I've got 2 people working for me now...

Yes, I've now got some 'out workers' busily crocheting away...lol!
Actually,... my dear SIL and her friend Ada decided late last year that they wanted to help K4BN and Mary had a largish stash of yarns that she wanted to get rid of...

So these 2 ladies have been very busy and this is the result; three bags of crocheted rugs/blankets for K4BN! Here's a closer look at the contents of those bags...

So these bags of goodies will be coming with me tomorrow to the Albany Creek Knit and Natter. Aren't people so generous with their time and resources? Thank you Mary and Ada.

Still flitting around...

Last Friday morning I was checking the 'Digest' of the forum page of K4BN when I noticed the reminder for the first Knit and Natter to be held at Kallangur, just north of Brisbane  I had forgotten all about it and it was that afternoon. So I headed off just after lunch for the Kallangur Library. I'd worked out the route to take on Google maps and found the right place with no trouble at all. There were 6 of us all together but one lady had to leave early as she had an appointment. It was great to meet some more members of the group.

Bev, closest to the camera, Heather, Jenny and the organiser, Diane. Jenny and I 'knew' each other  through the group's Facebook page as well as reading each other's blogs. It was great to meet up in person!

Some of the bags of yarn donations brought along by Diane.

Diane, buys squares from op shops and sews them into blankets for the group

This is the rug that Diane is sewing up at the moment. She plans to make it quite large...'for a family' she said.

Heather is holding up a 'daggy jumper' which is for a campaign to get warm clothes for  Brisbane Youth services to hand out to clients. As I find out more about that campaign, I'll write about it. It's scheduled for June, that event.

 So that was Friday...On Saturday I went to Gabby lovely yarn store at Grovely for the monthly K&N there.
Sue who drives up from the Beaudesert area most months to be part of this group, had been busy! These are some of her lovely creations...

Later in the morning, Bernie dropped in to the store bringing a bag of her lovely crocheted toys...

 Here's Karen holding up some of the crocheted dolls that Bernie made...

I could only stay at the K&N for an hour as DH and I were going up to the Ipswich area to support a friend who was having her head shaved to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation...and I wrote about this in a previous post...
But here are 2 photos taken by another friend of Annie's who was standing on the other side of Annie from where I took my photos...

Annie's DH has leukaemia and that's what inspired Annie to shave (and get lots of sponsors). 

Now for the last month, every Thursday night I head off to another group...but not for knitting :-) 

For the first time in many many years, I decided I wanted to join one of  Lenten Study groups in our parish. It's been so long since I've participated in one of these, and how things have changed! Granted some of my fellow group members were in my study groups years ago, but it's the technology and its help with homework that's different. The bible is online...many different versions. Our 'materials' have sets of questions...I google them (the questions) and always find ideas of how those questions can be answered. I admitted that I did that and the others thought it was a great idea! However, I've also realised that in my group, we're 'old enough' and confident enough to say when we don't have an answer to a question...that is so liberating! One more Thursday night session to go and I can say I've really enjoyed the discussions and shared stories. 

What I'm reading...

I've had a few books 'on the go'; quite different genres.

Ryll Paul, Brisbane author

I mentioned in a post earlier this year that I had met a local Brisbane author who had written a book about her early life. This author was Ryll Paul and her book, 'Pebbles in the Road' covers the years 1951 to 1988. It's great reading a book about my home city and when it is written by someone of a similar age to me, it makes it even more interesting. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't help but compare her life to mine. Ryll married young and also became a mother many years before I did. She went into the workforce after Grade 9 and had a very interesting career in fashion, including sewing as well as design. I stayed at school and then went on to tertiary level education. I married relatively early ( not quite 21) but led a quite indulgent hedonistic lifestyle until my 30s. As a student and then a professional, I did not experience the same things/hardships  in my early adult life, as Ryll did. 

Ryll endured quite hard times at this age but she responded in a feisty way. Her first born was not expected to live but Ryll was determined to give him the best life possible. I was really moved by her motherly love and devotion to her Gavin. One feeling I got  as I read this book was that the men in the days of Ryll's early adult life were not always very supportive. A great read but tissues needed for some parts.

