Pot-Holder Trial

Apparently the owl and koala oven mitts I made using the Saffron Craig fabric are too nice to use.

So this is a test pot-holder using one layer of Vilene Thermolam fleece. I'm not sure if one layer is enough, so this one will undergo some rigorous testing before I make replacements for the owl and the koala.

Three Boxes Sown

The wirilda (Acacia retinoides) and black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) seeds which soaked overnight are now in their boxes, along with some swamp gums (Eucalyptus ovata).

The remaining four boxes are manna gums, but they don't need to be sown for another 10 days or so.

I also spent a little time updating my fabric inventory, and I finally did the hem on a dress which has been hanging around since January.  Some January, anyway.

Preparing the Acacia Seeds

Acacia seeds need some treatment before they will germinate. In nature, a bushfire does the job. At home, you can pour boiling water on them then leave them to soak overnight:

Tomorrow they will be sown.

Runny Honey

Honey flows out of the extractor rapidly on days like this:

The lighter-coloured lumpy bits are pieces of wax that are strained out before the honey is bottled.

Proof

Here's proof I finished my dress yesterday - I wore it to work today!

Photo taken in bathroom mirror at work. Sorry about the grainy, out-of-focus nature of it, but if I'd used the flash you wouldn't have seen anything! Apologies too for the lack of a smile, but the shot where I remembered to smile was even more out of focus than this one!

First Naked Lady

Got a bit of sewing done today, and also just about finished the computer re-install. Late in the day I discovered the first Amaryllis belladonna bulb has come up and opened before I even noticed.

Blurry But Cute

In March last year I was given this succulent, which Dee from Dewdrops And Dragonflies helped me identify as a Cyanotus somaliensis. Once I knew what it was, I knew it would have cute flowers some time.

Here's its first flower. Very cute, and quite tiny, but not quite in focus (which I didn't realise until it was too late to take another picture).