Each day - a little closer to a finish!

How have you all been this week?  We have been enjoying some slightly - only slightly, but it's an improvement - cooler weather, giving us hope that one day this interminable summer heat will finally end.  Some rain showers are forecast for the next few days, so if they arrive we will be happy people.

Over the past few days I have been working on finishing my musical hanging.  The (slightly wobbly) quilting is done, and finally the outside had a line of stitching to hold the edges together while it was trimmed and had the binding stitched to the front.  Even though I always measure the outer perimeter of a quilt I always seem to cut too many binding strips - but not this time!

That little strip of fabric, barely one quarter inch wide, is all that was left after joining the two ends together.....how's that for cutting it fine?

Thoughts were thought about how to hang it on the wall, and the winning thought was to make three or four tabs so it can hang from a narrow rod or dowel.  Jolly good idea, I thought to myself; the piece left after cutting binding (which wasn't huge to start with, it was left over from a project several years ago) was 6-1/2 inches wide by about 20 inches long.  Four 2-1/2 inch strips were cut across the width, and they will be turned into tabs.

It didn't occur to me until after they were cut that I could have cut one long strip, sewn the edges and cut it into four tabs.....but working with shorter strips will, I suspect, make for more accuracy.  That's what I am telling myself, anyway.  The block kit was part of a shop hop row by row and instructions were very basic, but I can work out how to make a hanging.

Kevin had his Major Milestone birthday during the week, and we enjoyed a very nice lunch at a pub about 45 minutes north of us.  If we lived on the other side of town it would be barely half an hour, but those extra minutes gave me more knitting time.  This is the river which runs past the pub we visited, although this pic was taken in winter - and it is far from being winter now, but it is still the same peaceful river.

Stitches have been knitted, some machine stitching was done.  No diamonds were cut or sewn but the supply of them needs topping up, so the trusty cutter had better hop to it in coming days.  Words have been read, plinking and singing have happened.  My knee (which seems to be doing well so far; neither it nor my leg have fallen off, which is a good sign) allowed me to join in the hunting and gathering during the week, so we can eat again.

Yesterday afternoon the choir sang at a memorial "soirée" for the woman who formed the original choir over 25 years ago, and who passed away a month before Christmas.  She seems to have been quite a force in the musical life of the town in years gone by - she moved away several years before we came here, so I never had the chance to know her - and people came from out of the woodwork, and indeed from all over the world, to farewell her in style.  Originally the concert was to be a modest affair in a small hall but as time went on it was realised that the hall wouldn't hold all the people who wanted to attend, so it was moved to the town hall.  We performed our two songs after an introductory film and song; before it all started we were told that we would be filmed for posterity (!) and also for last night's news (!!).  Sure enough during the 6p.m. news bulletin, in between the stories of murder and mayhem around the world, there we were in all our elderly glory.  Ohmygawd......

Continuing with Etiquette of Public Places, Conduct in Church:

"If a Protestant gentleman accompanies a lady who is a Roman Catholic to her own church, it is an act of courtesy to offer the holy water.  This he must do with the ungloved right hand."

I believe that in years gone by people used to attend whichever church they were curious about - 'church shopping', perhaps?  I can remember when Roman Catholics were not allowed inside a church of another denomination, not even for an occasion such as a wedding.  They had to wait outside the church but were allowed to join in the festivities afterward.  As for so-called mixed marriages....dear me no, can't have those.  I remember the mother of a friend in my teenage years being more upset that her daughter was marrying a Roman Catholic in his church, than the daughter already being several months pregnant.  Another wedding, a friend of a friend, involved a daughter marrying in a different church other than her own Roman Catholic church - and the mother's priest forbade her to attend her own daughter's wedding.  Religion doesn't always bring people closer together, far from it.....it can drive a sizeable wedge between people.

Ah well.  We could solve the problems of the world if there were no people, couldn't we.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Green calm below, blue quietness above

Isn't that lovely?  It comes from the writings of John Greenleaf Whittier, an American writer.  It turned up when I looked for quotes about green and blue together, and could make a suitable name for my green and blue quilt.  Here are some finished blocks, some cut ready to be sewn, and lots more luscious fabrics waiting to be chopped up.

It has made me realise that more of my greens are on the yellow side of the spectrum than the blue side.  Several blocks have been made, and more will be cut - it is turning out to be quite a fun project!

This week has seen me turning a year older.  My birthday was on Tuesday so we went out to lunch - I always enjoy a meal I haven't had to cook - and we even let our hair down with a glass of bubbly too.  I am feeling more ancient with every passing year.....

When we had breakfast with our son while visiting Canberra he gave me an early birthday gift, a beautiful print of a sleeping baby wombat by Alison Dickin.  We have a couple of framing places here so it will soon be taken to get framed; I am thinking perhaps a narrow pale wood, but will see what choices are on offer,

A couple more pics from our visit to the National Rock Garden.  Don't you think a large slab of this limestone, cut and polished, would make a dramatic wall?

Such a shame that the explanatory plaques have been scratched by small-minded people who need to find a more suitable outlet for their so-called 'creativity'.

This Metasomatite was possibly my favourite.  Close up there are many colours in it, and they are more subtle than the limestone above.  

It's quite old, too.  It's even older than I am.

Words have been read, diamonds have been stitched.  Notes have been plinked and sung.  Knitting has been knitted and pulled undone again, because I didn't like how the cable was turning out.  Another cable was found in one of my stitch dictionaries, less ornate than my original choice, but I think it will serve well.  Eventually a final choice will be made, and there will be much rejoicing.

In the morning the choir will be singing at the funeral of one of our long-time members who died recently, aged 95.  A month before Christmas he went into palliative care, we thought that was the beginning of the end - but he rallied, and went home!  However, given his age we knew this day would inevitably come so at his wife's request (she is also a choir member) we have been rehearsing the 23rd Psalm, and tomorrow we will honour our old friend with our voices.

Our little taste of winter has been just that, a little taste, and now we are in the 'cool nights and mornings followed by lovely sunny days' part of autumn.  We know it won't last, but will enjoy it while it does.  Leaves are changing, our few frosty mornings have obviously given them the "it's time now" signal, and finally we can enjoy the beauty of autumn.

