Hot water system

at the end of last year our hot water system gave up the ghost we had had it fixed once but it only lasted a few months before we were back to lovely cold showers....... in the above picture the tub was removed so in reality the space between the two is only a square & a half on the lino.

we have a very small laundry & it took up quite a chunk of room. i never posted about our laundry reno, it was the first room i did when we moved in. black & white check lino, grey walls & bright red custom built cupboards.

this is the new system & the best thing about it is, its now out side. bigger then the old one so lucky its not in the laundry, oh & nice hot showers is a bonus.

now we are going to redo the laundry, it will be made bigger by extending into the garage but more on that when the time comes.

here is a bit more about our new system

Did you know solar heat is actually available in two ways?

The first way is from radiation (direct sunshine) but the second way is as convection (from air)!

Did you know solar heat is actually available in two ways?

The first way is from radiation (direct sunshine) but the second way is as convection (from air)!

Siddons Solarstream heat pumps have a super efficient design that extracts solar heat from the air.

It works night and day even at low temperatures to -5°C. The result is year round hot water always there for you when you need it.

Siddons Solarstream 

there is also a Government rebate

Shopping bag

anyone who lives in the mountains will tell you we have had a very wet summer, more cloud & rain than sunshine. it has been disastrous for our veggie garden with little or no sun. my tomatoes haven't even flowered yet, broccoli went to seed with no heads forming & everything else is stunted & small.

on the up side i do love rainy weather so i decided to make an all weather bag. about 7 years ago i purchased an end of roll piece of oil cloth & it has been moved from one surface to another just waiting to become a beautiful red spotty bag. so late yesterday afternoon i sat down to make one. well instead of it taking about an hour to make it turned in a few hours when i say a few i mean 4 1/2 hours.

i have to say this is the worst material i have ever worked with, the wrong side slides around every where & the outside sticks. i tried the painters tape on the bottom of my foot but that just rolled off in the first few stitches. but i was not going to give up, i have been wanting this bag for a long time so i persevered  & now i have a lovely red spotty bag that can get wet when it rains. 

i lined it with a plain red fabric & if you look closely you can see how bad my stitching is. i wont be in a hurry to use the rest of the oil cloth. i was thinking about recovering my computer chair with it but i think ill have to think about it for quite a while before attempting another sewing expedition with that fabric.
i pretty much used this shopping bag tutorial, i just made it a bit smaller.

i am linking here
northerncottage

Crochet

Crochet Baby Blanket 

part 1 & 2

some of you may have seen these over on my Flickr account, i think these are called starburst but i could be wrong the tutorial i used was very easy until the last round with the join as you go so i will be joining a different way as i could not find another tutorial for it.

each colour combination is in stacks of 10.

the last round turned it into a square

last round in one chain space [corner] 4 ch [= 1 dc], 1 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space 2dc, 2 ch
next chain space is a corner 2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space is a corner 2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space is last corner 2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space 2 dc, 2 ch
next chain space 2 dc, 2 ch slip stitch in top of 4 ch to finish off the round

40

January went in the blink of an eye & February is starting its second week.

they say the older you get the quicker the year flies by & its true. when your a kid every day is an exciting adventure, always something new to learn, friends to play with & its all about you. when you have your kids its still an exciting adventure, they bring back all of your childhood memories. you get to play every day & watch your child learn, grow & have fun. now im at the stage where my boys are now men & they come & go as they please with no time for mum. now my kid adventure is over i feel like im bogged down in the everyday, busy but not doing much at all & those are the days that fly by & you don't even notice. 

January had one memorable day for me & that was my birthday. they say 40 is the new 30, i don't even know what that means. people ask how do you feel being 40, the same as i did yesterday & they day before. i always thought 40 was the cut off date, as soon as you reach it your old. do i still believe this yes & no. i see the laugh lines & the white hair sneaking its way in, the veins in my legs & the tuck-shop arms, all those things mean im getting older. but the thing is i don't feel old but at the same time my youth whizzed by so quickly i don't know how i got here to this 40, half a life time. now i guess its time for a new exciting adventure to begin, i wonder what it will be......

i got 2 lots of flowers this year, the purple ones the boys got me & A had this flower hamper sent. who doesn't love flowers & sweets.  my best birthdays were when the boys were young, home made gifts & cards breakfast in bed who could wish for more.
this year i didn't want any gifts all i wanted was a game day. no tv & no computers.

these are some of the games we played, it was loud & fun. one of the best birthdays i have had in a long time.