Porridge Days

April is here and the delicious weather with it - porridge days they should be called as they are not too hot and not too cold, but just right (just like Baby Bear's porridge in the Goldie Locks story). I've been snapping photos here and there and doing lots of knitting, but never quite finding the time to put the photos together with words here on this blog until this afternoon.

Here & Now | October 2018 Link-Up

Despite the widespread exclamations about the speed at which each year goes, it seems that time is determined to still march on at what seems to be an ever-increasing pace. Here we are in October, and what I very much view as the ending of the year. As we roll into these final months I find they all seem to run together, as people begin to talk more about their end-of-year plans.
It's Here & Now time again and it's a great way to pause and think about the present. Will you be joining in this month?

10 Good Things Right Now

It's been a week of trials here, in various forms and with the worst taking up the whole weekend. The result is the beginning of this new week is being met with tiredness and the hope that it'll be smoother. It's been a long time since I've written one of these blog posts, and I thought now might be a perfect time to list 10 good things right now.

A Magazine + A Video

I've always had an interest in writing, stemming from childhood when I wrote many short stories (and a lengthy one that I never did finish...). I've been writing for Earth Garden for several years now and published my successful sourdough eBook three years ago. Way back in Autumn the idea for a digital magazine for knitters and crocheters started to form, and after lots of thinking and list-writing the name Yarnologie was chosen, and the magazine started to take shape.
It's been many, many months in the planning, and so I was really excited and just a bit nervous to publically announce Yarnologie. The response has been absolutely wonderful, and the very first issue of Yarnologie will be published this weekend. I'm looking forward to it but am also pretty nervous about it.

I love sharing interesting stories about other people, and to be able to combine this with my love of photography and of course, yarn, is absolutely wonderful. Even though Yarnologie is a digital publication, it's formatted as it would be if it was printed. It's visually appealing with many beautiful photographs accompanying each article, along with the touch of my clever graphic designer to really make it sing. I may have a small dream to see it in print - perhaps an annual edition - but for now, I am enjoying getting it off the ground.

Here & Now | June 2018 Link Up

Loving // The woodfire keeping the house warm and the delicious smell of freshly baked sourdough 

Eating // Chicken pie rolls. (Chicken pie filling, made into the shape of sausage rolls. A case of using what was on hand, and surprisingly delicious!)

Drinking // Herbal teas...ginger & lemon is a favourite

Feeling // A bit excited as it's just over a week before we pack up and hit the road to head North for Knitfest. I'm also feeling slightly disorganised. There's lots of list making and I'll feel better once there are some ticks on it, too!

Making // Not a lot as the days have been full, but I have been doing some knitting on my Cherry Pie beanie. It's the sample for the July Magic Looping workshop, and I'll publish it as an online pattern, too.

Thinking // How the year is just flying, and this month particularly.

Dreaming // Of a little trip to the beach when we get back and life isn't so busy. Every day is so full at the moment, as it generally is when preparing for an event.


What's happening in your world right now? Would you like to take a moment to document it on your blog? Here & Now is a fun exercise to reflect and think about the little parts of life (the ultimately make up the bigger picture.) Join us!

The link-up is open from today until midnight on the 17th of this month.
Simply copy the Here & Now list from below, paste it into a new blog post and fill it in. Add as many (or as few) photos to your post as you like and then hit publish!
The last step is to come back here and add the link to your new blog post to the link-up tool below so that we can all see your post.
I'd love it if you could please link back here in your post, too, so that others can find the link-up.

Copy & Paste....

Loving //
Eating //
Drinking //
Feeling //
Making //
Thinking //
Dreaming //

I can't wait to see your posts! Thank-you so much for joining in. Remember to spread the link-up love by visiting the other participants.



Subscribe to receive posts via email and never miss out again

Winter Thoughts

Winter is here and with it the realisation that we are at the halfway point of this year. Where did it go? This year has been a blur of things, filled with so many new beginnings in both small and big ways. In some ways, it feels like it was a long time ago that I was unpacking boxes and trying to find my way around this new town and state, and in other ways, it seems like it wasn't long ago at all.

