More storms, and more trees

The weather radar was checked a few minutes ago and there are storms popping up here, there and everywhere around us.....not quite over us yet, but that may happen soon.  Or soon-ish.

That makes this week's trees storm-ish, too.

A green tree, because it doesn't matter how many green trees are in the Arboretum.

Green trees always look good. 

Ozzies will recognise this flower as Grevillea, a favourite native plant.  We haven't had much luck growing them here, but they did grow for us in the Big Smoke......different climate, different soil.

The largest Grevillea is Grevillea Robusta - the name says it all, doesn't it?  Known as Silky Oak - it isn't an oak, it isn't even related to oak, but the cut timber has a beautifully silky lace pattern - its deep gold flowers are brightening up our skies right now.  Many many years ago the decision was made that our town would benefit from using Silky Oak trees as street trees, and there have been Silky Oaks here ever since; some of the tallest - and they are very tall indeed - may have been around when I was a child, albeit much smaller trees than now.

This week's trees, a green and purple, and a red/orange with blue and brown.  Or perhaps it's orange/red.  Numbers 95 and 96, only three to go!

Thoughts are being thought about a name for my Arboretum.  While I don't mind 'Arboretum' as a name something more personal would be good.....Jardin de Jennifer?  Garden of Grace?  Grace is my middle name, after all.....the idea of alliteration appeals.

A silhouette known all over the world is the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and its official opening ceremony in 1932 was interrupted by an Irish soldier, Francis de Groot, cutting the official ribbon before the state governor could do so.  What does Francis de Groot have to do with my trees, you ask?  When he wasn't charging around on a horse while brandishing a sabre and cutting ribbons he made very fine furniture using Australian timbers - one of which was Silky Oak - and quite a lot of those pieces of furniture are still around today.

A few days ago Fiona at Bubz Rugz showed her Hardanger embroidery samples.  Back in the 1980s-1990s I was a member of the state Embroiderers Guild and have pieces made during that time, one of which is this Hardanger cushion - no fancy cutwork, but there is pulled work; I used two shades of thread darker than the background rather than the matching threads traditionally used, backed it with deep gold Dupioni silk and piped the edge with matching cord.

I don't know what the mark is, hopefully it will wash out.  Hardanger embroidery originated in Norway - and did you know there is also a Hardanger fiddle?  I have seen and heard them being played at folk festivals, usually accompanying traditional dances.  If you want to see some spectacular scenery, look up 'Hardanger fjord'.

Storms are still hanging around, we were interrupted by a blackout an hour ago but we're back online now.  Earlier there were a few rumbles then an almighty clap of thunder - lights went out, computer went out - a few other things turned themselves off including the radio, but all is back up and running and we have music again.  Monsieur le Frog is happily croaking away, that loud bang hasn't put him off his game.

How has everyone been?  We are still upright, still on the right side of the grass.  My sore foot hasn't fallen off, for which we are thankful.  Stitches have been sewn but not knitted; a medical appointment for a regular check-up tomorrow will probably yield time for some knitting.  Songs have been plinked and sung, next weekend's charity concert songs are sounding good.

"A lady's positive refusal.

A lady who really means "no" should be able to so say it as to make her meaning unmistakeable.  For her own sake and that of her suitor, if she really desires the suit ended, her denial should be positive, yet kind and dignified, and of a character to let no doubt remain of its being final."

Somehow I don't think "get lost, you creep" would be counted as kind and dignified, do you?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Gone gone gone......

Those Christmas blocks have moved out of our house and are now residing at the craft centre, where my quilt group meets, awaiting a new owner.  They were taken along on Tuesday but, as no one put up a hand to take a block or two (or maybe more), they have been stashed in Our Box in the cupboard and will be brought out again in a couple of weeks.  There is another Saturday quilt group so, if no one in our group wants them, someone in the other group might.

Either way, they are no longer in my possession.  Gone gone gone.

This week's blocks were made in between storms.  Butterflies flitting around a contrast print of eucalypt blossoms and leaves......

....and a tree whose rich colours put me in mind of trees seen on autumn trips in Canada.

Numbers 91 and 92, so now there are only seven to go; the end of this month will see the last trees made, just three more weeks.

One of many autumn trees photographed in Canada, this was huge - so big that it took a while for the colour changes to happen, depending on how much sun different parts of the tree were getting.  

The colours brightened up a dull overcast day which later turned to showers, but you can see how those leaves inspired one of this week's trees.

Fort York was an interesting place to visit.  You can read about it here - Fort York - we missed out on the re-enactments which happen because we visited in autumn, and they are mostly in summer.  That would have been fun.  It's an oasis which sits quietly among the tall buildings and bustle of a modern city, something which makes it all the more peaceful by contrast.  The style of many buildings is similar to that of early Australian buildings built in the same era so there was an unexpected familiarity, although we had never been before.

A copy of the Magna Carta was on display in the newly finished visitor centre, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of that document.  Our guide was suitably impressed when she found out we were Ozzies because Australia has its own copy, dating from 1297, while Fort York's was on loan from elsewhere.

