Indian Summer

The weather sure is totally messed up! Here we are at the end of May, tomorrow June starts and we have summer weather all round. Even the nights are quite temperate. My poor veggies are so confused. I have huge tomatoes on the vines, new tomato plants flowering, my eggplant bushes are full of flowers and fruit. So what to do if Father Winter decides to wake up and start wintry weather? All my beautiful plants will die. I am harvesting figs and beans! For goodness' sake!  I  mean, what on earth is happening!

This morning I decided to make some sandwich spreads using just veggies. I simmered one onion, chopped up, in a bit of coconut oil, then added some freshly harvested young beans, finely grated carrots, finely grated broccoli and cauliflower, some parsley and fresh coriander, little bit of chopped cabbage and spinach, few stalks of celery, bit of chili and a few peppadews. Lightly mixed with the onions and quickly cooked, then blitz together with a bit of mayo. Salt, pepper and some smoked paprika, soy sauce, bit of vinegar and lemon juice and Bob's your uncle. Very tasty! Something for sarmies or for anything you like to dip. My granddaughter did the tasting and she likes it, so there you are!

I have been knitting so much lately that my shoulders are currently on strike and I still have to knit a jersey order. Started knitting children's socks as well and what a delight! Funny how in old age, some things just seem easier to knit than when you were much younger! I am trying all sorts of things and it is a lot of fun just doing that!

Hope that you have good weather and lots of fun wherever you are!

Marl

xox

March

Well, summer is slowly saying bye-bye here in the south with lovely cooling days starting to make you mellow. We had one gloriously, hot, hot summer and everyone I know said that they cannot wait for winter! I've had a complete energy collapse, if one could call it that. No energy to do anything or even try. I have never felt this deflated. 

But with all that said, I have tried to make a few things for the market I attend. Although I have had a terrible December market, non-existing January one, at least February seemed to be ok. Sold a few things, even one of the dolls that I have made for the Xmas table. They are so beautiful! I have since decided that in future I will concentrate more on making stuff for myself for a change. I crochet another blanket for my chair and started on a oval mat, then stopped and it is still buried under a lot of plastic bags full of material and wool. Now knitting a nice little pull-over top with bargain wool I found at one of the shops I normally drop into. When it is finished, I hope that it will fit me because I really like the pattern and photo of the top on the model.  I have also started on a few denim bags. I have stared very long at the material for inspiration and then one day just started to cut and sew and that was that. 

We are also busy planning our winter veg garden. The peas have been sown and is coming up nicely. We'll see what will happen when the tortoises find the succulent stems!!

Seems I still have problems loading my photos. My son keeps on tampering with the computer and I think that that might be the problem. Will have to reload the program and start all over again. As I said, I just do not have the energy right now.

Hope all is well in bloggerland and that your days are full and happy!!

Marl

xox

One super hot Christmas!

Today seemed to be the perfect day to blog. It is all quiet here, everyone's out. I stayed at home to make some jam and to have a bit of quiet time to myself.

Also busy on another blanket. Thought originally it would be blue toned, but after buying some lovely marked down yarn, the colours now variate between orange, blue and bits of pink! Looks like the cheap yarn is yarn that might have been incorrectly wound because the colours need to variate and they don't. So you will have half a ball of orange, a bit of blue, then a mix, but anyway, all in all the blanket looks cheery!

My veg garden is growing fantasticly and I have already eaten from it. The beans are growing towards heaven and my only wish would be to be able to climb up to the giant's house and take a few gold coins! Our economy has taken a turn for the worse and who knows what might be in store for us next year.

Tried to download some photos, but with no success! There is something wrong with the camera's card. I will have to get a new one.

Anyway, Christmas is around the corner and I would like to wish everyone who reads this blog a wonderful day with your loved ones and a stunning new year! I hope that everything that you wish for would come your way in 2016! Not all at once, that would be boring, but little by little so that the joy will last for a long time.

I will leave you with an image of a beautiful daisy I had in my garden!

