A happy traveller through life!
Right now living in NW Tasmania with a gorgeous Nurse-Husband, a fool of a Siamese Cat and several chickens.
We love our fairly simple lifestyle of growing a lot of what we eat and enjoying the stunning surrounds of our little patch.
Still not excessively winter like although we have a few days of rain supposedly coming up!
Out at Judes place yesterday helping clear more spots, wrestling blackberries and lighting fires. Always a good day! Came home with some cuttings and food!
10 photos of Rusty… one without his head blurred!!
Today we spent a little time outside stacking wood. I bring home wood from Judes, some is green and some burnable. It needed to be all in their proper places!
I also planted some hydrangea cuttings out the front where we cut back the tree-bushes!
There are still a few flowers around
Ive forgotten the name of this sweet little blue flower (also plants from Judes!) They were put in so small and are now spreading around. Unfortunately the onion weed is going crazy. I spent some time pulling a few out but it needs a concentrated effort.
And the flowers are pretty… so I left some for the second.
I love the Hellebores!
Pics are a result of me randomly aiming my tablet down low.
I finished another long row of crocheting the rug together: One more long length to go and I can start on the short lengths!
I best mosey off to bed! Basket weaving tomorrow. Looking forward to my coffee and buns and getting a bit further on this basket! Have a lovely weekend everyone
Hello there! Early attempt at keeping up to date better! Above is the view from the Somerset Surf Life Savings Club where basket weaving is now held! How good is that? Last Friday we were all out on the balcony because there were whales frolicking about out there. Sadly, I had my tablet only so the pics really didn’t show them at all. Still… its nice to show you our view!
We got a Bok Bok Box… Well… its called something boring like a chicken feeder. I like to say Bok Bok Box out loud. Jeff just gives me a … look. haha Anyway, the treadle when stepped upon opens the lid so the chooks can get to the food.
They are in training with it at the moment. Its set so its mostly open but when they step on it the lid moves up a bit. At first they all just took off in horror! They are getting braver, and the small movement isn’t bothering them as much. They can sit in the coop area with it tomorrow morning for a while to get more familiar with it. I’ll lower the setting again so its almost shut so the lid movement is more dramatic. Hopefully it wont take long for them to master it and their fears! We have been losing SO MUCH feed to the wild birds. So if we can get the chooks eating out of it properly, we will save a lot of $$
Speaking of the precious poppets… I’ve been letting them roam up the house end of the yard later in the afternoons. They get so excited to go through the gate.
The garlic!
I got keen and dug up the rest of the oca. (Starchy winter veggie according to google) I just learned you can eat them raw like a carrot! I must try it. Mostly I just bake them with the other veggies
Some stray potatoes that are now in my tummy!
Well… its been 12 or so years but the little lemon tree, after three replants, has finally done itself proud with lots of lemons!!!
Our new friend Benyu. I don’t have a photo of his fiance Rachael, but they are a lovely young couple, travelling around Australia with their caravan and house sitting here and there. Benyu did our skylight. They went to basket weaving and a few other classes at Farm it Forward Tasmania which is where I met them This is Benyu entertaining the masses at the twilight market in Wynyard!
Last weekends class soap pics!
The ladies had fun! I only had three but it was a good class. I got my last participant because I was on breakfast radio talking about soap! (How I managed to string a sentence together at 7.30am is beyond me haha)
hmmm – thats the link! Fast forward to the 1hr:45 mark if you want to listen to me stumbling though an interview!!
A better picture of the demo soap
We popped back down to Oldina for a hike!
Most of the tracks are nice and muddy – lots of puddles since we had a little rain recently!
And checking out whats left of the various fungi!
And whats life without 35 projects on the go? This collection of willow pattern granny squares was done quite some time ago… I am talking years now I think! Clearly I saw something shiny and got distracted Anyway, my best friends daughter turned 18! So I thought I would put it together and she can have a car or a couch ruggie!
I am nearly through attaching the third row tonight!
Thats about all… I think I will head back to the fire to complete the row then play some random game before bed! xxx (Below – the bulbs I put into the stump have well and truly popped up!! Mid winter!! Shows how off the weather is! At some point I’ll find something for the little pot!)
Hi! I know I know… I absolutely am not on top of anything resembling organisation or consistency! I hope everyone is doing well. Its been super icy cold… clear skies and frosty frosty mornings
Our current neighbours dont seem too bothered. Mind you… they are the noisiest bunch of cows we’ve ever had down the back. Once they spot you in the yard, they all start bellowing at the top of their lungs and come stampeding over to stare at you! Hilarious.
