tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307716932011-07-08T13:09:35.066+08:00hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.comBlogger521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-56445007089258009152009-11-23T21:02:00.008+08:002009-11-23T21:37:54.369+08:00

It's a good thing I'd already emailed everyone the details of my 40th birthday celebration. Because if I'd waited to actually invite them via my proper, real world, paper invitations, I may have found I'd left it too late and everyone's dance cards were full. So the invitations are but a formality, and yet, here's my point: they're done!I decided to make them in the middle of a packing frenzy,

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-51761064807575167202009-11-08T17:04:00.003+08:002009-11-08T17:24:20.628+08:00

There's an old, abandoned set of shops on Beaufort Street in Mount Lawley that is fenced off at the front, but you can get into round the back. It's full of graffiti. I originally stopped there to get a snap of the old Pauls ice cream advertisement painted on the wall, but the inside was far more interesting.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-24813228619144890922009-05-10T07:37:00.008+08:002009-05-10T08:49:08.651+08:00

I woke up this morning, after a glorious and much-needed sleep-in, to the sight of the full, ivory moon slipping behind some pink clouds against a mauve sky. I didn't rush to take a photo or anything so I could show you here, but I did lie in bed enjoying the prettiness of it all, and then I noticed how cool it was and I thought it might be time to make some pancakes.I'm talking here about those

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-83623706858744792702009-03-21T08:55:00.006+09:002009-03-21T09:41:35.236+09:00

I may have mentioned elsewhere that New Girl is gittin' married. So I'm making her wedding invitations. Last night she came over to my place and we formed a little production line of measuring, cutting and folding. Henry Ford would have been proud.New Girl handled the guillotine with great precision and disturbing gusto. Luckily Man Hands was asleep on the couch. He might have been a little.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-53396737412824168302009-01-06T10:01:00.007+09:002009-01-06T13:15:00.744+09:00

I love my long morning walks on the beach. They're truly therapeutic and reviving. When I go back to work next week my communing with the salt and sand shall have to be reconfigured; not abandoned - heaven forbid! - but certainly reconfigured.What I appreciate about having all the time in the world is being able to ramble for as long as I want. I like continuing my walk along CY O'Connor beach

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-81387213424734517112008-12-24T22:00:00.007+09:002009-05-15T15:53:01.968+08:00

With the help of several glasses of champagne and a string of lewd observations by QEII about people we know, I've finally finished the tags for my Christmas presents:This is what they look like on the back. I didn't see that mark on the Christmas tree when I took the photo. It's very annoying. Like, I'm annoyed?You can see when they're on the Christmas presents how the whole grand design comes

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-5881654438270052522008-12-09T18:53:00.005+09:002009-05-15T15:53:20.214+08:00

I was feeling grouchy and out of sorts. New Girl suggested I try wrapping Christmas presents to cheer myself up. That girl should be a professional therapist! I bunged some Sinead O'Connor on the stereo - because she's, like, so Christmas-y - and began wr-wr-wrapping. After an hour of cutting paper and tying ribbon, I felt fabulous! (Nine out of ten people who feel hazelblackberry agree that she

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-29725972407053829382008-12-07T11:27:00.002+09:002008-12-07T11:31:37.356+09:00

A toasted (and buttered) muffin, English spinach, a poached egg, mushies and a little bit of barbecue sauce. I couldn't stuff around too long taking a photo - I just wanted to eat that sucker!

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-67010295532115963592008-12-04T08:46:00.002+09:002008-12-04T08:50:36.136+09:00

A perfect start to the morning.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-39782610306958794242008-12-02T11:44:00.005+09:002009-01-06T10:53:51.917+09:00

As k. and I walked on the beach today I collected some pipi shells that had neat little holes bored into them.When I got home I threaded them on to a ribbon..........popped them in a box wrapped in some (different) ribbon..........and this afternoon I'll give it to Small Thing. Because I love her.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-80568135262889054002008-04-18T08:29:00.014+08:002009-05-15T15:53:44.411+08:00

Well, it's not yet Orthodox Easter so I suppose I'm not TOTALLY behind the times. It's just that I took all these photos of the Easter treats I made and I won't be denied.I won't.It all started in 2006 when Bezley was buying gourmet ice cream from a little shop down the road. I thought the containers would make something, but I didn't know what. So I got her to eat away and save the containers

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-53430317210901519572008-04-18T08:10:00.004+08:002008-04-18T08:28:39.295+08:00

So, er, I did finally finish those thank you cards. But then it all seemed like so long ago, I decided to pop them in a placky bag and save them for the end of this year. Sometimes I manage to embarrass even myself.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-77701202088380422612008-03-13T07:19:00.005+09:002008-03-14T07:10:04.209+09:00

