lockdown 3.5

day five of lockdown and today we found out it would be our last day! huzzah!!
the snap lockdown that the government decided to go with last thursday, seems to have done the job and allowed the contact tracers to do their jobs effectively. for us that means, an easing of restrictions tomorrow!

have plans to catch up with my folks and maybe a friend and run a bunch of errands that have been patiently waiting on my list to be done...
first cab off the rank (after kinder drop off) will be a tub full of mulch as i got to finish pruning the daisies this afternoon!



the job i've done is quite severe, but i'm hoping that they'll come back regardless... must remember to keep the water up to them the next couple of days as it will be quite warm here!
still need to take care of that purple salvia in the front there, but my purple daisy and irises are neatened up already and i can't wait to be able to call this garden bed done for a wee while.

another kinder day today, and this was what got packed for ag to eat during the day...



salad sticks with hommus, watermelon and grapes, leftover sausage with some tomato sauce and some crackers and cheese. he also had some cooked leftover pasta for his lunch, though that wasn't as photogenic ha ha.
i do get a bit of a kick out of packing up his lunch and snacks to take to kinder at the moment. and i say at the moment, as i'm sure it will become quite the chore as our education years wane on and ej joins in on the action too ha ha.

and a note to self here...



don't leave ej unattended outside for more than 2 seconds.
he grabbed a big toy car, and hoisted it at our bird bath. why? i'll never know.
but you'd better believe finding a replacement dish at the opshop is on the agenda for tomorrow!

had any toddler-related disasters lately? what was the favourite part of your day today?

lockdown 3.4

day four of lockdown number three saw me eating wayyyyyy too much chocolate brownie. baking was a bad idea folks, i still have no self control despite my best efforts to build better habits the last month and a half...

in order to rid the household of it quicker, i threw a wee piece into the lunchbox i packed for ag to take to kinder today.



not at all upset to send him off to kinder today, after he had last week off with a cold.
though it did feel a bit odd with my brain firmly in lockdown mode.

in the hour or so break i had while he was at kinder, and before ej woke from his nap, i got busy in our front yard.



this is what i call my 'stick fence'. i started it in march of last year, lockdown 1.0 using long straight sticks that we found on our daily walks.
it's definitely a long term project as we have a looooooong front fence (especially as our next door neighbour has mentioned if i feel like continuing along her property line too, she wouldn't be opposed... we'll see!) but it's nice to be able to make progress when i can!

speaking of progress, the last week i've been working on a relatively quick knit, a nappy cover!



i knitted a bunch of these in the smaller 2 sizes before ej was born, and used them constantly with terry towelling flats for months and months, and then just stopped. i don't even remember why to be honest, but when i tried to get back into the swing of cloth nappies, the covers were all too small for my growing bub and it's taken me this long to get around to knitting any more...
thankfully i know they don't take too long to knit, and once i get a couple off the needles, i'll be able to start getting some cloth onto ej's bum once again.
can't wait, as the cost of nappies at the checkout, and the full rubbish bin at the end of the fortnight are both really starting to get to me!

do you have any long term garden beautification projects too? what are your go-to lunchbox snacks?
what was the favourite part of your day today?

lockdown 3.3

so it turns out i lasted 3 days into this third lockdown before breaking out the sweet baking... oops!
since the begin of 2021, i've been working on my comfort eating proclivities, and i must say, though i haven't been comfort eating toooooo much this time around, it's definitely sneaking back in!!
bread on saturday, and now chocolate brownie too!



i'm convincing myself that it could be worse, as at least this batch has a big whack of zucchini through it... between that and the cacao, it's basically a health food right?

anywho, before delicious baking happened, we got out and had a mega family walk today.
it was lovely as we'd all been (mostly) home for the whole weekend. spending time both inside and out, but home all the same.
we took a stroll into town, and then out to the recreation reserve, where we ran around the football and cricket ovals and got in a quick swing before heading back home on tired legs.
was a great way to get out some daily widgets, and sail into naptime nice and smoothly ha ha.

speaking of which, it wasn't just ej down for a nap, but me too! i had a lay down to read a few pages of my book and fell straight asleep! oops!!

