Christmas is Done and Dusted

Oh dear! 6 weeks since I have even looked at my blog. How slack. Term 4 was so hectic, I was sure I would never get everything done. I can't recall being quite so busy and rushed in other years. I'm not sure whether there was more to do, more pressure or whether I am getting more disorganised and less multi-tasked as I get older.

Finally finished Christmas shopping a few days before Christmas and got the tree up - as is ordained by family tradition, it has to be big enough to touch our 11 foot ceilings - and it was.

Oops! That was last year's tree. Wonder where the photo for this year is. No matter. Looks much the same - just no little kids around this year.

Small group of 8 of us this year, but we made up for it with 32 to tea the next day - all family. That was a hectic but fun day. Little kids everywhere, with a new one on the way - another great niece or nephew in June. Very exciting.

One of the things Don and I got for Christmas was an iPod from Mark, so we can listen to our music more conveniently. I've had fun the last 2 days going through my CDs and putting them on the iPod. Now I'll have to persuade Don to learn how to use it. He tends to resist modern technology - more out of perversity than anything else.

I remember years ago in the early 70s when he was still teaching high school maths and he used to take his classes on excursions down to Adelaide to play on these computer things. All they ever did was print out long pages of words or make calendars and Don swore that it was a waste of time and computers would never be of any use to schools. Hmmm. Eating his words now!!

Off to record more albums.

Have a safe and Happy New Year .

Liz

Old Photos

We were chatting by email about old photos yesterday, so I went searching. I have hardly any photos of myself before I was about 10 - they've been lost somewhere along the way. But I did find some facscinating ones of my husband Don and his family, so I though I would share some of them.

Don's mother and grandmother and their dog.




Don's father and his
twin brother




Don, his mother, grandmother, a family friend, older brother and twin brothers










Don and his 4 younger brothers


I'll have to go searching for photos of me now. Heaven only knows where the few we had have got to.

Liz

Sadly.............

A friend recently sent a photo by email showing her son holding the most glorious armful of Waratah blooms. Quite breathtaking, but also heartbreaking. Why?

I'll show you my waratah - a prized possession carefully nurtured over 10 years and bringing joy to many over that time. They are a relatively rare species here in South Australia and many passers-by stop to admire this specimen - or they did!!!



This was our lovely Waratah 2 years ago. The Community bus used to drive along our road just so the old folk could see it.










This is it now. It was the first our our shrubs - and the most heartbreaking - to succumb to the drought.

There will be others this year. Already, despite a fair winter, some of the plants are looking less robust than usual. I guess sights like this one will be come more and more common in gardens as the water restrictions hit home. With over 2 acres of garden, my allotted 3 hours of hand watering doesn't go far.
We're going to learn the hard way what plants are going to be most suitable for South Australian gardens!!

Liz

October in the Garden

October in the Garden
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

There always seems to be happening in the garden - always something coming to life around each corner - apart from the weeds, of course. The winter and early spring bulbs and the camellias have just finished and now it is the turn of the perennials, the late spring bulbs and the flowering shrubs and trees.

Here is a selection of what is on offer at the moment in our garden.
1. White camellia 2. Miniature violet
3. Scabiosa 4. Iris
5. Peruvian lily 6. Malus ioensis

7. Michelia 8. Iris
9. Nasturtium 10. Howard Florey rose
11. Babiana 12. Perennial Forget-me-not
13. Arum Lily 14. White Flowering Chestnut
15. Pink Dogwood 16. Camellia

Liz Needle

More broken

Some more 'broken' photos. Our place is just full of them. The trouble is that with me working full time and Don retired, but not very fit, we just can't get to fix these things - and to pay someone to do it is well beyond my means ( about $15 000 to clear away all the fallen willows!).

Thirty odd years ago 10 acres was fun - hard work, but fun. Now it is getting too hard. Trouble is that we have made this place so perfect (for us), that we can't bear to bite the bullet and sell up. Where else could we have the peace and solitude, the birds, koalas, echidnas and possums, the beautiful garden? Nowhere that we can afford, that's for sure!

