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a second attempt.

I have a new toy tool to add to my toytool box. On Sunday I picked up a Pansonic Lumix TZ7. I’ve been wanting a compact camera for a while now and the opportunity arose for me to pick it up for a very good price ($535) as a local white goods retailer was offering a cost +3% sale for emergency and corrective services staff/volunteers. From what I have done with it so far I am really impressed. Earlier in the week I had called them to see what cameras they stocked as I was looking at a few Canon compacts as well as a few Panasonic compacts, they advised they no longer stock Canon cameras, cut my choices in half 🙂 To help in my decision I made a spreadsheet up which I looked over a hundred times before Sunday Morning. It doesn’t have any manual modes, it doesn’t have raw files but it is just about exactly what I wanted.

camera choices

Now I have a camera that fits in my pocket, in all my handbags, takes pretty darn good videos and macros. Very fun. It is so fun and easy that I have decided to have another crack at doing a 365 project. Last year I tried and ended up doing 75 days and I often struggled to get a unique photo. Looking at those photos now I love them so much. As you may have realised I have been in a bit of a vortex the last few/many months. I have struggled to take photos that I like or more to the point found it hard to take photos. I would have my camera with me and know the photo I wanted to take but just not get that photo as hard as I tried. The last nine months have been quite an adventure with work, life and everything else. Enough is enough and step by step, things are getting back on track.

Back to the topic at hand. I present my first 3 photos for 365 in 09/10.
1/366.
My very first photo with my new camera.
That ain't a 5D, 1/366

2/366.
July brings on the start of the Strawberry season 🙂
Breakfast 2/365

3/366.
Today I had my lunch outside. I’ve not done that in a very long time! I took my salad, my crochet and enjoyed my 30 mins 🙂
Lunch, outside, sun! 3/365

till tomorrow.
HP

PS.
Can I just say how much I love this.

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a granny rug update

Granny Square Update

As promised on Wednesday, here are some new photos of my rug. I am now over half way into my third ball. My routine most days is that I will crochet a round a night before bed. If I catch the train to work, I crochet on the train but as I ride pretty much every day now I miss that crochet time but instead get lovely cycling time. A fair trade off.

Granny Square Update

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a mid week break

Today I have the day off work. I have accrued five days of “flex” leave over the last few months due to working every Monday public holiday and I haven’t had a chance to take them yet. The other week I decided that I would take about one day off a fortnight till I had used them up. 🙂

I’ve just put profiteroles in the oven for morno’s at work tomorrow 🙂 I’ve never made a choux pastry before so I hope they turn out well. I think it will be a big test of the oven and it’s quirks.

This morning I picked up some more yarn for my granny blanket, I’ve just started my third ball and it is currently about 23″ square. I’m looking at getting it to probably at least 50″ square. Will have to take a new photo later.

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Sunday comes about but once a week

“Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.”
Joseph Addison

Sundays are nice days, out of Saturday and Sunday I think I like Sunday the most. Sundays are not so frantically filled as Saturdays. Sundays are about delighting in the littler things. Wiping the kitchen benches down and taking a moment to pause and smile at those clean surfaces. Ripping out 70% of the crochet you had done that day because you discovered a mistake which you know you could never ignore. Whipping up a very fast treat baked treat for Brown Owls. Sitting on your bed and just listening to James Morrison. Finding the basket for my bike that fits my criteria the most, now to get it painted white. This was my Sunday

This is my current wip, that I started this morning at Brown Owls. A granny square with larger than life dimensions, no idea yet as to how large it will get but thought is that it needs to be snuggable, so I’m thinking it will need at least 7 skeins. I am using Noro Taiyo in colour 11, which I just adore, it feels so lovely.

This arvo after I had done another row or two, I was looking at it closely and realised that on one side I had managed to get two extra clusters, gah. I thought about ways to reduce it but ended up ripping it apart till I had only three rounds completed…. I’ve done about seven rounds now and it looks much better than it did before.

On the way to becoming a very big granny square On the way to becoming a very big granny square

Yesterday I made my book case curtains and today I borrowed the drill and put it up. It looks so pretty! I love the fabric. I had a fun time using the hemmer foot.
Curtains!

This is what I took for morno’s at Brown Owls, a pear and hazelnut torta which is a recipe by Belinda Jeffery in the May 2009 issue of Delicious. It took me about 10 minutes this morning to put it together and then it was in the oven for about 30 mins and ready to go. I am going to make it again in the near future but playing with different nuts and fruit.
pear and hazelnut torta pear and hazelnut torta

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Hello lamppost, What cha knowing?

Tonight is the night. A night that I never thought would come. Tonight I am going to see Simon and Garfunkel!!!! Am I excited much??? so stoked.

Looking at the review and the set list from the first show last night, it looks like it will be an amazing show.

The Breeders last year was a band I thought I had very slim chances of ever seeing live. Seeing Simon and Garfunkel live was something I never thought I would see. Sooo Excited!!!

Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy.

Hello lamppost,
What cha knowing?
I’ve come to watch your flowers growing.
Ain’t cha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in’ doo-doo,
Feelin’ groovy.

Got no deeds to do,
No promises to keep.
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep.
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.
Life, I love you,
All is groovy.

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a saturday

At the moment I am watching Dr Rosemary Stanton on Ethical Eating. Over the past few years I have enjoyed reading editorials by Stanton and she is a very very good presenter. If I see a public lecture from her in Brisbane I will be going! I have to add again how much I love ABC Fora, I have listened to some very interesting presentations over the last year or so.

Today, I woke up at 6ish but dozed in bed till 8ish, so luxurious! I popped into work for a while to pick some stuff up/drop some stuff off and say hello to the reservists I don’t normally get to see during the week. I also visited the RSPCA opshop at New Farm and picked up a Le Parfait jar and some crochet doilies for the grand total of $3. Then it off to Flannerys to stock up on rolled oats. Then Ikea called.

I have had a clothes rail for my wardrobe for the last 7 mths or so which I have kept covered with a dark doona cover to keep my clothes dust free and stop fading. I said enough is enough today. I had been umming and ahhing between a few different ones the last few nights on the net. Looking at them today I decided on the Aneboda. I also picked myself up a bookcase, a Billy of course. Looking at them now in my room, I love how they melt into the white walls. I also bought my first Ikea fabric, this nice orange one, which I am going to use to make curtains for my book case. Tomorrow I will have to take some photos. I still have bits and pieces to put away but it looks a lot more roomier now. Also tomorrow I have an SES fund raiser to attend, washing to do and family to visit!

Two photos to share.
I took this photo back in April one rainy afternoon at The Farm. I love how the rain drops.
Rain, The Farm

And sharing my Food Connect box from last week, I had fun this time arranging the fruit and vege for the photo.
Food Connect Fortnight 4

On a sad note, I finished watching The West Wing the other night. It has taken me about 6 or so weeks to watch all 7 seasons and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I have laughed my head off at times, wept at times, shaken my head at others and at others just absorbed the drama, the wit, the speeches. And this quote from In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part II

Margaret: Can I – can I just say something for the future?
Leo: Yeah.
Margaret: I can sign the President’s name. I have his signature down pretty good.
Leo: You can sign the President’s name?
Margaret: Yeah.
Leo: On a document removing him from power and handing it to someone else?
Margaret: Yeah. Or… do you think the White House Counsel would say that was a bad idea?
Leo: I think the White House Counsel would say it was a coup d’état!
Margaret: Well. I’d probably end up doing some time for that.
Leo: I would think. And what the hell were you doing practising the President’s signature?
Margaret: It was just for fun.
Leo: We’ve got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to the Hill.