My creative space: can't...get...ahead

Woken by the garbage truck and realized we hadn't put our bins out. Again.
A mad dash down the stairs, a quick check to see if they'd gone past our house yet. No. Hurrah!
Quick, back to the courtyard, move those bins, quick, quick. Half asleep.
Bins tangled in hose. Try to move it and it snaps off the tap. Water gushing everywhere.
Quick!
Down the lane, bumpy, noisy ride over the cobblestones. Waking the neighbours. I tense my jaw as if that will make it quieter (why do I always do that?).
On the kerb. Success!
Should be happy but instead I'm just crabby I missed that extra hour in bed!
Stayed up too late watching 27 Dresses on TV. And making this little save the date postcard for our wedding (we visited the venue on the weekend and I took this pic)...
...and hence I wasn't doing all the jobs I should be doing. Like trying to work out where all my socks have disappeared to! They must be somewhere.

Rode to work in odd socks (which if I am completely honest I have probably been doing for the past 6 months). But this was the first day I'd ridden in odd gloves as well. I think that might be a bad sign.

Hanging out for a weekend at home to get on top of it all. Hopefully by the time I get to Brown Owls on Sunday I'll be a domestic goddess. But somehow I doubt it.

To see some true crafters, head on over to Kirsty's.

craft is all around

At christmas at my Nan's this year, I tried to appreciate all the handmade things that have just always been there. The amazingly intricate cross stitch tablecloth that comes out on special occasions and which my Nan & Pa received for their engagement. The crochet rugs that were made by my great grandmother - that yellow, black and red one has been on that green sofa in the 'good room' (more commonly known as the 'big loungeroom') for as long as I can remember. There are photos of my brother as a baby on that sofa, with that rug draped over it.
My Nan lives in country Victoria, in the house her mother lived in before her. My uncle & aunty run the farm which my grandparents ran before them. This is just normal to me - but when you stop and think about it, it is significant.

Nan's house is big, and old. There are four bedrooms, three living rooms and two bathrooms. There are five doors to outside, but no-one uses the front door. Nan has two fridges and a chest freezer (the 'deep freeze') - they must cost her a fortune in electricity, but where would all the food go at christmas? Until about 5 years ago she still used a wringer washing machine. The garden isn't as green as it used to be, what with the drought and the water restrictions, but Nan carts buckets around to water her pot plants.

At christmas we had about 20 this year. When everyone is home there are 28 of us, but that's a rare event. There's always someone overseas, or having christmas with their partner's family.

One day things will be different, but for now, I can't imagine it any other way.

Maillot Jaune

The end of another Tour de France. Life goes back to normal for another 49 weeks...

A week of special stuff: Wednesday

oops, I missed Tuesday! Was too busy hanging out at Brown Owls and meeting lovely people like Mel and trying to make some progress on Bec's scarf. I'd love to show you a photo but I don't have one and now it's night-time and the light is no good (this happens to me all the time - it's getting rather frustrating!)

It's been a bit of a challenge working out what the special stuff is - to be honest there's not many things I'm particularly attached to...

There's the techy things that were expensive and are quite nice to have, like the ipod, my cute Yamaha stereo and the new (gulp) LCD tv, which has been getting a work out every night with the Tour de France (and the 6pm highlights, and the 9:30pm replay of the highlights). But I wouldn't say these are 'special'.

Then there's the market and thrifted things that were a bargain and that I'm quite proud of finding, like the paintings that are piling up in the garage for the day I get a house of my own and can put up as many hooks as I want. But I probably wouldn't miss these if they disappeared.

And then there are the things I've created, or restored, or are a work in progress that I've put my sweat into - and I guess when it comes down to it, these are the 'things' that matter the most out of everything.

Even though it's in the garage (no space inside), I'm quite attached to my pine dining table, and even though it's too big and therefore not that practical, I would find it difficult to let go of. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I bought it when I was at uni and living in a share house, and when I left the house I sold it to my housemate. Then a year or so later she was moving and she was getting rid of it, so I bought it back and it's been with me ever since. It kind of feels like it belongs with me. I always wanted a table with the legs painted in a cream enamel paint and a raw top, so about a year ago I did just that:

My babies

They grow up so fast!

Score!

Look what I picked up at the op shop the other day...

$18 for the three. Cool, huh?

Succulents!

Aren't these gorgeous! I never thought of myself as a succulent-kind-of-girl, until now. Now I just want to make a whole garden of these little critters - they are so cute. And hardy. Which helps, considering I even managed to kill one of my hebes on those hot hot days recently.