Collage # 3

Taking time today to organise my laundry, my drawers, my shoes, my home.

Collage # 2

LOVE

A heart for each of the men in my life and a circle for all the other things I love.

A week of collages!

FLY

Today I am having trouble flying...I can´t seem to get active or get into any projects so I am stopping to listen and rest. I will make a collage a day this week to celebrate the beginning of a new season and to give me time to organise my Etsy shop. My fabric labels have arrived and now I have no more excuses. There´ll be bags and pillows for sale on the 1st October.

The autumn market was yesterday and 2 of my bags plus a lot of tissue holders have new owners. People there seemed more eager to buy food and my cakes and muffins were gone in no time. The market was in the gardens of an old castle right by a lake, so beautiful! I took a couple of pictures which you can see over at Flickr.

Sunday Scribbling #26 - Instructions

I love to cook and bake, especially in a clean and organised kitchen with great music playing and a plan in my head. I had home economics in high school for 2 years and my mother taught me quite a bit about cooking, although she never really left me to cook alone so everything ended up tasting just as it would have if she´d cooked it. When I lived with my mother in law for a year while my children were young, I learnt how to cook traditional Austrian food on a wood burning stove for a really big farming family and I really enjoyed it but the thing that got to me was how fussy the men were and how compliant the other women were.
Now when I work in the kitchen I have a view over the Lavant Valley. I see right down to the main road where I often catch a glimpse of the school bus bringing Stefan and Markus home and I can also watch the train that Daniel comes home from school on.
Here are the instructions for one of our favourite meals, One Pot Chicken;
I use a glass baking dish with a lid for this. Sprinkle a whole chicken inside and out with a paprika based chicken seasoning and place in the baking dish, put the lid on, place in the oven and turn oven on (180° celsius). After 30 minutes, add 10 medium sized peeled potatoes, carrot and pumpkin pieces to pan and bake for a further 60 minutes. Then take the lid off the pan and bake for a further 15 minutes. Veges should be tender and lightly browned, chicken should be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Place veges on a serving platter, cut chicken into pieces and place around the veges. Add 150mls of thin cream to the pan juices to make a sauce. Serve with white bread and green salad. MAHLZEIT!

12 down, 2 to go!

Thanks for the advice on yesterday´s post - I feel less like I´ve failed the aim I had in mind when I put that point on my list and now I know better how to handle the situation.
As for my bag challenge, I´m almost done with only 2 bags to go, I´ve finished some cushions and I´ve used up a pile of fabric scraps to make tissue holders. The autumn fair on Sunday is being organised by a group called "Talente Tausch" which means talent swap. No money is exchanged within this group - you put a points price on whatever you´re offering and then use your points to purchase anything from organic produce, yoga classes, massages or holiday appartment rentals. We already have quite a number of points as I´ve done some translating work within the group and Erich has restored some furniture but it´s the first time I´ll have my own market table with my handmade items so I´m a bit nervous. I noticed that one of the group´s members has a house on the Ligurian Coast in Italy so I hope we can get enough points together to spend some time there next summer. Wish me luck!

PARTY!

Number 53 on my list of 101 things in 1001 days is : Have a party for my 40th Birthday and invite only people I like. Well I only partly succeeded in this as I had the party last Saturday and a great time and great food was had by all BUT I didn´t succeed in inviting only people I like.
One of my best friends has a boyfriend who is a complete ego-maniac and if they weren´t together I wouldn´t even give him the time of day...but I somehow couldn´t get past inviting him. And there´s another person who I used to get along great with but just don´t want to spend time with lately because of her "well-meaning" criticism and life tips that show me she has no idea who I am. She is part of the group of people I sing with and generally hang around with so I didn´t have the courage not to invite her for fear of the can of worms that this would open.
I´d really like to be courageous and honest and tell people what I think and that I don´t like being used or told what to do by people who can´t get their own lives in order but I just can´t seem to without feeling like a complete bitch. Is there a way to move on from friendships that just don´t fit anymore without having to explain? Is it my responsibility to tell my friend that her boyfriend is a jerk and that she deserves better or is it none of my business?

