February Ramblings ..................................

 Greetings lovely friends & readers

Phew it is HOT outside today - I have come inside to the cool & have the air conditioner going.  The Mr tells me it is 31 degrees at the farm today.

My roses are just finishing their second flush & looking a little straggly.  The hydrangeas were picked nearly a fortnight ago & I think they will dry themselves in the Jug once they have drunk all the water up.

After all my green painting in last weeks post, I decided I wanted to try stencilling a teatowel to match everything.  I had this waffle fabric pillowcase & stencilled this bee design onto it using the same Country Green chalk paint as last week's Egg crate.  I am still very much learning with stencilling, but I was really pleased how it turned out so I sewed it into a simple rectangular teatowel.

I have hung it on the oven door handle & threatened everyone in the house (including furry beings) that it is Not to be used to wipe their dirty hands (or paws) on (!!!) 😉  Lets see how long that lasts!

I want to place an Order for some more Soy Wax but wanted to use up the last bit in the bag first.  I found these 3 containers & made candles into them using my last 3 woodwicks.  The quantities worked out perfectly & I had not a drop left over.  The Fragrance is Apple Crumble ... again some left over Fragrant Oil that got used up.  These will be going in the Gift Box once they've dried well.

My dear friend Shirley had a beautiful Cath Kidston Ironing Board cover that had seen better days.  She asked me if I could make her a new cover but attach it to the old one as it had good padding in it.  This was trickier than I thought but I managed it eventually - using this gorgeous floral fabric that Shirley provided which reminded me a bit of Sanderson floral.  Here I am trying it on my own ironing board to make sure it fitted & sat nice & flat.  Shirley was thrilled when I delivered it to her & we fitted it on her old ironing board.  💙

You can see some of the rips or wear & tear where I have put the arrows.

Our couch is old, squashy & rather low.  When I sit at nights to watch TV & stitch or knit, I always tuck an old hard cushion behind my back.  The Grandsons commented that my cushion was all torn & tatty - I had not really noticed how bad it was before.  

I decided it was time for a new cushion cover & found this lovely patchwork one in my stash, no doubt an old Op-shop find.  I made a new firmer inner, stuffing it really extra tightly  ... & love how firm it feels behind my back now when I sit down.  Plus it looks much more presentable than the old torn one!

Remember in * this post * how I mentioned The Mr was having good success growing cucumbers at the farm?  When he purchased the assorted cucumber plants he'd obviously picked up an "odd ball" as this is what grew.  He took a photo & we managed to discover this is a Kumi Kumi or Kamo Kamo.  I'd never cooked them before so I googled some recipes & choose * this one * due to already having all the ingredients in the house.

Before baking                                                         After baking      

You scoop the inside out, fill with the mixture, then bake it for 45 minutes ... I drizzled Olive Oil over it first.  It was delicious but The Mr felt like it needed something extra, perhaps some curry added or some spicier herbs.  We shall certainly be having this dish again as I really enjoy having meatless meals now & again.

The Mr also bought home from the farm a large bag of Japanese Millet seed heads.   He grows this each summer as a supplement feed for the cows as well as making some paddocks into silage for winter feed.  I love the seed heads for my citrus pot-pourri,  I stripped the leaves of it all & made 8 bunches, which I hung outside to dry.  You have to be mindful where you store it as mice really love it (as I have found from experience)  😉

After sulking for about 5 years my Peace Lily has finally decided to flower again.  I cannot tell you how delighted I was when I noticed this.  So far it has 2 flower heads on it ... such simple pleasures that made my week 💚 

As mentioned earlier I am inside with the air conditioner going ... Madam Pip has taken up residence in my underwear drawer as she is situated not far from the nice cool air flow.  Please take note ... when I saw her heading in this direction I quickly plonked an old tee shirt on top of everything & she was most delighted that I found one that matched her colouring (!!) 🧡

Thank you as always dear friends, for your welcome visits here today,

Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week ... remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all,

Julie & the furry three x0x0x0