So… I just uploaded a bunch of photos,
I get out to Judes about once a week to work with her in her gardens and property. She feeds me awesome lunches and we do random jobs. Sometimes clearing leaves and making leaf mould compost and just using the leaves as garden compost, sometimes moving rocks. Other times rediscovering pathways and clearing gardens!
Last couple of visits we had been working on this pathway which had all but disappeared. Very satisfying to unearth it.
In the garden on the left, Jude dug up this horrifying monster. Its an Australian Paralysis Tick!! Obviously it must be full of blood but we didn’t recognise it as a tick at first because… HUGE!
Our garden has so much work to be done in it! Every now and again I prioritise fixing up a section, but its pretty slow going.
The last time I cleaned the chook coop, I made some better steps for Gympie. Now they all happily use their new steps. Although its going to be a pain to take out and clean with the next coop spruce up. I’ll have to think of something better but for now, Gymp. can get up to her spot without the agony of me watching her try to half fly and fall because she didn’t like the last arrangement of log steps!
A few weeks ago I finally put in a garlic patch! The garlic was jumping out of its skin trying to grow in the box. Now I am procrastinating about cutting up the rest to make garlic salt!
They have liked the frosts… this pic was just before they went in (so I am not even sure why I am posting this haha) but I checked them today and they are all up a couple of inches or so high already.
Frosty nasturtiums
Frosty calendulas
And yay for slack gardening skills letting the rocket go to seed… as I have a nice patch to collect fresh leaves from!
Another bigger thing we got done was the skylight! Our old one was pretty much on par with a colander. The leaks went from a one container affair to an 8 bucket event! A friend did the work for us… pulled out the old one (it was dreadful!) and we ordered a new one – double glazed! The roof was covered back over while we waited for the new skylight to come in and it was so nice not to have it raining in the dining room. Benyu did a great job fitting the new one in – considering the mismatching size of hole vs new skylight! He has also left it so we can look up to the sky instead of the old perspex that was in the ceiling.
Mind you… overall its been worryingly dry. Autumn had hardly a drop! Even now, at winters halfway mark, very little rain has fallen.
On the soapy front… I have been trying to stock up. I’ve quit Arty Duck. It was good to have my soap there, but I was finding it stressful to have to spend a whole day over in Smithton – plus the $$ to drive the hour there and hour back. With the insane prices of olive oil as well, my margins are a bit slim. Since the sales weren’t super huge, I just decided to step back from that one.
(Above Golden Honeycomb and the three layered soap is pineapple and papaya (divine)) I am supplying a couple of more local places which is enough. No more markets booked in at the moment, but mostly doing a workshop each month. And I changed my recipe so I am not having to re mortgage the house to buy the ingredients. The new recipe cuts way back on olive oil, increases coconut oil and I’ve added in both rice bran and sunflower oils.
And yes… I’ve had to start making my Christmas soaps! Have I mentioned we are booked to return to Japan? This time I am taking Jeff! I have used all the soap $$ I got from the Cruise Ship Markets to get us the tickets back. We are booked to leave mid October and wont be back until end of November. We have mostly planned to go to more rural areas to do hiking here and there! Its been fun researching. Of course we will spend some time in the usual areas as thats where a lot of our lovely friends are so we are looking forward to catching up.
Our friend Rachel is coming along, so we have been talking a lot about plans. She is also now friends with a bunch of my Japanese friends – So I am sure its all going to be quite memorable.
Over the next three months, I’ll pre book any markets that I know are upcoming and have my soap stocks up to scratch so I am not the maniac I was over last summer.
Definitely need to do this design again… a Nautilus swirl. I did it as a demo for a workshop. Mind you. It was my first try ever!! (living on the edge doing it in front of students haha)
I absolutely LOVE how it turned out so I am super keen to do some more.
OK… what else on the craft front? Above was just a sampler as I saw another lady at basket weaving do this crochet pattern…and weaving in a chain stitch into the double crochet gaps! Filing this idea away in my brain for a later project…
I attended a card making workshop… that was a lovely afternoon. Farm it Forward Tasmania has a ton of papers and whatnots to do such great cards and a very nice lady guided us through.
There was only two of us – but look at all the pretty cards that were made! Mine were the red ones and my friend Michelle did the blue ones.