Moving along!

Bags 5, 6, 7 & 8.

A Tribute

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

5 years have passed since the day that Rose Mary Riso died while at work in New York´s twin towers. I have read a lot about her, she was a very warm hearted and generous person who put other people´s safety before her own on this day, saving 39 lives before losing her own.
I remember turning on the TV to watch the news on CNN 5 years ago and sitting down in shock from what I was witnessing on live television. I remember thinking "this may be the end of the world as we know it" and it was. Since then war, terror and loss of lives have become regulars on the daily news and there´s no sign of it stopping. I often feel a frustration that comes from not being able to do anything to stop what is so obviously wrong in the world. I hear many voices that are against war and sending young men to fight battles for the cowardly heads of state or terrorist leaders but the killing goes on. Today I ask you all to do what you can to influence your own little world by being kind, compassionate and tolerant towards each other in rememberance of all those who died on the 11th of September, 2001.


Today my children and I will plant this rose bush in our garden in rememberance of Rose Mary Riso.

Read about other victims of 9/11 here.

Challenges!

Above you can see the new colour of my kitchen wall which I was about to paint a cream colour when I read this and decided on aqua instead. The colour is called "sea breeze" and together with the yellow feature wall it really does remind me of the ocean. It´s a bit brighter than it looks on the photo and I finished it just in time for my 40th Birthday Party...more about that next time. In the other photo you can see bags Nr. 2, 3 &4 in my 14 day bag challenge. There´s a small shoulder bag, a cell-phone bag and an ipod bag.

A bag a day!

I will be making a bag a day for the next 14 days to sell at a fair I´ve been asked to take part in on the 24th of September. I want to make quite a few other things aswell like some coasters, place mats, table runners, pin cushions and bigger cushions but I will let the daily bag be my inspiration for the other items. I have also ordered some "Chest of Drawers" woven name tags and as soon as they arrive I will get my etsy shop up and running.

Seeya mate!

Sept. 4, 2006 — Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44 and leaves behind a wife, a daughter aged 8 and a son aged 2.

#23 - Fortune Cookie

This week´s Sunday Scribble prompt is Fortune Cookie.
I think a lot of pressure comes with opening a fortune cookie because we are waiting for that AHA moment, some sort of sign to tell us which road will lead us to our happiness. Some of us read the horoscope pages and some of us go out looking for that special book or object which will make it all clear. We all seem to be looking for something - something which is just out of our grasp, always one step ahead of us. There is an Austrian folk song I know and the lyrics go something like this "we are always running after our happiness, trying to catch it but maybe, just maybe, it´s trying to catch us but we´re running too fast".
We are often pushed and moulded by other people´s expectations of us, by money or lack of it, by advertising and trends and pressure from parents, bosses and other people we depend upon. Many days we don´t have the time to think about what we need, it´s just a matter of getting through the day. We forget that we have the right to put ourselves first, to take time for family and love and our bodies and homes. But if we don´t have the time to stop and listen, won´t life just pass us by? Why do we wait until illness or a bad experience clears the fog and makes us realise what´s important to us and what we can do without.
A fortune cookie will not tell us how to be happy, a book or material things may help us on the way but ultimately, I believe we all know what truly makes us happy, we just have to stop long enough to listen to our inner voice, recognise what we TRULY need and be open for it.

