Enter the tulip zone!

This is the inside of the organically grown tulip from a bunch of 5 we bought at the market for just $4. The colour of the tulips is just stunning with 2 tones of orange on the petals. As spring has sprung there are some amazing flowers to admire. At the market we have seen some glorious orchids that just love the weather here.

Dining in style

Here is a pic of our brand spanking new dining suite we scored at a interior design warehouse just down the road. It is a reproduction 50s design and is just perfect for our vintage decor that we have here. It is so good as the vintage stuff here is so cheap and it is excellent quality - this cost us a mere $180, bargain!

Happy 1st birthday to Liam...

Saturday :: Ashwin had his first birthday party to go to for a little friend of his - born in the USA, with parents from Melbourne. It was great fun to have a couple of wines while 'supervising' him in action. As Liam is allergic to egg he had a vegan cake, which was very tasty - chocolate with berries. It was Kaths first attempt and it was a success :) For those of us who like a bit of egg in our cake there was a backup carrot cake. Here is Ashwin looking very excited as there were loads of helium balloons to play with and we all know how the little ones just love balloons! He also had fun on the playset they have in their backyard which took a few weekends to put together - as it was a giant meccano set.

Da Knitting mecca....

Last Friday Shona (pictured - my knitting buddy), Ashwin and I went to Stiches West 2007 - Knitting Expo (see sign!) It was just amazing with so much yarn to fondle and the patterns - man, we just couldn't help but buy, buy, buy. This is one place to save some dollars for as there is so much under the one roof. It was laid out in the Santa Clara convention centre, so Shona suggested we catch the light rail, which didn't take long at all - our stop was Great America! The trip doesn't take that long when you pull your knitting out of your bag and do a few stitches on the way. When we arrived there was a line to get in which curved around the pot plant and back to the entrance - whew should have pre booked tix, think we know for next time (there's Shona in line looking very excited!) We scored this brochure listing the vendors and man there were so many how will we get to see them all... well we did manage to get through them all but the last few were a bit of a blur as Mr Ashwin had enough by then and was ready for bed. I was so excited as I got to see all the yarns that I had collected in my 'Fibres, Yarns & Fabrics' folio in real life (I did the folio as assessment for the Studio Textiles & Design course in Melbourne) and no, I don't have some strange fibre addiction!! We found some great wooden balls to do some shibori felting - which I am looking forward to but first I have to make the fabric for the scarf which is mohair - aaaaah I am scared as it is a really fine yarn!! Well that is another knit project that I have to conquer in time... for now I have a shawl in a beautiful wool from Chile and a hoodie for Ashwin in the project bag. Oh speaking of bags when we bought our mohair from these girls at Knitterley (who were wearing some very cool aprons) they gave us a great take away bag for our knitting projects. We ended up getting the same bird pattern as it was the coolest of the 3 designs they had on offer. We had picked up so much booty and were hanging it on the pram - it became quite heavy and with Ashwin as a counterbalance it was dangerous... so in the last pic I am using all my energy lifting the pram as it has just fallen over from being too top heavy and Ashwin is not too thrilled about being awoken from his slumber.

New seasons trends - fur and stripes...

A couple of fave shots from my shoot the other morning. A magnolia bud on macro revealing it's fur in the sunlight. Striped trees after a downpour, look closer and you'll see a little furry squirrel!

Bloomin' magnolias

The sight of magnolias in bloom - indicating a change of season is what I just love. It is usually at the end of winter letting you know that spring is on the way. Spring isn't necessarily around the corner here, it has been quite chilly lately with a lot of rain! Man it would be so good to send some rain over to Australia, from what I hear the water restrictions are at Stage 5 - which isn't good at all. The rain here comes one minute and then it goes leaving a cloudy blue sky and the next minute an ominous grey cloud brings the rain, which is quite fun when you are in it! Ashwin and I got drenched today doing our missions downtown, it was lovely. These pics are of some beautiful magnolias in bloom at a moment caught just after a downpour when the sun was shining.

Mum, not another yarn store...

As we were tripping to San Francisco for the day my mate Shona (who took us out for the trip!) suggested we go to the mecca of yarn stores in da city. Man, it was so cool and there was so much for us to fondle sorted from thick yarn to thin yarn. On one side of the store there was the natural fibres (50% wool and less) and whew there was a lot to look at - Shona is in the background of the pic. Ashwin tends to get a bit fed up when I take him to yarn stores, especially if I tie him up in his stroller - his favourite thing is to wander around and pull out the yarn from the shelves and I have to work out where it has to go. So thanks to Shona I found my next knitting project - a hoodie for Mr Ashwin in a dark green that Ashwin choose!

