As I mentioned on on the Craftmas post, Team #renbecwen will be working our way through Attic24's Moorland Blanket over the coming few months (look at me being optimistic, as if my chronic slowness won't see me lagging behind the others).

We've all been long-standing fans of Attic24. She was one of the first craft bloggers we all fell in craft-love with, and quickly because a regular topic of discussion - "Have you seen what Attic24's been making?" "Did you read about that lovely market Attic24 went to?" "Oh, that is SO Attic 24!"

In 2010 we undertook what my memory is telling me was our first concurrent project, the Granny Stripe. Even to this day it's one of my favourite craft projects, not only for the end result, which is draping the back of my lounge as I type this, but for the fun we had comparing our respective blankets.

Lucy Show and Tell (1)


It was Attic24 who taught us join-as-you-go granny squares which was a complete game changer, especially as it came when we were doing our so-many-squared mood blankets.


20150101 Mood Blanket (3)




At present, Renae and Wendy are plugging away at their twin Hydrangea Stripe Blankets. Thus far I have resisted the urge to pit them against each other in a "She's winning, now she's winning!" kind of way.

photo by Renae


What can we say? Attic24 is our collective craft-crush. So bring on the Moorland blanketing!


Moorland


Moorland Blanket

by on Sunday, November 19, 2017
As I mentioned on on the Craftmas post, Team #renbecwen will be working our way through Attic24 's Moorland Blanket over the coming f...
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Fiction

Poetry


  • Crossan, Sarah - The Weight of Water
  • Kaur, Rupi - Milk and Honey

Drama


  • Bryant, Nigel and Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist

Non-Fiction (excl. NF picture books and graphic novels)

Graphic Novels


  • Allison, John, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar, et al - Giant Days, Vol. 2
  • Allison, John, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar, et al - Giant Days, Vol. 3
  • Almond, David and Dave McKean - The Savage
  • Almond, David and Dave McKean - Slog's Dad
  • Anderson, M.T. and Andrea Offerman - Yvaine: The Knight of the Lion
  • Bell, Cece - El Deafo
  • Bui, Thi - The Best We Could Do
  • Bunn, Cullen and Ramon Rosanas - Deadpool, Vol. 1: Night of the Living Deadpool
  • Bunn, Cullen and Tyler Crook - Harrow County, Vol. 1: Countless Haints
  • Bunn, Cullen and Tyler Crook - Harrow County, Vol. 2: Twice Told
  • Byrne, Jennifer - Reading Pleasures
  • Churchland, Marian - Beast
  • Colfer, Eoin, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano - Illegal: A Graphic Novel Telling One Boy's Epic Journey to Europe
  • Deacon, Alexis - Geis: A Matter of Life and Death
  • DiGerolamo, Tony, Rajesh Nagulakonda, and Mark Twain - John of Arc: The Graphic Novel
  • Gaiman, Neil, Fábio Moon, and Gabriel Bá - How to Talk to Girls at Parties
  • Gent, Sally Van - The Navy-Blue Suitcase
  • Goblet, Dominique - Pretending is Lying
  • Grolleau, Fabien and Jérémie Royer - Audubon: On the Wings of the World
  • Guibert, Emmanuel and Marc Boutavant - Ariol, Vol. 1: Just a Donkey Like You and Me
  • Harding, Justine - The Soup Bible
  • Hart, Tom - Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir
  • Hastings, Christopher, Danilo Beyruth, and Gurihiru - Gwenpool, the Unbelievable, Vol. 1: Believe It
  • Hicks, Faith Erin - The Nameless City, Vol. 1: The Nameless City
  • Hicks, Faith Erin - The Nameless City, Vol. 2: The Stone Heart
  • Hinds, Gareth - Poe: Stories and Poems
  • Hubert, Marie Caillou, and David Homel - Adrian and the Tree of Secrets
  • Jamieson, Victoria - Roller Girl
  • King, Tom, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Jordie Bellaire, et al - The Vision, Vol. 1: Little Worse Than a Man
  • Knisley, Lucy - Displacement: A Travelogue
  • Knisley, Lucy - French Milk
  • Konami, Kanata, Marlaina McElheny, and Ed Chavez - FukuFuku, Vol. 1: Kitten Tales
  • Lucke, Deb and Jim Salicrup - The Lunch Witch
  • Niffenegger, Audrey - The Adventuress
  • North, Ryan and Erica Henderson - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power
  • North, Ryan and Erica Henderson - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True
  • North, Ryan and Erica Henderson - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 3: Squirrel, You Really Got Me Now
  • North, Ryan, Erica Henderson, Jacob Chabot, et al - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 4: I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It
  • Nye, Bill - Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World
  • Powell, Nate - Swallow Me Whole
  • Prince, Liz - Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir
  • Pullman, Philip, Clément Oubrerie, and Stéphanie Melchior-Durand - The Golden Compass Graphic Novel, Vol. 1
  • Rucka, Greg, Ray Snyder, Steve Rude, et al - Wonder Woman: Down to Earth
  • Scott, Bob - Molly and the Bear
  • Shrigley, David - Weak Messages Create Bad Situations: A Manifesto
  • Simone, Gail, Terry Dodson, Ron Randall, et al - Wonder Woman, Vol. 3: The Circle
  • Soule, Charles, Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque, Dan Jackson, et al - Letter 44, Vol. 1: Escape Velocity
  • Smy, Pam - Thornhill
  • Spencer, Si, Max Dunbar, Andre Parks, et al - Slash and Burn, Vol. 1
  • Stevenson, Noelle, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, et al - Lumberjanes, Vol. 5: Band Together
  • Stevenson, Noelle, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, et al - Lumberjanes, Vol. 6: Sink or Swim
  • Tamaki, Jillian - SuperMutant Magic Academy
  • Thompson, Craig - Habibi
  • Vaughan, Brian K. and Fiona Saples - Saga, Vol. 7
  • Watson, Mark - Dan and Sam