Continuing on with Etiquette of the Street:

"Fulfilling an engagement.

When on your way to fill an engagement, if a friend stops you on the street you may, without committing a breach of etiquette, tell him of your appointment, and release yourself from any delay that may be occasioned by a long talk; but do so in a courteous manner, expressing regret for the necessity."

It is good to be courteous.  How many of us, I wonder, have used the "sorry, can't stop, I have an appointment" excuse to get away from someone?  

Enjoy your days!

One day closer to autumn!

The heatwave continues.

We have had friends of a musical friend staying for a few days while the big country music festival took over the town.  They are very nice people and we all enjoyed ourselves, saw some great concerts with them and without them.......and now it's just the two of us again.

The whole town is starting to empty as the music-loving tourists leave.  Yesterday morning Kevin and I were chatting to two interstate visitors at a concert and, when they found out that we were locals, the bloke said "you don't look like locals".  What does a local look like, we wondered?  Did he expect us to have straw between our teeth, wear boots with spurs, and say "yee har" with every sentence?  Perhaps he didn't expect two neatly dressed Olde Phartes; many of the tourists don't know the meaning of the words "neatly dressed".

Enough of that.  It is a very entertaining time, and people watching is a good part of the entertainment.

During our Toronto visit our lovely Canadian DIL and I attended a quilt show in Ajax, east of Toronto, and one of the things purchased was a kit to make a small bag using only one side of a zipper.  A strip of the unused portion becomes a loop at the side of the bag.  The idea has been around for a while but I hadn't tried it before - and it works!

 Interesting fabric, isn't it?  Not what I would normally choose, but it came in a kit with a lime zip and gold-speckled-lime lining and that was enough for me.  Everything was supplied, outer and lining fabrics, zip and fusible lightweight batting.  After ironing it to the outer fabric I quilted it in a wide two inch grid in case the adhesive ever fails.  I didn't get around to boxing the bottom corners but that won't stop the world from turning, will it.

This bag requires you to (gulp) cut off the zipper end pull which is eventually restored to the folded-around zipper tape; instructions say "this may require some swearing and a glass of wine, but it can be done"!  How could you not try it?  Kit was from Sew Have Fun in Oshawa, also east of Toronto.  An odd thing about this fabric:  to look at it you would think the colours are blue, grey, pink and lime on a purplish background, yes?  Wrong.  There is no pink......it's a trick of the light, those flowers have only white and blue petals.

Currently partly made on the sewing table is a large pincushion, a door prize won at a large meeting a couple of years ago.  Next step is to press a whole heap of 2-1/2 in squares into prairie points, but it has been a bit hot for ironing.  So it waits......

There is also a song to arrange.  The uke group will be playing for a 90th birthday early in March (the lovely mum of one of our members is having a Big 0 day) and I have re-written words to a celebratory song to reflect her and her family's names, for a bit of fun.  Because I didn't want to cause hurt or offence it was first run by the uke playing daughter for approval, she said "Mum will love it!" so now it needs chords.  Easy peasy.

Life will gradually get back to its normal busy routine, U3A launch day on Wednesday - that's when we put our names down for courses which appeal, mine of course is ukulele - and the choir is singing at a funeral on Tuesday afternoon for one of our members who recently passed away.  There is a reason the choir was awarded Senior Citizens Group of the year last year.......we're getting old.  We also lost another member while I was away, both of these people were in their 80s.

"The saddest of all ceremonies is that attendant upon the death of relatives and friends and it becomes us to show, in every possible way, the utmost consideration for the feelings of the bereaved, and the deepest respect for the melancholy occasion.  Of late the forms of ostentation at funerals are gradually diminishing, and by some people of intelligence even mourning habiliments are rejected in whole or in part."

When our choir performs in public we wear black bottoms - skirts or pants - and a bright shirt or top in a single colour; with over 30 members of different ages and body types we can each choose something flattering.  This also applies when we sing at funerals, so my outfit on Tuesday will probably be a flared black cotton skirt and turquoise top, and I will sing my heart out for Tony.

Enjoy your days!

Spring is now springing

The weather is warming, wisteria is now flowering......it must be spring!  New seasons don't arbitrarily arrive on a particular day, they ease in gradually - and now spring flowers are blooming, trees are wearing their new green leaves, and the air smells like spring.  Perhaps it's only the neighbour's jasmine creeping over the fence......the smell of that stuff drowns out all other scents......

Not so good news for the next few days however with high temperatures, a hot wind and fire danger alerts, a bit early in the season but it does happen.  Hopefully it's just an aberration and things will settle down for a while afterwards.  Some rain would be welcome.

Last Sunday's treadling demonstration went well!  There was a lot of interest from folk of all ages, many people reminiscing - "my grandmother/aunt/neighbour had one of those" and admiration - "my goodness, you are clever" and incredulity - "it's so old, and it still works!"  When children were asked to guess how old the machine was their answers ranged from "about 20 years old" to "about 200 years old".

Over the previous few days the stash was raided and fabrics were cut out to make four bags.  I knew there would be no iron available so hems and facings were pressed at home beforehand, and two of the four were finished.  They still haven't been near an iron.

The ticking was given to me by a colleague several years ago.  She and her husband had a business restoring and selling old furniture; the restoration they did themselves, but the upholstery was always done professionally using beautiful (and probably quite expensive!) fabrics.  One day she gave me a bundle of leftovers including two long already-sewn pillow covers which, when cut across, were just the right size for bags.  Two strips were cut from each piece for handles, and fabric for linings came from my stash of elderly fabrics.

Two down, two to go.

These will also be made on the treadle, because it was such fun!

The lime green purse is creeping slowly towards the finish line, and now that the treadle weekend is done other projects can be worked on.  A Secret Squirrel project is also waiting its turn.