i made up for my midday malaise by getting out while dinner was cooking (roast lamb for the win!) and getting busy with the hedge trimmer!

out the front of our house, in front of our little porch (which is currently the catch all for so many things, gah! i'm working on it though!) is a hedge of four pink daisy plants. when i planted them out originally, i had no idea they'd get SO big. in fact, i planted other things in between them, but they were completely crowded out and died!



in any case, as you can see in the above photo (maybe, the sun was not in a kind position and i was taking VERY quick photos!) they're quite bushy and out of control. they're also covered in dead daisy heads. well at least they were...



i got quite savage with the hedge trimmer and took them quite a ways back.
though not quite as far as i intend to take them...



i'm hoping to get them all trimmed back like the above photo, over the next couple of days. then i can weed around them thoroughly, sort out the purple daisy and salvia that are growing in front of it, and give this whole bed a good mulching.
hopefully it'll be soon looking in tip top shape, can't wait!

any out of control corners of your garden? what's your go-to baking recipe? what was the favourite part of your day today?

lockdown 3.2

day two of lockdown today, and an exciting one... well as exciting as a snap lockdown can get...
grocery shopping day!
to be noted, grocery shopping normally gets done on a sunday round here, it wasn't some ploy to get out of the house. though it was definitely a perk ha ha!



i also found a wee bit of time to throw some polish on my nails, which i haven't done for an age and read a few pages of my current book.

then there was a whole bunch of boring daily stuff like loads of washing, bed changing and making and a bit of furniture rearrangement just to spice things up a little!

i was kind of hoping to get some gardening done, but my energy levels were not up to it. instead i podded beans and watched bb mowed and played with the kids. restorative!

do you wear nail polish? what's your favourite shade?
what was the favourite part of your day today?

lockdown 3.1

so how do you start a blogpost after two and a half years?

over the many weeks of lockdown that we've experienced in victoria over the last 12 months, i've thought many times about firing up ye ol' blogger website and tippy-tapping out some thoughts, but it's taken until this lockdown, a hopefully only 5-day affair, to actually get started.

quite a bit has happened over the last 30 months, so much work on the house we'd just moved into. lots of gardening, a bathroom reno and a whole lot of primping and fussing ha ha.
we also welcomed another bubba into our lives. young edward john (or ej from here on out), joined us earth side in june of 2019. he's now a 19 month bundle of cheeks and giggles and gas and is an utter delight when he's in a good mood.

then there's the last 12 months of on and off lockdowns... make a plan and covid-19 is here to ruin it... it's been a blessing at times, as well as an absolute nightmare. looking after small people, cut off from your village is a tough one. but it has also meant that bb has experienced so much more of their little lives than if he was working from his office five days a week.
we've also been lucky to live where we are, with an abundance of space and very few community cases. our health has never felt in huge jeopardy, and we feel for others who are in different situations to ours.

anywho, i thought this an opportunity to reset, get back on the blogging bandwagon, and perhaps establish one or two nice habit to get through the day...





today brought some delicious pancakes for breakfast, egg and banana style, with a scraping of this deliciousness and some microwaved strawberries.
followed by a dance party in our lounge room while it rained down outside.
the sun started shining so we all got outside for some gardening time, until it started raining again... then i persisted, pottering about, repotting seedling to share, and planting some others in our various veggie patches and starting a long overdue tidy up of a couple of our flower beds.
the afternoon found us watching a movie together. ej wasn't so interested, so vascillated between cuddling and playing. ag is now four, and is all about an afternoon movie!
i escaped back out in the backyard for a little while with a glass of cider to catch up with some friends via zoom, before popping back in to sort out dinner... turns out though, when you bake a fresh loaf of bread, that is all anyone wants *facepalm*
the children were not at all interested in the chicken and vegetable soup i had on the table for them, and the salmon and veggies for bb and i... well, leftovers are plentiful!
once the boys were in bed, i caught up on the temperature blanket i'm working on for this year, while bb and i watched 'wandavision' which i am LOVING!
i'm not a huge marvel nerd, but it's SO cool to watch it all come together and play out within the season and i CANNOT wait until the next episode. so exciting!!

