A funny thing happened on the way to these pants.....

 Looking at the photo you could be forgiven for thinking that perhaps someone was injured or a pet died on the way to these pants....I promise this was not the case.
Once upon a time I set out to make a pair of pants for the Little Pickle using this pattern from this book for the first time. Being me, I can't ever play completely by the rules so I decided to make them reversible. Should have been fairly straightforward; I added some extra to seam allowances to allow for the bulk and turning, piped all the pockets, made two sets of contrasting cuffs that I planned on using a never before seen two way buttoning system to hold in place. All went well but when I got it all together there was just too much bulk, too much fabric, too many complexities for one small pair of pants....so I separated them.
When I had two completed pairs of pants I discovered I had severely overestimated the Little Pickles need for growing room so for now the contrasting cuffs are hidden in an extra turn up. Due to an unprecedented incidence of Big Pickle deciding to dress himself today we discovered the other pair fit him, so we headed out for a morning of fun in coordinated pants.

One pair of pants came off for a bit so the Big Pickle could enjoy his weekly swimming lesson.

This is the face we make when we realise our usual swim teacher is on holidays.

Apparently the fill-in teacher is so good she needs to come every week.

 Pants back on this mama managed to embrace the slow. We progressed as far as the patch of land beside the swimming pool and the Pickles gave the pants a thorough test drive.

 

 

 Good for running, rolling, being tigers, picking dandelions.....you name it these pants can do it!!
As the end of the year approaches and we start to look ahead to Big Pickle starting kindergarten, I'm realising that our chance to drift through many of our days stopping for dandelions, heading out for unplanned adventures based on the weather or our mood and simply letting life happen will start to diminish. So we're going to embrace that chance every moment we can for the next few months. 

After all that exercise we needed a snack and a rest so we stopped in at a favourite bakery for one of their delicious sourdough donuts.

 

Such a quaint little place with only two tables (less people for toddlers to disrupt!) both bedecked in retro linens and kitsch flowers and they always have a delectable selection of breads, cakes and pastries. Some things are only available on particular days, like donuts which are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday or the fabulous rhubarb and raspberry danishes which I am yet to learn the pattern for.

Baa Baa White Sheep - Yarn Along

This little here lamb....sheep....creature is a very good example of why you should try not to get distracted when knitting a pattern for the first time....or any time for that matter. I think what I've ended up with is a sheep's back legs, lamb front legs and a really scary head. If not for the fact that I still have lots of the very beautiful ball of wool (which I think is this that I bought here) and that my Waldorf dollmaking classes have taught me to embrace your mistakes and accept that they may have led you to a different but still worthy creation....I would be pulling this sad little creature back and starting again.
Originally I intended a small gathering (I know its flock but I only want a few so gathering sounds better) to go on our Spring table but since we are nearly out the other side of Spring here in Australia, I'll perhaps let them enter with the shepherds at Christmas....perhaps not this particular sheep but some others knitted with more careful attention to the correct section of the pattern - how un-Christian of me.

The book is one of Jodi Picoult's earlier ones that has been on my shelves for.......a very long time and reminds me, along with the hint of the world of books we are blessed with in this house that you can see in the background, that I must find more time in my life for reading again. If only I could work out a way to stitch, knit, read and be at the machine all at the same time......hardly mindful crafting but I'm an ever ambitious creature and those projects just keep forming in my head!

Weekending - quick, slow.... quick, quick, slow

This photo sums up how we all felt when we got to Sunday morning.
What a whirlwind day Saturday was. After waking in Colac filled with memories of the Show, we bundled ourselves into the car and headed for home.

With the prospect of guests that night I was compelled and motivated to finish the covers for the dining chairs:

And also got the new cushions done too:

(Note the Little Pickle photo bomber in these last two photos)

The quick stay in Colac meant that the house was again filled with fragrant blooms from my mum's garden:

Love in the Mist - one of my favourite Spring flowers.

 Sadly, I didn't live up to all my lofty ambitions and didn't manage to make the planned new top to wear but I was able to to hide my old duds behind the shiny new cushions (please note cushions not actually shiny...or sparkley....not that there would be anything wrong with having sparkley cushions if that is your thing....perhaps you won them at the Colac Show)
Floors were vacced, surfaces dusted, dips made. Friends came and fun was had and though they did all leave at the frightfully respectable hour of 11:30pm, we were a tired house this morning.

The sky didn't really appear to be in line with the 32 degree forecast but nontheless we headed to the beach where the boys did a bit of this:

 

And this:

I tried a bit of this:

Yes those are raindrops on my book....it wasn't really a beach day but we made it one anyway.

Thankfully, all the outdoor activity prompted the Pickles to have very quiet and restful afternoon so they day drifted nicely to the end when Mr Pickle and I enjoyed this:

Very delicious new pasta we picked up here. Millgrove Pasta are a new local pasta maker who have around 12 different varieties of filled pastas including the Mushroom with Leek and Garlic we enjoyed with a little of the leftover wine from the night before. Quick, easy and delicious - just what Sunday night dinner should be.
We were very glad that we finally followed up on this recommendation from a friend and discovered Altona Fresh - the West's alternative to Mediterranean Wholesalers - regular visitors we now will be.

Lambs, puppets, snakes, carnies and dodgems!

We headed to the Colac Show on Friday. Big Pickle went to this Show with his cousins last year and has lived on the memories ever since. I'd have to say I'm not really the Show type. The thought of going to the Melbourne Show fills me with terror at the thoughts of the crowds, the noise, and the.....bogans (yes, I am a snob!)
The country Show however is a more approachable, manageable concept. Less crowds, more accessible animals, friendly farmers, less sideshows......higher proportion of bogans perhaps but a good touch of nostalgia when its the Show in the town you grew up in.

The great display of tractors, bulldozers and other big farm equipment thingies was a hit but really revealed this mamas not so country, country origins - 'What's that machine mummy?' ..... Mummy stutters 'Well.......that's a ....big....grass cutting machine.....or perhaps a planting device....?!'

As well as the obligatory and very good baby animal nursery there was also a Reptile Man. This made Big Pickle very happy particularly when he got to do this:

Sadly, he didn't get to do this again:

Big Pickle's first ride on a horse at the Footscray City Primary School Festa prompted a passionate plea "Let's go to every school Fair everywhere mummy and I can ride a horse at all of them"

 Once I had filled up as much time as possible in the 'farmy' part of the Show we headed down Sideshow alley to the world of throbbing music, flashing lights and really big, really ugly soft toys.

Big Pickle discovered a new variation on his beloved jumping castles....really big jumping castles with mega, blow-up slides:

Then both Pickles fell in love with these - Bumper Boats!

Who said I'm too young to drive!?

Take that big brother!

 Overall, a great day out for all but I was disappointed there was no Ferris Wheel, no Joy Whizzer and no Cup and Saucer ride....maybe next year or maybe just a memory from my childhood.