Library bags and pencil cases

 Uniforms for kids went to an expo and the kids wanted library bags and pencil cases, so this week that was what I made using up scraps of left overs. In the cupboards at U4K, there were rolls of ribbons and cords for drawstrings and some small zips, I grabbed those to finish off.

I don't think any of my bags were the same size but they were similar. My aim was to make a approx A3 and most front and backs had the same fabric with some strips of other fabric to make the size. Do a hem at the top, add ribbon a couple of centimetres down from the hem and put a cord through that with a knot at each end.  I found some other drawstrings bags that I had made for another charity two or three years ago but they closed their doors.

The pencil cases were quicker and easier, most zips were about 5 inches long, big enough for little fingers.  Mainly plain darker fabric that I cut in half, sewed the zip in, then double another piece of fabric for the bottom and sewed up both sides, that's it done. First one I did, I sewed the sides with the zip closed, I had a tiny spot where I could just get my little finger in and push down the zip, lesson learnt!

Pencil cases.

Some bigger pieces I made skirts 

The colours don't come up very clear.

A very easy pattern, front and back the same, cut on the fold, the pockets are from police uniforms to meet the requirements.  Turn over a small hem and the waist band and thread elastic through.

Dog off leash beach

 Sunday was the middle of a long weekend, we usually stay at home over the weekends due to our highways being crowded with people heading to the beach.

We took the opportunity to go across to the beach ourselves and take Lucy for a swim now that our dog sitters taught her to swim, she loves the water.

The tide was out as it was low tide when we got there. There is a walkway that goes for several kms. We parked and walked a little to the start of the off leash area. It goes for about 500 metres. Warren took his shoes off but I declined as I had long pants on and I knew the bottoms of them would get wet if I did that.

I was hoping that Lucy would be okay that we weren't together. They headed for the water, Lucy "talking" to anyone who were in hearing.

I walked along the rockfall on the sand for the length of it then found a seat to watch. So many dogs of all types and sizes.  To amuse myself I started counting, I counted as many as 60 dogs before I gave up. There was no barking or fighting, Warren said there was a bit of sniffing but Lucy can move quickly if she doesn't want her bum sniffed.

We bought coffee and watched the scenery before heading back home. An enjoyable morning for all.

Scenes of Surat

 Four hundred and two people live in Surat. I asked a couple that I was chatting to, why tourists would visit Surat. They lived there but only for the last two years so I figured my question wouldn't offend them. They said they had no idea they the guy said maybe BCF as in boating camping fishing.

It was the last stage coach post and there is quite a large museum decimated to that in the main street.

We visited for the parkrun, it was only their 14th week. Sheridan was the tailwalker and I did bar code scanning. They usually get about 25 but there were only 15 participants and five were visitors. 

 Shire council.

Dedicated to the soldiers from the area

Park gates

The weir at the end of the river walk.

Parkrun started from just to the right of this shelter.

Camp8ng at Surat

 Long weekend coming up and Sheridan asked me to go to Cloncurry with her to check off that on her Qld parkrun list,  sure I'll be in that. Leaving after work Thursday.

Well, things change and she didn't want to be as far away as that so Surat was closer to home. I arrived at her place for an expected leave time of 10am Friday morning. We did a few things on the way and had lunch at Dalby, our usual lunch there is at Mecca's but Sheri had brought lunch, nice beef rice rolls from the Vietnamese bakery so we went to a park, nice change.

Got to Surat just on dusk, boy were the mossies bad. We were booked at a Hip Camp. Large lock on the gate, needed a code to get in, took awhile and the numbers were stiff to move. Picked our spot, grassed area not too far from toilets and pitched our tents.

A couple of years ago, Warren had bought a tent for hiking which is the same as Sheridan's,  he lent me that so that she could help me put it up if need be.  No time for that so she got to work laying each tent out and starting pegging out. I felt useless but she told me to put the spines together and then clip the outer to the inner. Phew, both tents up I less than ten minutes. We retired to the car away from the mossies. We then went to the pub for dinner hoping that the mossies would have moved on when we came back. Luckily most of them had.

 Mine is on the left.  Climbed in with "luggage" unrolled self inflating sleeping mat, never used one before, I puffed a few breaths in as well. Sleeping bag on top, decided to use more as a donation leaving the last bit of the bottom zipped up for my feet. Cosy.

Ready to sleep at 8.30, retire to the loos, how the hell do I get out of this thing?

