This is No Saturday Sky Bandit

My darling Ern had a BCC cancer removed from his nose. He went into hospital for overnight surgery, but had to stay in for an extra day. The cancer was deeper than originally thought. He has quite a big bandage on his nose (although the photo doesn't show it). The stitches come out next week, so it won't be long before he looks like my knight in shining armour once again.

We have had beautiful rain. Not an aweful lot but was so lovely to hear it on the tin roof. The plants seem to be reviving and the lawn is getting greener. From now on we will only be able to water the garden on Wednesday and Sunday from 6am to 8am. Not long ..... so I hope it absolutely teems down with rain.

Over the last couple of weeks I haven't written anything ..... so now I have some catching up to do ..... I have a few photos for you to look at.

A Beautiful Autumn Saturday Sky

A beautiful clear blue sky and the autumn leaves are starting to show.

Chloe completed her "Juvenile - Basic Course" ..... or .... did I complete my "Delinquent dog handler - Basic Course" !!! Chloe was tickled pink when she accepted her Certificate !!

Thankyou Beth of New Mexico

Thankyou, thankyou Beth, from the bottom of my heart. What a lovely lot of goodies I received from my secret Favourite Colour Swap pal, Beth from New Mexico.

Beth said that she had a great time putting my parcel together and I can see why. Each item in my parcel was lovingly wrapped in blue tissue.

First of all, I had said in my questionnaire that my favourite colours were blue, purple and turquoise and that I also collect sheep ..... and look what I got !!

. A beautiful sheep card which she had written in.

. a cute sheep tape measure - look at his cute tail!

. Some sheep "Post-It" notes - I have never seen anything like these before

. Lovely stitchmarkers which she had made herself .... and they are a credit to her ..... these were found in a beautiful little blue satin pouch.

. A yummy box of Lindt Truffles ..... what more can I say except yum yum yum

. To pamper myself, a lovely 'Good Night" aromatherapy kit. The perfume is Lavender Vanilla and really smells heavenly. I should be able to sleep much better now.

. A lovely wool/nylon skein which Beth had hand dyed herself. The skein is just so soft and will make beautiful socks. I just love her brand name "Some Assembly Required"!!!

Beth, you are a very thoughtful swap pal and I am extremely grateful for your kind generosity.

Anyone looking at my blog, please look at Beth's blog and see the beautiful work she does. Her site is http://bethblogs.socksthatfit.net

Saturday Sky 10 March

A beautiful blue sky all day today ... temperature 30+C ...... no rain .... so what's new????

SP10 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favourite yarn/s to knit with? What fibres do you absolutely *not* like?
I don’t really have a favourite yarn, I always like to try the new fibres. I don’t like harsh acrylic yarns.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Knitting needles are stored in glass jars and crochet hooks in a pencil case.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting forever …….. my mother gave me a pair of needles and wool and said to knit my own jumper for the winter …….. and I am still knitting. I consider myself to be an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No I don’t have an online wish list.

5. What's your favourite scent?

I suppose that depends on my mood. I just love the perfume from a vase of freshly picked roses, but I also like the smell of lavender, cloves and herbs.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favourite candy?
Who doesn’t ???????? In Australia we call candy sweets or lollies. Yes I do have a sweet tooth, that’s why I am not a size 10 !!!! Everything is my favourite !!!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

Over the years I have tried all types of crafts, both traditional and modern. Hower, my main craft is spinning. I love it ! I am always relaxed when I spin. I spin all fibres – wool, silk, mohair, alpaca and anything else I can lay my hands on.

Recently, I have just started making my own jewellery – have only had 3 classes.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Yes, my computer can play CDs and DVDs. I don’t really listen to a lot of music, but when I do, I enjoy jazz, and music from the 40s to the 80s …….. and if you are counting the years, I am NOT over 60 !!!

9. What's your favourite colour(s)? Any colours you just can't stand?
My favourite colours are purple, blue and turquoise. Brilliant orange and yellow are 2 colours I don’t like.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have been married to Ern for 21 extremely enjoyable years. We have no children but Ern has a daughter Kate (now in her 40s) from his first very happy marriage.
We have a lovely natured Border Collie/Kelpie Cross dog called Chloe. Border Collies and Kelpies are both working dogs (sheep and cattle) and she certainly is a very active dog. She is only 2 and half, but has trained us well !!!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I am not a poncho person, but I do wear scarves, hats and gloves in the winter. I really do feel the cold (even though it doesn’t snow here) …..

12. What is/are your favourite item/s to knit?
I travel on public transport quite a lot, so I usually knit easy things …… scarves and beanies.

13. What are you presently knitting?
At the moment, I am knitting some scarves and beanies for the homeless.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
WHO DOESN’T !!! Yes I do like to receive handmade gifts. When we make something, we usually make it to the best of our ability. When receiving a handmade gift, even if it is not well made, I always think that person has put their time and effort into it and done their best.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I don’t have a preference, except for using a circular needle when knitting with A LOT of stitches.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, I am fortunate to own both a yarn winder and a swift which I use mainly for my spinning.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
All I can say is ummmmmmmmmmmm ………

18. What is your favourite holiday?
Christmas

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Sheep and different fibres to spin.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don’t have any knitting magazine subscriptions. Presently I don’t have any books, needles or yarn that I am dying to get.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
At present, there is nothing I would like to learn …… maybe I am just being lazy !!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I am not a sock knitter ……. I have knitted 1 sock (half a pair) which I framed !!!! I love handknitted sox, but then who doesn’t. The length of my foot is a very “dainty” 10 inches !!!

23. When is your birthday? - September

A Belated Saturday Sky

Mike my nice computer man brought my hard drive back today. Hopefully it will behave itself and not have to be dismantled ..... again !!! So now I have to catch up with my blogging and photos.

This photo was taken last Saturday afternoon. We have had such a dry summer and this lovely dull grey sky was teasing us ..... we were all hoping it would absolutely pour with rain..... but to no avail.......

I am still here!!

My hard drive died so I got another one built .... more memory ..... more speed ..... more trouble .....!! This new one has Vista ... and there have been a few teething probs. My computer man has taken it away and will bring it back when it behaves itself. So it may have Vista still on it or he may re-install XP and then reload Vista in a few months when some of the bugs have been ironed out.

I rather like the Vista system ...... it is so similar to my Apple laptop ......

When I eventually get my hard drive back I will post my Saturday sky photos and others.

At least I am not suffering computer withdrawal systems ..... As long as I have this laptop I can keep in touch with my blog, yahoo groups and mail etc.

Its been one of those days!!!

I got a new hard drive ...... and yes it has Vista on it ...... the only thing wrong is that it freezes ...... usually when I am on the internet. However, my man is coming tomorrow to fix it (hopefully).

I am getting used to Vista, it is very much like Apple ....... Next week I will say just how much I like or hate Vista ......