Peace man!

Here is a collection of my favourite pics from Hakone gardens. The blossoms that are around at the moment are very special. As we were at the gardens in the morning the turtles were out basking in the sunshine - these guys have a primo spot right in the centre of the pond. It is so tranquil to watch the fish doing their thing and this koi was hanging around the waters edge and I managed to get him on his food mission. The bamboo garden was small but the size of the plants reminded me of the bamboo at the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne. Experiencing the gardens was a peaceful start to the weekend.

Sticks and stones...

may break my bones and names will never hurt me... Here's Mr Ashwin playing with a stick in the water and he accidentally let go of the stick and his stick disappeared in the current... We just said to him his stick went for a swim in the pond with the koi and the turtles. He looks like a bit of a grub close up in the pic but he has had a cold so he has an endless amount of snot. It was very cute to watch him as he was having so much fun with his stick splashing in the water and I was lucky to get him to look at the camera!

Herons in flight...

I just loved this kimono with the fabric design of the herons and flowers. I just love any sort of textile design from Japan. This was on display at Hakone Gardens in a beautiful historical building which featured another kimono and some little Japanese dolls. Looking out from the verandah there were spring blossoms and the gardens in all their glory. Hakone Gardens is certainly inspiring and well worth a visit especially if you love the intricacies of design in Japanese gardens.

Koi drifting in the shallows...

As Saturday was such a glorious day, balmy and sunny we headed down to Hakone Gardens in Saratoga for some peace and tranquility. The gardens were stunning with wonders on every path. The violets were in bloom and the smell of the flowers enlivened the air with sweetness. This pic is of the Koi in the pond and there were quite a few of them. The moon bridge was a vantage point to see them in action. You could just sit there and watch them all day, aaaah the little luxuries of life - dream on!

the CA Legion of Honour

Last Friday we went out on a daytrip down to San Francisco with our mate Shona from Australia to view some artwork (a jewellery exhibition) at the CA Palace of the Legion of Honour (as Karen the Garmin 340 GPS pronounces words on her screen!) We had a fun time with Ashwin making friends with the yanks, eyeing off the art, enjoying a bit of culture and of course - for lunch arugula (rocket) salad with baby beets and fufu soft drink. Here we are at the entrance to the gallery which is spectacular...

It is all a bit fufu??!!

I just had to buy this soft drink for the name on the label it is 'Fufu Berry Soda' which basically breaks down to high fructose corn syrup in a bottle. These guys at Jones Soda Co are pretty hip with their advertising and need I say it the names of their soda. This fufu flava tasted like creaming soda and was very sweet indeed!

Cheetos anyone?

Walking along a trail in Shoreline enjoying the peace and quiet of the area I discovered a smell all too familiar of wattle and home back in Australia. These cheeto shaped flowers is what I found in the bright sunlight when I looked around to see what it was. This tree was in full bloom and it was delightful to see spring in all it's glory.

Ground Squirrel Day...

Oh no, not another squirrel pic! I like this shot as he was saying 'buzz off with that camera paparazzi - I am trying to have some lunch!' This one had a partner and they hang out near their little nests together, from what I've seen anyway. Usually when the sun is shiny and warm they are out and about having a feed.

Duck and cover...

Ashwin had a surprise as he was snacking on his lunch and turned around to find himself a couple of ducks waiting to attack his crumbs. As he enjoys saying the word 'duck' when he sees them, he was a bit too shocked to say anything when he saw them so close. There were three ducks waiting in the wings for the tasty rice cake.

It's finger Lichen good!

No typo - just referring to the pic of the close up of the lichen that I found on a tree in Shoreline park. The colour of the lichen contrasted against the blue sky. As I have been having fun recently with the macro lens on the digital camera it is good to take (yet another) experimental shot of organic matter.

Mackaroni & cheese please

Due to Ashwin being the star of the family the cats are no longer centre stage! Those were the days when all the pics on the camera were cats but alas, they are mostly of Ashwin. As I was trying to get a decent shot for the cool cat website i can has cheezburger - you have to look at the site to understand the rest of this story. Maybe we can come up with something for this pic like 'where is me body?' or 'I has head'. Anyway if you feel like wasting some time and enjoy lolcats click on the link and have a laugh!

Junk food feast...

Here is lunchtime at 'The Jungle' as you would expect at any childrens establishment here in America we will feed your kids junkfood. On the menu was pizza and soft drink - hey what more could you ask for! Well the pizzas were of the thick base variety (not my flava at all!) and to balance that out you scored a salad with a bag of dressing and a soft drink. As I don't really go for this type of menu I didn't know what drink to choose so I choose the ice tea with raspberry from the endless amounts of options you can choose from! This is a medium sized soda (soft drink) which takes up most of Ashwins face, man I wouldn't want him sampling drinks from the large cup, we wouldn't see his face at all!!