How have you all been this week?  We managed to survive some stormy weather....being kept awake by loud rumbling thunder rolling around the hills behind is not my idea of fun but we did get some welcome rain from it, and there was repeat albeit on a lesser scale yesterday afternoon after I arrived home from lunch.  Words were read, stitches were sewn and knitted; the second sleeve on the probably-a-jumper is proceeding well now.  Songs were plinked and sung.  We hunted, foraged and gathered comestibles to keep starvation at bay, and that was about our week, folks.

Yesterday was the first seasonal function, an end-of-year/Christmas lunch for members of the historical society.  It's interesting to be able to sit and chat to folk usually seen briefly.  One woman rocks a vintage look which suits her, and the talk turned to aprons because she wished she had one; she was our drinks server, and is also in charge of supper at the monthly meetings.  This morning it occurred to me that there is a pink gingham apron in our linen cupboard, part of a long-ago raffle prize, which I have never worn - it's pretty but it's pink, I don't do pink - it's been taken out, and will be gifted to Melissa if she would like it.  The pink gingham is used as a base for a cross stitch design in deeper pink, green and navy, and there is white lace trim on the pocket.

My mother's Aunt Emily would make items such as tablecloths and aprons in gingham, using the grid for what is now called 'chicken scratch' embroidery - Aunty Em didn't call it that, she used a different name which has since flown out of my brain because it's been so long; I was but a child at the time.  It's a technique I have never tried and probably never will because, even though I like the result, there are so many other things I want to try while I'm still around.

Our suitor is still hoping.

"Though a gentleman may repeat his suit with propriety after having been once repulsed, still it should not be repeated too often nor too long, lest it should degenerate into importuning."

'Importuning' means to harass repeatedly, something I am sure no gentleman worthy of the name would do to a woman for whom he professes to care.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A year in the making

A few days ago was the 12-month anniversary of the fall which resulted in a broken arm and a truly spectacular black eye, and I'm pleased to say both arm and eye are working properly, or nearly so.  There are still some wrist movements which are stiffer than they used to be and unwelcome twinges of pain from time to time but, as the orthopedic specialist pointed out, "given your age, your arm may never be what it was before".  He's right, you know.....it isn't.  However, considering the damage (and, of course, my advanced age!) it's not too bad.

During our autumn trip to Canberra last year I visited a fabric store, and bought a few batik fabrics for the trees which I hoped to make one day.  The day has, of course, arrived, and now those trees are being made.  First a smokey blue, with a pale contrast whose design makes me think of mysterious hieroglyphics from an ancient civilisation.....

....then a brownish-greenish-khaki with touches of red.  The red fabric used for trunk and branches were already in my stash, but the others were bought on that trip.

Not a bad effort for the week.

During last month's trip there was, of course, another visit to the same fabric store for a few more batik fabrics.

This was before we departed on our recent holiday, all the thread which was left on the spool after making that week's two trees - certainly not enough to make another tree.

Talk about cutting it fine!  I find this Guttermann colour to be a Very Useful Colour for piecing.

During the week my autumn quilt was laid out once more, this time to have its hanging sleeve added.  That wasn't done in time to enter it in the show a couple of months ago, so it will certainly be done for next year.  I have found a good spot to photograph it, once the sleeve is on.

Yesterday we picked up our hot cross bun order from the bakery on the other side of the river, and jolly nice they are too.  Kevin doesn't eat fruit buns - although he really like date scones - so I will have to eat them all myself.  To make them last longer all six buns were cut across into two halves and placed in the freezer, so my daily treat isn't too huge.  Even though I could quite happily eat a whole bun by myself....those buns are my consolation prize for not being at the folk festival this year.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, and fabric cut.  Sorting of music has commenced, and I am being quite ruthless culling anything which I don't want to keep.  We hunted and we gathered, and went here and there, and that was another week done.

During our trip away we took the opportunity to try a couple of different - to us - roads, and we drove through Binda.  Thirty years ago I heard (and have been singing ever since) a song called 'Binda Ball', about a trio of bushrangers crashing the 1864 Boxing Day ball held in the small town of Binda.  The Binda police were away at the time escorting prisoners to Goulburn, so Ben Hall and his gang took advantage of that to kick up their heels for a few hours.  The storekeeper Morris, a former policeman, tried to get some of the local men to rush the bushrangers during the dancing and capture them, but the plan was overheard and foiled.  In revenge, they burned down Morris's store; he lost all his stock and his account books, without which he couldn't continue trading.  The girls who had such fun dancing with their 'bushranger sweethearts' were arrested; there are accounts published in newspapers at the time which can be read online.  All three - Ben Hall, John Gilbert, and Jack Dunn - died the following May.  Many bushrangers were descended from convict parents or grandparents; as such, most had scant respect for authority.

We all make choices in our lives, and these three men made unwise choices.  Others, in the same circumstances, made different choices and consequently lived (mostly) blameless, if less adventurous, lives - and longer ones.  Jack Dunn was still a teenager when he was hung for bushranging and murder.

Last week's etiquette post was about assisting a lady to mount a horse, using a side saddle.  One of the items held in the historical museum here is a side saddle belonging to Esther Stace - Mrs Arthur Stace, because women were known by their husband's name in those days - who held a side saddle jumping record which stood for nearly 100 years, only being broken in 2013.  Side saddle always looks awkward to me, but perhaps it's really quite comfortable.....who knows?

"Riding with ladies.

