Back in a few weeks!

On Tuesday morning we head off in our little caravan to Canberra to catch up with our older son, and to attend the National Folk Festival.  We're both volunteering at the festival and nearly all my work will be done before it starts, hence the early arrival; and our son's birthday is next weekend, so we will be able to celebrate with him - something we aren't always able to do because of the distance between us.

A couple of years ago Easter was late in April so the big tree just inside the festival entrance was showing its autumn colour, but I don't think it will this year.  You can see coats and jackets being worn too, wonder how cool it will be this year?  I'm taking a coat because walking back to our caravan after a late (sometimes very late indeed) night singing session can be a little chilly......some years we have even had frost.

That big tree is the mark of the seasons, to me.  Every year it's different, this year I expect more green - but one never knows.

Tomorrow will be somewhat frantic, what with packing, and trying to fit in some last-minute house cleaning so our house sitters won't think we are total slobs, and a little baking so we have treats to take with us, and an appointment with the chiropractor......tomorrow has already taken on a life of its own, and it hasn't even happened yet.

Forgot to mention, a couple of weeks ago I won a giveaway on the Aurifil blog!  I have been using Aurifil threads for several years but some of the ones I received were some I haven't yet tried, so that will be interesting.  One spool is a fine 50wt thread in the ecru colour being used for my hand-pieced flower basket blocks - would you believe the original spool is still going strong, seven years and nearly 198 blocks later?  While it should be enough to make the remaining blocks (225 altogether) it may not be enough to join them together, so that smaller spool is very welcome.  It was originally started as a portable project and has served that purpose well, been on goodness how many caravan trips and also been overseas four times.  A well-travelled quilt.......and still in progress!

"Recognizing friends in the street.
No one, while walking the streets, should fail, through pre-occupation, or absent-mindedness, to recognize friends and acquaintances, either by a bow or some form of salutation.  If two gentlemen stop to talk, they should retire to one side of the walk.  If a stranger should be in company with one of the gentlemen, an introduction is not necessary.  If a gentleman meets another gentleman in company with a lady whom he does not know, he lifts his hat to salute them both.  If he knows the lady, he should salute her first.  The gentleman who accompanies a lady, always returns a salutation made to her."

Every year while walking round the folk festival our progress is slowed down by friends we meet, people we see only once a year, and it is so good to catch up with them and hear their news, and sit down for a drink or a meal together.  Makes for slow walking, but what does that matter when meeting friends?

Enjoy your days!

Oh, the indignity.........

All my ancestors, as far as I have been able to ascertain, came from the British Isles, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland and like many of my family I have the complexion to prove it.....pale, freckled skin and auburn hair (what's not grey, that is).  Last week my body and I attended the doctor for a skin check, something I hadn't done for some years because it is such an undignified procedure; one has to strip down to one's undies while said doctor peers closely at one's skin.  A couple of spots need to go back for a return visit and biopsy but that doesn't need to be for a while, thank goodness.  When the doctor - young, male - asked me if I was happy to take off my clothes so he could look at my skin I replied, "no I am not happy about it, I find the whole procedure very humiliating but am prepared to do it".......he thought that was hilarious.  I was merely speaking the truth.  Stripping is humiliating and undignified and cringe-making, and there will be more cringing because one of the spots to be biopsied (is there such a word?) is on my back under my bra strap.  Erk.  Cringe.......

On a much happier note the radio program seems to be going along well, next Sunday's will be a little green because it will be St Patrick's Day.  All together now........diddle-e-i-diddle-e-o.......diddly diddly........

A busy week coming up what with volunteering at the local gallery; attending a pattern drafting workshop where the hard sell may be tried, but it doesn't work on me; Thursday quilt group; Friday household stuff; Saturday evening we have seats for a play by the local theatre group, Sunday and Monday cleaning and packing ready to drive off on Tuesday for a couple of weeks.  We will return the first weekend in April.

The sewing room has been calling, and yesterday one of the projects bought last year in Canada was pulled out of the cupboard and its gorgeous batik fabrics drooled over.  Then I took the rotary cutter to them......sliced and diced......not all cut yet but it won't take long.  The pattern is "Leaf peeking" although my fabrics are different to those shown, and it was purchased at the Creativ Festival in Toronto from the very helpful ladies at Country Concessions quilt shop.  The sewing mojo has been a little absent lately so a new project is just what it needs to kick start it again, yes?  Especially something small and easily finished.  As autumn colours are appearing round town it seems a good time to make an autumn project.

But our autumn colours, pretty as they are, are nothing like these:

Taken in Bayfield, Ontario, last October.  Much more glorious than anything we see here.....and some Canadians we met wondered why we travelled to their country in autumn, rather than summer.

"It is rude to interrupt friends whom you meet in a shop before they have finished making their purchases, or to ask their attention to your own purchases.  It is rude to offer your opinion unasked, upon their judgement or taste, in the selection of goods."

Indeed.

Now it's time for some ukulele practice, then perhaps a piece or two of fabric may be cut, then early dinner before heading out to choir......sometimes I wonder how I ever found time to work, keep house and raise a family for all those years before I retired.

Enjoy your days!

We've been and gone and come home again

The Big Smoke was big, but not very smokey - at least not where we were!  We stayed by the water and had a lovely view from the back verandah, looking left.........

 ........then straight ahead........

 .......then right.

A hibiscus in the rain, the flowers on that bush were bigger than my hand.

And before you ask, no, I did not go in that pool.  I don't appear in public in a swimsuit.

We had an good visit, catching up with friends for dinner, visiting my favourite music shop (a couple of new CDs came home with us) and a quilt shop, and seeing an exhibition at the State Library of NSW, a collection of photos taken in the gold rush days of the 1870s.  The detail in the photos is amazing and we found it particularly interesting as we know some of the towns where the pictures were taken; several of the buildings still exist.

But we could have done without the drive home in the rain on Friday........only 30-40 minutes was dry, out of what is usually a six hour drive.  It took much longer because traffic was slow, drivers were being cautious which isn't a bad thing in heavy rain.

Last week Karen was able to hear some of my radio program, isn't technology amazing?  People at the station were thrilled to know that we can be heard on the far side of the known universe - which Karen's town is, from here.  Thank you for listening, Karen, and for your kind words!  I still make the occasional mistake but I'm getting the hang of all that has to be done.......and tonight it was a solo effort, no one in the building but me.  Each week gets a little easier and a little less unnerving.

We've been seeing signs of autumn!  The vine on the fence of the football field we drive past on our way to or from town is starting to turn bronze and some trees are turning yellow already, while others have the faded look which often precedes changing.  We're not sure what the vine is, could be an ornamental grape, and it is pretty when all its leaves are bronze.  Signs that summer is on the way out have been noticeable for two or three weeks now; summer was record-breaking hot, the hottest for many years, and I for one will be glad when it's finally all over.  When we head south in a couple of weeks there should be even more signs of autumn to enjoy.

"To make lip salve.
Melt in a jar placed in a basin of boiling water a quarter of an ounce each of white wax and spermaceti, flour of benzoin fifteen grains, and half an ounce of the oil of almonds.  Stir until the mixture is cool.  Color red with alkanet root."

Oh my.......women have it easy these days, don't we?  We can buy a new lipstick whenever we need to, we don't have to make our own.  Alkanet and benzoin are from  plants, while spermaceti is from whales; obviously the writers of my 1885 book assumed their readers would be familiar with such items.

Enjoy your days!