Ciao!

Having an awesome time in Italy :D

Curiosity...

The new Mars Rover just landed on Mars.

A small step for Curiosity, a big step for inter planetary geology!

One of its tasks is to look for evidence of water flow on the surface, which is crucial for life as we know it.

Back in 2006 it was asked to apply for a Phd that had come up, looking at the sedimentary facies (environments) on Mars to look for evidence of water flow. While I have no regrets about not following it up, at times like now its hard not to think "...what if"

So next time there are stars out at night, look for the brightest one and say Hello to Curiosity :)

Almond and Raspberry Biscuits

I forgot to buy biscuits... and my sweet tooth was calling while I was finishing the second draft of my research proposal. So I quickly whipped up a batch of these. So easy and very tasty!

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Almond and Raspberry Biscuits

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1/2 cup sugar

125g butter/marg

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

Some Orange zest 

(though I used the juice of a clementine...)

3/4 cup Almond Meal

1 cup plain flour

Raspberries or jam

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Cream together sugar and fat, then slowly add the eggs and other wet ingredients.

Fold in dry ingredients

Spoon out onto baking tray in about 1 inch wide blobs (mine spread- beware!)

Put a raspberry or a small blob of jam into the middle

Mine made maybe 25. I'm not sure. I ate lots before counting!

Cook in oven at 190 til slightly browned.

Very tasty, but very moreish!

You could also add slivered almonds for an extra nut hit and a different texture.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No... its another sorbetto! Honest.
Though when does a pattern get so far removed from its original that its just its own pattern?
I made this a couple of weekends ago but havn't got around to wearing it. We're having some really cold weather here in Perth (less than two degrees in the mornings!) but I decided this top goes nicely with the cream jacked lilac scarf, so I'd finally give it a go.

I've had this fabric in for about a year... its really soft and drapey, and I love the colours and pattern. I got it in the sale at Spotlight for about $4 per m, which is awesome considering how nice it feels and how epic-ly wide the bolt is. It was earmarked for a dress, but since I'm aiming to sew more things I will wear I decided to make a top for now. There is plenty left for a dress when I finally get around to it!

I love the way the print works, just about catching the blue stripe again just off the shoulders.

So... how did I change it?

• The usual addition of a couple of inches to the length and bust darts that are more like the size 18 on the pattern.

• No centre pleat (just fold that portion off the pattern when you lay out)

• I faced the neckline with hidden bias tape for the first time. I think I stretched it while I was adding it, but I like the way it turned out.

• I made the back slightly longer than the front.

• I added kimono sleeves. Now, this picture looks really dodgy, but its basically what I did! I just eyed them in, and after cutting out the front I realised that there was no way the sleeve would fit if I cut the back out the same, so the back sleeves are an odd shape to add in some extra material. You can't see, because I matched the prints up, but if you look close from above the shoulder seams don't go straight across the top.

All the internal seams are french, as this fabric frays really well. So well that I managed to trap lots of frayed material into my french seams, so spent a while after it was done snipping visible threads from the outside...

The hems are done with my narrow hem foot.

Heres the back, and also my office!:

Yes, I know its a mess. 

I'm a student...

And since you made it so far, heres another taste of "practical fashion"

Riding my bike to uni at 6am, in the dark, on the coldest and shortest day of the year:

It worked! My ears and nose and neck stayed toasty warm :)

Carlsberg must do commutes...

Because I think mine must be perfect!

What better way to start/end the working day than by watching the dolphins playing in the river.

I see them maybe 2 times a week, and always try and stop and watch.

Life is too short not to watch the dolphins :)

It looks like they've got babies! The littlies were getting a bit over excited when I first stopped, but then the boat came over and scared them a bit and they started behaving themselves again.

But in this last video you can see one of the little ones getting a bit out of control and somersaulting out of the water at about 13 seconds in.

Too cute!

The fashion of the field

Fieldwork is not a place for fashion... its a hard place to even look half decent.
For example:

In my defence, it was a semi flooded mine. It was wet up mid thigh for sections. I didn't want to get my boots wet because they aren't high tech instant dry ones... I didnt want to get my trousers too wet because I knew that while they are relatively high tech instant dry ones, they weren't likely to dry off in the drizzle.

Hence borrowing some wellys from a colleague who didn't want to go in, and rolling the trousers up as far as they would go! The hard hat and light were necessary, though the pink polka dot elastic was admittedly a personal addition.

I do love the wellys though! And they kept the water in, so acted like a wet suit against the cold water!

Maybe I should work on some field clothes for September...

If in doubt, go with the original plan

So. I went for what I'd originally planned...

The Kookaburra sorbetto, dark jeans and a biscuit cardi.

The weather was crazy today- sunny then rainy then sunny then rainy.

I got pretty wet on the first half of the way to uni, but dried off on the second.

I love the old buildings at the heart of the uni!

I got enrolled OK, filled out the paperwork, went to my department, found my office had no desk and no computer, and the woman who could give me a key to the building had gone out... so mixed successes! 

The rest of the week I'll just "work from home". Its all reading and Italian at this stage anyway!

First day back at school...

... and I cannot decide what to wear!

Nothing feels right, me made or not! Eeek!

Back from Italy... moderately successful MMM

Well, its hard to keep up the me-made-ness when you've mostly made quite formal and fitted clothes then have to go hiking for a week! I went to tghe Piedmont region of Italy for 6 days. 2 days there, 5 real field days, 2 days back. Awesome, huh! The food was amazing- I ate soo much because everything was so yummy, and because I was with mostly Italians it was easier to find out what was good and/or a local speciality. I need to work on my Italian for when I'm there on my own!

But all in all it was a good introduction to my phd!

I took a few me made things with me; I didn't manage to get photos of everything, and the photos I did get are hurried, generally with wet hair :) I did sleep in my dino pyjamas every night, if that counts?!

See that jumper? Would you believe me if I said it was from ikea? ;)

The weather was variable!

Sunny...

Rainy...

Snowy...

But there were views that definitely made up for it!

All topped off with Gelato by the lake on the way back to the airport!

It was a long way to go for 6 days, but we had a great time. 

I'm nearly over the jet lag I think, though it took a few days.