Tuesday, May 3, 2011

It Just Had To Be..........

Hellooooooo and welcome.
I feel like I have been away for some time, although it's but a few days.
I felt the creative vibe wasn't happening, but this morning I plugged in my Janome, put the 'pedal to the metal' and off I went.

A different (for me) needle book has rolled off the line and I am quite happy with it.

I was asked recently if I 'do Emus' short answer no, but it wasn't out of the question.

I do birds and chooks, so add some extra long legs and there you have it an Emu.
These are the worlds 3rd largest birds, after the Ostrich and Cassowary.
They can be 1.5 to 2 metres tall and are extremely fast runners as they do not fly.
They inhabit grasslands all over Australia and dine on grass and insects.

OK nature lesson over.

I like to put a little saying on the back of my needle books and, well, there really aren't too many about Emus, but the one that sprang to mind was...........



It just had to be.........

"May your chooks turn into Emus and kick your dunny door down"

This comes from one of the Barry McKenzie movies starring Barry Humphries and Barry Crocker.
I realise it's a bit of an insult, but a very humourous one and surely you wouldn't take it too seriously!

But hey, it's tongue in cheek, very ocker, irreverent and as I said 'it just had to be'

I mean it mentions chooks, so how could I go past it?


Here's the full view .

So what do you think?

Thumbs up, or thumbs down?


A rather wonderful event took place yesterday. The first siting of our gorgeous Flame Robins.

These are the handsome fellows that visit our patch through the cooler months.

Quite different from the English Red Robins which I looooove, but nontheless striking birds with their black feathers and white stripes and scarlet tummies.

There seemed to be a turf war going on as I went to check the mail.
There were Mudlarks, Willy Wagtails, Pigeons and Maggies all vying for the same airspace.

In fact one of them flew very low overhead and I 'm not sure if they were trying to get out of the way of a feathery foe, or telling me I wasn't welcome.

I just hope they don't scare away this fellow.

Robins seem to be quite territorial and we only see one or two at a time.

So welcome and please feel free to visit anytime.
The Maples continue to brighten as the days go by and the leaves are dropping creating a beautiful carpet.

I have done the rounds and picked out some beauties and pressed them in books.


Eventually, I will make my annual wreath using pressed leaves and there are some blank walls which could do with a bit of decoration.......

Yes, I love Autumn.......


Tucked in amongst the pages of Neville Cayley's book 'What Bird Is That' are a myriad of colourful leaves, pressed flat, waiting to be used.


Out in the garden the Chrysanthemums are putting on a beautiful display.
I love their burnished rust, red tones, with touches of gold.

I don't have quite as many this year, but they are still breathtakingly beautiful.





Just had to show you this little beauty that I picked up at a recent Trash 'n Treasure market.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this basket sitting atop a pile of ............. I don't know what, I only had eyes for the basket.

In close to perfect condition, it just needs a bit of a scrub with soap and water.

It will sit on top of my kitchen dresser , a bit of eye candy of the Nanna kind.

I might fill it with crochet projects, picnic goodies or just admire but for

$1.00, yes, you read correctly ,
one whole dollar ,
it has given me alot of enjoyment.

I had my heart in my mouth as I asked the person taking the money, how much it was .

He ummed and aahed probably thinking 'who on earth would want it?' then said' how about a dollar'.

There are times, when you just don't argue, this was one of them, hehehe........

------0000------

Well, here we are on the second day of May, it's a beautiful sunny day and quite mild. Storm clouds are threatening, but I don't think we'll get any rain even though the garden could do with a good watering.

Thankyou all for allowing me a little motherly waffling on my last post, hope I didn't overdo it.

You all left such lovely, thoughtful comments, which I have passed onto No. 1 and he was quite taken with them.

Something else that's a teeny, tiny bit exciting has happened.

Julie over at Little Woollie has opened up an online shop full of her gorgeous makes. She's pretty nifty with a crochet hook or some knitting needles and has been whipping up a storm of beautiful things to put in her shop.

Pop over to her blog and click on the link in Monday's post.

She has lovely scarves, flowery vine mobiles and the cutest crocheted cats with granny square tummies. She also makes owls and I just love the colour combinations she chooses. So if you haven't yet visited her blog, treat yourself.

Well, that's it for me, it's time to finish my cuppa and get ready for work.

I hope you're all tickety boo (oooh I love that phrase) and your week is going well.

It's always lovely to hear from you and welcome, welcome, welcome to my new followers.

Till next time, take care,

Claire X


12 comments:

  1. THUMBS UP from me Claire. I absolutely love your emu and the little saying that goes with it is so Aussie. :)
    What a gorgeous little bird, so vibrant. I love
    Willywag Tails too although we don't see them down here. We use to have a lot of them on the farm in Western Australia but the Butcher Birds have killed most of them off. :(
    Gorgeous chrysies. Sometimes I wish we had just a little bit more sun in our garden so I could grow pretty flowers.
    Great bargain basket you lucky thing.
    Have a great week,
    Anne xx

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  2. Hi Claire , love your Emu and the saying...and I understand it !! Dunny and chook are so Aussie along with doona and op shop ! Didn't understand those 2 till last year :0)
    Love the Maple leaves and the wagtail and I always enjoy reading your posts.
    Jacquie x

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  3. Definitely thumbs up!!!! Made me laugh. I had forgotten this saying but we used to say it all the time in the school yard. You've done well girl, I reckon they'll be a big hit.

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  4. Hi Claire,love the Emu and what a ROBIN

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  5. Score on the basket missus! :)
    The emu is just absolutely perfect, I love the saying too, hysterical and right up my alley!

    The flame robin is incredible, makes our fellas look bit drab, bless 'em!
    xx

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  6. What lovely reds on your post today! It all looks very beautiful on your side of the world.
    Emily x

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  7. Ha ha, the emu saying cracked me up!

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  8. Hello Claire,
    I would love any stitching you whipped up...you have never gone wrong in my book.
    Loving that pretty basket you were lucky enough to find. What a bargain!!

    It is so much fun getting to enjoy your fall foliage while Spring/Summer is creeping up on us here in Virginia. 85 degrees today.

    Wow...those are some huge mums you have ...gorgeous!

    Ok...going to check out your blog friend.

    Have a good week...Cheers!

    janet xox

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  9. LOL. I think the saying stitched on the needlebook is hilarious! :-) The $1 basket with the aqua stripe is really pretty! And your mums are gorgeous! I have never seen a flame robin. But he sure is pretty!! To answer your question, I don't know the story behind my grandmother's glass slipper. I wish she was still here so I could ask her. I do know that she collected a few other brightly colored glass pieces (they went to sisters and cousins), and they all sat on the window ledge so the light could shine through them, which is why I do that with mine.

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  10. Hi Claire,
    More gorgeous stitching, I love the emu and the 'aussieness' of the saying, it goes perfectly! Your garden and all the autumn colour is looking stunning ! And I love that basket!! Lucky you!! I have a couple of similar ones and love using them, I feel like I'm channeling my inner granny when I bring them out! haha
    And thankyou so much for the kind words about my new shop!(In my comments and here as well!!)It was such a surprise to see it in your post! You are so nice! I appreciate your support!
    Hope your week is great! :) Julie x

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  11. The flame robin is so strikingly beautiful! And I love the emu. I have an emu egg (blown out) in my kitchen. One of my farmer friends gave it to me. His son raised emus for a while.

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  12. that 40's style basket is a catch!
    i go faint at them myself and have a few in the collection - but one dollar?

    Wow, vintage stuff must be good in your end of the world.

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