In riding with one lady, a gentleman takes his position to the right of her.  When riding with two or more, his position is still to the right unless one of them needs his assistance or requests his presence near her.  He must offer all the courtesies of the road, and yield the best and shadiest side to the ladies.  The lady must always decide upon the pace at which to ride.  It is ungenerous to urge her or incite her horse to a faster gait than she feels competent to undertake."

It is indeed.  Not every side saddle rider has Esther's skills.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Save the date

In just nine days the heavy plaster on my arm will be removed, something which will make me a very happy woman.  When I saw the specialist during the week he said he pleased with its progress and told me to make the removal appointment; he also mentioned using a splint or brace for a while, but that couldn't be heavier or more awkward than the layers of plaster in which my arm is currently encased.

I'm sorry, I led you astray in last week's post!  The quilt which won first place for ten years was made earlier than my imperfect memory thought, from 1887 to 1897.  It's still quite an achievement, though.

While in Canberra we visited the Australian National Archives, as I had read of a photography exhibition which sounded interesting....and it was!  For nigh on sixty years the Australian government sent photographers out around the country to capture what they saw, and a selection of those 10,000 photos was on display at the Archives.  It was such a fascinating place that we went again, to check out other exhibitions....and to try out their café, where we partook of excellent coffee and yummo Cherry Ripe Slice.

For the non-Ozzies, Cherry Ripe is a cherry coconut bar encased in dark chocolate....and this year is its 100th birthday!  Cherry Ripe slice, or squares or bars, can have a biscuit or pastry base with a cherry coconut filling, and is topped with melted dark chocolate.  Should you feel inclined to try it yourself, there are any number of recipes to be found online.

One day we drove west of Canberra along Paddys River Road, and stopped at Lambrigg Lookout.

William Farrer lived near here, and it was here that his experiments with wheat led to the discovery of disease-resistant strains; we learned about him at school, as he was a very important figure in Australian agriculture.  For some years his portrait was on the $2 note; unfortunately due to sun glare the sign isn't as legible as I hoped.

The house, built by Farrer, is privately owned.  I found this article with pics of its beautiful garden.

Another week has passed.  Words have been read, medical appointments have taken place.  Songs have been sung.  

When the plaster is removed I am hoping to have approval from the physio to play three chords - just three - on my uke, as my annual Eisteddfod performance will take place just five days later.  I can sing unaccompanied and indeed plan to do so on the day, but a starting introductory note would be a help.  Just D - G - D - A - that's all I ask, it's not much is it.....

Continuing on with Conduct in Opera, Theatre or Public Hall:

"During the performance complete quiet should be preserved, that the audience may not be prevented from seeing or hearing.  Between the acts it is perfectly proper to converse, but it should be done in a low tone, so as not to attract attention.  Neither should one whisper.  There should be no loud talking, boisterous laughter, violent gestures, lover-like demonstrations or anything in manners or speech to attract the attention of others."

I wonder what the folk back in 1885, when these words were written, would think of the 'look at me' behaviour of so many people nowadays?  

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Coming along splendiferously

'Autumn Splendour' is progressing nicely.....this is how it looks after a sewing session at quilt group on Tuesday.

It is now 32 inches square; the Maple Leaf blocks are eight inches finished.

This is how it will look with the next square round added.  Two opposite corners have three Maple Leaf blocks each, while the leaf print strips and some more HST blocks make up the sides......I couldn't resist trying it out.

It is looking browner than I had hoped, although some of those autumn prints are quite bright - but then, the lighting in the spare bedroom is a bit dull on this cloudy day and the background fabrics are light tan/beige rather than blinding white.

The original quilt, published in a magazine, used much brighter colours - red, yellow, green, orange - and brighter background fabrics too, but it said "spring" rather than "autumn" to me, despite the leaf blocks.  The colours in my quilt are much more the colours we have seen during our autumn visits to Canada with brighter colours popping out here and there among brown oak leaves, some yellow/green and orange leaves.....and, of course, red maple leaves.

How have you all been?  We are well, my recalcitrant knee is still firmly attached thanks, no doubt, to the exercises which are diligently done daily.  The usual hunting and gathering was done with an eye to "what do we need to take away with us" shopping as well, as it's only ten days until we leave.

Diamonds have been cut but none sewn, they are being saved for holiday sewing.  Stitches have been knitted and the ribbing on the back is now complete, so the next row will start the stocking stitch section.  Words have been read.  Notes have been plinked and sewn.

Our trip away needs some thinking as a few Occasions need to be organised.  The day after we arrive in Canberra will be our son's birthday - we don't get to celebrate with him in person very often, so a table has been booked for lunch at a pub which we like and where our son hasn't eaten.  The One And Only Grandkid will be joining us too.  

My performer ticket for the folk festival at Easter has been downloaded and printed; strolling around wearing a 'performer' wristband is a thrill I never tire of, I can tell you.  My entry for the Eisteddfod in June has gone in, so once again I will be making a fool of myself in public.

And - we have our (free) tickets organised for the National Gallery of Australia, where the Rajah Quilt will be on display!  I was lucky enough to see it many years ago when it was part of a touring exhibition; we were living in the Big Smoke and drove 90 minutes south to see it.  Each and every one of those 90 minutes was worthwhile.  I had trouble tearing myself away....there is so much to look at, so many fabrics (the backs of some fabrics are used, the conjecture is that lighting in the bowels of a convict ship wasn't very good), so much colour....some of the patches are bright yellow/gold.  There is a replica in Canada, held in the Elizabeth Fry Society in Ottawa; we learned at school about Elizabeth Fry and her organisation which helped convicts, women convicts in particular, on those long voyages to the other side of the world.

