Best wishes to you all!

Wherever you are and whatever you celebrate - or even if you don't celebrate at all - best wishes for a season of peace, love and lots of dark chocolate.

Green too!

Not all the leaves we saw were traditional autumn colours.....Vancouver Island is very green.

Mossy trees.....

 ......more mossy trees, aren't they interesting shapes?

 Moss on a fallen tree.

 Not a wonderfully fabulous shot of the sign, however it was taken to remind us where we were.

I suspect if you stayed in the forest too long you would grow mossy arms and legs too.

Sadly our trip is receding in our memories as we have been really busy since returning, but we have souvenirs, photos and memories to remind us.

We have been so busy that one decoration, not one bauble, not one strand of tinsel, has been put out to decorate for Christmas!  Oh well, there's always later today or perhaps tomorrow morning.  Probably should make the effort to glitz the place up a bit.

Now my thoughts are turning to the quilt group challenge due at the end of February, to make a quilt for donation to the local Ronald McDonald House out of fabric we were given.  My fabric is random orange spots on white, very bright and cheerful; when we first drew our wrapped fabrics out of the bag I scored a piece with pretty pink flowers and green leaves and bits of blue.  Oh so pretty, and oh so not me.  Margaret sitting next to me drew the orange spots and shuddered......I was shuddering at my draw......so we swapped.  Found this pattern which will do nicely; the diagonals will be made in yellow-gold solid so when the large pieces are sliced and diced it will have gold setting triangles.  I worked it out carefully.  I am such a freakin' genius, am I not?

Meanwhile, the tumbler quilt is coming along nicely.  To start with they are being joined in pairs, one darker (or one lighter, depending on where you stand with such things) than the other.  No colour matching, nothing, just totally random.  Then they will be joined in fours, once again randomly.  Quite a lot was sewn in Canada so that will also be a souvenir when it's finished; even the quilting thread was bought in Toronto.

It's warming up here in the Small Smoke, and I am not enjoying it.  Because we're inland we don't usually have to suffer much humidity, but it's the stormy season which has raised humidity levels.  Last night's storm was a doozy.  When one is at home one sheds layers, but there are limits to what one removes in public when one is no longer young and slender. 

Ah well.  One suffers in silence, or tries to.

All the music gigs are done for the year, the only commitment remaining is a two-hour stint at the historical museum tomorrow afternoon with my 87 year old friend Bonnie who grew up with my aunt in a town a couple of hours north of here.  We always have quite a laugh, even if we are laughing at something we laughed at last time we were on duty together.

"Deference to elderly people.
A young lady should show the same deference to an elderly lady that a gentleman does to a lady.  It may also be said that a young man should show proper deference to elderly gentlemen."

Yes, that sounds like Bonnie and me.

Enjoy your days!

Leaves, leaves and more leaves

My photos have been loaded onto the computer but they aren't yet captioned; if it's not done soon we might forget where they were taken.  After tomorrow's gig there will be more time.

Isn't this an amazing colour?  It's called Burning Bush.

 Some golden goodness across the river.  This pic and the one above were taken in Parry Sound, Ontario, on a cold slightly snowy day.

 Fallen maple leaves in the rain, in Goderich.

 More fallen leaves on a damp day in Bayfield.

So many colours - the reason why our trips to Canada have been in autumn, it's such a beautiful season.

We are settling back into our usual routine although I did hit the ground running, as two days after we arriveded home the uke group had a gig at a small church just out of town; it was a 'thank you' early Christmas lunch for church helpers, and as we have played at their monthly markets during the year we were included.  We were the entertainment, and we were also recipients of a very nice lunch.

Tomorrow's U3A Christmas lunch will be more Christmas songs which we are now getting good at playing.  By next November we will have forgotten them all again, you know.

We had a great time in Canada.  Our boy is doing well and we really enjoyed our time with him and his lovely partner; she and I had a few 'girls days out' together, to a craft festival, a quilt show and a textile museum.  I think of her as the daughter I didn't give birth to and wish we could see more of each other - but it is such a long way!