how have you been coping with lockdown over the past 12 months? what's been the favourite part of your day today?*



we always ask that last question over dinner as a family, it's always interesting to hear what ag and bb say... and it's a nice way of reviewing your day with gratitude too!

nicole talks knitting - episode 7

and then another few months went by...

but now there's a new video up on my youtube channel and you can watch below if you'd like! grocery girls video podcast finished headband vanilla soaker quince and co - lark great ocean road mill - eva brownwyn pattern music by https://www.bensound.com/

what are you working on at the moment? what are your favourite knitting podcasts to watch?

nicole talks knitting - episode 6.

so it's been a while since my last video... a casual six and a half months actually...

anywho, watch along to catch up a small amount, more to come in the future hopefully!



my milo vest

milo pattern by tikkiknits

my take heart hats

take heart hat pattern by fiona alice

garter ear flap hat by purl soho

alfie's bobble jumper

heidi's queensland beach headband

my queensland beach headbands

queensland beach headband pattern by fiona alice

memory blanket pattern by tikkiknits

music by https://www.bensound.com/

what are you working on at the moment?

bullet journaling.

towards the end of last year, i started looking in to journals and diaries for the new year...

i came across the bullet journalling concept and boy, did it appeal!

super simple (or not, if you'd prefer...) and aimed to keep you on track and kicking goals.
perfect!



i picked myself up this journal as a fresh start, but the bullet journal concept is so simple you could use any book you had lying about.

i've aimed to keep my journalling pretty simple... i watched a tonne of youtube videos of just GORGEOUS bullet journals that people have put together and use, but i knew, that as a toddler mum, who likes to spend her spare time knitting up a storm, i didn't want to be spending a bunch of time setting up my journal on the weekly.



the above monthly spread, is done, as you can probably work out, monthly, and i use it to keep me on track...
from the monthly goals list, i can break down smaller goals and set them up as tasks on the weekly spread below



this set up is a little more complex than the bare-bones, traditional bullet journalling, but i quite like it...
it only takes me a quick second to set up (no ruled lines here!) and i make notes in certain places within each square for certain things...
for example, my to-do list for each day always starts in the top right hand corner under the date.
in the bottom left hand corner, goes the meal plan for that night's dinner, and i make some journal type notes about the day in the bottom right.

my husband thinks i'm a bit of a loon for setting up my weekly spreads just like a traditional journal or diary, but the reason i like this diy format over a fixed one, is that you can change things up at any point, and throw a 'collection' in here and there.

i've got a great list of books that i've read this year, a list of possible blog post subjects, a mega house master to-do list... a lot of lists really, but having them dotted through my weeks is really ace. and with the index feature in the front of the bullet journal, they're always super easy to find again too!

are you a bullet journaller? what's your favourite collection?

taking stock. the catch up edition.

whoa mumma! it's been a while... great plans to blog once a week were completely thwarted by busy life stuff!
anywho, in attempt to get you all caught up on the last few months, i thought i'd go through pip's taking stock list.
here goes!








Making : tiny weeny knitted jumpers for the wool gathering annual retreat next month. and a shawl. and a kid's jumper i started on new years eve and still haven't finished... oops!

Cooking : dinner. every night. i'm stuck in all sorts of ruts right now, but the days stop for no woman! we still need to eat dinner, and even though takeaway is super tempting... our budget (and waistlines for that matter) strongly favour the home cooked meals!

Drinking : a whole lot of tea... i started the year wanting to cut back on my coke consumption, because they really add no benefit to anyone's health or wellbeing... and boy did i start strong, only one in january! then i decided to do feb fast for added sugars in february, and only fell off the wagon once or twice, and then march hit and boy did i indulge! time to cut back again now though! need to keep reminding myself just how terrible that brown, fizzy, sweet rubbish is for me.
so yep, tea. drinking lots of tea!

Reading : a book on homesteading that caught my eye at the library a couple of weeks ago... it's on the bench and i read a couple of pages while i'm waiting for things to cook or while ag is happy playing... so about 6 pages in total ha ha!

Next read : see above picture ^
we recently moved into a house we purchased at the end of last year! and in the unpacking process, i've made myself quite the reading pile! i'm not entirely sure where to start, but i know not bringing my phone or laptop to bed with me at night is probably the best place to start! such terrible habits i'm in with them both!