Haven't told you all about an outing we had a month ago.  Each August a big agricultural showcase, Agquip, is held in a town an hour away and, while many locals are blasé about it, we find it very interesting and have been a few times since moving here.  A highlight is lunch; this year we had Hereford steak sangers and very nice they were too; nothing flash and fancy, just a thin piece of tender steak with fried onions and a dash of barbecue sauce inside two pieces of bread.  There was a copy of the Hereford breeders' magazine on the table for lunchtime reading, while nearby in a small enclosure was a live example.  So you can admire the cattle and read about the cattle while you eat the cattle......we could have had Angus, or Murray Grey, or another breed......

We are having this month off choir because our fearless leader, Bill, is travelling overseas.  We miss our Thursday night singing.

"Time to send invitations.
Invitations for parties and entertainments of a formal nature can be sent out for a week or two weeks before the entertainment is to take place.  A notice of not less than one week is expected for such invitations.  They should be printed or engraved on small note paper or large cards, with the envelopes to match, with no colors in the monogram, if one is used."

Do people still send out such printed and engraved invitations, or are they now delivered online or by text?

Enjoy your days!

Good weather for staying indoors

Yesterday it rained.....and rained......and rained some more.  We had more rain in one day than the June average, so that's something to be cheerful about!  It was a good day for being inside and reading, and sewing, and just doing nothing much at all.

Some work was done on the latest project, a maple leaf table runner.  I am pleased with it, haven't taken any pics yet but will do so this week.  The print fabrics were gorgeous autumn leaf print fabrics, Canadian souvenirs bought at The Cottage Quilter.......what a lovely place to live and work, on Shady Lane beside Lake Nosbonsing.

Showing my age here, but who else remembers "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" sung by The Ames Brothers?  That's a trip down memory lane (hah!) for you all, I bet you'll start singing it any minute now......

Probably should get on with some knitting too.  The current project, Dragonfly Wings lace scarf, has been ongoing for some time because I am finding it difficult to get enthused about more than 200 stitches on the needle at once.  Never mind, the stocking stitch bit is nearly all done then hopefully the lace stitch border won't take long, even though there will be something horrendous like 273 or more stitches to keep track of.  And beads.  I have never knitted with beads before.  Even though I started knitting as a child and over the ensuing umpteen years have knitted countless garments, knitting with beads will be a new experience.  If it all becomes too much, you may even hear me yell from your place.

My poor uke has been sadly neglected of late but the uke group is entered in the Mature Age section of our local eisteddfod in a few weeks, so some practice would be a Good Thing, yes?  Each contestant is only allowed one piece with a time limit of five minutes from the first note being played (time spent setting up stands and chairs is not counted) and our teacher reckons we play "Dream a Little Dream of Me" well enough to inflict it on the paying public.  Last year we vaguely talked about entering but no one did anything about it, so this year I entered us then told the group we were in it.

Some more memories of our recent holiday:  did you know we have volcanoes in Australia?  According to reports, some are overdue to erupt; now that could be interesting.  You can read about them here.

 It doesn't look like much, but this paddock was once a volcano.

 I wonder if this rock was thrown in an eruption, or if someone picked it up and moved it?  That would be quite a job......it was fairly large.

Many years ago while touring in south-western Victoria we visited Tower Hill, an inactive - but not extinct! - volcano not far from Harman's Lookout.  Tower Hill crater is now a lake with a wildlife reserve on the shores and the day we visited there were many emus roaming around.  If the humans didn't bother them, they didn't bother the humans.  However one silly man, one of a tour group visiting from overseas, kept holding out his lunch sandwich to an emu then snatching it away just as the bird went to take it.  He thought it was hilarious - but the emu didn't, so next time the man pulled his lunch back the emu followed through and went to grab it.  The man wasn't having that so he turned to walk away, and the emu followed......the man started running, the emu kept following......the man was jumping, dancing and running to get away from the emu while it was having a great time chasing him.  The man's companions were laughing too much to go to his aid, and Kevin and I laughed too.  Eventually the emu tired of its game and walked away - and, hopefully, that bloke will think twice in future before teasing a wild creature.

"Can any one fancy what our society might be, if all its members were perfect gentlemen and true ladies, if all the inhabitants of the earth were kind-hearted; if, instead of contending with the faults of our fellows, we were each to wage war against our own faults?  Every one needs to guard constantly against the evil from within as well as from without, for, as has been truly said, "a man's greatest foe dwells in his own heart.""

Perhaps the bloke could have saved himself much angst if he had been kind-hearted enough to share his lunch sandwich with that emu, instead of using it to tease the poor bird.

Enjoy your days!

Quelle bummer......

.......the blister on my right hand had become sore, swollen and red, quite painful to touch, not moving too well......seems the blister from the burnt-off sun spot had become a little infected.  Yesterday I was able to get an urgent appointment at the medical centre and a nice young doctor said, yes, it's infected, probably a good idea to take a course of antibiotics, so the hand and I are taking bright blue capsules for a few days.  So far it hasn't fallen off, it's still attached to my arm, which is a good thing.

Consequently not many stitches have been taken because it's difficult to do much with a painfully sore hand, but at least that applique block did get finished.  Later today there is a hook and eye to be sewn on a new top so it doesn't gape too much across the bosom, but that's not a big chore.

As nothing has been finished or photographed this week we will have a couple of pictures from the Canadian holiday.  I don't wish to bore the socks off you, gentle readers, so will just drop in the odd (hopefully not too odd) photo every now and then.

 My favourite small town in Canada of those I have visited is Goderich.  Since we were there three years earlier these inukshuks have been built on the shore of Lake Huron, probably hundreds of them!

The Town Square (which is really an octagon) now has trees growing again - on our previous visit it was still being repaired after a tornado the year before.  All the trees in the square were broken or completely killed, only a few were undamaged, but now replanted with mature trees it looks really good.

Quite a few books have been read lately, though......reading doesn't hurt my hand......there are sites where one can download free e-books into one's tablet, so one does.  A genre I read a lot is mystery books, I don't mind a bit of blood and gore but I don't like sadism and torture, stories where someone (usually female) is being stalked, too much sex (we know it happens but we don't need it described in graphic detail, we all have imaginations), and I'm not a great fan of paranormal stories although I don't mind a little touch of the supernatural.  Just a little.  Don't overdo it, folks, or it becomes just too unbelievable.  The delete button has been pressed more than once, because I just wasn't getting into the story.