Unzip the inner, one foot out, put shoes on, move other foot, hum I am on all fours outside, now what, move one foot back to stand, foot connects to a peg, suddenly I am face down but not quite in the dirt. Did get up somehow and off to the toilets, 50 metres away.

10.30pm, not sleeping retire to toilets again, ah, remember the peg so move further up, tethering I grab at the spine of the tent, it is rather fluid and not a great deal of assistance almost on my knees again. 

Sleep was a bit hit and miss, think I woke about every ninety minutes or so as my hip was paining so turned over the other side. Probably needed to let the mat inflate more. Alarm was set at 5.55, woke at 5.15, lay for awhile working out how to get out the best way. The car was only about three metres away so I could get out and Leppard crawl to the car. My third time out was better and no falling but definitely glad we were only staying one night.

Little kangaroo was trapped inside the boundary, mum was outside, he was hopping up and down. We went off to parkrun, I volunteered as a bar code scanner, small group only fifteen runners.

Came back, made coffee in camp kitchen and I dismantled the tents while Sheri had a shower. Great showers and really good camp kitchen.

Very big half open shed with everything you could possibly want, even mossies coils and spray, not bad for twenty bucks. 

Lucy's mum.

 I was doing the weekly shop at a different store than usual. I had had to actually visit a bank as well as a chemist so went to the mall. After banking and the chemist I shopped in Coles. 

Larger store than I am used to but they did have some lines which my preferred smaller store doesn't.  As I am not as familiar with the layout I was meanandering along the aisles when I heard a young child say "There's Lucy's mum". Being school holidays there were several kids shopping with their parent. I slowly wandered along looking for no sugar drinking chocolate when I heard the voice again but closer and the mum agreeing. This time I looked up.

It was Amber and her young daughter from a few doors down our street. We have seen her kids growing up, daughter has just started school and the younger is in kindergarten. I don't know their names but they certainly all know Lucy.

If they are playing in their yard, they ask if they can pat Lucy or we see the family at the local park. Apparently now that she is at school, they see Lucy each morning through our gate. 

I remember being known as what ever kid knew one of our kids as Xxx's mum but it was a first to be addressed as Lucy's mum. Of course she wanted to know where Lucy was, I guess too that she only sees me with Lucy.

Train travel

 I set out last week to visit the Children's hospital,  it's a few years since I went and I happened to take the wrong road to get to the station. Had to turn off and swing around, taking several minutes. Of course the train that I had wanted to take went through when I was parking the car. Annoy8ng but as I didn't have to be there at any particular, it was okay.

School holidays so lots of kids with their parents on the train. One young boy and his mother were almost opposite me.  He was about six and was kneeling on the seat with his things on the floor. At one time, he stood on the floor, mum asked him to put his shoes on if he was standing on the floor. Nah, he wasn't going to do that, then mum said again for him to put his shoes on. No movement and mum just gave up and when back to her phone and I thought to myself, not much wonder that kids do as they like.

From the train to the bus and as I pressed the button for stopping  my card snapped and I couldn't tap off.  I had to get a freebie trip back to the station and organise a new card. I felt guilty as I ended up with two free trips at 50 cents. Yep our public travel is still at 50 cents.

Blood sugar testing.

 Oh the joys of being a diabetic. Before Christmas, we visited a diabetic educator, fancy name for someone to give us more information,  he also gave me a testing kit after showing me how to do it. It was 6.3 in his office.

He told me that I could test regularly or not, depends if I wanted to know. 

I tried to do it about a month after and couldn't get it to work so didn't worry about it.

But I had a further apt with David so I thought I should do some testing and I read the instructions,  opps, need to insert paper test in the machine before extracting blood. 

All good and at 4.30pm, my levels were 5.8

We had bought a 100 pack of test strip's the day David gave it to me as there were only five in the sample pack. As I am registered with NDSS, National Diabetes something something, I was able to get them for 20 cents instead of normal price of $28. 

I realised that there was also only five needles so on the last to the chemist I bought some more and dragged out my card. Huh, blood test strips are discounted a lot but not the needles. Apparently though I can use the needles for z few times, they are only pricking the skin to get blood. 

i am not testing on a regular basis as it seems that if I eat well, my levels are between 5,5 and 6.5.

 

Just something else to keep in the bathroom drawers. After a few shaky starts, it's become old hat and I can do it in a flash.