My friend Kazz ran her first workshop – to make Elf Ear Jewellery… so I had to go along to that! (Who doesn’t need elven ears?) Its a slow process… esp if you haven’t done wire work. But it was fun to do. We all managed to get one ear done. I have the stuff to make my second one when I get a chance! I loved it though!
And basket weaving! I am a bit strict with myself to set aside Friday Mornings to trot along to weaving. Its a real treat. Someone brings you a cuppa, and there are buns and cakes etc! A whole big bunch of really creative friendly people attend, so I get my social fix for the week! At the moment I am working on this ambitious project. I found the vine like wood at Judes while we were cleaning up something. I couldn’t bear to throw it on the bonfire so it came home with me. I’ve twisted up the top and handle, then have worked from the top down with the flax. (Usually everyone works from the bottom up.) So… its just evolving slowly but I am loving the look of it so far! It just takes SO long to do a lap around!! Mostly I’ve only had the time to work on it Friday mornings… while I am not eating or talking! Hence the … slow.
OK… That is about all thats going on… besides hiking so I have some chance of not cracking up on all the planned Japan hikes!
Stay cool if you are in summer and stay warm if you are in winter!
Hi! I am going to go out on a limb here (not really intending the pun, but… it possibly works) and say this is the greatest before and after shot I own…
My friend Jude dropped by and pointed out a few garden hints… and we just went chop-happy!
Jeff was tackling this garden… taking out the evil rose… the one with thorns upon thorns and a mean sense of humour.
Its not fully finished, but the way is clear for us to do something a bit different.
Naturally there was a LOT of garden waste.
So… bonfire time? There are no fire restrictions now so we could FINALLY get rid of the ever growing pile, and once it was going… added all the new stuff.
Super dodgy pics. Just using the tablet to document!
I felt it was safer just to start with one pile and then chuck more on as we went rather than a bonfire that took out half the district.
Its been an insanely dry season – actually its only really just turned cooler and we are on winters doorstep! So there was no issue getting this to flare up!
At times there was a worrying amount of flare!! Still, as it calmed down I could rake it in to a smaller area and kept piling on the new branches.
With a quick pause for twisting up a loop for a future basket…
Feels good to have that gone!
Jude also gave me not only advice, but a bunch of plants too! Working on filling in this area with pretty stuff! (Perlagoniums and salvia and some succulents.) We dug up daffy bulbs from the other garden so I popped a couple of clumps in here as well,
I am really looking forward to seeing this grow in!
Nothing like a bit of mulch to really tidy things up!!
I’ve also planted bulbs in the stump… and I’ll think of something to plant in the pot. Time will tell if this is a success or not!
Jeff has continued along in front of the house in a hacking frenzy. Its looking insanely spacey!
Looks like another fire on the horizon!
There is work to be done on the house and veranda so clearing out this area is going to really help get everything accessible too. And below was at the end of today.
I am pretty sure I haven’t shared this before. But this is Pips spot. Jeff puts fresh flowers almost daily. And little by little we’ve added the rocks and plants.
There is a stump to sit at when we feel like it. We still miss him so very very much. It really doesn’t feel like its been well over a year… We find it almost as hard as when we first had to say goodbye. We keep busy, but Jeff tends to the spot and I get involved a bit – I find it harder to linger there. I see where he is meant to be in the house daily. Right now he should be wrapped in a fire warmed towel on the couch.
Jeff pulled up all the ever present onion weed, I gave the grassy plants a severe haircut and did the edges. I plan to go to the op shop and find a jug that looks cool so Jeff can replace the not as aesthetic old plastic coke bottle that holds the extra water for the flowers.
I was also super excited to get my very own cushion plant! (I’ve called them pincushion plants in the past which I like) This species isn’t quite the same as the ones up at Cradle, but its almost! I’ve planted it and added some random rocks and now I just have to wait for it to grow!
The back of the garden before the great haircut of 2024
Its all pretty pleasing to see some progress. It also inspires us to do more.
People do ask if we are going to get another cat… I tend to try to answer briefly then move on before I cry and things get awkward. But I am sure we will. In the bigger news of the year, I took a lot of the cruise ship market soap money and bought tickets for Jeff and I to return to Japan in October/November. So certainly no new kitty before then as I’d die of anxiety to leave a new family member.
