Best of all - we have our books back!

Early this week a nice young couple drove four hours to our house (all part of the insurance service, they packed up our books and treasures months ago too), carried a heap of boxes from the garage into the house, and unpacked our books and stuff.  The books used to be in order, they aren't now but will be again.  My music books are back......and my quilting and sewing books.......  I am a happy woman.

That is the end of the insurance claim for flood damage, six months to the day.

Sighing a contented sigh here, folks.

After the slow start my knitting is progressing beautifully.

 As you can see below, I do know how to knit fancy patterns.

The centre panel looks familiar, yes?  Because almost all my knitting pattern books were packed in the garage there was limited design choice available for a feature panel on the new jumper; I looked online but there was so much choice it was confusing.  One booklet hadn't been packed because it was in another room at the time, it was bought......oh, 20 years or so ago, probably more......and has instructions for four jumpers.  I loved them all so decided to eventually make each one, and this was first.  Two others were also made and are worn each winter, the fourth was started but was messed up - it's the most complicated of the four, this is the simplest and I love the colour and the design.  I'll make that really fancy jumper one day, though.

During the week I took myself, a uke and a song book along to the U3A uke group......not too sure about it......there were only three attendees besides me, and they are way behind my level.  Not wishing to boast, just stating a fact.  I didn't even play that slow when I was learning.  Apparently the Token Bloke who seemed to be leading the group (by a whisker, I think) prefers to play slowly and the others tag along behind.  The two women asked me how fast I would play, so I played at what I would consider a normal speed, they bravely joined in - and guess what, their fingers didn't fall off and the earth didn't stop spinning on its axis.  I pointed out that if we singing but not playing ukes we wouldn't sing that slowly, and they agreed.  The group co-ordinator hinted that I may end up leading them.  We'll see.

A couple of days ago we had our coldest morning temperature for four years, minus 5.3 deg C, but there was no frost......strange......we have had frosty mornings with milder temps.  It must have been very dry.  Rain showers are forecast for tomorrow, forecasts have been wrong before but we live in hope that this time it will be right.  It's a very dry season.

"Another condition of domestic happiness is intellectual sympathy,  Man requires a woman who can make his home a place of rest for him, and woman requires a man of domestic tastes.  While a woman who seeks to find happiness in a married life will never consent to be wedded to an idler or a pleasure-seeker, so a man of intelligence will wed none but a woman of intelligence and good sense."

A woman of intelligence and good sense......that sounds like me, don't you think?

Enjoy your days!

And finally.......we have furniture!

Our trip to the Big Smoke last weekend was hectic, but we now have our replacement furniture.  Kevin has been having a lovely time putting it together......just one desk left to go.

We don't miss the Big Smoke.  It was lovely to come home to the Small Smoke, where traffic is low and the air is quiet.  After seven years we belong here......not there.

On Friday night we paid a visit to our old music club and it was lovely catching up with folk again!  Not so many familiar faces though, lots of new ones, and much electronic gimcrackery with microphones and backing tracks and such like.  We used to be totally unplugged with just voices and instruments and no amplification because the acoustics in the hall are excellent.

Ah well.  Change happens.  We accept that, but we don't have to like the changes.

The trip down and back was livened up by flowering wattle alongside the highways - isn't it the most glorious colour?

 My knitting came along with me; the front of my newest creation was cast on, and 20 rows of ribbing completed.  The pattern I'm using from a book is plain; this travelling rib design was added to the front because I felt it needed something to give it a little oomph.  On the way home I started the pattern above the rib, knitted one row and realised that my calculations were out by 12 stitches.  We made a pit stop, I sat down with a coffee, pen and paper, and worked it out again.  (I'm better with words than with numbers, you know, it's no surprise there was a miscalculation) That row was un-knitted, and it was started again.

Two-thirds of the way along the third row I realised that I hadn't been following the directions correctly; instead of purling the background stitches I had been knitting them, so the relief pattern didn't stand out the way it should.  Le big sigh......those two and two-thirds rows were once more un-knitted, and it was started again......

......and now it's working out correctly, for which many sighs of relief are being sighed.  It's my current in-front-of-TV project; back and sleeves are already finished.  With luck, it may be ready to wear before winter is done although I am a long way from being the world's fastest knitter, and these days the old arthritic fingers don't like knitting for too long at a time so they need to take several breaks.