Liz

Scatterdays

Scatterdays theme this month is "Broken" and I have tons of 'broken around this old farm. I'll sart with the old house - not the new one which was built around 1902, but the old one at the back.
When we moved in 37 years ago, we planned to do this old place up and use it as a B&B, but the architect took one look and threw his hands up in horror. It was built of cement and rubble - an old cheap method and the weather wall was sored up and covered with iron to keep the rain out. It could have been rebuilt, but at huge cost to us - poor struggling 30 year olds with 3 kids to raise and an old farm to re-fence and farmhouse to do up. So, the old house was left to die gracefully.

The blackberries have taken over the outside and the swallows, bats, rats and snakes the inside.







Liz Needle

Daffodils

Daffodils
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I mentioned yesterday that the bulbs have been stunning this year. Here are a few photos I took while the daffodils were out.

A pity in a way that they don't last until the bluebells are out. The blue and yellow combination would be amazing. There probably is a way of managing this, but I like things to happen in my garden without my intervention.

Below is another view of the garden. Last Friday the fog came in about 5 pm and I tried to catch it on film. It actually looked thicker than this in real life, but I still like the effect.



Liz

Bluebells

Bluebells
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Don and I have been busy trying to get the garden in order. The drought and water restrictions were very discouraging and we let the garden go last summer. After a good winter the garden had sprung to life again and is looking quite lovely. The spring bulbs have all come up regardless of the drought - bulbs are so rewarding. They seem to forgive all.

The daffodils have all but finished and the bluebells are holding sway. The blue is just amazing, but unfortunately, the colours lose their splendour once they are photographed. The garden is awash with shades of blue at the moment. And the occasional pink clump. Such a satisfying bulb. No matter what you do to them, they flourish in the shady areas. I love them. To add to the blue we have babiana just about to flower and grape hyacinth and iris as well.

Soon the roses will wake from their winter sleep and the pinks, whites and golds will add to the spring colour in the garden. It will be interesting to see how the roses recover from the lack of water during the summer. We were amazed at the hardiness of the camellias (we only lost one) and the magnolias. Plants are surprisingly adaptable.

Spot the Difference

Finally finished the blocks for the Web Challenge quilt and spent today trimming and putting them together - block by block, row by row, being careful to match everything up, get seams butting, blocks in the right position - you know the drill. Done it many times over. Checked it out with my spyhole and everything looked in place. Great!

Photo take. Quilt spread out on the lounge room floor. Dogs locked outside. Ladder in so I could get high enough to get good shots. Finally photos taken and I stood back to admire the effect. Then........................ big expletive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I won't tell you what I said. It was very naughty. Can you see what I saw?

I couldn't believe my eyes. And I had checked it so carefully. Looked at it over and over.

So back I went and carefully unpicked what I had to and did it again, but what a bummer!!!

Below is the corrected quilt. Much better. Now I have to add sashing and borders, then get someone to quilt it. Too big for me to manage under my sewing machine.

It's my first significantly red quilt and I rather like it. Not sure where to put it mind you as my house doesn't cater for red, but I am sure it will find a home.

Liz

Our River

Earlier this week we took advantage of the beautiful Spring weather and drove along the lower reaches of the Murray River. We had not done this for 6 months or so and wanted to see the deterioration since our last visit in Summer.

I guess for people not familiar with the river it doesn't look too bad - there seems to be a lot of water still, but for those living on and depending on the river, the changes are devastating. Even for visitors such as us, the changes are scary. Every year I take a group of Year 6/7 kids to Murray Bridge for an Aquatics Camp and we have noticed the receding water level over the past few years. Where once the water lapped the lawn verges of the camp site, now there is a stretch of sandy beach. The jetties and loading ramps are high out of the water and worst of all, the lovely billabongs along the river are dry, cracked mud. Where once there was abundant bird life sheltering on these quiet backwaters, now there are only birds in the willows along the banks and a few larger birds on the river itself.

It is difficult to see how these billabongs will ever fill again. It would take huge amounts of water from upstream to see them flourish as they did a few years ago.

The large grey expanse was once water teeming with wildlife. Note the irrigated grain crops on the left hand side of the photo!

What horrified me most was seeing large areas of grain crops (barley or oats) being watered by large overhead sprinklers around Purnong. To me watering such crops is pure waste. But then, I am not an expert on such matters. I guess it's no worse than irrigating rice and corn in the middle of the Hay Plains?

