fiveandtwo

Bits And Pieces

Christmas Lunch! All the offspring in attendance plus Linsey's very likeable boyfriend, Lachie. Now that the older kids have "other halves" I guess the future will be alternate Christmas lunches. I'm rather taken by Lachie's Mum's hosting of a Christmas breakfast. That's a great idea if family members will be elsewhere for lunch of dinner. This is do-able for me, being a morning person.

"Where's Clare?, where's Clare?", "Oh, of course, she's the one taking photos...". Laughs, good company, good food (if I may say so myself), I'm a sucker for family gatherings.

Furry Christmas decoration.

Micky discovers the Christmas tree and all those decorations. Entertaining kitteh.

Pip is less than impressed with said kitteh. Complains.

The triffid hops vine that is supposed to be growing on the arbour that spans the front gate. It has evil designs on the letterbox. Mwahhaha. Did I prune it back? Nah, took a photo and let it grow. Tomorrow we won't be able to open the gate.

Siezed the day, as the cliche says, and scraped, sanded and primed the timber parts of the balcony.

This has needed doing for at least three years. Capitalising on the mere-est sniff of an urge to do house maintenance. Massive prune of the climbing rose that rampages along the balcony, for painting access.

The door has had "the treatment" as well. The primer is white. The door will be turquoise and the balcony timber a very dark turquoise/teal, the colours they were before maintenance. I kind of like the white but it's quite blinding when you look out at/walk out to the balcony, and the twining trunk of the rose looks better against the original dark colour. Once this is completed the pergola out the front requires work. May need to wait until after the grape harvest.

New Family Member!

Nah, no pregnancy for me. I have nowhere to grow a baby these days.

I have been brooding about another cat. Clare and Al were exclaiming over the kittens in the newspaper pound report. So, on a whim, off we went to the pound. Looking for an outgoing, "personality plus" kitten, to cope in a household with dog, cat and kids. The first one, a gorgeous ginger, was taken. The first to come and greet us, that is. Next was a male tabby-and-white. He has become our Micky.

Pip, our 10 yo cat, is disgusted. Introduced, Micky ran up to play with Pip. Micky was greeted with a loud hisss and Pip stalking off. Suska, the greyhound, was also disgusted. "Why did you bring that thing here?".

Oh no, boy cat! Minus reproductive parts.

Pip and Suska want the kitten to depart. But..."Ah, Micky, he's so fine", etc. Welcome kitteh.

Embarassing Mail

I got a letter from TAFE with my results for a semester when I attended classes once, at the beginning of semester. Sculpture class. I have been issued a high distinction for not attending and not handing in work. Apparently my sculpture and journal work from previous semesters has been enough. Uh, I don't think so. End of January next year I'll go and hand in my journal and the assemblage sculpture from last year (which I'm still working on).

Somewhat unbalanced in the first pic. I think the panel of wood above makes it more balanced.

The large matchboxes are not quite right, side on they stick out too much.

Starting to work. Those matchboxes are drawers - a chamber of secrets, I guess. They contain what I think are ancient ancestral objects. Bones (bird and rat), a heart-shaped stone, feathers, moth and butterfly wings, a skeleton leaf, an old piece of broken china, dice, small pieces of wood, a mummified goldfish, a piece of rusted metal. Old and ruined stuff.

It's not finished, and it doesn't fulfill the "brief" for the sculpture I was supposed to make. I guess it doesn't matter since I've been assessed in absentia.

 

Bits And Pieces

The apricot jam has somehow sweetened up enough on its own.

I've grown accustomed to the burners on the gas stove, I'm very happy with it now.

I was the one grade five parent who helped at the grade six dinner dance (many others had other family/kid cimmitments and couldn't come, I know). Traditionally grade five parents have helped set up/cater for/clean up after this function. I was just a helper, which is what I'm good at. Ever an Indian and not a chief.

Here's a photo:

Who's the odd one out? Hahaha. Do I fit in? No. But that didn't prevent me from having a good time with those splendid women.

Some Things

Firstly, the new stove is up and going.

Before making of narrow cupboard to fill that gap.

Narrow cupboard made, benchtop made smaller. Previously I had the baking trays stored upright in a small cupboard. Now, I keep some of my baking trays in an even narrower cupboard, some more in the storage shelf below the oven and a couple more in the saucepan cupboard. Because this stove is 700mm wide, not 600mm. And there was one "on the floor". I would've had to wait probably six months for the new shipment of 600mm.

As for cooking - the oven is great but minus 10 degrees since we're used to an oven that didn't seal and adding 10-20 degrees this is ok. The old trusty stove top was much hotter/faster,  whatever. When I go to pay the fit-up bill I'll ask whether the gas flow rate can be increased - had this discussion with the gas fitter who said the old stove had a higher flow rate - so I know it can be adjusted.

I found a Kathie Winkle dinner plate at the Baptist oppy!