New Girl dropped around the other night wearing lovely, glittery, red Dorothy-like slippers. She even paused as she walked up the front steps and announced, "There's no place like home!"She'd stopped by - with a beer in her handbag - to hand over a rather wonderful item she'd dug out from the back of her boyfriend's kitchen cupboards:A 1970s tin measuring cup! It's marvellous. It matches the

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-48744109847699322662008-03-04T17:33:00.003+09:002008-03-04T17:41:03.601+09:00

I've made some progress with my thank you cards. I sat one afternoon with the fan blowing on me, cutting and tearing paper and making my fingertips numb with handling double-sided sticky tape. And I've come this far:I have to add 'thanks' somewhere, somehow. Haven't quite made up my mind on that yet. And some buttons. I've got quite a crush on buttons lately. They're selling big bags of

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-59047489214074370342008-02-23T09:12:00.004+09:002008-02-23T09:19:37.777+09:00

As we walked along South Beach the other morning, k. sang 'Pearly Shells' to me.She loves me! She really does!

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-5498250427486896422008-02-22T07:19:00.004+09:002008-02-22T07:33:27.302+09:00

My birthday/Christmas thank you cards are a little overdue (hey, everyone has been thanked, just not with a card)...so if you've been sitting around huffily waiting for one, here's what I've picked out to make them:My whole life has been a bit of a love affair with brown. And now the perfect green has come long to complement it - the kind that doesn't look like some horrendous 1970s kitchen

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-36818635606590643902008-02-21T08:04:00.006+09:002008-02-21T08:36:49.792+09:00

Here's a little haiku I wrote a couple of years ago:Snowy lambs frolicWarmed by friendly spring sunshinePlease pass the mint sauceOoh, I love a roast lamb. Grumpy can't have too much lamb: it results in a gout attack. But roast beef is just as good! Nearly.Now that I am the acknowledged roaster of beef in the household, and because the weather has cooled down a bit, I thought it was the

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-20703816526635241952008-02-20T07:43:00.006+09:002008-02-20T09:51:49.162+09:00

Because I won't be at work for the coming year, I'm hoping that this gives me a bit more flexibility in my day to do a few more crafty things. Like sewing! Which I haven't done in years. Maybe I've forgotten how...Anyway, with that in mind - the doing, not the forgetting - I went material shopping with Scarab at the new Spotlight. They've got so much room at their new store. It's easy to

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-66841070761075131932007-11-25T07:12:00.002+09:002008-02-13T11:58:03.089+09:00

Somehow I too often don't get round to taking photos of stuff until it's the black of night, so they don't turn out so well. Like these photos of a couple of cards I made for Boxer Girl, my work friend.The first is an RSVP to her 40th birthday party, which is going to be a 60s theme. (What 40th isn't? In the 2030s will invitations be going out for 40th birthday parties with a 1990s theme?) I used

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-43272111032473888382007-11-21T14:40:00.001+09:002008-02-13T11:56:30.957+09:00

It's The Burp's Big Book of Sudoku! I know, I know...what the? Well, aaaages ago, I was over visiting The Burp and The Rooster and The Burp was complaining that she never gets to do the sudoku in the paper because The Rooster gets to it first. So, rather than going straight out to a newsagent and buying her a stack of sudoku books, tying them up in a ribbon and giving them to her, I decided to

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-41184215642392802582007-11-19T10:51:00.001+09:002008-02-13T11:52:38.495+09:00

Remember these beads? I've started beading them. (But only in between working on that pesky list of things-for-other-people.) I'm not quite sure that what I've got in mind will work. We'll see. If you stay tuned here, you'll see too!Eventually.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-10027729534879734872007-11-19T09:51:00.001+09:002008-02-13T11:51:57.405+09:00

I've finished another project on my to-do list. A while ago I told The Burp I was putting together a little surpreez for her. When I say "a while ago" I think this was about April. In my defence, it did take me two months to collect the contents of the surpreez, and then, as with all other projects I start, it sat around and sat around waiting for me to put it all together. Which I finally did on

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-49571608649489044852007-08-31T10:43:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:46:14.796+09:00

I'm going on holidays. I'll be back on about the 15th of October.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-31423424258864320162007-08-22T12:07:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:45:52.991+09:00

I went through my stash looking for all the pink, orange and clear beads that I had. I came up with this mix:I have plans for a rather flamboyant necklace. But it could require another trip to the bead shop for a top-up. Oh woe.And last night while Grumpy made dinner I got a long overdue framing project done:The drawers are done and I'm making good progress through my list. I could be ready to

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-77436602437083224562007-08-22T12:01:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:44:50.270+09:00

Last year my friend Scarab came back from a trip to London with a lovely, would you believe, scarab beetle necklace she'd picked up at the British Museum. I admired it greatly. When she went back this year (for hers is a most unfortunate life) she had a look round for them but couldn't find any. A few weeks ago she was wandering around the Subiaco markets and lo and behold:I love 'em! But I'll

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-65117930366946977332007-08-22T11:49:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:44:22.390+09:00

A while ago I mentioned this sauce. After you've left some chook breasts marinating in it all day long (don't forget the lemon juice!), you peel some veggies and bung them in the oven to roast:Then you cook some diced onion in a pan. Remove it and put to one side. Add the chicken breasts and let them get nice and brown on both sides, then put the onion back in, pour the marinade over, let it get

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-39219988053952137662007-08-22T11:44:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:42:39.330+09:00

Because I put stuff on top of them!And doesn't my handbag hang so nicely off the handles?