Picture Books

Books Read in 2017

by on Sunday, November 19, 2017
Fiction Adams, Douglas - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Alcott, Louisa May - Little Women Asher, Jay - Thirteen Reasons Why...
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There's nothing more Team #renbecwen loves more than craft night, combined with some good food and plenty of glitter. It's our place-to-be for sure. With that in mind, I present a pictoral representation of Craftmas 2017.


photos by Wendy, Renae, and myself


I think it's safe to say that we all ate way too much caramel, and washed it down with way too much tea - basically, I think the theme of the evening was sugar (oops).

And it wouldn't be Christmas/New Year with the three of us if it didn't lead into a new project. Renae and Wendy went above and beyond in the project inspiring/gift giving department this year and we'll all be tackling Attic24's Moorland blanket in the new year - more info on this to follow!

Craftmas 2017

by on Sunday, November 19, 2017
There's nothing more Team #renbecwen loves more than craft night, combined with some good food and plenty of glitter. It's our place...
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Burwood Station

Day of Travel: Sunday, November 12, 2017

I'm rather fond of an outing, in no small part because I like the word 'outing', but I have decided that the Off the Rails project shall instead be 'excursions'. The preface of The Railway Guide of New South Wales states it's purpose as being "a convenient volume of reference for excursionists and others who travel by Railway in New South Wales" - and I so enjoyed the thought of being a habitual excursionist!

 And so, while this is not my first Off the Rails excursion, it is the first on the blog (I'll catch up on the others when I get a chance). Let's start by taking a look at what the Guide has to say about Burwood.

From the Guide

Burwood Station, 7 miles; 68 feet above sea level. - After passing Croydon platform, the railway traveller will at first only see a continuation of such scenery as he has been observing between Ashfield and Croydon. Nevertheless (just before he arrives at the prosperous village of Burwood) he may catch a passing view of the Congregational Church to the right, near the Burwood station; and he may likewise - beyond that pretty little ecclesiastical edifice - observe the Anglican Church on the Parramatta Road, with a good view of Balmain and the North Shore hills in the distance. To the left he will doubtless notice another handsome Anglican Church (which an adjacent school-house) on Burwood heights; also more bush scener, presenting a series of gardens and woodland glades. Near Burwood, on the line, he may likewise get a hasty glimpse to the north-west of the hill country near Parramatta. The passenger traffic at Burwood is largely fed by the residents of Enfield and Bankstown on the one side, and of the district between Burwood and the south bank of the Parramatta River on the other. Appointed time from Sydney to Burwood usually about twenty-four minutes.