Honestly, I don't think I can do that long flight again.  Plane seats have become thinner and more uncomfortable (probably keeping the weight down) and 20 hours spent in one of those seats when one has a sore neck anyway is hard work.  We can't afford the expensive seats up the front, and in any case would rather have the money to spend at our destinations than in getting there.  Add to that humping one's bags around airports, lots of self-service stuff - checking in and going through customs and security is all about 'do it yourself' these days but of course we don't get a discount for that - it's not fun any more, if indeed it ever was.

Ah well.  Our boy said they would come and see us in a few years, his first visit back since leaving in February 2005 - that will be wonderful.

"The comfort of others.
In seeking his own comfort, no passenger has a right to overlook or disregard that of others.  If for his own comfort, he wishes to raise or lower a window, he should consult the wishes of passengers immediately around him before doing so.  The discomforts of travelling should be borne cheerfully, for what may enhance your own comfort may endanger the health of some fellow-traveller."

These days, sadly, it's everyone for his or her own self, and be darned to anyone else.

Enjoy your days!

We're back home!

We have returned from the land of maple syrup, bacon and snow.  Pictures have not yet been uploaded from my camera, but will be in due course.  Right now I'm trying to stay awake......we only arrived home yesterday afternoon.

I'm getting a bit old for this, you know.

Au revoir!

We will be leaving in barely two days, and there is so much to be done between now and then that I won't have a chance to write anything more until we return in a couple of months.

You will hear all about our holiday, until you are probably bored senseless.

Enjoy your days!

Meet the newest member of the Thursday night choir

This is Reggie.

 He's only a little feller, just a few months old, and his hopping skills aren't very well developed yet.

His mum was in a traffic accident and didn't survive, but Reggie was rescued and now lives with a member of the choir and her husband.  When he is bigger - another eight months or so - he will go a local marsupial park to be with other kangaroos.

The countdown is now on - just nine days until we drive to the Big Smoke, and ten days until we fly!  Now that the week is finally over (one of the busiest weeks we have had for a long time) we can concentrate on packing Stuff which has to be taken and Stuff which, if it's forgotten, won't stop the world turning.

My quilt pieces only weigh a smidgeon over 620 grams which is less than 23 ounces in old money, so they will be on the trip with me for sure!  When I quoted 840 pieces that was a miscount because I forgot to allow for the 48 half pieces for the sides.......so, 888 pieces.  Apparently the Chinese regard 8 as a lucky number so three eights must be extra extra extra lucky, yes?

Working on a project in the sewing room was very frustrating today, the top thread broke while free motion quilting; the assumption was that there was a bit of thread somewhere in the bobbin assembly, so it was duly taken apart, cleaned and put back together.  Snap - thread broke again.  Take bobbin apart again, clean again, put back together again.  Naughty words were on the brink of being said by this stage.  The top thread was removed because when all else fails you re-thread the machine - right?  This enabled the sewing genius here (hah) to see that the top thread was catching in the bottom of the spool and also wrapping around the base of the spool pin, thereby causing said thread to snap.  A naughty word was duly said......the thread spool was turned the other way, the machine re-threaded and quilting resumed.  It went like a dream, just the way it should.  Lesson learned.

At sewing guild on Wednesday I took along some yoga pants to shorten, plus my machine and overlocker (serger) to do it with.  Another member measured me for length, one leg was pinned up and they were tried on - perfect length.  The overlocker was used to trim off the excess before folding up a hem for sewing......but sewing genius here overlocked along the fold line, cutting off the entire hem, instead of a couple of cms down to allow for the fold......so now those pants have 1/4in hem which of course flares and frills out like you wouldn't believe.  Just as well they only cost $5 on sale, I would be spitting chips if I had paid real money for them and then buggered them.

I told you it was a busy week, goodness knows where my brain went.

This morning's gig went off well, a fun way to finish up before our holiday!  The uke group has been asked to do two definite and one possible gigs while I am away, shame to miss out but there will be others in future.

"There is nothing that tests the natural politeness of men and women so thoroughly as travelling.  We all desire as much comfort as possible, and as a rule are selfish.  In these days of railroad travel, when every railway is equipped with elegant carriages for the comfort and convenience of its passengers, and provided with conductors and servants, the longest journeys by railroad can be made with perfect safety and but little annoyance." 