We're getting ourselves organised for our trip - only ten days until we leave!  The festival office co-ordinator has done the roster so we office volunteers know when we're working, and I have also been sent my printable performer's ticket because a friend and I have been assisting at the Sunday morning hymn singing session for so long we're part of the furniture.  It's a very ecumenical session so folk of any, all or no religious persuasions join in every year and we have a blast......no instruments, just unaccompanied voices singing old hymns and gospel songs we've all known and been singing forever.  We've even been recorded for radio more than once, the roving radio bloke couldn't believe that so many people could sing so many harmonies without a guitar or keyboard in sight!

I'm also debating whether to take one or two ukes, our caravan is quite small; one is fine, two might be pushing it for space but I would really love to take two......I know only one can be played at once, but they are pitched differently and and I would like to play the baritone in sessions.  Better make a decision soon.......

"Another way to remove freckles.
One ounce of alcohol; half a dram salts tartar; one dram oil bitter almonds.  Let stand for one day and apply every second day."

Some of these remedies sound very alarming, don't they?  I think cyanide poison comes from bitter almonds.  Perhaps these days I'll just let nature take its course when it comes to freckles.

Enjoy your days!

We are both doing well

That is, Binky and I are both doing well.  Since starting on antibiotics for her infection she has become a new cat:  back to her old self, talking our heads off and bouncing round again like a much younger kitty.  We are quite relieved, as we were starting to imagine a sadder scenario.

Here she is in her younger days, when we lived in the Big Smoke:

This jacaranda tree was in our back yard, and Binky really liked climbing it - probably to keep an eye out for neighbourhood mice, because she was a very good mouser in her youth.

Apparently my shoulder is progressing as it should be, according to the physiotherapist on our weekly visit on Friday.  Thank goodness Anna will be back from her honeymoon and I can see her this Friday instead.  I don't like being patronised by younger blokes, and being called "lass" by someone young enough to be my child sets my teeth on edge.  I don't expect "madam", but Mrs Last Name or Jennifer would be much better.  No doubt he's a good physiotherapist, but he doesn't have a good manner when one is a female Olde Pharte - or perhaps some old dears don't mind.  I do.

One thing he told me was that these operations aren't always successful and the stitched-together tear can come apart fairly soon.  I don't recall the specialist saying this, or perhaps he did and I have forgotten.  It has made me ultra-cautious about doing anything at all with that arm now.  At least the physiotherapist did say that this particular specialist has a very high success rate, something to be thankful for - because I don't think I could do it again.  Yesterday the arm and shoulder were so sore and aching that I don't know how I made it through the day, while today there is almost no pain and I don't know why!  Even the swelling in my upper arm seems to have gone down.  I am hoping that is a good sign and not an indication of something more ominous.  Ah well, it will either get better or fall off, won't it?

I can say, though, that I will pleased when the sling no longer has to worn in bed, because I have never slept well on my back.

On to happier things.

Had a fun time last week at the Thursday night choir Christmas party......held, strangely enough, on Thursday night!  We are looking forward to resuming after our December/January break.  Tomorrow night is the annual meeting of the Monday night choir, I will attend but have pretty much decided that I won't be back next year.  I have realised I don't fit into their mould; I don't attend church, and singing religious songs isn't the be all and end all in my life, as it for the director.  While I don't dislike her I don't think I can cope with her choice of music for much longer, and she seems to have the final say (the only say, from what I have gathered) in the choice of choir material.  I told a couple of members that I may not be back next year and they were quite concerned.  We shall see what tomorrow night brings; I won't burn any bridges, but there's no point in flogging a dead horse, is there?  Nothing like a good cliché!

"Education of girls too superficial.
The school instruction of our girls is too superficial.  There is a smattering of too many branches, where two or three, systematically studied and thoroughly mastered, would accomplish much more for them in the way of a sound mental training, which is the real object of education."

I wish my parents had felt that way.  Perhaps I would have gone on to finish high school, if they had.

Enjoy your days!

Blogger issues

For a week now I have been trying to post, and change my header pic and background, to very little avail.  Finally today managed to change the pic, and it seems to post, but as for changing the background, well, that seems to be a lost cause.  The problem seems to be with our computer rather than with blogger, so I shall keep persisting and try to beat it into submission.

It's been a fairly low key week here, some singing, some uke playing, some sewing.....a top that has been on the sewing room table was finally finished this afternoon, so now the outfit for the wedding can be started......a little waffling round the garden which is flowering beautifully, and the best news of all is that we had some rain.

This is the usual view from our front verandah and driveway - we can see a long way, we think those distant hills are over 40kms away which is about 25 miles in old money.

 Rain coming.......

 .....raining.......

 ......and the view has disappeared in the clouds.

These pics were taken at different times since we moved here, our view is dependent on the weather!

This coming Sunday the Monday night choir is putting on its spring concert, the next concert is the traditional Christmas one with carols and seasonal songs.  A few of us are getting more than a little disenchanted with how the choir is run and probably won't renew our membership next year - that could be four of the sopranos gone.  More and more soloists are being brought in, and some us feel that we have very little to do except be a backing group.  It's not sour grapes because I know I have a snowball's chance in hell of ever being chosen as a soloist, so I'm not worried about being done out of my turn in the spotlight.  For Sunday's concert the men are getting to do two songs as an ensemble, while the women have none, not one, nada, zilch.  Our one song is with our musical director - while she warbles a song and shows off her high soprano we will be singing dumpty-dum behind her.  Said director's 14 year old daughter is now a choir member and gets a few solos, who said nepotism is dead?  The director also gets to choose all our songs and as she is quite devout they lean toward the religious;  there is a not-so-subtle push that the choir should be religious too, helped along by the fact that one of the local ministers and his wife also belong.  If I wanted to sing nothing but religious songs I would have joined a church choir.  While the other singers are all nice people and I have learnt quite a bit since joining, I am feeling more and more that my time there is wasted.

The Thursday night choir is much more fun!  So is the uke group, and the radio station, and sewing group, and quilting group.......it's not as though I will lack for something to do by leaving one choir.

