Wow, what a great day!!
First off, I won Becky’s BucketAlong contest. Well, really, all I did was knit a hat, decorate a tutu and take a picture. Em won the contest, really. And she’s very proud of herself, I must say 🙂 She danced around the house, as pleased as punch! Thanks for running such a fun contest, Becky!
And we had a great day out. When we say we live in Sydney, it’s really on the outskirts of Sydney, in the suburbs. It’s 45 kilometres (27 miles) to the city, so it’s not something we do an awful lot. It takes David an hour and a half just to get to work each day on the train. In fact, it was the first time we’d taken David to Bondi, and he’s lived here nearly 5 years. We really should go out and appreciate our city more often.
We went to DH’s work, where he showed off the view from the Boardroom at work.

Now that’s a view! You can’t see the Opera House, it’s hidden behind the Bridge pylons on the right of the picture. We have to travel over the Bridge to get to DH’s work, this is what the Bridge looks like if you look up while you are driving on it. 🙂

Then we went and met our friends at Bondi for lunch. We had a lovely steak lunch, at a restaurant overlooking the beach. A bit windy, but the view was gorgeous and the company great 🙂 We stopped for a few touristy type pics.
Heres Em showing off (how unusual 😉 at the park near the beach.

And one of the top end of the beach. I couldn’t get a parking spot, so we didn’t go right down onto the beach, but Bondi Beach really is stunning, even in the Dead of Winter. Despite the fact that it is the middle of winter, there were plenty of people about, and the day was lovely, almost t-shirt weather. We’ll go back when it’s warmer, and I’ll get you all some really nice photos. Not one of me in my swimwear! 😉

We also stopped at a yarn store in an innercity suburb that I haven’t managed to get to before. Really tiny shop, but nice and friendly, and everything was well labelled which I always like. What did I do there? I bought yarn, of course!

Jo Sharp DK wool to make DH a hat. He picked this colour, Pistachio. Opal sock yarn in purple Lollipop. And Jo Sharp Rare Infusion Kid Mohair in Rosehip. What can I do with one 25 gram ball of mohair?I can knit this from the new Jo Sharp book, Contemporary Knitting.

And even though we were out and about in Sydney today, what did we see?

Wasn’t he a long way from home??? (In case you can’t see it clearly, it says South Carolina!)
I hope you all had a weekend just as lovely. Even Twinky was relaxed and tuckered out this evening!

Another FO!!

Well, half a finished object, anyway. And this sock took only 2 and a half months or so. By summer he could have a matching pair!
Ever have one of those days where you sit down at the end of it and ask yourself “Where did that day go?” That’s the day I had today. The whole family had a sleep in, then Em did a little dance practice (she’s competing later in the week), we had to go to the dance studio for a tiny lesson, stopped at the nail salon to get one of my nails fixed, did the grocery shopping, cleaned house, had dinner, then went “Huh?”
Tomorrow we’re going to lunch at Bondi Beach. Friends from interstate are staying at Bondi, so we’re doing lunch 😉 We also have to pop into DH’s office in North Sydney, with a spectacular view of Sydney Harbour – I think I’ll take the camera and take some pretty scenery shots for you all.
My smarty pants DH has just called out that one side of his body is toasty warm. (He is still wearing one sock) I offered him a ball of sock yarn to sit on top of the other foot.

I managed to block Everyday today. With the current weather we’re having, it probably won’t dry until at least Sunday, though. I ordered The Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques today, so I may wait for that to finish it off, but then again, I may not! Mood will dictate 🙂
I got a little more done on DH’s sweater – but I don’t think this will be a very fast knit. The front has 149 stitches, so it’s taking a little longer than Everyday’s 90 or so!
I got my Threadbear email update today, and was checking out the free pattern links, when I saw this. Perhaps this is what my Noro wants to be. A nice patterned scarf. Just what I need. Another project!! 😉

Yay!!
I finished the Everyday sleeves today. Hip hooray!! So I now have all these pieces of stockinette waiting for me to have 10 minutes free to block them. And with school holidays starting next week, I can’t see it happening in the next fortnight. 🙁
However, I did cast on DH’s jumper in the Jo Sharp Silkroad. Yuuummmmmm. I am using my new Addi Turbos, and I don’t know if it is the yarn or the needles, or both, but this is knitting!
The yarn is soft, the needle smooth, and it is all just sliding along beautifully!
I also got an interesting letter from Interweave Knits today. You may or may not recall that weeks ago, I decided to subscribe. Within a week or so, I received a bill in the mail, which said that I would get my first issue free very soon. So today, I got a second notice on my bill, asking if I’d enjoyed the magazine, and that they hoped I’d send payment soon so that they could send me the next issue.
Well, I never received a damn thing. Except the bill. So I emailed them today, pointing out that I was a little uncertain about sending payment in case I never got anything from them at all.
Thank God for Jill, or I’d never see these magazines. I’m a little wary now of following through with this subscription. I wonder if FCEK is a better idea?

Kanook was a 20 year old female Polar Bear who lived at Sea World on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. She came from Tucson, Arizona to live at Polar Bear Shores in 2000.
She has been suffering from kidney failure, and Sea World decided this afternoon that the kindest thing for Kanook would be to let her go and prevent any further suffering.
We visited the park in December 2001, and if my scanner were working I would show you some gorgeous photos of her. She was a simply stunning Polar Bear. I adore all polar bears, and was very much looking forward to visiting her again this christmas, and I feel extremely sad. I think I shall send the staff a sympathy card – because if I am upset, I cannot imagine the pain they are suffering.
http://www.seaworld.com.au/visitor_info/latest_news_articles.cfm?archived=0