Author: Lisa

So, I’ve packed the car mostly ready to head out tomorrow and finally thought I would sit and figure out how to do some essential things on my new tablet so I can blog/email etc while I am in Japan.

Naturally this included a thirty minute hiatus while I updated payment to run the blog for another 12 months, as it ran out today – I guess that’s better than it expiring in the middle of my trip.

Step two… Cut fingernails.

I don’t have a mobile phone and just use my PC at home. This screen Tappy thing is a bit slow and annoying and definitely does not like long fingernails.

I took some random garden photos to learn where they go and then how they upload to the fully paid up blog.

Things really work very differently on a tablet and I am doing a lot of random scrolling and swiping, and let’s be honest – swearing.

If I can just master Facebook, video calling, emails and blog I’ll be content (ok maybe see if I can go all out and work out how to get my Hay Day farm on here haha)

Ok… looks like I’ve mastered blogging. I’ll look forward to relaxing in the evenings and writing posts and sharing photos of the trip.

Xx

Birds nest basket done?
Kinda. Wasn’t sure I’d get it big enough before heading off to Sheffield!

I will save the thread tucking for another time…

Its a really sturdy (if somewhat scrappy looking) thing!
It was fun to do and extremely messy!
Its been raining and cold here so I had to finish it inside rather than out the back.
Yay for vacuums

I’ve taken a nice cloth to line it and quickly experimented with chucking some soap in it to get the overall aesthetic…
Quirky? haha

xx

Well… I got through the box of tomatoes!
The rest went through the food mill and cooked in oven to reduce

Will do as tomato paste for a while. They are all in the freezer

I’ve been working on getting everything together properly for Steamfest.
I’ve labelled all my boxes clearly so I know what is where
I’ve made sure I have all the right tags and signs for the table today – stamping some cute stuff onto the plain paper bags and cutting up the grease proof paper ready for wrapping.
Things are slowly coming together!

xx

Hi …
Since my tomatoes are staying determinedly green, I bought a box of sauce tomatoes.
We were so low on relish
Wow… the box was pretty big! So I did two relish batches (just finished second one tonight)(Thats 12lb of tomatoes and 4lb of onion)

The rest I chopped and cooked which I plan to mooley and make into tomato paste.

I popped over to Maureens yesterday so we could mock set up our tables to see how we’d arrange things for Steamfest.

Above – my fragrance and colour free goats milk soaps
I am hoping to have that new basket finished to display them in. I’ve used some nice moulds for half of them which I reckon look lovely.
Then the plain sliced soap I’ve wrapped in pretty origami paper which looks so bright and gorgeous.
I think this will make a nice display!

xx

Went over to Smithton to a meeting for the Arty Duck Saturday morning.
I had a young lady come in and inquire about fragrance free soaps last time I worked there so said I’d bring a basket of them over. (One of my little hand woven baskets)

I was given a massive garbage bag full of lavender via one of the ladies at Farm It Forward Tasmania (where all the workshops are done)
I thought I’d embellish my lavender soaps.
Think I might choose a movie tonight and watch it while I fiddle about with that.

Only a couple of weeks to go before Steamfest, so I need to focus now on how the whole area is going to be set up.
Two weeks will fly by I am sure.

Popped over to Margies this afternoon to have a cuppa and sit out on her lovely back patio and catch up.
I took her some eggs and a few fresh dug veggies 🙂

xx

Hi… Arm still a little sore but not as tired now so things going along well there.

I bought an ‘extruder’
Basically you get your soap dough and smoosh it into the tube and attach the end piece with the disk shape of choice and wind it back out… soap comes out in long string of said shape… (yes, better take photo next time)
You then drop it into your loaf (or chop to make little decorations)

I did another chocolate bunny soap… chopped the leftover shapes on one of the extruded pieces of soap for top decorations
Placed the flower and raindrop lengths randomly in with the bunny:

I am sure I can eventually get more creative with this tool but it was fun to just jump in and have a go with it

xx

The day before yesterday I thought it might be a good idea to muddle about in the back garden…

Despite a lot of neglect, I got two zucchinis!
Made a zucchini slice that has been most enjoyable

I weeded and mulched the patch… its got a mix of zucchini and pumpkin. No pumpkins showing yet..

