CONVENT AND CHAPEL

Food, Glorious Food!

Published on December 28, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

Sweet chilli and lemon garlic grilled lobster tails for Christmas lunch out on the back verandah.

Lots and lots of salads as accompaniments.

It’s been a great Christmas at the Convent – my second in residence. The first Christmas here, I had my parents and eldest daughter and we did the whole traditional thing – roast pork, turkey, glazed ham, roast veg, stuffing, gravy, followed by pudding, custard, brandy butter, cake … lots of work but also rewarding.

Berry icecream, fresh berries, pavlova and cream - with Persian fairy floss. — Berry icecream, fresh berries, pavlova and cream – with Persian fairy floss.

This year I had both daughters and a friend staying and we were much more casual with seafood and salads – still work but mostly done in advance and a chilled day rather than being in the kitchen. We had grilled lobster tails for lunch, followed up in the evening with prawns and crabs – with a nod to tradition with the glazed ham. With heaps of salads, we have feasted for a few days, along with extra guests arriving. A ricotta, nougat and berry ice-cream along with pavolva and fruit has taken care of dessert as well. Add to this a barbecue last night and pancakes for brunch this morning (courtesy of Daughter #1) has meant a great deal of food has been consumed this week.

Pancakes with about every topping you can think of.

Now that most house guests have departed, it’s clearing up left overs and doing some Show knitting whilst catching up on a few new TV series – chilling out before the shop reopens next week (not that the shop ever seems like work!)

The girls at the post Christmas barbecue. — The girls.

Merry Christmas, Kandos Style

Published on December 25, 2014December 25, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

One of the many great things about country towns is the community spirit and how well locals participate. Kandos has this in spades. Everyone enthusiastically embraces events, the markets and …competitions. There appears to be two competitions in particular worth driving around town for – the Christmas lights and the mail box challenges.

These last two were a pigeon pair, next door to each other – two for the price of one. Note Santa and his reindeer sliding down the roof.

This year my daughters drove us around as we snapped just a few of many Christmas decorated homes – some people go the whole hog – reindeers (or kangaroos) pulling sleighs on roofs, lots of Santas attempting chimney drops, fully outlined houses, we couldn’t capture the snow storm on camera … but you get the picture. Some people go full out and it’s a lot of fun to see. A few other cars were also pulling up with us so we weren’t the only ones doing the viewing rounds.

Anyway, here are just a few. Unfortunately some didn’t photograph so well and the girls didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic as us in driving around the streets! The Convent on the other hand was far more subdued with the usual Christmas tree lights however the Grotto has fairy lights which is a nice touch.

More reindeer – we missed the kanga’s pulling the sleigh on another roof.

And Now It’s Time to Get Back to the Garden

Published on December 15, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

What with the shop and hot, dry weather, the garden has been a little ignored since the Centenary weekend.

The berry bed is lush and I'm picking plenty of berries for sorbets and ice-cream. — The berry bed is lush and I’m picking plenty of berries for sorbets and ice-cream.

So now it’s time to put a bit of effort back, particularly in reinvigorating the veggie garden with Christmas imminent. The grass has been shabby and crisp with dry weather but recent rains meant it became a rampant lush mess – taking a solid and exhausting hot day to mow.

The recently chainsawed privet is growing back well and already had its first prune.

The massacred privet also had taken off, which is good – I just didn’t factor it coming back so fast. It’s now had it’s first haircut and I’m sure will look great in future – just will now always require frequent hard pruning.

The front central garden bed is looking a little shabby.

The tired annuals are already coming out to be replaced with new plants that are seeding themselves. In the meantime, seeds are being collected from the old plants for next year. The colorbond fence bed is benefitting from the build up of old foliage.

That’s pretty much clean-up. Then it’s on to reforestation – with refreshing and replanting the veg beds. Next on the agenda.

Cucumbers, capsicum and rocket added into a refreshed bed.

Managing Social Media!

Published on December 8, 2014December 8, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

Having a blog has been lots of fun – having my own space to document and communicate my adventures with others. But now I have the shop, things are much more complicated.

So I had this blog and then I added my own Facebook page. Then I was told I needed a Convent & Chapel Facebook page for the location – OK.

Now I have a shop so I have a website (that is a full-on online shop and has a blog/news section. Oh, and its own Facebook identity.

I’m sure I’ll get used to it and it will all be worthwhile, but a little challenging and confronting to keep updated and relevant (and not repeat everything). I’d also like to do justice to all.

I particularly love this blog as it’s more personal and about my adventures and needs to do no more…

Showing Off – Our New Shop

Published on December 3, 2014December 3, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

We are so proud of our new shop, Convent & Chapel Wool Shop, and excited to boot. Everything is very new and we’re sure to make mistakes but it’s great to be learning so much and still having new experiences.

Our signature Convent and Chapel bamboo needles

Now the shop is open, we’re starting to promote ourselves more widely both locally with the tourist market as well as through knitting circles, particularly given we have a good online shop as well.

The back room is appropriately called 'The Snug'. It also is home to a comfy green leather Chesterfield couch. — The back room is appropriately called ‘The Snug’. It also is home to a comfy green leather Chesterfield couch.

Part of organising marketing for the shop was getting some professional photos taken, rather than just us with our iPhones. The immensely talented local photographer, Karon Grant, has stepped in to help us and we are just over the moon with our photos which we think do our shop much more justice than our own handiwork.

I thought I’d share a few shots with you so for the non-locals you might get a better idea of how the business looks. We’re still adding some more shelving and furniture (not to mention stock) but are nearly there.

The Hedgehog Fibre Collection from Ireland is attracting much attention - we love the names like Pod and Shamrock. — The Hedgehog Fibre Collection from Ireland is attracting much attention – we love the names like Pod and Shamrock.

