Weekend and a link to a great giveaway!

Hi there,
Hope that you had an enjoyable weekend ... I spent it visiting two giant local markets, watching some River Cottage  DVDs and a spot of gardening. Yesterday I picked (and ate) my first tomato of the season .. so juicy and yum!

A great giveaway at happening over at A Treasured Past. Why not pop over and have a look?

Softies for Mirabel

These little softies are off to Melbourne as my donation to the Softies for Mirabel appeal.
A great cause and always fun to contribute.

This little cutie was made from up-cycled polar fleece  and a vintage pillowcase.

Stripey-Girl was knit from leftover tapestry wool  that was in my craft stash.

How does your garden grow?

Over the last couple of months I have been busy giving the courtyard at the side of our house a new look.

As this area contains my clothes-line, I wanted to make it an appealing spot and a place a really wanted to be in. So after gathering up some stuff for free, I set to work - it is still a work in progress but is now my special place for gardening, relaxing and of course hanging out the washing!!

I revamped this small garden that used to have some sad looking lavender and unruly agapanthus  in it. In their place  I planted  tomatoes, beans, rhubarb, squash and zucchini, eggplants and a passionfruit.
My lovely husband made the metal trellis out of some scrap metals. It looks lovely when the solar fairy lights come on (wound around the top rail of the trellis).

I already have a great crop of tomatoes.

An old wooden ladder (picked up from a kerbside collection) now houses a variety of herbs and lettuces.

These used oil tins are add a bit of quirkiness to the garden and fit in well with the recycle-reuse theme.


My kind neighbour gave me an old cement laundry tub so I decided to mosaic the sides to make it look better. I still have one side to complete and it still needs grouting but I am happy with the result so far. It is now the home to some cherry tomato plants and some basil - a match made in heaven!!
Still have to paint a table and some chairs.
I now look forward to hanging the laundry on the line!!
As this garden area is in addition to another large vegetable plot, I have been aware of conserving as much water as possible. I now have a plastic bucket in my shower that catches all of the water that usually runs down the drain as I wait for the water to get to the right temperature etc. This bucketful allows me to give the plants a good drink everyday!!

A quick makeover

Just wanted to share with you a little project that I recently completed.

1. Take one road-side find wooden stool

2. Use some wool scraps to crotchet a cover. (That is, after you have remembered how to crotchet!!)

3. Add a drawstring to attach to the seat of the stool.

4. Stand back and admire! (And make a note to re-paint the stool one day)

Satisfying Saturday

Saturday was ......

A trip to the collectables and comic shop, Hunters and Collectors ... always some great finds!

The discovery of a lovely new market at the Sourdough Cafe

Catching up with Lilea from Earthdweller with her lovely homemade and fairtrade products

Great retro and vintage stalls

Mouthwatering organic vegies

Bunches of Springtime happiness!

 What did you do today? I hope that it was rewarding and inspiring.

Time for a change!

It has been a long time since my last post and I felt the need to redesign my blog. After about an hour of head scratching and trying out lots of new designs, I have finally settled on this one.
I promise that I will be back very soon to post some pics of my latest knitting projects and my blooming garden.
Please come back to visit.

It's Springtime - I must wake up and get busy!

Love Food Hate Waste Workshop

This afternoon I attended a workshop run my  local Council on ways to reduce food wastage by introducing new ways of looking at buying, cooking and storing food. The workshop also involved cooking some yummy foods from leftovers and a cook-off challenge.
On average, households spend $1036 per year on food that is waste.
We can reduce food waste by:
* planning meals
* writing a shopping list
* shopping to a list
* buying only what we need.
More ideas on saving and reducing waste can be found at lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au and at the wonderful  www.1millionwomen.com.au/ website.