The Region Celebrates its Local Produce

The Queens Birthday long weekend here in North East Victoria  tends to become a celebration of food & produce as the region hosts what is called the  "Winery Walkabout".  Around Rutherglen, Bundalong, Wangaratta & Glenrowan lies an area that has many wineries, olive groves & various other farm pursuits. It has become so popular over the years with tourists coming from interstate & even some overseas visitors that busloads carry many from one lot of wineries to another.

  Some wineries are so close that visitors are able to walk from one to the other - hence the name "Winery Walkabout". - Unfortunately they tend to forget it is a Highway they are crossing over on some accounts & so ..... tradiion now also incorporates signs for the motorists to warn them - 

 However - On the Sunday (today) Rutherlen hosts a very large Farmers Market that covers just about everything you could think of - olive oils to taste & buy, soaps, cheeses, clothing, handcrafts, bunches of flowers, wooden crafts, plants, herbs, & the list continues. 

Stacey & I took to the market this morning - it covers not only the main street (which happens to be the Murray Valley Highway), but also the cross over street.  Traffic is detoured around the back streets for the day - which can be very interesting with narrow local streets that have cars parked both sides & wandering market goers!

here we are tasting some of the cheese bread sticks, which were Really, really tasty!! - should have got more of those!   But we did buy a nice looking loaf of fresh baked bread from the same stall.

I also picked up a  fleecy lined jacket for just $15 & Stace got a nice coat for $29!  Here are some of the other items I managed to buy........ including the cute little "Tiger" (Aussie Rules) booties for Nemo!

The pottery item is actually a windchime decorated with "gumleaves & blossoms".   I've already sampled the orange blossom honey....YUM!  The cheese can wait till tomorrow....... a nice treat while I plant out the onions & thyme :)

My Mailbox Surprise!

Look what was waiting for me in my mail box when I got home from work today............ our first letter from our grandson who is in his first year at primary school!  Thanyou Little J!  Pop & Grandma love it & have it on our fridge.  xox

Weekend Highlights- Crayfish & Journals

And an industrious weekend it has been!  It started off with the Early Bird Journal making (which I shall tell you about shortly), and finished  up with some lovely crayfish being cooked up. 

First off - here are the crayfish  - a fresh water crayfish that can only be caught during the winter months in the rivers down south - particulary the Murray River & hence they are often referred to as Murray Crays.

These were caught by our eldest son in the Murray River just a short stroll from here. The pic to the left shows them still alive, with the tail tucked under.  The claws are very able at taking off a finger................ so be wary!

Now to the right , and you'll see them after they've been cooked up in a pot of boiling water, lemons & rock salt!   Guess what we are having for dinner tonight!!!

Now onto the journals.........

For the early bird christmas project a journal was needed to do up lists etc.  As you might all know how much I adore list making,  I am rather consious these days of keeping my clutter to a minimum where I can.  I've decided that with this move to Bundalong - our new home + the idea of needing to get that christmas journal made up............ a New Homemaking Journal would be the best idea. Homemaking journals/binders were all the rage a few years back and although I did have one back then, it has been packed into a box and may not get unpacked for quite some time - along with alot of other boxes of books that are waiting patiently!  Since I need it to cover  most things I do (I'd like to think it would cover everything but we shall see) -

A large Binder would be in order in which I could add pages or sections as required or remove a page of lists to take with me if needed rather than carting a whole book into town with me  - you get the picture.  So I've covered a large 2 ring Binder in some appropriate looking fabric I had here

& inside I have made various  "Sections - complete with their own title page"  which divide my Big Journal into several areas in an effort to keep all my lists, references, quotes etc etc in the ONE place. 

 So yes, I have a separate section just devoted to the Early Birds Christmas (instead of a separate book - sorry Judith - but it does easily accommodates the various sections, plus allows me to pop in the wonderful pattern sheets Judith has supplied for us to use), another divider for The Kitchen  - which includes menu plans; preserving'; kitchen crafts & also growing food (seed catalogs can be kept here + a list of what fruit trees we have yet to purchase); A section for Home Renovations - repairs & upgrades (in which I can keep my "to do" lists for those item as well as quotes for costs); A sewing section - to list my projects on the go, groups I'm currently in;  gifts for birthdays etc. 

