Boat Totes

Doing some decluttering in the sewing room, I found a pattern that I had downloaded and never used. Actually it was more an intruction with measurements to make the tote.

I used computer paper to make the pattern, very easy and found fabric. It was lined and I thought it had nice handles.

I ended up making three, using up a pretty peacock piece of material that there was not much of but too pretty to throw out. Now it has been put to use.

I think the handles are too long and I adjusted them in the last one I made. These will be used /sent to some penpals that I am in contact with.

The main colour is teal much nicer looking in the flesh as it were. Of course, I knew what I was doing, I had a quilt to finish but didn't like it so I disgressed for a few hours to make these instead. However, I did get back to the quilt and it is almost finished thank goodness.

The lady in the van

We bought and watched this movie the other day. It was one on my radar to see when it came out, primarily because it starred Maggie Smith.

When we were in China and buying dvds for entertainment,  I would be drawn to movies starring her, Judy Dench and Nicole Kidman. As often, the only English was the title and actors names. By buying because of the actors, it sort of guaranteed if not a good movie then at least a watchable one. Someone reccommended movies with Nicholas Cage and we bought about six at one time, I guess two out of six was okay. Actually we still have movies that we bought over there that we havent watched. If we went to the dvd place, we would spend about 100 rmb each time, as they averaged 7 rmb each or less than $2, we didnt mind too much if the movie wasnt that good, we moved it on or threw it out.

I didn't know anything about this movie except the title. It was a strange movie and went over a period of fifteen years with some flash backs. It wasn't one of Maggie's best, although that was subject matter more than acting, definitely thought provoking and I got a lot of crocheting done.

I spent the first thirty minutes trying to work it out then I realised that was what it was about. Two main characters and both have strange or funny quirks. 

Gum trees

We took a picnic to a park about forty minutes from home. Warren had hurt his back so I drove and then walked Lucy in the park while he sat. As long as he was sitting, he was not in pain but sudden moves were painful.

I parked under this massive and magnificent tree. I love big trees and especially ones with little or no bark.

On the other side was the gateway with a plaque stating that the area was the furthest establishment in NSW. What the ? We are in Queensland. The plaque went on to explain that Queensland was not in existance for another twenty years.

Cattle and sheep on one side and horses and axes on the other to show the industries back then.

House cleaning

I had promised myself that I was going to engage a house cleaner when I turned seventy.
In conversation, an opportunity arose for a cleaner and I thought bigger it, why not now.

So, our cleaner has been here two weeks now, once a week for two hours. I have the floors vaccummed and mopped and whatever else to fill in the time. First week our shower was scrubbed, I didn't except for all the grout to be done but it was. This week was cupboard cleaning.

I drove up in the garage and there was a nice clean smell coming from the living areas of the house.

Very happy and now I have more time to do what I want to do.

House insurance

It's that time of the year again.
Each year, I tend to compare insurance companies against who we use, so far I have not changed.
We had a recommendation to look at defence, I think they do insure non military but being ex-service,  we were entitled to a discount.

Warren contacted them a couple of weeks ago and their quote was over two thousand dollars, this was with service and age discount. We thought it must be wrong and we renewed with our existing company.

However it irked me that there was so much difference. When we first heard about them, I did my normal research and from eight different companies, got figures between $750 and $1100, only one was over a thousand.

We figured that they must have miscalculated something to be so out. Not that we were only to change as our insurance has been paid, it was due at the end of the month, it was agreed that I would contact them.

I did drop the contents a little lower as most companies have a minimum of $50k, theirs was 26k, I opted for 35k. I answered a lot of questions about the house and the use of and where situated. Final figure was $1010 or so I thought. Email confirmation was $1710 for house and $326 for contents.

Certainly won't be changing but I do wonder if we are missing something. Dollars to rebuild house was within a few hundred. Strange.

Tuesday is caching day!

Neither of us have any commitments on a Tuesday so I suggested a caching day. So far we have been out three Tuesday in a row and on

each of these occasions it has started to spit when we have been driving home, getting heavier as we get closer to home.

I had selected a walk along a river about two k to the end with four caches to collect. First one was wheelchair accessible, we walked past and into bush area before we realised, it was on a post behind a red reflector, sneaky thing.

Lots of sap from trees.

Love these trees with almost no bark.

A small river crossing.

Warren pointed out a white ant trail and nest, not sure that I have seen one before.

A bush turkey flew in to see what we were doing.

Birthday lunch

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and prior to that we had driven past an icon that had changed hands and decor, it was now a pub. I requested that we go there for lunch.

It did mean driving up the main highway about an hour but being a week day the traffic wasnt too bad.

Decor is very green and yellows and it is now called Banana Bender pub.

The bar is on the ground floor and the dining area is up two flights of stairs, rather steep ones. They told us where the stairs where but not that there was a lift. Very beach looking the colours and the cane furniture.

Food was pretty quick, I ordered lemon myrtle Kalahari came with chips and salad, Warren ordered spring rolls, he got salad only that was good as I handed over about two thirds of my chips. The salad must have been good as I finished it all. Most salads are full of greenery and I usually leave about half.

We finished up sharing a banana split, thank goodness we did as it was massive, two days of limited eating after to make up for it. Just as well birthdays only come once a year.