182

I love the look of the crochet around this rock... the combination of softness & hardness... lightweight & heavy... such contrasts... such beauty...

to me it represents the earth, the world, the attitude of people...
the yarn is from Mums stash & she says it's called silk, although the inside label says rayon but it's lovely to work with even if it's a bit springy[is there such a word..] at times... it had been used to crochet booties for my christening outfit.

this rock I crocheted with the variegated blue so as to represent the sky... clouds...

and this little guy I thought had to be yellow for the sun...

it needed beads to add to it's beauty & sparkle...

and when they are put together we have a ahu

Lucy's ahu ready for her to take back to her new home...

Angel Messages...

Happiness will never come to you

from the outside,

Not unless you open wide

the door of your heart.

179

Well you can see by the lovely new leaf on one of my ferns that nature is doing it's thing here without me keeping up with it all... in other words life is passing me by...

well... not really... have been doing 'some' de-cluttering... [that means not a lot but trying...]

I got a fair bit done before my friend Jean arrived but been a bit slack on it since she has gone home...

We had a great week together.. gave all the 'good' shops a good going over... also did the coffee shop 'thing'... think I've got her lovin' frappe's now... I know I'm hooked on 'em...

We got & did some Stampscapes stamping, and then we crocheted flowers... sorry no cards to show said flowers on cards... me t'ink we did too much shopping... ha ha

We also got to visit with these lovely ladies as well... the time was all gone before we knew it & now it's already been a week since Jean has left... Ohhhhhhh dear

I have been doing my share of crochet here & there... really need to focus on finishing some now... too many projects on the go is no good for me... I'll be back where I was years ago with way toooo many WIP...

Lesson learnt the hard way... 'stay on track'... 'stay focused'...

I'm really getting into the Christmas mode & found Sarah London is having a great fun time over on her blog... 'the mystery Christmas crochet project'... of course, I have joined in the fun too...

Started with one colour green - loved the yarn, didn't love the colour, so went searching in my 'old' stash [shhhh... I know... I really do have an old & a 'new' stash but, we'll keep Mum about it OK!!!]

Anyway I found a more suitable green [it's just so hard to believe that there are so many different greens around at the mo...] so am madly playing catch-up... go on over & have a look-see, maybe you would like to join in too... Sarah has lots of photos so you would have no trouble playing...

Angle Message...

Focus on the challenge in hand.

As you sincerely & diligently carry out your task,

it will change in the process.

[I just want to say that the Angle Messages are picked randomly,

like, I just let the book open itself to a page...

just blows me away the messages they keeps puttin' out there for me...]

178

I've lashed out & bought myself some lovely gerberas for this w/e... Why? just cause I could & they are such happy flowers

I've been busy trying out many different flower patterns of late with my friend Jean's cotton she gifted me...

We are going to put them onto cards, I think, while she is visiting with me...

It's been lots of fun & I'm enjoying her company...

Of course, when I have friends visit, it's always a good excuse to go to as many shops as we can fit into one day... just for the looking at... of course, ha ha... ummmmm don't think we will go there...

Angel Message...

Whatever it is, try to accept it with a 'Thank you'!

That way, it will become yet one more of life's blessings!

177

Gosh, I'm a bit erratic with my posts but that really is how life is feeling at pres.

Never mind things are falling into place slowly but surely...

Finding some more 'energy' for the de-cluttering would be good...

I went really well but it seems to have come to a sudden halt this last week but I have a girlfriend coming to stay so I have to find her a bed & a place to sit in my ArtShed so I have no excuses any more...

Don't you love the nasturtiums... DH has them growing up the back yard & they are looking very pretty... always putting on a lovely show & waving happily... spreading smiles...

I have Crocheted another Art Rock... this is a special rock that my son brought home for me many many years ago when he was working on a station out Winton way [western Queensland].

These rocks are what are supposed to have spewed out of volcanoes and if you crack them open they are said to have crystal rock inside but I just love their roundness so have not had the heart to bust one open, just to see... I bet there is a special name for these rocks.

My rocks are only very small but they can be even too big for man to lift.

Collecting rocks is a heavy job...

The ones he brought me home were excavated out of a dam when it was being cleaned... I'm told this job is called de-slitting of the dams... yes dams do/should be clean every so often apparently so they can hold more of the precious water so needed. This is a specialised job for some people but I'm not sure what they are called, it's gotta have a better name than a 'dam cleaner'... My DH says that larger stations usually get these guys in [during the summer] to maintain the main roads into & around the station & they also do the de-slitting of the dams...

Now that's not just a couple of dams, a lot of stations can have 20+ dams on their properties. One of the stations our son worked on had 45 windmills alone, so full-time work in the windmills & many of these windmills pump into dams for the stock be it sheep or cattle... even goats.

We've noticed that all the dams that we can see traveling to our DD1's place in the last year have all been done - up her end of the track - that means so some contractors must have gone through that way.

Talking about 'de-slitting' of the dams, I had better get to my 'de-cluttering' here cause I can see talking about it is not getting it done. I really have to put some/lots of manual effort into it... so off to work I go....

Angel Message...

Carefully cleanse your mind's eye of the clouds & impurities.

Then, goodness, beauty & truthfulness will be revealed to you...

176

Boy of boy, I'm having to keep my weekly planner[diary] with me all the time to keep up with what's to do next truly... I'm still trying to fit in the de-cluttering/re-organising of my place as well...

Did you notice in my last post I had an extra Crochet Art Rock... here it is again...

