A True Story & Blogtoberfest

As mentioned in my last post, while we were in Berry, RoseRed and her husband come to visit, Sydney being only 90 minutes or so away. They arrived around lunch time and we met up in the delightful little wool shop, Sew and Tell. 

We did a quick scout around before heading next door to The Posthouse for lunch and a bottle of wine.

Immediately after lunch, we sent the boys off to go and do other stuff, giving them strict instruction to leave us in peace at Sew and Tell for the next 45 mins or so. They left, making jokes about credit limits etc and we got down to business. 

We leafed through the fabulous collection of knitting books; we fondled Mission Falls, Cascade 220, Debbie Bliss and Tilli Thomas. We checked out accessories and chose fabric for a gift for Quilting Mick's birthday.

Then I bought yarn. Six skeins, to be precise. Cascade 220. Look.

I've never had any Cascade 220. It's just too hard to get here, or so I thought. 

It's worsted weight. It's soft. It's fabulously rich in colour. And at Sew and Tell, it's very nicely priced! I had to get enough for a cardigan. I couldn't not. So I'm very happy.

And here's where the True Story of the title comes in. RoseRed left the shop without a single skein of anything. No wool. No alpaca. No silk. No cotton. No llama (yes, there was llama there!). Nothing. Just a sock book. I would never have believed this could happen, but it did. I saw it with my own eyes. 

Maybe there really is such a thing as 'enough' yarn. 

One other nice anecdote from our weekend away is this. We sat down at the Sourdough Bakery for lunch on Friday and I pulled out my current sock in progress. I was knitting away when a waiter, a rather nice looking waiter to be precise, stood over me and said, 'You just couldn't leave it at home, could you?'

I glanced up, a little taken aback and said, 'Sorry?'

He replied, laughing, 'Oh don't mind me. My girlfriend takes her knitting everywhere, too.'

I immediately started trying to figure out if I know any knitters from Berry. I could only think of one. The Stripey Tiger and I don't think her husband is a waiter. 

And finally, I just decided to join in on a bloggy thing I just read about tonight - Blogtoberfest. Thanks Jess for mentioning it. It's being hosted by Big Cat's Emporium. You just have to post everyday for the month of October.

I've shied away from 'post every day for a month' things in the past, but I feel up to the challenge now, even if some days I just post a photo and a few words. 

Now that my first post for Blogtoberfest is done, I'm going to sit down and finish my Hemlock Memory Blanket. I'm THAT close.

Bells

Time away

I am very happy to report that as far as retreats from the world go, Berry is among the best.

We just spent four days hiding out at Coolaroo Lodge, a spacious, peaceful B&B which just so happens to be run by the in-laws of a friend of mine. The garden, which we spent much time admiring, is beautiful.

Our hosts, Robyn and Peter, were friendly, welcoming and also nearly invisible. We really felt like we were quite alone for much of the time, which in our experience of B&Bs can be a hard balance to strike. 

We really couldn't ask for anything more, except perhaps for more time. You know how you just start to unwind on a holiday? And it's time to come  home again? That's how we felt, a bit.

Berry is the perfect town for us. It's nestled comfortably in dairy country, with mountains surrounding it, beautiful bushland nearby and just a short walk down the road you hit Seven Mile Beach.



 
1. Tinselworm Kite2, 2. The waves of Seven Mile Beach, 3. crab, 4. scrub, 5. flowers, 6. daisy, 7. lantana,

We ate, drank, walked, slept, knitted and watched DVDs and most days that started early because we both woke around 6am, loving the knowledge that the days stretched out before us.

Do we feel better? Sort of. 

I can really only speak for myself and I have to say that going away did not make me happy. It gave me the space to be sad without the pressure of work or things that needed to be done at home. I think we both needed that. No doctors appointments, no injections, no grim reminders. 

For the most part, I lost myself entirely in knitting my Hemlock Ring Blanket which, in a day or so I'll be able to post as a completed project. I honestly think that without the focus of an engrossing project, I would not have been able to switch off as much as I did. I find it hard to get out of my head sometimes and I think I did manage it sometimes in Berry. 

One of my favourite moments was the morning we spent on the beach flying a kite. I think we both found a new way to unwind. 

And for the observant among you, yes, the face you see there on the kite is that of British comedian, Bill Bailey. The kite was for sale recently at his show and Sean thought it was too novel to pass up. It was tremendous fun watching Bill Bailey sail above the waves.

I've not yet touched on the fact that RoseRed came to visit and that we got to hang out in a fabulous wool shop. I'll save that for the next post.

Bells