Play the blues in that blues town

On Thursday afternoon we headed up to Sydney to see The Waifs in concert. It was a fantastic show and they entertained us so beautifully and played old and new songs. Wicked. They were also playing with Clare Bowditch and John Butler, and while we adore both of those artists as well, we were really there to see The Waifs. Big fans, we are.



I'm amazed I got out of bed at all on Friday morning. I was physically and emotionally wrecked from two nights of nearly no sleep and walking for miles around Newtown on Thursday night, and then walking back to the hotel through Kings Cross (Jesus, give me strength) after midnight ...well, I was a tad frazzled. So we had an easy morning. It was easy until I attempted to start a toe-up sock. Bloody hell. So we went to breakfast. Eggs Benedict always seems to lift the tired soul. Ultra strong espresso does as well.

It felt strange being in Sydney on a work day. More relaxing, or something. We went into town and had coffee with Patricia in Martin Place, and then walked to Mecca AKA Kinokuniya, the greatest bookstore in the World. And they were having a 20% off sale for members! Bonus!



Vintage Crochet by Susan Cropper is a book I have wanted to look at for ages, but I couldn't find a copy here in Canberra. Yes, I could buy online, but until you can see what's in the book, often it's not worth it. This book is lovely. There are the usual variety of scary crochet patterns which I just can't seem to get away from - like a netting canopy made from 30 balls of Rowan Bamboo Tape (why??) and a lampshade with crocheted flowers stitched on it. But the book is overall a Lovely Book To Have with beautiful photos and mostly fantastic projects with poetic descriptions.

Crochet Me is another book I have been wanting to buy. When I couldn't find it anywhere but online, I asked some other crocheters who had it about the sizing in the book. Only skinny girl sizes here, they said. But on seeing the book at Konokuniya and looking inside, I could see there was more to this book than just the clothing patterns. Crochet Revolution, indeed. Plus Kim Werker is a top sheila in my book. And there is a pattern for this lovely messenger bag. How could I resist?

We got back late last night and this morning I was still feeling fragile so I put this together and hung it in the dining room.

It's our new IKEA Knappa light. If you look at it sideways, it looks like the Opera House. We have yet to renovate any part of our house apart from the roof, but first on the list is the kitchen and dining room. No $20,000 kitchen renovation for us though. How much is a 4 litre tin of high gloss red paint? That's what we're spending. Plus this light. It's just luscious.

Breakfasts for the next few weeks will be like this. Cloudberry jam on bread, and strong coffee. It was a clever Creator who gave us cloudberries, to be sure. Such pretty fruit and perfect in jam.

Today is almost like an autumn day. Surely not yet? I'm going to enjoy some crochet under a tree. I'll be seeing you all later. Much later.