Another month goes by....

Where does  all the time go?  I have been busy with so many things.....

We are in the middle of another major construction project.  This time I am flying solo.  My BAM has and storage and memory RAM problem in his grey matter...or put another way he is overloaded at work and said that I have to do this one on my own and he will be a consultant.

So I am the site manager, project manager, engineering manager and what ever else I need to be in order to get the pool installed.

We have decided to install a fiber glass after a friend of mine had a kangaroo land in her above ground pool...there was no water left in the pool when they discovered the shredded lining.

As our house sits on a hill I have had to get the excavator back and cut into the hill.  I have then had to get a contractor in to do the retaining wall work (about 50 meters).  This has not been easy as who would have thought that there would be an undersupply of contractors....and as we struggled to get someone to do the work in the time frame we have had to push back the pool installation till November. 

The pool is going here

The pool will be this shape

I have organised the paver, the concreter, the fencer and the turf contractors......they are all on the master plan all locked in at the right dates......they have all promised to turn up!!!!!!!

So getting back to BAM the consultant....he has had to sign off on all the "works" schedules I have put together.  This has been a very interesting process.  To give you some insight...this is the telephone conversation I have been having.  This is the one I have with the quarry.  Hi Will its me again.  I have to get a quote on drainage aggregate.  ..........(after we exchange more details and get the prices I say).....Ok thanks Will I will have to get this included in the costings and get the works schedule signed off so you might not hear from me for a few days..  to which Will says "Your married to an engineer aren't you.?"  To which I say "Married no, Engineer yes" and he says "You can always tell"!!!!

Spring has arrived and the garden has come alive

And what have I been sewing and making.  I have finished the poncho for my girl.  She loves it so much she sleeps with it...I have been trying to get a photo and no luck ....but will keep trying.

I have been doing more paper piecing and crocheting the blankets for the camper.  I have had trouble with the camera so will try to get some pics ASAP

I've been busy.....

I have started to make all the kiddelinks an "eyespy" quilt.  I have decided to go circular as I am not a big fan of the square pattern.  I have to make 36 squares each (108 in total) and I am making it a "quilt as you go"....so I will be hand sewing for quite a while.  However I seem to have run out of the novelty fabrics so I just might have to go and get some more!!

This is the first one
    

I have also been making a rug for the camper.  Could not resist the rainbow look for the retro decorated camper.  I am about a third of the way through.

 And I have started to make my little girl a shawl. I am using the pattern from Coffee and Vanilla . 

I am in a hurry to get this one done quickly as the cold weather looks like it might be gone - As this was the day in the office today!

Latest Projects

I have been crocheting and paper piecing. 

Firstly the camper is in need of some crocheted blankets just to make the camper more retro.

So I have started on about three extra blankets for the kidelinks and my BAM.  (None of who will appreciate the hard work rather just the warmth they might bring....)

So the first one...it is going to be a double size blanket.  Its pattern is from the Better Homes and garden magazine

 

It involves making lots of squares and sewing them together

 

I've made a start on the numerous little ones........

And I have been paper piecing via a BOM

I've used Lecien Flower Sugar fabrics.  I will be joining using the triangles and I have picked a green background fabric.  Have not started joining yet!!!

 

 

And we have a new addition to our house

 

Meet Misty

 

 

She's been with us about a month now.....and the kids love her to death....poor thing is so "handled"  the kidelinks never leave her alone.

And here is our house in the depths of winter....it was -2degC the night this photo was taken ...but I got a sweat up outside gardening at lunch time.  And it is so still and calm.  Love it

Look how full the dam is and the orchid...well it does not look that different to a year ago when all the trees were planted

And the best to last ...my new front lawn.  It came at the cost of my back!!!!

Not quite your Paul Bangay but there are quite a few roses in there...all hidden away from BAM.  If he only saw the Treloar rose orders.........



I'd rather have a baby

 

Back pain - Not once but twice since Easter I have managed to hurt my dodgy disc.  This time round the pain was more acute and more severe than ever before.

The first time - I was guilty of over doing it.....via

 

then I simply just fell over.  The pain however was not simple.  I would rather have a baby any day.  The pain was so bad that each time I had 2-3 sleepless nights in agony.  Tears and tears and more tears.

 

The drugs ....... at first nothing seemed to work.  Then after what felt like this

they started to work.

 

I was on the heavy stuff.  I have very little memory of those weeks and lots of strange things happened.  My BAM came home from work and found the bread in the washing machine ...of which I really have no idea how it happened.

 

So I am on the slow road to recovery.  I have had lots of help from family and I have found someone to help me with the house work. 

 

I am now also at the pain management clinic (they didn't have these last time I hurt my back did they???) and I have this huge team of people looking after me...physios, O/T (nose follows toes girls!!!!), psychologists.  I have weekly physio and hydro sessions and am praying for no relapses. 

 

The upside was I have started to draw and paint again - did not know how else to take my mind off the pain.  I discovered Zendoodles and Zentangles and the repetitive nature of the drawing sent me in to a trance  and got my mind off the pain.  Its a bit like machine quilting but without all the manual labour.

