Blog Hiatus

I'm having a blog holiday for a bit. I feel really bad about it too, like I'm letting the Scatterday side down. Sorry Daisies! But I need a break for a few weeks, to recharge batteries and rekindle enthusiasm.

Next week it's the letter M with the categories of Music, Dangerous, and Cold Things

This is occupying a lot of my time at the moment, big changes in our front garden, which will be terrific after it being exactly the same for over 25 years. And sadly neglected for the last 5. I'm up to my ears in garden plant research and the like. It's going to be great when it's finished.... a lot less lawn, more brick paving, limestoned garden bed walls, low maintenance.... wonderful!

Scatterday K

For my K Scatterday this week I thought I'd choose....

Office Things, my work KEYS, for opening all sorts of doors and cupboards.

Hobby may well be a unanimous choice this week, with KNITTING. This is my progress on Steve's jumper, spun by my own fair hand from a bag of fleece. I haven't laid eyes on this knitting for some months and it's bit yucky.... there is still some lanolin in the yarn and it's gone all stiff from lack of use - that'll learn me for being slack and not getting on with it. T'will be fine after a wash.

Something I Like The Smell Of is the deliciously fresh scent of KAFFIR LIME. We have a tree in our garden which is very handy if only I'd remember to use it. :-)

Next week fellow Scatterdaisies we have the letter T and the categories of Square, Blue, and In My Neighbourhood. Michelle and I are still chewing on ideas for how to change the challenge to make it fresh and new.... if anyone has any comments on that please feel free to speak up!

In Which I Learn About The Importance Of The Swatch

What do you think of this crocheted container? It appeals to me and I like the rustic colouring of the yarn. The only problem is that it wasn't meant to be a container.


Does this give you a clue?


Yep, it was meant to be a hat. Something went a bit massively haywire with my tension. That will teach me to be idle and not do a swatch. Ah well, at least it's a nice container. :-)

Guys and Girls

It's interesting the differences between girls and boys. Steve and couple of workmates had a boys' fishing weekend away, and on Saturday, because Paul was away and Meshell was at work, I was HOME ALONE - a rare occurrence.

It was very pleasant, I pottered around doing a bit of this and a bit of that, talking to myself (I only exhibit my signs of madness when I am alone), and finally settled down for the afternoon to this...

Nothing like a bit of crochet whilst watching the football on the tellie! The Eagles lost so it's just as well I wasn't paying it my fullest attention as I had to count double crochets at the same time.

It rained and rained and rained for 7 hours on Saturday morning (heaven!!) and afterwards we were blessed with some spectacular clouds.


Next day Steve returned, exhausted and smiley. I was asked could I please upload the photos off the camera immediately so I could see the reason for his happiness. This -


Do you think he looks just a little bit happy sitting here cuddling his very large 5Kg salmon? Personally, I'd rather cuddle a puppy any day! :-)
It's been Steve's lifelong ambition to catch a salmon so he is a very happy man.
The boys had a very fulfilling fishing weekend and have talked of nothing else ever since!

Dare You

Soozadoo set a wee challenge the other day, to be brave and show ourselves as we really are. Initially I snorted and thought 'no way hozay' but when I saw that a few ladies here, here and here had taken the plunge, well.... what the hell, why not.
This is me, just woken up, brain not even working yet (which could explain why I've done this). Thankfully it was not an explosion hair day.
Right, so who else is up for it?

Scatterday A

Something You Find In The Dark, something that you bleary peer at with one half opened sleepy eye, hoping that you can grab another hour in your warm bed before it buzzes insistently, is an ALARM CLOCK.

The is our very mostest bestest favourite buffet Restaurant - the ATRIUM at Burswood. Really nice food, plenty of room and a nice location. Couldn't ask for anything better. The photo is taken from the picture in my Entertainment Book... one of those things that has discount vouchers in it for various stuff. They cost $65 through various charities each year, and considering you save around $25 each time you use it at a participating restaurant, it doesn't take many nights out before you've got your money back.

When I was 15 I went on holiday with my family to various parts of Asia, including Singapore. Apart from bits of trashy stuff that 15 year olds like to buy, I parted with a large chunk of my savings to buy this pendant from a jewellery store. The Turquoise stone is an AQUAMARINE, my most favourite of stones, set in a rolled 9ct gold pendant. The very fine chain busted a few years later and Steve bought me this replacement chain about 15 years ago. I absolutely adore this pendant and I wear it every single day - I never take it off.