One of Kevin's ancestors, a Irish woman named Mary Heffernan, arrived in Tasmania in 1841 - but not on the 'Rajah'.  She seems to have been quite a woman who, even after her marriage, was often up before the court on charges of prostitution, drunkenness or fighting.....no quiet life for Mary, it seems, although she did eventually settle down to marriage and family.  Perhaps - sewing patchwork may not have been her thing?

Continuing with Etiquette of Public Places, Invitation to Opera or Concert:

"It is the gentleman's duty to secure good seats for the entertainment, or else he or his companion may be obliged to take up with seats where they can neither see nor hear."

If that is the case - there is no point attending, is there?  One may as well stay home and entertain one's self.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Turns out I'm not such a wuss, after all

No, indeed.  The figures for May were released a few days ago, and our town had its coldest average minimum May temperature for over 100 years.  We were even named in the article.  It was also the driest May since 1998, not a record we wish to break; some rain would be welcome, but no doubt it will fall in its own sweet time.

So....the week has been taken up with the usual pursuits, stitches were knitted (my jumper is coming along really well), more stitches were sewn on the machine (some blue and green blocks were made), words were read (because who doesn't like to switch off from the world by getting immersed in a book?), diamonds were joined during my volunteer time at a gallery, and notes were plinked and sung, but the room we use for choir was getting a much-needed refurbishment so no choral singing was possible.

The blue and green blocks are coming along nicely.  Thoughts will be thought about its name.

This week's finished blocks, squares on top, rectangles below.  My first block count turned out to be incorrect; I had thought that 21 rectangles and 31 squares were needed, but another count today confirms that 24 rectangles is the final number.  The squares required are still the same, 31.  The blocks fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, some rectangles are set vertically and some horizontally, which makes counting a bit tricky - there are no instructions, I'm working from a picture found online.  Another six rectangles are still to be made, and another eight squares, then laying out the blocks can be done.

The last of the pics taken at the National Rock Garden in Canberra.  This is Hawkesbury sandstone - the carved design would make a good quilting design, yes?

Many of the remaining buildings from the 1800s and early 1900s in the Big Smoke - Sydney - are made from this stone, as it relatively soft and easy to carve.  The elaborate detail so beloved of the Victorians was not too difficult to achieve.

Many of the buildings are decorated with carvings and statues, some of which look a bit overdone to our modern eyes.  However, there is no denying the skill required to make them.  Many years ago we were visiting one of Sydney's historic sites which was having maintenance work done and were pleased that they were using trainee stonemasons, a skill which is changing with time.  Older buildings need maintenance, so those skills will be in demand for a long time.

Some towns are starting to realise that those so-called "old" skills are still interesting - Bendigo is one - I would love to attend one of these.  Our local Historical Society is having its Spring Fair in September, and I have been asked to demonstrate again on one of my 1920s Singer treadle machines.  I have done so twice and it has always generated interest; many people have memories of such a machine in their family...."Mum's auntie had one but I wasn't allowed to touch it" etc.......but not many can remember seeing the machine being used.  I'm sure I could find fabric in my stash to make something......just maybe.....

The afternoon has flown by and there is a song waiting to be arranged, so before we say farewell for another week let's look at the etiquette book.  As Etiquette of the Street is now finished we move on to Shopping Etiquette:

"In inquiring for goods at a shop, do not say to salesman "I want" such an article, but, "Please show me" such an article, or some other polite form of address."

Yes indeed.  An expression which makes me grit my teeth and want to slap the person using it (including our son in Canberra) is "can I grab", as in "can I grab a coffee" to the staff at a café.  What's wrong with "May I please order a coffee"?

Enjoy your days!

There is a lot of Stuff not finished this week

But - as I plan to still be around next week that doesn't matter, does it?

One quilt block has been made.  Some quilting has been done on big MUSIC, some is still to be done.  No more Canadian blocks have been made.  A lot of music has been played.

This block is called "Carrie Nation", and was first published in the 'Kansas City Star' in 1940.  Carrie Nation was quite a woman; after her first husband died from alcohol-related conditions she made it her mission to rid the world of the Demon Drink because, as she saw it, society was to blame for her husband's love of alcohol rather than addiction or illness on his part.  Mrs Nation travelled around saloons and taverns with a hatchet that she used to break up barrels and counters, and her followers (the temperance movement was really getting under way at the time) used to wear a hatchet pin or brooch to show their solidarity with her.

I like the idea of using light, medium and dark black and white prints with one tone on tone colour forming a diagonal chain.  This will be my request to my quilt group for our Saturday BOM at the end of this month; the blocks can be kept for our own use or used to make charity quilts.  I haven't yet decided on the fate of this block - I just might keep them for myself.  Instructions still need to be written.

Hopefully this will be simple enough - look, Ma, no triangles! - to keep the whingers from whining too heavily, although the black and white may set Madame Presidente off.  She 'hates' black.  Most emphatically.  Mind you, she 'hates' a few things......but there is a difference between disliking and 'hating', isn't there?  While I dislike the fiddly-diddly cutesy-poo applique that is occasionally trotted out, I don't 'hate' it.  I am, however, pleased to get it out of my sewing room once it's done and handed over.

