Growing Chilli

10 weeks ago my DD decided to grow some chilli plants for my DH who is very keen on them. She didn’t do the pendulum trick at the nursery and back home we have since discovered that we have 2 male, 2 female. Can you tell?

I’m not giving up on the 2 male (above) because they do sometimes fruit. I hope.

Look at this one,(side pic, female) hopefully it will keep my DH supplied all summer.

 

Anyone else growing chillies? Any tips?

Coffee Holiday Habits

With a coffee machine at home, I did wonder how I would get by on my travels without being able to make the perfect cappuccino within 3 minutes. This is a luxury I enjoy.

Well, I didn’t have to worry, I found coffee everywhere I went, and..

..being on holiday meant that I had to add cake alongside my coffee too

diet? what diet?

Well I thought coffee in Melbourne was overpriced, so Harrod's put it all into persepctive for me.

I usually pay AU $3.80 for a coffee, and my Harrod's coffee converted to AU $8.05

Coffee is now very much the same everywhere you go. It’s still overpriced. But a necessity nonetheless. Of course, after coffees I enjoyed other cafe delights too...

but coffee was the staple...

My school friend Vilinka makes an excellent coffee…and having known each other 40 years, we had a lot to talk about over our coffee. She is an extraordinary cake maker (see below pic!)…and a newly converted quilter! (maybe??…high hopes). She does own an Elna sewing machine and this a good start….

For someone who doesnt ordinarily eat sweets, I sure made up for it on holiday...

And lastly, a lovely slice made by my sister Danica.

Now I'm back home it's time to grind some beans and make some coffee and get down to work! Without the aid of cake...

WOW: Red December

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I must have 20 or so projects just like this – half done and waiting. So, this red WIP of mine has been waiting in the wings for quite some time. I pulled it out of my red stash shelf a few months ago and it’s been on my mind ever since. So here it is, I am calling it Red December because I like the name and I also plan to have it ready to launch in December (yes this year, hopefully). My first version that you can see here is stenciled and I am also going to make it in applique, it's just too nice not to. Also, I have too much red fabric not to, I'd like to use some stash!

It has 3 potential borders which I am still umm-ing and ahhhh-ing over, which may explain why it’s a WIP as I am going through loving / not loving each option all over again. Oh well, time for decisions.

  

Hopefully Red December (or perhaps Red January / February or March) will be a launch soon.

PS

Yes, it’s been nearly 2 weeks and the roses are still alive and I am still enjoying them. No such thing as too much red about the house…

Peaceful Pathways Part 4

Yes, we're already at Part 4! How time flies!

This month we are making the lovely patchwork style border. It’s worked in red and white (of course). This month is the final bit of hard work before we sail into the ending.

The more time I spend with this quilt, the more I love it.

I especially like how classic and easy if looks and feels at first glance, but how lovely the details are when you get to know it better.

The pics here are a bit shadowy as the weather was bright and stormy. Sorry!

I really like the white squares coming together to make the pieced hearts.

I just feel really glad making this quilt. And it's another for my red and white shelf.

Anyone else BOM-ing along with me?

Peaceful Pathways is my current free BOM

You can download the current month via my website or Yahoo Bom Group

The Awe of Flying

Generally I don’t love flying – the noise, the air pressure, the recycled air and the airports.

But flying has its moments too. Especially if you are near a window when land comes back into sight, and cities roll into view. Because it’s so easy to forget just how remarkable flying really is.

That said, I’d rather be on a train any time!

But there's no denying how interesting it is to see the world from a birds eye view every now and then.

 This was my favourite plane (from the outside), the Haribo plane! My children adored Haribo when they were young and I can just imagine how many young children love seeing this fly overhead!  

For those of you who wanted to know, we flew Bristish Airways and were very happy with their service.

To Kindle or Not To Kindle?

Update: 14th November 2011

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to my query. It was a big question for me, especially at this time of year - and I really appreciate the info you all provided. I read all your comments with great interest and I think the only way forward is to go with a Amazon Kindle.