Tidied up around that plot too

Er… yikes? The cape gooseberries are looming and not giving the apple cucumbers much space and there are some lettuce valiantly hanging on

Closer inspection and I found two cukes!

Enjoyed nibbling on the cape gooseberries but did cut them back a fair bit

Happier patch

And giving them some decent watering too…

There were strawberries in here somewhere… even found a couple to eat!

I give up on the second strawberry patch. Its full of borage, sweet peas, happy bees and some cherry tomatoes!

Anyways, it felt good to give the area a decent tidying.
I did make more bunny soap today but didn’t get much else done.
Not feeling my best post jab but at least no fever… just drained.
Hopefully will perk up a bit tomorrow as I have to deliver the soap and do some basket weaving

xx

Today I got my 3rd covid shot.
Part of the rules of getting into Japan without risking having to do a PCR and failing.
So far my arm is sore and I am slightly light headed and tired.
Will see how I shape up tomorrow.

Above is a better photo of the ombre in the green (Lemongrass ess oil)
Its quite a calming colour and design. This was the soap the students got to cut to experience the fun of that part of soap making

Liz chose the Orange and Bitter Chocolate fragrance.
This one is a devil to work with as it thickens up the mixture REALLY quickly.
We ended up spooning it out rather than pouring it.
So its ended up with quite the rustic appearance but I do love the orange and black. And it smells divine!

Karen paid her deposit to do a class probs nearly 12 months ago!
She finally got a chance to come in and do the class – and really enjoyed herself
She chose the Lemongrass and Exotic Lime fragrance and did these gorgeous swirls with two tones of green

One of my Monday Morning Knitting/crochet pals, Angela made it in to a soap class!
She chose the comforting fragrance of the Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, and with a bit of saffron, created these lovely soaps!

Rena has dairy sheep and her aim is to make sheeps milk soaps!
She is keen on all natural products, so chose the Lavender essential oil and used the Brazilian Purple Clay for her colourant.
We tried a drop swirl just in the middle and its worked so well!

And for my show off demo soap I did a Taiwan swirl with some unsubtle colours.
Its a faster demo than the usual one – we only had 4 students but they were a chatty inquisitive lot so we weren’t running super early by the time we got to this stage.
All in all, it was a fun day with lovely people – networking not just about soap but other aspects of being more self reliant in gardens and creating beautiful things.

xx

Above… worked on my basket when I did my day out at Arty Duck last week. Taking shape. I do need to sit and do more.

Yesterday went fine… if a bit long and tedious with the wait and by 4pm when I was done I was pretty hungry!
Luckily they give you a drink and some sandwiches before you go!

They did some biopsies so won’t get results on that for a bit.
Funny… I didn’t know I was waking from being knocked out and I was chatting to the nurse for at least five minutes before it dawned on me…
“Am I all done??” I seriously didn’t put two and two together. I was asking her about the pre op drug that makes you all nice and fuzzy and light headed. Didn’t even note I wasn’t in the procedure room anymore!!!

Today I worked in the garden – made some progress out the back. I wasn’t allowed to drive today or do strenuous work. So I had a delightful sleep in and just moseyed along sorting out weeds, cutting back the cape gooseberries and mulching stuff.

xx

Bunny soap for Easter…
This fragrance is Belgium Chocolate.. smells delicious.
The second bunny embed (yet to be used) seems to be missing his foot.
They are so tricky to get out of the moulds with all bits and bobs in tact.
Oh well…

Today I had a workshop.
4 Ladies. Lovely, chatty and enthusiastic.
I got to wear my super professional new apron

(I’ll have to get another snap close up of the green ‘ombre’ as the one I took tonight sucked haha)

Always fun seeing the different designs and colours.
Angela’s soap will turn a more yellow-saffron by tomorrow evening.

Demo soap time. Doing a Taiwan Swirl 🙂
(Thanks to Michelle for the photos)

I went for the unsubtle colours, while next to it the lovely natural clay swirl looks elegant!

Such a pretty green combo!
I’ll look forward to unmoulding them all and cutting tomorrow or the next day.
Tomorrow I have to go into the hospital to get a gastroscopy done – nothing dramatic (well hopefully) – just an overdue check up to make sure all is ok as I have pernicious anemia (hence my regular B12 Jabs (which I also suspect is overdue? Sigh… better check with the doc next time I am in))

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend

xx