Handstitched

They look incredibly tasty 😋 they'll go well with a nice red, or in this case, champers . And happy anniversary 🎉 I have never tried tanning my own leather. Mum did try doing a sheep skin many years ago, but that was messy. HS

Very nicely done . I just use an oblong punch and a BFH: 'big f**ing hammer' HS

Lovely work, I have yet to master doing horses. On one occasion I can do a nice job, but other times they are a complete flop no matter how many times i've done them , lol 😆 HS

Great work 👍 acorns and oaks leaves are some of my fave patterns, that and roses. HS

@Tove09Tilda I really hope everything goes really for you 🙏 A former flame of mine is a scientist, her office was adorned with degrees of all kinds in science , she spent many years at uni, she did do some science based jobs in labs etc, but they didn't last long, some of the jobs she ended up doing were food tasting demos in supermarkets , , when we first met, she worked at fast food takeaway joint, go figure ? HS

Forgive me if this sounds like a "what do you want to be when you grow up " question, but i wanted to be a farmer, that was until i went an open day at an agricultural college in my younger days , not far from where i live, a few farmers gave a demonstration on how lambs tails are removed, it made me feel ill 😢. Oh well, bang goes that idea. But in hindsight, I'm glad I didn't continue that idea as it's an incredibly tough and frustrating job and often with little and sometimes no return. Many assorted jobs later, out of the blue, I tried my hand at leather work, and enjoyed it, now 20 years later , I still do 😀 HS

The beef was perfect, so tender it fell apart 👌 served up with mash potato, and veggies with a cheese sauce. Now my belly is full 😋

@Darren8306 the silverside is slow cooking as I type smells great 👍 HS

If my contact cement goes a bit gluggy in the tin, I thin it out with some toluene , leave it over night, and it's back to normal.

When I think of bandoliers, I think of The Light Horse Brigade here in Oz. They often have displays at country shows showing the full uniform the gear they carried and the military saddle on the horses. You may wish to check that out and you'll see the bandoliers going across the uniform. HS

@chuck123wapati labs are so loyal, my Abby does the same thing, but she chases some of the native birds,bit of a 'no no '. Now , back onto our fave subject: food 😋 I'll be cooking up a silverside aka corned beef tomorrow . Mum had her own special way of doing corned beef. The aromas wafted all over the house. There's soooo many recipes, but mine, err , Mums , is simple. A mix of herbs, , pepper, bay leaves, brown sugar, and brown vinegar , cook low and slow all day. Served up with mash, veggies and a nice cheesy cream sauce 😋 its also lunches for the rest of the week. Thanks Mum 👍 HS

I love Celtic leather work, fiddly but effective 👍

'A camel walks into a Cafe' and asks for a cup of coffee with milk and sugar, the barrista says one hump or two ? 😁 O'h dear HS

@chuck123wapati I so love the changing of the seasons in both parts of our planet .its starting to have that ' summery feel ' now. @Sheilajeanne they are lovely friends you have there. One morning, I was in my room on my computer when my dog Abby, ( a border collie x kelpie) came to my room looking quite shocked, running back and forth, she alerted me to Dad having a dizzy spell by the front door . I gave her a lot of praise, and a few treats , Dad was fine after some rest. Well done Abby HS

@Sheilajeanne imagine if the air bag went off ? ' pressed chicken ' Oh dear 😳 HS

'What do you call a piece of meat if you burn it on the bbq? 'A mis-steak' Thats just silly HS

@chuck123wapati spring has definitely sprung here in Oz although it's still a bit chilly in the evenings . Getting cool over there by now 😎

@chuck123wapati yep, good ol h2o works for me just fine, although i havent licked the edge, i prefer beef HS

Vaping is a factor I had thought of , I'm surprised I haven't been asked to make pouches for vapes . I packed up smoking over 25 years ago, cold turkey. $20 ? Holy crap that's so cheap . In Oz you're looking at around $70 +. HS

My singer boot patcher came from Bunbury WA, almost 4 hrs south from my place, I drove down to pick up . I'm guessing driving to Connecticut from Arizona is like going from Perth to Sydney? HS

@Sheilajeanne that's the one thing I've been looking for here in Oz, thick cut bacon, or bacon steaks, to no avail . I guess I could contact a few small goods suppliers . The other bacon we don't get here is ' green bacon' , unsmoked bacon . Used to be common in the uk . That way you can treat the bacon with your own special mix of flavourings other than smoking it. HS

They are some really beautiful pics . Not a bad way to test out the ' burb' . Yep, time passes by so quick . We often ask that question ' where has the time gone ? ' it will be Christmas soon. I had one of those Bavarian pork knuckles again, geez they're nice. Dad doesn't eat the crackling, more for me 😀 even the left overs are tasty. HS

They look quite good well done, nice colours too 👍 I've stopped making tobacco pouches, no one is buying them or ordering them, which is no surprise considering the price of tobacco here in oz , anywhere from $70 to $ 120 for 50 grams. Glad I don't smoke HS

I would love to try some elk on the bbq. I'm guessing it has a gamey flavour . I've had emu before, strong game flavour. Yep, bbq here I come 😋 had a bbq this arvo . Not too many peeps in the cities would take much notice of the changing seasons like us. I'm sporting a bit of a shiner on my right eye atm, climbing down from the back of my tractor I lost my footing and collided with the seat , hitting my face , just missed my glasses. I also went tits up in the paddock this arvo while spraying, anyone watching would have quite a giggle out of that. What a goose 🪿 😆 🤣 HS