The smell of the rubber

G'day all!

Well we learned something this year.

Go away for Easter unless you *like* the smell of burning rubber.

Yep, it was Easternats at the racecourse near us. We are used to the big V8s of the supercars roaring around - the local (and I do mean local -it is only a km away) race track is home to the Holden (GM) V8 supercars, so they test them on Sunday mornings during racing season.

Easternats means that every man and his dog (plus quite a few chics) with a halfway decent tricked up car descends upon Sandown Park. If you are a hoon, you go there. And you burn LOTS of rubber. The wind was from the north today and egads, was it awful! The morning involved lots of big V8s roaring and revving and apparently doing burnouts all the way around the track. Then at about 3 this arvo they started on the burnout championships. I kid you not, it was like we were in a fog, only it stunk of burning rubber. And of course today was the first halfway decent day to get the washing dry.

So next year we go away for Easter.

But one thing that was great? The coppers and the EPA were set up on one of the local arterial roads. They were pulling over ricers and anything that looked a bit hotted up. I saw one ricer pulled over on my way out to do some shopping with a very resigned looking driver leaning on his car (strangely enough the ricer was not an Asian p-plater). On the way back, a V8 Holden (I call them Commodes because despite being a toyota driver, I am a Ford girl through and through) was pulled over and being given the full throttle (in neutral) treatment whilst they evaluated the exhaust. It snapped and crackled and roared just as I went past. It scared the hell out of me cos I am pretty sure it only had a drainpipe for an exhaust, not a legal muffler. If the driver is dumb enough to be out and about in his show car rather than something that is street legal, he deserves what he gets (the drivers are mostly, not always, blokes who drive the big V8s).

So in the best of Australian terms, SUFFER IN YER JOCKS, MATE! Take that as a bit of payback for making our lives stinky this lovely long weekend!

Apart from that, the weekend was fabulous. We did lots and saw things and made stuff and spent waaay too much (but Nathan has an extra bit of income soon, which will help).

I was going to show some of the dyeing I've been doing. Now considering all bar a handful of mylovely readers are away, or at least not reading blogs, I will not put it up online quite yet, cos I want everyone to have a chance at open slather on it. I do intend to sell the stuff I've dyed, and I want to dye more. Here's a sneak preview of one and the other of the lots that are dry.

I did not knit a stitch today. I wound LOTS and LOTS of wool though. Hours of winding and skeining. I think I'll be dreaming of winding and skeining.

Finally, I leave you with this lovely caterpillar.

We were in Bunnings today and saw some plants that we've wanted for a while and they were a very special price, so to speak. As I examined them, I discovered that they have a whole heap of these lovely grubs on them. This one is pretty close to 2 inches long (you can see my forefinger top phalange in the background). I hope it won't eat too much more of the plant and will soon pupate - I want to know what sort of moth or butterfly will hatch out.

anon!