The name of my quilt is.......

......"Weeds of Grace".  Something weedy but not 'tumbleweeds', and Grace is my middle name.

You can find so much on the internet, among which are quotations on any subject you wish - even weeds, believe it or not!  That prolific writer William Shakespeare has some, one of which is from Richard III, Act II, scene 4:  "Small herbs have grace, great weeds do grow apace".  Another by Shakespeare (the play was not named) is "Sweet flowers are slow, and weeds make haste" which, to me, is another way of saying the same thing.  So......change the words slightly, and you have 'Weeds of Grace'.  I like it.

This week's houses.

That black and white swirl on the yellow house is almost the stuff of nightmares; you wouldn't want to wake up in sheets with that pattern after a hard night, although it's not quite as bad in real life as it looks here.  

Kevin will be pleased when the current lockdown is over, he is hanging out for a haircut.....and I will be pleased when I can go shopping for undies as the undie situation is getting a bit parlous, although there is fabric in my stash which, if things get desperate, would be suitable.  I have made many garments over the umpteen years I have been sewing but have never made knickers, although I know women who have.  There's always online shopping, but I prefer to feel the fabric before I wear it against my skin.

Speaking of sewing (notice how one subject segués into another so seamlessly?  she's not bad, is she?) earlier today we watched a program devoted to rural Australian topics, 'Landline', which had a segment on Madame Weigel.  Johanna Weigel arrived in Australia with her new husband in 1877 and soon after that started a business making clothing patterns.  The business lasted until 1968 - I remember Madame Weigel patterns, although I have never made one up.  She grew her business by having agents in country towns who stocked her patterns so women in rural areas could be as smartly dressed as their city sisters.  Just imagine the excitement in a farming household or in a small town far from a big city when a bundle of new patterns for the whole family arrived, everything from a wedding gown to a layette for an expected baby!  In just 1915 alone over one million patterns were sold - it was big business, but we never hear about Madame Weigel today.

I bet if the business had been started and run by men we would know all about it, wouldn't we.

My Sunday earrings this week are silver, bought many many years ago at a folk festival.  They were bought from Celtic Dreaming jewellery; I have many of their pieces and love their designs.  These are today's........Short Knot Earrings; there are also other earrings, a pendant, and a couple of brooches made by Desmond in my jewellery box.  If one is going to have trinkets (and one does like a nice trinket) they should be good ones, and these are good indeed.  We looked forward to seeing what new pieces Desmond and his wife had, and watched his gorgeous daughters grow from small children to beautiful women, for 25 years - although that hasn't happened since 2019.  The festival is supposed to happen again next Easter, but who knows if it will?  

We aren't holding our collective breath.  So many events have been postponed, and postponed again, then eventually cancelled......we had hoped to see a production by the local musical society in late October but now it, too, has been postponed until May next year.  We keep trying to be cheerful and looking on the bright side, but lately the bright side is becoming a bit tarnished. 

I'm sorry to say you all missed out on last week's Pumpkin Raisin Bars, but they were very nice.

"Invitations.

Invitations to a reception are simple, and are usually very informal.  Frequently the lady's card is sent with the simple inscription "At Home Thursday, from four to seven."  No answers are expected to these invitations, unless "R. S. V. P." is on one corner.  One visiting card is left by each person who is present, to serve for the after call.  No calls are expected from those who attend.  Those who are not able to be present, call soon after."

When I was a child it was not uncommon for family and friends to call unexpectedly.  There would be a knock on the door and we would hear "yoo hoo - anyone home?"  Doors were seldom locked, so whoever it was could just walk in.  While we don't necessarily wish to go back to the formality of the 1880s as in my book, I don't like the idea of anyone walking in on me either.  I like my privacy.

Enjoy your days!