Indeed.  These words of wisdom from 1885 could apply equally to flying today, couldn't they?

Enjoy your days!

Our tickets are here!

This morning the paper work for our trip arrived from our travel agent down in the Big Smoke, so now we know for sure that we are going......it has all seemed a bit unreal, to now.  However in less than three weeks we will be walking down the bridge and onto the plane for the long flight over shark infested waters, up there in the tin box with several hundred of our new best friends and 97 crying babies.

It will be worth it when we arrive.

Just a few minutes ago the last of those 840 tumblers was cut - feast your little peepers on this box of repro goodies!

 Forgive the slightly shaky picture, I was probably so overcome with excitement as I pressed the little button that I couldn't control my finger.  There aren't quite 840 in this box, some are in the sewing bag by my TV chair, but take it from me.....all are done.  Some of the reproduction fabrics date from the mid-1990s when repros were first hitting the market in a big way, while some are more modern.  You can see by the tumblers already joined on the right-hand side of the box that there is no careful laying-out of pieces, just a lighter fabric being joined to a darker one; colours are immaterial, but two similar tones and colours aren't being paired.  The plan is (provided, of course, that they don't weigh too much)  that they will be coming to Canada with me ("what, all of them?" asked Kevin, "yes indeedy" said I) to occupy time spent in airports, and perhaps while watching TV in the evenings - we aren't the types to go out hitting the high spots and night clubs after dark, you know.

This gorgeous picture taken at Mount Tomah Botanic Garden some years ago when we visited in spring, and it popped up again on our computer this morning so I thought I would share.  The Waratah is the floral emblem of New South Wales, and is spectacular when in flower; sadly they don't grow here, so I will have to be content with admiring them on the screen.  Some of those flower heads are as big as a closed fist - some, even bigger.

We really like living here and have settled in well - it's been over eight years now since we moved here - and certainly don't miss much about the Big Smoke.  We used to be just an hour's drive from places like Mount Tomah which were lovely to visit, and I do occasionally miss that, but the slower pace of life and lack of busy traffic here more than make up for it.

The Parkinsons support group had fun singing along with us last week, one song they really enjoyed was "Mocking Bird Hill".  One of our members was all for taking it off the list but others prevailed, and we were glad we left it in because our audience enjoyed it so much.  Now we are practising for our bi-monthly gig at a local Sunday market in another week and a half.

Now that the tumblers are all cut it's time to move onto something else.  The next quilt group BOM is.....guess what......more fiddly-diddly cutesy-poo applique, but I shall be a good person and at least complete the lick-and-stick applique of two penguins.  They won't be sewn down as I shall run out of time - gosh darn, how about that eh - but I shall pass it back for stitching, and feel as though I have fulfilled most of my side of the BOM bargain.

My Lovely New Bernina machine (19 years old and still going strong) and my Bernina overlocker (only nine years old) will be going in for a service while we are away.  The dust and dirt from two flood renovations last year probably didn't do them much good, so a deep cleaning and service will make them happy again.

This week we are having a little taste of the coming summer.  It's not unusual to have a spell of quite warm weather as spring makes its presence felt, then temperatures settle down somewhat and we enjoy mild days once more.  For a while......it will be cooler in Canada, but such a shock to arrive back to full-blown summer.

"Morning dress for gentlemen.
The morning dress for gentlemen is a black frock-coat, or a black cut-away, white or black vest, according to the season, gay or colored pants, plaid or stripes, according to the fashion, a black silk hat, and a black scarf or necktie.  A black frock coat with black trousers is not considered essential, nor is a dress coat and colored or light trousers,  The morning dress is suitable for garden parties, Sundays social teas, informal calls, morning calls and receptions."

I can just see Kevin getting out of his beloved trakkie daks and into gay coloured plaid pants with a cut-away coat.......not going to happen......

Enjoy your days!

They call me mellow yellow......

You'll be singing that song all day now, won't you? 

Our little wattle bush/shrub is flowering, just in time for Wattle Day!

