Is it safe to come out and play?

Three and a half years since the last blog post.

The world's been through tumultuous times.  

Like a turtle I retreated into my shell.

Bouncing Back to Blogland (Update)

Introducing
a new friend!

Well! Here I am, quarantining myself at home–what better opportunity to get back to blogging. As services shut down, appointments cancel, and the clamour of outside demands subsides, the slower pace is welcome.

My goal is to use this time to catch up on a lot of things, especially crochet and blogging, and I would love to have you along if you will join me.   

Festive Shamrocks to the Rescue

"We've been invited to an Irish-themed birthday party
and have nothing to wear!"

"Wear something green."

"I don't have anything green in my wardrobe."

"Okay. Maybe I have something green in the yarn stash ..."

Goodie Bag Winners!

We just had a long weekend in South Australia 

with a public holiday Monday for Adelaide Cup Day. 

The Adelaide Cup is a horse race. While the punters were having a flutter at the races, I decided that Adelaide Cup Day would be a good day for a  flutter or mini-sweep of our own by drawing the winners of Lupey Loops' very first giveaway.

Recovery Mode

Today is very quiet as I recover from the night before.
It is the Sunday after the Saturday night in the city.  
I'm sure we've all had one of those!

But it's not what you think. 

Pretty tame, really, but for a body like mine, an evening out without a nap in the afternoon beforehand is the equivalent of partying non-stop through a long weekend with no breaks.  Like a 'smashing' fun party, it was worth it for the experience and the memories but it will take a while to recover.

Sigh … Yes, there are beds to be made, dishes and laundry to be done and a house to tidy and a week to plan. Do you think I am physically up to those tasks? No!

So the next best thing to do is to laze around and catch up on blogging!  
(Yes, it has been quite a while!)

Housekeeping: in the Home and on the Blog

Mid-July.
Winter.
School holidays.
Tour de France on TV.
(Is anyone participating in the 'Tour de Fleece' activity? Not me.)

I am sitting in a house full of boxes and being subjected to paint fumes while my home is being painted inside and out for the first time since it was built 21 years ago.
Happy 21st Birthday home!

Marching into April (Update)

Well, well, well ...

Forgive me for not posting any news on Lupey Loops since January.
(Yes, January! [shock, horror] I can hardly believe it myself.)

Today's blog entry is as much to remind myself of news to share as it is to reassure you that I am, indeed, still alive!

Lost and Found

My how time flies!   

We have been living in 2018 for more than three weeks and it has taken me this long 

to get here to wish you a 

H A P P Y   N E W   Y E A R   ! 

A Bowl of Cherries

Cherries are one of the joys of Christmas in Australia.

They are only in season for a few short weeks. 

Battling Bureaucracy

So much to blog about, so little happening on the blog!
 
It’s not for want of trying but my attention has been temporarily diverted to bigger bureaucratic battles.

Royal Adelaide Show Results 2017

Here are my entries for the 2017 Royal Adelaide Show:

(From left:) Mini Backpack, "Love My Green & Gold" broomstick lace rainbow scarf, "Wine Grapes" tea towel top and "Fantasy Floral" silk mohair scarf.

A Quickie!

G'day! G'day!

It's about time I popped my head in here! 

Gee, has it been busy for me lately. Phew!
Where does the time go? 

I was lamenting to an acquaintance yesterday that nap time,* takes a significant chunk out of the available hours to get things done. Unfortunately, that person didn't know me very well or appreciate the necessity of rest for my 'lupey' survival so I wasn't met with much sympathy!


Even if you don't see much happening online at Lupey Loops right now, there has been much happening behind the scenes:

A Melancholy Mothers' Day

My children made me this card for Mothers' Day 2017.
The home-made ones are always the most precious,
don't you think?

The second Sunday in May is Mothers' Day in Australia.

While celebrating Mothers' Day with my own family last Sunday, there was another mum in my thoughts.

A Quick Blanket Teaser!

A teddy bear square
with satin fabric

If you are following the progress of the baby blanket with the satin backing,  rest assured, progress is being made!



Sewing needle in hand, I'm pleased with the way the satin backing is joining the crocheted blanket and I shall leave you with a quick new picture:

Self-doubt & Sleeplessness on a Wednesday Morning

Morning light and the house is quiet.
 
I've been awake since at least 4 a.m. after tossing and turning for hours on the warmest April night since I don't know when. The temperature remained above 21° C (70° F) overnight which is unheard of, for this time of year.  

Easter always heralds beanie and scarf weather for me–why are we getting summer nights in autumn?

Breaches of Copyright in the Blogosphere

Today I discovered that material from this blog has been illegally copied and published on another web site without my permission. 

Summer Scorcher

As usual, the weather waits until school term recommences in February before unleashing its full fury of 40+ degree heat (104+°F) on South Australia.

I'm laying low indoors, grateful to have an air-conditioner and praying that the power has not failed. Power failures in extreme temperatures are a common occurrence these days and the subject of much consternation.

It's been quiet on the Lupey Loops blogging front for a number of reasons.  I have blog posts in the planning stages but have put them on hold while I do the unthinkable: crochet to a deadline!  

To Help or Not To Help (Part 3): I Can Do It Myself!

People are often confused when I say "No, thank you" to their genuine offers of assistance.  While outwardly I might appear to struggle physically with a task, inwardly there are invisible benefits when I do things myself.

Quick August Update

August is turning out to be a busy month.

Fatigue is more than a nuisance and I'm falling behind on activities in both work and play.

To Help or Not to Help (Part 2): When to Say "No Thanks!"

This is the second post about the complicated business of offering and receiving help. The reason for this topic can be found in Part 1.