Autumn Changes

The weather has changed, and this time I think the cold isn't a "snap", but here to stay. The days are getting shorter and cooler, with the evening chill creeping in earlier and earlier, and taking longer to leave in the morning. And the light is getting more golden.
I've started warming up my mug in the morning before pouring the tea so that it holds the heat for longer. A mug cosy helps, too.
These pretty teacups came from a little shop in town, and they are just perfect. I love having a cup and saucer, but I find traditional teacups so small. These cups hold a nice sized cup of tea, and you still get the "teacup" experience. It's odd how a pretty cup can make your meal feel so much more special.

I've been training myself to get better at "switching off". Not just from my business, but from everything. Switching off the to-do list on all topics at the end of the day, not letting my mind start straight on it of a morning, and trying to keep it turned off for a weekend. Listening to my body and just having a rest if that's what I need, rather than doing lots of other things, be it housework, business work or sometimes even just crafting.
I'm reminded of that feeling you get as a child, where you know you're tired but you feel like you're missing out, so you keep going anyway. As adults, we really aren't any different, except now our mum isn't there to tell us to have a quieter day, or go to bed on time!

Lately | Sourdough, Zucchinis & Yarn

Lately, there has been my first workshop to get ready for. It's next weekend and yesterday I made up the kits for each student - a box complete with the printed pattern, organic wool and needles. With their name tied on top with baking twine, the kits were complete, and into the store cupboard they went, surrounded by yarn, waiting for next weekend. I felt that nervous excitement as I made the kits, realising that this was really happening and next weekend I will be teaching my first ever workshop. It's a really odd feeling!

Lately, there has been Zucchini Hunting. They are cunning little plants zucchinis, masters at hiding their fruit from you. I honestly don't know why zucchinis can be so hard to spot - and then you see one, and if you don't harvest it then, you're bound to forget exactly where it is, only to discover it a couple of days later, now the size of a monster. When I planted out the eight zucchini seedlings, I forgot just how big the plants can get, too. I now have what looks like a Hedge of Zucchinis. Luckily, the kale and silverbeet hiding underneath don't seem to mind.

Here & Now | November 2017 Link-Up

Lately | Spring

The first month of Spring has been very unusual here this year. Usually, September is a month I have trouble not hating because in years gone by it's been very hot, and is always a shock coming out of winter. One year it was so hot that the cattle troughs warped in the heat. (They were those round green ones made of durable plastic).
This month, however, has been a gentle transition from cold winter air into something milder. The mornings are still lovely and cold, and as the day gets going the coldness very slowly melts away into a lovely warm afternoon that just makes you want to be outside. As the sun disappears the cold air descends again, although we haven't needed to light the fire at night for about a week now.
It's gorgeous weather, and with a gentler start to the Spring season more in line with what is typically expected, I'm hoping it means the rest of the weather coming into summer will be more normal, which means rain.

I realise things have been a little bit quiet here this past week, as I've been busy doing other things. Keeping on top of the housework as the surrounds continue to dry out and create more dust is always an ongoing thing, and I've also been busy with my shop.
Last week I created some goodie boxes which was heaps of fun, and I also translated my jotted done notes of my Bunny's Veggie Garden into a legible PDF and published the pattern. (You'll find it in my shop and on Ravelry if you'd like to knit one!).
The camera and my favourite lens also returned from repairs last week, and I only decided I'd better have a go with them yesterday. I've missed my 50mm f/1.4 lens so much. I love the clarity of the images I take with it and the fun I can have with such a wide aperture. The camera itself is brand new, as it turned out to be more economical to replace the 550D rather than repair it, due to it being so young and obviously flawed. I'm always nervous around new cameras and computers and things like that, but after snapping a few photos with the camera (which is a 650D) yesterday I think I might quite like it.

