Plain Jane Creations

Australia Day 2012

2012-01-26T20:26:00.000+11:00

I didn't take my camera with me but Google Earth has supplied me with a photo from space to show you the four beaches I walked today, and even walked the largest one twice, returned home along the river, 8km in total with Dear Husband and my spotty dog Ruby. Great day for walking so many people down on the beaches enjoying Australia Day with their families, so much going on down their; kites, Frisbees, dogs, kids, jet skis, cricket, swimming, fishing, picnics, sandcastle building, massive hole digging and kayaking. Click on photo for a closer look, they are all gorgeous beaches, so clean and easy to walk on.

Surfer Boy rides the waves

2012-01-23T21:55:00.001+11:00

Look what I found when I emptied my camera today, don't know when, where or by whom it was taken.

Seaman Surfer Boy

2012-01-23T21:42:00.000+11:00

My little sailor is currently at sea protecting Australian waters, we have no contact with him at all while he is onboard ship so I've posted this photo from his passing out parade last July to keep his face clear in my mind. It's a strange thing to not be able to have contact with your child, very unnatural for a mum.

Moda French General quilt done

2012-01-22T14:46:00.001+11:00

I've finally done it! I've finished this quilt that I've been working on since early 2010. Now that's a long time to make a very simple big 96"x 96" quilt. I finished it with 8" wide linen borders and odd corner squares. The back is two drops of the same linen with a stripe of red scraps down the centre. It was professionally quilted by Christine at Stack and Stipple, with two layers of batting, one wool and the top very soft acrylic to give the quilting definition. The hand stitching of the binding took two evenings, it was a really long way around this quilt which is more like a bedsrpead. It looks lovely on the bed and is just right to sleep under on cooler summer nights.

And you know what, I've started a new quilt already! More about that later.

Surfer Boy again....................

2011-11-19T20:25:00.001+11:00

I've just found this on the Defence website.................I think he may have been more interested in Jessica Mauboy than Barack or Julia!!!

Darling Daughters turn in the spotlight

2011-11-19T16:10:00.001+11:00

Last night Darling Daughter partnered her boyfriend Jack Sparrow to his final high school formal. I'm awaiting the official photos,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,when JS is wearing his tie! Couldn't wait, had to show you how grown up my Darling Daughter is these days, she turned 17 last Saturday. Guess what colour her Karen Millen dress was?

Update - January 2012

Never did get a better photo! Wish I had one that showed the left hand side of Darling Daughter's gorgeous little dress and one with Jack Sparrow wearing his matching tie. Had to clone out a double power point behind Darling Daughter's right calf, not very well either I must say!

Barack Obama, Surfer Boy and Julia Gillard

2011-11-18T17:16:00.001+11:00

I think this might be our families brush with fame for a lifetime..............here is my only son Seaman Ashton (AKA Surfer Boy) smack bang between Barack and Julia yesterday afternoon in a RAAF Hangar in Darwin. President Obama made a 27 hour trip downunder and my boy was in the right place at the right time, as they say!

These are a the best photos I have been able to find, they weren't really focusing on Surfer Boy yesterday but he is there between and beside both the President and our Prime Minister. He did also appear on many news broadcasts, The 7pm Project and ABC Lateline. Today I've picked up The Australian newspaper and there he is on the frontpage right between the most powerful man in the world and our nations leader. Proud moment for our family.

Darling Daughter is growing up fast.............

2011-05-15T17:58:00.008+10:00

.......................I guess it won't be long and we'll be seeing her off into her exciting future whatever it may be. She's not sure what she wants to do yet, only 18 months of high school left which will fly by. Darling Daughter has found herself a very lovely first boyfriend in Jack Sparrow, they have very similar interests and are both very relaxed and laid back. He's a real charmer too, he bought me a little block of Lindt chocolate recently, he'll go far!!

