Dinner

 Warren offered to cook dinner last night. I had taken a pack of beef strips out of the freezer to cook. 

This was his efforts.

Tasted pretty damn good. 

Four days of celebrations.

 Warren has just had a special birthday and we had a family bbq on Sunday, sports meant that a couple couldn't come so there was only eight of us but good to sit around, eat and chat.

Monday was Warren's actual birthday and I have had a standing coffee morning with my friends in the park on Mondays. He told me not to change it. However, it was a cold windy day so coffee was cancelled and he decided to was not suitable for tennis. We went to Scarborough to a beachside cafe for brunch instead and asked for a table inside. We walked along the beach side path after but we put up with the wind for about 20  minutes before we raced back to the car to get warm and out of the wind.

Tuesday we went bike riding up in the Blackall ranges. It was slightly downhill most of the way but where there used to be a wooden bridge across valleys or creeks, now it has been concrete and quite steep, down and up the other side. Signs advising riders to dismount and walk bikes up and down. There were five of these crossings, a couple of cattle crossings which we did ride over. Took us four and a half hours with lunch and a couple of other stops plus we stopped to find four caches all the way. We both have sore bums just for being on the seats for so long. We were told it would take between three and five hours. My phone was in my backpack so no photos except this one.

Today was tennis day so I organised morning tea for his tennis group. Lucy and I went out with him and we walked along the beach and discovered these little crabs

After lunch, we went to the mall so Warren could buy his birthday gift from the kids. They had given him gift cards to buy a go pro for his trip next year. 

Along the river.

A house on one side of the road but on the other side was a high rise with several flats, we wondered how long it would be before the house and block were turned into units and return hefty profits for the developers, this was one block back from the river.

 A few days ago, we took a drive to one of the older parts of the city. Council has done some work and there is a great bike and walk path along the edge of the river.

There were quite a few people strolling along like us but the path is very wide so it was not a problem.

We walked several kms and then Warren discovered a coffee shop, which was very welcome.

Vaccine time

Each year about this time we get a letter from Lucy's vet to advise us of the yearly vaccine. It's a bit of a drive but as she only needs to go there yearly, we have kept the same vet practise.

Lucy is very happy to go in the car now and jumped in the back. Hmmmm, lots of things to smell in the carpark. We opened the door and then the fun started, she did not want to go in There! Between us, we got her in and she sat nicely at the counter. She was weighed, oops, we did think she had put on a bit, 4 mgs heavier than last year.

We were asked to wait outside, due to Covid, no one can sit in the waiting room. Again it was a push to get her back inside when she was called. I thought there was vinyl on the floor for ease of cleaning, it also makes a good slide for reluctant dogs.

The vet got on the floor with Lucy, I thought we would have to lift her on the table, commented on her weight but when we told her that Lucy gets a walk every day, she was happy with that. 

Temperature check up her bum and then a needle in the back of her neck which she didn't even flinch at, a treat and we were good to go. Im sure Lucy breathed a sigh of relief when we headed out the door.

  

A wake up call

Warren was being collected this morning at 6.30, I asked him to wake me which he did. I saw them off and then went back to bed. Being a person who has trouble sleeping or getting to sleep, it amazes me that at that hour I can go back to bed and sleep very easily.

I woke at 7.58 and thought about getting up, not that I had any thing pressing to do but it's not often one has a full day to do whatever one chooses (within reason of course) and I didnt want to miss any of it.

It was nice and warm in bed and I lay there for a little longer, must have gone to sleep as next I heard was whimpering and when I opened my eyes, there was a dog's just about the mattress. I groaned and turned over, it was 8.40. Not to be foiled, she dashed around the other side of the bed and was whinging slightly. I knew she wasnt going to give up, from previous times.

I gave up and put one leg out of bed telling her that I was getting up. She was happy then and headed off outside. It was nice and comfy in bed, so I thought I could take a few more minutes. There was a barreling noise at the back door which meant Lucy was on her way back. Into our room she comes, she reminded me of Mum when she had to wake me for school, same look on her face. I had two feet on the ground by the time Lucy was at the bed. This time she waited until I was in the bathroom. 

I made my coffee while she sunbaked, although it is past her walk time, she knows that I don't take her walking until my coffee cup is empty. Breakfast cups are clear so she can see. Once it's empty, she will be pressuring me for a walk. 

As its a free day, we will set off in the car and go to the lakes, I like to go to different places at times, then it's my day to do what I want until 5pm, Lucy's dinner time.

Shells

I finished my green blanket, I had bought a tube of five different shades of green, actually I bought two tubes and I just crochet from dark to light with white in the middle.

The plan was to do a border in white to pull it all together. 

I knew how I wanted it to look except I had not done it before. 

I practised on slippers last night then this afternoon, I decided to bite the bullet and just do it. 

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Japanese knot bags

The charity that I make things for also need bags to hold toiletries. Today I used the last of the inserts for the quilts so not making any more of those for awhile. I had some cord so I made four drawstring bags to use that up.

Now I am making knot bags, they have one longer handle that the other so it can be looped over. When we were first in China it wasn't unusual to see women walking on the streets and knitting. The wool was contained a bag over their arm, it was probably something like these.