I don't like tomatoes either, but I don't 'hate' them.  Should they be served to me I leave them on the plate

Last week's gig went well, our audience enjoyed singing along with our songs, and many nice things were said to us and about us.  Now we have a few weeks until we play for the Sunday markets at a small church just out of town, a regular gig.

It has been said your day is wasted if you don't learn something, and yesterday I learned that it was once possible to rent a pineapple to impress your guests.  Pineapples were expensive and as such had become a symbol of wealth in Europe and the U.S.A., so people who couldn't afford to buy would hire one for an evening. It would be taken back the next day and probably sold to someone who could afford to eat it.  Fruit didn't always come sliced in tins, you know.

"Whom to invite.
Those invited should be of the same standing in society.  They need not necessarily be friends, nor even acquaintances, but, at dinner, as people come into closer contact than at a dance, or any other kind of a party, those only should be invited to meet one another who move in the same class of circles.  Care must, of course, be taken that those whom you think agreeable to each other are placed side by side around the festive board.  Good talkers are invaluable at a dinner party - people who have fresh ideas and plenty of warm words to clothe them in; but good listeners are equally invaluable."

Sounds just the occasion to display one's rented pineapple, doesn't it?

Enjoy your days!

It's been far too long

However now my world seems to have righted itself, The Dreaded Lurgy making my life miserable for the past couple of weeks seems be well and truly on the way out, hopefully the worst of the heat is behind us (except for the odd hot day or two coming up) so all is well with the world.

If you're not sure what the Dreaded Lurgy is, here is some information.  Australians of a certain age use the term to refer to a vague illness that is sort of like a cold, sort of like the flu......you know how it is when you don't feel well but don't need to seek medical attention, don't feel good enough to carry on with daily life without stopping to rest occasionally, cough a bit (or, as my case, a lot) which doesn't make for a good night's sleep thereby causing tiredness during the day making me thankful we are retired and don't need to front up to work bright eyed and bushy tailed.  It has made singing difficult but hopefully that will improve now too.

Consequently not much has been, quilting the challenge quilt is still not started although hopefully it won't take long to knock out tomorrow, several unmemorable books have been read on my tablet, and some hand stitching has been done.

We did have a social occasion yesterday.  It was Kevin's birthday on Thursday - Valentine's Day - and a couple of weeks ago I saw an ad online for trips in a vintage train this weekend.  Three rail motors are in town for a few days (a rail motor is a train carriage fitted with its own motor, not one pulled by an engine) and one could take a trip an hour north, stop for dinner at a country pub, then return.  So yesterday we did!

Here it is arriving at our station:

 The lovely old carriages - No 12 was at the front, then No 24 (ours) and No 25 at the rear.

 At our destination an hour north, after a steep climb.  We even had to stop at one stage to switch another motor on so we could continue up the hills!

 This is Walcha Road with its attractive station which dates from the 1880s (and which you can't quite see behind the train, sorry about that, it is a nice old building).  We then walked down the hill and across the road to the renowned pub for an excellent meal, before hiking back uphill, onto the platform and into our seats for the return journey.

It was very quick, as it was all downhill!  Because it was dusk and getting steadily darker, we did see a few wild kangaroos hopping around. 

It was of interest to us both; to Kevin because he hadn't been further north than our town by train, and to me because it was a trip I hadn't done since the mid 1960s.  There used to be several small stations on this line which have now been removed, I remember the trip taking longer because trains used to stop at every little siding and station.  The rail trip is not the same as a road trip; the road is much further west, so the terrain is very different.

So now back to reality.

Currently our state is supposedly celebrating Olde Phartes by having a Senior's Festival, as if growing older and hurting everywhere is something to be celebrated.  It is better than the alternative, I suppose, but why does it have to be so darn painful?  Anyway, next Friday morning there is to be a concert with awards being handed out to Senior of the Year, and Senior Group of the Year (which, I am proud to say, our choir won last year) followed by a concert then a free cuppa.  Never knock back a free cuppa, I say!  The uke group will be playing a few songs at the concert including a doozy called "The senior's lament".  "Are you lonesome tonight? does your tummy feel tight? did you miss your Mylanta and Tums?" etc......it always makes older people laugh, so we thought it was a good choice......except for Prue, who doesn't like playing it because she reckons it is all too sadly true!

"The bow is the touchstone of good breeding, and to neglect it, even to one with whom you may have a trifling difference, shows deficiency in cultivation and in the instincts of refinement.  A bow does not entail a calling acquaintance.  Its entire neglect reveals the character and training of the person ; the manner of its observance reveals the very shades of breeding that exist between the ill-bred and well-bred."

We bow after a performance, which obviously shows our good breeding.  When we remember......

Enjoy your days!

A pair of gallivanters are we

We have been out and about this week, it's a change to be home this afternoon.

