Still stitching....even though I'm riding.

I know what you're thinking...how can I write this blog if I'm cycling my way from Yarrawonga to Marysville? Well, that's because I am super organised in advance. So, while I am peddling away, you can keep up to date on my stitching activities and upon my return I will have so much to tell you...

So, in the mean time let me fill you in on my stitching...

I love the detail of things and stockings are no exceptions. I've taken some close up photos of some of the details of a couple of stockings. The trinkets, I feel, really make the stocking. Plain also looks lovely too, but I guess I do enjoy a little bit of 'bling'. I have to say, these stockings are always a talking point.

Have a look at the details and see if you can pick a favourite.

Cross stitching, needle work or sewing

As you know I really enjoy my needle work and it has been a growing passion over the years. I’ve tried knitting, dressmaking, and cross stitch. My favourite evidently, is needle work. I love my cross stitching and a favourite has to be the Christmas stockings.

The new Shepherds Bush Christmas stocking has just been released. This year it is a girl pattern named Sadie. She is really gorgeous and I am sure will be a real incentive to get the needle and threads out and start stitching. Take a look at Sadie. Remember to click on page 2 to order her. (you'll notice page numbers located down the bottom of the page).

Our little group of stitchers that meet each week are all stitching Christmas stockings. Some of them have already completed one and are onto another. One of the girls has been flatout stitching and she is just about to complete her 4th.

One of the fun parts is choosing a colour pallet and fabrics to match with the colourings on the pattern. Here are a couple that I bunched together and photographed. Just lovely really...




The girls that cross stitch are doing such a great job. Here are couple of samples of their work.








With the lead up to Christmas, many of my girls have been stitching to finish stockings for gifts for Christmas, so I'll keep you updated on our progress.

Final Preparation for the Bike Ride

I can't believe that after all the training and spin classes that the RACV Great Victoria Bike Ride is almost upon us.

I have spent much of today packing and repacking. We have a limit of 20kg each person, including our camping equipment. Everything bought has been with weight in mind and I am surprised at how we are well under out limit.

All our bags have to be tagged and lined with plastic bags, in case they get wet, and I am certainly wondering how 5000 bike rider's equipment is going to be transported daily... a logistical nightmare, I imagine. As I am not taking a handbag because of room and weight, I am using one of my great travel wallets from the shop. It holds all of the travel documents and cards that I need. Another great find from RAPT UP , is the shampoo bar, it eliminates having to take shampoo, soap and conditioner. When room is of the essence, it will fit the bill.

We will be leaving Mildura at 8am Friday morning, and drive to Yarrawonga. There are seven in our group, half of us are on mountain bikes the others are on road bikes. As no family or friends are to follow the ride by car, there was the problem of how we were going to drive back once arriving in Marysville. My very kind brother-in-law in Melbourne, offered to bus it up to Yarrawonga and take the van back to Melbourne and then meet us in Marysville on day 9.

Once there we have to register and proceed to the camping ground to set up. Saturday morning the ride begins at 9am and our first day is 71kms to Dookie. The terrain looks OK for that day. It's the next day that could be concerning ( big hills ). You will have to wait for my blog updates after the ride to see how I fared.

The bags are packed, the bikes serviced, the excitement growing. RACV Great Vic Bike Ride - Yarrawonga to Marysville... HERE WE COME.

With the help of Friends

Having David working away has been a hindrance with the gardening project, but some wonderful friends helped me transport and plant the lawn mentioned in my last blog.

It was huge effort, and with that in mind I invited them to dinner the next night as a thank you.

The menu was fairly simple, the main meal one that I have served on many occasions, but always enjoyed.

We started off with an antipasto platter followed by The Proper Chicken Caesar Salad from Jamie Oliver and ending with a Lemon pavlova roll served with marinated berries and orange cream.




The Proper Chicken Caesar Salad.
Serves 4 - 6

4 whole chicken legs ( I did use more as mine were small )
1 loaf of ciabatta bread torn into thumb size pieces.
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary leaves roughly chopped.
Extra virgin olive oil.
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
12 thin slices of pancetta.
1 clove of garlic.
4 anchovy fillets in olive oil - drained.
75g freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche.
Juice of one lemon.
Extra olive oil.
2 - 3 cos lettuce.