 The next book was borrowed from the library after I saw the author giving a talk on an ABC day time program. Being a Sociology major, Rosin's talk had me intrigued. The basic premise of her work is the change in social mores due to the changing status of women. I guess it's more of a textbook, therefore  she puts forth a lot of research about attitudes of young people these days, both male and female. The book also explores the changing roles of both men and women in society. I think the title was chosen for its 'shock value' rather than being a fact! lol

The chapters I've read have been quite helpful for me gaining insight into the lifestyle of my daughters and the aspects of that lifestyle which I dislike intensely  do not understand or feel comfortable with. I guess I cannot claim to be a 'cool mother'. 

World's Greatest Shave...

For a number of years this has been an annual event to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. People offer to have their heads shaved or coloured in bright colours in exchange for donations. This foundation has special meaning for me as my father died of this disease way back in 1967 when I was still at school.  Over the years I have been involved in helping raise funds in various ways and for the last 4 years I have sponsored friends who have volunteered to have their 'locks shorn'. All in memory of my father. 

So it was today that DH and I drove up to Brassall which is a suburb of the city of Ipswich. Here at her home, my friend Annie, would be losing her hair for a good cause. Her total monies raised in sponsorship was over a thousand dollars.  So here in pictures is the story of this event...

 We've found the right house I think...

Another friend called Maria, tells Annie that the hairdressers are here...the time has come :-)

We all moved outside at this point and Annie and Shaunna pose for photos before they lose those locks...Shaunna did not have any sponsors but she decided to 'keep Annie company'...a real friend indeed!

Take your seats ladies...Annie can still laugh!

The hairdressers put the capes on Annie and Shaunna...there's still time to change your mind ladies...

Tracey, the hairdresser says she's never done this before...she's a little nervous too! For years she's cut and styled Annie's hair, not shaved it off!

The shaving has begun...

Annie is still smiling...brave girl

Annie wants to know whether we can see the large scar she has on her head at the back. When she was about 5 she fell off her grandmother's bed ( I think she was jumping on it with her sister ) and hit her head on the wardrobe, cutting open her head.

Tiger the dog stayed close during the whole shaving event!

Here's Annie's hair lying on the ground...

Back view....

And here's Shaunna without her hair...

These 2 ladies were getting their hair coloured.

Well done ladies...a great effort!

A little walk up the back street...

I know that there is some building work going on in a street less than 5 minutes walk from our place. So the other day I went out the back gate and went for a bit of a walk...

A few minutes walk on the street that runs past our back gate brings us to one of the entry points for the Bike Path.

Here, I'm using the zoom to get the bike path in the shot...

 The street at the back of our place ends at the 'remnants' of a dairy farm...

Look at those paddocks...and just 9 km from the CBD

The paddocks are known locally as Murphy's Paddock in reference to the owners who ran a large dairy farm during the early years of the 20th century. There is not as much land left now as some was sold off for a shopping complex and also land was resumed to build the bike path. Brian Murphy still lives on the property but instead of dairy cattle, he fattens bullocks for market. (my neighbour Tom is Brian's brother)

A big old tree just inside the fence line...

Here's the farmhouse. It was originally on the other side of the main road but was moved to this site to accommodate the shopping complex

The road curves around past more pastures...

More paddocks on the other side of the farmhouse

Lots of wildflowers after the rain. The vehicle in the photo is on the main road through this suburb

The little shelter on the southern boundary of the property. Beyond that fence, the bike path continues to follow the creek 

No channelling or kerbing on this side of the road...

Some of the cattle are taking it easy ...busy South Pine Rd is just beyond those trees...

 And as I pass the farm house and follow the the road around the corner, I see the latest building site...

As I pass that site and cross over to another street I see that there is another house gone in that street too!  With that house gone I see that there is a new house that has been built in the backyard of the wooden 50s style house beside the new site...photo below...

 And now I pass some of the new housing recently built in Ashmore St...this one is nearly finished. there had been 2 houses here...

Flowers growing around the base of the light pole...

This development is probably about 6 years old...it is housing for seniors :-)

Another huge development on Ashmore St...

Yet another new development on Ashmore St

I'm nearly back home after my walk now...here's the house next door on the western side. The tenant had to be out by today...so pretty soon this house will be gone! And I'll be there taking photos of course!

Poor house has been neglected over the last 4 or 5 years...

It certainly is an interesting suburb that I live in.