July - Blink and you'll miss it!

First, a picture of my first redwork attempt. Not too shabby, if I say so myself! I didn't cut the strips of the border very well, though, so they aren't as nicely lined up as they should be. Obviously it's going to take practise. The magazine tucked behind is the one that I got the pattern from, this year's Handmade Annual. Handmade has to be my very favourite craft magazine. There are always several projects I am itching to try.

The next couple of pictures are to illustrate the wonderful chaos of my house last weekend. Seven little Australians, and four exhausted parents, all crammed into a house the size of a hobbit hole. It was funny, cute and very, very tiring.

Cousins!

Our newest relative. Isn't she adorable? She smiled like that for the entire four days they were here. I was entirely charmed.

The back yard on a foggy morning. It was the first day back to school today, so we didn't get to laze around and enjoy it, though driving to school is surreal on a foggy day.

I am taking a step back from the internet at the moment. Not cold turkey, I'd never cope, but I am sending my much loved modem card to work with Darling Hubby each day, so I only log on in the evenings. I am hoping that taking away my addiction will get some of the other things I wish I had time to do. I miss my blogs, but have already made good progress on some stitching.

This regal fellow, a blue winged kookaburra, has had a lovely morning, perched high in a tree chuckling at my efforts to dry laundry between rain showers. I do enjoy the sound of kookaburras. They always make me smile. Maybe part of it is remembering old movies with jungle scenes, where inevitably, there in the depths of deepest darkest Africa, somewhere near Tarzan's home, an Australian kookaburra starts up laughing. It was always a source of great hilarity in my family.

Winter School Holidays

might be my favourite time of the year. We get the relaxed vacation feeling, without the heat and humidity of summer. We've been quite industrious this week. As well as a lovely day spent with the grands and great grand I have been working on a ripple rug,

We painted a jack and jill garden seat. I had to put a halt to that when youngest child started painting the grass, with the intention of telling Daddy "it snowed!"