Preheat the oven to 200cel.
Place the chicken in a snug fitting roasting tray with the pieces of torn up bread.
Sprinkle with the rosemary, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Mix with hands to make sure it is all well coated, then lift the chicken legs up to the top, so they sit above the bread. This way the bread soaks up all the lovely juices and you end up with the best croutons.

Cook the chicken for about 45 minutes until nicely cooked. Take out and drape the chicken and croutons with the pancetta and cook for a further 15 minutes until nice and crispy. When cooked remove from the oven and cool slightly.

While cooking you can make the dressing. I use a small kitchen whiz to make the dressing.
Whiz the garlic and anchovies first, then add Parmesan cheese and the creme fraiche, lemon juice and three times as much olive oil as lemon juice. Add extra olive oil if the dressing is too thick, it should be pourable.

Wash and tear the cos lettuce. Pull the meat off the chicken bones and toss with the lettuce, pancetta, croutons and the yummy cheesy dressing.

I serve it on a large oval platter which makes it easy for serving.

It's always a winner.

The dessert was one I often made a long time ago so I have revisited it.






The Lemon Pavlova Roll with Marinated Berries and Orange Cream.

4 egg whites.
3/4 cup Castor sugar.
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
1 teaspoon to white vinegar.
1 teaspoon of cornflour.
Extra Castor sugar.
1/4 cup of lemon butter.

Marinated Berries.

2 cups frozen or fresh mixed berries.
2 tablespoons of orange flavoured liqueur. (I used cointreau.)
1/4 icing sugar.

Orange Cream.
1 300ml carton thickened cream.
2 tablespoons icing sugar.
1 teaspoon of grated orange rind.
1 tablespoon of orange flavoured liqueur.

Grease and line a 25 x 30 cm Swiss roll tin.
Beat egg white until soft peaks form. Add Castor sugar one spoon at a time till all dissolved. Fold in essence, vinegar and cornflour. Spread into prepared tin and cook in a slow oven 150cel for about 20min or until slightly brown and firm to touch.

Cover a wire rack with baking paper, sprinkled with Castor sugar. Turn meringue onto paper removing the lining paper. Spread with lemon butter while warm and let cool.

Marinated Berries - Combine all ingredients and let stand for 30 minutes.

Orange Cream - Beat all ingredients in a bowl till soft peaks form.

Using paper as a guide roll meringue from long side. Cut into pieces and serve with the berries and cream.
It was "to die for".

It was a lovely casual night, washed down with a couple of good bottles of wine.

Back to the Gardening

It seems weeks since I have been back out into creating the garden. We have had a lot of rain over the past few weeks which seemed to appear just when I was all set for a big gardening day. The rain has been wonderful though, making digging easy.

I am sick of the red dirt blowing around the house, so when there was an offer of a large amount of Santa Anna Couch, I jumped at it. With the help of some friends, we dug it up transported it over to our house and now I have started to lay it. It is the perfect time to get the lawn in, and as it's hardy and quick growing. It should cover a good area in no time.



David is working away at present and not here to do some of the larger jobs, which means I have to do tasks that I can manage. Transplanting lawn is one I can do. The list of jobs for David is growing by the day and it will certainly be no rest for him when he comes home. I have been laying a pieces of lawn everyday and now have only one large section to complete.

We had large areas of Santa Anna Couch at our last property, and because we know it is hardy, quick growing and drought tolerant we have decided to use it again. It's also good when you have dogs around as it is very resilient




Although we have had lots or rain over the past couple of months, living with a drought for 10 years, makes you realize that we can't waste water. It is such a precious commodity. All of our garden is planned with that in mind.

Port To Port Cycling Race

Last weekend I competed in the Port to Port Cycling Race from the Mildura Wharf to Echuca with an overnight stop at Swan Hill.



You ride as a team and I was in the mountain bike team named the Dirty Dozen and we were using the ride as a training exercise for the RACV Great Victoria Bike Ride at the end of November.