Sailor Boy now

2011-05-15T17:37:00.008+10:00

My Surfer Boy has turned into Sailor Boy, he's been enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy for 2 weeks and is beginning to settle into the gruelling 11 weeks of Recruit School at HMAS Cerberus down near Melbourne. He's entered the Navy as a Gap Year Recruit, which means he completes one year and then can decide if Navy life is for him, he's in the very last intake of Gap Year Recruits, the program has been so successful that it has been ceased for the next year or so. Surfer/Sailor Boy has been issued with 10 uniforms this week and this is the least formal, I don't think the hat is part of this uniform, this is the only photo we have, it came via his mobile phone to his sister late last night, the 110 recruits only have their phones for a very short time on the weekends so I'll keep you up to date with what he gets up to or you can check the RAN website and follow the Moran Division Recruit School Intake 293 via the weekly photo updates, there are 2 weeks posted so far, not sight of Surfer Boy so far, he's apparently in the Anzac group which haven't been featured yet.

A fresh start

2011-05-15T17:28:00.005+10:00

While out with girlfriends yesterday I picked up this little kit...........I know you're all thinking that it's a very basic cross stitch kit, it is. I'm feeling so worn out lately from a very challenging working life that I'm a bit worried I can't remember how to do any of the creative stuff I used to do, it sometimes feels like it wasn't me who used to do so much sewing, knitting, embroidery, etc, etc........and I can't believe I ever taught it too. Anyway it's almost 12 months since the giant cell tumour was removed from my right index finger, it bends well but it doesn't grip well and it feels numb at the tip so holding and manipulating with it feels weird. Anyway I promised my girlfriends I would make a fresh start into my former creative life and I have!

Deja vu!!

2011-05-15T17:17:00.006+10:00

Remember these red shoes and those who know me would know how much I love red shoes. Well, it's happened again, this time it was a wild fox who ate the back of my left shoe while it sat at the front door of Darling Daughters boyfriends (Jack Sparrow) home while I was chatting with said Jack Sparrows parents. I must say I was pretty upset when I retrieved my favourite Zensu red suede left shoe from the very tame Vixie! He arrives every evening for a handout, has been doing this for 5 years apparently, he is very cute but he's not in my good books any longer. I have however bought two new pairs of red shoes, will photograph them and shoe you what I found last weekend.

Finally something to make me blog again............

2011-02-21T19:44:00.007+11:00

...................it's only been about 6 months! So what you might ask has prompted this little blog post? I'm not sure what it means but today while in town searching for a pair of pre-loved Levis jeans for a project I'm working on at the moment I came across this sad little selection of old patterns and I did a double-take. I've made it! I've found one of my felted bag patterns at a charity/thrift store, it really made me smile. Did the previous owner knit one of these bags from my pattern, did they love it enough to pass the pattern on to someone else, or maybe they couldn't make head nor tail of the pattern and they threw it away in disgust????

I am sorry I seem to have stopped blogging, it wasn't intentional, I'm not even sure why it has happened. I haven't taken any photos either, not even while on holidays in Tasmania late last year, no Christmas shots either! Weird isn't it? This photo I snapped with my iPod touch and it's not too bad, maybe that will motivate me to snap more things in the future. I do still think about blogging, there is a small pile of subjects to be photographed sitting in my sewing room waiting.

Returning to work has changed my life, I've been back nursing now for just over 2 years, working 3 days a week. Very soon I will begin working full time, this is a bit scary, I haven't worked permanent full time since I was pregnant with my first child who turns 19 this July. Will I survive? Who knows, but I'll give it my best.

My boy is a hobbit..............

2010-08-23T14:31:00.003+10:00

......just look at the size of his feet! It is no small wonder that he can stick to a surf board so well with size 14 flat feet. I have done some sewing, thought I should report this detail for those who have been concerned about my lack of creative blogging since my finger op. Yesterday Surfer Boy conned me into mending three split seams on his old wetsuit, what a job, working with dental floss, a big chenille needle and glove stitch I managed to get it back together and Surfer Boy sat alongside and learnt the basics of wetsuit repair. As soon as he finishes his Higher School Certificate this November he is heading to Western Australia to surf with a mate for a few months before his Navy enlistment date which he should hear about in the next fortnight (fingers crossed). He is such a tight @#$% when it comes to saving for a goal, he's been working every chance he gets with a local bricklayer as a labourer and he's stashing his money away so he can surf for as long as possible in the Margaret River area.

