Photo Scavenger Hunt - January 2012

Yeay for Photo Scavenger Hunting time!

(Have a look at Kathy's page Postcards from the PP for more).

Last year I took my PSH photos with my oldish-falling-apartish Nokia Navigator, that actually took lovely photo's. I particularly liked how I could take photo's right into the sun and get great results.

But then my phone drowned.  In a teaspoon of water. Sealed in a ziplock bag that had a tiny tiny tiny opening.

:-(

So now I got my replacement (thank you thank you thank you that it was also contract renewal time) and after almost 4 weeks I'm still figuring out the iPhone 4S something something.  Huge leap for me.

I decided to try and find photo's for all the clues during one weekend when we went camping (erm...make that glamping, since we upgraded to a chalet at the last minute).  So all my photos are related to our weekend at Mbizi Caravan Lodge.

People... If you are in South Africa and like "soft camping" while looking at a giraffe walking by - that's the place to go.  If you're from elsewhere and plan to visit one day - please do.  It's malaria free, near the Waterberg, 1 hour from Pretoria and kids love the place. It's a 5 star caravan lodge, which means even when camping with your little tent and no added camping luxuries, like us...you could still have a private bathroom...is in't that the absolute best??

So. Here's my Apple snaps, no retouching, and apologizing in advance if they're turned all upside down...I have since learnt to snap away in portrait mode, as no matter which way I try to rotate, it won't go there.  Will be right next time.

1. "2".  The number of the chalet next to ours.

2. "Blur". Learning that it is extremely difficult to blur with an iPhone! My boy wanting to start the campfire one afternoon (I think we tried this almost 10 times)..

3. "Company".  We had company overnight, track of a young kudu cow.

4. "Entrance". Main entrance to Mbizi Caravan Lodge

5. "In my bathroom".  Oh my, which one to choose.  In the end, this one, erm...two.  The bathroom at chalet nr 3 :-)

Taken from the massive freestanding bath, in the bedroom, towards the huge private outdoor shower.

...and from outside...

(Sorry. Just had to add this.)

6. "In season". Mangoes. One of my favourite fruits ever.

7. "In the distance". Driving towards Mbizi.

 8. "Mess". The state of this blanket.  I made it 20 yrs ago for my husband and will have to restore and renovate it sometime soon.  

 9. "Information".  layout of the caravan park, indicating stand positions etc. 

10. "Odd". A warthog and her little ones.  Must be one of the oddest animals, especially when they run away, squeaking, with their tails like antennae in the air!

11. "Soft".  My Rainbow Ripple, that I finished that weekend next to the swimming and campfire.

12. "Warning". Love this. Look at "Speed limit". That's another reason to go there.  

And that's it!.  It was a lovely weekend, while the thunder roared and hailstorm broke, we were very happily not sitting in  tent!  Hope to go back soon.

One-A-Day...Leandra's cushion (cont.)

25 squares have been finished!  

Plus four rows of edging...

AND I decided what to do with the back of the cushion.

Not a stripey crochet back.

Not a grand granny back.

Not a plain fabric back.

But...

After rummaging around a bit in the scraps that I know I have that's doing nothing in my trunk, I came up with...

THIS:

How's that for a perfect match?

Lovely piece I found somewhere as a sample of a discontinued line and wanted to do something with for how many years now...

So work will start tomorrow and I'll need to come up with a new One-a-Day project :-)

But first, I met up with two great hooky friends today:

That's me, left, after just finishing the edging on LC.

Adele, with her lovely hexagon blanket (I love the greenish-grey background! It's called Pepper, from elle Pure Gold, and I see it in my future).

And Loma, whom I wrote about in my previous post, starting out on a Roses and Daisies blanket. 

And the hard work washed down with an 18th ave cappo.

Thank you, as always, to Carole for hosting the One-a-Day group!  Let's a have a look at the other projects.

Winning Crochet!

We are so proud at our Facebook group Ons Hekel...one of our members has won the creativity award in Ideas magazine's yarn bomb competition!

Ideas/Idees is a lovely magazine and compares more or less with Aussie's "notebook". Now, they are planning a huge yarn bomb exhibit at this year's Homemaker's Expo and asked readers to contribute squares, circles, flowers - what you can think of, in knitted and crocheted version.  So we had a little CAL, at 18th ave B&C, a lovely local cafe, where a couple of us met for the first time in real life...

 
(that's your's truly in front left)

and this talented lady...

