Why Sunday was nice

Drank coffee and browsed books here
Went on a long picturesque drive
Ate lunch with family beside the water
Sang happy birthday to a 1 year old and ate yummy homemade chocolate cake
Watched this movie here
Had a refreshing vodka, lime and tonic, sitting on red ottomans
Ate very delish garlic bread with a side of bruschetta, Italian meatballs and a rocket salad
Caught up with my favourite cousin

All in all, a superb Sunday.

Day 3 (Day 1 of Long Weekend)

Soaking, solid rain is blanketing Sydney right now. Just returned from dinner at a great Thai restaurant near Central. Lovely flavours, as good as last time we were there. Good company, lots of laughs and a few nice glasses of wine - followed by a great coffee, just a few doors down. They really know how to make a good coffee, UV and I agree. We went there last time too and again, it was just as good. Only had a couple of spoonfuls of a very sinful blueberry cheesecake, so feeling quite happy with the day, food wise. This morning's weigh-in was very much a relief, 2 kilos less than yesterday!! Go figure ... well that's what we are trying to do on the other group-effort blog, Figure finding. All of us yesterday weighed in more than we anticipated. Perhaps, as I suggested, it's those unpronounceable scales we bought (2 of us) but I guess it's just the vagaries of the weight loss journey ... or maybe it's just the weather.

So what else can I say about Day 3 of the festival of blogging? Slept in (coz I kinda, um, stayed up til about ... 2ish. Blogging. UV stayed up too, so we were both a bit weary this morning.) So we had a lazy A.M, reading, drinking nice coffee, chatting and discussing the Anglo Saxon hoard uncovered recently, now on display at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (I really want to see it!). I started reading my archaeology feeds and learned a few interesting things, including an ancient Nigerian tribe called the Nok (weren't they on Stargate SG1 once?? - oh, that confirms it, I am watching too much SciFi)

What I really need to emphasise about today is that I (literally) dusted off my sewing machine. It was actually covered in red dust from the dust storm a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't realised it was uncovered and near a slightly open window. Oh, dear, I'm such a good housekeeper!
I didn't end up using it but I did stretch the fabric I bought at the craft fair over a canvas, to hang on the wall. And I'm about to start a new scarf, from a kit I bought at the craft fair - more on that later. So, finally to some craft. I'm also planning to make some soft trees and a pyramid door stop. More on that later also.

Amelie is on right now - what a great film, but (I'm embarrassed to say) I slept through it the first time we saw it!

Rufy did his feral mad cat routine tonight - he was outside while we were out to dinner so came in very wet and started galloping to and fro, from kitchen to deck. He even knocked over the water. Jasper and Licorice looked on, nonplussed, far more sensible ... or perhaps lazy. Ruf is relaxed now, on his pouf (favourite spot, above)

Daylight savings starts tonight (ah ha, Clocktober gets a look in!) so I can't stay up til the wee hours, plus we are off to a 1st birthday party tomorrow, a good drive away so we have to leave here about 10 (and I have to go and buy a present before then!!)

Day 3/Day 1 a good one, very nice to have the feeling of a long weekend, still 2 days left.

All weekends should be long weekends.

P.S. Finally (after perhaps 3 years) I have got my ipod up and running. Yay!!

2nd evening of blogfesting

OK, what to blog tonight? - my idea this morning was Flowers in my October garden. I sat on the deck this morning eating my mainstay brekkie, porridge with blueberries and yummy greek style yoghurt plus a cuppa, black and well stewed. There before me were all my current floral emanations, not a thing to be dismissed as I am currently a ghost in my garden when it comes to tending it - I gaze at it all ... then re-fill the cat's water bowls. I did finish weeding all the pots on the deck recently, something I had begun doing only about 3 weeks before. Grouping all the pots into zones on the deck was an improvement but I currently have a pretty sad and seedy collection of things, although the lobelia, self sown, is doing well and the succulents hang in there. Walking around, snapping my flowers did uncover a few unexpected things ... the shot (top right) is of a succulent I brought back in my suitcase on the plane from Melbourne (ooops, should I admit that?) It was a plant that my cousin had grown from a cutting, one that our grandmother had grown - kind of nice to have something growing that was my Grandma's in Melbourne. Two things I treasure that she gave me - the piano sheet music for Sheep may safely graze and the book The Little white horse by Elizabeth Goudge, one of my absolute faves, not only because I loved the story so much as a child but that she gave it to me. So this plant makes three things I have that she loved - kinda nice!
Anyhow, LOOK!!! there are buds on it (they are the long purply things) - first time I've had that happen. How wonderful, I will keep my eye and camera on this.

Other plants I took, just the better shots:

I like the owl looking at the single strawberry flower. The little blue flowers in the grass come up every spring. The orchid is also a first, never before flowered in my garden. And there's the cat's water bowl I regularly fill, beside the self sown lobelia. Not too bad for a wild garden.

I do have to give a nod to  Amy's Ideas Hub and today's theme of Rocktober - coz I have a v.fave song at the moment:



Just adore this, the steely feedbacky (very technical description there) sound of that guitar at the start, that amazing voice of Michael McDonald from Steely Dan and Doobies fame, the great song in itself by Grizzly Bear and their sublime vocals. WOW!!! Haven't felt this immediate zing for a song for a long time - thanks JJJ for throwing this in my direction on the way to work one morning!! Bought the album on the strength of this - a little disappointed this version is only on the b side of the single so will hunt that down, but the album is fab, interesting and quite addictive. This has kickstarted my desire to rekindle my music collection - a bit neglected over the last many years, compared to my obsession with music once upon a time. So, yay! This is a great thing to celebrate on Rocktober day of Blogtoberfest.