Wanting : to do all the things... looking around our beautiful lounge room, there are still quite a few bits and pieces that need work... the doors and trim still need painting, there are piles of boxes speaking to me from just inside the study door. oh well, they can wait a little longer!

Looking : forward to being completely settled in... one day ha ha!

Playing : a lot with blocks these days, and with rocks in the front yard, and at the park. toddler life is full on, but full of play!

Deciding : on designs for the laundry cupboard/linen press. need to make the best use of the space we have, without spending a small fortune. can not wait to have some functional storage in there!

Wishing : time didn't go so darn quickly! the days fly by sometimes and i wish they would just slow down ha ha!

Enjoying : having an 18 month old. he is just so cute and so busy all the time, and the discoveries he makes about his world just make me stop and slow down and discover with him. it's amazing!

Waiting : for this sleeping through the night thing to kick in... anytime now with consistency would be just fine ha ha

Liking : getting back to blogging for a second. i've written so many posts in my head, it feels nice to finally get one out!

Wondering : if i can keep some consistency with it...

Loving : having our own space to do anything we want with! it's nice to be able to do exactly as we please!

Pondering : garden options. and ways to connect with my neighbours and new immediate community.

Considering : doing a spot of baking this afternoon. i wonder if my biscuit recipe would go ok gluten-less... we will see!

Buying : a single skein of yarn. my first for the year! i'm trying to use as much from my stash as i can, but a project i have in mind (not from my knitting plans for the year, mind you) calls for a contrast colour, the likes of which i just did not own... soon i will though and i'm hoping to cast on right away! maybe i can share my progress with you soon!

Watching : 'santa clarita diet' on netflix. it is SO funny! and a bit gory at times ha ha. but mostly hilarious. i love drew barrymore, and timothy olyphant is so spunky. i love his portrayal of his character too as i'm pretty sure the last thing i saw him in was 'deadwood' and his character in that was SO different!
i've also been rewatching 'parks and rec' because it is the best! i love all of the characters so much, they're all so great!

Next watch : maybe a rewatch of 30 rock? if i can find it on a streaming service. stan or netflix, please hook a lady up!

Hoping : that i can get this blog post, and a little knitting done before nap time is over...

Marvelling : at how quickly a cup of tea disappears ha ha!

Cringing : at my complete lack of self control when it comes to chocolate. i just need to stop buying it!

Needing : to do some yoga. i don't know why i always put it off when my body loves it so!

Questioning : when i'm going to find time to give myself a little manicure. my nails are all different shapes and sizes at the moment ha ha!

Smelling : vinegar and bicarb. toilet cleaning day! always a job i put off, but so nice when it's done!

Wearing : jeans, sleeve-less tee, handknit socks.

Following : ag around and tidying up after him. well sometimes any way... sometimes i just let him run riot and clean up when he's asleep ha ha! trying to teach him to tidy up after himself, it's not going well...

Worrying : about my favourite boots... i took them to have the heels fixed this morning and i'm going to be without them a week! i miss them already!

Noticing : the birds. i thought i wouldn't see or hear as many birds now we're living in town, but there's still quite a few around... especially at 5am!

Knowing : well trying to get to know my limits a little more... trying not to pack too much into one day and knowing when to stop... like here. i think i'll stop right here!
time is running short and my knitting is calling to me!

what have you been up to the last few months? any tips on where to start in my reading pile? or what to watch next?

citrus cordial. a recipe.

what to do when you have a glut of delicious citrus? make homemade cordial of course!



i've used this recipe to make lemon cordial, as well as to make this batch of pink grapefruit cordial...

it's so simple, i don't even really know if it could be called a recipe ha ha.



500mL citrus juice
500g white sugar
500mL water
zest of 2 fruits

heat sugar, water and zest in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until sugar dissolves.
add juice and bring to the boil.
remove from heat and strain, then pour into sterilised bottles.

see what i mean? so simple!



and just so perfect over ice, diluted with soda water, to keep cool over summer!

have you ever made your own cordial? what's your favourite flavour?

nicole talks knitting. episode 5.

recorded a couple of weeks ago now, but what more perfect time to share this video about my knitting plans for this coming year.



