Crocus flowers

Crocus flowers or Rain bulbs named as they seem to flower when rain is about.
Do they know something the weather burea doesnt know.
I have groups of them scattered around my garden ,as they muliply, from a few you end up with many so I pull up a group of bulbs, divide them apart and plant in a different spot.
Great to give to your friends who can do the same.

Lovely display Proteas

A lovely bunch of soft pink proteas, freshly picked and displayed on my kitchen table. I think they keep for some time and then you can dry them.

Bellingen Market 21st Feb 2009

We didnt think Bellingen Market would be on this month due to the floods that surrounded the village of Bellingen. It was a quiet day to our usual market days, but still surprised at the people that came. Local people and their families, visitors to the area and a great live band playing continuous makes it one of the best markets one could have a stall.

These pictures are taken from our stall, the behind stall "second hand bits and pieces", across from us "Indian wear direct from India ".
In front of us a chap displaying his "jewellery" while his lady helper
was giving " free face painting "to the young children, I almost wanted one myself. Maybe next market.

Bellingen Market is held every 3rd Sat of the month. We have our stall under the shade of gumtrees. or you may wander across the bridge and visit other market stalls around the edge of the football ground.

Preparing Fleece

I obtained this bag of sheep fleece about 30 micron, it wasnt that nice but decided to use it.
Firstly I soaked the whole lot in several buckets of warm soapy (detergent) water.


I then sorted it in about 150 gms lots and dyed each in different colours.
I was amazed at how the colour took.



The next process was to card it. So out with the drum carder and I grabbed a handful of coloured fleece, fluffed it out and layed it on the carder tray, turned the handled and the fleece lay on the drum. After several layers on the drum I lifted it off and layed it down on the table. I continued to card all the fleece and was amazed at the result.

Designer Yarn with Bling

Blue hand dyed merino fleece, glitter, angelina, silk carded with hand dyed pink mohair, spun and carded back using fine metalic blue and pink thread.

Mauve hand dyed merino fleece, glitter, angelina, silk carded with many colours of hand dyed mohair and carded back with blue merino fine yarn and pink metalic thread.

I have started to spin up new designer yarns for this years 2009 Bellingen Market stock. I have giving it a touch of bling with new metallic thread I have been lucky to source out.

Birds In My Back Yard

It was a lovely sight to see all the Lorrikeets coming down when I threw out some bread. Then seem very hungry and luckily I have bread in my freezer which I keep on these occasions.



The Doves are frequent visitors and they love to find scraps left over that my chooks leave
behind. What a beautiful colour they are when seen up close. The shot colour of pink around its neck and its red claws, so vivid.
Here is a nectar feeding bird coming down for a drink. I have many heavy containers of water for this reason in my backyard not only for the chooks but for visiting birds, especially on those hot dry days even the birds want a drink .