I am ....

Working: On the The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

Being Called: Amanda Muggleton, Bob, Ruth, Tracey - by the characters of TCWWS during the course of the play.

Sleeping: at Bondi over the past three nights, during the bump in and rehearsals of TCWWS, because of the late finishes, early starts and Trackwork.

Reading: James Ellroy - The Big Nowhere as recommended by Jennifer Byrne and team on the First Tuesday Book Club; An intense, complex and enthralling read.

Watching: TCWWS and Life on Mars Series 2, the first because it's so funny and the second because it's a damn fine drama.

Knitting: the lovely Touch Yarns Angora into a scarf and mittens for a friend who admired the yarn - the bunny fibre is sooo soft and smooshy. I have to complete it by tomorrow lunchtime so one more show should do it.

Buying: 1 skein of Debbie Bliss Silk yarn from Morris and Sons sales to supplement the 6 balls of cotton/silk, Classic Elite Patina I'm using for the Stashbusting sideways Jacket. Any excuse to go and browse a sale.

Waiting: for Virginia Farm to reopen so I can buy dye suitable for colouring Linen fibre - then I can finish the Linen Jacket.

Sheltering: in the dark, air conditioned, coolness of the Playhouse Control Room away from crowds of hot tourists.

Missing: the cool Blue Mountains air, the King Parrots on the back Verandah, and my boys.

Christmas Trees

There's the big one;

the little one;

the ones growing in the garden;

and the bush.

They all have their place but I know the most popular is the one in our house.

Happy Christmas!

Social Events

The past few weeks have (once again) been busy but this time it hasn't all been work. It is the time of year for social occasions but most of mine have centred around family and the odd bit of knitting.

Just looking through Picasa (the only way I seem to keep track of what I've been doing) I've found our day at the Zig Zag Railway;
We travelled on the last trip of the day and they let us ride in the cabin while they shunted - Big thrills for the whole family. Because it's only 30 minutes away I've joined up with them - the whole organisation is run by Volunteers and they do a damn fine job - as well as being a lot of fun.


Then there was the Star Wars exhibition at The Powerhouse; we arrived very early and left before the crowds became too much.


It was a great display of Props and Costumes and it showed the amount of detail required before the days of CGI and Green Screens.I loved the costumes while The Lad was more into the robots and the villains.

On the same day we caught the last performance of The Umbilical Bros. These two guys are the most talented and funny performers I have seen for a long time. Despite rushing to catch a taxi to the airport after their last show they still managed to find time to sign an autograph for a 10 yr old fan and his pushy mother. (Dave was still in the shower but signed it as he packed up the props)

Is it any wonder I yearn for the green tranquillity of the back verandah after a few weeks of this?

Blossom

I know that Summer has officially started and that the time to celebrate Spring blossoms has passed but our garden was never one to stick to convention.
Several trees have been putting on a beautiful show for the past three months so I pay credit to their prettiness.

The Blueberry Ash is a mass of pink tutu flowers surounded by bees and insects. I've given up on the blue berries surviving because the birds always get there first.

Its neighbour, the Lemon Scented Myrtle , is a bit more subdued with clusters of soft cream and lemon blooms.

Next to them the Black Wattle is past its best but its creamy flower puffs can still be seen. Despite its name this tree is not an Acacia;

"Callicoma serratifolia is a plant of historic interest as the first timbers used for the wattle and daub huts of the early settlers were cut from these trees. This plant was common at that time around Sydney Cove. Because of the close resemblance of its flowers to those of Acacia it was then known as black wattle, a name which is now applied more appropriately to some true Acacia species."

We have plenty of real wattle trees in the garden but their flowering period is long gone. The Big Boofy Cockatoos are having a great time ripping into the new seed pods and scattering the cuttings over the front garden - there is a layer of mulch about a foot deep over the lawn and the path and the car and the postman, if he stayed still for 10 minutes.

The one plant that is thriving is the Oca - so far my attempts to ward off snails and possums and birds have proven successful. The recent rains have been extremley beneficial to my Yam trials so I'm keeping my finger crossed for a good crop.