Teams come from all over Victoria to compete and there were some serious riders amongst the 300 plus riders.

All teams were on the road from the Mildura Wharf and then you could decide how far you would ride before you got in your support vehicle. Our team was riding for 20kms, then in the support vehicle for 20 - 30kms and then back on the bike. Most of the other teams rode longer distances than us, and some teams rode all the way.

There were two compulsory stops to Swan Hill. One at Wemen, the other at Boundary Bend.

Our first stop was RedCliffs, where we all managed to get there easily. We then bussed to Hattah and then rode again. The going was tough as it was a strong head wind and I was mighty glad to complete the 20kms and climb in the bus. We continued like this to Boundary Bend for lunch.

The going continued to be tough with the wind and the temperature, which was about 27Cel. We arrived at Swan Hill after riding 90kms out of the 250kms. We all were very tired and a bit sore and I was wondering how I was going to get back on the bike the next day.

Our overnight accommodation was in the dormitories at the Pioneer Village. Our catered dinner of pasta arrived at 7 pm and by 9pm most of us were in bed exhausted.

Up at 5am,(I must be crazy) and was surprised to be not sore or achy at all. All of those spin classes must be paying off. We had breakfast and were on the road by 7am.

The ride to Echuca is only 153km's and there were two compulsory stops at Cohuna and a service station 30kms out of Echuca.



The riding appeared easier today. Not sure if we were accustomed to it but we all rode strongly. The conditions were a bit easier but there were times when we were confronted with strong head winds.

We arrived at the oval in Echuca at 1.30pm tired, hot but elated that we rode so well. We completed 70kms today, and that took us to 160 for the weekend. Many teams commented to us that we done it tough as it is extra hard on mountain bikes versus a road bike.

We climbed in the bus for the 4hour ride home tired but very happy and proud that we completed the ride fairly easly with no injuries, sore spots or bike worries.

The weekend gave me the confidence to know that I can tackle the big ride in a few weeks.

It was a wonderfully organized weekend with Police, ambulance and lots of volunteer marshals all working together. Peter Mills from Body Business Mildura was the tour director and a great job was done by him. Thank-you to all for a great happy and safe ride.

Sad Times

I don't think anything prepares you for the loss of your parents. You just feel so lost, and there is the sudden realization that we are the next generation and the head of the family that we have created.

Our dear Dad passed away on October 17th 2010. He has been in care for three years in an aged care facility, and we have all been watching him slowely decline for the past 18 months. I had visited him on Saturday afternooon and there was no indication that would be the last time I would speak to him. Early Sunday morning I received a call that he had taken a turn for the worst and went straight out there. The moment I saw him I knew his time was coming to a close.

I have only one sister, she lives in Melbourne and she made a quick dash by plane, to be there to say our last goodbyes. The same as we had done 10 years before when we lost our Mum. We sat with him all day, along with his eldest granddauaghter, we talked to him all day, told him we loved and what a lovely Dad and Pa he was. At 11pm he slipped peacefully away from us to begin his journey with Mum once again.

Times like this make you reflect upon your life. Dad was 89 years old and has lived a good life. My sister and I are lucky to have had a very happy childhood, family holdiays were a must and our weekends were spent playing tennis at a local tennis club that Dad was one of the founding members. He was loved by his five grandchildren who he and Mum loved with a passion and the kids have many wonderful memories.

We laid him to rest at the Merbein Cemetery at a graveside service. It was such a lovely morning, warm, birds chirping, and as sad as it is that he is no more in our lives, we know he is at peace with our dear Mum.

The Love Of Life

A little bit of a change of pace today for my blog. It is supposed to be my gardening blog day, but I have lost the motivation to garden as I have had a little bit of bad news...

I popped in to visit my Dad who is in a nursing home and noticed his friend of 30 years wasn't in his room. I mentioned this to Dad, but he said that he had a virus. I wished him well and thought nothing more of it.