The Excursion

I didn't really have much of a plan for a Sunday excursion when I got up this morning, but on putting out the call to a few people, Jo came through with a suggestion for a breakfast venture (always a win in my book). "Head to Burwood!" she said. And so off I went.

Unfortunately, I did forget to look out for the 'ecclesiastical edifice' of the Congregational Church when I arrived, but I couldn't let that lovely turn of phrase go unexplored, so here's the church in all it's (old and new) glory.



Once off the train I headed off towards Burwood Park... but not before seeing one of my favourite road signs ever, the one pointing to the library. Naturally I took a little detour and headed in completely the wrong direction, all in the name of adding another library to my global library visit map. And you know, it was quite a nice library! I took a few sneaky photos to put in my ideas folder, and absolutely adored the children's reading nook (always the best part of the library, in my opinion).


Burwood Library 1

Burwood Library 2


After the little library putter, I redirected back to my original destination. Jo had suggested a visit to 'The Picnic', a cafe in the middle of Burwood Park. It was a lovely cafe! So bright and airy, and just the right level of busy. It was the kind of cafe where, upon entering, you immediately wished you had bought someone else along so you could point out some of the prettier details.

The Picnic 1

The Picnic 4

The Picnic 7

The Picnic 5

The Picnic 6

The Picnic 3

The Picnic 2

After a delicious breakfast (I channeled Katie's love of a breakfast burger for some reason) I went on a leisurely stroll through the park - which was everything I want a park to be. There were people playing musical instruments, people doing tai chi, some dancers performing on a bandstand, and these hypnotising ribbon gymnasts (artists? people just playing with ribbon?)

Burwood Park


I sat in the park for a bit, watched the ribbons, found some ducks, got scared off by an overly confident wedge of ibises (did you know that the collective noun for ibises was a 'wedge'? I do love a good collective noun). I even helped a lady perpetuate her faux Instagram life by taking a photo of her 'exercising' - she literally stood in one pose long enough for me to take the photo and then she left the park - so basically, that was my dodgy good dead for the day.

Knowing that I had less fun teacherly plans for the afternoon, I started to head home... but not before accidentally walking past a Breadtop, which is my weakness. While there, picking out two or three hundred pieces of bready goodness, I discovered a ridiculously loud pounding coming from the other side of the wall. Eager to put off marking just a little longer, I went to investigate.

I followed the sound until it was so loud it was making my ears ring despite my over-the-ear headphones. Completely worth it though, because how impressive are these guys?

Burwood Westfield

In a world where I find it completely possible (inevitable) to trip over my own shadow, their level of coordination seems completely unfair.

Sadly, all excursiony excitement was, at this point, over. Homeward bound I was, glad to have crossed another station off the list.



Disclaimer: All text and images in this post are either my own work or being mused under Creative Commons.

Burwood Excursion

by on Sunday, November 12, 2017
Day of Travel:  Sunday, November 12, 2017 I'm rather fond of an outing, in no small part because I like the word 'outing...
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Sunset over rails


Nothing has impacted my wanderings more than the $2.50 cap on public transport on a Sunday. $2.50 for all the public transport I could use? What could be better than that?

I spent a few Sundays heading up the mountains for breakfast... wandering in the city for the afternoon... exploring a wider range of libraries. But, being the obsessively inclined person that I am, it didn't take too long before that project part of my brain started firing.

If it doesn't really cost you anything... you could go anywhere.

If you don't have to find a lot of money... you could go everywhere.

Let's. Go. To. All. The. Places.

Did you know there are 178 train stations on the Sydney City Rail network? Well now I do.



The best part of this project is that I'm not by far the only train enthusiast in the world, and a lovely librarian I know shared with me one of her amazing Trove finds: The Railway Guide of New South Wales. Originally published in 1886, it has some delightful descriptions of the stations and their surroundings.



