Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Mopping Up...

 
hello...
and thank you for your kind & supportive comments
on our fire event last sunday.
 

 
the shaking has ceased
my equilibrium has returned.
after some thought
my husband seems to think that
due to the temperature readings the firies took...
that the self cleaning mode
has somehow clicked in by itself.
 
apparently this self cleaning mode
brings the plates on the insides of the oven
up to 800 degrees celsius
where they burn off any food or oil in the oven
and then when the oven is cool
you just sweep up the ashes.
 
i think
that because there had been a more substantial spill
on the floor of the oven,
that it caused flames to ignite with that extreme temperature.
 
well there is nothing but a little ash now
on the bottom of the oven.
we still need to have an electrician out to have a look
and maybe an insurance assessor.
 
 
 
 
....but the dogs have had a few delicious dinners
off the leg of lamb now...
and today kara finished off the last bone...
she's lying down
with a very rounded tummy
here now...hehe!
 
 now back to knitting,
preparing bible studies,
organising myself for mainly music
&
other normal weekly events...
 
 
i hope your week is rolling along smoothly!
 
naturally Carol xox
 
 



Sunday, April 28, 2013

I'm Still Shakin'!

 
hi!
 
this afternoon we had a fire in our oven...
 
 
it was 3 pm
&
i thought of the leg of lamb in the fridge
&
decided it was time to start cooking it...
a long slow roast
for dinner tonight.
 
i prepared it
put it in the roasting dish
and in the oven at 160 degrees celsius...
mr t says lamb should be cooked long and slow for max. tenderness.
 
i decided to wash a few glasses and bowls
to clear the benches.
 
about 10 mins after the roast was in the oven,
we noticed smoke building up.
i opened the oven door to see where the smoke was coming from
and thought that it was just a bit of spilled stuff on the oven floor
that would burn off.
 
next minute
flames were spotted inside the oven...
bright swirling and orange!
 
mr t tried to put it out with a teatowel
&
ms s yelled 'put salt on it'.
apparently that normally works
but i only had sea salt in crystals
which when i threw in,
exploded and cracked like mini firecrackers...oh dear!
 
i rummaged in the vacuum cleaner cupboard,
finding the old fireblanket
that we'd always had...just in case.
 
mr t quelled the flames...
meanwhile smoke had filled the kitchen
and the fire alarm had finally gone off
and the oven although switched off was still beeping...
 
i called 000.
i told them the fire was out...
but i wanted them to check that the surrounding cupboards
and wooden weatherboarding outside
was safe and cold.
i didn't want it gently smouldering,
to burst into flames in the middle of the night...
i've seen all those fire documentaries and movies!
 
three big handsome firies came out in their fire engine.
they switched off the oven fuse outside.
with their temperature sensor
they detected 800 degree heat still
so took the oven out so they could check the surrounding wood.
 
all was fine...
thankfully!
 
but
i'm still a bit shaky....
i've had enough adrenaline course through my veins for the whole year...
 
i hope your afternoon was pleasant and even a little boring...
in comparison!
 
naturally Carol xox


p.s..the lamb roast went into the fridge again...i think it will end up as dog food though..if it's good enough!
 


Saturday, April 27, 2013

Newborn Baby Beanie...

 
good morning!
 
 
 
i've fallen in love
with this baby beanie knitting pattern...
i do that, don't i?
{then just have to make about a dozen of them!}
 
 
 
i found this one at 'ravelry' too...another freebie.
 
 
 
it's knitted from brim to crown
instead of side to side,
so the texture and pattern is beautifully unusual...
&
makes a most delightful
little hat
for a baby.
 
happy weekending!
 
 
naturally Carol xox


 
 
 


Thursday, April 25, 2013

As the Sun Sets...

 
on a.n.z.a.c. day this year
there is peace.
 
thank you
all those who helped to make it this way
&
keep it this way
in our country!
 
 
 
while many went to dawn services,
our household was quiet.
eventually mr m got up
&
made a fresh batch of anzac biscuits
'cos we'd already devoured the ones
we'd bought from woollies.
 
 
 
i knitted...
a little cream baby beanie this time...
smaller than i've attempted before.
i'll show you in my next post.
 
warm damper, butter and honey,
was lunch.
 
the anzac parade
broadcast on tv
was the backdrop for our activities.
 
