Report from the sewing room

Fabric has been cut out!   It doesn't look very exciting, but it does represent a milestone.

Pieces for two blocks have been cut in the last few days, and it was a painful process - holding down the ruler with my left hand did hurt.  Now the pieces need to be joined but that can wait until we return from our trip, because feeding fabric through the machine also hurts; it's the forward movement at table height that my shoulder doesn't like.  Never mind, in another ten days it hopefully may be easier.

Yesterday was Australia Day, and we celebrated by driving across the river to a pub on the south side of town to listen to Aussie musician Andy Baylor and his band, one of many musicians who were in town for the country music festival.  We have seen him many times before, and always enjoy his performances - other people did too, some even danced.  Not us, sadly - the shoulder would not have liked being flung round to western swing and cajun music, good though it was, and Kevin does not and will not dance.  So we stayed sitting, and my feet danced under the table.

Now most of the visitors to our town have left, the venues are quiet again, streets have been re-opened, and it's nearly a year until it all happens again.  Just as well we have a couple of folk festivals to attend before then, isn't it? because I need my music fix.

On the day after tomorrow we will be driving to Canberra, so in ten days there may be a report on the wedding.  We will be taking our cameras with us on the trip but probably not to the wedding, as there will be an official photographer and we will be in the wedding party so we won't be wandering round taking happy snaps.  I really don't like having my photo taken, you know, so teeth will be gritted and face tortured into a grimace while I try to grin and bear it.  When I was younger and slimmer it didn't worry me, but I am not photogenic.  The camera makes me look even shorter (I'm only 5ft 2in, you know) and fatter (my svelte days are behind me, sadly) than I am.

Why is it that only younger women are allowed to have body image issues?  Perhaps we are supposed to stop caring how we look, once we hit middle age.

"Presentation at the Court of St. James.
It is always a satisfaction to an Australian colonist to be presented to the Queen during a sojourn in England.  The Agents General have procured presentations for themselves and others, and as the Queen is also a most excellent woman, and worthy of all honor, such presentation is looked upon as a very great honor to be sought for."

In 1885 when this was published, the reference was to Queen Victoria.  These days many Australians, myself included, don't really wish to be presented to royalty.

Enjoy your days!