Last Wednesday night we attended a performance of "Mary Poppins" by our local musical society, and what a wonderful show it was!  Amazing cast, the costumes and scenery were very well done, and the musicians were excellent.  No one connected with the show was paid......it's a completely amateur society......but there was nothing amateurish about it.  The musical society put on its first performance in 1888 and has been going strong ever since, with interruptions for two world wars and the coming of television when people preferred to stay in rather than go out to a show until the novelty of TV wore off, but it has always bounced back better than ever.  Way way back, a very long time ago last century when I was but a mere teenager, I was in the chorus of "Annie Get Your Gun" and it was great fun too.  I was also going to be in the chorus of "Kiss Me, Kate" but sadly couldn't make it, although I did attend rehearsals for a while and can still sing the songs.

Monday afternoon we took ourselves off to the movies to see "Florence Foster Jenkins" - my heavens, talk about going from the sublime to the gor blimey in just a few days.  Mrs Jenkins loved to sing, but unfortunately she was no singer.  She is quoted as saying "People said I couldn't sing......but no one could say I didn't sing"!    Her dream was to sing and perform, and she was wealthy enough to make her dream happen.

Friday saw us taking a trip to a town an hour north to visit their excellent museum, and last night the museum director was guest speaker at our historical society.  He certainly gave our members food for thought.

Of course there was Thursday night choir, and Tuesday night ukulele, and yesterday sewing guild......just as well we're retired so we can fit in all this socialising, isn't it?

On Thursday night after choir I was driving home up our street which winds along the side of a hill, came round a sweeping right-hand bend, and there in the middle of the road was a kangaroo looking at me.  Aussies know that hitting a roo is to be avoided at all costs (your car will come off second best, you may be injured and it doesn't do the roo much good either) so I stopped.  It turned and hopped slowly up the street, I followed very steadily.......it hopped onto the grass verge at the side, I stayed on the road, I'm not silly you know......it turned onto the driveway of the house two doors up from us and watched me drive past.  That's as close as I wish to get to one of our national symbols, folks......even though they make very good eating.

This is the view from my sewing room.  We often see kangaroos grazing and hopping around up there on the hill.  There's also the wash line and garden shed, but hey......they have to go somewhere.

 Little did we realise, when we lived in the Big Smoke, that we would see wildlife outside our windows!

My bag is done.  I love the fabrics, the kit was bought last October at the Creativ Festival in Toronto from Flare Fabrics.

 The front has a zipper pocket, and behind the brown band is another deep pocket.

 The back also has pockets, one big one stitched down the middle to make two smaller ones.  Inside didn't photograph well, but it also has two smaller pockets; the top is closed with a zipper so nothing can fall out.  I wear a lot of blue and green, and blue/green (and green/blue too, would you believe?) so this will be very handy.

Another purchase at the Creativ Festival was yarn by Fleece Artists, deep rich orange for autumn.

It's sock yarn but is much too pretty to hide away inside shoes, so was made up using the Noro Bias Lace Scarf pattern on Ravelry.  I can recommend it as a quick, easy - but very effective - knit.  When winter eventually arrives here (it's being a bit tardy this year, but at least temperatures have finally cooled down from summer) a warm scarf will be handy.

"A hunting sport, which is essentially Australian, is called "Kangarooing", and is often indulged in by both ladies and gentlemen.  In the country districts of the colonies, wherever kangaroo are to be found, they afford most excellent sport to the lovers of the chase."

The good folk of 1885 were a hardy lot, weren't they?  Chasing a roo on horseback couldn't possibly compare to following it in an air-conditioned car with heated seats.

Enjoy your days!

Workshop results

The weekend workshop has come and gone.  Four large centre blocks of a quilt were started, and while they are a long way from being finished they have been put aside in favour of sewing which needs to be completed before we head off overseas.

The square in the middle will become a circle, and the whole large piece will be appliqued onto the background fabric.  My colour choices turned out rather dull when made up but hopefully the bright pink/purple centre and background save it, because I am not making it again.

 My favourite next, this one uses some of my Holy Fabric stash - we all have some, the fabric that is so beautiful and precious to own that you can't bring yourself to cut into it; the centre circle will be the multi-coloured spot and the whole circle will be appliqued onto the blue speckled background.

These two pieced circles can be appliqued onto the background using wide ric-rac braid, but mine will have bias strips instead.  

Another three of these shapes below to be made and joined together, then a nine-patch is appliqued over the centre, mine will be yellow, blue and lime green..

 Not much done yet on the fourth block.  The centre pieced circle has another smaller circle appliqued on top, while the odd-shaped piece on the left will be trimmed into a triangle and another three made.  These are actually pieced - not appliqued - into the background, in this case a yellow daisy print.  The beautifully matching points in the centre of my green and purple pieced circle were noted and complimented by the teacher......as they should be, this year it's 50 years since I sewed my first ever item of clothing so I've had a lot of practice in matching seams.

Would I take another workshop with this teacher?  Doubtful......she's not a bad teacher but her method wastes a lot of fabric, and every time I cut off yet another piece and dropped it into the bin I thought to myself "geez......I paid money for that!"

This morning we had insulation installed in the roof of our house.  It's colder than it should be in winter considering we don't live in the deepest Arctic depths, so recently we had it checked and found out there is no insulation at all up there.  Three blokes, one truck and a couple of hours later we have insulation!  Just in time for the rain forecast early next week and the cooler weather which will follow.  Australia's climate is fairly mild compared to other parts of the world but our houses are not built for the cold, which is a bit silly when one thinks of it.  People from colder countries overseas complain about how cold Australian winters are; they aren't really, they just seem like it because of how our houses are made.