I left the nursing home after lunch and headed into Mildura to finish some shopping. Coincidentally, I bumped into his daughter in the city and she said that her Dad was in fact suffering from cancer and the out come is very dim. It was such a shock. He was the healthy one, putting the bib at lunch onto my father. At first, it was thought to be a virus...

I came home and reflected on my life and how lucky I am. I am very grateful for my precious life and I think now I'll wander out into the garden and water my Capital Pears as they are a little wilted...just like me at the moment.

Spinning and Walking

I am really enjoying the spin classes I am doing and I can really see the improvement in my fitness levels. I am now riding over 20 kilometres in the session which is a vast improvement when I started 18 months ago.



Peter Mills Body Business gym is a small boutique type gym but Peter is a wonderful teacher and is very generous with his time and experience. All the bikes are full each session and often there is a waiting list, which is a testament to Peter's skill of teaching.

Our riding groups on Friday and Sunday are also organized by Pete and they are always fun. Although last Friday, a little more excitement that what we had planned for when Peter had a fall and has broken two ribs. He will be sidelined for a few weeks, but no doubt he will mentor us from the sidelines.




As a training session for the Great Vic Bike ride, our group is entering the Port to Port charity race from Mildura to Echuca. I think this ride will test us out, but we all need to do some longer rides. I will report on this a bit more as we get a bit closer to the date.

Now that daylight saving has started I decided to also get up earlier and walk every morning. A friend decided she would like to walk also, so this morning we set out for a 3/4 hour walk around our Gol Gol neighbourhood area. Gol Gol is such a pretty area being right on the Murray River and at 7 a.m it is very pleasant.

Tomorrow morning I think I will take Diesel with me, as I think he could do with some extra exercise being a Labrador.

All this increased fitness activity has to help me with the big ride, we will have to wait and see.

The Hard Work Begins

David ( long suffering husband) has a week's holiday, so with garden plan in hand, we are standing out the front garden ready to tackle the next job. The first job was to build a retaining wall to form a large garden bed where there was a fall in the land.



Rather than remove the dirt and have a level surface, our garden planner Margot thought it best to work with the lay of the land and have the retaining wall garden. The wall looks great finished and certainly creates a lovely front garden feature. Can't wait to see it filled with plants.

This garden bed will be filled with a Murraya Paniculata hedge bordering the neighbours boundary, 5 ornamental Capital Pears, then roses and Nepeta "Walkers Blue" spilling over the wall. With the retaining wall finished, it was time to start putting in the watering system. When the watering system is finished all the garden will be under drippers, that will come on automatically during the night.





David took 2 days to complete this, but I was finally able to plant the Pear trees. David started to lay out the plan for the rest of the garden and put edges around some garden beds, but his week off has gone quickly.



There is a lot more infrastructure to be done before I can start planting, but the job has started and will continue for weeks to come.

Cooking for Family

I enjoy cooking and I really miss that I haven't the family around these days to cook for. When they are all home I just love it. So when my sister asked me to do some cooking for my nephews 21st, I was only too glad too. Sam's 21st was in Adelaide, so I decided to make some gourmet sausage rolls, freeze them and then transport them over there. I made about 150 of them, using two different recipes.

Saucy Beef Sausage Rolls
3 sheets ready rolled puff pastry.
2 eggs.
1 onion.
1 to 2 crushed garlic.
20g butter.
750g lean beef mince.
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley.
3 tablespoons plain flour.
3 tablespoons tomato sauce.
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire and soy sauces.
2 teaspoons of ground allspice.

Preheat the oven to 200deg Cel.

Cook chopped onion and crushed garlic in butter until the onion is softened.
Mix beef mince and the softened onion with all the other ingredients till well mixed.

Cut the pastry sheets in half and lightly brush the edges with the beaten egg.
Divide mixture into six even portions. Pipe or spoons the filling down the centre of each piece of pastry. Fold the pastry over the filling, over lapping the edges and placing the join underneath. Brush the rolls with more egg, then cut each into 6 short pieces.

Cut small slashes on top of each roll and place on lightly greased baking trays and bake for 15 minutes then reduce the oven to 180 deg Cel for another 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.