 We planted it a couple of years ago, and it didn't do very well at all.  It had a couple of spindly branches which were discovered by Something Which Eats Leaves; Kevin was all for pulling it out but, as there were still some green leaves on the tip of one branch, I prevailed on him to leave it for the time being.  It must have picked itself up and given itself a good shake, because slowly it started to recover.  A few months ago I noticed tiny buds - and this week it has flowered for the first time.

Later this month it will be my turn to provide a BOM for the Saturday quilt group.  I don't mind complex blocks with triangles and unusual shapes, but you should hear the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth by some group members at the mere thought of a triangle.  (well......not really, but you get the idea)  When it's my turn to provide a design I like to include the odd triangle or two.  I think of it as my revenge for the cutesy-poo applique so beloved by a few members which I duly make without (too much) grumbling.

 The block is called Double Aster and can be found here, should you feel inclined to make your own.  My Cunning Plan is for each member to make a 12in finished star block in any design (with as many or as few triangles as they wish) in different shades of yellow on a mid to dark blue background to be used in a star sampler quilt, something which has been simmering away in the back of my mind for several years.

More tumblers have been cut out, including some from these pretty repro fabrics.

No fussy cutting though, I don't want the quilt to look too carefully planned.  All 840 pieces will be cut out eventually.

Another big on Monday morning, this time we are playing for a Parkinsons Support Group.  We have a few cheerful songs and the odd waltz or two, so the audience can sway and sing along should the fancy take them.

We have had a little rain!  The drought is nowhere near broken, it would take more than that little amount, but it was enough to make gardens smile.  There is even a little green on the hill behind us, something we haven't seen there for quite a while.

On the subject of yellow, my 1885 etiquette book has a chapter titled "Harmony of colors in dress" which includes these thoughts on the subject:

"Material for dress.
The material for dress must be selected with reference to the purpose which it is to serve.  No one buys a yellow satin dress for the promenade, yet a yellow satin seen by gaslight is beautiful as an evening dress.  Neither would one buy a heavy serge of neutral tint for an opera dress."

Further to that, it suggests some colour combinations which are deemed to harmonise.  Yellow and white is considered a poor harmony, but yellow and purple is agreeable.  Yellow and violet is weak, yellow and blue is cold.  One which makes me wince is yellow, pink, maroon and light blue, as would blue, brown, crimson and yellow or gold, while the one which really sets my teeth on edge is purple, scarlet, blue, yellow and black.

Enjoy your days!

We have our books back!

I am a happy woman again.

Following the first flood in January 2017 our books were packed away for six months, then back on shelves for three months.  Packed up after the second flood at the end of October 2017 for over nine months.......it was like greeting old friends again as they were unpacked.  Right now they are on shelves but not in any order, so looking for one particular title can be a real adventure - but they will eventually be sorted, and the opportunity taken for a bit of a cull.  Right now, though, it's so good to be able to pick up a favourite book to enjoy again.

Not many stitches have been taken lately, but a lot of notes have been plinked.  That's something which can't be shown in a picture!  Take my word for it though......notes have been played, songs have been sung.

Now we are counting down the time until we flap our wings and fly - and it will be six weeks from tomorrow until we take off, up there in a tin box in the sky with hundreds of our new best friends and 97 crying babies over vast expanses of shark infested waters.  Sigh......I don't really mind flying (except for the horrendous ear pain on descent and landing) but really, it's just a glorified bus, isn't it?  Might be just dandy if one can afford to be up the pointy end with the other movers and shakers of the world, able to lie down and stretch out on a 15-16 hour flight, instead of sitting up with the plebs at the back.  Oh well.....I keep telling myself, this too shall pass and we will eventually be back on terra firma.  The firma, the better.

Looking forward to glorious sights like these again, though.

 One day we visited a local park we had often passed, and wandered around enjoying the gardens and the view.

 Colours were changing, of course - these are the colours that make my heart sing.

I like blue spruce, but they don't seem to grow here.

Sadly many of the conifers here are dying off in the drought; even our native eucalyptus trees are drying out and dying - something which seldom happens; they have developed over hundreds of years to live in a dry climate.  The nightly news bulletins are wallowing in gloom and doom because of the drought, and I can't help thinking - yes, we know that things are bad but talking about it won't make it go away, will it?  How about some more upbeat stories instead, to cheer people up?  So this blog will be a gloom-and-doom-free zone, as much as is possible.