... later submitted not only this beauty,

... but also the winning entry:

Well done, beautifully done and congratulations Loma Groenewald!!

Tomorrow we'll celebrate with another coffee at 18th ave ;-)

One-A-Day...Continuing Leandra's Cushion

Aah...one week later...

The front of the cushion is almost done, 16 squares:

(Photos taken at night, with my mobile...aaargh)

Edging these in navy now. Three done, eight to go, joining as I go:

I'm loving the Vinni's Cotton! But still have to decided what is going to happen with the back of the cushion...will I crochet it?  Or cover it with some fabric?

Carole is hosting One-A-Day over at Gingerbread Girl.  Have a look at the Tuesday's Tallies for heaps of lovely ideas and inspiring projects!

One-A-Day...Leandra's Cushion

Disclaimer...I don't know WHAT's going on with Blogger.  It insists on rotating my photo's on the side.  Can't do anything about it. Sorrrrry.
Can't find my Dashboard.
 If anybody can advise, I'd be grateful for ever. Even on how to get back to the old Blogger.

I was meant to sew in the last few ends on my Rainbow Ripple.

I was meant to start with The Great Romany Blanket.

I was meant to continue hooking African Flowers for my aunty...

Instead I could leave the Vinni's Cotton alone and started with a cushion for newly wed cousin-in-law Leandra!

Vinni's is a locally produced, proudly South African 100% of the softest cotton yarn.

The colours are beautiful.

R27 a ball...

But oh, the quality!  And the colours!

And its part of some community project that I'll have to get the background of.

I might be saying goodbye to acrylic for smaller items :-)

So I've got 1 square, 4 almost-squares and 4 centres (working production-line here) and have decided to go for a 5x5 square cushion, joining-as-I-go and starting like this:

And these are the colours I'll be using:

And the pattern is Attic 24's Summer Garden Squares.

This is my first One-A-Day post of the year.  For more, have a look at Gingerbread Girl who is hosting One-A-Day, and where you will find heaps of lovely projects!

PS.  Found it. Vinni's Colours is the brainchild of Vinni Nielsen.  It can be ordered at http://www.purlescence.co.uk/

But have a look at www.besweetproducts.com to see what she's exporting to the US market.

Locally produced. Not available here, though.

Sigh.

PPS - What I learnt now about the photos: even though photos are upright in the Windows folder, it is posted the way I took it with my iPhone. New gadget, need to learn a few things ;-)

My ouma se knoop

75 jaar gelede was my ouma 'n 12 jarige dogtertjie in Laingsburg, wat haar eerste trui gebrei het.

Van daardie trui het sy nog 'n knoop oorgehad, wat aan haar sitkamertjie se deurknop hang.

En nou is die knopie by my, aan 'n hekelblom vasgewerk (Lucy se patroon), en dit gaan 'n borsspeld of 'n Kersversiering word.

75 years ago, my grandmother was 'n 12 year old girl in Laingsburg, South Africa, knitting her first jersey.  Of this jersey, she still had one button, hanging off the doorknob of her sitting room.

And now, the button lives in a crocheted flower (Lucy's pattern), to become either a brooch or a Christmas decoration.

iRead 2011

Ek het aan die begin van 2011 besluit om vir 'n slag boek te hou van die boeke wat ek lees - ek lees so baie en soms te vinnig, en dan vergeet ek! En ek het gedink dit sal lekker wees om terug te kyk na wat ek deurgewerk het.  Daar het wel 'n maand of twee verbygegaan wat ek vergeet het om op te skryf...maar ek pleit my nuwe stokperdjie (hekel heeldag), nuwe skole (Gr 1 én pre-school), aanbouing ('n hele nuwe kombuis...en so vergeet mens maar....

I decided this year to try and keep track of the books that I read - I read a LOT, but too fast, and then I sometimes forget what I read! I missed a month or two, but managed to get most on this list.

Mmm...nege boeke wat dit nie gemaak het nie...ek hou regtig nie daarvan om 'n boek ongelees te los nie.  Vroeër sou ek spartel en stoei en deurdruk met wroeging, maar het net besluit die lewe is wraggies te kort.  Ek hou van lekker lees, lekker stories wat goed geskryf is teen 'n interessante agtergrond, en as mens nog iets kan leer daaruit, des te beter.  Daarom dat ek hou van boeke teen 'n geskiedkundige agtergrond (Irma Joubert, FA Venter, Jeanette Ferreira, Chanette Paul), goeie verhoudingsliteratuur (Helene de Kock, Sophia Kapp), goéie Christen-fiksie (Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers) (en jammer, daar's baie minder goeies daar buite), lekker chicklit, outobiografieë, reis/erveringsbeskryings (Riaan Manser, Dana Snyman).