 
 
the afternoon sun
sent a shaft of light into the loungeroom
and caught the bare branches of the christmas tree.
it was sitting there waiting for me to dress it
in pompoms for winter.
 
i dusted the branches
&
hung the pompoms.
 
 
 
when someone connects it to the power
it will twinkle
on cold winter nights
resplendant in it's woolly finery...
looking cosy.
 
the sun has set.
mr t has cooked a pork roast
and it's nearly on the table.
time to go
and join the family for dinner...
 
 
see you soon!
 
 
what did you do today?
 
 
naturally Carol xox
 
 


Monday, April 22, 2013

Tweedy Blue...

 
hi
on this clear blue monday afternoon!
 
i'm still practising
my baby boy beanies
&
this pattern is 'baby drops'
a free ravelry pattern
knitted in 8 ply
...a kind of tweedy blue denim colour...
very boyish i'm thinking
though not exclusively.
 
 
 

yesterday
i took my other baby beanie to church...{last post}
but the baby i'd made it for wasn't there.
 
i was showing a friend
while having a cappucino after church
&
she asked whether i could make her one
as she was going to a baby shower
for a little baby boy this friday.
 
 
 
i didn't know whether i could,
so i offered her the beanie i had...as she loved it.
she wanted to pay me
so i said 'five dollars'...to cover the cost of the wool.
she gave me seven
which covers the cost of two more...hehe...a bonus!
 
i came home and was eager to try out another pattern
with this wool that i bought last week.
 
 
 
now i will take this one to church
for the other little baby boy.
he is five months old
and this is size 6-9 months.
 
next i'm going to try one with ear flaps...
and i still haven't mastered those 4 little needles...  :-(
 
i tried but had to frog it.
 
i hope you're more successful in your new endeavours!
 
 
naturally Carol xox
 
 

 
 
 


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Baby Beanie...

 
hello!
 
i'm practising...
practising making baby beanies.
 
i haven't made anything for a baby to wear in a long long time.
 
so i found myself a pattern...
and a baby...
and this is the beanie i've made.
 
 
 
now i haven't fitted it on the baby yet...
no, it's not 'baby bean'...
it's another baby that i found at church.
i asked it's mum whether i could knit him a beanie
and she said 'yes'!
 
 
 
so tomorrow
i'll take the beanie to church
and try it on her baby.
 
 
 
it isn't the same as the pattern
'cos when i'd finished the first bit
i realised it was going to be too thick to be doubled over again...
now it looks a bit like a tiny blue chef's hat..hehe!
 
 
 
well...
tomorrow we'll see.
i may have to frog it if it looks too funny.
 
but...
i have been on ravelry
and have uploaded several more baby beanie patterns...
 
 
so...
 
i could always try again.
 
 
naturally Carol xox
 


Thursday, April 18, 2013

I'm Done!

 
good afternoon!
 
for the first time in a while
i've got the whole day free...
ms s helped get the house ship shape yesterday
&
i've no other commitments today...yay!
 
 
 
so i was able to spend most of the morning knitting...
click click clacking away
on my fuschia needles...
 
&
i'm done.
 
finished.
 
completed.
 
 
 
no more 'splendour' beanies for me.
 
 
 
i think i've finished about fourteen or fifteen
and that's enough.
i've made three out of the scraps from the others...hehe!
 
 
 
i'm not done with beanies though...
so watch this space.
 
 
naturally Carol xox
 
 


Saturday, April 13, 2013

Green Beanie...

 
good afternoon!
 
it's another rainy day...
another one.
can you believe it?
it seems like it's been raining forever here...
since january!
 
well at least rain = inside
&
inside = cosy
&
cosy = knitting or reading or movies hehe!
 
 
a friend bought some green wool...
 

i knitted up the green beanie.
 

it's the slouchiest one i've made yet.
 
at first she bought me the wool
to make it up to give away...
when she looked at it
she fell in love.
now it's going back home with her!
{i have others to give ... so maria, don't fear!}
 
when i first started knitting it
i didn't really like the green
&
thought i may have to find a lady leprechaun to like it!
 
just shows
even friends
can have radically differing tastes...
in beanies, at least.
 