P.S. I've gone pink for October - Pink awareness month. It's 10 years last August since my mum died. She would love the idea of a pink month and she would love my post today, celebrating flowers, one of her favourite things. I miss you mum xx

Blogging Blogtober

I signed up to Blogtoberfest! And I decided to used my own, real name, not one of my psueodo-noms-de-jour that I normally coin. Phew! Two big steps for day one of the fest of blogging that is October.

Now, what to write about ... hmmmm .... this could be the moment I've been dreading when I have indeed run out of things to say. No, no, Badskirts ideas are great so here goes with Knocktober:
Maryanne is my name but sometimes I go by Coorabella (over at Flickr and Ravelry) ... that name is based on a place I love, Coorabel, at the back of Byron on the beautiful north coast. Other places I love include my Wamberal home from childhood, the bar at Bar Beach, where I swam every summer morning as a teenager and a little corner of my current garden where the weeping pink puff ball lilli pilli grows high beside the sacred bamboo, curling ferns and monsteria deliciosa - quite special. I must photograph that over the weekend - if it doesn't rain too much.

::: here's my little corner of the garden, I shot it this morning (actually tomorrow morning to be exact as this is really yesterday now ... confused? me too!) :::


Amazing what you write about when you are not really planning it!

Other things about me? I've joined a little weight watching group at work, starting last week, so that's something I'll blog about no doubt.

My main reason for blogging is craft - of course! - I'm a compuslive crocheter, knitter, sometime jewellery maker and fabric hoarder. I'm planning on sewing some of my vast tracts of fabric one day soon(ish). I dream of a craft studio but in reality I only have a spare room. One day when I finish painting and organising, it will be the craft hub of my universe!

How's that for blogfest numero uno! Looking forward to tomorrow.

Here's a photo I added tonight to Autumn Color Week on Flickr ... its brown today. This is a great tile that appeared amongst the rubble when we removed our old kitchen - very 70's! I'd like to use it for something but not sure what yet.

Here's where I'm up to (yes, I'm a copy cat)

Loving :: my new tshirt!

Also loving :: this idea from Meet me at Mikes:

Watching :: Buffy, it's S2, Ep22, Becoming part 2 - Buffy and Spike's first hook up! (It's late and Sci Fi is on) - never realised before that this episode doesn't end with the Grrr Arrgh! but with a funny little voice saying "Oh, why did they hug?" Cute!
Reading :: The Children's Book, A.S. Byatt - I'm just at the beginning, enjoying her writing
Making :: Granny square bag, 3 knitted scarves, crocheted jewellery roll
Dreaming :: of sewing stuff this long weekend
Eating :: tonight's dinner: lamb cutlets, chats, a salad of mixed leaves, avocado, red onion, kumato's - loving salads again, now it's (slowly) getting warmer
Feeling :: how warm my toes are under the rug and I'm very sleepy but I can't stop blog surfing!
Thinking :: I should be checking my email for a reply about software prob at work. 
Hoping :: I can keep writing at work; I can get my craft room together soon
Wondering :: if I can convert that old corkboard into an inspiration board like this one
Hearing :: Over and over in my head, a great song (the Michael McDonald version is my fave)
Liking :: my ikea laptop stable table I am currently using while surfing
Wanting :: A new long mirror, a new silver mirror for over the fireplace, a hall table
Playing :: Gin Rummy and Patience with my niece and brother last weekend
Wishing :: it was the long weekend already so I could start sewing the birds I got from Prints Charming
Enjoying :: Prue & Trude sessions with my other niece, "yesh, ai knoow, it's sooow naish!"; also Giles singing the Buffy ad on Sci Fi (from the episode Restless) (always enjoy Giles singing!)
Coveting :: A cup of hot tea, chocolate ginger and macadamias!

Chico's found home

The sweet little bloke who found us on Friday night went home tonight. Chico (now we know it's not any of the lame names I came up with - Ginger (sadly obvious), Nez (the markings on his nose look like a pince nez), Mulder (well, his tail is rather like a foxes) - anyhow, he was gratefully received by his lovely owner and her neighbour. The vet scanned him, tracked them down and after ringing them, they hot footed it down in the middle of the downpour that was predicted to turn into gigantic hail stones, to collect their lost waif. He'd been missing since last week and they were off to a psychic tomorrow to see if he was still on this side!!! He lives over 2 streets away, one of which is a very busy road! A very relieved and grateful owner tucked him up in his extremely large carry box and off we all went, into the rainy evening. Rufus was very good, waiting patiently in his carry bag after having his annual booster shots. All boys here, Jasper, Rufus and Licorce seem relaxed and somewhat relieved to have their house back to themselves! Hopefully little Chico is tucked up happily with his ecstatic owner, enjoying being back home again. We will miss the little one though, he had fitted in very easily and if no home was found he would have definitely joined the gang here!

Long time no post

A scarf for dad using NZ possum merino wool

Time I added something. I've had a lazy Sunday morning, both of us sick, so I've been catching up on reading blogs, new and old, photo loading to flickr, etc etc. Realised I'm neglecting what I had planned to work on this year, my craft journey! So many ideas, so little time. yada yada. Work gets in the way. TV numbs the mind. Days roll by.
Here goes ... some of the things I've been playing with over the last few months:


Socks for UV

Silvery leaves scarf for me

A granny bag for my niece

A scarf that goes with a beret already crocheted for my niece