"Be sympathetic and animated.
Do not go into society unless you make up your mind to be sympathetic, unselfish, animating, as well as animated.  Society does not require mirth, but it does demand cheerfulness and unselfishness, and you must help to make and sustain cheerful conversation.  The manner of conversation is as important as the matter."

Couldn't have put it better myself.  Some people (my mother was a prime example) mistake "how are you today" as a question, rather than the greeting it really is.....and a person's innards is not a topic for cheerful conversation, is it?

Enjoy your days!

There ain't no cure for the summertime blues

There ain't, you know.

 All done!  Pattern was called "Gumballs" by the designer (been looking for the original post to link to, but it doesn't seem to exist any more).  However, due to my lack of love for summer heat I thought this was a more apt name.

 The backing fabric is brighter in real life but I was scrabbling to take these pictures early yesterday morning before it rained, so the light isn't what it would normally be.

 See that bright orange and blue triangle piece in the centre, next to the blue and green fish?  That was my inspiration for the colour scheme; the fabric was in my stash and came from I can't remember where, I don't remember how long ago.  There is still a small piece left. 

 A close-up of the quilting from a local LA quilter.....those long wavy lines are vertical, but I didn't want it dragging on the ground so it was hung sideways.

The obligatory artistique shot in the remains of the we-think-it-was-an-apricot-tree, in our back yard.

Sighing the happy sigh, because my quilt is finished and I love it.  Also because it rained yesterday, the best rain we have had for many months.  Nowhere near enough to break the drought - long-range forecasters are saying there is no hope of any decent rain until next February-March at least - but enough to give thirsty gardens a drink and put a smile on the face of many folk.

We have started unpacking our Stuff!  Right now the dining room table isn't usable because of what's spread out on it, but it will be again in a day or two.  You have no idea how good that feels.  18 months ago I had to buy some serving dishes from an op shop because we had company and ours were all packed......now those pretty dishes and plates can be used again. 

I know Stuff is only Stuff, people are more important than Stuff, but our possessions are part of our lives - the stories they tell, the memories they evoke.  Some of my possessions came to me from my mother, they were wedding presents when my parents married in 1946; the marriage didn't last, but those plates have.  The wedding presents we received when we married are part of that story too.

Best of all, I am looking forward to having my books again soon!

My sumptuous wardrobe has been increased by new jeans.  Or a new jean, if you prefer.  Yesterday I popped into a shop I had never thought to try before (have often bought tees and tops from them, but not bottoms) and, much to my surprise, found jeans which fitted beautifully and were the exact right length for my short self.  Even better - there was a 50% sale, so they were the right price.  Still need new trakkie daks, but I may end up making them.

"A knife should never, on any account, be put into the mouth.  Many people, even well-bred in other respects, seem to regard this as an unnecessary regulation; but when we consider that it is a rule of etiquette, and that its violation causes surprise and disgust to many people, it is wisest to observe it."

We have our decent knives and cutlery to use again, too.......no longer are we limited to just the everyday stuff.

Enjoy your days!

Not one, but two busy weeks!

However, life in the Chateau des Wombats has now returned to what passes for normal.

It has rained!  Wet stuff has fallen from the sky!!  Last night and this morning some very welcome rain fell.......nowhere enough to break what is turning out to be the worst drought for a century or more, but each and every drop and dribble is welcome.  Hearing magpies and kookaburras singing in the rain earlier today was a beautiful thing, and kangaroos have been on the hill munching away at damp dry grass.

Our moment of musical fame and glory went well last Sunday, and we have been invited back as often as we wish.  I'm all for playing every month, but every second month seems to be the choice of the rest of the group at this stage.

My back is now happy again, so my quilt is being bound!

It is bright.  Gorgeously bright.  I love it.  At this stage I don't know if there will be a recipient......it may just join other quilts in the cupboard, to be brought out and gloated over occasionally.

The meeting with our prospective house sitter went well, and we have no qualms about leaving the house and Bianca in her very capable hands when we go away.

