Last Weekend, friends and food

Goodness, it's friday again.....but I would like to show you what we got up to last weekend.
On saturday evening, we had friends and family over for one of Mr Roo's camp oven dinners.
Can you see the camp oven in the fire pit?
He cooked a fantastic roast beef. I made some roast veggies in the kitchen oven, and an apple and currant slice for dessert.
We showed outdoor movies on the carriage platform. It was a great night.

On sunday afternoon, we were invited over to Sandrine's for traditional Paella.
 It was superb!!!

Yum! It was sooooo delicious and full of succulent seafood.
(I think Cookie was hoping that Sandrine might drop a piece of food.....)
I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
Cheers!
Sandi x

In My Garden....Spring blooms

Come for a walk with me around the garden...... let's see what's in bloom at the moment.
I love this old fashioned rose, don't know the name of it, the perfume is glorious!

Here are some more rosebuds (of the rose above) nearly opening.....

A native fan flower..... love this colour! This one grows in a sunny spot out near my letterbox.

and lastly, some golden blooms on this little cactus.

I have a few pots of succulents on the back verandah and this cactus is amongst them.

Hope you enjoyed looking around my garden.

Come back soon!

Sandi x

Shhh.....It's Secret

A sneak peek at one of the little things I'm working on for the Chooky Blue Secret Santa Swap. Shhh don't tell anyone.......
Happy Stitching,
Sandi x

Make a Teapot Mat

Here is a great project to make with french knitting
 - a teapot mat.
(See this earlier post on french knitting.)
Use wool for this project, as it is going to be felted.
Make a length of french knitting. Coil it into a circle. You may have to try this a few times till you get the desired size. Mine is approx 6 1/2 inches across.
Take a needle and length of wool, and starting from one end, curl the french knitting into a circle and continue to stitch the coils together till you get to the end. Hide the tail end of the wool in the mat. 

The next step is to felt the wool.
In a basin of hot soapy water, gently rub the mat till it felts up. Rinse. Give it a quick spin. Then dry the mat, keeping it flat. I gave it a day to dry.
You can see by the picture that your mat is looking a bit different now, the colours have blended together a little, and it has flattened out.
Now to add on the felt base.
Place the mat on piece of coordinating felt and cut around it.
Place some safety pins in to keep it all together.

Stitch the felt base on. I used six strands of embroidery cotton.
I also stitched in the centre between the coils to secure the felt.

Project finished! A nice cosy mat to put your teapot on.

I hope you enjoyed this fun tutorial. Let me know if you make one, I'd love to see it.

Happy stitching,

Sandi x

It's Kinda Wet

[Dash] 'Mmm......I'm not going out there!'

Very rainy for the last few days here on the 'Sunshine Coast'. We have had nearly 400mm of rain on the range, since it started. It is very squishy underfoot, gumboots definately needed!  Our pet ducks have found some really big puddles in the neighbor's driveway, and are actually swimming!
The weather bureau predicts that we will have a fine day .......on thursday.

Great weather for sewing tho'  :)
You'll find me out in the railway carriage studio - I've got the heater on, so it's warm and cosy. I'll put the kettle on!
Happy stitching,
Sandi x

A Spot of Irish Tea

When visiting 'The Rocks Markets' in Sydney last month, we happened upon the delightful Tara Tea Rooms.  They specialise in Irish tea and scones.
Mr Roo noticed they had a blackboard informing customers when the next batch of scones were ready - straight from the oven.
The scones were lovely!!!! Big and crusty and soft and fluffy on the inside. Plus there was loads of jam and cream. Delicious! I would definately go back again.

Each teapot had its own individual tea cosy. It added a nice homey touch.
Don't you love discovering these hidden gems?
Cheerio,
Sandi x

Family Wedding

Hello dear readers,
I'd like to show you a few photos from our eldest son's (Matthew) wedding. The weather forecast for that saturday (18th September) was a bit doubtful, but in the end, we were blessed with a beautiful day. The showers held off until later that evening.

The first photo 'Waiting for the Bride'
Matthew (Groom), Tim (best man), Joel (bride's brother), David (Matt's brother, our second son)

The beachside wedding was held in a park at Moffat Beach, Caloundra.

 Halley and Matthew.
 Halley looked absoultely gorgeous in her bridal gown. Her bouquet featured tropical orchids. The bridesmaids wore full length strapless sage green dresses, and carried lillies.

The happy couple,
officially married now!

After the ceremony,
the champagne was flowing
as everyone congratulated the newlyweds.

Photos were taken with the wedding party,
........ then onto the reception!

The reception was at Saltwater restaurant, also in Caloundra, at Kings Beach, a beautiful location.
More champagne, beautiful food, music and .........dancing the night away.

***


The day after the wedding, Mr Roo and I went camping for six days on Fraser Island with friends  (I forgot to take the camera, sorry no photos).
So with the trip away to Sydney, the wedding and the camping, there wasn't any time to fit in a post.
When we returned, my computer started playing up.........and not allowing me to connect to the internet, and doing other annoying things. I now have a new computer. Yay! Am still getting used to the new program.

Cheerio,
Sandi x

Catching Up

Hi everyone, gee it's been a while since I have blogged. My apologies. 
September seemed to fly by. Earlier in the month, we were down in Sydney, where Mr Roo attended a conference. I went along too, and did some sightseeing. The first photo is a market at The Rocks. Can you can see the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background?

I visited my Grandmother whilst there. It is easy to get to Mardie's from the city (where we were staying). I jumped on board a Sydney ferry, and headed accross the harbour to Greenwich Point. It is always an interesting trip on the ferry, stopping off at various wharves, and the ferry captain manouvreing the ferry into the right spot. That day it was particulary blustery too, making it a bit more of a challenge.

Here is Mardie's little house. (she was checking her letterbox when I took this photo). She has lived there ever since she was married (she is 92 now).
You used to be able to see the Harbour Bridge from the verandah, but alas now there is a big house across the road, blocking the view.

 On our first night in Sydney, we boarded the 'Sydney Showboat' - an old fashioned paddlewheeler boat, for dinner and a show, it was fantastic! I took this fountain photo (at Darling Harbour) on the way back to our hotel after the show. The harbour is in the background.

We had a lovely time visiting bustling Sydney - shopping, sightseeing, dining out, markets.......glad to get home though........
Cheers,
Sandi x