Having run completely out of chook food, a trip to Hobart became necessary - lovely drive, the sides of the road to Rhyndaston are covered in briar rose blooms - beautiful things that they are, for all they are a weed. As usual I had failed to provide myself with some secateurs, so did not have a chance to stop to get some cuttings (I am thinking a couple to fill the gaps that have arisen in the hedge). Animal food acquired I headed home via Oatlands and called into the Bargain Centre where I had been told there was an old wicker workbasket filled with various notions that might be interesting.

Amazingly enough (the entire quilting group had been told this) it was still there, so I poked around inside and bought it on the spot. And here it is! Inside were wooden cotton reels, old lace, ribbons - scarlet velvet, lace and so forth, some broderie anglais strips, as well as various notions. Have a browse of the contents as you read on.







The lace with the zigzag border is about 8 inches deep and will be a lovely trim to shelving, or a mantelpiece, or possiby a pelmet over the windows in the older part of the house, and the ribbon width lace is just the daintiest thing.

I have wound them all onto strips of heavy watercolour paper - acid-free, and removed pins and sticky tape and such like fastenings. Having picked around I emptied the box completely, and have transferred some of the bits (notions, crochet hooks, knitting needles etc) into suitable homes, and have added the collection of laces and ribbons i have acquired from various female relatives, now deceased. So the box is now crammed full with lovely things and can live a life as home to these bits and pieces until I find a use for them. In combination with beads, velvet, boxes and buttons they could become rather gorgeous items I feel.

Once that was done I went down and fed the livestock just as it started to rain - we had a forecast for flashflooding, but that does not seem to have happened, and the rain to date has been a bit disappointing.

Then Jean called in with a large frozen Nicholls organic chicken - with the tale her husband had won two and they did not have a use for the second one. Either her freezer is full or she is just being her usual lovely self. Now I have to find a suitable use for it so will put my chefs thinking cap on - Roasting seems a bit mundane.

So more of a fun day than a working day, but some work got done - just not house-related or garden-related, lol.