Celtic Myth Podcast

If you love a good story and beautiful music you might like the Celtic Myth Podcast...run by Gary Colcombe and Ruthie Smith, its a lovely way to relax and imagine a time and place from long ago. 

I think Kate Rusby has one of the lovliest voices! 

 

You're never too old for dolls!

How Id love one of these dolls and the lovely caravan!  Have a look at.....Du Bah Du Designs

Hand

a shining web of my own

a radiant shape of hope
a mere moment of bliss
is what I hold in my hand

a craving so raw it twists
a desire so lonely for life
a lament often heard from my mouth
when will my hand be full

a woven stream of life

running from childhood to grown 
is what I stuggle to fit
in this hand I clasp to my heart

a happiness born from the past
a memory too painful to share
a wish for release and end
my hands be together as one

making stuff in 2010!

 GoingSewCrazy's Clothespin Doll Tutorial!

Last year I spent many hours sipping tea and reading blog after blog of amazing people and their amazing crafty things! sweet, clever, unique and amazing designs.

SO I think this is the right time to try and make something myself (gulp)
I am fairly new to craft, I can knit a little, sew a little (badly) and I guess I can cut and paste and stick pins in things, but thats about the extent of my crafting up until now! Well it's time to move to the next level.....

and what a good place to start

The Long Thread has a wonderful blog post of Top 100 Tutorials of 2009

My pick for first craft project of 2010 is Going Sew Crazy's Clothespin Dolls!  I can even enlist Mr 5 yr old son to help me with these! 

What would you like to start in 2010?

The grass is greener...thats why I want to be there! :)

Do you believe that someone can be born in the wrong place?  Can someone really have a connection to another place without being born there or even having lived there?
I am almost obsessed with moving to the UK. I'm driving my husband mad.
When I say moving, I mean staying a year and then deciding what it's like, renting our house here so we dont throw away our future in one flight of fancy. 
We visited the UK in 2002 for 4 months, we went over just before Christmas so I did exprerience bad weather, low light, dark dark nights and bronchitis caused by bad Birmingham air and dampness and still it didnt put me off the idea of living there.  Everything about England appealed to me, the history, the beauty, the towns, villages and cities, the people, the laneways, cobbled streets, moors, dales, fens, broads...*sigh* I am obessesed I know. I even listen to UK radio, watch UKTV, download UK shows, books, plays...My Dad was Scottish so that fueled my first magical images of Scotland, and my Mum was a lover of British literature, history and Royalty, was that where it all started?
Anyway, my poor husband who loves his job here, earns a great wage, has a real love of his own country that I lack, said he may give it a go if I can prove to him that we wouldnt lose everything or be much worse off!   So Im now scouring job sites, immigration sites, real estate etc trying to see if this could work.
I should mention I have many relatives in England and Scotland who I'd love to know better, BUT I also have my best friend and cousin here in Australia and basically she is the one doubt I have about moving...I would miss her soo much!! 
BUT should I do it?  am I living in a dream world, grass is greener etc...I like Australia but I simply hate the  heat, I dread Summer,  the depressingness of the parched earth, straw coloured grass and red earth, the  sport culture, bad educational standards compared to Europe...the isolation!  People by the score move out here for the very things I dont like ;)  As I sit here in 38 degree heat...I just want to leave :(   Maybe it's me, Im in a rut, I feel like something inside me is squeezed shut and cant be released here...

Merry Christmas

I have 4 children sitting around the table tonight..my two boys, and the two girls from across the road.  The excitement is palpable and makes me happy!  Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with no stress!! :)

Handmade Handbags!

My new bag!

 I love it when spontaneous things happen and you end up having a lovely moment with friends :)   I was standing outside my house tonight, talking to my husband about where to put the Christmas lights, when one of the ladies down the street pulled up in her car and said "Come and look at some handmade handbags!" Well the words handmade and handbag both caught my attention, so we picked up another lady across the road and ended up a few streets away in a really creative ladies house and surrounded by bags!!  You should have heard the three of us trying to decide which one to chose...I think we all changed our mind many times.
So if you'd like to have a look at some really nice stuff made by a nice lady in her house....please go here!!!
Victoria Goodridge  (--- even her name is nice!

Rima Staines

Since reading about a wonderful handmade clock on my cousin's blog I have become transfixed by the life and works of Rima Staines. Rima and her husband live a nomadic life, travelling in a wooden van around the UK, what a lovely life :)
She is so brilliantly creative and clever, her blog is fascinating.  If you feel like a good read visit
The Hermitage :)
Here is a beautiful blackberry wedding necklace she made for a bride!  Covet covet.....

Living on Slim, Blonde Street!

I really really really want to lose weight...really really!   Ive now got to the point where I am now bigger than I have ever been, and with that comes depression, embarrassment and the wanting to lock myself away feeling!

I went to a lovely Melbourne Cup Day BBQ on Tuesday. It was at a neighbours house. I seem to live in a street predominated by slim blonde woman!! egads!  Where's the fat, dumpy, mousy haired Street??   Anyway these woman are very nice, and also very pretty, and also rich enough to wear different clothes every time I see them, unlike me in my same old hugey size clothes! (yes Im whinging ;))

I'd already been dieting for a week at this point, so I tried to resist the scrumptious cakes, dips and fried stuff! I felt annoyed but strong. Last night I weighed myself and I'd lost two kilos...hip hip hooray! I treated myself to 2 chocolate gold coins I found in the back of the fridge.  I want to be slim, brown haired girl in slim blonde hair Street, I hope I can keep it up ;)

2 kilos down........lots to go! (I feel embarrassed to admit this but to get to my ideal weight I need to lose one 11 yr old and one 4 yr old...my children combined!)  *sigh*