My girl...............

2010-08-23T12:04:00.007+10:00

............is two years old this week. Lukius Hidden Treasure more commonly known as Ruby is a great girl and despite her eye problem she is a very happy and well adjusted young dog. As you can see Ruby has her eyes closed whenever she is outdoors and she bumps into things regularly but her other senses are so good she seems to cope well. Ruby loves her freedom on our leads free beach and we are looking forward to summer and lots of swimming time very much.

Potential socks

2010-08-17T16:20:00.007+10:00

It will be 2 months tomorrow since my finger was operated on and last week I went back to the hand surgeon for a review and she was pretty happy with it but it is still quite swollen and starts to curl up by the end of the day so now I will be wearing a splint every night. This tumour will recur most probably so it is going to be an ongoing thing keeping this finger in good shape.

I did find some great smooth space dyed sock wool while up seeing the specialist, and boy was it reduced, $5 a 100g ball which is normally $14.95 so I bought 7 colourways hoping that this will encourage me to keep on trying to make my finger knit. I haven't used this brand Moda Vera Noir, maybe it is a Spotlight exclusive, 75% superwash wool and 25% polymide, European wool made in Turkey whatever that really means! I just did a search on this yarn and found an enterprising person is selling it for $10 per ball on Ebay.

It's been a while.............

2010-08-17T15:57:00.002+10:00

.................and I'm still not knitting! Don't ask! Not happy! Anyway I am determined I will be able to create again one day. Until then I've been busy with many other things and amazingly even doing some major spring cleaning and decluttering, getting ready for full time work next year. I hope to get our house all sorted out ready for a weekly cleaner to take over for me, I've never needed one before but I have a feeling I won't be wanting to clean house on the weekends.

A crafty friend of mine recently had her first year of blogging printed up into a gorgeous book and this spurred me on to get mine done too, I had looked into it a couple of times in the past. I received this book last week from Blog2Print and it is a great quality well finished book, I was so pleased with it that I ordered the next two years today, should arrive early September all the way from Belgium. It isn't cheap but I figure my Blogger blog is free and I never seem to get any of my digital photos printed these days so this book is a great record of all the happenings in our household.

My finger looks less pregnant these days...........

2010-06-29T20:45:00.008+10:00

..............10 days post-op , minus the plaster cast now and only a few days until the stitches come out. One day soon I might be able to bend this digit again and then back to knitting I hope...............it's been way too long!

Belated birthday post

2010-06-27T20:31:00.009+10:00

My half century other half was lopping trees last week and I saw that he was wearing the fabulous birthday shirt that my sister found for him and it reminded that I hadn't shown you another of his gifts. Dear Husband has pair of very good friends that went to school with him, honeymooned with him tagging along, were in our wedding party and they also made a trip down here to celebrate with him back in April...................very good friends! Suzie is from a well known Griffith restauranting family and she whipped up a birthday dinner in the holiday shack they were staying in. A gourmet roast dinner for our two families that was so scrumptious and there on the table Marty had decanted into a glass coffee percolator a 1980 bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage. For thos who don't know this is a very special bottle of Australian red that they've had stored away for many years......................it smelled so good and tasted even better. What a lucky boy Dear Husband is to have these lifelong friends who are will also turn 50 next year..............so how do we top a $600 bottle of wine! Ideas please!

New book

2010-06-27T20:09:00.005+10:00

This post is for my friend Maggie who has just begun knitting socks again having learnt many years ago as a little girl in Scotland. I bought this book at a great yarn and patchwork store while on my road trip and I can't wait to have a go at this challenging technique of knitting a pair of socks at the same time on a pair of circular needles which would avoid that dreaded second sock syndrome. Sackville & Lane had an amazing variety of gourmet yarns both Australian and imported, they had a great modern range of patchwork fabrics and best of all fantastic samples and kits all over the shop. The staff were super friendly and even recommended a great lunch spot in their town of Wangaratta. Drop in if you are passing and they also have a knitting group you can join in while in town.