A very sad thing happened today, a pair of sandals which I have had for many years finally gave up the ghost and had to be thrown out because the soles were breaking up.  I'd been wondering what those little bits of hard black stuff on the floor were.  They are nigh on ten years old so were getting tired anyway, but I shall still miss them!  Don't know if I can find something similar - they covered a fair bit of my feet with wide straps, and were good to wear when it's a bit too cool for dainty sandals but a bit too warm for shoes and socks.  Their passing will leave quite a gap in my (somewhat meagre) shoe wardrobe.

For some time now the carefully unshaven look seems to have been in fashion for blokes, and I for one don't care for it.  I don't mind a beard, and I don't mind a clean-shaven chin, but I do not like the unshaven look......it makes a face look dirty and unwashed.

"The beard.
Those who shave should be careful to do so every morning.  Nothing looks worse than a shabby beard.  Some persons whose beards are strong should shave twice a day, especially if they are going to a party in the evening."

That probably applies to women, too.......

Enjoy your days!

Now you see it.....

....and soon you won't.  This is a corner of our little back yard, all of which will be re-modelled this week.  The palm tree in the corner has been gone for a while and the corner bed is now home to feral geraniums.  Grass doesn't grow well in the yard because it's shaded, but there is a thriving crop of assorted weeds which do grow.  I was going to take a few pics to show you the ordinariness of it but didn't....however, you will see the new yard when it's done.  We will having things removed, and things added, and the grass will go, and there will be some new garden beds and lots of lovely native plants and a new gravel path.

We had thoughts of doing the work ourselves but decided against that, as some of it will be hard work and we are Olde Phartes.  Paving stones will be dug out and re-used, and concrete edgings will go, and the stones edging the current beds will be moved.  Some of those stones are granite probably from the hills just north of here, and even though they are not huge they are fairly heavy.  We are looking at making life easier for ourselves as we get older so making the garden low-maintenance is a good place to start.  A local horticulturalist looked at our yard and came up with a plan which we like; this week the heavy work will be done and new garden beds laid out, then next week the new plants will go in.  There will be two beds closer to the house than at present, which will make for kitty television once birds start visiting......mind you, I'm not sure that either of our cats would know what to do with a bird.  Binky was a good mouser in her younger days but as far as we know never caught a bird, while Bianca has been an indoor cat since a very young age.   They don't take much notice of birds, but a leaf blowing in the wind sends Bianca into spasms of excitement.

Quilting on the challenge quilt has been started but has been grinding very slowly.  Hopefully it will pick up this week.  The first two pieced blocks don't look too bad with quilting on them, but I had a brain snap and thought that perhaps quilting on each of those 2-1/4in pinwheels would look good.....and it would, you know......but have decided to do the rest of the quilting first, then - perhaps - all 125 of those little pinwheels will get quilted too.  One at a time, because there isn't a lot of scope for continuous lines on them.  If I don't run out of quilting oomph first.  Just the thought of having to weave in all those thread ends is enough to bring me out in a severe case of hives.........but it would look so good.......

It's been a busy week!  Thursday night choir is back - we had several weeks off because our director had to have medical matters attended to - and a local woman is starting (re-starting actually, there used to be a branch here a few years ago apparently) a branch of the Australian Sewing Guild.  Its first meeting was held during the week and will, I think, be excellent.  I am so fed up with clothing choices available in shops, once one gets to A Certain Age many of the clothes are very uninspiring, and the boutique-style shops have prices that make me gasp and styles that look as though they are trying too hard to be different with floaty bits here and asymetrical panels there.  Fine if one is very tall and reed-thin, but when one is short (5 foot two inches on a good day) and not slim any more.....sigh.....one would look and feel as though one was making a spectacle of oneself.  While one doesn't mind standing out a little from the crowd, one doesn't wish to be a figure of fun.

"Showy dress.
The glaring colors and "loud" costumes, once so common, have given place to sober grays, and browns and olives; black predominating over all.  The light, showily-trimmed dresses, which were once displayed in the streets and fashionable promenades, are now only worn in carriages.  This display of showy dress and glaring colours is generally confined to those who love ostentation rather than comfort."

Well, now......comfort before ostentation, I always say.  But brown?  Having lived through the surfeit of brown in the 1970s I'm not so sure about wearing a brown dress ever again.

Enjoy your days!

Pretty flowers

A gorgeous arrangement of flowers sent by our older son for my birthday/Mother's Day.

 They really brighten up the house, as you can see.

Bless him - when he ordered them he told the florist "nothing pink" (he knows it's not my favourite colour) and I love these orange, red and purple of these flowers.  The tulips haven't finished opening but are very purple.  It's a great arrangement for autumn!

Yesterday the Monday night choir performed at a concert, they give two or three concerts a year.  It was well received, the audience enjoyed listening and we enjoyed performing.  Not sure when the next concert is to be but no doubt we will be told in due course.

The other day I was cutting borders for the quilt started recently and a little piece of elastic in my brain must have stretched too far and let go, because instead of lining up the fabric with the edge of my 6-1/2 inch ruler I lined one strip up with the half-inch mark and cut it six inches wide instead of six and a half inches.  Stupid stupid stupid.  This of course meant that unless I was prepared to cut a strip one inch wide and join it on, I didn't have enough fabric for all the borders.  However all was not lost as I had already decided to buy more of the border fabric to back the quilt, so I just bought a bit more.  It isn't really possible to have narrower borders as some of the pieced blocks are used in the borders.  Any leftovers, including that six inch wide strip, will end up in the stash.  Not that it needs any more contributions.....and I also have A Great Idea for the back which will entail piecing a strip of the fabrics used in the front.  Once this top is done it will take its place as number three in line waiting to be quilted.  The current challenge quilt will be number one, if ever it gets its borders done.

The grey pants which were having new elastic in their waistband probably should be done again as it wasn't pulled taut enough, they are a bit loose.  Not enough to fall down, just enough that I feel I need to keep hitching them up....which is a bit of a nuisance.  If I really feel inspired it will be done again but there are no guarantees.

