The Change in Seasons

 You can feel the change in the Seasons now .... Cooler mornings and evenings. I love how the leaves change colours and I really missed seeing the change of seasons whilst we were living up north.  These leaves are from the trees at work - such a range of colours that I couldn't resist taking a photo.

  Our vegie garden is almost spent with a few late Rockmelons left to pick this week or next. I pulled the tomatoes and plums (both bought cheaply a couple of months ago - our tomatoes were full fruit fly this year) out of the freezer to get the jam and relish made up.  We should have enough now for the year although I still have more tomatoes in the freezer if I need to make up more (otherwise tomato soup).

On the crafting front  and April's OPAM  as well as finishing the summer t-shirt I showed you at the start of April, I've managed to get a nice pile of dishcloths made up.  Daughter Stacey and her husband John have put an order in for more as they have only used the dishcloths I make for a good number of years now as well as the kitchen towels (an order is in for a couple of those as well). I have 7 dishcloths ready for them to cover the week, and a couple of new ones for me as well.  I've almost got the kitchen towels finished but not quite so can't count them in my April finishes lol.  I had hoped to have the jumper finished knitting but I'm quite slowed down on the sleeves and keep getting distracted by other things so it's been put to the side many times during the month.

I went to Benalla to the Spinners group there last week and decided it was time to pick up that 2nd pair of socks again that I had started.  I'd wanted to do the heel in the yellow as well, but after getting advise from Jill, who initially helped me get my first pair of socks made - I found it couldn't be easily done with the particular pattern I'm currently using - so now I'll get on and get them finished!

I've just started reading the book that you can see on the table with the socks "Daughters of the Resistance" which seems good so far ....... Just finished the one below which was also set in the War - It was a little sad, but quite an intriguing read and a bit more insight that I hadn't realised occured.

The other exciting thing that happened right at the end of April was that we bought a small wood heater for the house!  Yes, we do have a gas heater in the lounge and the house does have ducted gas heating ......... but after using the gas heater in the lounge the first few weeks we moved down and getting the bill for that, we know that a winter worth of gas is going to be expensive!!  Particularly when you are wanting to keep the house maintained without the chill factor each morning when you get up!  Besides which  we've had a wood heater at a good number of our "southern" homes and I just love them!!!  So we went shopping for one and I checked them to ensure they would fit a kettle and a cooking pot on top (most essential!).  

I already had an idea for where I wanted it to sit as being a smaller one we figured it would only heat up so much of the house - I wanted it in the dining/ living area so that the kitchen also gets warmed and my craft room which is off the living room might also get some of the heat!   Pete got the job of checking to see if the reality of where I wanted it to go would actually work!

And Voila!  A few days of installation processing and several trips to Bunnings for items not included in the heater pack or the flue kit and it was running!  To our surprise it actually heats up more of the house than we imagined it would - right up the hallway and taking the chill off our bedroom up the far end of the house from it!   And yes, I've already had the clothes airer out to dry clothes by it!  

And yes, it does mean gathering wood, but we have a friend an hour from here that has huge amounts of wood that he has given us access to ...... in his words " we have a wood supply for the rest of our lives" - how lovely is that!  I don't mind the gathering and lifting of wood into the utter and trailer as its one of the things - those "chores" that as well as enjoying doing with hubby, also helps to keep me fitter!

Almost to our turn off to home and we passed a couple in a bit of trouble - they had pulled off the road thinking to stop and have a cuppa and a bit of a break and found themselves bogged!  Being Anzac Day it was not going to be easy to get help ...........  

Pete turned us around  and we went to the rescue as he attached a pulling strap and was able to get them pulled out and back on dry ground!  Such a lovely couple who hail from Tamworth and are on a trip over to the West.  So after a bit of a chat we exchanged numbers and we may see them pull into our place on their way back, or we may see them in Tamworth on one of our travels!

Meantime, I've been keeping up the momentum of walking and trying to get into more of a habit with it again!  It's a lovely time of year to be out walking

And with that, I'm off to go and get some chores done and also to head into Wangaratta today to run some errands and I'm also planning on dropping into the Spinners Group at  Milawa that I went  to last month so I best get moving!!  Have a great day everyone xo