finally some photos!

 I have been seriously missing some photos in my blogging of recent times.  I keep finding strange photos on my camera such as the one of cookie making himself at home on the last quilt I made for my cousins new baby.  Today I was doing some mending at the table and he amused himself by batting at the cotton and needle as I tried to sew.

 I used a stripey fabric for the binding and quilted it myself with a lovely variegated cotton.  Rather than doing boring old stipples I threw in little flowers and when I got to the outer edge I decided to do more of the flowers to finish it off.

 My Friend Liz had a birthday recently and she loves crocodiles so I made her one from Jodie from Ric Rac his name is Gulliver and the pattern was really easy to follow. Gulliver came together in no time with only a few mistakes which was my fault.  I will make another one of these guys for sure.  Need to remember though to buy one of those big needles for doll/bear making though for the legs, using a small needle doesn't cut it.

 of course no post is complete without a photo of little Milly.  She is a real cutie and I doubt she will get much bigger than this.  I think I will buy her a coat and applique the words "I am a Jack Russell"  I'm always being asked if she is a Chihuahua.  I told someone she was a miniature dingo and they believed me!!

 here's a close up of my quilting.

I haven't been riding this week as I have contracted a lurgy from the froglet, so didn't even go to the gym today.  No quilting tonight either, will stay at home and have an early night.

blogger help

I have added a friends blog to my list... but I cant see it.  Its there when i log into my blog and i can see it on the reading list, but this isn't good enough, I want to be able to see it when I'm not signed in too.

I cant figure out how to remove it so I can put it back on again either, can anyone out there in blog world help me please?

I pulled up really well from the ride, no aches or pains.  But my poor training partners aren't doing terribly well, one has 2 bulging discs but is improving slowly and now my other partner pulled something really badly yesterday morning in class and ended up getting an ambulance to the hospital. 

So that is 3 of my friends with back problems since the start of this year... I hope that's the lot......  team coffee is going to be renamed soon to team decaffeinated!

Weather turned wet and cold, no riding today.... class tomorrow!

bay2bay ride

Today I took the beast out for her first official ride.  We did this little jaunt of 65km.  It included a 2.3km hill climb up Arthur's seat with a 7% degree climb.  Now for those who don't know Arthur's seat, it used to have a chair lift that would take you to the top.

I can tell you that I lost count of how many hairpin bends I did after 5.  I will boast here a little as I'm rather proud of my achievement today.

I didn't stop on the way up.
It was timed from the bottom to the top and I rode it in 20.24.5
I was second in my team for the 65km leg and 1st female in my team for the 65km
I was 74th out of 102 females
Overall I was 619 out of 729

Although this was the hardest climb of the day it wasn't the only climb there was several long hills just when you thought you were safe!.  I also did a top speed of 67km (not going up of course).  I have to add the weather was perfect!  I was wearing my new kit that was provided for my team and I think we looked really smart.

Somewhere along the road about halfway home the beast got broken.  I think it was these nasty little white lines that actually were little speedy humps leading up to a T intersection... in a car they don't hurt your butt like they do on a tiny little bike saddle.

After these humps I couldn't change my front cog into the small one, for non bike riders this meant it was a hell of a lot harder to ride up hills and I mean really harder. 

The final 5kms you couldn't wipe the smile off my face, (Im still smiling now) and I was so relieved that I had completed the ride without falling off or doing other damage to my body. In saying that I am starting to stiffen up now and no doubt will amuse my work colleagues in the morning with my moans and groans.

Will I do it again???  you bet your bottom dollar I will!

I think my next big ride will be later in the year and will be 100km in around the bay in a day.

Thank you to my friends who have helped me train for this event and to my non sporting friends for indulging me when I prattle on about my adventures I do appreciate your messages of congrats and best wishes.

What did you all do for your sundays activities?

quickie

I logged on just now with the intentions of posting some photos, but I cant find the blessed things so I am sorry once again for a lack of pictures.

I have been busy doing lots of taxi runs for the froglet.  she also just earned her yellow belt in judo, only been doing it for 3 months so she is well impressed.

The noisy one also is doing judo and ju jitsu, I hope that she finds some confidence in herself with this.

I have a big bike ride this weekend, its a 65km ride, that's not a problem... its the 2.3km hill climb that scares me.  Wish me luck!!  Its for a good cause, my work so if I cant walk on Monday they cant complain lol.

time to feed my fur babies, they are growing big... cookie the rag doll is now 1 year old!!! Milly howls when I go out without her, she is very much my dog.

I am still alive

I am still alive and kicking!

just haven't been blogging. been busy with life.

I have made one of the wonderful ric racs crocodiles for my friend Liz for her birthday.... i really need to sort my laptop out so I can post photos.

The froglet has started judo and ju jitsu and now the noisy one is having a go too. I haven't seen Brazilian ju jitsu before but its a real art form. The girls are very lucky to have one of the only female black belts in Victoria as their coach and her husband is also an amazing instructor, hes like a human pretzel.

My poor training partner has hurt her back and thank goodness she got an MRI which showed two small bulges in her L3-4 and L4-5 so now she knows what she has, she can figure out what she can do. We have been walking... took little Milly with us for an hour... we did about 6km

I have a big ride coming up in a few weeks time, its 65km.. that's fine, but the thing that is worrying me is the 3.2km hill climb up Arthur's seat.... if you know that road you will understand my concern.

I have made 2 quilts for a friend at work and for a cousins new baby... today I have been asked to make another 2 quilts for new babies before the end of the year.... not a hard task but I have to find a pattern, find the materials, make them and quilt them..... might be able to use a pattern I have used before for one of them but will need a new one for the cousins baby....

no time to blog

Been a while since I posted.

I'm not on my laptop, so no photos sorry.

I have been busy with various events and lots of training and of course some quilting.

I did the tough bloke challenge last Sunday with my friends and had a blast. We got incredibly muddy and we tackled all the obstacles with a huge smile.

My daughter and I took part in the YMCA swimathon. We raised $320 and we swam over a Km yesterday.

today I did my 2 morning classes and then had a bike ride with one of my friends while my eldest did a judo class.

I'm now in the middle of quilting a quilt I'm trying a different way instead of the usual stipple, this time I'm doing little flowers, I love the thread that I have chosen, its a variegated one with purples..... I promise to post some photos next time

next quilt please

creepy cat!

One of my inspectors!!

I cooked this epic pie...omg it was sooooo yummy

can you see the mistake?? I fixed it before I sewed it together!

I completed the top today, just need to put on a white border and ask my quilter if she has space for me!!

I have the tough blokes challenge coming up in a couple of weeks, a swimathon and a possible 2 bike rides to choose from! I have been asked to join a team to do the tough mudder but it would end up being a whole weekend away so have declined this year.