 
i bought this african violet yesterday.
it's a present to myself.
 
do you buy yourself presents too?
 
i hope you find something nice for yourself this weekend...
you deserve a treat!
 
naturally Carol xox
 
 
 

 


Thursday, April 11, 2013

Neon Naturally...

 
hi there!
 
after doing a little 'mainly music' prep
for the start of term next week,
i drove into my driveway
&
spotted this bright beauty
hanging over the front fence...
 
 
this, i know, is a crucifix orchid...
unlike the purpley ones in the last post
which i'm not sure about!
you can spot the little crosses visible as yellow centres.
 
i think they're true neon glory.
 

 
i thought i'd lost them...
then up came this lone flower.
 
all is not lost! hehe!
 
they're in amongst this lovely purple flowering bush...
 
 
i don't know it's name.
 
yesterday
i finished another specimen
of unnatural neon-ness...
 
 

 there's nothing like a touch of neon...
natural or unnatural
to brighten up your day...
 
 
 
i hope your day is neon bright today!
 
 
 
naturally Carol xox
 
 


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Tiny Orchid...

 
good afternoon!
 
i have been admiring these gorgeous little orchids
in one of the jacaranda trees
for a few days now.
 
today i took the camera out
just so i could share them with you too...
 
 
they were here living in the trees
when we bought our house here nine years ago.
with all the rain they've started to flower and grow...
i think they love the humidity.
 

i know the orange ones are crucifix orchids
but i'm not sure whether these are or not...
i'd love it if any of you queenslanders
could help me here in identifying them properly.
 
i am amazed that a flower so beautiful
grows so commonly here!
 

 
i've been taking advantage of having more time
over the past week or so {due to school holidays}
to knit up some more beanies.
 
i've now knitted seven in all...
 for fiona, rose, stephanie, alana, sharrie, jill
&
one for myself!
 
brigitte is next
and then a couple to send to maria
for brisbane's needy.
 
i think i understand a tiny bit
of how monet felt about haystacks...
or water lillies for that matter!
i remember seeing some of his haystack paintings
in the canberra national gallery,
capturing different colourings in the light
of various times in the day or seasons.
 
i look at these balls of 'splendour'
and imagine every brim a different colour
&
love it as i knit them
and the colours unravel in different ways
displaying their own particular pattern and blend of colour!
 
it was the same with aprons and cushions...
i think i'll always be fascinated and enthralled
by how different colours make different objects sing
and suit different people!
 
 
 
i hope you're enjoying
your 'obsessions' as much as i'm enjoying mine...hehe!
 
 
naturally Carol xox
 
 


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Spreading a little Beanie Love...

 
good morning!
 
yes..i am up early again.
mr m is on his early morning shift week.
he has one week on earlies and then one week of lates.
 
yesterday
his car broke down completely
and it looks like it will take a couple of weeks
for the spare part to come...
that means
i am his transport.
 
the trouble is
that once i'm awake
it takes a while to wind down again
to get back to sleep.
 
i'm on a roll with these beanies.
i've adjusted the pattern though.
the first one was a bit snug
so i've added on another seven stitches in width
&
another sixteen rows of pattern
for a bit of slouch.
 
 
 
the result is a more relaxed look.
 
 
 
one of these is for my friend steph
{who loves purple!}
&
the other for
someone close to me
whose birthday is sneaking up soon.
{and may be useful when walking on a windy beach
or gardening on a frosty morn?}
 
i know they look a bit like weird tea cosies
but {trust me?}
they do look better on.
maybe ms s will model hers for me
to take a photo of for you.
 
have a lovely day!
 
naturally Carol xox
 


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Holiday Knitting...

good morning...
 
it's one of those gorgeous sparkley mornings...
sun shining
dew on the grass
blue skies
flowers blooming
insects buzzing
gentle breeze blowing
curtains gently moving
warm
&
restful.
 
i've had a bit of time
to do some holiday knitting.
ms s wants a beanie too,
so ....
 



 
 
more 'splendour'.
 
 
later
i'm having brunch with friends.
eggs benedict
will be the order of the day
at a local town cafe.
they came highly recommended.
 
what are your holiday plans?
 
 
naturally Carol xox