A while ago I joined the Blogbagswap organised by the lovely
Mijk who was also my partner in the swap. Above is the gorgeous
bag she made me, based on the look of my blog. I was touched
when I read about how she thought about, designed and made
my bag, with so much thought and effort. Read her post here.
(And here´s the bag I made for her).It´s one of the most
beautiful gifts I have ever received and I am amazed at how
well she knows me even though we´ve never met. Thankyou Mijk!
The little green cat that´s been hanging from my fridge door since it
arrived really puts a smile on my face. It was made by Ihanna who
has recently gotten her shop up and running so check it out! I think
there may be some more of those cute cats available too if you´re quick!
As for my own crafting efforts, I have been bitten by the sock bug - if
I´d known they were that easy to knit I would have started years ago!
I am going to knit all the socks I need for the coming winter and am
thinking of making socks for all my friends this Christmas.
I walked into a patchwork shop in Berry, Australia while on holiday
there and fell in love with a display of pale blue and red fabrics. I have
decided to make a whole range of pillows and bags in this colour
combination and above you can see the first one.
I have also decided to tackle a few more things on my list of 101 things
in 1001 days...paint the guest room and paint the kitchen. More on that
next time!

On my list of 101 things in 1001 days:
45.Knit a pair of socks.
DONE! And it was much easier than I thought.
If you´d like to knit your own, check out this site.

UPDATE: 101 things in 1001 days

While on Magnetic Island I crossed 2 things off my list
82.Watch the sunrise on Magnetic Island.
83.Swim nude.
And on the way back I bought myself a present for my 40th Birthday
87.Buy an ipod.
I have only had time to download a few photos on it but I will sit
down soon and get to number88. Download music and podcasts onto Ipod.
Looking through my list just now I see that although I´ve accomplished quite a few things, there´s still a lot to do. I turned 40 while I was in Australia and birthdays always have me thinking about reaching goals and new stages in my life. This Birthday I acknowledged that I am very happy. I have come a long way these past 8 months and blogging has certainly helped me to appreciate myself and the life that I´ve created here in Austria just by seeing it through the eyes of positive, unselfish people who I have met here. The critical, unaccepting people I know cannot affect me and weigh me down the way they used to. I have become a lot stronger within myself.
Creating lovely things that bring others joy has given me real satisfaction and soon I´ll be tackling
31.Start an online shop for bags and pillows and other things made of fabric.
I have a collection of bags, accessories and pillows in the making and hope to have my Etsy shop set up in September. This is only possible because I finally had the courage to reduce my working hours and find more time for the things I love to do. I finally made time for exercise and stopped trying to feed my hunger for life and love with food - these are things I never thought I´d be able to accomplish. So, at 40, I am proud to say I feel great and life is good!

Sydney!

Sydney where I used to work, Bondi Beach where I used to live, Watson´s Bay where I used to go for long walks to get my head clear. Nothing´s changed, still as beautiful and alive as ever. It´s always amazing to me that life goes on, day in day out, with or without me.

Green Island

We were lucky enough to spend a whole day on the Great Barrier Reef during our stay in Queensland and it was everything I expected it to be and more. Unfortunately we didn´t have an underwater camera so the best memories of our snorkelling trip are in our heads.
We left Cairns for the 1 hour boat trip to Green Island feeling great but the sea-sickness got to us all and when we arrived on Green Island we were feeling pretty green ourselves! This was quickly forgotten though after getting our snorkelling gear on and getting our heads under water. I could never have imagined that there really is such life under the surface. We saw thousands of vibrantly coloured fish and coral, stingrays, giant turtles and the boys even saw a reef shark! I´m glad I didn´t - my fear of sharks increased by 100% after watching a movie called "Open water" but the water on the reef wasn´t deep so I felt quite safe. The boys got up real close to one of the giant turtles, close enough to touch one and hold on for a short swim - it was amazing! Green Island is a lovely place, with a beautiful pool right in the middle and lovely, leafy walkways to the beach and facilities. I was reluctant to leave after only a day trip - there is something about island life that really appeals to me.