From other things we have noted (and in some cases corrected) our house was probably a budget build.  Short cuts seem to have been taken which probably saved money at the time of building, but one ends up paying more for them further down the track.  The walk-in wardrobe (closet) in our bedroom is icy-cold in winter and unbearably hot in summer, the door is kept shut and it's not affected by temperatures in other parts of the house - hopefully that will change now.  It's not a basic house, so we don't know why the build wasn't a better quality.

Recently I joined the local historical society, so no doubt my social life will improve even more!  Last night I attended their monthly meeting and found out that I knew many members already; as a new member I was welcomed, the guest speaker was very interesting, and supper served after the meeting was scrumptious indeed.  I was born in this town (although I did live in the Big Smoke for 40 years before moving back five years ago), my mother was born and spent all her life here, her father was born in the district and lived here all his life, while his parents moved to the area in the 1870s......so my roots are well and truly here.

"Society is divided into sets, according to their breeding.  One set may be said to have no breeding at all, another to have a little, another more, and another enough; and between the first and last of these there are more shades than in the rainbow.  Good manners are the same in essence everywhere - at courts, in fashionable society, in literary circles, in domestic life - they never change, but social observances, customs and points of etiquette, vary with the age and with the people."

Wonder which set I belong to?

Enjoy your days!

Swinging from the chandelier

Although it's not quite a chandelier!  A few days ago our new shade was installed.

 It is not easy for a short person to take a picture of a light fitting, you know.

 Looking up from under, the outer row of diamonds is bevelled clear glass, next row in is patterned clear glass, inner row is opalescent glass.  Shades with coloured glass are gorgeous, but we wanted a clear/white one.

We could have bought a ready-made shade in a lighting shop, had we found one that we liked......but no.  The 1970s are back with a vengeance, folks - remember brass, copper and wooden light shades? - which is why we decided to have ours made by Linda and Mark, the lovely folks at Volcania Art Glass.  We've lived through the 70s once already, we don't need to do it again.

The block that I designed last week is done, and since this was taken it has been starched and pressed.

At least I think I designed it......there are probably similar blocks floating round out there in quiltland, because there is nothing new under the sun, is there?  I called it "Spinner" because it reminds me of those child's toys that spin round on a stick.

The green top cut out a few weeks ago is being looked at next.  The fabric has been in my stash for a few years, the pattern was bought a year or two back, but I hesitated about cutting into it because I didn't to wreck it.  Up until several years ago I could buy a pattern, cut out and make up a garment and it fit perfectly but since going through menopause, changing shape and turning into a short barrel on legs, getting clothing to fit is much more difficult.  That's why the fabric has been sitting for so long, but now it's cut out and if it doesn't fit or makes me look like the side of a house and is thrown out......why then, it's only fabric.  Even if it is beautiful green fabric and was bought on sale because it was the last of the roll and there is no more because it was a few years ago and the fabric shop has none left and it's all gone.

Ah well.  It's only fabric.

This morning we had a thick fog, and the whole valley disappeared into cloud.  Planes couldn't take off or land, so pity help those folks who were planning to take an early plane to the Big Smoke to connect with another flight.  There was a good chance they missed it.  Like many country towns in Australia, on the closest hill to this town there is a lookout which affords views over the town, over the valley and for a long long way round - but there was no view this morning.

One of the local Rotary Clubs is having its annual used book sale this week, so yesterday I bagged a few bargains....and a few more today.....the sale is on all week, so I might have to visit again before it closes.  One of the books I bought today is about some of the women - some very young, still teenagers - who sailed from Australia to England after World War II to join the English men they had met and married during the war.  Going so far from their families and friends must have been a huge step for them at a time when many people didn't go far from home.  I remember watching a documentary about Aussie women who sailed to the USA after World War II to join the husbands they had married but barely knew, and that was interesting too.  Not all of these marriages lasted, a small number of women were notified by their husbands en route not to bother continuing because they were no longer wanted and were sent back (just imagine the hurt and humiliation!), and not all the women were welcomed by their husband's family when they arrived.  England has long had a reputation of looking down its nose at 'colonials', and some of the women were made to feel this very keenly.

"If, perchance, after they have entered upon the stern realities of life, they find that they have made a mistake, that they are not well-mated, then they must accept the inevitable and endure to the end, "for better or for worse;" for only in this way can they find consolation for having found out, when too late, that they were unfitted for a life-long companionship.

'Acceptance and endurance' - doesn't sound like a good bargain to me.

Enjoy your days!

The wanderers return

We've been back home for a few days, and very busy days they have been......so much so that it has taken until now to sit at the computer and put coherent thoughts together.

Our holiday was very enjoyable!  The folk festival was great fun, camping with our friends was a bonus as we all had a great time socialising, playing music and laughing often and long.  Then we hitched the van back to the car and drove east down the mountain to the coastal highway where we had to make a Big Decision - should we turn left (north) or right (south)?  Left or right?  Oh dear, what a choice.......last year we turned left, so this year we turned right.

One place we visited was Trial Bay Gaol.  As the link says it was started in the late 1800s but the name 'Trial Bay' refers, not to the prison as you might expect, but to the fact that a ship called "Trial" was wrecked in the vicinity in 1816.  It is quite a treacherous part of the New South Wales coast where many other ships have come to grief.

