Water water everywhere

Yet again it has been a while between posts. SO much is going on as usual that time just rushes by. I'll try to keep it to a minimum of reading but again you might want to make a cuppa and grab a bikkie or two before you start reading :)

I've had a bad back yet again which has put a downer on sewing...as well as catching up on blog posts and emails. Just sitting with the computer has been painful.
I haven't done any sewing since I made my brothers gifts in the previous post. I've really missed it too. After 4 days of not being able to move I couldn't stand the pain any more and thought there HAS to be something that can be done for my back...although my doctor has told me for years that there isn't. So I visited a chiro last weekend and he massaged and put the L5(his term) back in ....no fun at ALL having that put in ... and another spot up near my shoulder blade was put back into place. The sciatic pain down my legs was gone immediately after all the manipulation but the muscular pain lasted another week and still causes a dull ache if I'm walking around too long or sit for too long. Hopefully now everything is back where it should be it wont cause me any more trouble once its completely healed.

By now I'm sure that blog followers from all parts of the world know all about the devastating floods that have been hitting our country. Queensland has been the hardest hit area and thankfully for me personally some family and friends I have up there are safe and dry although some have been cut off from some areas. My heart goes out to all the families that have lost homes or worse their loved ones. As their waters are slowly receeding and the long hard task of clean up is starting our rivers and creeks are starting to overflow here.


This is the creek near our home...about a 2 minute walk from my spot on the couch here!

I think the poor old bridge has seen better days.......



These two photos are from the neighbours yard.........




They unfortunately will be the ones hit if we get more rain. Its a bit hard to describe the landscape around here but we are between a couple of hills. We're higher up on the side of the hill and our two closest neighbours are on the other side of the road at the bottom of the gully. Luckily our house should remain dry as the water runs off our land but its filling up the land of our neighbours and the creek. We haven't had any extra rain since yesterday morning so praying to the Gods that it stays that way. We did have a bit of water go through the shed and my shed/studio. I've had to lift everything I can off the floor and some fabric bags I had sitting on the floor got wet so I've had a bit to wash and dry... but I can't complain considering what so many have had to deal with! It isn't sitting in the shed either..just a bit of leakage really. Some of our family in Scarsdale...15 minutes from here... has had to wade through their shed and bucket the water out. I've never seen so much water around here before!

A few of the blogs I have managed to catch up with the past few days are having raffles to raise money for flood victims and Jenny of Elefantz has put up a post asking for sewers to help put together a small sewing kit to be sent to fellow quilters who have lost everything. I'm starting work on mine this evening when I've ironed out some fabric. If you can help out please visit Jenny's blog and put your name down to help.


With my back out of service the sewing machine has had a break but I have still been crafting what I can. I am not someone who can just sit around doing nothing so as I've been stuck on the couch for 2 weeks I've swapped machine stitching for hand stitching and have finished my very first cross stitch.



Not that there is a lot of actual cross stitches in this design....I'm still happy with how she has turned out.



She'll be framed for Miss Danae :) The other two girls who share her room are not Tinkerbell fans at all but Danae likes her. She loves anything mummy does hehe
But who couldn't love Tinkerbell? My 3 older girls all think she is mean and a spitefull nasty little pixie towards Wendy but I can see it from Tinks perspective. What woman wouldn't act that way towards a little hussy trying to move in on her man! I personally think Peter Pan should have got a lot harsher treatment from Tink than she dished him out! If I had a Wendy moving in on my Kevin I'd be a pretty nasty spiteful pixie myself ;)

I also finished this cross stitch that a friend sent me as a kit a couple of years ago when I mentioned then that I'd like to try out cross stitch one day. I've really been enjoying doing cross stitch. I can easily see it becoming another craft addiction.


SO now the little cross stitches are finished and I have the hang of it I have begun the fairy I got using my christmas voucher.......LOTS of crosses in this one to do and the aida fabric in this one is a higher count so the crosses are smaller than the other two I've done. She is going to be beautiful when finished :)


I've made some new wands as well whilst having to sit and I crafted a ritual wand for myself. This one has a flourite and amethyst tip and is adorned with glass seed beads, hand dyed silk ribbons and two white cockatoo feathers...from my own pet cocky.



I've started crafting my shamans staff as well. "The Healers Staff of Heaven and Earth" ...........


I need to find the right 'something' to put on the bottom of it but the top is coming together nicely. I've used a piece of selenite for the tip and hand dyed silk ribbons. One black crow feather and one white cockatoo feather (thanks Cocky) I'm yet to find the right piece for representing the earth element but the butterfly is for air, the fire agate for fire and the shell for water............


Like a traditional shamans staff it will be an ongoing work in progress until I find all the right pieces. The shaman used to add pieces of bone and many other bits and pieces he/she collected along his travels. I plan on using mine for when doing angel healings and reiki.

Tara has wanted a wand since she saw the one I made Ebony so she found the branch she wanted and went through my stash of crystals ans I crafted this one for her.....


It has a tiger eye tip, red tiger eye in the center and a bloodstone on the base. She's lucky I love her cause that bloodstone was going to be used in one for myself ;) She found the feather in a driveway so I'm not sure of what bird that came from. has beautiful colouring the camera doesn't pick up too well....


We went to the beach in Geelong the other day after taking Tara to her interview at Deakin University and I collected quite a few branches to craft into some more wands to sell. One will be going overseas to a lady I've friended on facebook who recently lost everything in a house fire including all her pets but one :( I can only imagine how devastating it must be to lose everything whether it be flood or fire. I'm so thankful that we have a home to come home to. Its that little piece of security that you take for granted until you see and hear of so much devastation.
This lady is a fellow wiccan and lost all her magickal tools as well so I offered to send her a few pieces to help her rebuild again. Its all I can do.

On a happier note (and I wont keep you here much longer) I'm pleased to say that my artistic views of everything has rubbed off onto my hubby and Kevin took these awesome shots of some bees busily buzzing around the lavender bushes when we visited the lavender farm a couple of weeks back.



I'm going to enlarge and frame a few...I love them!





We came across the lavender farm "Lavandula" by accident when Kev took a wrong turn on our travels to Maldon. I'm glad he did...and because I sprinkle our pillows with lavender oil every night and he knows that me being a purple girl I love lavender he offered to stop in for a look. I wasn't going to say no... and being the holidays we were in no rush to be anywhere in particular!



I'm in love........ this is the type of country home Kev and I are dreaming of transforming our home into. Bluestone house and paths and all the rustic charm of yesteryear....



spashes of purple everywhere......this one instantly made me think of my beautiful Scottish friend Rhianon......






and acres...........





and acres.......



and acres.......


of heavenly scented lavender and beautiful gardens





and gorgeous natural surroundings to kick back amidst on a lazy Summers day with a good book or piece of canvas.



The wildlife sharing the beautiful space too





Until our home looks like this I can see many more happy family trips planned to visit the farm again.