Welcome to the Jungle!

On Wednesday I went out with a friend who I met down at the park who has a 12 month old little girl. We went to a place in San Jose called The Jungle. It is a jungle themed indoor play centre for kids - perfect for rainy days. We had planned to go to the discovery museum as Bahar had not been but it was raining so we went somewhere close by. The little ones had some fun and so did we, laying around on the balls with the little ones. Ashwin just loved them and enjoyed us kicking them about to him. We also found some rides there and as I call Ashwin 'Snoops' as he snoops around everywhere, here he is with Snoopy and woodstock!

That's wild man!

Yep we found some Canadian wild salmon at the Farmers market downtown Mountain View. We are under the guise of "vegetarian" while we are living in the USA, due to the mass production of foods here. Well the whole thing comes down to ethics and whether the animal has had a happy life and not lived in a cooped up hell or where fish are concerned caught on a trawler en mass. This wild salmon was caught by Indians at their reserve in Canada and then flown down same day to California. And it was just delicious - it was the richest flavour of salmon I have ever eaten. We had it with penne and capers in a cream sauce, mmmmm deeelish fish!

Yee hah it's a country bumpkin!

Oh another pic of Ashwin, oh no! I found a collection of unused farming equipment rusting away under a big tree. Great photo opportunity I thought! Here is Mr Ashwin with a hugh wagon wheel - ooooh Wagon Wheels, wonder where I get them here??!! Anyhow I digress, think it was a plough wheel or something of that sort...

Come on Spring do your thing!

Here are some little daisies shot against some lush green grass that are ubiquitous here in a country that worships the green. Spring is on it's way, well it will be here around the 20th March. The blue sky pic are of a couple of Bluejays - if you look closer you can see their blue feathers. This was a mother and a youngster, as I saw one of the birds stuffing food down the other ones beak - so cute to watch. Speaking of birds - check out 'The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill', it is such a great film (was at MIFF a couple of years ago!) and you get to see San Fran in all it's glory amongst some impressive shots of the parrots close up and in action.

We going to take you higher & higher!!

Here is the trail we were on - this doesn't really capture the elevation but it really was a great workout if we did have the energy. Liane is in the front and James and little Ashwin are looking around. We have this great backpack carrier for Ashwin but he is getting so heavy now so I can understand if James is tired before anyone else!

Look out - it's a newt!

First our hiking buddy Liane (who came to meet the meetup crew in our carpool) found a newt and then James found this little fella who came wandering by the hiking trail - there were actually a couple of them going in opposite directions. They looked pretty cool with an orange underbelly and little eyes. It was great to see small wildlife amongst the leaf litter, as they are quite camoflagued amongst the winter tones of the dead leaves. This little guy was about 10cm long and sauntered along as if he was on a mission.

Hiking around the Sanborn trail...

We were going on a hike on Saturday with our usual meetup.com crew but they were no where to be seen (as we left the detailed directions at home). The crew were at the top of the trail doing the Skyline-Sanborn trail! We found the Sanborn reserve that was just beautiful with deer feeding in the picnic grounds. We ended up hiking from the bottom up and there was too much elevation for us, so we enjoyed the fresh air of the forest and came back down with some warmed up legs!

How about a treat, little kitty??

As we were slack and ran out of cat food for the week I had to find something for the cats to snack on before we went shopping on the weekend - only one day! If you look closely at this cat his tounge is hanging out - what a cool photoshop job. I've never seen our cats do these tricks - juggling their cat food, tongue to the side!! These treats were heart shaped and tuna flavour and the cats just loved them - they should have a been a gift to the cats for valentines day!

Get pickled

Man oh man why does everything have a pickle on the side. They seem to be the biz over here when you order some food - I just had a vegetarian sandwich and there it was with corn chips & pickle on the side??!! Ashwin was keen to taste it but after a while he threw it on the floor in protest of 'what the hell was that!' This pic is at a European bakery on The Alameda that sells the most tastiest spinach & cheese croissants - they are across the road from my favourite yarn shop 'commuknity'.

Muffler Man

Whoa this guy is huge - first time I saw him I thought can't wait to get a camera under this giant! This is the best I could do at the time as I was on a mission to buy some yarn & enjoy a croissant... As you can tell by the scale of the lightpost & van, this icon of mufflers is massive!! Very strange but kind of cool as well. So if anyone wants to check him out he is on The Alameda in San Jose, a very long street with signage on some stores that have not been updated since the '70's man! Worth a stroll...