Chutney Chicken Sausage Rolls

3 sheets ready rolled puff pastry.
2 eggs.
750g chicken mince.
4 finely chopped spring onions.
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs.
1 finely grated carrot.
2 Tablespoons fruit chutney ( I used fig chutney)
1 tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce.
1 tablespoon of grated ginger.
Sprinkle the pastry with sesame seeds after glazing and before baking.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and continue on with the method from the saucy beef sausage rolls.

Then enjoy. These different varieties are just that bit nicer for a celebration.

Then Sam had a special request for a wafer slice that I have been making for years.

Chocolate Wafer Slice.

1Packet Tisler Wafers.
250 g unsalted butter.
250g dark cooking chocolate.
1 can condensed milk.




Heat over water the unsalted butter and chocolate. When melted mix the condensed milk in and stir well till combined.

The packet of wafers has 5 sheets. Place one sheet onto a board and spoon several large spoonfuls onto the sheet and spread evenly. Continue with all the sheets ending with a top sheet. I place an oven tray on top then put weights on and into the fridge to set.



When you cut the slice, cut it on the diagonal for a nicer look.




It is very yummy.

We had a wonderful weekend in Adelaide celebrating Sam's 21st. The food survived the trip and combined well with all the other finger food served on the night. Our boys travelled from Western Australia and our daughter from Melbourne so it was a lovely family time.

Training by the Murray.

Sunday morning was one of those Sunraysia mornings that makes you glad you are alive. Started off a little overcast, a bit chilly but half an hour into our ride, sunny and gorgeous with a light breeze. Perfect cycling weather. We can only hope we have weather like this on our big ride.

We have been stepping up our cycling distances as we only have 8 weeks to the Great Victorian Bike Ride. My fitness has improved heaps, mainly due to the spin classes and the extra distances we have been completing on the bike.

Mildura doesn't have many hills but the ones that were bothering me months ago I can tackle confidently now. I am sure that I will struggle through the Strathbogie ranges though.

This morning we have ridden through the bike tracks between Johnsons Bend and Apex Park then onto the Mildura Marina and back through the streets to the must have coffee, before going home.



The Murray River looked magnificent this morning. The sun was shining off it, and due to flood waters upstream it is quite high and flowing strongly. The Sandbar at Apex Park has disappeared completely and a lot of boat owners have moved the position of their boats. There seemed to be a lot more paddle boats moored this morning and they are a lovely site.



Apparently we are in no danger of a big flood, but it is a long time since the Murray has had that much water in it, due to the prolonged drought. It is lovely sight to see.

Blank Canvas to Green Garden

We have recently moved into a new home ( actually it was the same week as we moved the retail store to online only) so the past weekend has been the only opportunity so start gardening. I love to garden but when you are starting from nothing there is lots of infrastructure and groundwork to do before the fun part of planting starts.

The past few weeks have been sorting out a design, of which I have enlisted help from Margot Mills Garden Design. Margot has come up with a lovely plan that includes all the things I love. In particular I love Paul Bangay's formal gardens, with clipped hedges,straight lines and pleached trees. I do love colour in the garden and I do love my roses, so many have been included in the plan.

In Mildura we also have to be very conscious of our long hot summers and minimum water usage, so plants are being chosen with this in mind. But first we have to tackle the ground work. That's where my poor long suffering husband comes in. He really is quite handy though! He has already started laying paved paths and his next chore is to put in a small retaining wall and watering system and stepping stone paths surrounded with stones.

We are starting in the front garden and working our way around the house and it will certainly be a work in progress for a long time. But isn't that what gardening is all about? Of course our gorgeous dog Diesel has to be amongst the action and I only hope he keeps out of the newly created garden beds.

From Cross Stitch Class to Sewing Bee

Six weeks ago I started teaching a group of girls to cross stitch. The classes have finished now and the girls have enjoyed it so much, that we have turned it into a sewing bee. Over the course of the classes the girls have been stitching Christmas stocking, several are onto their second stocking, but now we can all please ourselves what we stitch. For me I won't be in the teaching role, and I can sit and stitch along with the others. My stitching love is reproduction samplers ( sampler = reproduction of daily life stemming back to the 1400's) of which I have stitched many over the years, and I have them displayed on the walls in my hallway. My next prioty though is a wedding sampler for my son and future daughter in law. The wedding is in March 2011 so I need to get working on it... but that one will certainly be stitched with love.

