Spending An Evening

I sewed myself this li'l bag on the weekend. It cost me more than $50 in materials and took about three hours.

Really, I could have just gone out and bought one - or two - for that money. But I reassured myself that it's all about the PRACTICE and EXPERIENCE.

I plan to make another one in the next week or so. I was going to start tonight, but, well... I just ended up taking photos of fabric stacks, thread and pin cushions instead.

Photography is probably a cheaper way to spend an evening than sewing, to be honest.

Socially-Retarded Manner

Today, I booked the dog into a 'pet resort' over the Christmas break. We've never put her into a kennel before and I am mildly concerned because, while Maisie is great with people, she's kind of socially inept when it comes to other dogs.

Her usual tactic is to nip quickly at other dogs who come to give her a sniff and a hello. It's a quick, sheep-dog nip clearly designed to try and convince these other animals to fall back in line and respect her herding authority.

It doesn't work. Generally the other dog retaliates, usually with an escalated level of aggression, then Maisie runs and cowers under the nearest bench.

When I booked her into the kennel (sorry, pet resort) they asked me whether she was aggressive. Not wanting to lie, I ummed and ahhed... and then admitted that she could be a bit nippy.

My mind was put at ease. "She's a sheep dog, that's what they do," kennel lady said.

Hopefully, Maisie can get through 10 days without managing to get herself mauled through her socially-retarded manner.

And if not, well, she can just hang out in her kennel, where I'm SURE she'll enjoy the 24-hour a day relaxation music played for the doggies pleasure.

On Headwear

It was pretty cold at home over the weekend, cold enough that I got some beanie time in. I love wearing beanies, mainly because Dan thinks they look ridiculous and I really love doing things that Dan thinks are ridiculous.

Before we went to the UK earlier this year, I bought a fantastic bright red sequin beret. I envisaged myself swanning the streets of Edinburgh with it on, stopping traffic with my fashion-forward stylings.

Dan agreed. "Babe, between your hair and the hat, you look like a traffic light,' he said, bluntly.

He loathed that beret with a passion beyond his usual dislike of beanies and fascinators and headbands.

Seeing his face literally contort with horror every time I put it on, I eventually gave in and put it back in my suitcase and it hasn't been worn since.

Looks like I'm sticking to more neutral pastel-coloured headwear this Winter.

Little Crevices

Ok, I admit it, I'm disappointed.

Once again, that demon entity - that Lucifer to leisure, that slayer of idle dreams - has ruined my weekend.

I refer of course, to work. More specifically, the fact that Dan now has to work tomorrow and yet another weekend at Karragarra Island has been cancelled.

Dan and I work full-time Monday to Friday, but currently our jobs are encroaching into our evenings and weekends and the little crevices of space we try to eke between our growing days.

As we both take on more reponsibility and become more involved in The Things We Do All Day, the time when we're NOT doing these things has become less and less.

For now, we've agreed to roll with it. This too shall pass. We're young, childless and our relationship is solid. We are both making our marks on career paths that, for the most part, fulfil us and will lead... somewhere.

For now, this is where we're at.

That said, I still feel bitterly disappointed when another weekend is cancelled, knowing that once again my Saturday will be spent either cleaning the house or hammering away on my laptop or grocery shopping or some combination of the above and not over at Karra, lying in front of the fire or wandering along the foreshore with my camera.

An old jetty near the Eastern tip of the island.