Handstitched

G'Day, I'm still using hot spot on my phone, it works to a degree, but the phone signals out here in the bush are crap. A strong wind or some rain causes it to drop out... frequently. I'll have a new pooter in the (hopefully) near future. HS

G'Day, The 3 piece belts I have made in the past were made up of off cuts long enough to make a usable belt. First piece the buckle end, then a D ring ( or an 'O'ring or square ring) , then a middle piece, then another D ring and then the billet, hence the 3 pieces. Each piece can be tooled, carved etc. the middle piece for example, can also be a different colour to the rest of the belt. The off-cuts can be turned into quite a unique one off belt. The sky is the limit for ideas and designs. Hope this helps . HS

G'Day , still here, just been busy. Hope all is well in your part of the universe Not much happening in the food dept. although I did do a nice roast beef a few weeks back, the left overs went into a curry. A friend of mine that lives close by is rebuilding a S2 Landrover SWB for a friend of his. He had a lot of parts surplus to requirements, so he let me pick and choose and let me have them for nothing. I have more parts than I can poke a stick at now. If only I had the time to play with my toys, that and my tractors Take care friend HS

Thats heart breaking Sadly , its something we're quite familiar with here in Oz , entire communities totally destroyed and takes years to recover, if at all. What makes it even more heart breaking for home owners and business owners, is that some insurance companies play their silly games, delay the pay outs etc. Some are good at paying , but some are just pr*cks !!! Hope my prayer works HS

I'm still here, in body at least . I found out why I couldn't find my address on ISP sites, is that my address wasn't on any data base(?) ...or some silly thing like that, its was like my house never existed. I got in contact with a regional internet helper thats provides internet advice and assistance to peeps in the bush, and thats what they found and corrected it. I'm still using public access atm, but hopefully not for long as they also gave me some ISP's that serve the bush and that are also in my budget. Its just a matter of me getting my act together. I might even treat myself to a new 'pooter'. I think I said that last time . But this thing called life keeps getting in the way , lol . HS

I have tried using rubber gloves for dyeing only for them to either break and or make a huge mess, so I don't bother any more . I'll have an assortment of colours on my hands at the end of the day, but comes off very quickly . I have peeps asking me "whats happened to your hands?" "" I'm a leatherworker"" , .........advertising I can never find Camel leather here in Oz, even though Oz are over run with wild camels across Central Oz, they've become a pest now . I spoke to a fellow leather worker at a market, she too has the same issue of not finding Camel leather. Apparently, they're just shot and left to rot where they fall. What a waste!!! I have never used Camel leather before, but what I have been told its quite soft. She also showed me a camel leather bag she got from Abu Darby ? (I think thats what she said, or was it Dubai )it looked stunning , nice and soft. Thats a whole industry going to waste, meat, milk, leather etc. HS

Many moons ago, I rented a tri-axle semi trailer and prime mover from a "reliable""(?) rental co. to shift a lot of shite to the wheatbelt, sheds car etc. The semi was a heap of shite !! The roadranger gearbox was so badly worn I could hardly select the right gear.Going down a steep hill was nightmarish. The brakes were so sensitive and 'touchy', just the slightest touch on the pedal, the whole trailer would lock up. Went to return the semi at night.........the f***king lights failed!!! Lesson learnt.........never again HS

The roast lamb was delish, I must be getting better at cooking lamb, it was so tasty and tender. I also made a big pot of home made ham soup using a left over ham bone from not from last years Christmas, but the year before. Man, is was just exactly the same as Mums soups , She taught me well . We keep our ham and turkey leftovers and freeze them for soups. I did the same with the lamb leftovers, that too will become soup sometime in the future. Mum was a kid during the second world war, so she knew how to make food stretch , skills passed on from my Grannies no doubt. I have to keep changing dressings on my Fathers back as he a few legions , one of which is cancerous . Trying to get a specialist to come to the wheatbelt from Perth to operate is near impossible , and being 93, its too far for him to travel into Perth, 3 hrs away. So I just apply special prescribed cream to keep it under control. You did well with the chicken and the crepes HS

I quite enjoy doing Celtic designs , they can be complex, but effective, and satisfying, makes your eyes go cross eyed too . Looks great

G'Day friend, good to hear things are getting better with you and yours Winter has well and truly set in now . Theres so many reminders of Mum around the garden, an English Lilac, her fave plant, its in bloom atm too. . Mum used to do and teach pottery in the early days so theres a lot of her pieces around the garden and in the house. One of which is a ''raku fired pot", (fired in a traditional wood kiln) , the date on it is 1978. I was still in primary school then I use it to store my oil bottle for my machines . Not much as far food goes, just the same ol same ol, but tonight, home made sausage rolls , I think I showed you those on here a while back, and may be a roast lamb on Saturday as I have the weekend off , yey !! All the best HS

@chuck123wapati Hope all is going well for you and yours Took my Father for a few med appointments a few weeks ago, our "major hospital" is a hours drive away, anyway, I treated my Dad to some McSlops for lunch , he quite enjoyed the day out on a nice sunny day in the same place where I have one of my markets, right next to a river where there are seagulls as well. You only need to give just one chip to a seagull and a hundred would turn up . We're not technically meant to feed them , but its an 'Aussie right' to give a seagull a chip or two I've been spending quite a bit of time in the garden as its been overgrown and neglected over the last 12 months . Its now starting to resemble a garden instead of a jungle. Been planting some Aussie native plants as they are , hopefully drought tolerant. We had 50c + degs in Summer and lost a lot of plants , trees etc, Thats the worst I've experienced . I still have a long way to , and I know nothing about plants, other than what I learnt from Mum, but I''m giving it my best shot . The Pork ribs were nice btw Take care HS

I might have a few pork ribs in the freezer that I can do on the barby tonight . Its looking quite worse for wear these days , I got it back in the mid 90's, surprised its lasted this long, but still functions, just needs a good clean, but its the rust thats holding it together I'm sure . I wish you and your Daughter the very best friend, that was scary , and hope she recovers soon, prayers to you and your Family. HS

@chuck123wapati G'Day, Hope all is well in your part of the universe. Getting cold at nights now, but quite warm during the days , almost like a Summers day sometimes. We desperately need rain. Haven't had any rain for a long time. Farmers are dry seeding atm , in the hope that it might rain. Haven't done any BBQ's or anything like that since my best friend , Mum, passed away* . Theres no point, and I just don't have any enthusiasm . . Its just me and Dad now, and he's not a big eater so theres no point in doing the big meals like I used to. *Its been 12 months in June already, that went quick. HS

OOPS!! His name could also be 'Ivor Biggun' or Phil McAverty The Guards may need a bit more '' Super High Intensity Training ' HS

I have used standard blue fiebings before on a VT belt, over time the colour changed to almost a torquoise colour . So I guess it depends on the leather being used. HS