Liz

Web Sampler Blocks

Web Sampler Blocks
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

These are the quilt blocks I have been working on this week. They are part of a quilt called 'Web Sampler Celebration #2', that was put out last year as part of the Shop Hop in USA.
They are a Civil War Classics range of fabrics by Julie Rothermel for Marcus Fabrics and I just fell in love with the range. My final quilt design is from Quakertown Quilts and I can't wait to see it finished.

Wet Photos

Hmmm,. You can tell I'm on holidays - I have time to spend on my blog. As you can see if you have visited before I have changed the colour and style. I like this green for a change.

Have to say I was disappointed at the size my 'wet' photos turned out with Mosaic Maker. Mine always seem to be small, whilst similar ones on other blogs seem quite large. Wonder why that is? So, I have decided to publish them again because I like them.

These are photos I took of the TV screen during the Women's Road Cycling Race in Beijing.

Wet

Wet
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I am really pleased with these photos of the Women's Road Race in Beijing. I took photos of the TV screen and crossed my fingers. I like the reflections I got from the rain and the screen.

Cheesemaking

For my birthday this year, my daughter, Jo, paid for me to attend a cheesemaking workshop with her. It was held in Angaston at the Barossa Valley Cheese Company and the workshop on making washed rind cheese was run by Carole Willman of Cheeselinks, Little River, Victoria.

Having purchased a new pair of clean rubber galoshes, unearthed an apron in the depths of my kitchen cupboard and found a plastic tub with two lids, I presented myself at the venue, ready to make cheese. Jo and I were introduced to the other 5 participants and Carole introduced us to the art of making cheese.

I won't go into details - hopefully the photos will do that, but suffice to say that it was totally fascinating and at the end of the workshop we proudly carried home our embryo cheeses with instructions on how to proceed to mature said cheeses over the next few weeks.

At home we had to keep our cheese at a constant temperature between 11 and 14 degrees until the mould started to show. The hardest part was actually maintaining such a temperature as it has been so cold and unless I put it on the mantlepiece over the fireplace, I could only get a temperature of 10 degrees anywhere in our cold old house. Next we had to wash and turn our cheese every few days until the washed rind culture became established (it was supposed to go reddish, but neither Jo's or mine did). Instead it started to go runny inside the rind, so I wrapped it in baking paper and foil and popped it into the fridge to mature slowly.

Well, mine is maturing! I'm not sure that it is maturing as it should, but it is sitting there doing something. It smells OK and tastes OK, but I'm not sure that it looks exactly as it should. Despite this I will purchase some cheesemaking supplies and try again, because it was fun and a challenge. When I actually taste my cheese in a couple of weeks, I will give you a taste report. Until then I check it regularly and give it more care than I did my children. LOL.

Liz

I have won an award!!!

Yeah!! I would like to thank Katie for my award.
This is my first ever.





Rules for this award

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs for an award.
4. Put links to those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message on the blog of the person you have nominated.

I am nominating some of my favourite blogs.
Laurie, Taniwa, Lindi, Mandy Sue, Loz, Dawn, Random Applique . Well done, ladies.

Liz

Musing about books

I have just been adding lists to my blog. Books and authors. I thought it would be an easy task, but I found it really difficult. Who and what to put on - who and what to leave out?

I read through my book diary - yes I do keep records: my friends think I am anal!! As I browsed I pondered how tastes in reading change. There are always some books and authors forever ingrained, but many of my favourite authors of yesteryear are forgotten - or tucked away in the dark recesses of my mind and only brought out and dusted when I spend time browsing in a second hand book shop.

On my bookshelf are many books that I devoured avidly when I was younger, but which I haven't touched for years. One of the problems is that there are so many good books around these days that one has a hard time keeping up with them, let alone re-reading past favourites.

My new resolution - I will not borrow/buy any new books until I have read some of those old ones that have previously given me so much pleasure.

I wonder how I will go? I'll keep you posted.

Liz

Cold Spell

As I look out of the window this morning, the fog moves in from across the paddocks- another cold wintry day. It has been raining all night - very much needed rain, but not adding to the winter's cheer. It seems to be the longest wintry spell we have had in years, with temperatures regularly down in the single figures and several morings here where it was -1 on our front lawn. We have had a good lt of rain, but it's further north they still need it and even more in the catchment area of the Murray River and it's tributaries. The Murray is desperate - it is dying.