Marl
xox

When winter seems to go on and on and on........

what do you do? I feel forever too cold to do anything except sit on my chair in my room and knit/crochet. I have an extremely small space, but moved a chair in front of a window so always have a good light source at my back. Occasionally I would turn the chair around so that I can look outside to watch the birds and look at the flowers blooming on an old pallet flower box we made (I call it the nursery). I plant everything I can in there for blooms and cuttings and have been very successful doing that.

I have been very busy with my blanket making and my arms are feeling that totally 'enough is enough' spasms and yet, I have so much to do still. Keeping a market stall in goods take a lot of time and effort. That's all I can say! And is it worth it? I really do not know, at times I think it is (when people actually decide to buy what I make!) and at times I think that it is a total waste of time. BUT, I must also add that when people look at my knitted or made items and oh an ah over it, the feeling of 'we are thinking the same about things' is overwhelming. I love positive people! On all that though, I am starting to consider changing to facebook selling. I know people who have had a lot of success doing that.

 A lovely baby blanket I made for a friend's new baby boy as a present. It is beautiful!

 This is the underside, I padded it using soft flannelette material.

 New addition to the family, lovely cross breed, called Johnny!

My beautiful handsome grandson modelling a Shreg beanie!

Something else I have discovered lately is that I have become allergic to apples! After years and years of eating apples with their skins on, suddenly I am totally allergic to the skins. I have to peel every apple before I eat it and to tell the truth, an apple without a skin is not an apple to me! 

Well, that's me for today! Hope you will have beautiful sunny days with lots of blessings!

Marl
xox

Grannies and granny squares

At last I could find a way to get back into my blog to do one! Somehow something has happened to the set-up and makes it quite difficult to get to the new blog page set-up! Anyway, here I am and I for one, cannot believe that March crept up on us so suddenly! Summer is gone although we are experiencing some very hot days still. I LOVE AUTUMN so I am not complaining in the least!

I have been busy. Busy crocheting granny square blankets and I am thoroughly tired of granny squares! I don't even want to look at the beautiful blankets on Pinterest, so there! Saying that, I must still finish a small/medium blanket and then onto a queen sized granny square (what else!) spread and as I am sitting here, do not have the energy to do!!  Must still upload the pictures. Then I'll show you, thats to say if I can find my way into this blog again.

I have also slowly started gardening again. Had a fantastic bean harvest again this year. Even a few small buckets full of mini tomatoes and quite a few chillies. Those chillies that the dog did not bite or picked from the bushes! Can you believe the little devil! Even the tomatoes! Busy little thing he is.

Anyway, glad I could make it back here and hope to do so soon again! Let me now try and figure out how to load those pictures again as it seems the program must be installed again. If only stuff could stay as it was! I hate to do the same thing over and over again. Now you know why the granny squares are becoming a no-no with me:  too much of one thing and your creative mind gets stuck!

Enjoy the northern spring and our southern autumn!

Marl
xoxo

Lovely flower from my garden!

Merry Christmas to all!

I've been trying very hard to get back into blogging, but life decided differently. I have no beautiful pictures of Christmas ornaments or decorated trees although I would have loved to have some to post.  Anyway, have a look at the blog 'Little Woollie', she has the most beautiful tree thingie going there! Lovely homemade ornaments, just as I like them. Thank you for that!

I would love to say to all who at times manage to look in on this blog, that I hope  the birth of Jesus will always be your saving grace too! Enjoy the day set out for the celebration and eat all things nice and healthy! I will try and do the same!! Cherish the time with your family.

Till we speak again,


Marl
xox

More Bags

Already the 1st of October. This year is going even faster than the previous one.

Anyway, I have finished another  bag and here are the pictures to prove it!

A very red beaded festive little bag!

Flip side of red ribbon bag.

I have another 3 lined up for finishing, but at times just sit back and stare at them for lack of inspiration! I like to make each one a bit different from the other.  I might use the same decorations, but place them in different positions so that they sort of look unique!  Sounds terrible!

Time to get ready for Christmas markets and the list of goods I need to make grows by the day. Stocking fillers are a priority, also little items for Xmas tree decoration and some lovely homely presents.

Sun today after days and days of rain! Love the rain, but I am so glad to see the sun!

Well, off to work I go! Hope everyone has a lovely week filled with lots of sweet things and lots of fun things for hands to do!

Marl
xox