Historic WOW

In the 1830s John Gould visited Australia to study some of its curious (as they were thought of by the rest of the world) animals and birds. This is a study of a wombat published in his three-volume work "The Mammals of Australia" in 1845-1863. Some of our Aussie animals must have been a bit of a shock to people used to farm animals and field mice. I bought this postcard on a visit to a Sydney historic site - it's one of my collection of cards, both photographs and drawings, of wombats.

In the late 1850s Val Prinsep, a friend of the artist Dante Gabriel Rosetti, said "Rosetti was the planet around which we revolved, we copied his way of speaking. All beautiful women were "stunners" with us. Wombats were the most beautiful of God's creatures."

Seems that Rosetti loved wombats too.

Just so you know there really is a challenge quilt........some of it is quilted and some still needs to be done, as you can see. I think its name will be "Anchors Aweigh". Or should it be "Away"?
This is my new Sew-Ezi table with My Lovely New Bernina all set up ready to go. You can see how the machines sits in the table, which makes moving the quilt around easier than when it is up on the desk.

The wonderful local news is that we now have a local Bernina dealership again! The previous dealer shut up shop a few months ago, which was a real bummer for anyone - me, for instance - who has Bernina machines. Note the plural. My main machine and my overlocker, serger to some of you, are both Berninas.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with a doctor, not the man I saw last visit, so I am hoping this time things go better. Nothing major, just a prescription that needs renewing and a sore foot which is swollen. I have hopes that this bloke and I will be able to at least understand each other, unlike the last disastrous waste of time.

The sky is getting a little darker so I am keeping a close eye on the clouds, as it's thunderstorm season here in spring. We have had a few storms lately usually in the late afternoon, and it's just 4pm now. There is washing hanging outside so I may need to make a quick sprint (or slow amble depending on the swollen foot) to fetch it inside.

The last rose has flowered and it is pink, a very pretty delicate shell pink. I quite like it, and I am not a pink person. Shall take its picture soon so the world can enjoy it too. Our plan to do nothing much in the garden for a year may have to be changed, we have had so much rain in the last six months and so much sunshine that it is rapidly becoming a jungle. I have earmarked (leafmarked? plants don't have ears) a few for removal before they grow much bigger.

"Squint-Eyes and Cross-Eye.

Parents should also be careful that their children do not become squint or cross-eyed through any carelessness, A child's hair hanging down loosely over its eyes, or a bonnet projecting too far over them, or a loose ribbon or tape fluttering over the forehead, is sometimes sufficient to direct the sight irregularly until it becomes permanently crossed."

Now it's time to gently stroll outside to being in the washing, then perhaps a little quilting on my challenge quilt. But I shall be careful, while so doing, not to let my bonnet strings hang down over my eyes. Don't want crossed eyes, do we?

Enjoy your days!