Yes I have finally got this little number finished...

The blue at the bottom is to represent the waves at the beach & the up & down waves of the cream is the sand as the sea retracts...

These are some shells, weed & stuff that washes up with the waves...
This is the rock I was trying out the idea on for my girlfriend's big Fingal rock...

Here is her Fingal rock to give you some idea of it's size... think it will have to wait until I have more time... or maybe I need the distraction at the mo...

Angel Message...

Tidy up your surroundings and try to live simply.

Your problems will gradually disappear with the clutter,

allowing you to journey unburdened through life.

[gosh how true is this, especially for the mo...]

175

Ohhh Boy it was a hectic end to the week that is for sure... things are really moving at Mum's house... We're at the stage of getting the last of the furniture out - I believe it was like a beehive yesterday with comings & goings... I now have my old wardrobe back... strange after 40 odd years... My girlfriend is shifting in a week or to too so we're being gifted quite a bit from her place... sooo after 3 or 4 round trips today, we now have lots of more... nice plants, as well...

It's all doing my head in a bit with all the comings & goings as my friend is also having a garage sale next w/e so I am also de-cluttering my place to take to her GS, so everywhere is a hive of activity... just wish the energy could keep up with me...

I'm doing my best to keep my sanity by crocheting whenever I can... my rock collection is growing one by one...

This week is going to be really busy with this & that... something nearly everyday but it will all quieten down in a few weeks I'm sure... that's if Christmas doesn't catch me first... they say it was 10 weeks to Christmas last Friday... ohhh dear I do need to get my skates on...

Angel Message...

Try not to withhold your feelings for fear of getting hurt.

If you express them with love,

you will create an opportunity for better understanding.

174

I'm amazed at how far one large 50gm ball of crochet cotton will go... Jean can you imagine how many Art Rocks I could do with what you gifted me?...

All of these... plus one more that I'm still finishing...

This is my newest 'finished' one...

Been busy at Mum's house one day this week then went over to visit Mum another day...

Love to see Mum & do really believe she is settling in now to the new routine & starting to enjoy the company of others...

The one thing I do really not like is all the traffic I have to contend with going back & forth, just so frustrating but I guess this is the sacrifice I need to make...

Angel Messages...

You can only do as much as you can do now.

Trust the rest to the wisdom of Nature.

173

What a windy, dusty day it has been today but a good day for us all the same... nice to be at home doing our own thing... We did take time-out and went & had a cuppa with my girlfriend & checked out what plants she would like to give me as she is moving over the border and apparently she can't take them with, which is sad[for her], as they are all looking so lovely at present...

I even got in & did some urgent re-plotting this arvo... the wind had blown the bottom outta one of my hanging pots with bromeliads in it... Well it had rusted through, actually was hanging by a promise & a thread as I had used the wire frame-work of an old electric fan [courtesy of some side-walk shopping... council dump pick-up]. I got a heap more frames over Mum's way when they had their pick-up too - seems people had picked over other people's junk, but don't see the value/potential in electric fan frames like I do... ha ha... They make great hanging pots with a bit of wire/chain to hook onto the frames - by the time they have rusted out it is time to re-pot anyway. That can be my "Hint" of the day/month...

Here is another crocheted Rock Art...

My collection is growing...

Angel Message...

To blame others is to blame yourself.

To blame yourself is to blame others.

172

Life has been somewhat more peaceful here lately & I'm feeling more revitalised... I think it might stems from the fact, I feel, Mum is settling in a bit more now at the Shalom.

While I was in Japan I could not find a suitable little gift for Mum so when my sister bought this fold-up mirror to use I asked if I could have it when she had finished with it.

She was pleased to know it going to be transformed as I thought I could decorate it with things we had bought in/or were relevant to Japan. The papers we got off different articles we bought or were gifted, while there & dragonflies were made with paper off the chocolates I had bought my hubby & a dragonfly punch. I did have to stick the gold chocolate paper onto cardstock to give it more body... Mum liked it & I see she is using it as it is always within hands reach in her room.

When our eldest Grandie was here we did some trimming of the the Golden Palms... he was thrilled to find this little wee green frog on one of the branches... it is all of about an 1" long... so he was very quick to grab my camera to take this photo... he is like his Mum she takes lovely photos too...

I have been keeping my hands busy of an evening & here is another Crocheted Rock... I'm working on another at present as a proto-type, as my girlfriend has given me her very special rock from Fingal - it's one of those big enough to hold the door open [doorstop] - & she wants me to crochet around it & I have something special in mind.

Angel Message...

Do not worry about the results of all the efforts you have made.

Be grateful & happy with yourself for having done the best you can.

171

Do you ever wake up & feel today I'm going to start sorting/de-cluttering my home... well for the first time in ages I felt like that this morning... must be something to do with finally getting Mum settled - she's still not a real happy camper but we have done the very best we can for her & she knows that & does appreciate that... so it will only be time that will make her feel more settled.

I can only imagine how dreadful it must be to have lost all your independence in a matter of a couple of months & then not be able to return to your home of 40 odd years...

Anyway back to re-organising/de-cluttering or what ever you want to call it... maybe it's the call of nature... Spring-cleaning time... OK Spring was in Sept here but that's only last month & this month is only new...

so only a short post to show you what else I've been crocheting... running out of rocks so will have to stop that soon but have Christmas items in mind next...

Angel Message... Relax and tune into the harmonious rhythms of Nature.

Impatience and aggressive action may well cause stagnation.