You're telling me this is your computer?

You snooze, you lose!

Happy Valentine's Day

My Sweetheart bought me a shiny new Mixmaster (moments after the price induced heart attack at the Kitchenaide display). Naturally, when a mixer enters a home, cake must inevitably follow. This Honey-soaked Lavender and Poppyseed Cake was a hit with the younger members of the household. It smells divine!

I am rather proud of this full moon photo, taken on Sunday or Monday night. Don't ask me which night, I really cannot remember!

I have a very experimental approach to photography. I have a few settings, including ones called S and A. I usually only use the auto and macro setting for extreme close ups. Taking photos like the lightning, I set it to S and try alter the settings by increments until I find what I want. I have not actually investigated what the S means, though I suspect that it's something to do with shutter speed, and I discovered that photographing the moon and lightning require very different settings. It's fun, and the triumph when I get that long sought after image is well worth the fiddling around in the dark.

Australians this weekend have been shocked by the terrible fires in Victoria. So far there is an official death toll of 130, but that is expected to rise as rescue workers manage to access more areas. Entire towns have been erased. Smoke has lifted to reveal car wrecks and untold horror as people tried to flee. Australians are generally prepared for these types of disasters, but the speed with which the fires spread in the 47C (116F) heatwave was more than anyone could anticipate.

On top of that, two thirds of our state, Queensland, have been inundated by floods for weeks. The monsoon is above average, but not excessive. I think it's a bit of a shock after years of below average rainfall. I am waiting to see if my family start developing webbed feet. If only the rain could be shared around the whole country.

We are blessed to be safely out of range of both disasters. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has lost life, loved ones and possessions in these hard times.

Edit: Donations can be made to the Red Cross. Coles Supermarkets have promised to donate all profits made on Friday the 13th to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Lucky for us (and the Red Cross), that's our monthly pay day, so I'll be stocking up big on Friday.

Lazy Saturday Afternoon

Afternoons at my sewing machine are bliss. The sun streams through the glass doors, but the airconditioner lets me pretend that it's not stinking hot. I spend some time playing with my button jar, a pleasure that reminds me of my Nana and the jar that fascinated my sisters and I thirty years ago.

This is the little treasure I have produced today. It is a sweet little bag, the Everything Pocket Bag, purse sized, so I can pop into my handbag. So many uses! But this was my first need:-


I can see many more of these ingenious little darlings in my future.