Nundle Woollen Mill

While on our way to the Hunter Valley, just north of Tamworth, I saw a sign that caught my FULL attention.  It read,

Wool Mill, 

Nundle, 

Next turn left.

So turn left we did and discovered a beautiful village filled with country charm, surrounded by mountains with an amazing woollen mill.  

Now going to a wool mill with three young boys is interesting.  I could have spent hours touching all the beautiful hanks of wool, feeling the soft texture but small boys also want to touch, pick up and feel the wool.  However they aren't as focused on returning the wool to it original home!!  So I felt a few different ones, let them feel a few with nearby supervision.

The mill is well set up for visitors and tourists.  There is a store out the front with yarn, wool clothing and other wool products for sale and out the back is a platform above the mill so you can easily each stage of the process, along with more yarn.

There are large numbers on each machine with corresponding informations boards you can read and learn about each stage of the process.  The boys had fun finding each number and the board to go with it.  After being at our local historical woolshed work museum just the week before they now have a great understanding of what happens in the wool industry.

From the sheepdogs, shearing, pressing the bales, transporting with horse drawn wagons, opening the bales, carding the wool, spinning, plying, hanking, dying, coning and balling.  And then they see mum buying wool and knitting it into a scarf!!  I think I can safely say we have covered history and textiles this term in our schooling.

Unfortunately while we were there the mill wasn't running, much to my disappointment.  However, when I was purchasing (more) wool - I really couldn't help it - I asked how often they ran the mill.  The lady told me she would be starting it in an hour or so.  Oh, now what to do.  I so wanted to see it running but we also needed to be on the road so we would reach our destination for the day at a reasonable time.  The desire to see it run won out!! Now what to do with three young boys to keep them happy for the next hour.  I know - follow the sign that reads 'Park'.  What a great choice.  

This is not your ordinary park. It comes complete with sheep,  shearing shed and daily shearing recording board.  Once again due to our recent trip to the woolshed, our boys were 'shearing' giving me a full detailed explanation of what they were demonstrating.

When it started raining we headed back to the wool mill.  The hour wasn't up yet but I thought we should just go in and check to see if they had started.  And sure enough they had.  WooHoo.  We got to see the plying machine working.  It was so cool.  The boys sat mesmerised by it and wanted to stay and watch. 

 We will definitely be going back to the beautiful town of Nundle.  And next time, we'll be checking out some more of town because I have since heard there is a beautiful vintage kitchen shop in town too.

My new 'door'

After inspiration from bbeingcool and Country Style Magazine, I turned this old door into this new 'command centre' in my kitchen.

 The top two panels became a space where the next two weeks plans are clear for all to see.

The bottom six panels are magnetic blackboards for the kids to play, create and learn on.  The middle was so pretty I didn't want to change it at all.  Since it has been in my kitchen I've discovered that this space is the prefect spot for me write anything that I need to remember - phone calls to make, shopping lists or jobs to do, and to write fun messages to my husband!!!

New Things

Here are some things I recently received for my birthday.  These people know me so well.  All such 'me' things.

New picture for my veranda

A new cook book I can't wait to try out

A special old box for my sew supplies, surrounded by my current project. 

This box used to be my grandma's.  My dad made it for her to store her sewing things in.  I found it in the shed holding all sorts of random bolts, springs and things a while ago and mentioned something like that would be great for storing thread in.  So my mum cleaned it up and they gave it to me.  I love that is has such a family history.

Old Treasures

I've recently become the proud owner of some wonderful old treasures.

Crochet patterns that were my grandma's

Old cutlery

Ice-cream trays for home made ice cream

Old letter stamps/punches

Some of these things were inherited from relatives and other bought just because I love them and have plans for them.  Can't wait for time to get making/doing/fixing these treasures.

Weekend Clearing

This weekend I went to a clearing sale with my mum and three boys.  Here are some of the treasures I found.

A outside rocking horse for the boys

A beat up old tin trunk

It's going to be my wood box by my fire this winter

Old Things

On the weekend we went to an old machinery rally.  The boys love it and to be honest, so do I.  Here are some of the old tractors and trucks we saw.

A collection of various tractors

I love that the headlights look like eyes!

Look at those back wheels.

Grandads truck - always a hit (and we are allowed on this one).

No idea what this is - but it looks like fun to ride in.

We all went for a ride in these old drums converted into trailers - so simple but oh the fun!!

New Old Things

Over the past few weeks I have collected a few more old things.  I am so excited about each one of them.  An old iron, an old meat safe and an old (but electric) preserving kit.

I don't have great plans for this iron - it just brings me joy as it sits on our dining room table.

I have great plans for this one - hopefully one day I'll be sharing them with you.

This kits looks like work - but to me it is well worth it.  We are growing so much in our garden that we can't use at the time so the thought of saving it for later using this is very exciting.

I have a great contact when it comes to finding old things - my father in law.  He and I share a joy in finding and collecting old things.  I have him thank for two of these finds.

Loving the old things

This would have to be one of my favourite old things. This is a vintage bouncer. I have used it with all three of my boys and it always works when they need a little help to sleep or just calm down. The beautiful bouncing motion sends them off into a peaceful sleep - therefore I love it.

You can buy things that are similar now in the shops but this is the original thing (and cost me next to nothing because it isn't very pretty). The netting stuff didn't look overly comfortable to me so a quick sewing project by Gran gives us a wonderful vintage bouncer.

Eli loves it (just like the other two boys)

I wonder how many other babies have been bounced to sleep in this??

Saving the Jumble

A jumble is a biscuit that Scott's grandma used to make all the time. Apparently there were always jumbles in a tin in the freezer and you were allowed to get two out for afternoon tea. However, Grandma is no longer with us and so there were jumbles no more.

After Scott mentioning these jumbles again recently, I decided to try and see if I could replicate them for him. Now I think I should mention that I have never seen or tasted a jumble so I have no idea what I am actually aiming for.

So I did an internet search, as one does when trying to find something these days, but the recipe I found there was deemed to be no where near it. So we made phone calls to relatives to see if anyone had the recipe - fortunately, one aunt did. So we were on our way.

The next problem was the shape of these biscuits. Apparently they were a log shape with little bumps along the length of the biscuit. This was achieved using a biscuit pusher. But nobody really remembered what Grandma's looked like. And where would we find something like that now days.

My father-in-law found this at a collectors fair - he is so good at finding treasures for me!

Anyway after trying a couple of the inserts, we discovered that this is not what Grandma used. But a very cool vintage kitchen tool all the same. So time for more research. I found this next one on ebay with a description stating they didn't know what it was, perhaps for making biscuits. It turned out to be just perfect.

Well, now we have the pusher and the recipe and here is the end result. Biscuits just like grandma made.

We have saved the jumble!! Perhaps we should all think about what special things the older people in our lives make and ask them for the recipe or patterns now before it is too late.

The Woolshed

Today we went to the Jondaryan Woolshed. It is a working museum just 15 mins from home. This week was the heritage festival so there was heaps of action. After reading a book that talked about sheep giving wool to make a blanket, it was the perfect time to go see the shearing at the woolshed. Both the boys were enthralled by shearing.

It was a fun day out with so much to see.

And right at the end of the day, I discovered a group that meets once a month at the woolshed to spin wool. They were really friendly and said I can go and have a turn anytime I want to. I can just imagine the fun that is going to be - making my own wool and then knitting it too.