Xin Chao!

...which means hello in Vietnamese!
(You pronounce it sin jow.)
I came back from South East Asia three weeks ago
(it's taken me a little while to settle back in)
and I'm happy to report that I enjoyed Malaysia,
and would really like to spend more time there,
and that I looooooved Vietnam!!!
Vietnam has beautiful, welcoming people,
a picturesque countryside,
divine food and a fascinating history.
Here are some of my many, many, many photographs:
(...and I'll load more onto Flickr as I edit them.)



Batik, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia



Mosaic detail, Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia




National Monument, Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia





Exquisite needlework, Dalat, Vietnam
There was lovely embroidery for sale throughout the country. I saw a lot of women crocheting in their market stalls too.



Figurine of Quan Yin, Nguyen Nga Centre for Children with Special Needs, Quy Nhon City, Vietnam
The Nguyen Nga Center is also a sheltered workshop for adults. I met some of the young men and women who live there and they were absolutely charming! They produced really beautiful weaving and jewellery too.



Small boy from the Koho Minority, Chicken Village, Central Highlands, Vietnam
This dear, playful little fellow followed us all through the village, alternately showing us karate moves and growling like a tiger.



Bride and groom, Dalat, Vietnam
They were so happy!



Dog, on the road to Quy Nhon, Vietnam
Did someone say lunch?




Chinese temple, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(This shot was taken by my fabulous guide Ling)




Mosquito nets and early morning light, Mekong Delta, Vietnam



Early morning, Mekong Delta
I loved the Delta and its soft light, quietness and tranquility...




Mountain waterfall, outside of Dalat, Vietnam




Sunset, Quy Nhon City, Vietnam



Lamp light, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam




Lunch, Saigon Cooking Class, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
This was first course ~ Mustard Leaf Rolls with Crunchy Vegetables and Shrimps.
Mmmmmmmmmm


I know that I've been really fortunate to have had this experience.
I am really glad that I chose to travel, for part of the way at least, with Intrepid Travel and I feel so lucky to have met the people who took the tour with me. Caroline, Sonia, Anne, Donald, Sue, Sharon, Hong, Loy...thank you!!!!!!!

Of course,
I took some crafty work with me.
I finished off my Sweet Lorraine scarf just before I joined the Intrepid tour:




Such a good pattern ~ Sweet Lorraine was easy to memorise, quick to make and had a border that worked up as I crocheted. It kept me lovely and warm too.

In case you're wondering, I've started to watermark my photos to try and stop people from using my pictures (and profiting from them) without my permission. Sadly, I've come across a few sites who've helped themselves to my images and haven't removed them even though I've written to them and asked them to. If anyone would like a tutorial on how to put watermarks into your shots (I have a PC and use Photoshop Elements) just let me know.

And now I am off to catch up on some long overdue blog reading and commenting.

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope yours is a merry one!
Blessings.
x

Adventuring

I'm dashing off this post because I am getting ready to leave for a holiday to Malaysia and Vietnam...which makes me very excited and a little scared all at the same time!
I am busy, busy, busy getting organised
but I didn't want to go without saying goodbye to all my dear blog buddies and readers
or without sharing a little something of what I've been doing since I posted last.

I've been crocheting a Sweet Lorraine scarf to keep me warm when I get up to the north of Vietnam:


It's working up really, really quickly.
The pattern calls for Foundation Single Crochet at the start, which you can see at the top of the following photograph:



I've never used the Foundation Single Crochet stitch before and it's a little tricky but it creates a very stable foundation so I'm glad I've worked it out. (I found this Ravelry thread really helpful, if you'd like to have a go too.)


I have taken some not~very~good photographs of the glass beads I made at a workshop at Fremantle Arts Centre.
Here are my favourites:


They were surprisingly simple to make. I'd love to do another workshop.


I've been gardening,
watched over by a gentle mother dove who's made a nest just by my back door:




...and I've finally got around to photoshopping the last of my wildflower shots:





Hibbertia and Leschenaultia, Chittering



Blue Tinsel Lily, Chittering



Veined Yellow Pea, Chittering


Silky Yellow Pea, Chittering



I wonder what my next post will contain?
Adventure awaits!


Blessings.
x

Here Kitty Kitty!

I've finished my little amigurumi cat:

She took forever to sew up
(my sewing skills are rusty)
but I'm happy with how she's turned out.
You can't really tell from the photograph, but she has tabby stripes on her legs and tail.
I drew inspiration from Molly:

(I love Moll's marmalade coloured tum, but, sadly, I am not allowed to touch it under any circumstances whatsoever.)

As I mentioned in my last post, the crochet pattern can be found at Mutts.

I'm still on holiday, which is lovely.
I do so enjoy going slowly and quietly, taking pleasure out of simple things.

I've been baking for my family,
making yummy Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies:

(the recipe comes from Ravelry, so you'll need to be a member to follow the link)
and Apricot and Almond Crumble:

I only have a left over apricot to show as evidence as it was so delicious it was all eaten up before I got a chance to take a photograph ~ truly! Tangy, fresh apricots, a crumble topping with almonds and coconut, and dollops of cream was a winning combination. I will definitely make this again.

I've also been beading:

I'm often seen wearing red~orange necklaces ~ they go with my lipstick!

...and I've been gardening.
I found masses of these sweet flowers, growing wild, when I was out in Fremantle:

Aren't they lovely?
Their delicate appearance belies their hardiness ~ they were blooming, in the middle of scorching heat, in bone~dry sand.
I couldn't resist scooping one small plant out and taking it home:

and, so far, it's doing well.
I wonder what type of plant they are.

Shortly, I'll be wielding a paintbrush too, as I'm getting ready to paint my kitchen and living areas. I've chosen to paint everything white, with a few, pale butterscotch, French~washed feature walls thrown in.
Wish me luck!

Handmade Gifts and a Crocheted Creature

In my last post I said that I'd received some lovely, hand~made presents for Christmas. I've finally taken some photographs of them all and here they are.

I'll start off with pictures of a little colourful vase:


and a sweet terracotta dove:




These were both made by the mother of one of the little boys I worked with last year. Aren't they exquisite?

I'm very fond of the dove ... the little boy and I share a love of living things and we used to talk about the birds that came to visit our gardens. I told him about the fledgling doves that used to wait for their mother on the fence outside my kitchen window:




He chose the pottery dove especially for me.
(The thought so many children, and parents, put into the gifts that they give me, handmade or not, is really touching.)

I also received a crystal wreath from a colleague I work closely with:

The Christmas before last, she gave me this beaded angel:

It's really tiny ~ only half the height of my little finger. I love the delicacy of both the angel and the wreath.

Last, in my array of hand~made gifted goodness, is a button cuff that my dear friend Robbo bought for me:

It sits really comfortably on my wrist and I've been wearing it a lot.
I wish I knew the stories behind all of those buttons!

...and finally,
here's a picture of some crochet I've been working on,
my very first amigurumi:

Can you tell it's the beginnings of a cat?!
The pattern, and an image of a complete kitty, can be found in Mutts, over at etsy.
It's fiddly but fun to make. It crochets up quickly too; hopefully I'll have photographs of a finished feline to show the next time I post.

Have a wonderful week!