There is a library in my state that allows kindle loans (which is nice) and I like that the classics are free (well, quite a few by the sounds of things). Now I just have to decide on the type. Do I want colour? probably. Is it realistic to read magazines on a kindle? Not sure, but can't see why not.

I have recently had no choice but purchase my >>first<< digital magazine subscription (there's no room left in any quarter of my house, it was an option of last resort). Well, it's fine. So I think it's possible that the magazine option could be a real one for me as well as the books, kindle wise. I'm not sure why some kindles have keyboards with them, I don't want to check emails or do anything like that, just reading and browsing.

I might even convert my DD to the kindle idea too, she reads a lot of very large (and impossible to hold) manuals and that kind of thing and I was amazed that they are actually in kindle format too.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on it at the moment. I really appreciate and value your comments on this.

Yes, I will get a kindle. Just decidining which one now. Will definitely keep you posted on what I end up with this Christmas!

Please keep commenting if you have anything else to add, all information is gratefully received.

 

That Is The Question.

When Kindle was first launched a few years ago, my DH offered to buy one, as much as a novelty as anything else. This was before they were even remotely popular and no one I knew had even heard of one. Back then, the idea of connecting books (which I love) to a computer of any kind (which I certainly don’t love and which always ends up in more work and frustration) was definitely not appealing.

But I may have changed my mind.

On this last trip I saw travelers reading kindle everywhere…and it just made sense. Do I think anything can compare to the pleasure of opening a book? No.

Can I fit a book in my handbag? Maybe. Can I fit enough to get me through a holiday? There isn’t enough bag space! There was an era when I would have travelled with a book and posted it back to myself. But times have changed and postage rates have drastically increased lately (has anyone else noticed this??) so that simply isn’t an option anymore.

If I get a kindle I will be purchasing it and I want to get the right one.

So I’d love any opinions from real users -

Do you have it?

Which one do you have?

Do you love it?

Was it worth it?

PS, I dont want to type anything(??) and I dont care about wi-fi or whatever.

?

My London Bus Tour

The best thing I did in London was get on a bus. An iconic red double decker bus that drove around for 3 hours. Wow, what an eye opener! Taking in the city from the roof of the bus was so relaxed.

As a people watcher / building observer, I loved every minute of it! You could actually 'see' styles and fashions  change as we moved out of one area and into the next. The same thing was reflected in the buildings from old to new to facades.

As a foreigner, London looks so historic, the wealth of details street after street really took me in. And I loved being high enough to see everything from a perspective I never usually think about.

As the bus drove around the streets, I randomly took these pictures whenever the bus stopped at a light or in traffic. The rest of the time I just leaned over the rail and took in the view. The best snaps are in my mind. I'm not really a document- every -moment- kind of tourist, I'd rather enjoy myself. I definitely recommend a London Bus Tour to anyone - it gives you a real perspective of the city.

There is so much beauty up there! And down below too....

If i'd had the time, I would have done it again. The snaps I have of this great ride are taken during red lights and occassional stops. It's a mixed bag! Just the way I like it!

this looks so english to my eyes

unexpected pink flowers in a grey spot

beautiful architecture

 

looking down or alongside statues (instead of up at them) was a nice change

as was getting as close as possible to beautiful building details

as soon as I saw the building below I 'knew' I was in London,

can't explain why, I must have seen it on a TV program

I really wish I could have got close enough and high enough to see the detail of the building below.

 Is it an angel? a scroll?

 It really had me thinking about the skill, legacy and values of craftsmanship and how buildings built today, by way of comparison, have no soul.

crowds  / people / queues everywhere

London has definitely put my general queue annoyances into perspective!

 This growth is not flora, it's actually a textile installation, a work of textile art. Well, this is what I was told, I didn't actually get off the bus to see the carpet for myself

 London eye

it's Big Ben