Our Railway Green Market Day

Published on December 1, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

That's our bright yellow Convent & Chapel marquee over there! — That’s our bright yellow Convent & Chapel marquee over there!

The town turned out to welcome the train. Some went on a quick trip to Clandulla whilst the visitors had their lunch

This is the first time we’ve done the Markets at Kandos. On Sunday the Heritage Train arrived from Sydney and the town turned on a great display. As the train rolled in, it seemed like the whole town (plus some) were there to cheer on and welcome the travellers.

W're very happy with our marquee and thinks it looks the part at the markets. — W’re very happy with our marquee and thinks it looks the part at the markets.

Once they had left the train they headed for their luncheon venues with the choices of visiting the market stalls at the Railway Green or boarding a local bus for a tour of the town and stop off at the Kandos Museum which was holding a special railway exhibition in honour of the train’s annual visit. It is years since public trains have regularly run to Kandos, so this special tourist train means a great deal to the town.

Our wares on display. There's non stop knitting to keep up the supply. — Our wares on display. There’s non stop knitting to keep up the supply.

We had a great time at our bright yellow marquee, chatting to other stall holders, locals and the train-trippers. It was a good opportunity to promote our new shop and show off a few of our wares. Whilst rains threatened (which are much wanted), they have still held off and it ended up being A Great Day Out for all. Now a bit tired and grubby, but happy with our day.

Up close and personal with the train - it pulled up right next to the markets at Kandos Railway Green — Up close and personal with the train – it pulled up right next to the markets at Kandos Railway Green

Knitting Our Socks Off …

Published on November 25, 2014November 25, 2014 by conventandchapel1 Comment

… Well maybe more scarves and mitts.

The Heritage Train is arriving on Sunday at Kandos. At least I hope so. It was scheduled to arrive last far but unfortunately the shocking bush fires intervened and it was cancelled.

Anyway, this year the town is ready and we plant be at the markets at the Railway Green. For those who don’t understand the significance, the train doesn’t usually come to Kandos. The public train line stops at Lithgow and the line is kept open for industrial use only – not passengers. Train lines were once a major linkage between towns, but sadly no more. The lines through to Mudgee and other towns not maintained and we drive over bitchumened tracks all the time. Public transport to country towns is often non-existent. So the heritage train coming to town this year is a really big deal. Tickets sell out very quickly and we’s love to see it more often as it is important not just for commerce but also for the morale of the town.

We plan to be there with our yellow marquee and knitting goods welcoming visitors – we just hope the weather is a little kinder than the last week which has been blisteringly hot. Possibly not the best time for knitted goods, but we’ve found that we provide great presents for overseas friends and relatives who are in Winter and also have a range of cotton scarves for the locals.

Anyway, it’s more being part of the local action and we’re excited to see the train arrive and encourage it to continue.

A Year in Kandos

Published on November 19, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

It’s exactly one year since I moved to Kandos permanently and what a year it’s been! I found the Convent and town just over two years ago and so much has happened since.

I hadn’t originally planned to give up my career in financial services or even be permanently based here – somehow I thought I’d manage to balance between life in Sydney and the country. However country life quickly won out (the dogs actually decided first that they didn’t want to go back each time, whilst they would line up to get in the car to head out to the Convent).

So after leaving the job, selling up in Sydney and settling into what I thought would be the quiet country life, I’ve found myself with a brand new shop and a new career in retail, although my background has given me great training for the new venture.

For anyone who is considering making the change – I’d recommend it. Yes, it’s hard work to get there and lots of challenging decisions, but sometimes it’s much harder work not doing anything and giving up on your dreams.

I have a strong suspicion that this adventure is far from over.

End of Week One for the Shop

Published on November 17, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

So we’ve just had our first week of being open (we open Friday to Monday) and it was a great start! Locals seem to love having a yarn shop. We’ve had great feedback from tourists as well.

We haven’t started advertising yet, so that will be our next step as well as continuing to add items and keeping the shop well stocked with hand knits which will now reflect our yarn.

We’ve been inundated with requests for classes so that will also be high on the To Do list, but for the next few days it’s tending a garden that’s looking a little ragged and spending some time with the dogs who are wondering where I’ve been lately.

Our Big First Day at the Shop

Published on November 15, 2014November 15, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

The sign being erected made it seem very real

The Zauberball display attracts attention

Yesterday was our Grand Opening – not sure about opening a yarn store in Central West NSW in 40 degree heat, but it was still a great day.

We had locals and tourists through, made some sales and had a wonderful opening night with our new friends.

The library is building up - we have a broad range of reference books as Shop Copies and the For Sale selection is growing. — The library is building up – we have a broad range of reference books as Shop Copies and the For Sale selection is growing.

We think the shop looks great and seems to be getting good feedback. There’s still lots of stock we need and are seeking feedback from our customers. It’s tempting to take home many of the beautiful items but we are really pleased to offer some special treats and collectibles in the store.

Hedgehog Fibres from Ireland and Claudia's Handpainted Yarns from the US - hand dyed luxury fibres saturated in colour — Hedgehog Fibres from Ireland and Claudia’s Handpainted Yarns from the US – hand dyed luxury fibres saturated in colour

G’s daughter has been a great help in setting up our online store which we are sure will be a great supplement for business as well, so we won’t be dependent on foot traffic.

So now we’re open, the next stage is to start promoting ourselves, start some classes and drop in groups as well as add to the depth of stock in the shop.

Our new website – still in it’s infancy is

conventandchapelwool.com

It’s been a promising start and we are so excited about our future.

Golding Spindles - you won't see these in many shops. — Golding Spindles – you won’t see these in many shops.