maillot pois aux rouge! c'est ici!
In a valiant attempt at winning the polka dot jersey, an all night push was on to power through the shawl. Although 22 rows were knitted during the three hours of the tour, at 200 plus stitches with pattern on both knit and purl rows, it is definitely a steep climb, alpine like in fact.
To liven up the shawl, here it poses with the maillot jaune .
Labels: here be dragone shawl, Tour de France KAL
Recipe
My favourite recipe (all vegetarians please leave now, I can't help it, sometimes I eat lamb) *drool*.
Lamb in the French Manner, Robert Carrier, specialty of the little French town of Aux-en-Provence. Also famous as the birth town of Blessed Eugine de Mazenod, founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and spiritual leader of the youth of France! (thus neatly tying in the photos of food, and pilgrims following).
(yes, there is some French port, and a Calvin Kline CK mug on my sink for atmosphere - vive Francois)
Leg of Lamb, 1-2 cloves of garlic, Rosemary leaves, lemon, butter, salt and pepper,
Slice the garlic into slivers and with a sharp point knife, insert pieces into the lamb. combine crushed rosemary leaves, lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper. Spread lamb with mixture and place on a rack in an open roasting pan. Roast meat uncovered in a preheated hot oven for 20 minutes, reducing the head to ow for 20minutes per 500gms, or until done as you like it.
Subtle, and tres manifeeec (yep I speak French).
Serve with a good Chateau something, and Greek potatoes (which is a receipe for another day)
All the fresh garden ingredients for this recipe come from my garden, still a little sleepy as its winter, but very good for rosemary and other herbs all year round.
**************************************************************************
And then, the other half of the story, Saturday, I helped feed breakfast to 750 pilgrims at the local school. There is one photo of kids from New Caledonia (which is as close to France as I could get), but there were kids from Canada, the States, several pacific islands, Korea, Africa (Malawai - these ones spoke French too), and priests and nuns as well.
I have only included 2 photos, the second is a pilgrim who thought winter in Sydney would be like winter in Florida, and brought thongs (flip flops). He persevered though and put them on with socks! (all mothers sigh here, kids!!!!!)
The one in the Sydney Swans gear is a nun (no photo, sorry sister), this is one small reason why vocations in Australia fall, no one knows, from either your demeanor or dress, that you have dedicated your life to God.
mythos 002
With the WIP pinned out, suddenly there is a tail looped around itself, and at the top nearest the needles, two wings!!! (Go Cadel) but really go Team AG2R
Trying to find new and innovative ways to photograph what is essentially a pinky blog. Lace looks like so much nothing until blocking, or if I had enough hands, stretching so the pattern is visible. Last night I started the wings of the dragon, so the tail is done (it loops around itself) and the belly is progressing, but the true brilliance of the design will remain obscured until the end. Also, no matter how many rows are completed (151) yarn overs look like yarn overs .... sigh. Looking for good photo opportunities. Maybe before they all go home I can seek out a pilgrim.
Labels: heere be dragone, Tour de France KAL
Have I ever mentioned I am related to a family of clowns?? "Just hold it up higher mum, its not in shot yet!" "oh com'n, up!"
As you see this is the result. Bad petite, I am not yet at the stage of eating my knitting to hide the evidence.
As you can see there is a slight distraction in Sydney town at the moment. I am not housing pilgrims, but truly they are everywhere. Last night (7.30pm) picking up one of the offspring from a train station 20k out of the city, I was held up from driving as about 40 pilgrims streamed across the road at the crossing, of course in single file. It was funny, and they must have seen me smiling at them, for several smiled back. Even so far out in the burbs, its exciting.
Meanwhile the shawl progresses. completed 141 rows, doing okay so far .....
Labels: heere be dragone, Tour de France KAL
Progress (thanks to a weekend and getting up really early to do housework) is happening on the Dragone shawl. We all know that lace knitting with alcohol is a bad idea, but boy o boy, it was slightly cold, 4 degrees (C) in my room where I was knitting. About then I decided bed was a good option. Bright and early the next morning, after checking all was well, on I went.
And yes team, there are two life lines in this project so far. The first time I have ever used them, but ripping masses of twisted stitches is enough to give me even more gray hair than the kids did.
Labels: heere be dragone, Tour de France KAL
On account of a puncture/equipment failure (requiring some slight frogging) I grabbed the opportunity to finalise a parcel and have today sent it off to a new friend in Taiwan. The original Dragone will be continued on the weekend when I can have tres cafe to brace myself, and some peace to work.
Allez'tu mes amies
Labels: ise 6, Tour de France KAL
One quick post ..... sitting up late and watching the race is hard work. Don't think I would fancy cycling in the rain like our gallant garcons (tee hee French word for boys!!!). I am on the second charts (2 charts for this section), row 88. Could be finished by this time next year, darn work!!!! Keeping me from knitting!!!
Labels: here be dragone shawl, Tour de France KAL
Oops! While I am updating progress on things knitted, here is the entralac scarf (Noro sock yarn), which is the project on the go at present.
Labels: entralac, noro sock
Tour de France KAL is off and running and here is my first photo of my offering. Its the "Here be Dragone" shawl and is being worked in Wollmeise Lace weight (which to me feels more like sports weight).
Also, while I was away, my Bandit apparently played up, spending two nights away from home! Teenagers eh? Anyhow, since I got back he has hardly moved off my bed, curled up like this and making sad mew noises when I pick him up to put him in the laundry to sleep of a night. (I am totally not silly enough to let him sleep in with me, as he always wants the litter tray about 2/3am).
Labels: bandit, here be dragone shawl, Tour de France KAL
We also went to
Burning Mountain Nature Reserve, and found a stile!!! Just (almost) like in Jolly Old England.
This is smoke, surrounded by ash from the burning coal fire inside the mountain.
Then we bought a very small quantity of wine and olive oil, including a box of Frog Rock clean skins (cab merlot) yummm
And here are two of the bulls who used to follow up along the line of the fence each morning on our walk.
Our Holiday
.... in Mudgee, known far and wide for honey, wine, olives, and hence forth as the home of the really creepy, crazy frog .....
also the odd water tank (and art work)
tree of recycled water bottled (and disco ball)
And truly odd garden statue ....
When at home base (3 bed room cottage on Thistle Hill Vineyard)
we read and knitted with the slow combustion stove for warmth
watched the olive trees growing (and on a sunny day this was perfect)
and went for long walks around the property (where behind Kat, though you can see them are a pair of geldings), looking at the sheep, cows, bulls and horses. There was a fox who took up residence on the day before we arrived, and spent the next four nights driving the farm dogs on all the surrounding properties (as well as Milly and Molly at our place) crazy, teasing them and running around the place. Even I saw it for about 2 minutes as it frolicked among the olive trees.
We just "tapped" one kangaroo while driving, as evidenced by the slight cracking of one headlight guard. The bloody kanga was fine, Kat and I slightly less so ... very shaky. We were on our way to Mudgee Observatory (yes world I get the irony of taking Kat away from univ, the observatory, and the PhD, and taking her to another observatory, what can I say, cruel mummy is cruel! that's why we call her cruel mummy.) The night was a huge success (apart from Skippy) with even the Magelenic Clouds visible. The Milky Way was perfect, and there were many shooting stars between looking at galaxies I had never seen before, and I have a new favourite "t
he hamburger galaxy". It was a very clear night, and by 9pm the frost was coating the outside of the telescope (yep that's cold).
Labels: burning mountain, crazy frog, holidays