The theme for our photography this month is wet - well, it's wet all around us, but nothing like on the scale of earlier years up here. These photos, taken in different years are actually of the paddock to the side of our house.

We don't seem to get wet winters like this anymore.

Liz

Reflections

Reflections
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

For my reflections I have chosen reflections of the sky.
The first one is the sky using my car window - I found, once I started looking for reflections, that car windows are actually amazing.

Unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to taking photos of other people's cars in case they thought I had an ulterior motive. I could imagine myself being taken in tow by the local copper for snooping.

The second shot is a large puddle of water (almost a mini lake at the moment) at the lowest point of our property and the third shot is a closer one of the same reflection. The colour in the water amazed me.

Liz

ATCs

Atcs
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Such a while since I blogged. Too much else happening in my life at the moment.
I have the grand children staying and though they are a delight, they take up time. Soon they will disappear back to Sydney and it will seem like a dream that they were ever here and once again I will fret because I miss so much of their growing up.

I have spent a little sewing time catching up on my ATC commitments. Here are a few more:
- a kimono postcard done with foundation piecing - gorgeous fabrics on black taffeta
- an ATC entitled Midnight Lace for a 'Different Fabrics" swap - I found this gorgeous piece of sequinned lace in Spotlight and was waiting for a chance to use it.
- two oriental fans for an "Oriental" swap. These were fun to make.

Now off to finish some butterflies, then a series titled "Checks". No ideas for this one.

This is one of my favourite sets. It is entitled "Oriental". Love the fabrics and the colours that were used. All of these cards were delightful.

Sometimes the cards are a little disappointing, but I guess that's the same with all swaps. We don't all have the same fabric and colour tastes, which is what makes life more interesting.

I am getting quite a collection of these little cards now and so far my interest is not flagging, though it can't last forever - can it?

Liz Needle

Frames

My reports are nearly finished - only another 8 hours to go. LOL. But, I am nearly there, one more subject and an overall comment - 25 times!!!

Time to choose my favourite frames. I wish I'd had more time to play with this theme as it was interesting. Had me looking at things a whole new way.

My final selection:

The Rose Arch. My garden is divided into separate areas - "rooms" I think Edna Walling called them. This archway leads us from one room to another and gives a glimpse of what is to come. I love the effect. In Spring and Summer it is entirely different as the roses come into prolific flower.



Cousins. I loved the effect of the dark background and the light forground with the two children playing in the pool. Has a nice summery feel to it.



Autumn Leaves. The garden again - it isn't difficult to see where my interests lie. Here I like the contrast between the dark tree trunks framing the tree in the background and the coppery autumn leaves in the foreground.

Now I'm off to see if anyone else has posted their final choices - much more creative than mine, I imagine.

Liz Needle

More Frames

More Frames
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

A few more frames - two accidental and one accidentally noticed.

Part of our city skyline. seen through a window when I was at the Central Market. Luckily I had my camera. Mosaic Maker has cut off one side - as it does!!

Japanese Gardens at Darling Point. One of my favourite places.

I liked this one of the kids playing in the blow-up pool.

Liz

Frames with a difference

Frames with a difference
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Browsing through my photo collection, I came across some more "framed photos"; this time with a different slant.

The first one I included because it became obvious that Di and I had both visited Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island. I love this photo.

The second one is of Don's father and uncle - identical twins. Have to say I didn't actually take this one. LOL

The third one is of my mother, but I rather liked the baby magpie perching on it.

And finally the magpie(Oscar) watching the cricket, with Jason Gillespie in the frame.

Off to find some more "frames". I rather like this challenge - besides it's keeping me away from report writing.

Liz

Garden Frames

Garden Frames
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Di's photographic Challenge has got me going. I seem to drive around the countryside seeing frames around every corner, but never in a spot where I can stop. Very frustrating.
However, I decided to walk around the garden for starters and found a lot of natural frames. Very rough, I'm afraid because the garden is wearing its winter doldrums at the moment.

1. The house from under an old flowering gum. I love this view. It's the first one I see when I come home each night
2. Again from under the old gum tree. I love the shape of this old tree - very interesting arrangement of branches and the misty look of the garden in the background contrasted against the boldness of the tree shape - there you go Di, how's that for analysis.
3. The rose arch in winter.It makes an intersting shape and shows off the garden behind.
4 This frame works better in summer when the trees are in full leaf, but I liked the effect of the yellow leafy frame above, echoed by the fallen leaves on the lawn below.