BOEKE GELEES

1. To save a life - Jim & Rachel Britts
2. Like Dandelion Dust - Karen Kingsbury
3. Die Kosmosland - Juanita Joubert
4. My name is memory - Ann Brashares
5. Beyond Tuesday Morning - Karen Kingsbury
6. Supernanny - Jo Frost
7. Pluimprinse - Malene Breytenbach
8. Die dood van die God van my vaders - Nico Smith
9. Second Chance - Jane Green
10. Fair Game - Elizabeth White
11. Izobel Brannigan.com - Christina Hopkinson
12. One Tuesday Morning - Karen Kingsbury
13. Tamara - Chanette Paul
14. The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
15. Every Now & Then - Karen Kingsbury
16. With love, from me...to me. A letter to my sixteen year-old self - Ed. Joseph Gallinao
17. Remember me? - Sophie Kinsella
18. Just beyond the clouds - Karen Kingsbury
19. Things I want my daughters to know - Elizabeth Noble
20. Gister is 'n ver land - Malene Breytenbach
21. Leaving - Karen Kingsbury
22. Sabbatsreis - Annelie Botes
23. Die tuiskoms van Mina Afrika - Zuretha Roos
24. Charlotta - Jeanette Ferreira
25. Volkslewe van die Afrikaner - Pieter W Grobbelaar
26. The Wedding Officer - Anthony Capella
27. The land of painted caves - Jean Auel
28. Droomdelwers - Esta Steyn  (oeps, hier het ek vir 'n week of drie vergeet van my lys...)
29. Die Oorwinnaar van Nooitgedacht - L Penning
30. Waiting for Morning - Karen Kingsbury
31. Iemand vir 'n scoop? - Marida Fitzpatrick
32. Die ongelooflike avonture van Hanna Hoekom - Marita van der Vyver
33. Seerowers, kameelkoppe & chillies vir tee - Ilze Salzwedel
34. Sjokoladesoene - Kristel Loots
35. Klawervier - Annelie Botes
36. Waar die hart is - Sophia Kapp
37. Learning - Karen Kingsbury (en hier's ook weer 'n groooot gaping)
38. Annabel - Chanette Paul
39. Willemien - Chanette Paul
40. Vlug in die Namib - Henno Martin
41. Sonbesie - Morné Malan
42. Dokter sonder grense - Malene Breytenbach
43. Bloedgrond - Malene Breytenbach
44. Shalom beteken vrede - Carl Steyn
45. Young Blood - Sifiso Mzobe
46. Lemoenseisoen - Kristel Loots
47. Boy in the world - Niall Williams
48. My Secret a PostSecret Book - Frank Warren
49. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
50. Home Truths - Freya North
51. Die Uitgespoeldes - Dalene Mathee
52. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
53. Shades of Blue - Karen Kingsbury
54. The Racist's guide to the people of South Africa - Simon Kilpatrick
55. Die ooreenkoms - Sophia Kapp
56. Energy - MJ Schutte
57. Kronkelpad - Irma Joubert
58. Thanks for the memories - Cecila Ahern
59. Suurlemoen! - Jaco Jacobs
60. One Day- David Nicholls
61. Lekkerlag Visstories - Pieter P du Plessis Taylor
62. Die Hemelburgers - Helene de Kock
63. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party - Alexander McCall Smith
64. Tuiskoms - Irma Joubert
65. A place called Freedom - Ken Follett
66. Die blou uur - Christine le Roux
67. Verbeelde werklikheid - Eleanor Baker
68. Huis van die wind - Sophia Kapp
69. Langverlof - Annemari Coetzer
70. Bitterwater/Soetdoring omnibus - Margaret Bakkes
71. Mijnheer Galant - Elmar Steyn
72. Die vlug van Francois du Buis - Elmar Steyn
73. Rain Song - Alice Wisler
74. A place called here - Cecilia Ahern
75. Around Madagascar on my kayak - Riaan Manser
76. Strangers on the 16:02 - Priya Basil
77. In the middle of nowhere - Tony Underwood
78. Hans du Plessis - Die pad na Skuilhoek
79. Sing you home - Jodi Picoult
80. The Love Verb - Jane Green
81. Deborah - Chanette Paul
82. Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach
83. Isabelle - Chanette Paul
84. Vlerke vir 'n visvrou - Chanette Paul
85. Die Lanternswaaier - SD Fourie
86. Maryn - Chanette Paul
87. Campbell's Kingdom - Hammond Innes
88. Living without Liesl - Douwleen Bredenhann
89. When the boys are away - Sarah Webb
90. Longing - Karen Kingsbury
91. Wildvreemd - Carina Stander
92. Hiervandaan - Dana Snyman
93. Haaitemmer - Wilreza Theron
94. Vat 'n gap - Jana du Plessis
95. Fleur - Chanette Paul

My boek van die jaar?