We are looking forward to a five week adventure, seeing friends and eating lots!! Mostly this trip we plan to do lots of hiking. We’ve been investigating pilgrimage routes and looking to go to more rural areas that aren’t swamped by tourists. Markets have wound down, but we still have to work out budget so we have enough to cover our food and accommodation – and some fun money!
Hope everyone is doing well and either getting ready to be cosy this winter or gearing up for a fabulous summer!
Hi! Just a quick one from me… Jeff found what he thought were Ghost Mushrooms (Omphalotus nidiformis) on one of his walks around the Oldina logging area. He was keen (as was I) to pop back after dark to see if they were.
Well, after being assured he knew where they where and a subsequent 2km unnecessary walk through the dark and spooky forests, giving up then finding them not far from where we parked the car (insert wifely eyeroll) we were indeed rewarded by – a glow!
How fabulous are they?? It took a few goes to get the camera settings right – I took the ‘real’ camera out along with tripod etc (this was around a two minute exposure!!)
Of course, Australians are going to call them ‘Ghosties’ We have seen plenty of pictures of them – but never in real life!
To the naked eye they don’t glow green, but kind of like a moonlight white! They are so pretty.
They wouldn’t really grab your attention if you weren’t looking for them. And even then… you have to be actually walking along in the dark so your night vision wasn’t wrecked. It took us a minute of waiting to see if they were really glowing or if our eyes were playing tricks!
They are poisonous, despite looking rather similar to the oyster mushrooms. Apparently wont kill you but will make you pretty crook if you ate them. (Severe cramps and vomiting) (So best not) Anyway, I thought they were amazingly beautiful and I wanted to share!
The other weekend, Maureen and I went over to the Emu valley Rhododendron gardens for their autumn festival and got to set up in the gazebo by the pond! Such a beautiful day!
Maureen had all her jams and relishes, aprons and other lovely sewn goods and the scarves her husband, Gerry crocheted!
We also had a table of Gerry’s amazing willow baskets!
Naturally… I had some soap!
It was a bit of an effort getting all the stock and tables down to the spot but it was the best place! Luckily my cousin Leonie came along for the morning and it was so good to have her help!
Its nice having a big space to spread out our wares!
The weather was perfect and we met lots of really nice people!
Back to my garden, I took some time to clear out and tidy a couple of plots
This was meant to be beetroot!! But the carrots self seeded and I just never got back to control ANYTHING!
Some of the more creative carrots
This is the lamest beetroot harvest I have ever had!!
The carrot flowers were keeping the bees busy
Some nice parsley plants that I never planted… so I left them alone.
Cleared!
I have used half this bed to replant beetroot seeds so we shall see if anything comes of that. I’ve promised them I will keep them carrot free.
The tomatoes are soldiering on! Was time to weed (ok … waaaaay past time) and retie the plants. The weather is colder but no frosts as yet so leaving the plants to get the last of the tomatoes
We’ve enjoyed having a decent lot of tomatoes this season. Have well stocked up on sauces and relish!
And… looking lots better!
While I was at it, I collected some basil seeds as well.
I was super keen to keep up and attack more plots… But I seem to have some big soap orders from some local places. Which means being a little soap frantic again. Shops also mean regular (hopefully) orders. So its not just a ‘get the soap made and walk away’ kind of thing. Hopefully it will go ok. My biggest challenge now is olive oil prices which are heart stopping and also continuing to rise! I have started experimenting with other oils to help but thats a long process. I need to have a mix that doesn’t thicken up quickly so I can do the designs which is what people come to me for mostly.
Jeff bought me these super cool moulds for my bday and I was experimenting dusting with mica… I need practice haha But… they are fabulously detailed so I might do them as a special soap in a box. I was also given from our friend Yuri these cute Buddha moulds!! I am going to present them as a pair in a box. Still hoping to have soap time to just experiment on stuff rather than churning it out!! In the back of my mind I feel fairly guilty about that lack of housework thing… Oh well! Hope everyone is doing wonderfully! xx
Hello! We are well into autumn and on our way to winter again! I’ve squeezed in some time and motivation to process a few more tomatoes! It will be sad when they are finished for the season. We are still getting rather nice days, although the nights have cooled considerably!
Here are some dodgy pics of my dodgy garden out the back. I did get out and worked on it a bit before getting sidetracked into something else… so its still unfinished!
I have had another couple of local markets – workshop upcoming next weekend, but I’ve consulted my diary and I seem to have time this week to share between the garden and getting some more soap done (yah… the housework isn’t on the list.)
