It's well and truly autumn now

Leaves are changing, days are getting cooler, nights are getting much colder now.....down to single figures most nights.....and colours are getting more glorious.  This pic was taken last year in Bathurst, which gets colder than here so has quite impressive autumn colours.

This weekend a visiting tutor is giving a quilt workshop, and my fabrics are cut out ready to go.  Just need to pack the machine, thread and other requirements, pics will follow when my new quilt top is complete....and it may come as a surprise, but the top will be autumn-toned.

Have been reading some rumblings and grumblings about the new blogger interface, and while I didn't ask for it I have no problems using it....but then my blogging is pretty basic, I haven't tried any of the fancy-nancy stuff that some bloggers do.  One of these days I might get enthusiastic and carried away, but not yet.  I know one's blog is one's blog, and you are not doing it for other people (although some do, I'm sure) but black backgrounds are too hard on the reader's eyes.  And blingy backgrounds that keep moving and shaking and have things like snowflakes or flowers or bees or butterflies continually falling down the screen are just as bad.  Perhaps it's my imagination, but nearly every art quilter's blog that I have come across has a black background.  It's a bit like choosing what clothes to wear or how to decorate one's house - while you want to be comfortable with your own choice, others have to live with it too.  End of rant, thank you for listening, returning you to your regular station now.

Yesterday I went looking in local shops for some long pants to wear in winter.  I wear jeans quite a bit but sometimes one needs something slightly more adult - but the choice was somewhat underwhelming, falling between pull-on pants with no waistband and pull-on pants with elastic all round, with smart office wear somewhere in the middle.  There are still a few shops I haven't tried (they are in the shopping mall on the other side of the river which some locals don't like to cross, much to our amusement) I am not holding out any great hopes that something suitable will be found.  Or even exist......left over from my working days are some grey pants which have a plain front band and elastic across the back; they were loose when first bought and now the elastic has lost its stretch so much that it would be a very brave person who put them on.  But that's easily replaced, so it looks as though I have myself a little sewing task.

Back in the days when I was young and slender I used to make pants, but now that the middle-aged barrel shape has set in getting a good fit when sewing for one's self is quite difficult.  Oh dear.  It's all downhill from 25........

During our recent time at the folk festival a couple of people remarked - nicely, much to my surprise - on my rapidly whitening hair.  It's been two years now since it had any colour put in, so of course it is becoming greyer.  While I don't miss the maintenance of regular visits to the hairdresser (or the expense), and there is still quite a lot of the original darker hair left, I do miss my auburn hair.  Having no colour round the face is very unflattering, especially if one's hair is not fluffy and one's skin tone doesn't suit white.

You can tell that getting older is not something I am enjoying.  The only good thing is, it's better than the alternative.

Yesterday we girded up our loins, pulled on our walking shoes, and trotted off with the walking group.  Everyone but us has bought a shirt in red and white with the appropriate logo in the appropriate place, but when one has lots of bright coloured tee shirts why not wear them?  Especially when one does not look at all good in white.  Wearing those dazzlingly glaring white shoes is enough for me.  It was really hard work yesterday too, for some reason I didn't feel quite 100%.  Perhaps 85%.  After walking for 45 minutes it was more like 53%.  Back up to 99% today.  Walking is supposed to be very good exercise but I don't enjoy it.....all I can think of after we finish is "that's an hour of my life I can never get back"......it's like taking nasty-tasting medicine, we know it's probably doing us good but that doesn't mean we have to like it.  Once a week is more than enough for me.

"The Promenade Dress.
The dress for the promenade should be in perfect harmony with itself.  All the colors worn should harmonize if they are not strictly identical.  The bonnet should not be of one colour, and parasol of another, the dress of a third and the gloves of a fourth.  Now should one article be new and another shabby.  The collars and cuffs should be of lace; the kid gloves should be selected to harmonize with the color of the dress, a perfect fit.  The jewellery worn should be bracelets, cuff-buttons, plain gold ear-rings, a watch-chain and brooch."

The good ladies of 1885 would no doubt be horrified if they could see what the walking group wears, wouldn't they?  But on the other hand, perhaps they would be envious - it's probably easier to stride out in current clothing than in the skirts, petticoats and corsets of those times.

Enjoy your days!