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-26765547649320780392007-08-18T17:57:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:41:45.158+09:00

(Note the blue paint still on the legs: testament to my shabbiness.)

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-17582044573533685842007-08-16T16:46:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:41:26.800+09:00

Blogging about this chest of drawers is as painful as the process of "doing them up" has been. I've used inverted commas so you know I'm not trying to overstate what has essentially been a slapdash job. Slapdash: c'est moi! For example, I decided not to try to get rid of paint that most people would never know was there.Those drawers had become a physical manifestation of a mental block. Just

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-52049534177100580302007-07-22T20:10:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:40:34.187+09:00

There was no time for sanding or staining this weekend, and there wasn't much time for cooking either. But Grumpy was screaming for something for dinner so I whipped up an old stand by. It only takes a few minutes to make, it's delicious, and it makes enough to leave some leftovers in the freezer for Grumpy's lunch:(chicken and noodle soup with chilli and bok choy)

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-48799922524319969972007-07-17T19:38:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:39:59.877+09:00

In August 2004 Bloody Ern and Bezley were wondering what to do with a chest of drawers that had belonged to my Aunty Tilly. I said I'd take them. They were covered in a thick coat of bright blue paint but the wood was solid and the shape of them was nice and simple. I decided I'd do them up so they were transferred to our shed where they sat and waited doing up. And waited.The waiting was

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-63829377162905549152007-06-30T18:07:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:35:51.999+09:00

Back in a couple of weeks,when I'll be working on something a little different.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-63978036502092133032007-06-30T17:57:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:43:42.360+09:00

Slightly less simple is this little card I made. Somehow it all came together quite quickly. I could see which colours would best suit the pictures and would go together straight away. Then it was just a matter of cuting and sticking.I can only show the cover. The recipient says she'll cut my throat if I show the photos inside. And I believe her.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-25543029706426474912007-06-30T17:25:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:34:44.263+09:00

I've been busy trying to get a few things finished before I go on hols for a week. But Grumpy informs me we're going out to dinner with some friends tonight so I have now officially given up on everything until I get back. Among the stuff that has joined the finished pile is this little album I made up for my step-sister, Cinderella.We had a picnic in Kings Park last year for Bezley's birthday

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-73298875810537577352007-06-24T16:43:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:34:01.307+09:00

But I'm hoping the rain will take care of that. I'm too busy making bikkies. Choc chip bikkies, with peanut paste and oats in them. These will be popped into an attractive blue Tupperware container and taken into work tomorrow. You know, to butter up the new boss. I need all the help I can get.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-20605859464304620132007-06-10T20:00:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:33:11.218+09:00

While Grumpy was out at the rugby last night, I sat at my little desk and put together these mini-mini photo albums for a couple of friends.I don't know if they will like them; I hope they do. I tend to give people things that I would like to receive. So I make or buy in a rush of enthusiasm and then panic as to what reaction I'll get.But I do get a lot of pleasure simply out of creating

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-70482234790400940682007-06-05T17:00:00.002+08:002009-05-15T15:52:30.739+08:00

We eat Vegemite almost every day - dammit, Marjorie, I'll go so far as to say we eat Vegemite every day, like the good little Aussie bleeders that we are - and the jar just seems to last and last, no matter how often a knife is dipped in to it. So it's always kind of exciting when Vegemite goes on the shopping list.Okay, not that exciting, but still....And even better when the brand new jar, its

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-14495540849448361322007-06-04T19:00:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:32:41.631+09:00

When I sat down to work this afternoon the kind old sun was coming in through the spare bedroom window. I warmed up pretty quickly and took off my cardigan. It was only as I wrapped the ribbon round the finished album, a couple of hours later, that I realised the sun had moved away and how chilled I had become.The best thing to warm up again? A mug of hot Milo. Quite a few eyes get raised at the

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-63782794569586088812007-06-04T17:48:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:32:05.700+09:00

Card making is going to take a back seat for a while. As much as it irks me, I'll be buying cards for the next couple of months while I attempt to catch up on a few other projects that have been sitting around, waiting patiently for my attention.This afternoon I made up this small album for a friend. He lives in the US and comes out to Australia every so often. He does a very good Australian