Newlyn pattern, with a small chip on the underside. The first KW for a looong time.

Apricot jam. I made several jars today because brown rot is infecting even unripe apricots, and birds are sampling.

The jam has an intense apricot flavour but it is tart/sweet rather than sweet. I love it , but I'm not a sweet tooth.

Tart/sweet apricot jam is better than no apricot jam.

 

More Stuff I Made

Remember I do paid work one day a week. Okay?  Remember I am a solitary and essentially antisocial person. Okay?

The big owls have had babies.

That's a new biggie, and some hybrid offspring.

More little ones. I put exactly two in my etsy shop today.

I made some new larger owls.

 
 
 
 
Not sure about the patterned fabric on the tummies, I don't think it works as well as plain, or my combinations lack inspiration.

I am working on the Christmas thing. Everyone has a gift but I think I need to even up the spend with the kids. Father Christmas comes but none of the offspring believe so it's just a bit extra really. A bikini for Leah, boardies and thongs for Giles, a request from Linsey and some surprise stuff for Clare and Al (usually clothes and books, this year also a new drink bottle and some fruity T2 tea). I bought my Mum a magnifying glass with a light since her existing one had died, when we were up north and declared it her Christmas present but she's forgotten. So I'm making, as she's requested, pillowslips for her odd-shaped pillows (one for her neck, another for her knee), sheepskin covers for the handlebars of her walker because she doesn't hold them in her hands but rests her forearms on them and needs something soft. Also altering two fleecy jumpers for her and later I will make a dressing gown.

It's all go here at the fiveandtwo house.

Grade 4-5-6 Disco

A disco, didn't they disappear in the 1980's? But no, the twins' primary school had a disco. With a DJ, fully supervised, sign in/sign out and all that. Clare and Al were very keen to go. They tried on clothes, "outfits", I gave them permission to look in Leah's cupboard (she was at work = what she doesn't know can't hurt her). After a bit of time the came up with outfits that were good. Flattering and not skanky.

They had a good time. I asked, "Did you dance?". Clare answered the she "shuffled" and Ally just mumbled.

In other news : I bought a new stove. Ten centimetres wider than I intended. All gas, but this one has a fan, which will make the juggling of quiche and roast veg. a bit more even, as well as all cooking on two shelves. Baking can be no fan but a bit more rotating of pans. This stuff I'll be working out and getting used to after Tuesday when the gas fitter comes to disconnect/reconnect.

This is "old trusty". A keeper except for the expired oven door hinges. Mr 5&2 has plans to turn this stove into a barbeque. "Don't let that gas fitter take it, it's mine!". I will post the finished project. The process of making a BBQ from a gas stove is achievable, according to Mr 5&2. And it is, if you dispose of  preconceptions regarding how a barbeque should look. However, I foresee much swearing and trips back and forth to the hardware shop. This is the way of the Mr's handyman projects.

He vowed never to do any plumbing again. So when the shower hot tap stripped (wouldn't turn off completely) I called a plumber. And asked, while he was here, to change all the tap washers which were on their way out. Cost money but saved my ears from burning and other stressy stuff.

I wanted to employ someone to put the benchtop and cupboard back in and do the 10cm docking. Because I want it to be straight. I don't want gaps. I don't want it to be bodgey. Cross your fingers for me because the Mr insists on doing it.

Fingers crossed.

Post Of Stuff I've Made

I've done lots of making in recent times. Lots.

 

 

 

 

Reversible pinnies. More cut out.

Sold

Sold

Sold

Realise if I post all my making in one post it will take forever. Too many photos. So, another "Making" post sometime soon. Whether you like it or not.

 

More Market Stuff

Report from the "Meet The Maker's" market today at at a lovely venue halfway between Sale and Bairnsdale. I have been sewing furiously since my last market - restocking. I have done some prototyping of new stuff, but haven't resolved making issues in time for this market.

This place, The Wildlife Art Gallery, has beautiful gardens. Stalls were scattered around. Demonstrations were held in the gallery itself: glass bead making, watercolour painting & drawing. Here's Ally, my splendid offsider, womanning my stall. Clare phoned her dad to pick her up at 11am and skived off. Kudos to the dad, it's 38km drive!
This pic. shows a bit of the wonderful garden, and Ally selling a pack of her felt Christmas decorations

I sold a bit of stuff, I got to hang out with a lady I really like who'd come with two of her lovely kids.  I've been very anti-social in my making mode.

So, a good market. I spent all the profit on olive oil and wine!

One of my highlights was spotting a chook. "Look, Ally, there's a chook!". Eye rolling, "Yeah, Mum a chook, (and aliens in their spaceship will land in five minutes)". I was vindicated some time later when TWO chooks came past our stall revelling in chooky paradise - wandering around scratching in the undergrowth and leaf litter as jungle fowl. Huh, so there.

I was going to post pics of all my makings. Maybe later.