 The sign board quote starts with "Each cell is furnished with a strong front door with ponderous bolts that when shut would exhaust the ingenuity of any man to open" - obviously taking no chances that a felon would escape from what was then a fairly isolated place, although a few did.

 Remains of one of the cell blocks on a hot sunny day.

 Trial Bay itself, quite a beautiful place.

Such was the paranoia during World War I that people of German extraction were rounded up, some men were eventually interred in the by then unused gaol while their wives and family were interned in another part of the state.  Many of these people had been born in Australia or were naturalised Australians, but the thinking at the time said that they were 'the enemy' and must be dealt with.  Australia wasn't the only country to treat people in this way but nevertheless, it was done.  One such man was a prominent orthopaedic surgeon in Sydney, and he established a camp hospital where internees and local people were treated.  At the end of the war many were sent back to Germany with or without their wives and children, despite some coming from families who had lived in Australia for two or three generations and who had never been to Germany in that time.

Not far away is.......

 ......which was built in 1891, so it and the gaol are almost twins.

As the day was hot and sunny again and I had a sore possibly broken toe (don't ask) we didn't walk to the top of the lighthouse, however should you wish you can read about it here.

More on the holiday to follow in our next episode.

Bianca was very pleased to see us back and to be home again.  For the past few years we have had a house sitter while we've been away but arrangements fell through this time, so off she went to a local cattery for a bit of pampering for a couple of weeks.  This meant that the house didn't have its usual cleaning beforehand and hasn't had one since we came home either.......the cleaning fairies obviously had a holiday too, so I am going to have to wield a broom soon......

I had great plans to take needle to fabric and work on the grandkid's quilt but that hasn't yet happened either.  The next few days have taken on a life of their own, but we will see what gets done.  The choir has its annual charity concert on Saturday night, the uke group is playing again at the local main street market on Sunday morning and at an awards concert on Sunday afternoon, so that takes care of much of the weekend too.

I have decided that I was put on this earth to accomplish a certain amount, and right now I am so far behind I can never die.

"Requirements for a happy marriage.
Respect for each other is as necessary to a happy marriage as that the husband and wife should have an affection for one another.  Social equality, intellectual sympathy, and sufficient means are very important matters to be considered by those who contemplate matrimony."

Add to that, the ability to share a very small camper in wet weather without either party committing murder.

Enjoy your days!

Springing further

Proof that the we-think-it's-an-apricot-tree in the backyard is really flowering and leafing:

 Yesterday we went for a Nice Sunday Drive an hour north of here to visit Saumarez, a lovely old house with a pretty garden.  Because it is higher in altitude the gardens are different to here, and we saw plants which we can't grow down in the valley.  A pretty pink peony........

 .......with more on a bush.

 A deep red peony in the spotlight.......

 ......with the chorus dancing behind.

Magnolias do grow here, they have finished flowering locally but not so in the cooler climate.

In the Victorian language of flowers magnolias meant 'peerless and proud', while a peony stood for 'anger'.......an interesting mix in a bouquet!

The interior of the house was really interesting too, but as National Trust policy doesn't allow interior photography you will have to take my word for that.  The house was built and lived in by one family, Mr and Mrs White and their seven children, with the last unmarried daughter, Elsie, dying in 1981 at the grand old age of 97.  For many years she lived alone in the house until old age and family pressure necessitated a move to aged care in the nearby town; for most of her life she slept on an outside exposed upstairs verandah, rain, hail, wind, snow or shine.......and the winds can really blow across the plains around that house.  During her lifetime she kept everything in the house as it was when her parents were alive and after her death the family donated the house and contents to the National Trust, so it now gives us a wonderful glimpse into the life of a well-to-do farming family in days past.  Members of the family enjoyed horse riding, the gentlemen played polo, and the ladies had their hand-work and gardening.

Fabric has been purchased for the sashing, cornerstones and binding of Cricket/ette's quilt, not the pale gold and turquoise I had in mind as my favourite local shop didn't have the right colours so I ended up buying spring green and bright orange.  I'm not sure that I really love them, though......the blocks are being squared up now so the decision as to whether to use those fabrics or shop further afield had better be made soon.

These days every second TV program seems to be a so-called 'talent' quest, doesn't it?  We don't watch them, the trailers are enough to put us off.  Why, in this day and age of advanced electronics and headset microphones, do some singers persist in using a hand-held microphone which obscures much of their face?  and why do they sing with their heads thrown back, eyes closed, mouth wide open and face contorted as if in agony?  If singing you causes that much pain, become a plumber or a brain surgeon instead......something you can really enjoy.

"The gentleman's duty as an escort.
When a gentleman contemplates riding with a lady, his first duty is to see that her horse is a proper one for her use, and one that she can readily manage.  He must see that her saddle and bridle are perfectly secure, and trust nothing of this kind to the stable men, without personal examination.  He must be punctual at the appointed hour, and not keep the lady waiting for him clad in her riding costume.  He should see the lady comfortably seated in her saddle before he mounts himself; take his position on the lady's right in riding, open all gates and pay all tolls on the road."

Perhaps that point of etiquette could be better worded?  A gentleman would mount his horse, not himself, and I sincerely hope he doesn't don a lady's riding costume.

Enjoy your days!