Handstitched

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

I'm still here Still haven't got interwebby thingy , using public access ...still. Finally got rid of my old ISP after giving them a bollocking for not taking responsibility for their actions, ...and never will. They are no more might have found a newie . Moving right along .... HS

What type of animal helps you get up in the morning? '' 'An A-lama' Thats Stoopid !!!!!!! HS

I just use a ruler and a calculator to find the centre . Measure the item to be laced or stitched and divide by 2 and work out what markings I need from that HS

Yeh I agree, but we never take it for granted, it could stop anytime. Our lil ol' 'town only has 1700 people, and the majority are elderly, the original people that were born here, so perhaps thats why we have a bulk billing Dr . But for any specialist care or treatment, we have to travel, thats the downside, the disadvantage of living in the bush. I also agree with SUP, perhaps not to get into it too much, don't want '" polutiks '' clouding the issue HS

We have something similar in Oz , Medicare. Its not perfect, but it 'works''. I can go into our local Dr get treated, and walk out again, no charge, its 'bulk billed'. Not all Dr's can do that, some are private.. . The same goes for most public hospitals. Go in , have a stay, get well, come out and no charge. But for anything like specific surgeries, people end up on a loooong waiting list, thats where its not perfect.I live in the bush, so our "major" public hospital is 70kms away, or Royal Perth Hospital is 3 hrs away. Too far for me. Private hospitals and specialists and Dr's are the money munchers We also have whats called the 'PBS', Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme . A lot of meds are listed on the PBS, so For those on benefits, pensions etc. meds etc. are heavily discounted. Capped around $6.00. But there are a lot of meds that are not on the PBS, and we have to pay full price and can be quite e$xy. HS

I have found that a wood slicker works a little better than a plastic one. I also use the edge of one of my tool handles, like an edger as they have a nice curved shape to get into some awkward places where a round slicker can't quite get into. HS