We could really do with some rain, and fortunately some is forecast for the coming week.  The bird bath in our back yard is a very popular place lately and provides us with a great deal of entertainment.  We are seeing species of birds who haven't used it before, and some birds are quite territorial - they lose no time in letting others know they aren't welcome.  It can be very funny at times.  I'd love to get some pics for you but those birds move very quickly!

On 7th of this month we celebrated two years since moving out of the Big Smoke and into this house.  We are really glad we made the move, it's been a good one - we both feel very much at home here, even though the locals joke that you don't become a local until you have lived here for at least 20 years!  I was born here, moved away in my early 20s and never wanted to come back, but in 2005 spent a few days here digging into some family history.....and everyone I had contact with was so helpful and friendly, and so nice, that for the first time since leaving I thought that perhaps I could live here again.  So here we are.  As my family roots in the district go back to the 1870s.....I suppose I'm a local.

Our house in on land that during WWII was an army camp.  My father was one of the soldiers stationed here, he was from Melbourne, nearly 2,000 kms south and my mother was a local girl.  They met at a dance, although it seems my father wasn't much of a dancer, married a few years later and had three children.  It wasn't a happy marriage and after 25 years he left and went interstate, but my mother lived in this town all her life.  When I was growing up the area where our street is now was all bush, and some of the old army buildings not far from here were used for social housing - they are gone now.  Never thought, all those years ago, that I would be living here.

"Christian names.
There is a class of persons who, from ignorance of the customs of good society, or from carelessness, speak of persons by their Christian names, who are neither relations nor intimate friends.  This is a familiarity which, outside of the family circle, and beyond friends of the closest intimacy, is never indulged in by the well-bred."

Oh my, haven't times changed?  We don't have Christian names these days, we have given names.....and these are used on first acquaintance by many people, whether we like it or not.  I don't always.

Enjoy your days!

Slaving over a hot quilt

This quilt has been pinned ready to be quilted for several months, life just happened in the meantime.....but now it is having its turn under the machine needle. The sashing is done and now I am working on the blocks.

Its name is "Black and White Rag", after the old tune written in 1908 by George Botsford, as it has quite a lot of black and white (albeit with some green and orange) and a piano key border. I like my quilts' names to have a musical allusion.
It was started about five years ago in a class taught by Donna Ward of New Zealand, when she was visiting Sydney. Donna taught us a quilt as you go technique, but I liked the idea of working on the whole quilt in one go.

And now it is on the homeward stretch, yay! I have stopped sewing long enough to have a coffee and blogging break.

Another view of our Fireworks grevillea, isn't it a fun plant? That's some of our front verandah behind it.

Been a bit busy this week, as well as sporadically working on the quilt. After last weekend's wintry weather (by gosh it was cold, really really cold) we are well and truly into spring now. Flowers are popping up everywhere one looks and trees are showing their new green growth, don't you just love that bright fresh colour? Last night was the first time for a few months that we didn't light the fire. While we are plunging headlong into spring our friends and family in the northern hemisphere are dropping into autumn, you lucky people. Never mind, in seven or eight months we will be there too. Not that I am wishing my life away, you understand - I'm just planning how to survive summer.

Tomorrow afternoon the Monday night choir is singing for the residents at a local aged care complex, we are doing the same program as our concert two weeks ago with a couple of songs dropped out. Let's hope the audience enjoys it as much as the previous one did. And the Thursday night choir is having lots of fun too, one of the songs we are learning is "Land of Hope and Glory" which is being played on the radio as we speak. I will try not to deafen you while I sing along......we are also learning some of the oldies from the 60s. Many of us don't need the words because we can remember them all from our giddy youth. Songs then were such fun, weren't they?

Have been looking in local shop windows, and watching some of the locals in their new spring togs. What's with the dippy drippy hemlines? I thought that style came and went just a few years ago, now it seems to be back - although if I dig into my memory last time it was skirts only; this time it seems skirts and tops have uneven hems. Many of the clothes are made from light stretch fabric and to my eye, for what it's worth, in my opinion, they look as they have gone one too many rounds with the washing machine.......and lost. Have you ever had one of those disasters where a garment has tangled with other clothing in the washing machine and emerged saggy and stretched out of shape - so much so that you threw it out or used it for washing the car? That's what the current fashions bring to my mind. Needless to say, I don't plan on wearing them.

However I do love those handkerchief hems on clothes from the 1920s and 30s. Fabrics were different then, no saggy knits for those women; they used soft georgette and silk fabrics so their skirts gently drifted. And their dresses were lined or at least worn with a petticoat, so they didn't cling. Clothing which clings too closely is not kind.

"As fashions are constantly changing, those who do not adopt the extremes, as there are so many of the prevailing modes at present, can find something to suit every form and face."

Probably as true today as it was in 1885, when it was written.

Enjoy your days!

Cooking up a storm

The past week has been the coldest weather so far this winter, so it has been good weather for staying indoors and cooking. Apart from last week's 14 (14! - and Kevin doesn't eat jam) jars of citrus marmalade I made an orange cake which is very nice - recipe here, I can recommend its yummy taste and ease of making. Then this morning I made bacon jam.....oh my goodness, what can I say. This is seriously good stuff. A little would certainly liven up some plain old sausages and give new life to a burger, let me tell you. Or you could just try it straight from the jar. Which, being the cook, I had to do to see if it was all right........can't serve up stuff which is no good, can I?

Have also been doing a little cooking up in the sewing room. Last year before we moved I won Tammy's giveaway which included, among other goodies, a pack of Moda Garden Party charm squares. Not long before that Carol swapped me some patterns for some Aussie craft magazines, so the charm squares plus some lovely cream solid are being used to make a table runner from one of those patterns. The large flower centres are appliqued and now the flowers need to be joined into one long piece. It will give a touch of spring to the table when it's done.

Next Monday it's my turn to design the block of the month for one of my quilt groups, this is my choice - can't you see a flotilla of these little ships sailing along on a child's quilt? Our BOMs are used to make up quilts for the local Ronald Macdonald House. The colours are a little brighter than in the picture.
By gosh it has been cold this week, and frosty too. This morning's frost was the heaviest for a while, and yesterday I don't think we reached double figures despite the official weather numbers. It's a bit cooler up here on the hill than out of town at the airport weather station where readings are taken. But it's not too bad really, provides one wears warm clothes and doesn't sit in the shade for too long. Our back room is a sun trap and gets the sun for much of the day, to the cats' delight. And ours.