I guess this was a start!
Anyway… Do you recall me making a whole heap of unsubtle suggestions to Jeff while I was in Japan about wisteria trellises along with helpful photos? Of course. Nothing had eventuated. It was my birthday the other weekend so I called dibs on what I wanted to do for the day.
The site of my wisteria trellis! First up… fence and gate removal. Jeff easily popped the gate off and we figured we’d have the fence part out fairly smartly so we could put in the uprights for the trellis
Best laid plans and all of that…
OK…we knew the poles were cemented in. And it wiggled about but was not going to come up at all. We detached the wooden panels once we realised it wasn’t going to just pull up as one unit. The pole nearest the fence came out after with not too many issues.
But this one???!!! I thought we were going to hit the water table! It wiggled back and forth, and around but we couldn’t budge it upwards.
One has to ask what the previous owners were trying to keep in with a fence so firmly placed!! We had thought ducks… but this is overkill for ducks. Even mean ducks.
This is Jeff trying not to have a tanty because its my birthday and would ruin the vibe… BTW the angle grinder wouldn’t put a dent in that pole, so that idea got abandoned.
It got to the point where I couldn’t reach the bottom as my arms were too short! Jeff got a long screwdriver and started hacking away at the dirt around the pole to loosen it more… AND HIT MORE CONCRETE!! Some miserable, obnoxious, insane, ridiculous person in a fit of overkill had also cemented it deep underground… which explained why we couldn’t pull it up! I can’t tell you all the swear words. So I grabbed a steel dropper and a sledge hammer and smashed it into the bottom layer of concrete. (I admit it was satisfying) FINALLY we got it up!!
The whole operation took so long! But with all that out of the way, we then spent a bit more time untangling the wisteria from a pallet (more destruction, hammers and crowbars) and then I could start making new holes for my trellis!
Does anyone else do stupid things like this by choice for their birthdays?
Look! Two new holes!! No cement this time though.
Choosing the least cruddy lengths of macrocarpa.
We didn’t get nearly as far as I planned/hoped but it was enough to get the feel of what I was after so that was good. Plus we needed to clean up as I was keen to go out to dinner!
I figured I’d come back each day and dig one more hole so it didn’t end up taking a millennium to finish the project. I got back the next day after a hike to dig a hole and put another post in (I figured I was already sweaty so I might as well continue doing something physical before having a shower!) Then a few days later I did the same but got over enthused and dug the last three holes and Jeff got all the cross bars attached (The timber for those was a bit wonky but I trust the wisteria will cover that in due course)
I am rather excited! Really taking shape!
Now… I need to schedule myself in a new day of work to crisscross the bamboo across the top and then untangle the wisteria from the chook run and encourage it over its new home! Tomorrow has to be a soap day, but I am keen to get this finished this week. Hope everyone is doing fantastically well xx
Hi! Had my second last Cruise Ship Market Saturday… busy day with great sales… boy oh boy was I tired! Today was slow… with some half hearted housework. Anyway, to continue! This little creek crossing I was hanging out for! It was pretty hot so dipping my head into the water was super refreshing!
We started getting to the point of seeing ‘views’ too!
Totoro had a few photo shoots…
Then into the mossy forests we went.
Yuri, being the author of several Japanese Moss Garden books was so amazed at this area… even in the hot weather when its not at its best… its still beautiful!
Jeff was usually up ahead… and we kept finding Totoro in various places!!
Time for a quick posed snap!
We were getting a little tired and looking forward to a lunch stop
Hello Yuri!
Even in summer its a bit dark in the tangled mossy areas. Nice to get back out into the brighter light
More picture taking! Picture taking of pictures being taken??
And here we are at the lake – ready for some cheese and relish sandwiches and a bit of a sit down
The sangers were SO good (Yuri is in love with my relish haha) and I did a bit of a paddle in the lake to cool off
Unfortunately there were no shady trees at this spot so we didn’t linger excessively… just enough time to eat, drink and recharge the energy batteries!
From here the track still goes a long way but it meanders more in an across and downwards fashion.
And the views are lovely!
We started walking through different bush areas
Open scrubby areas and a few more mossy tree areas!
It really never gets boring thats for sure!
Some bright berries!
And sweet paper daisies
How great does the bark on these trees look!!??
At this point the track just seems to go a bit too long! We know Pelion Hut isn’t too far… but it takes its sweet time appearing!
