Playtime!

We got to spend some time with the twin grandsons. We had so much fun and, of course, got completely worn out. Grandparents are currently in recovery mode....

Twins require less recovery time

I have managed to fluff a small amount of washed bison fibre into a cloud. I've had a go at using a support spindle to spin a portion of that cloud into a fine yarn.

Before: washed and dried sample of bison fibres on table;
After: fluffed "cloud" in plastic container

I'm so glad I learned to spin cotton on a support spindle before attempting raw bison. Otherwise I might feel VERY frustrated. Learning something new typically involves episodes of frustration, in my experience. DH and I share a love of learning something new. I manage the attendant frustration by keeping sessions short. I've learned to nibble away at things. That's an important strategy for this elder. It works in dealing with many familiar tasks as well. Twins require more than nibbles.

Post by M in JaM

Photos by J in JaM

Bugs in My Life

Mystery beetle in my hand.

I don't know the name of this beetle. Please let me know if you can identify it. I've never seen one like it. His coloured pattern and antennae delight me. I discovered him trapped in the bottom of the laundry sink. We rescued him from the sink and J took photos until the insect got tired of posing, took flight and disappeared. The next morning he was back in the laundry sink. J got some even better photos.

I ponder this propensity of critters, including humans, to return to the same, bad situation. Take me, for example. I'm back to having a gastro thingo, I've caught a stomach bug or something. It's no fun, especially since I just recovered from something similar. Being trapped in a laundry sink overnight wouldn't be fun for the beetle either, but that situation provided some interesting photos. I doubt the beetle cared about the silver lining to his situation, especially since the silver lining applied to me and J and not to the beetle, other than the side benefit of being rescued, of course.

Like the beetle, I'm not aware of a silver lining in my (health) situation.

Raw bison fibre

A sample of raw bison fibre arrived from Sandy Valley Bison in New South Wales. This sample shows a lovely range of colours.  I couldn't resist wanting some bison fibre even though it will be laborious to process the raw fibre by hand before even starting to handspin it. The down fibres are very short and I'll spin them on a supported spindle, eventually. This project is on hold until I'm feeling much better... maybe tomorrow.... yes, I'm an optimist.

J tops up petrol in generator's tank. Yes, we do keep the gennie in the dunny.

Some rain and a series of overcast days have meant that J must run the generator to keep the batteries charged as our array of solar panels can't quite manage it. However, we're having a remarkably dry January. That's given us time to get stored items off the floor of the Shed which sometimes gets damp during the Wet (one year water ran in one side and out the other). Together, we started shifting, sorting and making a pile for Toss-It Tuesday, then J carried on after I had to give up and lie down. He's one of a kind. And the Shed looks ready now for a late Wet Season.

photos by J in JaM
post and photo editing by M in JaM