As I said, very rough. I didn't notice te gas bottle in the foreground of number 2, or the dog kennel and droppers, or the untidy furniture in number 4. Still it's realism.

Liz Needle

My creations

My creations
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I have been really busy lately trying to get myself organised to start a new term. However in the holidays I did find some time for sewing, including making a number of ATCs for swaps.

I find these really enjoyable and relaxing, though I think a number of my friends think they are a waste of time. Not being a terribly creative type, I find myself quite challenged by these little cards and am always quite proud of myself when I come up with an idea. Mine are not the beautiful 'art' type cards, but I like my pictorial ones and especially the quirky ones.

Wonder what everyone else is doing on their Blogs. Must go have a peek.


Liz

I did also finish a quilt top - my Civil War BOM in the hols - photo next time and am about to put the borders on the Jane Sassaman one, so I was fairly productive - for me!

Holiday Project - That Quilt!!!

Two posts in one day - unbelievable!!

Some time ago I fell in love with a quilt design I found quite by chance on the internet. It was a design by Jane Sassaman, using fabrics from her 'Paradise Garden' range. It really caught my eye, so on impulse, I sought out the required fabrics and duly bought them. Very excited when they arrived, but my excitement was somewhat dashed when I opened the packages. Not me at all. Bright, gaudy fabrics, exotic flowers and twining vines - not at all what I expected and looking not at all like the quilt I had fallen in love with. I put the fabric away and forgot about it.

Needing a new project thsese holidays, I pulled it all out and decided to give it a go. The pattern looked easy, large pieces, simple construction. Should get it done in a day.

Well, from the start, things just did not go right. First I had to make templates as every piece was fussy cut. And fussy cut out of fabric with a black background - oh, my poor eyes! And those colours - iridescent green, orange, pink, red - just not me. Busy, busy, busy!! I hated it. Nearly every edge a bias edge, twining vines everywhere that just didn't want to match up, pieces going in the wrong way, unpicking, unpicking, instructions that did not tell me enough and my husband helping by popping in and saying,"NO, that just isn't you."

Finally, finally, I had it together except for the last border - still not sure about that. And, blow me down, when I finally laid it on the floor and stood back, it happened! It came to life! It actually looked like the photo!! Close up - no, no, no. But at a distance, it wasn't too bad at all. And it's growing on me.

Maybe I will put on that last border and finish it off after all. It's still not me, but it is different, it was a challenge and I am quite pleased with the result. I should be able to find a home for it. What do you think.

Two main blocks. The colours are not good. The yellow background is really much more yellow



The quilt minus its final border. OK, OK, I'll do it.

Chef for a Day

Despite my good intentions, I have not kept up with my Blog as promised - too much time on my hands. I seem to achieve so much more when I am under pressure and have to keep myself organised to get things done.

The holidays have been slow and pleasant and studded with several new experiences. My son has won himself a position as head chef in a new restaurant recently opened in the Barossa Valley. Before they officially opened, the owner arranged for a TV crew to film the restaurant. This entailed a mad rush as the kitchen, while equipped with new large stuff like stoves, didn't have any utensils etc. They had a head chef, but no menu, food, stores or any other staff. Mark had a week to equip, stock, hire and organise a luncheon for up to 50 people.

It was all hands on deck. Rush orders sent out, a sous chef and a kitchen hand found and a mother (me) co-opted to help in the kitchen preparing for the big day. I had a ball helping with the prep the day before, then actually doing some of the easier tasks, like salads, desserts, cheese plates on the day. I think Mark was a little concerned having me there to start with. Not because I wouldn't be able to cope with the work, but because I might not snap to attention when he said go orif he gave me orders. However, I did exactly what I was told, although I couldn't come at the :Yes, chef", "Certainly, chef" that the others did. The luncheon went off like a charm, everyone said great things about the food and the TV crew were very impressed with the whole day .

Mark in his kitchen

Since then the restaurant has had its opening and promises to be a great success and I have had a taste of what it is like to actually work in a busy restaurant kitchen - not just watch it on TV. This week Don and I went for lunch - every bit as good as we hoped.