Sjoe, dalk 'n top 5 (oukei, 6)

1. Die dood van die God van my vaders - Nico Smit.  Wat 'n eye-opener. Mens moet dit stadig lees en mooi nadink.
2. Klawervier - Annelie Botes.  Maklik op my top 10 van alle tye.  'n sterk storie, so ekonomies geskryf, so baie wat jy tussen die woorde lees. 
3. Young Blood - Sifiso Mzobe. Een van my eerstes van die jaar, 'n dubbele pryswenner reeds, en 'n sterk debuut deur hierdie skrywer.  Die het hierdie leser se oë oopgemaak vir die lewe van 'n township-tiener, motorkaper en hoe fyn die lyn tussen die twee is.  Op my lysie van verpligte leessstof in hierdie land.
4. One Day - David Nicholls.  Dis dalk een van die hyped-up boeke en hyped-up flieks van die jaar, maar ek het dit regtig geniet.  Die karakters is min of meer my ouderdom en ek kon dus identifiseer met baie van die verwysings, dis goed uitgedink en het lekker gelees. 
5. Around Madagascar on my kayak - Riaan Manser. Vir die absolute wilde avontuur waarop Riaan jou neem.  Ek dink hy is redelik kens om te doen wat hy doen en ek sal dieselfde nie eens op 'n groot boot met baie, sterk enjins aanpak nie.  maar dis ongelooflik om op papier te beleef!
6. Huis van die wind - Sophia Kapp. Sy is een van my gunstelingskrywers, een van die waarvan ek die nuwe boek koop nog voor ek weet waaroor dit gaan en sonder om te dink of ek daarvan sal hou. Ek weet ek sal.  Hierdie verhaal, wat vooroordeel en rassisme binne 'n verhoudingsroman aanspreek, was 'n absolute gunsteling. 

BOEKE NIE KLAARGEMAAK

1. Dis koue kos, skat - Marita van der Vyver
2. Jaaringe: 12 Kortverhale - Henriette Grové
3. Woorde in die Wind - Kristel Loots
4. Kikoejoe - Etienne van Heerden
5. Naglig - Christa Jonker-Jordaan
6. Walking on dry land - Denis Kehoe
7. Onthou jy my - Elize Parker
8.  Brood vir my broer - Cor Nortjé
9.  Begeerte - Eben Venter

Ek wil nie baie hieroor sê nie.  Behalwe dat "pryswenner" in my oë nie noodwendig gelykstaan aan "goeie skrywer" nie. 

ONGELEESDE BOEKE IN MY RAK WAT GELEES MOET WORD (OF KLAARGEMAAK MOET WORD...) VOOR EK ENIGE NUWES MAG KOOP...

1. Suid-Afrika 'n Toekomsperspektief
2. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (WEGGEGEE)
3. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
4. How to study the Bible - John MacArthur
5. Coconut - Kopano Matlwa
6. A Journal for Jordan - Dana Canedy
7. The 5 Love Languages - Gary Chapman
8. How things are made - Rose & Schlager
9. Black Diamond - Zakes Mda
10. Mahala - Chris Barnard
11. The man who loved the Zulus - J F Scutt
12. Fascinating Womanhood - Helen Andelin
13. Knowledge in the blood - Jonathan Jansen (amper klaar!)
14. Star of the morning - Pamela Jooste

Oi, ek het hopeloos gefaal met hierdie opskrif, sal weer met probeer hierdie jaar! Ek het net te besig geraak en gevind dat ek beter doen met ligter leesstof (meesal) wat ek vinniger kan deurwerk.  Ek gaan werk hieraan, verseker...

En dit was my boeke-jaar 2011!  Ek begin die nuwe jaar met Ken Follet se "Pillars of the Earth", 'n boekrakstut van 'n boek, maar gaan hom klaarkry.  En is ook besig met 'n lekker nuttelose-info bundel: "What I regret".

Lekker!

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