Well, what a day...

So here, gentle reader, is what the beautiful beach at Newport looked like yesterday morning at about 7.40, when I was waiting for my bus to work:

This is what it normally looks like:

You may be able to tell I was standing in the middle of those Norfolk Pine trees when I took the photo.  Amazing.

This is my backyard as it normally looks:

This is what it was like at about 7.20 yesterday morning:

These came straight off my camera.  Incredible.  And so much fun to breathe in - I just left my nephew a message on Facebook saying how delightful it was to be blowing red snot yesterday... charming.  And we were breathing that in!  I can't believe the government didn't show a little leadership & tell us all to stay at home - oh wait, what am I saying?  This is the NSW government I'm talking about here.  D'oh.

I also had to chuckle at MWH's niece, who is here from Melbourne for THE WEDDING, who said "of course she had to come to Sydney for the freakin APOCALYPSE"... I was thinking of the Red Dwarf moment when Lister is really sick & dreams of it raining herring, and the mayor of Warsaw who spontaneously combusted in 1546, appears in his quarters.  

Some may think that the red dust may be the precursor to said Apocalypse, and I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of Rapture Ready loonies out there cutting down trees & peering through the haze looking for the one great magician to come & take them all away from this... oops.  Just slid off the soapbox.

Ah, it's so much fun out there... 

Happier news, The Bride took delivery of the bunting today, and sent me a lovely text message saying she absolutely loved [them], which is great to hear!  I just have to decide now if I'm going to wear the red shoes to the wedding or the black ones.... it's a tough choice... the bag I bought from the lovely Rowena would go well with either red or black...  opinions pls?

Oh, my outfit?  Black satin pants (yes, yes, I know, very 70's disco), a cream silk blouse & a black lace jacket-y coat-y thing.  Like a dolman coat but with almost a shawl collar... the lapels & collar are all one piece. Who cares what I'm wearing?  The BRIDE is wearing a beautiful Colette Dinnigan dress and she will look absolutely beautiful, because she is a beautiful person, in & out.   So exciting!

Pictures next week.  Now, dinner calls.  Well, it's more of a whimper, actually because of the BLT I had for lunch with Ms Creek... v. naughty.  Good thing I don't have to squeeze into that Colette Dinnigan dress!  Bye!  

Oh the pain, the pain of it all...

So, yesterday with our friends K & O (you know who you are), we went out to lunch here, it was really nice, and they bought along their photos of their holiday to Paris, Moscow & St Petersburg.  Nice, very nice.


Today I was given the somewhat rare treat of complete peace in the house, MWH going off to the football & leaving me alone with the sewing machine, my MP3 player and several loads of washing.  Generous to a fault... so I cut out & made the black silk clutch, and broke five, yes five needles in the process.  Apparently size 70 Schmetz needles do not like encountering beads.  Unsurprisingly, they break.  Wouldn't you think after the first two I would have figured out to put something a bit firmer in the machine?  But no, I persisted with the 70s, and that has now joined the list of things to get on Saturday at the haberdashery store...


Anyway, cleverly remembering to add two tags for a strap of some kind, I finished the clutch.  It's tiny.  I might offer it to MWH's niece, Alex, (she's 11) & see if she would like to have it for the wedding (or whatever) - but it's no good to me apart from a lipstick, a car key & maybe a comb?  Oh well.  Another trap for young players there - check out the finished sizes before you start...


Oh, you want a photo?  Next week.  I've also managed, in the middle of busily knitting a cardigan for my friends S & T, who've just had a baby, and also a hat for my friend Karol's niece who's pregnant, to acquire tennis elbow.  I had it once before about 4 years ago & it is such a nuisance - I can't straighten my arm, and I certainly can't hold anything with my arm straight - even taking clothes off over my head is problematic - and it's all down to the knitting... so although I probably could go & get the camera &  take the photos, I'm going to rest my elbow for a week.  Or two.


I am also considering one of these, from Rowena at Red Ruby Rose - I bought one to go with the outfit I wore to Arthur's 60th birthday - they are so beautiful, in every sense - beautifully marketed, made and packaged - if I had a zillion dollars I'd buy every one in her shop!

Anyway, 10.52pm Sunday means sleep.  More, later.  Dismissed.