You all know the old saying "A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing"?  Kevin was trying to download something onto our big computer which would never have worked, I have told him in the past that it wouldn't work, but being a bloke he couldn't help himself, he just had to try......goodness knows what he downloaded, possibly something quite nasty, so the computer made a trip to the repair shop for some much needed R and R early in the week.  It now runs quieter and much quicker than it did this time last week, and we are a little poorer.

Sigh......

I have been mentally going through my sumptuous wardrobe and deciding what, if anything, I need to buy for Canada.  Some more jeans, most of mine are getting elderly.....perhaps a nice new pair of trakkie daks, sweat pants for the non-Aussies.  "Daks" are long pants, "trakkies" are what used to be called track suits but are now leisure suits, sweat suits. yoga pants etc.  Doesn't trakkie daks sound nicer than sweat pants?  (anything sounds nicer than sweat pants, I reckon)  Perhaps I should say "a jean" instead of "jeans", I know it's only one garment but it is bifurcated; I crack up laughing at "a pant", "the jean", "the short" etc.

Some of us are easily amused, aren't we?

"Evening dress for ladies.
Evening dress for ladies may be as rich, elegant and gay as one chooses to make it.  It is everywhere the custom to wear full evening dress in brilliant evening assemblages.  It may be cut either high or low at the neck, yet no lady should wear her dress so low as to make it quite noticeable or a special subject of remark.  Evening dress is what is commonly known as "full dress," and will serve for a large evening party, ball or dinner.  No directions will be laid down with reference to it, as fashion devises how it is to be made and what material used."

Not one word about comfortable trakkie daks, you notice.

Enjoy your days!

Busy week coming up

Every now and then the week ahead has something happening every day, and the coming week is one of those......all things I enjoy, just so many of them!  So while I was doing nothing much this afternoon, it's time to update the blog.

Have you noticed that blogging seems to have fallen in popularity?  Why is this, I wonder......is it because so many people are on other social media platforms, and have let their blogging lapse?  Perhaps keeping things updated became onerous for some folk......or perhaps they have just moved on.

There's not even much to report on because not much happened last week, apart from the fact that I buggered my back.  Last Monday morning I was rubbing moisturising cream into my legs (the current dry weather plays havoc with one's aging skin) - one at a time of course, that's all I can manage these days - one foot on the toilet seat creaming away, when I felt my back give a little like a piece of overstretched elastic, and that was that for the next few days.  According to the chiropractor it's a bulging disc; I've had it before, and no doubt will have it again before I die.  It is feeling much better now, thank you, I can move without pain, my back just feels tired sometimes but even that is easing.

Consequently very little was accomplished, although many books were read.  My quilt was collected from the quilter but hasn't yet been bound, the gorgeous orange binding hasn't been cut, but I have high hopes for later this afternoon.  The quilt has turned out beautifully, so I want to get it finished!

The most excitement we had was on Thursday night when I was coming home from choir.  Picture this:  a quiet street in a country town, ten past nine on a cold winter's night, a car being driven steadily because of wildlife sightings (kangaroos have been coming into town because of the drought, we have evidence on our front grass to prove it and we have seen kangaroos in the street) when I saw a very large kangaroo on the front garden two doors away from our house.  Because of the size I am guessing it was a male, it was huge.  It hopped slowly along to the next house......I followed equally slowly.  It then hopped onto our grass and sat near our mail box......I still crawled along behind.  Kangaroos are very unpredictable; they can hop along in a fairly straight line then suddenly veer to one side or another, which makes a collision hard to avoid.  So we have a stand off, the kangaroo sitting on the edge of our driveway and me waiting to turn into said driveway, not quite game to make the turn in case Mr Roo jumped into the side of the car door - yes, they do that.  Eventually it hopped on down the road, and your correspondent was able to make the turn safely.

Imagine one of these fellers jumping onto the side of your car......Mr Roo would have been over six feet tall with very powerful muscles.  Don't be fooled by their cute cuddly appearance.   This was taken from our back fence nearly a year ago.

Next Sunday the uke group is playing again for the monthly market at a small church just out of town, we have even learnt some new songs for the occasion as we don't want to bore our audience by repeating songs we sang a couple of months ago.  One favourite from many years ago is "Vaya Con Dios"......."now the hacienda's dark, the town is sleeping".......we like singing that, it has lovely harmonies.

