Rocking Your World 2014; Week 10

Today I was reading my friend's blog and in with a longish, humorous post about 'The facts of life at various ages', I spotted this quote, and I thought it summed up the ethos of this challenge so well. 

Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way; 
BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

If you are unsure of what I am referring to, pop over to Virginia's blog, Celtic House, and read about the positive approach we have to our weekly ramblings. (Well they are ramblings from me anyway, because that's just the way I am).

But first I will start with my Smile of the week which will be linked up to Annie's Friday Smiles. This week it is some colourful knitting donated to my Knit for Africa Project. The first, a colourful blanket and lovely little jumper and hat set, was left for me at our local bar, by a lady I don't even know. She had heard about what I am doing and wanted to help. Isn't that kind?!

I started this project about two years ago, and originally I just intended to send one small parcel of knitted vests and hats to a blog friend who was collecting them for an African charity, but somehow it just grew, and now occupies a lot of my time. My entire dining room is taken up with knitted donations and wool, and I field enquiries from all around the world. And my friends at church and at my Wednesday sewing group, are so generous with their time and efforts, as well as the materials that they buy. I am overwhelmed by them all.

Some folk are happy to knit but are daunted by the

prospect of sewing things up, so they make blanket squares for me. This week I decided to sort them out and found I have 284 of them! And there will be more when I go to my group next Wednesday.

They look so lovely and colourful all together.

I have already stitched together one blanket and I learned a new crochet stitch for edging it which I like. I am sure I'll be using it again as all the blankets need some sort of edge to finish them off properly. Now I have stitched the next blanket together but this one needs a wider edging to bring it up to the required size. So that's my next job.

So a big thumbs up to all my knitting/crochet friends, and to the local Lions club who have given me some generous donations to buy more wool.

I am grateful to my kind husband who this week has helped me with tasks around the house such as washing the floors and changing the bed linen, and also came with me for my monthly shop, (He is not normally very domesticated), while my back has been playing up. It is slowly getting better but still feels very weak, so his help has been appreciated.

I was very grateful for another gift this week. The men who look after the orange grove around our neighbour's house, because she now lives away and only visits occasionally, came over this week to tidy up the trees and dig the ground over. One man cut back the 'other side' of our bougainvillea, which we cannot reach, which is good for the plant. 

Another was picking some oranges when I went out

to hang out the washing, and he asked me if I'd like some. A few minutes later he handed a big bucketful over the fence. I got Chris to take them and tip them into a box so we could give the bucket back. They are really nice ones so we'll be juicing most of them over the next few weeks.

I have been stirring my brew again today but this time the mixture is a different colour. I took a break from making marmalade to do a batch of strawberry jam. Several folk have asked me when I will have some, and I had run out myself, so, as the strawberries had dropped in price a bit this week, I decided to make it. There are twenty or so jars lined up in the kitchen now, awaiting their labels. I think it has set well, and if it tastes as good as it smelled while I was making it, then it will be fine.

A couple of photos from the garden now. I did warn

you that you'd be seeing more of the pink jasmine, so here it is. Just look at the flowers on it now. I have never known a jasmine that flowers so freely, and they will last for several weeks. Everyone who walks passed the house, stops to talk to us about it. (I took this photo just at dusk, so the colour doesn't look as pretty as it does with the sun on it).

This is the other flower that can now be seen

wherever you look around here. It is one species of acacia, but I know it as mimosa. I believe my Australian friends call it wattle. There are other types out here, but this is the most common one. When I was growing up in UK,  I remember it as something quite exotic, that you might get a spray of in a wedding bouquet or expensive flower arrangement, but I never imagined I  would have it growing in my own garden. The tree in this photo is the one my son cut down almost to the ground just a year ago. I love to see it, but it gives me hayfever, and one tree is right outside my craft-room window! In a few weeks, the pollen will turn our swimming pool to custard, and the yard will be yellow, even staining the dogs feet! Then the tiny black seeds will be everywhere, and when the late summer winds blow, the leaves will all come down. So all-in-all, it make a lot of work for us, but I still like it!

And of course, we are ending with some sky photos. One evening this week I was playing around with the settings on my camera, and the angles used for each shot and I got some pretty cool photos. I like this one.

The wind was chilly and I soon went inside, but half an hour later I rushed out again when I looked through the window and saw this.

The next evening I took this one, with the same conical cloud formation. It must be the high winds we have been experiencing most afternoons.

And that's about it. I sure have rambled on for a week when I have done very little!

Thank you to the kind folk who wade through my waffle each week, and take time to leave a comment. I do appreciate you all.

Now I must pop over and link these up, as it will soon be Saturday. It will here anyway.