Because this is such a busy week not one stitch has been sewn in the sewing room.  Tomorrow is not looking good either......neither is Saturday, and Sunday is booked too......perhaps by the middle of next week there could be hope for a seam, or even two......

This morning I joined the local chapter of U3A!  They have a ukulele class on Wednesdays so I will check it out, because too much music is never enough.  There may even be other activities which appeal.

"Idleness a source of misery.
Perhaps the greatest cause of misery and wretchedness in social life is idleness.  The want of something to do is what makes people wicked and miserable.  It breeds selfishness, mischief-making, envy, jealousy and vice, in all its most dreadful forms."

That's pretty strong stuff, isn't it?  I, for one, am doing my best not to be idle.

Enjoy your days!

Like Goldilocks, it's just right

Recently I was browsing in a local quilt shop and found The Very Thing for the back of the Gumballs quilt.  While it wasn't previously at the top of the "to be quilted" list, the backing fabric was purchased and pieces have been cut to make more blocks so it has now moved up the list.  The Cunning Plan for the back is a wide piece of blue fabric, a narrow strip of orange, a row of pieced blocks, another narrow strip of orange, and the blue fabric to finish, as you can see below.

See why it called to me?  Different tones of blue with orange and gold spots.....the quilt top is pieced blocks in blue, orange and gold......how could I leave this on the shelf?  The orange fabric was also purchased because my stash didn't include a large piece of orange batik, and it will also be used for the binding.

We're well and truly into the depths of winter now.  Winter here is much milder than many parts of the world, and much colder than other parts.  Now that the house is carpeted again it is warm and our new fire is wonderful, so we won't be frozen little icicles by the time spring rolls around again.

Today has seen a buzz of activity in the kitchen.  A half-leg of lamb is roasting away in the slow cooker (using this recipe) for dinner tonight, potatoes and sweet potatoes will be roasted later.  I also made some roast sweet potato soup, it's done but we are yet to try it.  Winter is soup and roast time, isn't it?  Not ice cream weather, that's for sure.

Right now there is a heap of sport on TV and the woman of this house is not much of a sport fan.  The household bloke is enjoying watching the cycle race in France and the tennis in England, while I am fighting off boredom.  The TV is in the warmest room so in the evenings I just hunker down in my beautiful green chair and read......and read......knit a few rows, then read again......say "hmmm" at the appropriate time......I've been reading free mystery books on my tablet for quite a while; I like a bit of blood and gore but I am selective, you know.  The cover picture and blurb help me decide whether I will download and read it; if it has a bloke wearing very little while showing off his bare chest it won't make the cut.  The words "mystery" and "romance" together make me shudder, "cosy mysteries" are often very twee and not quite my taste, neither are books about international espionage/saving the world in five minutes/ancient holy relics suddenly reappearing after centuries/anything with a medical or legal background/anything with more than the merest hint of the supernatural/anything wallowing in teenage angst/serial killers/psychological horror stories......I want to be entertained, not have the bejabbers frightened out of me.  It also has to have at least 200 pages.  The current book is set in England the the main bloke (it would be stretching it to call him the hero) is a fairly depressing man whose aunt and uncle turn up dead leaving him the sole heir.  The story is interesting enough to ignore his continual need for a cigarette and/or a glass of whisky.

Looking at old shows, or shows set in the past, it's hard to believe that people smoked so much, isn't it?  I have never smoked in my life not ever never, not one ciggy has touched my lips, none of the funny stuff either, despite being married to a smoker for five years when I was young and silly.  I can't, and never could, stand the smell.

"Take care of the eyes.
The utmost care should be taken of the eyes.  They should never be strained in an imperfect light, whether that of shrouded daylight, twilight or flickering lamp or candle-light.  Many persons have an idea that an habitually dark room is best for the eyes.  On the contrary, it weakens them and renders them permanently unable to bear the light of the sun.  Our eyes were naturally designed to endure the broad light of day, and the nearer we approach to this in our houses, the stronger will be our eyes and the longer will we retain our sight."

Probably.

Enjoy your days!

To my Canadian family and friends......

......best wishes for Canada Day!