Mr Fox you better watch out ...

Now I have mentioned before we got a big problem with Mr Fox,he's making a real pest of himself stalking the chookhouse, digging his way in and having a field day with the white chooks, killed 3. If only I could lay my hands on the bugger, I put those dead chooks on a orange bag, tie it around his neck and send him on his way. Oh you don't know how delightful that smell could be after a few day, Mr Fox woun't be able to live with himself. For sure Mrs Fox would pack her bags and bugger off. Oh I can see him begging me to just take it off, no mercy from me ... just give me a gun.

Talking about guns, while sitting in front of the computer having my cup of tea in my pj's and pink gown, see no more poison coffee, a shadow passes the window, this time there's no Miss Daisy's hoove noises on the concrete, strange! It's landlords wife Gayle with a air rifle stalking past the window, heading towards the chookhouse. She had spied Mr Fox from her kitchen window, got one kid to watch while she grabbed the rifle, got it out of the case and loaded it, slipping out her backdoor and heading towards our place. But Mr Fox had seen her coming and had taken off through the fence, all you see is a orange flash jumping in and out the tall grass,gone with the wind he was. 10/10 for trying Gayle, she lost 2 of her hens to that fox and boy she's on the war path.

Now really Mr Fox would not even feel that slug if she managed to hit him, she needs a real gun or maybe shotgun, maybe a visit to the hood, would be a great idea. There you can buy just about anything if you got the money
Maybe not ...

Just a little crafting ...

Not bad going here 2 scarves and a pretty headband embellished with flowers and leaves.

The first scarf is for me, just a plain feathers scarf, knitted on a size 5 needle, casting on 25 stitches, and my old trick knitting a matching 5ply with the feathers yard just to firm the scarf up a bit. Turns out lovely and warm every time. For this project I used 4 balls of feathers yarn and a cotton yarn from an top that I was recycling.



Bought this yarn at Lincraft, it's very similar to the popcorn yarn available atm, and using size 8 needle which I had to go buy especially to knitting this scarf. First I used smaller needles and got so frustrated with the stitches falling off, I was ready to throw the yarn out. So glad I got the right sized needles cause it has turned out to super soft. Great colour for a young lady.



And now I am just about ready to sew these flowers and leaves on to a crocheted headband in a charcoal, showing these easy flowers and leaves off beautifully.
I am think this should look very cute, well I am hoping she's going to love it.



There is one other project I have be working on a while now, and let me show you, it's a project to use up all unwanted leftover bits of yarn. Using 2 strands of yarn, in this case I used white as the main shade. Just by joining all the little bits together and rolling it into a big ball. Used a 4.5 Crochet needle, formed 8 chain circle, and started making a huge granny square. to end this square a strong dark colour set this off nicely. It's going over the backrest of the couch where the cats love lying.

Glenda's Rusks ... using buttermilk

500g Butter
300g Sugar
1 x 500ml Carton of Buttermilk
2 eggs beaten
Melt Butter and sugar, then add Buttermilk, remove from the heat,cool and add eggs, careful not to get it to hot, you don't want to cooked eggs.

Mix together the following ingredients
1kg self raising flour
1 Teaspoon salt
3 Teaspoon Baking Powder
100gr sunflower seeds
100gr raisans
100gr bran

Add a little butter milk mix to the dry ingredients and stir
Finally add 100grs of crushed All Bran flakes or Sultana cereal ( or just add a little extra seeds,raisans and bran optional)

Preheat your oven, and spray a few breadpans. A little bowl with oil helps for the dough sticking to your hands. Make risolle/meatballs sized balls and (pack 2x7 if it's the long pans) into the bread pan. You don't want them to spread rather rise upwards (make sense)

Bake for 25/30 min at 180 deg. take out of oven and leave to cool. then pull each ball gently apart, pack them straight onto the oven racks, stick a wooden spoon so the oven door is slightly ajar. Turn oven to it's lowest setting and leave in warm oven to dry out for 4/5hrs. Store in a airtight container. Enjoy dunking these rusks into your coffee ... not very ladylike but who cares lol

Roses ... from a friend

What a nice surprise visit from my dear friend Pina yesterday and just look what she brought me. arent they just beautiful!!