Now Scatterdaisies, next week we have the taxing letter K, along with the categories of Something You Like The Smell Of, Hobby and Office Things.

There is a change in the air, Michelle and I are thinking this is starting to become a little boring, perhaps because we've been doing it for so long, so at present we are brainstorming as to a slightly different weekly challenge. Watch This Space!

Chopper Squad

Steve and I both had birthdays recently, and Mum and Dad gave Steve a gift voucher for a half hour helicopter ride along Perth coastline. As it sounded like fun, I used my birthday money and bought a ticket as well.


It's interesting how different your city looks from another perspective, and how beautiful - you take where you live for granted sometimes I think. Perth has a wonderful coastline and the colours were gorgeous.

This photo is specifically for my friend Kerry. Kerry, this is the shrine of WA football - Subiaco Oval. I took this a few hours before Hawthorn came along and beat the Dockers on Saturday.

This is the Causeway at the eastern end of the city, and that piece of land in the middle is called Herrison Island. I never knew how big it was. That white dome thing behind Herrison Island is the Burswood Dome, and the tall grey blob in front of that is Burswood Casino and Resort.

One of Perth's fantastic beaches, although in the excitement of the helicopter ride, I've quite forgotten which one it is! We have fabulous white sand.

Further north up the coast is Hillary's Marina, which is heading towards the northern point of Perth suburbia. I was surprised how picturesque this was from the air, all those lovely colours. The diamond shaped white building to the left of the red roofs is what used to be called Underwater World, but I have an idea it's now called AQWA. It's a place worth visiting if you are ever in Perth.

This is the port of Fremantle, and this part here is where all the containers get stored from off the big ships. This is the start (or is it the end?) of the Swan River, where it meets the Indian Ocean.

This is the city of Perth, by gee we don't have many tall buildings compared to Melbourne or Sydney. See that long flat thing in front of the buildings? That is our controversial Convention Centre that everyone hates. If I have my facts right it's meant to represent a gum leaf, but with the appealing (not) concrete sort of colour that it is, that concept has failed dismally. Personally I think it needs some fantastic Indigenous art all over it. The bridge in the foreground is the Narrows Bridge, spanning the Swan River that you can see snaking off into the distance.


Steve is smiling, he and I had a good time. Nothing like a bit of an adventure from time to time!

Scatterday X

If I told you that I had a ride in a helicopter today, specifically for the task of taking a couple of Scatterday photos, would you believe me? :-)
Well, Steve and I did actually have a ride in a helicopter today, and I took my camera and just happened to be on the lookout for appropriate things for Scatterday! Pretty exciting huh.

I decided to bend the rules this week, and instead of finding things beginning with X, instead I looked for X shapes in things. Clockwise from top left...
1/ Yea ol' garden hose.
2/ An intersection on the outskirts of Perth city, taken from the helicopter. According to the pilot, we were 500 metres up in the air, flying at 180km/hr - wow!
3/ Part of an old garden table that we now stack pots on to grow herbs.
4/ The security screen on our laundry door.
5/ A couple of old pieces of bamboo that Steve left lying in a garden bed. He uses it as stakes for his tomato plants, and occasionally they sprout!
6/ Another helicopter shot, believe it or not this is Perth's main cemetery - Karrakatta. I was really taken aback at the regimental grid-like structure of the place.... not the sort of thing you'd notice at ground level.
7/ A boat travelling under Stirling Bridge in Fremantle - another shot from the helicopter.
8/ A nice colourful X in the middle of my unfinished Indian Orange Peel quilt.
9/ And in the middle is a section of a painting that's on our wall.

And for next week it's the Letter A with the categories of Restaurant, Something You Find In The Dark, and Turquoise.

I Love Photoshop

Nothing gives me more pleasure than to while away the hours playing on Photoshop, particularly when I've found a handy webpage or an informative library book on nifty effects. So, most of my Easter break has been spent hunched over my computer, playing.