By this stage poor Yuri was like ‘dead man walking’ and just stumbling along on automatic, bless her cotton socks! She did an amazing job! We were all fairly tired by the time we reached Pelion and set up our tents! After a bit of rest and relaxation and food we were quite fine but very much enjoyed getting to sleep that night! Anyway, I shall try to attend to a few more photos soon to continue the story! xxx
Hi! Wow… two days in a row! I’ve been working on some of the photos from when our friend Yuri came to stay. So I thought I’d start sharing the Main Event… a hike up into the Cradle NP to see what the rangers dub ‘The Japanese Gardens’
When I was in Japan last year I spent a fabulous day with Yuri and convinced her to make plans to come and see us. The hike was a big goal – the area falls right in the middle of the Overland Track, which wasn’t really a practical option. Happily, there is a kinda short cut into the track via the Arm River Track. Its a fair way from our place to the start, so we opted to go the day before and camp closer so we were on the track earlier without having to wake at dawn and do a super long drive first.
We camped at the base of Mt Roland, ate a picnic dinner and Yuri and I took a short local walk just to get into the swing of the thing.
Actually where we camped was literally across the creek and down from where Maureen and I stayed for Steamfest and in future, we will use those cabins for these adventures.
Haha… off we go. Nothing too difficult or long. It was just nice to stretch the legs after the drive.
Lots of little signs and other bigger signs with local information
I think Yuri was nervous, and I was also anxious (wanting things to go smoothly) So easing into our adventure was a nice thing to do with a relaxing walk.
And it was such a pretty area!
We were mostly all ready for the next days walk. Jeff was taking our tent and I had Yuri’s tent. We were trying to reduce her pack weight as she is only small and wasn’t used to crazy hiking. My friend Nardia was kind enough to give us a loan of a pack and sleeping bag and a few other handy things for the hike.
The main hike we planned to do over three days. First day in – a long haul with a mean climb for the first half… hence wanting to start early before the sun cooked us. Second day to go up to the Japanese Gardens and third day to hike out.
I worded Yuri up about the lack of showers – a shock to the system for a Japanese person I am sure, since bathing is such a cultural thing! I also said dont worry about the makeup – you just have to carry it and the wildlife and other hikers dont care!! hee hee… I am pretty sure she snuck some in.
So here we are looking all Genki (Japanese word) ready to tackle day one!
We brought the Triton this time as the road in is a bit rough and I think Jeff was crying when we brought the nice little Mazda last time.
Jeff also brought Totoro along for the hike! (If you are not familiar with the movie, do yourself a favour and go check out ‘Totoro’ and some other Ghibli Studio Movies while you are at it! – My favourite is Spirited Away)
Easy start…
Followed by a bit of log balancing
Yuri looking like a pro and non of us fell off! Bonus!
Finally a sign to tell us we aren’t lost!
And then came the tough part… up and up with the switchbacks. I get ridiculously anxious about the start of a trek… esp the going up thing. I am talking throwing up anxious… which is annoying as I’ve done these things so many times. There is no need for it, but – huh. Body says nope – Drama Queen Time! I did take some medication to calm the farm and let Jeff do his pace heading off ahead and I planned to stop at every switchback and inch my way up.
The overall combo seemed to work well and we just took our time overcoming the days challenge.
And stopping to take a snap or two!
The switchbacks stop eventually but the up continues for a fair way.
The track got a bit more interesting with the bush closing in
It has been so dry over summer… more than we would usually expect here in Tassie, so the moss and lichen weren’t as spongy fresh as we are used to seeing.
We’ve dubbed this rock, ‘Nectarine Rock’ in honour of stopping here to down packs and enjoy some fresh fruit! I cannot describe HOW GOOD that nectarine tasted! We were in heaven! Sometimes you have to do stupid things to enjoy your fruit more…
Clearly revived… Yuri looks like she has lots of energy left!
I always enjoy coming back out into the open spaces after spending a while in the scrubby bush areas.
I forgot to ask Yuri how many photos she took on this hike! She outdid me by a long shot!!
And I love just stopping to take in the views, catching my breath and generally trying not to break land speed records when doing these hikes so I enjoy hiking buddies like this!
Anyway, I am going to leave you on the track here as I have an early (ish) night. Plan to head up to Jude’s in the morning for some gardening and in the afternoon attend a talk about fossils in Tasmania (is that nerdy?)(I am totally there for it!)