Still Cycling ...

With only approx 10 weeks to the RACV Great Vic bike ride it is now time to up the training. I have increased my spin classes to two a week and one class of pilates. I am also cycling on the mountain bike two to three times a week, trying to increase the distance with each ride. Friday and Sunday we rode over 20 kms. I think my fitness is improving, but then I ride up a steep incline ( not too many hills around Mildura ) and I know I need a lot more training. We are going to encounter some large hills through the Strathbogie ranges but I am not trying to think about that too much. I am thinking if I can't ride up the hill, I will walk up the hill. The weather has improved greatly over the past week, and it has been very pleasant cycling around the district.

Dinner with Friends

Had friends for dinner last night. With the weather being cold and rainy, a hearty meal was needed. I decided to slow cook a Moraccan Lamb shank recipe, served with roasted garlic potatoes, steamed green beans with a mustard/red vinegar dressing. Dessert was in keeping with the cold weather, a lovely berry clafoutis served with double cream "of course ". No wonder I need the cycling and spin classes.. Nevertheless it was a lovely night with a couple of glasses of red to accompany the meal. Thought I would share the delicious dessert.

Berry Clafoutis.

500g Mixed frozen berries.
250g soft goats cheese.
140g caster sugar.
4 eggs.
180g almond meal.
2tsp vanilla extract.
1tsp almond extract.
Icing sugar to dust.
Cream to serve.

Preheat the oven to 170deg in a fan forced oven. Grease 1 large 30cm gratin dish. Place the mixed berries in the base of the gratin dish.

Place goats cheese, caster sugar, eggs, almond meal, vanilla extract and almond extract in a food processor and process to form a smooth mixture.

Pour the goats cheese mixture over the cherries. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the batter is golden ad risen .

Dust with icing sugar, and serve warm with cream.

Enjoy.

Mini Van Cycling experience

I have a question for you? Does anyone look good in lycra and a helmet?? Unless you are Lance Armstrong, the answer is 'unlikely'. And there is something to be said for the padded bike pants also...I feel rather sporty to say the least.

Driving around in a mini van with our bikes attached to the outside is something I'll have to get used to. I will admit it was my first experience in a mini van. Nevertheless, I really enjoy my new found fitness and I can't believe I will be cycling the 590km from Yarrawonga to Marysville in November. Let's hope there is a cheers squad at the finish line for us.

Cycling in the Barossa Valley South Australia

Last weekend I spent cycling in the Barossa Valley South Australia on a training weekend for the Great Vic Bike Ride.

The weather was shocking, needless to say not much riding occurred. But we managed to very much enjoy ourselves sampling the wines of the area. I must say, a favourite winery was the Sorby Adams Wine bar in Angaston. It had only opened the previous day, and food was to die for and wine not to bad either.

We also visited Maggie Beers farm. What a great place. We all left with laden bags. Some of my favourites are the 'fig and fennel paste' and the 'vino cotto'. The paste can be used on all sorts of things such as on a cheese plate, stuffings, with salads or even when baking scones. The vino cotto is basically used when ever you like to use balsamic vinegar. I tried it on a lamb roast the other night and it was really delicious.

Weekend in Melbourne

A couple of weeks ago, I spent five fantastic days at the Gift Fair in Melbourne.

The Gift Fair events are increasing in size each year, so expect lots of new and exciting products on the website soon.

My feet are only just recovering...next time time I'll wear my Hush Puppies!

It has been such a busy week. New stock has arrived for me to collate and photograph. Lots of online orders that had to be delivered locally.

I also managed to unpack some more of the mountain of boxes, our new home is starting to look like me, but I also managed to wallow away time in boxes of family photo's.....

Just not sure where the time went, but I guess there is always next week.