While our winters are nothing near as bad as winter in some parts of the world, and we sound like a bunch of wusses when we complain compared to those of you who have snow for months on end, it's as cold as I can happily cope with each year.

Last night and tonight one of my choirs is giving concerts, and I suspect by tomorrow I will be all sung out - particularly as we get together to practice on Thursday nights, so that's three nights' singing in a row this week plus Monday night with the other choir. Last night's concert went well, we in the choir had a great time, and the audience seemed to enjoy it too; at least they said complimentary words to us. Kevin thought we were very good, however tonight I will be going along on my own as he can't make it.

"A young lady should, if possible, avoid walking alone in the street after dark. If she passes the evening with a friend, provision should be made beforehand for an escort. If this is not practicable, the person at whose house she is visiting should send a servant with her, or some proper person - a gentleman acquaintance present, or her own husband - to perform the duty. A married lady may, however, disregard this rule, if circumstances prevent her being able to conveniently find an escort."

Isn't it odd that A Young Lady had to be escorted home, but a servant - presumably female - was allowed.....nay, compelled.......to walk alone by herself unaccompanied at night, as she made her own way homewards? The servant may have been even younger than the young lady, but because of their different stations in life that counted for nothing.. However as a married lady, I am able to find my own way home - just as well I know the way.

Enjoy your days!

Pretty Pink Nerines

This is the one and only Nerine lily in our garden, isn't it pretty? There are a couple of plants together, but only one is flowering at present.

The whirligig blocks are together, and I am very pleased with my EQ7 design! Now to make border decisions. These blocks are 12in finished and there are 12 blocks in the quilt, so it's only 48in by 36in. I am thinking a 1in border in a leafy green (darker than lime but lighter than olive), then a 2in border in rich purple, then a 6in border using the bright diagonal stripe that inspired the colour scheme. That will bring the quilt up to a decent size, 54in by 66in, and it looks good on the computer screen. And what's more - the borders will be mitered.
Even washed the floor before I laid the quilt out for its pic, isn't that dedication? It (the quilt, not the floor) has been dry pressed, but needs another pressing with steam to flatten it and make the blocks sit better. But that will get done. After making the first block I was concerned that too much background fabric was showing, but when all 12 blocks are together and the secondary pattern emerges the background seems to recede more.

Last week was very musical. On Thursday I was asked to sing at the craft group's annual Cancer Council fundraising morning tea, so I sang a song about the Rajah Quilt written by my friend Cathy Miller. Neither the song nor the quilt were known to the group, and several people told me afterwards how much they enjoyed it. Then on Sunday two choirs I sang in won their sections at the local eisteddfod, which pleased us all greatly! I gather that last year they were beaten by a school choir, and so with this year's win honour was satisfied again.

We had some rain a few days ago, and very welcome it was too. Yesterday I planted the lemon balm and sweet pea seedlings bought at the recent monthly markets. When we brought them home they sat on the kitchen bench for a few hours, but unfortunately Bianca The Beautiful (but slightly brainless) discovered them and chomped some sweet pea leaves. Then of course she heaved them up again.......as cats do........fortunately not on the carpet. One poor little seedling I planted looked slightly bereft of leaves, hopefully it will soon recover and we will have a pretty display of sweet peas in spring.

Did you know, in the language of flowers sweet pea means "departure" or "delicate pleasures"? Nerines are part of the Amaryllis family of lilies, and Amaryllis means "pride" or "splendid beauty". In days gone by people would choose their flowers according to their meaning, so a bouquet conveyed a message.

"Bring one of the commonest field flowers into a room, place it on a table, or chimney-piece, and you seem to have brought a ray of sunshine into the place. There is a cheerfulness about flowers. What a delight are they to the drooping invalid! They are a sweet enjoyment, coming as messengers from the country, and seeming to say "Come and see the place where we grow, and let your heart be glad in our presence."

I wonder what message a bouquet containing Nerines and sweet peas would say? Possibly nothing quite as flowery as the sentiment contained in that quote from 1885.

Enjoy your days!

Haven't been doing much lately

However I did make two shoe bags for a gift, isn't the fabric cute? Kiera-Oona sent it all the way from Canada. It's very fun girly fabric.

One bag was lined with aqua solid and has purple ribbon for the drawstring - the other bag was lined with purple solid, and has turquoise ribbon for its casing. They are now on the way to their new owner.
The current project in the sewing room is an applique block for a friendship quilt, mine has yellow and orange flowers in a dark blue checked jug on a deep green checked background. We were asked to use checks and stripes. My stash doesn't contain many of those, I wonder why? Could it be that they have often been associated with the 'country' style of quilting and decorating, and that's not......quite........me?

During the past week I plucked up my courage, loaded it into my purse and went shopping for undies. On our recent trip to Canberra I took advantage of being in a large city and bought a couple of new bras, because there isn't much choice here in the Small Smoke if one wants to be properly fitted rather than buying cheap stuff from a chain store and taking a guess at sizes. My heavens - it can be a very demoralising experience, can it not? If one is looking for a bra without underwire (because they can be uncomfortable to the point of pain) and without padding (because age, genetics and hormones have combined to make it unnecessary) there is very little choice. There is even less choice if one would like pretty fabric or lace that doesn't look like something my grandmother would have worn in 1956. And why, for goodness' sake, are they nearly all beige? I don't care how it's described, you can call it blush, or peach, or nude, or skintone........it's still beige.

I am not a beige person.

I am a lime green person. Or a turquoise person. Or an orange person, or a yellow person. Not beige.

I was overjoyed to find one style in a pretty embroidered white fabric, so I bought one and have ordered a couple more. While I don't go round flashing my undies to the world (the world is probably thankful for that) I like to know I am wearing pretty things underneath.

And it is now official: I have received word from the government to say I am an Olde Pharte. I have a card which says so. It arrived in today's mail.

