Herb Garden

 We have a small herb garden outside the kitchen door.  At the moment, it needs some TLC. 

You can see how this thyme has grown wild, and the weeds are beginning to take over in the other parts of it.  I love the delicate white flowers of the garlic chive plant, eventhough we don't use the plant, it looks pretty.

   I intend to get some mulch later today at our local hardware store and work on tidying up the herb garden when the weather cools down a bit this evening.  It has been sitting on 34 deg C the past couple of days!

This is my Life

This is my life at the moment.  The whole house is topsy turvy.  

All the kitchen stuff is spread around two rooms and it is a bit like camping but we have our very own comfy bed and our own toilet/shower.  Since this photo was taken,  the new cupboards and bench top have gone in.  Not quite finished yet though with the cabinetry.  Will show all when it is looking all spiffy (and finished!)  This may not be until after Christmas now.  Oh Joy!!  

Oh well, it will be good when it is all over.  The next step is the painting inside, tiling, and after that new carpet.  

We usually do a reno and sell the place, but this time we are going to enjoy it and ain't going anywhere.

Can't get fresher than that

Thanks to Mr Neat's methodical watering, our vegie patch is thriving.



















We had the fresh beans with our grilled steak last night which led Mr Neat to saying, "can't get fresher than that"!
Straight from the garden has a unique old fashioned taste.  They taste how they used to in the good old days before long distance haulage and cold storage.


















Beetroot is ready for harvesting and I am going to pickle it (if I can remember the instructions from father's wife)















Capsicum (bell pepper)  Still growing but nearly ready.

 

Plenty of lettuce for our summer salads.  Will share this with the neighbours!  Mr Neat did the smart thing and planted the lettuce a few weeks apart so we didn't have a huge glut.

Basting Kaffe Fassett Quilt

We are at Robyn's house in this photo - basting my Kaffe Fassett quilt.  Robyn's husband who is an engineer has designed this fantastic frame for her to baste her quilts whilst standing up.  It is brilliant.  Robyn very kindly lets us baste our quilts on it too.  It is extremely helpful when your quilt is as big as this one. 

Two colours I love at this time of year.  The flame tree with it's brilliant flame orange (sorry about the foggy picture - taken through the very dirty windscreen of my car) and the jacaranda tree.

I particularly love the purple carpet it lays down.  This carpet is from the tree just outside the meeting rooms of our quilt group. 

We have a few jacarandas in our garden, but the flowering was a bit disappointing this year.  They are still beautiful to look at though.

Cough Cough Cough

Not much of anything doing around here as I cough.  Picked up an ugly coughing virus from somewhere and it has really knocked the stuffing out of me.  
Lethargic isn't the word for the tiredness I am feeling, and I am not even motivated to pick up a needle.

This little blossom cheered up my day today.  It doesn't flower very often, because yours truly doesn't look after it as she should.  One thing I did discover, after losing many African Violets, is that they don't like too much water.  Water only when dried out, and a tiny little bit of liquid fertilizer every now and then.


Tomorrow, health permitting, I am going to tack my Kaffe Fassett quilt and get it all ready to do some hand quilting.  I am on the look out for some No 8 perle cotton, I think in a variegated yellow and golds, for the quilting, and using a No 7 crewel needle as Sarah Fielke does on her quilts.  Should make the process go quicker, I hope.

Hibiscus

This faithful hibiscus bush continues to grow and produce it's lovely flowers despite it's harsh treatment.
Every year it gets frosted and every year I give it a hard pruning back and a sprinkle of dynamic lifter.  It survives on very little water.  It has to, as water is so scarce here.  
Hope we will continue to enjoy its wondrous display for many years to come.  

A Feathered Visitor

At 6.30am this morning we had a visitor to our garden.  It was the magnificent male "Australian King Parrot".  The scarlet on his head and chest was gleaming to almost orange in the early morning sunshine.  
We hope he calls back soon.  He was a little too far away for a camera shoot, maybe next time.. ...

There has been some work done in the sewing room, but the pace will have to pick up if I am to do all the Christmas gifts I want to get done.  Why do I always leave it til the last few weeks?  


I did make these coasters for my daughter to give her mother-in-law for Christmas.  

Fabric collage gift tags

 It's that time of year when I endeavour to make some quilty, crafty things for my friends.  I like to make them something and personalize it.  

I made these little gift cards from inspiration from the latest Quilting Arts Gifts and Quilting Arts magazine. I've made a total of 6 so far.

My version is a magpie with berries - yes, I know, you have to use your imagination.  It is my version of a magpie.  

The collage gift cards in the Quilting Arts Gifts are done by Jeanelle McCall and they really took my fancy.  The others in Quilting Arts mag are drawn using a permanent marker and then coloured and embroidered.  They are as equally cutesy and are done by Jane LaFazio.  Her designs are delightful and maybe I will do some of this type as well.  

It is trying to find the time to escape to the sewing room that is difficult.  This weekend has been quite productive but can't show all til after gift giving.