Aunty Audrey's table

We've always had a penchant for old furniture. 

I'm not sure exactly what it is that appeals to me but it's always been a thing.

Aunty Audrey's dining table and four chairs arrived here a few weeks ago and sat in the shed while we contemplated what to do with it. 

Elissa and her girls have used the setting at their place for many years and were ready to relocate it.

We decided just to give the top a make over and leave the rest.

Some stain and varnish and a new brush from Bunnings and away we went.

We all did a bit of sanding, staining, varnishing and offering advice to each other when things didn't go to plan but we got there in the end with some expert advice from Dennis ( should have asked him in the first place). It's dimensions are perfect in our dining room with two inserts for extensions when needed.

I think Aunty Audrey had it covered with blankets and plastic when it was at her place ( !!!). No such thing here though. 

Dad's old fishing stool is going to be tackled next.

Bill tried stitching the canvas but it didn't last long.

Scrolling on Pinterest one day, I found this...

......a little table to hold your papers and books!

How gorgeous! Now to see what I can find in my material stash for the top.

An old box from Dad's shed has been turned into my mini pantry.

I don't remember what was kept in it, but Dennis would probably know.

I love the look of pantries loaded with preserves and home made goodies ( most often made by someone else in this house !)

 But then, we had apricots coming out of our ears and I needed to do something with them, so apricot jam it was...

Instead of putting the jars in the pantry, I wanted to show them off, hence the old box.

My mini pantry now has a new addition.

Thanks Viv. She thinks they probably need to be refrigerated. Mmmm, I'll just look at them for a few days first I think. 

Our dwarf apple trees are starting to become covered in fruit. These are ones that Bill removed to give the rest a chance to grow bigger.

I'm not sure what to make with them yet. Some apple cider perhaps. 

I'll have to google it. 

Much of December and January was spent on bushfire alert.

Amy and Helen evacuated twice in Lakes Entrance. The people of East Gippsland have endured a tough summer and much of their forests and parks have been ravaged. Our hearts go out to them.

Even walking along the beaches were visible reminders of the weeks of burning bush.

Looking much better now....no wonder they love it down there with those views to look at every day.

A nice reprieve for them was a Hen's weekend organised by Helen for Claire and Sara ......

Those beautiful faces and posies say it all.....



We celebrated Bill Senior's birthday in January in Geelong. He turned 92. 

He is now a resident at Alan David Centre in Geelong. Bill's sister Sue, calls in to see him almost every day. Jo and Bill are very grateful for that.

Mum has moved to an aged care hostel in Dimboola. It has 14 low care beds. A small facility compared to many of them. We hope it will be perfect for her.

 Dennis and Raylene live close by and have done an amazing job organising everything to make the transition as easy as it could be.

She has been struggling with a sore back for quite some time which resulted in a two week stay in hospital and in spite of her wish to retain her independence, it was becoming too difficult to remain at home.

She has surprised us all by how she has settled in and continues to tell us how well she is being looked after. That makes us very happy and relieved.

(Snavelled from Facebook).

Happy Birthday Uncle Bob.....93 years! 

I know you read my blog. Mum will love to see this photo of you.

( I snavelled this one from Facebook too ......thanks Sue ).

Some special visitors in January...

Around the garden path in Summer....

White belladonna lilies.

Lilium....Lesley Woodruff.

Echinacea. Summer Sky.

Chocolate Queen Anne's Lace.

White echinacea.

My favourite rose. Belle Storey.

More strawflowers.

Collecting strawflower seeds.

Sam grew some red chillies.

A lucky sunflower. Lucky for me. The only survivor after a seed sowing that must have occurred during a spell of hot, dry days. I probably found myself saying....oh, I'll just poke these in and see what happens.  Then promptly forgot about them. Can't wait to see how it looks. It's called Lilac Spray.

I've been waiting forever to find this red wattle. 

Doesn't it look intriguing.......

A regular visitor seen around the garden path. 

Sew and Sew

This gorgeous bowl, handmade by Viv has inspired me to try some basket making of my own.

I've enrolled in this online course and can't wait to get started. Heaven knows there's plenty of textile paraphernalia here to choose from.

There's hardly been a scrap of " making" going on here of late.

Just a cushion for our bedroom.

I'm looking forward to planting some new bulbs. Quite a few are new to me especially the different tulips.

2020 seems to have stormed out of the blocks before we had a chance to think.

Obviously a bit too much of this going on.....

We have lots to look forward to though.

We hope you do too.