Views of the dining area and the bar

10 000 Steps

This year I have been participating in the "10000 Steps" Program and am amazed at how many steps I walk in the course of a normal day. It's very easy to join and certainly makes you aware of how little or how much exercise you normally do. The aim of the program is to encourage people to walk at least 10 000 steps every day.

The weather has been so hot that I haven't done any extra walking this year, but I plan to now that the cooler days have arrived. The only requirement is that you wear a pedometer and record your steps online. There are numerous charts to show your progress and a huge list of other walkers to compare yourself with.

Give it a try and walk yourself to health.

Liz

Scatterday X

Scatterday X
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I'm back!!! Probably no-one is bothering to check my blog anymore. Have to change that.
Sport Day is over, the Quilt Show is over and there are only 2 weeks left of this term. The pressure is easing at last and I am back to Scatterdays!!

My offerings this week. Took some thinking for a while, but here goes:

1. Xylophone - well a type of xylophone that the kids construct and play at school. The keys are made from wood which is different from the more usual xylophone.

2. X-Ray of my son's spine. Looks OK to me.

3. X-plate. Tried to find one with 3 Xs, but we are not up to them yet.

4. X-Man - my very favourite X-man, the lovely Hugh Jackman.

In the course of looking for X-words, I discovered that I am an xanthrocroid and could be described as xanthous, but I am not a xenophobe. Rather I am an xenophile. Furthermore X-rays have shown that I have a rather large xiphisternum or zithoid process. Interesting what turns up.

Liz Needle

Yeah!!! The Crows just won!

Great Show

Well, the show is over! And a very successful weekend it was. The final total hasn't been announced yet, but we grossed around $3500. Once the expenses are taken out, we should have a tidy sum to send to Autism SA.
The setting at Victor Harbor was just superb - the only green patch for miles around. The weather was not fantastic - hot, but it didn't seem to stop the customers and we had a steady flow for the two days.
The quilts, even though I say it myself, were beautiful, and we had some terrific feedback. The company for the weekend was brilliant and the Retreating angels thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
All in all, an excellent weeeknd.

Mr Karl Zander of Autism SA opening the show on Saturday. He planned to just pop in and do the job then get away. I think he felt very out of place. However, an hour later he was still there looking at quilts and chatting to quilters. Very impressed with what he saw.









Yours truly chatting while on gate duty










Angels and assistant angels having a well earned coffee break with the winery owners Neville and Adrian Scott



Liz Needle

Heatwave

March 11th

Finally back to blogging. I hope you haven't all run away in disgust. My life has been very loaded down with things lately. First a husband who has not been well, though tests have shown so far that it is nothing life threatening and medication seems to have him under control - I wish I could. LOL.

School with the challenge of 6 delightful, but demanding Vietnamese children as well as 20 equally demanding Aussie 12/13 year olds has also proved more of a task than I expected, but we will get there, I know.

Finally, the reason why I haven't been blogging much - the Retreating Angels Quilt Show next weekend. I have been madly finishing quilts, sewing on bindings and attaching labels and hanging sleeves. Did I tell you we are in the middle of a heatwave and I am sitting under mountains of cuddly quilts doing hand sewing!! Here is another of the finished quilts. This one was a set of friendship blocks, finally put together.

The blocks were made for me by members of the Woodpatch quilting group. Many of them needed a lot of fixing, so they were put away safely and only came to light when I cleaned out my sewing room last winter.

I sent it off to Tracey Browning of Constantine Quilting, then hesitated when I realised the cost involved, especially as I wasn't all that impressed with the standard of some of the stitching in the blocks. However I am glad I went ahead because it is a pretty quilt and looks great in my blue bedroom. Check out the quilting.

I mentioned a heatwave. Adelaide has had 8 days of temperatures over 36 degrees - equalling an all time record. Yesterday we had a cool change - only 35 degrees, but today it was back up to 39.2 . And until next Wednesday every day will be over 35 degrees.

No wonder our gardens are beginning to look like waste lands with water restrictions continuing.

Bushfires today through the Adelaide Hills, supposedly started by lightning. One is within 5 kms of my daughter Jo at Williamstown. Fingers crossed they get it under control. I guess we have been lucky so far this summer, but the scrub is as dry as a tinder box and we are all fearful that if a fire takes hold it will sweep through everything.

Off to find a long cold drink.

Liz