Feather and Fan Scarf

Feather and Fan Scarf
Pattern: Feather and Fan stitch.
Method: Cast on 40 stitches and knit, knit, knit until all yarn gone
Yarn: 4 balls of Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran (approx 320m)
Needles: Size 4.00mm

Unblocked 150cm long

Blocked: 200cm long (!)

The finished scarf.

School Holidays, Day 13: Sydney Aquarium

It's been a while between visits...

21 March 2004

26 April 2008

...the kids have grown a bit in the meantime.

365 Days and 229 Posts on an easy.to.remember anniversary

Twelve months ago today on an important Australian holiday, ANZAC Day, I entered the blogosphere with this post. At that point this blog was intended for family and friends only and was set to private. That soon went by the wayside and I was exposed to the full impact of the Blogosphere.

And I'm glad I was because not only do I "talk" to fabulous bloggers but I've lurked on blogs that open up windows to worlds I had no idea about. It's like having loads of pen-pals without having to walk to the post-box. Actually, it's like having a Magic 8 Ball - you throw up a question, shake it into the Blogosphere and the answers come rolling in.

The blogosphere is responsible for re-igniting a wish to knit (it was this post in fact that did it) and therefore getting me involved in that ultimate time-fritterer, Ravelry. Now, if I'm not careful I'll fire up the sewing machine again sometime soon and it will be this blog's fault. And to celebrate my first Blogiversary I've started Twittering, so now you will be able to read my every thought in my sidebar. How thrilling for you.

There are so many fabulous blogs out there, each revealing a part of a new world to us. It's the ultimate in un-edited publishing. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?

So, 229 posts later what have I written about? According to my labels I've spent my time chatting to you about my home, my family, my holidays, knitting, books and school. Very suburban, but that's my life at the moment; who knows what I'll be writing about over the next 12 months.

Thank you for coming along for the ride.

Show your weekly food basket: A Dare (simultaneous post by M and Fairlie)

Two weeks ago, Fairlie emailed me this link to a photogallery at Time magazine showing the weekly food consumption and cost of that consumption for families from all corners of our globe. The photos come from the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel. The photos show families standing behind their weekly food "shop" with a caption showing how much it cost them in US dollars.

We were so struck by what we saw. One family from Chad feed themselves on US$1.27. A family from Egypt on less than US$70. What was also striking was what people were buying. I couldn't help but gasp out loud at some of the products displayed by families from Western nations as compared with those from less-developed areas.

The Dare:

Fairlie and I want you to show a photo of your weekly food shop

Here is mine (Check out Fairlie's here).

I bought the items in this photo today. It represents what our family of four will eat for 7 breakfasts, 5 school lunches and approximately 4 evening meals. Not shown are items already in my pantry such as onions, rice, pasta & flour; and items already in my fridge or freezer such as frozen meats,cream and pumpkin. We would usually have one take out meal per week (Thai) which costs about $25. Our total expenditure based on this would be AUD$197 from this shopping expedition plus AUD$60 in additional purchases throughout the week. Lets just round that off to AUD$260 or US$246.

Will you take up the dare and show your weekly shop?

School Holidays, Day 9: Happy Feet at Taronga Zoo

It is fashionable, amongst us Mothers, to detest the school holidays; however, I love them. School holidays represent, to me, a slight sleep-in, no school lunches and less requirement for me to be a taxi-driver. By comparison I find the whole palaver of making school lunches, dropping the kids at school, picking them up, delivering them to various activities and homework all a complete bore.

So when Padawan Learner said he didn't enjoy tennis camp I said, stay home with Blossom and I tomorrow - we're going to check out the Great Southern Oceans exhibit at Taronga Zoo. However, this morning he chose to return to tennis camp (what does that say about our company I wonder?) and Blossom and I headed off to the zoo.

The new exhibit is great. Fabulous swim tanks for the seals and penguins and a variety of keeper talks and shows to go to. Did you know all 17 species of penguin live in the southern hemisphere? So if you want to check out these guys nearby their natural habitat go to Antarctica, or make your way to Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

The Leopard seal, Brooke, was so fast and graceful in the water but I couldn't help giggling when she struggled on the land during the keeper demonstration. I kept thinking of the scene in "Happy Feet" when the Adelie Penguin was taunting the leopard seal who was so tough and vicious in the water but a lumbering beast on land.

Leopard Seal: Come here, sausage. I take you with ketchup!

Ramón: Yeah, but first you gotta catch up! [laughing]*

And in other news, not at all related to seals or penguins: if you liked the look of the choc chip cookies Blossom cooked yesterday here is the recipe:

Barbara's Chocolate Chip Cookies

125g butter
1/2 cup
caster (superfine) sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
extract/essence
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 3/4 cups Self-Raising Flour
155g choc chips

1. Cream butter and sugar
2. add egg and vanilla
3. sift flour and fold in
4. add choc chips and stir
5. roll into small balls
6. bake at 180 degrees C for 10-12 mins

Enjoy.

*quote lifted from this website.