This is called Multiplicity, isn't it cool! You set your camera up on a tripod and a timer so it doesn't move, then take multiple shots of yourself in different positions. Then you choose the furthest back position as your main image, and create layers with the other shots. Then you use the lasso tool to go around the outline of yourself in each layer at a time, click Select-Inverse, then backspace and on each layer that will remove everything except the person. Then you use the eraser tool with feathering just to tidy up the edges to blend everything together nicely.


The other thing I was playing with was how to replace boring sky with something more interesting. This is a photo I took of an interesting lichen covered fence post when we were on holiday in Pemberton. Very overcast day and the sky is a bit samey.

I took this photo when we were on the road to Exmouth in the north of WA. The photos are similar in size and pixels . I used the first photo as the main image, and using the magic eraser tool, selected all the boring sky. Then I put this image behind as a layer and hey presto...


Spiffy sky! It's a bit crude along the treeline as I haven't yet spent the time feathering along the edge but it's an interesting effect don't you think? A little surreal looking with the light and all, but fun to play with.

Scatterday N

My contribution for Scatterday this week is my dear old friend Noel Nome (we all know it's meant to be Gnome, but Noel wont have it, he's thinks he's definitely Human). Noel and his fishy pal Nigel have lived with us for 20 years, they guard our garden with great diligence.

Noel has HUMAN characteristics, from his looks (ignore the funny hat) and he displays HUMAN qualities, such as kindness. Every year he used to make Nigel hold an easter egg in his mouth for the children to find.

Noel and Nigel are also SMALL, standing about 25cm in height.

And they are also made from MINERAL. Now, I define mineral as not animal and not vegetable - with mineral being something created from the forces of the earth. Noel and Nigel are made from some sort of stone, which is probably a MINERAL AGGREGATE.

Next week we have another free-for-all, take three photos of things beginning with the letter X.

Scatterday L

Ello Ello Ello, it's Scatterday and it's the letter L!

I was sitting there, flicking through the dictionary looking for an inspiring choice for the category of Household Item, and there is was - LEXICON - the very thing I had in my hand has another name! Did you know that LEXICON is another word for dictionary? I certainly didn't, and as my dictionary is very definitely a household item then what more perfect thing can there be for the category of household item than LEXICON! :-)

For the category of Round Things I chose a LIGHT GLOBE. Not entirely round but certainly round at one end. I was playing with the photo trying to capture something interesting in the morning sun on the glass.

And finally for the category of Tools I went for LINO CUTTERS, artistically presented along with an example of what lino cutters can do. I made this leaf stamp some years ago and used it to stamp on fabric. Must have another play with that....

I have an "L" story for you.
When Meshell was a wee girl of about 4 we were driving along in the car playing "Eye Spy".
"I Spy with my little eye something beginning with L" says little Meshell.
We went through everything we could think of in the car to no avail, and she sat there very pleased with herself.
Finally we gave up.
"We give up Meshell, you're too clever for us, what's the answer for something beginning with L?".......
"Elbow"

Next week we're looking at the letter N with the categories of Little, Human and Mineral - a nice diverse bunch to ponder.

I'm A Lucky Girl

It was my birthday yesterday, 48 years young. And I had the nicest day, I was surrounded by lovely people both at work and at home, I received emails and cards from friends and family, and I was thoroughly spoiled (or is it spoilt?) by my family. Would you like to see my goodies? Some were surprises and some were things I ordered and then had to wait impatiently for. :-)


First my Koigu yarn - isn't it to die for! My children bought this for me, but I had the joy of choosing my favourite colours off the internet shop, gosh it was hard to choose but I'm really happy with all of them.


This one is my favourite, I just love turquoise. Not sure exactly what I'm going to do with it yet - it's sock weight merino yarn that's hand painted so the colour variations are divine. I'm thinking I'm going to make another mitres squares cushion.


Next is another fantastic thread holder that my dear father-in-law made for me. He made me the other two a few years back, and they are so useful but as you can see I've rather badly run out of room. So he made me two more - wonderful.


This is my surprise present from Steve. Isn't she gorgeous, at least I think it's a she - what do you think? She stands about mid-thigh height and weighs a ton. We're not sure what she's made of - sandstone or limestone perhaps. She's outside my kitchen window now, under the outside light - which shines on her at night and makes her look like an angel. :-) I love her little fat tummy.