Hello! OK… I am officially making my 2024 goal of blogging at a regular pace. I am yet to sort out that pace.
But I just renewed the site for another 12 months so I better get my act together! (Above and below: Mulled wine, Japanese Honeysuckle and some Aloe Vera Soap)(I was adding to stock to make sure I could cover the last lot of cruise ship markets and some local ones)
Stacked boxes of soaps! All ready for Steamfest, held at Sheffield for three days.
I even went as far as labelling the boxes. Back to good old scribbled notes and tape as the little label holder didn’t really work. I think there is around 600 soaps in here
Soap sock/soap saver! New design – I just made it up and its quick to do and… importantly… fits the soap in. Just a couple of granny squares crocheted together
These will be nice to do over winter when I am trying not to do much but sloth in front of the fire.
Travel sized shampoo bars – I like the little bags. Got to stir my butt and get more shampoo bars made.
This year we cancelled the campsite and was lucky enough to find a place not far south of Sheffield to lay our heads. Maureen decided she was just a bit on in years to be crawling in and out of tents… esp in the middle of the night when one might want a wee!! This spot at Gowrie park was only about 15 minutes drive and the part we stayed in was essentially a backpackers with private rooms, shared bathrooms and a kitchen! Perfect for what we needed. Here is a pic of the room I artfully decorated in my rubbish.
We will definitely take advantage of this location again.
Anyway, down to Sheffield we go… Maureen and I! Her husband Gerry also drove up to help us put up a backdrop as we decided last year that the grotty old shed walls weren’t aesthetically pleasing enough.
Just in the throes of covering our stall up for the night. I love setting up and walking away! But its a dusty shed and the condensation means a bit of cover is a smart move.
The ladies from the Cruise Ship Markets also packed up from one market and drove the hour and a half to set up here!! Exhausting!
This time Maureen convinced Gerry to let her bring up his baskets to pop onto a table! Mostly willow and flax – what a variety he has! Not bad for starting a new hobby in your 80’s!!
I’d kept a number of full batches to use at Steamfest so I wasn’t left with half filled baskets So good to see them all out on display
I made use of the back wall to display Mums scarves and the cosy cuffs my friend Nozomi’s Mum made.
Here we go! All set up! Carpet and all!
Maureen in fine form! Mind you the hat lasted about 4 minutes as we were dying from heat! It was madly hot over the weekend. Humid too! Hilarious watching people though. The ones walking by in various stages of Melted Puddle were the Tasmanians who seem allergic to any sort of humidity. I could instantly tell the Queenslanders though… they looked quite comfortable in an ‘you call this humidity??’ kind of way!!!
Lovely aprons and wall hangings.
Maureen certainly has been busy since returning from Japan. She did have things on her stall that weren’t hers – besides Gerry’s baskets – and next year that wont be happening. Cutting down all the extras to just display her own work, (and the baskets of course!) so she can keep all the loot for herself!
Jeff dropped in to visit on the Sunday – to check out Steamfest and kiss his wife of exactly 17 years! Unconventional anniversaries are the name of our game it seems Yet to do something like have a dinner out to celebrate!
We loved the look of our little shop and had a fabulous weekend away, eating pizza and various other junky food!! We had a lot of laughs! Mind you, sales were down a lot compared to the previous year, but we still went home happy.
My friend Jackie makes these absolutely gorgeous reversible bucket hats! She has sold well over the cruise ship season. Actually we were all meant to be there today, but the boat cancelled so we all packed up and came home. Its raining now… and finally being at loose ends (yes yes, still a million projects to be worked on but…) so I wanted to sit and blog and photoshop travel photos from Yuri’s visit!
There are two more cruise ship markets and then the season is done. Hopefully the weather and seas are good as they are pretty big boats. I’ve done well out of them – I’ve been madly saving it all and I am planning on funding a return to Japan… this time with Jeff!! (Nice wife haha) After the cruise markets there are three more local markets – two in April and one in May and a potential soap workshop in April. So things have slowed up markedly and I am beginning to catch up on other things – helping Jeff a little in wood restocking. We emptied the tanks and swooshed them out. The bottom was getting a little manky in the main tank so it was time. And wow! Rain. So decent timing on that. Its been super dry. Also made my beloved pesto and another batch of relish as the tomatoes have been so much better this season than last! The house is still a wreck. Lets not talk about that! Hope everyone is doing well! Halfway though March already! Insane!
