All over the shop

G'day all!

Do other peoples out there, outside Oz, use all over the shop to mean that they are discombobulated, they are totally unfocused or incapable of doing meaningful stuff?

Well that is how my weekend has been.

DH was talking to a friend who normally resides in Silicon Valley. He is setting up a new operation in Fort Collins in Colorado and is angling to get Nathan to work for him there. So Nathan's put in an app for a job there. The other interview is still on and may be extended somehow to get him out to Colorado. For any people from Colorado, it seems to me that it is not quite as fruit loopy a place as Silicon Valley.... Can you confirm this? I've already looked up to see if it has any yarn shops, which it does along with a possible place for spinning stuff :-)

I found out yesterday that my very favouritest shop (ok, maybe apart from Marta's) has been sold to a big big business, which is why it has not been open since before Christmas. I am very disappointed cos this place was totally gluten-free bakery and made really really REALLY nice food. The company that has taken them over is known for the mediocrity of its produce. They have already started trialling the plain pies and party pies and plain bread and grain bread as frozen stuff in a local supermarket, but it really isn't the same. We used to get a huge variety of stuff - 10 different sorts of pies, all sorts of cakes, breads, etc. To be suddenly back to their least interesting and flavoursome pie is like walking into a pub and being told the only beer they have is VB whereas last week they stocked all sorts of interesting gourmet beers. (Why am I using a beer analogy when I can't drink it (OK, there is a GF beer available) and don't like it? Cos many people do like beer.) The bakery didn't bother telling anyone before Christmas either - perhaps the idea was they continue trading cos they said they would open three weeks after Christmas....

So I've been spewin' buckets as we say here (ie I am not very happy at all - two of the best places in Melbourne gone!). Yes I can still go to Sillyaks, but they are a good 45 minute drive away (or 1.5 hours on the train and shank's pony) and are even more expensive the Uncle Rick's, if that is at all possible. However, Sillyaks is near the spinners' guild.... 8-)

How about some pretty?


Skeins drying against a blue blue sky. We've had two nice warmish days in a row. Tomorrow should be a stinker - 38 or 100F with a change coming through then a week of fine, dry weather again. I am contemplating going for a drive to the beach tomorrow. I like driving in hot weather. Even though I only have a little bubby car, he has air-conditioning. No car I ever own in Australia will be without proper air-con again. My first car had what we call four by 60 air-con - open the windows and drive at the speedlimit ;-)

Anyway, those skeins will be for sale. I need cash. Hateses that but Nathan has not finished his PhD yet so his post doc doesn't start yet.... and despite my increasing efforts I have no job. One rainbow skein isn't for sale - it is a new yarn that is shorter than the old skeins and technically not sock yarn, but it is machine washable. I am going to knit up a sock in it and test it out. There's also a skein of brown handspun that I decided to dye up, see how it came out.

Here's some that went on Wednesday night - thanks SnBers! It helped me a lot :-)

(the sea greens again do not show up well on the camera or screen. V.annoying)
If anyone likes the look of those yarns, I can do another batch for you.

I've been doing a bit of spinning - I had some leftover bits and bobs so I spun them up and plied them together with bullions and nubbly bits. I like it - green with purple and hot pink :-) I think it looks like a very enthusiastic garden and am planning to make it into a hat or a scarf.


Some finn tops spun up - I love the colour of this lot cos it makes me think of a misty sunrise.

I've got some blue I just finished spinning this afternoon. So pretty!

Our first sunflower opened yesterday.

This bloke is supposed to be a giant Russian but he only comes up to my chest. I guess I need to fix up the soil in that spot. Funnily enough, the buds follow the sun but the open flower doesn't. I love sunflowers. I'll get a better shot tomorrow I hope that will show the multiple little flowers in the centre of the big bract.

Finally, a pussy picture. Nutmeg was not very pleased with me for standing up and waking her from her nap, where her head was on her front paws.


anon!