Lots and lots of bobbles

2010-06-27T19:41:00.004+10:00

Found this gorgeous bobbly scarf at our local markets earlier this month, just had to add one more to my vast scarf collection while I'm out of creative action. Fleur Gunn, her mum and Virginia Aland run a fantastic little stall together at Moruya Country Markets, it's full of textile goodness and the most amazing Egyptian paste bead jewellery. The Bobble Scarf was crocheted by another talented woman from QLD, I think her name might be Jenny King because I found her on Ravelry and even better the pattern is for sale there too. It is crocheted with one ball of Noro Kureyon Sock wool and the bobbles are added as you work the scarf. Also need to mention the hand made paper bags created by Fleur's boys.

Nice start to the long weekend for Surfer Boy............

2010-06-13T11:36:00.006+10:00

.....................not so for his sister, he conned her into getting out of her warm bed and heading down to the beach armed with my camera. They're down there again this time with the telephoto lens.............maybe some better shots coming up. Love the little pod of dolphins who were surfing alongside Surfer Boy, they are very curious creatures.

Roadtrip shopping

2010-05-25T11:57:00.003+10:00

I found this great handmade silk organza and pure wool scarf in a wonderful eclectic little shop named Rebus in Beechworth. When I find the label I will let you know the name of the local felter, she also makes fabulous handbags, wish I had taken a photo of them for you, one had amazing Calla Lillies on the side.

New slippers for me

2010-05-25T11:50:00.002+10:00

My usual Bev Galeskas ballet slipper pattern but this time I knit them the largest size with two strands of double knit wool together and they turned out just the right size for me (Euro 39 or Australian 8.5) and so thick and cozy. Winter is just beginning here and I can't stand having cold feet or the rest of me is cold too. I used a Sullivan's 100% pure Australian wool, but found in small print on the label..........Made in China!!!!! What the!!!

Now let me tell you.................

2010-05-24T21:06:00.007+10:00

...............this giant cell tumour of the tendon sheath is seriously impeding my creativity lately and it's making me very grumpy!! I am waiting for my hand surgeon to remove it asap and I can't wait..........might even ring the hospital tomorrow and check whether they can give me a date yet. I struggle at work to write and assist the surgeon I work with.............not sure how much further the skin on my finger will stretch, the finger tip is numb, it doesn't bend much at all and the whole thing just throbs constantly. Yes......................I'm whining! Sorry about the dodgey pics, not very good with my left hand but I may have to learn fast.

Roadtrip

2010-05-23T16:44:00.010+10:00

I've been on a ''Thelma and Tom" trip over 1850km actually. I decided to head back to the area where both my parents families are from and do some exploring for myself as my own family would be thoroughly bored by the whole thing I'm sure. I bought myself a little GPS named Tom and he had a lovely English accent to guide me down into NE Victoria over the mountains for a week of taking in the sights and discovering all about my family who have lived in that area since the mid 1850's when a convict named Roger John Newbound was transported from England to Sydney fulfilling his life sentence. My mums family came as free settlers and land selectors and there are still a number of the family farming the area today. The photo above is of the hay shed on my grandparents first property, it's sagging with age but still stacked with bales of hay today.

Mum's family before she was a twinkle in her dad's eye, the two little girls are the only ones still with us and they are my maternal aunts. This photo was taken in the late 1930's when the family were living in the house we referred to as kids as the ''ghost house" as it was derelict and vacant by the 1960's and throughout my childhood. I found that the house has been "modernised" and is a family home once again. It amazes me that I can look at the actual spot where mums family gathered for that snap so many years ago.

I visited many cemeteries, churches, schools, museums, wineries, and even a few living elderly relatives. I've come home knowing so much more about my family and where their lives in Australia began after the long trip out from England. It will take me sometime to add all the new information to my ever growing tree, almost up to 5000 individuals and to plough through all the photocopied family info I was most generously allowed to share.

All in all I had a great trip and I think I will be taking more of these Thelma and Tom roadtrips in the coming years. One week in a cosy little bed and breakfast was no hardship either!