Having a bit of a WIP 'round...

It has been a month of WIP frenzy. Each night I put my hand into the Big Bucket o' WIPs (tm), and play Knittlotto (tm), knitting on whatever gets hauled out. A little concentrated effort on a couple of projects which may have been hanging around for a while has resulted in this:



Clapotis 2, started in May 2009 finished in November 2009 (Touch Yarn Merino and utterly gorgeous)


This:


Radiate from Knitty.com, in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk in Citrine

and some secret Christmas Knitting (which isn't all finished yet)

There are also a couple of single socks and a bit more done on several other projects which have been lurking in the undergrowth for a while.

So the whole stash honesty thing doesn't look nearly so bad at present:

Knitted: 1300 grams

Inward enhancements: 1700 grams

Slightly better stats this month!

The aniversary of Mum's death passed with a family trip to beaustiful (but slightly rainy) Strahan on the West Coast of Tasmania.

There was some of this:


And some of this:


And almost a whole day of this:
The trip on the West Coast Wilderness Railway was a wonderful day despite the rain. The original was contructed over a century ago, and has been revived as a tourist route, with a 50 year old diesel locomotive for the first section, from Strahan to the base of the mountain, and then a 111 year old stem engine - named Percy because he is green - takes over and the line becomes a rack and pinion (sort of like cogs) to go over a mountain and down the other side to Queenstown.

The train stops at all the old stations along the way, includes a lovely lunch of Tasmanian gourmet bits and pieces and the kids had a wonderful time. A long day, but really interesting.

Strahan itself is lovely - and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been down there for 17 years. We had crayfish and the local hotel had a wonderful restaurant. The old railway link between the town wharf and Regatta Point is now a walk along the side of the harbour. Macquarie Harbour is, in fact, the second largest in Australia after Port Philip Bay (Sorry, Sydneysiders!)

I intend to visit again, long before another 17 year hiatus!

There have been lots of things happeneing - mainly at the school, with the year winding up - I have atteneded sports carnivals, inter-school sports, swimming lessons, the fete, the garden opening, and have the disco (lots of kids from 5 to 12 in 'crazy' dress hitting the town until the heady hour of 8pm) and the school picnic coming up.

The time thief has struck again, because I cannot believe we are currently in December - woe is me!

Back to the scheduled Christmas Knitting!

Oops, I did it again (with apologies for even knowing the name of this song!)

Well, yes. It is the weekend again. And yes, I did not blog this week. And I read everyone else's blogs and try to keep up with comments, but really, if you all go out and have such a good time and then you go and sign up to Blogtoberfest, and then you blog every single day and you are not only doing stuff but blogging, well, it makes me feel just a bit inadequate.

My life sort of rolls along.

I'm knitting the same thing I was last weekend (because I had to frog more than half and re-do it).

Then I was exhausted after running, and visiting Kaydale Lodge, and the Leven Canyon. Kaydale is one of the few places in Australia to grow fritillarias and trilliums, and they are currently in bloom. They also do wonderful lunches (mainly with their own produce) and are very close to the Canyon (Different link).

We walked to the lookout up a sloping path, and it was windy and beautiful and catch-your-breath spectacular. And then we decided to walk the loop back to the car. This entailed walking down (thank all the little gods and goddesses - DOWN and not UP!) 697 steps, to the bridge and creek at the bottom.

697! Can you imagine how you'd feel walking up the dratted things? Down was bad enough - my hamstrings and lower back hurt for a couple of days, and I am fairly comfortably fit at present!. How do I know how many stairs there were, you may ask? (I did hear you asking!)

Because there are benches on the way and each bench contains information on how many stairs to the bottom from that bench, how many to the top and how many to the next bench, both up and down. I'm quite proud that I only had to read them, and not sit on them.

And then once you reach the bridge at the bottom, you have to get back up to the car park, and that means a long and very steep path. We all did it, and despite the slightly sore legs, even the kids had no problems. In fact, this may be a record, because neither of them whinged at all!

The only other news is that swimming lessons for small people have started. This has meant a total frenzy of excitement (and me having to purchase a smaller swimsuit). Destructoboy was really excited up until he had to actually get into the pool, but the kids are told that swimming classes are non-negotiable. They must be able to swim.

They don't need to be competitive swimmers, (because who wants to be getting up at 5am in the cold and dark to take them to the pool for squad training - not me!), but they must be competent and safe.

Too many children drown every year in Australia, in pools, dams, rivers and the sea. My children will not join them if I have anything to say about it (and I do). So swimming it is. The Princess loves it - as far as she is concerned, any moment not spent in the water in summer is a moment wasted. She is competent, confident and has absolutely no style! A bit like me really.

Destructoboy can't swim yet, but in a few weeks he will. Not that my vigilance around children and water will relax, but at least I can feel calmer when I see them in a pool.