As with any good projects, there has to be guidelines, in this case, just one: to mark off a station, you have to be going to that specific station, for a specific purpose. I'm not entirely sure how long it will take me to get through them all, but let's give it a go.



STATIONS

  • Allawah
  • Arncliffe
  • Artarmon
  • Ashfield
  • Asquith
  • Auburn
  • Banksia
  • Bankstown
  • Bardwell Park
  • Beecroft
  • Belmore
  • Berala
  • Berowra
  • Beverly Hills
  • Bexley North
  • Birrong
  • Blacktown
  • Bondi Junction
  • Burwood
  • Cabramatta
  • Camellia
  • Campbelltown
  • Campsie
  • Canley Vale
  • Canterbury
  • Caringbah
  • Carlingford
  • Carlton
  • Carramar
  • Casula
  • Central
  • Chatswood
  • Cheltenham
  • Chester Hill
  • Circular Quay
  • Clarendon
  • Clyde
  • Como
  • Concord West
  • Cronulla
  • Croydon
  • Denistone
  • Domestic Airport
  • Doonside
  • Dulwich Hill
  • Dundas
  • East Hills
  • Eastwood
  • Edgecliff
  • Edmondson Park
  • Emu Plains
  • Engadine
  • Epping
  • Erskineville
  • Fairfield
  • Flemington
  • Glenfield
  • Gordon
  • Granville
  • Green Square
  • Guildford
  • Gymea
  • Harris Park
  • Heathcote
  • Holsworthy
  • Homebush
  • Hornsby
  • Hurlstone Park
  • Hurstville
  • Ingleburn
  • International Airport
  • Jannali
  • Killara
  • Kings Cross
  • Kingsgrove
  • Kingswood
  • Kirawee
  • Kogarah
  • Lakemba
  • Leightonfield
  • Leppington
  • Leumeah
  • Lewisham
  • Lidcombe
  • Lindfield
  • Liverpool
  • Loftus
  • Macarthur
  • Macdonaldtown
  • Macquarie Fields
  • Macquarie Park
  • Macquarie University
  • Marayong
  • Marrickville
  • Martin Place
  • Mascot
  • Meadowbank
  • Merrylands
  • Milsons Point
  • Minto
  • Miranda
  • Mortdale
  • Mount Colah
  • Mount Druitt
  • Mount Kuring-gai
  • Mulgrave
  • Museum
  • Narwee
  • Newtown
  • Normanhurst
  • North Sydney
  • Oatley
  • Olympic Park
  • Padstow
  • Panania
  • Parramatta
  • Pendle Hills
  • Pennant Hills
  • Penrith
  • Penshurst
  • Petersham
  • Punchbowl
  • Pymble
  • Quakers Hill
  • Redfern
  • Regents Park
  • Revesby
  • Rhodes
  • Richmond
  • Richmond, East
  • Riverstone
  • Riverwood
  • Rockdale
  • Rooty Hill
  • Rosehill
  • Roseville
  • Rydalmere
  • Ryde, North
  • Ryde, West
  • Schofields
  • Sefton
  • Seven Hills
  • St James
  • St Leonards
  • St Marys
  • St Peters
  • Stanmore
  • Strathfield
  • Strathfield, North
  • Summer Hill
  • Sutherland
  • Sydenham
  • Telopea
  • Tempe
  • Thornleigh
  • Toongabbie
  • Town Hall
  • Turramurra
  • Turrella
  • Villawood
  • Vineyard
  • Wahronga
  • Waitara
  • Warrawee
  • Warwick Farm
  • Waterfall
  • Waverton
  • Wentworthville
  • Werrington
  • Westmead
  • Wiley Park
  • Windsor
  • Wolli Creek
  • Wollstonecraft
  • Woolooware
  • Wynyard
  • Yagoona
  • Yennora
-->

Off the Rails

by on Sunday, November 12, 2017
Nothing has impacted my wanderings more than the $2.50 cap on public transport on a Sunday. $2.50 for all the public transport I coul...
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