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-16398451012015044642007-05-24T19:54:00.001+08:002008-02-13T11:30:47.608+09:00

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-51343779559421085492007-05-13T15:25:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:29:54.280+09:00

Another busy weekend with paper. It's nice to have time to sit at my desk and make little bits and pieces. I had a go at a red and lavender card for Princess Mary, as opposed to the pink. I like the red. I wouldn't say it was pretty, but it's certainly quite attractive and most definitely striking.Princess Mary also likes the red but thinks she's swinging round to the same style as an invitation

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-22873255981352911742007-05-06T15:58:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:29:17.956+09:00

I have managed to find the time to play with paper. My friend Princess Mary is marrying her Danish prince and has asked me to make the wedding invitations. As is always the way, when it comes time to sit down and come up with something for a particular occasion , I can only ever think of one or two options. I guess its because that particular look is what I like at the time. Then I just have to

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-25565683082779579662007-05-06T15:22:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:24:05.346+09:00

Today's treat is Honey Joys. Quick and simple to make - a mere 8 minutes in the oven - and pretty damn delicious. Just give them time to cool down before you try to eat any, otherwise you'll begin to appreciate the common properties shared by hot honey and napalm.And afterwards, signs of destruction:

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-34877390060535681932007-04-29T09:46:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:28:25.693+09:00

I love a rainy day.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-48069135017633770242007-04-25T17:47:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:23:40.470+09:00

Today is Anzac Day. A day for quiet reflection and remembrance.And if all that thoughtfulness gives you an appetite, then you might want to whip up a batch of Anzac biscuits.First you start with the dry ingredients: 1 cup of rolled oats, 1 cup of plain flour, 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of dessicated coconuts (some people also add peanuts. I don't. Moderation in all things.) Mix until well

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-86835060814401319242007-04-15T15:51:00.000+08:002008-02-12T16:58:34.065+09:00

I've had a hankering for some time now for pikelets. This morning seemed like the perfect cool grey, rainy morning for them. My CWA cookbook doesn't need to be held open at this page.I always make a triple batch - one egg, some milk and a few tablespoons of flour and sugar doesn't sound like much of a pikelet feast to me.This pink measuring spoon is one of a set Bezley bought for me. They're

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-66559956304553386102007-04-15T15:18:00.000+08:002008-02-12T16:58:05.785+09:00

Here are the first three ingredients for tonight's dinner: rosemary, olive oil and LOTS of honey. I don't have children, nor an overwhelming desire to acquire any, but I do love the kids issues of donna hay magazine. Some of the recipes are very tasty for alleged grown-ups as well. Tonight we're having one such dish: rosemary honey chicken. It also comes with a couple of lemons' worth of lemon

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-1154438637327020802006-08-01T21:09:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:43:06.464+09:00

As always, k did not come to dinner empty-handed. She arrived carrying a bag filled with the beads you see in the photo. They look like props from Pirates of the Carribbean.These are glass and brass beads from Ghana. The brass beads are made using the lost wax method and the glass beads are made by magic.I don't know just what I'll do with them yet, except spend a lot of time drooling over them.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-1153658967974067112006-07-23T20:29:00.000+08:002008-02-12T16:55:22.724+09:00

Naturellement.I spent Friday morning with my friend, Scarab. She is my partner-in-beading. After fiddling with bits and pieces for weeks on end (I'm a slow worker to say the least), I was beginning to wonder if I'd get round to finishing anything. But yesterday I finally managed to produce these two necklaces. I'm happy with them. For now.

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-1152968240491169202006-07-15T20:50:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:27:08.213+09:00

Last week Grumpy blogged about our encounter with some elusive ibises.Here's my favourite photo of the gregarious chaps.The last time we'd seen them, the sky was sunny and blue but I thought the clouds were far moodier and more apt.The tree is dead so its branches are permanently bare. It's a large and rather grand old thing. I like the idea that even though its leaves and flowers are long gone,

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-1152966561198970302006-07-15T20:09:00.000+08:002008-02-13T11:25:45.630+09:00

My friend Rhinobert's mum, Ibu, is turning 70 next month and a gala bash is being organised so that all her family and friends can attend and pay her due homage. Flatteringly enough, they asked me to make the invitations.Rhinobert is organising the cake, which will have three, different-coloured layers and will be decorated with frangipanis. I tried to make the invites to reflect that:(Pardon the

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30771693.post-1152253953309474032006-07-07T14:23:00.000+08:002008-02-12T16:52:49.028+09:00

It's my favourite chocolate.The shiny green wrapper:The layer of milk chocolate that is neither too thick nor thin; and inside, the crispy, crackly rods of greeny-blue peppermint:Delicious refreshment!

hazelblackberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15172956450044314791noreply@blogger.com2