Where else would I put them but in my entrance in front of the mirrow so the reflection could double the beauty of these lovely roses. Thank you Pina, they are just stunning.

A little update ...

Lifes getting back to normal around here again, dishes need doing and meals need to be seen to. I am on slow strike, just using the meals from the freezer and reheating where needed. I will be using them most of next week too. Need time to do some craft and sit infront of the TV, haven't had it that good for a while. The lounge room looks like a bombs hit it, stuff everywhere, more UFO'S coming out by the minute. My first project was a scarf for myself knitted with some soft feather thread together with a soft rose colour cotton. The cotton thread was a small summer top I knitted for the Blond one about 10yrs ago, one worn a few times, then disliked so i unravelled the top. Finally it been used. Now I am on the hunt for a size 8 knitting needles, for another scarf using the popcorn (black and whie shades) wool, then it on to that cute little bag, both for that young lady that's finishing school this year, opps I know 2 young ladies finishing this year, I mentioned this in another post.

Love your comment Kari, only the boys are in Brisbane some 1000klm away.
The cat family is expected to increase again, with another 10yr old burmese male cat arriving next Wensday.His mummy Rickie is most unhappy giving him up but they are trying to have a familie and the Boy has a very bad habit of cuddling up to and over faces, Mummy is also this year recovered form a very aggressive tumour, she is a surviver after some major surgery, only the Dr warned her not to go near litter trays, incase of infection. If it was anyone else's cat it would have been a no for sure. As soon as he's arrived I pop a pic up for you all to see.

But first I need to tell you all what a good job George did fox proofing the chook house with only some chain wire fencing, tent/camping pegs and a few screws. When we built the chook house we should really have made it more secure. Well we finally paid the price 2 years on losing the 3 chooks. digging a wide flat trench around the chookhouse. He cut the fencing in half lenghtwise, cut to size of the sides, lay it ontop of the trench, peg it down and screwed the side closest to walls down. Now Mr Fox should find that very unwelcoming. Sure the chooks can sleep with both eyes closed now.



Daisy thought her picture today may just brighten your day so she nagged until I took a picture of her early this morning before she finally decided to get off her panels. She had taken a dislike to her house, prefers the chookie barn but there really is not enough space in there for her too atm.



Daisy does apologize for the dirty chin, just can't stay out of the studmix with molasses feed bucket. It just such a smorgas board of animal feed to choose from it so hard finding just the right breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack around here. And because of all this choice she has a few extra kilos weight problem , just like her mother.
Just promise not to tell anyone
Rina

I am back ... sad news Mr Fox came visiting

Thank you ladies for the get well wishes, much appreciated. Got taken into theater at Wensday 8am and was done and dusted and sent on my way by 4pm. The nurse did an ECG just to set my mind at ease, and found it normal, so much for that medical I had to go for Eco cardiogram a few years ago where they found problems, go see your Dr, well I kept putting that off did I not, not wanting to know. So now I just waiting for the results on the 22nd when I need to see my Gynie again. Yep I trying to take it easy.

"

Well now the bad news, Mr Fox came visiting this morning, dug a hole under the chookhouse and killed 2 hens and a rooster. They were my first chooks I ever got, poor Ginger, (frizzle) Thelma (silky) and a X frizzle/silky young rooster. Old Clyde looks a little worse having lost a few feathers and the other 2 girls, escaped when the door bust open with all the commotion. Lock was playing up a bit just lucky for them it bust open. Heard the racket and shout out of bed at 4.30 ish with the touch, (forgetting I had just come out of hospital) It took a little to persuade them to go back into their house after removing the dead birds.
Little Ginger was the perfect little mum, here she's with the young rooster teaching him how to behave nicely.

Mr Fox will be back, this was his second killing spree, killed two of our landlords bird, more if I haden't heard the racket next door. Give me a gun!!!

Maybe not today
Rina

So much for free time ...