"Rehearsals should be carefully attended to, no indulgence in personal whims or preferences should be allowed, but the directions of the stage-manager, who should be, if not a professional actor, at least competent for the work, should in all cases be rigidly attended.  There is no greater proof of good sense and sweet disposition than to pass the ordeal of taking part in amateur theatricals without a single quarrel."

Well......we don't quarrel, that's for sure, but then we don't have a stage-manager either.  Although - it must be said that I seem to be falling into the part of leader, simply because I have more performing experience than anyone else in the group.  Not sure if that's a good thing......

Enjoy your days!

Golden orange light

Last weekend the backing for a quilt was finally assembled, it was held up due to the Great Flood and associated packing up and unpacking of stuff.  A rather gorgeous orange batik fabric was chosen for binding and to feature on the back; strips were sitting on my sewing machine waiting to be joined for length when I noticed the sun and machine light shining onto the fabric, and couldn't resist taking a pic.

 Is that not scrumptious?  You could eat it, couldn't you?

These pics have been shown before but being too lazy to link back to the post, here they are again.  Backing uses the blue fabric with orange/yellow spots, the luscious orange, and a strip of 12 in blocks to bring it up to the correct size.

It has now gone off to be quilted and I forgot to take a photo of the back, work of genius as it is......but here is the front again, below.  Binding will also be orange.

Pattern is called "Gumballs" but I don't care for that name.  I am thinking along the lines of "There ain't no cure for the summertime blues" - because, let's face it, there ain't. 

Now I am trying to pick up enthusiasm to make a BOM, a very simple block.  I am promising myself that when it's done I can work on my own stuff, which is a great incentive.

The other day I was inspired by all things Canadian (because last Sunday was, after all, Canada Day) to bake something delicious using maple syrup, and chose to make Maple Butter Bars.  The pinging sound you heard was probably our arteries snapping but an occasional treat doesn't hurt, does it?  Should you feel inspired to try it yourself, we can definitely recommend it.  Yummy doesn't begin to describe it.

Our rainless state continues.  Nothing new to report there.

Tomorrow we plan to go for a Nice Sunday Drive on Saturday to Barraba, a small town an hour or so north for their annual art festival.  We haven't been out driving since our return from Canberra nigh on three months ago, so that will make a change from staying home and grinning at each other.

"Etiquette of the street.
The manners of a person are clearly shown by his treatment of the people he meets in the public streets of a city or village, in public conveyances and in travelling generally.  The true gentleman, at all times, in all places, and under all circumstances, is kind and courteous to all he meets, regards not only the rights, but the wishes and feelings of others, is deferential to women and to elderly men, and is ever ready to extend his aid to those who need it."

Words to keep in mind, yes?  Especially as, these days, civility seems to be dropping by the wayside.

Enjoy your days!

To my Canadian family and friends -

 - best wishes for Canada Day. 

Have a great weekend!

 

Fixing the blog comment issue

Following on a link from Fiona's blog I checked out what Shez had to offer on the subject.......tried it, and it works!

Don't forget to save your changes, though.

Dry dry dry

Wasn't there a song or a singing group or something a long time called wet wet wet?  That's not us......

 This was the view from our back yard yesterday, nothing but dry dead grass.

 The late afternoon sun makes it look greener than it is.

As a contrast, this was our view a few months after we moved here in 2010:

It looks like a different world, doesn't it.

The forecast for the rest of today and tomorrow is for rain, but we will believe it when it happens.  So far this afternoon we have had a dribble or two, enough to wet the path but not enough to get excited about.  So we won't.

Back in World War II the land where we now live was taken over by the military for an army camp.  Many young blokes trained here before being shipped elsewhere, one of them was my father; my mother was a local girl but he was from The Big Smoke Way Down South, all the way from another state, and must have seemed quite exotic to a sheltered girl in what was then a small country town.  They eventually married and had a family, which is how I came to be - and when we bought this house in 2010 it had completely slipped my mind that it was on the site of the army camp.  Fortunately there don't seem to be any ghosts.  The marriage wasn't happy, he eventually left (after more than 25 years, mind you!) and we never saw him again.