Here & Now | September 2017 Link Up

Welcome to this month's Here & Now! I got quite a fright writing September up there in the title. I mean, I know it's September but when one actually has to write the word it's kind of literally right there...in your face. September means the heat will soon be here, the air will be very dry and the days will be a little hazy as people start to do burn offs and controlled (or sometimes uncontrolled!) fires.

What does September mean in your part of the world? We'd all love it if you'd join in this month's Here & Now...it's a simple as writing a blog post and then putting the link to it in the link up below!

Spring Happenings

The garden is so beautiful at the moment. Spring is coming without delay, as it always does here in North Queensland. The natives in the garden are in full bloom, but the flowers on most of the plants are of the little tiny variety so you actually have to stop and appreciate them, rather than just being able to glance out to the garden and see them all at once. The Bottlebrush is very noticeable. It's covered in great fluffy pink blooms at the moment. I can't remember what variety it is that we planted, but it's the first Bottlebrush I've ever seen that truly resembles its namesake. The flowers are long and narrow and look like just the thing for scrubbing out a bottle with.
Amongst the flowers are little birds - honeyeaters and sunbirds, enjoying the nectar of the flowers and perhaps even the bugs hidden amongst the leaves.
It's a pretty time of year and one I relish because this season is so fleeting. The wattle has already finished flowering. The clusters of yellow pompoms that were decorating the tree only two weeks ago have finished now.

Here & Now | August 2017 Link Up

Welcome to this month's Here& Now! I realise my post is a little later getting up here than I normally have it, but at least I still managed to get it done in the morning :-) It's been one of those weeks here, so I'm not surprised that I'm running late with the blogging.
I hope you'll join in today too, or sometime before midnight on the 17th. It's fun to see what everyone's been up to and a great way to get a little documentation into your blog without having one of those extraordinarily long lists.
Here we go!

Lately

I've been feeling a little disconnected to my poor blog lately, and I'm determined to remedy that. I enjoy writing, and I find when I get out of the swing of it, it's hard to get back into it. So here we go - a little post about what's been happening around here lately to try and get my mojo back - also serving as an excuse to share so many photos. I hope you enjoy it!

Here & Now | June 2017 Link Up

Welcome to this month's Here & Now - I hope you'll take a few moments to document your own happenings either on your blog or on Instagram! The guidelines for doing both are at the bottom of this post.

Autumn 2017

 

A Woodland Christmas Party (And Film!)

I'm so excited to be sharing this with you today! On the weekend I got together with Megan (aka Dolly Henry Blog) and we had a lot of fun putting together a little handmade toy Christmas party. We wanted to create a Christmas scene, and decided the theme would be a Woodland Christmas Party. We went hunting for a tree, and after finding a small one near the old sheep paddock, we got to work setting up our little scene.

Here & Now | December Link-Up

Welcome to this month's Here & Now - and of course the very last for 2016! I just want to take this opportunity to thank-you for joining in, it's been lovely to see this little community growing and I'm really looking forward to seeing where it goes in the new year. But for now, let's have a look at this month's link-up!

This link up is open from today until midnight on the 17th. Remember that there is now a gorgeous new button for you to grab, and you can now join in two ways - either on your blog, or share your Here & Now on Instagram! The instructions on how to Instagram your Here & Now are below, along with the guidelines for blogging.

Here & Now | The October Link Up - Join In!

Spring's Rhythm

Spring arrived very softly this season, and the early mornings are damp and dewy, with a definite hint of humidity that warns of a warm day on the way. The chickens are laying wonderfully again, inspired by the warmer weather no doubt. Delicious fruits are being enjoyed from little road side stalls - watermelons, pawpaw, pineapple and always bananas.

The days are lengthening out nicely and I'm trying to hold onto these days for as long as I can, before the scorching heat arrives in about a month.
The cumquat tree is covered in blooms, which smell so deliciously sweet and fragrant, so much unlike the sour fruit that it will bear. I catch whiffs of the lemon flowers, too, each evening when I lock the chickens in after their afternoon forage.