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!