too long! Those 'weeds' are really truly a high priority on my mind - but I'm finding them so relaxing!! 

Thanks to Rhonda at Down to Earth for the chance to share my thoughts on a Friday again! 

On my mind...

 About 6 weeks ago these beautiful swans built a nest on the dam next door and while one of them diligently sat and warmed the eggs, the other wandered over the paddock in search of greens. The eggs must have been getting close to hatching and then last week - Disaster! 

We had a sudden very heavy deluge of rain and hail and the dam water was raised very, very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that the swans' beautifully constructed reed nest was inundated and the eggs washed away or submerged. The poor birds were frantically swimming round and round looking for their prospective offspring to no avail and the next day they flew off, perhaps looking for a better water hole. 

I was deeply disappointed for them about their loss and for myself, as I had been looking forward to seeing the swanlings cygnets at close range every day as they grew up.

They have been on my mind each day as I potter about in the new garden, from which I have a great vantage point of the dam. Happily, for me they have come back and are once again building another nest! With a slightly different position and hopefully without any flooding issues, we might just see the glorious sight of several fluffy grey bundles and two elegant parents. If they are successful, by the time we come home from the mainland they will be close to hatching and while I won't be thinking of them much while I'm away, they'll be a lovely sight to come home to! 

And yes, my packing is on my mind too but it's not have as interesting to tell you about - lots of instructions given and cleaning being done - not interesting at all!!  

I'm joining in with Down to Earths On My Mind and if you pop over to Rhonda's  you can see what others are thinking of today.         

On my mind....

What do you get when you combine the very last of the daffodils, some juicy organic lemons and a rainy afternoon? Why, a bright and sunshiny tea party, of course!  

Small girls (and boys!) love cooking up treats and laying out the pretty tea set and this mama doesn't mind in the least, not when there is such a scrumptious feast laid out too. I wished we had some long gowns of sprigged muslin to finish the scene but sadly we ate and drank in trackies and T-shirts. I'm thinking though, that surely, amongst all that fabric I buy from op shops, there must be a length to sew a pretty gown and maybe a bonnet.....   

Lemon curd tarts - they were delicious and today they're still on my mind! Perhaps a nice vanilla sponge with lemon curd and cream filling next time........

I'm joining in with Rhonda again today - have a peek over there to see what's on her mind! 

On my mind....

......is Ostara, also known as Spring Equinox - equal light and dark.

 A celebration of new life and fertility and the promise, I hope, of plentiful harvests to come. 

A time to spring clean, dream of warmer, longer days and sow tiny seeds of promise.

Here in Tasmania this morning it's a freezing 6'C and a howling, prowling wind - not conducive to any seed sowing - but I live in hope!!!

Joining in with Rhonda at Down to Earth today. 

Thinking of...

On my mind.... are these four delicious balls of wool! Three of them were left over from the beanies I crocheted a few weeks back and are a fairly thick ply. The lighter coloured one is a whole skein - 100gm's I think, of soft alpaca wool. I rather like the look of them in the early morning sun but not enough to have them grace my sewing table for much longer! 

I've been giving some thought to what to do with them because they have been sitting here beside my machine, getting moved around every now and again as I need the space. There's not really enough for anything that I can think of and as I'm not a knitter i.e. I can't follow a pattern, there's very little chance of whipping up anything small like this or this!! Crocheting, maybe ........ but what?
Does anyone have any brilliant ideas?

I'm joining in with Rhonda at Down to Earth today, who says she needs to tidy her workspace again - Rhonda, that makes two of us!!