S pr.ing cleaning.

 A few weeks ago, we started the housework. Well, we got a bit carried away and ended up doing a fairly deep clean and tidy of the living areas. It took about three hours with both of us working.

Good to see things were back in their correct place and floors and walls dusted and washed.

Funny how getting stuck into those areas gave me the incentive to continue so next was my sewing room.

I have a set of drawers in there that is attached to the wall. So far I have gobe yhrough four drawers and found things that I had forgotten about. Between us, we delivered four bags to the opp shop, two bags out to rubbish that I had kept just in case I could use them.

I did find a series of crochet squares that I had made in crochet class. I stitched them up and then crochetted around making two lap blankets for the hospital.

The six middle squares I sewed together and there were four bigger ones, I unpicked the bigger ones and used the wool to continue the pattern. I think the intent was to make a jacket for myself but I run out of puff.

I have two more middles to use. I am amazed at some of the crochet projects that I had started and put down. Two down and at least two more to go.

Shoes

 Well, Spring has arrived and with warm weather. During winter, I wear moccasin type slippers to keep my feet warm. I figured they needed a wash before putting them aside for Spring and summer.

I have a pair of slip on sneakers and another pair of fabric shoes that I bought when working in China.

The China ones I located in the back of the wardrobe a few weeks ago. I decided that I should wear them now that I found them. They have to be over ten tears old.

They are quite comfy but they dont have a tongue so they need to be pulled on.

This is the back loop to help pull them on.

Warren regularly washes his runners in the washing machine so I loaded the machine with my three pairs of fabric shoes with a couple of shed towels.

Whoops, the glue didnt last.

The soles came off! I havent put them in the bin yet, wondering if I can glue them back on. One is off completely, the other is about half off. I will ponder on it.

Roadworks

 After many months of roadworks on our main road out of our area, the road is open!

First they were ripping ut up to lay in bigger water pipes, then they are making it into two lanes. 

Of course many of the pathways have also been either shut down or blicked so our walks with Lucy have been curtailed.

This area used to have large trees between the path and the fences, 

Down oppisite the kindergarten/childcare, they are now starting on the other side of the road

Walk thru the bush, several trees have been taken out but at least they have laid down turf and ut is more open now. I didnt loje walking there if it was getting on dark.

Big ball of a tree stump over to the right, coming back the day I took these photos, there was a snake crossing the path, he looked to be about the size of my thumb and about a metre long. First snake I have seen in years, I dare say his home had been disturbed.

Some of the old path was kept and they made a new path for the rest. A new crossing will be made to cross the road to kindy and school.

Hat making

 Spring and summer are nearing and so I have been asked to make hats again. Last season I apparently made over 300 hundred hats, I wasnt counting but it seemed some one was and almost all of them have been given away. Time to build the stocks again.

I have become faster or possibly just more effien

ent with my time. 

I cut the fabric in strips. The crowns take the least amount of fabric and instead of a pattern, I have a glass dish which is the right size and with several layers pinned together, I draw around the glass in texta then cut out in bulk.

Then cut out the head piece and the brim. The brim needs a wide piece.

I cut them double when I can.

I have three baskets, lined up, with the crowns, head piece and brims.

First step is to attach the round crown to the head piece, then the brim is sewn on.

At this stage, I usually stitch two at a time then one is fitted inside the other, sewn around and pulled through a space left.

Then I do three rows of top stitching, its a good way to use up odd colours of cotton.

Then the finished product

The hats can be worn either way. Sometimes, they have one colourway but I usually match them up in different fabric. Uniforms for kuds meet this week and I will have fifty hats to deliver. I spent an afternoon cutting out and another one sewing the sides together, once thats done, one hat takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Gladstone

 A new parkrun has started in Gladstone. Warren needed a 3 for a challenge so we travelled up to obtain that.

As its a five hour trip towing the caravan, we did it in two stages. Thursday afternoon to Maryborough, staying in the showgrounds and then we stayed in Gladstone shiwgrounds as well then did the reverse on the way back.

The marina. The course is on a spit of land and went up one way, then around the back to a set of gates, back again, then up the other way. All the time water was on one side, Lucy and I walked some of it.

Just to prove he was there, this was after the run and he was in the 37s.

Lucy trying to locate him as he ran past in a group.

We took a short cut track through the bush, getting out of the way of the runners and at first I thought it was a slippery slide but no, it was toilets built into the hill. Not sure if hill was natural or man made, but a neat idea.

Baringa

 Not such an early start, needed to leave at 5.55am and we arrived at 6.30am. Parkrun was around sports grounds and there was a wide bike path that was used as well.

Lucy and I walked out to the furtherest point on the bike path, then made our way back and through the shopping centre, checked out where we could have coffee.

Runners were coming on the path before we made it to the shopping area and to Lucy's del8ght, her boss came past and stopped to give her a pat. Luckily there was a bend a few metres up so once she couldnt see him any more she was content to continue walking with me.

Different spring flowers coming out

Pale bottle brush, usually they are red but this plant has pale lemon flowers

Similar but flowers were a mauve.

We were only twenty kms south of where we had been the week before with the yellow wattle but flowers and shrubs were quite different.

Wattle

 Seeing wattle flowers c9ming out is a good indication of spring on its way. We travelled to Brightwater on Saturday to walk/run around a lake.

First wattle flowers I saw.

I walked over the road bridge while the runners run underneath and up the other side.

A different wattle tree, still with yellow flowers

I know its not wattle but its yellow and pretty.

Met and photographed these two after the run, it rained slightly for most of the run but I was nice and dry as I had bought a puffer jacket a couple of days earlier. I was surprised to see how much/many rain drops were on it and I didnt feel it.