Mum and Dad surprised me with a digital photo frame - I shall have fun with that. I've taken loads of photos but they just sit on my laptop and I rarely see them, so it will be nice to have them cycling through up on a shelf in my house.

You may be wondering what those two tubes are in the front of the photo. Well, Mum has a good memory - ages ago she ordered a huge floral sticker that are specially designed for the big green wheelie rubbish bins we use outside, and I've always admired it. So she ordered me a couple - thanks Mum! I'll post a photo when I've stuck them on the bins so you can see how nice they are.


This is the present that I ordered "from Steve", with his okay of course. I swim laps regularly and for years I have longed for some sort of waterproof MP3 player to relieve the boredom. Well, I have found one after extensive searching. It's called a SwiMP3 (good name hey!) and it a very fandangled thing indeed in that it doesn't have horrible ear plugs but instead it sits against your cheekbones and conducts the sound through the bones in your skull into the fluid in the inner ear which turns it back into sound. Isn't that amazing!

I'm dying to try them out when I next swim on Monday, but in the meantime I'm charging it up and choosing loud, fastpaced music to upload to it. I have even swallowed my pride and put on a wee fashion parade so you can see what it looks like on. There are slots in them that the straps of my goggles go through and that's what keeps them in place.



Haven't I been the luckiest girl ever!

Scatterday V

For the category of Pink, I've gone with VASE. My aunt gave me this vase some years ago, it's been in the family for a wee while I believe. I'd love to know more about it. It's very strokeable... lovely and smooth on the back.

Next was the category of Signs. I went hunting for a "vote" sign, a leftover relic from the election, without success. So instead here is the sign for a noice bag shop called VICTORIA STATION.

And finally, the category of Big. Had there been a volcano handy that would have been fabulous, however I settled for VINES. This is a lovely vine covered walkway at a big shopping centre nearby and I love the twisted gnarled stems of the ageing vines.

Next week it's the letter L, and the categories are Household Items, Things That Are Round and Tools.

I Made Something!

You were right.
To the people that commented that the fabulous new craft room would be hard to be creative in because of its pristinity (do you like that word, I just made it up) - you were right.
I spent all of last week just wandering through the room, sighing with pleasure, stroking surfaces, delighting in the clean tidiness and fabulous organisation of our stuff. Which was very enjoyable I might add, but have we heard the chugging of a sewing machine or the clicking of knitting needles - alas no.

So anyway, I had this lovely pine frame that originally housed a very nice dried flower arrangement that eventually disintegrated, so my plan was to devise some natty new thingy to decorate the frame. And yesterday I made myself sit in that lovely room, make mess and create something. And I did! :-)

"Come On Baby Light My Fire"

One of the things that annoyed me about myself last year when I was heavily into embroidery, was that I couldn't figure out how to use the finished pieces. They are all sitting redundant in my sewing basket. So that was my challenge, to use an embroidered piece, along with some of the polymer clay faces to pretty up the pine frame.

I frayed the edge of a piece of dark brown hand dyed fabric and glued that on to the frame, and I also rolled up the top and bottom ends to give it a scroll type appearance. Then I sewed the faces onto the embroidered dragon hand-made felt piece I had squirreled away, then needle felted some strands of yarn around the faces to soften the edges a bit. They look kind of 'witchy' to me now, slightly sinister and taunting that dragon just a wee bit.

It's on the wall, I think it looks ok, AND I cleaned up the mess and put everything back in its place. Hallelujah! :-)

Scatterday O

Something Found In A Library - I've gone with OPAC, or more specifically Online Public Access Catalogue. I don't know about you, but I love online library catalogues.... no longer do I spend ages wandering shelves in a fruitless search for books, I access the online catalog of my local library, find the books I want, request them online and only venture to the library when they notify me the books are waiting for me. Easy peasy!

Something Hawaiian - this one has me stumped most of the week. Finally I was on a website looking at Hawaiian facts when I discovered that the State Team Sport of Hawaii is Outrigger Canoe Paddling. And as I don't have any outrigger canoes handy to photograph, here is a drawing of one in our ancient encyclopedia.

Something Sweet - Oranges of course. Navel Oranges to be precise. I love navel oranges, I don't like valencia oranges very much as they are not as sweet as navels.

Next week Scatterdaisies, we have the letter V and the categories of Big, Signs, and Pink. Should be a bit easier I think!