Now while my current cover pages are fairly basic (except for my christmas one which I've decorated with fabric & glitter paints )  - it does manage to give that section its own little identity (& I can pretty them up as I go :)  )

I spent a good part of Saturday morning getting quotes for a rain water tank (needed for our drinking water) - so now all of that info will go straight into my homemaking journal, and can easily be found by us rather than having to search for that "bit of paper".

A Bit of This & A dash of That.

I'm running late with posting again!  This is Cliff - our pet lorikeet who has been in the family for a good number of years now since our son Jaron bought him when he was at school in Year 10 (now he's 24 with a family of his own).  Cliff decided to pull out alot of his feathers + in this photo, he just finished having a bath - truely a sight!   He got rather upset today when ..............

This Ibis came looking for some food!  Cliff, who can mimick most things, barked so the dogs would come running to scare it away!

And now here at last are my one flower wednesday flowers for the past 3 weeks.  The little flower with the blue petals....... the blue & the patterned colour are currently being used in the quilt I'm making for little "Nemo" - our grandchild due in July!  Hope you like the colours Nay.  I'll post a photo of the quilt before long..... very close to being finished!   - Meanwhile,  Stace reminds me she is still waiting for me to finish quilting & binding her quilt.  Looks like I could be busy this weekend.

Oh, & for those wondering what's happening workwise.   Looks like I was successful in getting my old job back.  So I'll be back working 3 days a week..........  glad I've made the most of the time getting lots done here to help get us nicely settled in.   Tomorrow we even have the roofer arriving to fix all the leaking guttering!

Dishcloths from ........

Yep, more dishclothes have arrived............ this lot are from Deanna over in the US who has been very busy making lots of various types for her upcoming farmers market.  Deanna, my favourite is the colourful one - is this shell stitch you've used?  I've yet to try out the tunisian stitch, but it's on the list.  Isn't the round one so clever??
For those wondering where I've been this past week or so, it's been a hectic time - I've been sorting, building a filing cabinet (you know the kind - it comes as a flat pack from the warehouse with minature instructions) - it only took me around 6 hours (last wednesday) getting from flat pack to a working unit.......... but working it is - so of course, now has come the sorting of old files & organizing the new one (it's work in progress ).   And, I've started back at work at the hospital where I used to be before our interstate move to Townsville.  I'm on a casual contract for now, & only doing day shifts.  I've had a lovely welcome back there, which is really nice!  Meantime, I've managed to keep up with my sewing, but had trouble with my camera, yahoo & the computer the past few days, so any posting was put off.
It's raining here today, so the washing is all hanging around the fireplace on clothes airers drying beautifully. Well, I'm off to see to some more sewing & snail mail........... catch up with you all soon.
Hugs, Sharm

Pay It Forward Update

Thanks Sandra for popping down your name.  I'm still waiting on 2 more ladies.  I have the details/rules of Pay it Forward listed in the April blog archive, but basically the first 3 ladies to pop down their names is blessed with a homemade gift from me.  They must have a blog of their own, & they have to agree to pass on the blessing by hosting a pay it forward on their own blog.  You have a year in which to make the gift & post it out, although this usually happens alot quicker than that!  So here's hoping I get to see a couple more ladies interested in taking part.

More Dishcloths

Another wonderful parcel of dishcloths arrived!  This time they have travelled from Janets place over in Indianna, USA.  A wonderful selection of colours - the top one is actually a real dark navy blue but seems to disappear in the photo.  I love the varigated colours.  I can't seem to get much colour selection here in the cotton, so the swap is giving me a lovely selection.  Thankyou so much Janet & yours should be ready for posting out in the next couple of days.  
I've made a note on the sidebar that lets those taking part know when I've received your dishcloths & when I send out to you.