Last weekend our town held its first ever inaugural premiere Choral Festival, and one of my choirs sang - a good time was had by all, and we were complimented on our singing. That choir is now preparing for the local eisteddfod later this month. At Monday night's choir practice a smaller choir was created to sing in one of the eisteddfod sections and I was honoured to be chosen for it. I'm not into competitive singing (or competitive anything......competition was beaten out of me as a child) but will go along with it, as it seems to be the norm here. The other choir is practising for its annual concert too, so things are quite musical here. It's all good fun.

We are now getting frost most mornings but the days have been lovely. However some rain would not go amiss, we are now watering plants we want to keep alive as nature has fallen down on the job. The other day we cut down a nandina bush and when the remaining bits of it have been chopped out of the ground that will be one less nandina.......yay! We have more unwanted plants to go, but go they will. The front garden needs to be opened up.

"Perfumes.

Perfumes, if used at all, should be used in the strictest moderation, and be of the most recherchè kind. Musk and patchouli should always be avoided, as, to many people of sensitive temperament, their odor is exceedingly disagreeable. Cologne water of the best quality is never offensive."

Just remember that, when you are squirting yourself tomorrow morning. We wouldn't want to offend, would we?

Enjoy your days!

Water, water everywhere.........

Earlier this year much of New South Wales was in drought, now it's flooded.......that peaceful river in the picture above is the mighty Murrumbidgee River at Wagga Wagga, now it looks like an inland sea. My blog header is a picture of the Macdonald River about 30 minutes from here, it flooded last week and certainly didn't look like that placid stream in the picture. Dorothea Mackellar's poem "My Country" says it well:

"I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains".

Dorothea's family owned a large amount of land just an hour or so west of here, amid sweeping plains.

And today is the anniversary of the day that John Lennon died, I can still remember the shock that echoed round the world....we were all in disbelief, John was such a peace-loving person which made it so sad that he died the way he did.

On a slightly happier note, my signature has made its appearance again and seems to be staying. However Kiera-Oona has made me a selection in different colours so I can have a choice! I just need to get around to loading it on the computer. Speaking of which, we have our new computer back but there is a little doo-dad that joins the keyboard to the computer because the connections are different and it seems to be absent....probably still at the computer shop.......so I am still on the old computer, but hopefully only until tomorrow. Then my new signatures can be loaded.

Today was very fraught. I had my eye check-up, it's been nigh on two and a half years since the last one and I am getting new reading glasses.......erk, I hate having to choose glasses and try on different styles and look into the mirror and no matter which style I choose I still look awful.......was there for ages trying to decide......many of the styles available these days are narrow rectangular frames which I don't like and which look silly on me. The sales assistant helping me didn't think so. But I do. Absolutely ridiculous on my round square fat face. So then I came home and had some chocolate, which made me feel better. Thank goodness that's over for a few more years. Getting new reading glasses and buying new bras are at the top of my "really hate having to do" list.

Decided last week that we need a new table runner to deck the table for Christmas, so went looking in the Christmas stash for some fabric that a friend gave me many years ago.....must be at least ten years.......have made the top and will layer it tomorrow. The fabrics are different Christmas colours, instead of bright red and bright green these are dusty pink and soft blue-grey green with Christmas roses, poinsettias and mistletoe - they go very nicely with this house. Pics will follow soon, when the new computer is on line again.

The new dishwasher is wonderful.

Last Sunday night one of the choirs had its annual carols concert, the usual carols that everyone knows plus some very very old songs that I had never sung before. It went very well and the choir received many compliments, one person even said she has never heard it sound so good before. Must be because I am now a member.......

"Remain until the performance closes.

At a theatrical or operatic performance, you should remain seated until the performance is concluded and the curtain falls. It is exceedingly rude and ill-bred to rise and leave the hall while the play is drawing to a close, yet this severely exasperating practice has of late been followed by many well-meaning people, who, if they were aware of the extent to which they outraged the feelings of many of the audience, and unwittingly offered an insult to the actors on the stage, would shrink from repeating such flagrantly rude conduct."

No one left our concert early. This is probably because they knew there was an excellent choice of yummy treats awaiting them, and also because it was raining and they would have been very wet.

Enjoy your days!

Quilting Gallery Weekly Contest

This week's contest is "scrap quilts", so just for fun I entered my Road to St Louis quilt. I called it "Meet Me At The Fair" - remember the movie and its title song? Here it is in progress when I was quilting it, the contest and a full pic are here. There are some lovely scrappy quilts!

Slacko that I am, I still haven't started quilting my challenge quilt. My pedal foot and back have both been saying "wait a few days" but I want to get started. Yesterday the chiropractor did wonders so I think it's time to begin.
The reserve over the back fence is green and full of growing plants, I have no idea what they are - probably weeds. The taller flowers poking up their heads are wild poppies, pale mauve with deep purple centres.
The previous owner planted a large clump of these irises just outside the back fence, then dug some up to take with her. We don't mind as there are still lots and lots left! We have been noticing that irises are popular in gardens here and I have seen some beautifully coloured ones, these are pale creamy peach. The whole clump seems to be the same colour.

They will probably grow even more today because it is raining, very welcome rain. The yellow rose in the front garden is fully open and is scrumptiously gorgeous. Looks as though another of the roses will be red, and we don't know what the other colours will be. Next week we will be going away for ten days so with our luck they will all come into glorious bloom while we are away.

And The Only Choir In Town definitely isn't! I have joined another choir so that means singing on Monday and Thursday nights. One is more formal in its repertoire, the other is more light-hearted - each have their place, and I enjoy them both.

"The Obligation of an Introduction.

Two persons who have been properly introduced have in future certain claims upon one another's acquaintance which should be recognized, unless there are sufficient reasons for overlooking them. Even in that case good manners require the formal bow of recognition upon meeting, which, of itself, encourages no familiarity. Only a very ill-bred person will meet another with a stare."

Now that I have learnt how to put a fancy-nancy signature on my blog posts I would like to learn how to put my name on my pictures. I could always google it, couldn't I - that's how I found out how to make a signature.

Enjoy your days!