2018 knitting plans, ravelry queue
fluorite sock pattern
fly with me vest project

music by https://www.bensound.com/

are you a planner? what have you got planned for the new year, crafty or otherwise?

candle making.

a few months ago now, i was very generously offered to try a candle making kit, from the crafty candle supplies company based in melbourne.



i was so excited to give it a try when it arrived, and then, of course, didn't get a good run at it for a couple of weeks.



when i finally had some time up my sleeve (thank you nap time gods!) i had such a great time! who'd have known making candles would be so easy!? and it was a bunch of fun too!
i do love to try my hand at new things, and it was so ace that the kit came with everything you needed!



now the question is... do i use my newly made candles at home? or give them away as gifts this christmas??
decisions decisions he he!



have you ever tried your hand at candle-making? what's your favourite candle fragrance?

green love.

well, well, well... not surprisingly, it's been an age since i last took you on a stroll through the greenery round these parts... needless to say, there's a fair bit more going on than last time he he.

anywho, on with the showing and telling!



the broad beans have been doing their thing, and we've gotten quite the pickings from them... lots eaten for dinners and lunches, and quite a few going into the freezer too!
will enjoy those once the very short broad bean season is over.

the garlic is looking rather splendid.



won't be long before that's up and out of the ground, drying out and ready to keep us stocked up for the year ahead. have missed having it on hand the last month or so!
must remember to preserve some for the couple of months we'll be without.

the carrots haven't taken so well unfortunately...



a couple of years ago, i had such luck with a fantastic carrot crop, but haven't been able to replicate it since... will keep trying though... love being able to go out and pick carrots as needed!

the snow peas have been quite generous this year...



they're just THE perfect snack. as well as the sugar snap peas we grew alongside them... delicious!

i managed to grow a single perfect cauliflower.



just one, from the half a dozen plants i put in...
not too worried, as i'm not actually the biggest fan of the cauliflower he he. was fun to try though!

feeling a little disappointed with the fruit trees this year to be honest... so much gorgeous blossom, but not a lot of fruit!



well a little fruit as you can see above, but not the masses that we were lucky enough to have set last year...
it's all in the weather though, and i think we got some truly rotten stuff just as the bees were needed to do their thing...
oh well, better luck next year!

my next garden update mightn't be for a while, but it should be of a quite different space, stay tuned!

what are you growing at your place at the moment?

well hatted.

over the winter months, i knitted a lot. A LOT!
as well as working slowly on socks, and a few commission pieces, i also knit up a whole load of baby hats...



this baby hat to be specific...
i knit 12 of them!



three of them were in newborn size, for three new babes that came into the world over those wintery months, and the remaining nine, were knit in the kid size... for nine (not so little) newly-minted one year olds!



even having knitted up so many of these hats, i still love the pattern! it's so easy and looks so cute on little heads.

i'm even contemplating knitting myself one!

probably my favourite part of having knitting so many though, is the small, but sizeable dent it's made in my dk and aran scraps. huzzah!



i got a wee bit creative with the wrapping of them too.
since having a baby, i've come to realise just how much goes into the packaging of gifts! so much stuff!! that will all most likely just end up in the bin!
hence my low-packaging gift wrapping. the leaves can be composted, and the string or ribbon was all repurposed from my stash of collected bits and bobs. hopefully they might be reused by the recipients, but if not, at least i know they've had a couple of uses before being binned!

nicole talks knitting. episode 4.

with a bit of baby free time this morning, i managed to record another episode for my knitting vodcast...



walkerville socks
my walkerville socks wool gathering new to me kal
scrappy socks with afterthought heels
tarndie polwarth
circus tonic handmade
how to do a russian join

what are you working on at the moment? are you a fan of sewing in ends?

nicole talks knitting. episode 3.

episode 3 of my knitting video series is now up on youtube!



in it i talk about what's on my needles at the moment, and below are some links to most everything i chat about.

fly with me vest
homeward bound kal
new to me kal
wool gathering retreat
tarndie polwarth yarn
circus tonic handmade
tough love sock yarn
walkerville socks

what are you knitting at the moment?