Good Morning my Fellow Bloggers,

Well I need to apologize in advance, not much news is going to be coming from this side of the country for the next few weeks. Reason I off to hospital tomorrow, having all the girlie bits removed, they in bad shape and the Gynie wants them out. Now I am not sure if she only going to take the Ovaries and tubes, or we going the whole hog,that she will decide in theater. so it could be just day surgery or I be in there for 1 week. Who knows but i have full confidence in my Doctor to do the right thing.

Either way I have made a heap of meals inadvance, sauces and soups, just incase I am not up too doing much around the kitchen. Yeah I know take it easy, I'll try. Emotionally I have been a wreck for more than one reason, not sleeping that well for the last two months. Also there's this ... I am a Capricorn and find deligating very hard, well who can blame me, found the chook house twice wide open at 11pm with foxes in the neighbourhood, when I have asked for help. My main concern is the meat chooks, you know how hungry and thirsty they can get.

I know not to expect anyone to be doing a spring clean, but boy a clean cup would be nice (sorry I ranting again)
well that's what's going on here
see ya when I see ya
Rina

Meet Juliet and long weekend news ..

Long weekend again, Queen's Birthday, we had plans to head up to the farm for a few days, even the kids from Brisbane had plans to join us. But we cancelled due to bad weather, expecting heavy rain there for the next 2 weeks. It's very overcast and windy here in Sydney too, A real miserable day.



Harry and some of his ladies, hoping for a little snack.(took this pic a few days ago when the sun was out)



Just got a little updated pic of the babies, with a nice lot of feathers already. Their new digs are a god send in this cold weather, while there's a litlle sun shine they get to sunbake in front of the door. Just got to do a little more permanent fencing in, just low enough to hop over and to high for them to escape. Not really fancing chasing 40 chookies around the outside of their chook barn lol.




I have never introduced you to one of our older cats, Meet Juliet ... she just a tricoloured girl, getting on a little. But she's got big problem, her health has deteriated so much in the last few years, that is nearly time to relieve her of her pain. Juliet is the most skiddish cat we have ever owned, don't cuddle me, don't pick me up, I'll come to you if I want anything. So we just leave her be to come to you when she wants too. She sleeps all day curled up in her basket, only gets up for a little food and water but night time she sits up like an owl, her back legs have never functioned very well, vet called her a wobbly cat (birth defect) and while she was happy we just let her be, Now it has become clear she's not coping even grooming herself anymore or walking to far. It's nearly time ...

And on that sad note
I'll say bye for now
Rina
P.S. Have a great weekend

Pressie for Adele ...

A belated birthday present for my friend Adele, well better late than never don't ya think. Let's just hope she will like it. Adele loves brown and denim, so I am thinking this will go down well



That's what I like about crochet, it's fast and you feel like your getting somewhere real quick.I did not have a pattern for this , just put up some stitches and went for it. Had to redo the beanie cause it was a little big the first time, and even then the band was to wide the second time so pulled out a few rows.
Well Adele picked her pressie up and she's happy, so I am happy too.......

Tomorrow I think I'll be sewing that little bag ...

A little spare time ....

Well so what do I do first, any ideas would be welcome. There's the snowmen stitchery blocks for a small wall hanging for Christmas, that's been hiding for 5 years or more. Or the hexi blocks thats been sitting in the plastic tube for a good 10 years. Gave up on it cause I was struggling to stitch them together neatly but now maybe with those new glasses I might be able to see what I doing again. So many projects await..........Watch this space

But there is one little project i am just dying to start and it's a bag from the Australian Homespun Bag Boutique magazine I bought last Friday at the opshop. It's a very simple strippy bag with a little cloth doll pinned to it. That would make a lovely present for a young woman finishing school this year.

This week I think it's going to be some sewing for sure .......
See ya soon
Rina

Finally my last day at work for a while ...

It's finally here, the day I get to pack away the steelcap shoes and safety glasses,daggy work clothes. To get this smell of collant and steel off my skin and out of my clothes. If you ever worked in an Engineering shop you will understand what I am talking about. Time to be me again
Tomorrow I may sleep in (Yes), not have to get up at 4.30am to be at work at 6am, I may sleep in if I wish.........