What we've been making lately...

We built a new Guinea Pig enclosure, and it's a glorious one at that! Based on a geodesic dome design, it's big enough to leave in one spot for quite a while without the hungry little critters eating down to bare earth. I am quite proud to say I did most of the construction myself!!


It's also big enough for the girls to get inside easily. They love to get in there, pick up a guinea and sit with them. I recently accepted the offer of a free male guinea pig, so we are expecting babies in a couple of weeks (thus needing bigger guinea pig digs).

Des also built a couple of raised vege beds, using recycled corrugated steel, some old hose on the top edges and some old bits of timber we had collected. I created a net frame over the top with some bamboo and old poly pipe. We need the netting to keep out the possums as well as our chooks.


With the cooler weather I have brought out the knitting again. These are some slippers I made for myself using some wool I had leftover from something else.

Next is the refurbishment of the fireside chair, as well as some more knitting...

Bingo Maths

For Maths today, we played a Bingo game. Amy is just learning to write and recognise her numbers so we included the numerals 0 to 9. Lili has been having trouble differentiating between the -teens and the -ty's, as in the difference between thirteen and thirty, or fourteen and forty, so we also included all the teens as well as all tens up to 100 (20,30,40 etc).


I wrote the available numbers on a strip of cardboard, and the kids chose 9 numbers and wrote them with whiteboard markers on squares of cardboard that I had covered with clear contact. That way we could easily rub them out and play again.

The Bingo Master then drew out the numbers one by one and read out the number without the kids seeing the written number. This way they had to listen and recognise which verbal number matched their written one. We used counters from a Four-In-A-Row game to cover the numbers once they had been called out.

We each took turns being the Bingo Master. Nathan joined in as well and it was a really fun activity. The kids especially enjoyed yelling out "BINGO!!" when they had a full card. We will definitely be using this activity again.

Decisions, decisions...or Operation Sleeping Beauty

Last winter I bought an old chair with the idea of restoring it to use by the fire through the winter time. I got busy doing other things and so it has sat in the garage for almost a year, gathering dust. But now it is back on my radar and has become one of my current projects.
The project can be called Operation Sleeping Beauty because the beauty of this old girl is well and truly sleeping. Under a layer of nasty orangey vinyl. And dirt. And failing padding. But I believe there is beauty to be found. Here she is...


So far I have stripped the chair back and I am now working on sanding the timber and repairing/replacing the padding.

Meanwhile I am looking for fabric to reupholster it with, and here is where I am having trouble deciding!

Love the fabric at the back - "Chantilly" from Fabric Studio

So many nice fabrics out there. Two of my favourite fabric sources are www.boltofcloth.com and www.kelanifabric.com.au.


I have also just found this site and I love so many of their fabrics, although they tend to be quite expensive.

I also like to browse at www.duckcloth.com.au and www.funkyfabrix.com.au

I love the idea that an old, tired piece of furniture can be given a new life, and that it comes with it's own history. Some day soon (hopefully!) the chair will bloom into new-found beauty and become a favourite spot in front of the fire on a cold winters day. Watch this space!

Look what I got for my birthday!

It's my birthday soon, and this year I asked for a puppy :)

We picked her up this weekend, a little early as it's not quite my birthday yet.


Her name (officially) is Harvikgold Saffron Star, but it is Saffy for short. Her parents are champion dogs, and already her beautiful, gentle temperament reflects her great pedigree.


Introducing her to our other dog, Cooper, has been a bit intense, but hopefully they will settle down to be wonderful friends soon.