On the road between Townsville and Cairns

After 10 days on Magnetic Island we said a sad farewell and caught the ferry back to Townsville where we picked up hire cars and started the drive north. We drove through Ingham and made stops in Halifax and Lucinda where crocodile warning signs kept us out of the water. We drove past sugar cane fields and saw fields of banana trees that had been shredded by cyclone Larry some months before and many homes we drove past still had parts of their rooves missing.

I grew up in Sydney and the climate and landscape there are very different to that of Northern Queensland. The mix of rainforest, green hills and beaches all in close vacinity of each other was beautiful. It seemed like old times to me - being on an a backpack adventure but with the family this time. We didn´t book any accomodation in advance so it was a challenge to find accomodation at our first overnight stop Mission Beach.

The next morning, after an amazing "trucker´s breakfast" at a café next door to our hotel we continued north and made a stop at the lovely Josephine Falls and then backtracked a few km and drove through Wooroonooran National Park, along the Atherton Tablelands and on to Lake Eacham. After a short petrol stop in Gordonvale we continued on to Palm Grove where the accomodation prices forced us back in the direction of Cairns. We found affordable appartments at Trinity Beach where we made ourselves at home for the next 3 days. It was a great base for heading off to the rainforest and The Great Barrier Reef - more on the reef next time.

Aussie Food

I love food, especially while I´m on holidays! Í don´t count calories or watch the fat content of what I´m eating because I am always on the go, walking everywhere, so I don´t put on weight while on holidays either. There is so much available in Australia when it comes to food that it´s overwhelming and everything´s so much cheaper than here in Europe.
While on Magnetic Island we enjoyed seafood, pasta and the good old Aussie BBQ which we usually prepared ourselves after shopping at IGA or Food Works. Erich and I spent one afternoon at Picnic Bay where the ferry used to come over from Townsville and we found a lovely bar/café which had beautiful cheese cake and mud cake. While in Townsville we had the best Club Sandwhich ever in a restaurant at the end of the shopping mall and the kids ate lovely, crisp potato wedges with sweet chilly dip. We went to the HQ Aquarium and walked all around the city and The Strand, played soccer with the kids in the lovely park and in the evening we stopped at an Italian Trattoria and ate mussels before catching the last ferry back to the island and falling into bed exhausted and happy.
On one of the many overcast days on the island we decided to go for a bush walk and what looked like a short stroll on the map ended up being a 3 hour walk through bushland followed by a 5km march on a hilly road to get back to the bus stop. We walked from Horseshoe Bay to Balding Bay and Radical Bay and back to the main road. It took all our energy to keep the boys motivated, we sang and played word games to keep their minds off their tired feet and every now and then a Kookaburra would stop by and laugh at us for still having such a long way to go. Our drink bottles were long empty and just when we thought we´d have to start carrying Markus we finally sighted the island´s main road and saw a red and white utility truck. It seemed like a Fata Morgana for us as it belonged to a german woman who has lived on the island for some years running a mobile juice truck. She pressed us fresh pineapple, grapefruit and orange juice and mixed banana smoothies for the boys and we all agreed that nothing had ever tasted so good.

WE`RE BACK!!!

(from left to right, top to bottom) 1. Daniel amongst the amazing rock formations at Balding Bay, Magnetic Island. A bay that can only be reached by boat or by walking track through the bush. 2. Sunset at Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island. 3. Erich and I on the plane. 4. Quantas planes waiting at Sydney airport. 5. The view from our bedroom at Nelly Bay, Magnetic Island in the most modern, luxurious townhouse you can imagine. 6. Balding Bay. 7. A sculpture on The Strand at Townsville. 8. The boys enjoying fish and chips in the park by the beach. 9. Palm trees at Townsville.
Our 5 weeks of holidays are over and we are back on Austrian ground. We had a lovely holiday but it wasn´t possible for me to blog so I will post photos over the next weeks and use parts of my travel diary to fill you all in on everything that we did. I´ve missed reading all your posts and will be trying to catch up over the next few days...and thanks for all your well wishes for the holiday - it has been an amazing experience.