You know how social media puts ads on your page supposedly because of web sites you have browsed?  Ads generate a huge amount of revenue, I get that.....but how on earth did "they' get the idea that I would be interested in marathon ocean swimming?  I'm not, you know.  Far from it.  Every time I think about exercising, I have to lie down until the thought passes.  A female friend has had ads for bloke's see-through sheer undies in bright colours - doesn't the very thought give you the heebie-jeebies?  I will leave the ribald comments to your imagination.

A few stitches have happened in the sewing room, but as some of those stitches are for Surprises nothing will be shown just yet.  Some unpacking has also happened; it has been very easy to just leave things as they are, messy and in boxes, but it needs to be done.  For one thing there are several circular knitting needles which were packed away and haven't yet turned up.....I know they're somewhere, just don't know where.....

"Obedience.
If you would not have all your instructions and counsels ineffectual, teach your children to obey.  Government in a family is the great safeguard of religion and morals, the support of order and the source of prosperity.  Nothing has a greater tendency to bring a curse on a family than the insubordination and disobedience of children, and there is no more painful and disgusting sight than an ungoverned child."

You know, I agree wholeheartedly with those words.

Enjoy your days!

Musings on life and stuff like that

We have had rain!  A very little rain.....just 2.2 mls, not much more than a dribble and a drip, and it doesn't help the drought much.  But at least we can say that some wet stuff has fallen from the sky, and each passing day brings us closer to more rain.  We hope.

Gardens around town are looking the worse for wear.  The usual glorious autumn display was a mere shadow of its usual self, colours were tired and faded, and now those trees are bare anyway.  From the way some of them look now they may not be around next autumn, sadly.

However, the standard grevillea in our front yard is thriving!

 It is nearly up to my shoulder - I'm not very tall, about five ft two in - and looks spectacular in person.

 Foliage is grey-green, flowers are bright crimson.  Birds and bees love it, but sadly photos don't really do it justice - it's quite vivid.

A couple of pics from our holiday in Victoria two years ago that appear on our computer from time to time - is this a monster?  Or could it be merely a fallen tree?

 Having seen it in person I can tell you for sure - it's a tree.  Or an ex-tree, if you prefer.

With volcanoes in the news recently I am wondering if this vivid yellow rock was once part of a volcano?  It's not very big, about the size of an adult fist, but was quite a vivid sulphur yellow.

The U3A uke gig went off well last week, we played Happy Birthday (plus a few more songs) and the local branch is now ten years old.  Some footage was taken for the local news, however I managed to avoid most of it; the large camera being trundled around on the cameraman's shoulder had a bank of really very far-too-bright lights shining straight in the eyes of the hapless subject being filmed.  I took exception to that, and asked him to point it elsewhere.  He offered to turn the lights off, and I thanked him for that.  So he did.  It's all right for him - he's behind them!

I've been on TV a few times, don't care if I never am again.  Hate, loathe and detest having my photo taken anyway, so being on TV is a bridge too far.

Stuff is occasionally happening in the sewing room, the fiddly-diddly cutesy-poo applique block is done and will be handed over on Saturday.  I don't want it in my sewing room contaminating anything else......not a fan of cutesy-poo, me.  Some more tumblers have been cut, 560 done now, total needed is 840.  As my repro fabric stash doesn't contain 840 different fabrics I am cutting multiples of each; to date some have been cut from each and every fabric in said stash, so now I will start again and cut more from fabrics that didn't have many taken the first time round.

One has to be in a cutting-out mood for that, don't you find?  Sometimes I'm just not......sometimes I am in a sitting-down-and-reading-a-book mood.  So I do.  I really need to be in an unpacking-boxes mood more often too......those boxes aren't unpacking themselves, you know.....

"The eyes.
Beautiful eyes are the gift of Nature, and can owe little to the toilet.  As in the eye consists much of the expression of the face, therefore it should be borne in mind that those who would have their eyes bear a pleasing expression must cultivate pleasing traits of character and beautify the soul, and then this beautiful soul will look through its natural windows."

Riiiiiight........you all thought so too, didn't you?

Enjoy your days!