the goat and goose.

at the end of july, bb, ag and i headed off on a little roadtrip to canberra, making a few stops along the way.
our first stop was in lakes entrance, and we stayed in the absolutely charming goat and goose bnb.



bb found it while researching accommodation online and KNEW i would love it. the fella knows me well, he was right, it was love at first sight!

just outside of lakes entrance, it's located on a quiet street, overlooking the beach.



the room we stayed in was full of gorgeous little nooks and crannies, filled with what i guess you could describe as 'granny chic' items... lots of layering of nic-nacs just made the place feel SO cosy and homely. it was gorgeous!



perhaps not the best room for a couple AND a baby, with no where to put ag's cot except in the one room. it was an early bed time for us all he he!
lovely nonetheless though.

we enjoyed our breakfast on the floor in our room and ag thought it was a blast!

anywho, if you're ever in the area, keep it in mind. we loved it and the folks that own, run and live there too are super friendly!

ps. this is not sponsored or gifted in any fashion, i just really liked our experience there and wanted to share.

nicole talks knitting. episode 2.

found a wee bit of time yesterday afternoon so put together another episode of my knitting vlog!
i'm finding them quite fun to make, now i've got the hard parts down pat...
now to work on improving the lighting and such... and maybe stop saying 'um' so much... it will all come together eventually i'm sure!



it's over on youtube here and below are a few links to things i talked about.

garter ear flap hat
whisky bay woollens homeward bound kal
walkerville socks

tell me what you think? do you watch other knitters on youtube? who are your favourites?

this time last year... a birth story.

this time last year... well i was feeling quite uncomfortable to say the least... after staying in hospital the night before, i was well into full blown labour after having my waters broken and being put on a pitocin drip a little after 8am.
those first few contractions were funny, but their strength grew and grew and i wasn't giggling about them for long! i was soon asking everyone within earshot 'why would someone do this more than once???'
after a few hours, i was getting pretty uncomfortable and decided to give some gas a go for pain relief... it really didn't seem to do much, but it gave me something to concentrate on when i felt those contractions coming.

the midwife checked on my progress when i started mentioning more pain relief and i was relieved to hear i was nearly fully dilated and soon was feeling the need to push!
fast forward an hour and a half, i was still pushing and getting nowhere quickly. except tired that is, i was pretty tired by this stage... actually, i was exhausted!
my gp was called in, and strongly recommended an epidural to give me a bit of a break, and to let the contractions do some more work before perhaps having a go at getting bubs out with some help. i accepted gratefully. after 30 minutes or so, i was resting a little more comfortably, though could still feel every contraction through my left side.

another hour or so later, our little fella had made a little progress in coming out but not a huge amount.
we made the decision to use some extra measures to help get him out so off to theatre we went! bb had to get changed into some beautiful scrubs and i received a pretty wonderful top up to my epidural which meant i couldn't feel a thing from my ribs down.
i knew i was in safe hands, and that we were about to meet our bubba, but i was also shitting myself with nerves and couldn't stop shivering!
our beautiful gp went to work trying to coax our little one out, first with the vaccuum extractor, and then when that wasn't particularly successful, some forceps. it was very strange working with her and the midwife, pushing when i was contracting, but not being able to feel anything at all!
with those forceps, our son was born! pretty much tearing me asunder on the way out though, even with an episiotomy to try and stop it!

a minute or two later, we were here...



with me, tired, overwhelmed and completely in love. and the little fella, well looking a little grumpy to be honest. could you blame him though? what a day!

a year on, i can't believe just how different we both are. and just what an experience becoming a mumma has been, humbling, eye-opening and completely life changing.

the battle wounds have healed, time has passed and now i kind of get why folks would go back for more. what a trip!

nicole talks knitting.

in the last taking stock post i wrote up, i mentioned wanting to start a v-log but not being sure about the logistics...

well it's taken me the better part of a day, but the first episode is now up on youtube!

it's all about what i'm knitting at the moment... and i'm hoping to maybe pop one up every couple of weeks. will see how that goes he he!

pour yourself a cup of tea (if you're into tea that is!) and have a watch!



what do you think? are you a knitting vodcast watcher? what are your favourite ones to watch?