 

Having all the spare time.....and being in the constant state of delusion I managed to enrol myself in a two year interior design course.  I have not un-enrolled in my non-medicated state -  as I am actually excited about doing it.....lets see how I go working full time, living on 17 acres with three kids???

 

I wonder what else I did during that time....

 

 

And after all is said and done.....I have a finished front garden.  Both sides are now finished with the lawn.

 

 

Next.....the pool and the back garden.........or is it the other front garden (some one in our house does not agree that the back of our house is the back of our house.......its just one of those things we will never agree on)

Update

YIPPEEEEE!!!!!!!!


NBN has arrived...I cant believe it...we are in the zone....I was thinking that the internet was a thing of the past at home and I was going to be living with two weeks on and two weeks off the internet as that is how fast we were chewing through our 8G monthly mobile internet allowance

NOW.....?


Unlimited again!!!!!

I am back

Oopps...

Heres my post from March...that I didn't post


How has nearly three months gone by so quick????

I have been busy though

Three out of the 7 blinds are hung.  The rest are waiting to be hung by the resident carpenter.

I have been to AQC in Carlton gardens and I had a major haul.  I spent an obscene amount of money....my excuse was that I had not been in two years and I was on pain killers and they made the world seem very pleasant and happy (even though the pain was there..I have herniated my disk in my lower back).  So what did I buy?

More Books (I know!!!!)

A new BOM - paper piecing...who would of thought - me and paper piecing - which by the way I love it

More Bags !!!!!!

These great tins

Panels for a quilt for my girl

Fabric

Fabric

More fabric

 

Then all these assortments

Curtains and blinds

I have gone to ground in this heat.  We have been having one of the biggest heat waves that I can remember and so I have given up trying to be outside.   So I have turned to the windows which are currently devoid of any curtains and blinds and I have got cracking and started to make them.

Here is a picture of the curtains I had made for the lounge

Here is the fabric up close...I have to make three roman blinds in this fabric  .... and pattern match at the fabric ends!!!!

I have also started to make the two roman blinds to go in my little girls room.

I have also been making the 4 roman blinds for the bathroom, toilet and laundry.

I am up to sewing the rings on now and trying to get my hands on some more of the pull cord - to no avail...I tell you... that "S" shop!!!!

 

I have also managed to make  my little girl a dress.  She hates it as it is too itchy (around the chest)

And new library bags for the boys.  I had previously made them library bags for school and now I can't find either of them...in the shift we have lost them

Back to sewing

There has been so much happening here that I have really struggled to do any sewing.  However over the Christmas break in amongst bush fires, visitors, cooking, day trips etc I made some curtains.

There is however some additional information required before the curtains can be appreciated.  My BAM has been trying for a very long time to convince me to let him by a camper.  As a result we have a running joke about it.  I suggest that he might like to buy one which is really code for "over my dead body will I let you".  Well it back fired on me.  I often send my BAM emails at work of campers that I see for sale in my travels for work or though the community bulletins/classifieds and always ask if he is tempted or interested ...knowing that he has no chance of ever getting one.  Well this time I sent him an email of this kind and he rang the guy and bought it.....that will teach me!!!. 

Meet Esmeralda the camper - there she goes on her inaugural outing with the family - minus Mummy who stayed home with Auntie Kate.

Well Esmeralda was in need of soft furnishings.

So I picked the fabric and off I went. 

New curtains and pillow covers (yellow and blue caravan pillow covers) were made and gingham bed linen was procured.  I decided that since the camper was circa 1985 that I need to go retro. (sorry for the strobe effects - camera didn't like all the checks!!!)

...And what did my BAM say......."great!!!! how is this going to look when I turn up to the boys weekend with my strawberry curtain fabric camper ?......"   oh and "...you really have put the definition of camp into camper!!!"  

to which I said....."be careful or I will staple to the camper's ceiling the red and blue bunting that I have made"

Now I know what they mean't when they said..."well there goes any summer holidays away from home"

Do you remember this green view?

Well it now looks like this.

400 hectare grass fire right at our front gate.  (58 fire trucks, two water bombers (there names are Eric - what happened to Elvis)  3 planes......). 

I thought we were fire ready.  Now I know that we weren't quite as ready as I thought.   I also now know that when you see the flames coming down the hill you really should go into the house - not drive out the gate like I did.  So much learned on the day...so much more to learn. 

So moving forward...We are getting fences for livestock (we are just arguing over sheep vs cows) and a water bore (just need to find someone who can do it...not that easy).  We are putting a water ring around the house and we have installed fire hose stations all around the place.  We take our phones everywhere with us and constantly watch for the wind change.  And last but not least are now members of the CFA (however I am not the one learning to drive the tankers!!!).

And yes we love living here....the fire hasn't changed that!

My first posy in our new home

I have flowers again.....we are back on track and things are good in the world again (and this is in January...wait till next spring!!!)