School holiday crochet, concerts and the beach.

We are at the end of a two week school holiday here and it's just starting to feel quite Summery. The days are perfectly warm and the evenings still necessitate a cardigan....and I do love my cardigans.

These holidays we spent some time at home and some away at the beach. It's been Relaxation with a capital R. 

In anticipation of the holiday time and some crochet hours, I was lured to fill a basket with some gorgeous Merino wool in a rainbow of colours - on sale of course! I can't describe how luxurious the wool feels. I've predominantly used acrylic in my crochet to date - it's cheap and I have to admit to not having too much faith in my ability to splash out on anything more. 

I wanted to try and test myself with a project so found a pattern for a stripe blanket with a variety of stitches. Hmm, case of running before I could walk I think.  

After a while it became apparent that my stitches were increasing and then decreasing at an alarming rate. There was nothing else but to undo and start again. Oh the agony!

version 1

So armed with some prior knowledge and tips about tension I have been methodically counting to 169 at the end of every line - sometimes twice just to be sure. I think I've got it now.

version 2

In other crochet news I decided that I needed to know how to do a ripple stitch so I began to crochet away during ballet lessons and it morphed into a cushion cover!

There have been a number of pretty exciting concerts this month. The first was to see Queen with Adam Lambert. I think if anyone is going to get close to filling Freddie Mercury's shoes then Adam Lambert would have to be the man. 

It took the crowd a little while to warm to him, but he soon got everyone on side not only with his talent but his genuine appreciation of his fortune at being on stage with such great musicians. 

Then there was Andrea Bocelli. An evening of glitz and glamour and a secret competition that no-one told me about - who could wear the highest heels! - I lost.

He was joined by the lovely Delta Goodrem who charmed the audience with her solo and duet performances. The only disappointment of the evening for me is that Mr Bocelli never uttered a word. I think there was a murmur of a 'thank you' at one point, but I wanted to know the man a little more. (Blurry photos sneaked on my phone)

To round off, the charming and cheeky Robbie Williams bounced into Brisbane and boy did he entertain. 

I was so close I could read his tattoos!

These photos were taken with my phone and I was a bit caught up in the atmosphere to concentrate too much on the perfect shot. Just trust me that it was spectacular.

So after all that excitement it was time to stop and re-charge. That happened at the Sunshine Coast. 

Our first evening there, Sibs and I decided to head to the beach. We walked for miles chatting and singing away. There is something special about an empty beach, the sound of the sea and the squeak of the sand. 

During the week away we spent some time in Noosa catching up with family and we visited Eumundi early in the morning to go to the markets. Yes, I got up and I was there as it opened!

One of the days we bumped into some school friends who were staying close by and I happily watched from the comfort of my shady spot on the grass with a coffee and a great book. I enjoy the beach when it's quiet and when the sun is down. After years in Australia it's still not my favourite place to be when it's crowded.

All too soon it was home for the long weekend and the countdown to the preparation for back to school and work. We had eleven for dinner on Saturday night and it was the first time we have eaten outdoors since the Winter. Another sign that it's warming up.

There was one little lonely chocolate pot strategically hidden placed at the back of the fridge after the dinner party...

Shame for it to go to waste!

So that was a bit of a September round up and some of what we have been up to during the school holidays. 

It's now time to get a G&T and sit outside on this public holiday Monday to enjoy the scent of the last of the Jasmine flowers.

(Following on from my last post, Sibs has now got her back brace and is being a little star managing it. Thank you all who have sent lovely supportive messages. I will update soon. )