Moving right along, footloose and fancy free......

The words of that song sum up the week nicely.

Progress has been made on sewing down the quilt binding.  A second corner has been turned although not without some angst, as I realised it had been flipped the wrong way......so some un-sewing happened, and some fancy poking and prodding of the corner mitre happened, and eventually it saw what I wanted and turned itself to face the correct way.  It could have been left but I would have noticed one wrong-facing corner every time I looked at the quilt - because we do, right? - so it was worth taking time to fix it.  We have had a couple of cooler evenings, so having the weight of a large quilt bundled up on my lap hasn't been too bad.

The top panel of the Canadian quilt is done, there are two rows of quilting in each black sashing.

The row under this has three blocks; two have been quilted and joined with sashing, while quilting on the third is in progress.  

This week's houses, both yellow but both different; a party house on the left (wouldn't want to live next door to them, would you?) and a house proudly flying its Aussie flag on the door, surrounded by tiny stars.

And because he's so cute, here's Wee Johnnie again.  This is the whole plant in all its glory.

You can see by the ruler that he is a Wee Johnnie, indeed!

It has taken him four years to get this far, but he is making up for lost time now.

Welcome to a new visitor to my blog, Viola from Sweden - what a beautiful country you live in!  Thank you for stopping by; I can't reply direct to you as you come up as a no-reply blogger.  

A hair trim finally happened during the week, the dreaded mask was donned (the stress gave me a headache which took some hours to dissipate, it really is a problem for me) and my hair is a few inches shorter than it was.  It could probably have done with leaving an extra half-inch or so on the length but not to worry; it will grow back.  Since having eye surgery last year and finding out how big and bright the world is I need to wear a hat when outside, and that's easier with shorter hair.

Choir resumed a few weeks ago and we are still hoping to have our concert at the end of November, but we fear it is unlikely.  Because of restrictions in numbers we wouldn't be able to have a very large audience; the whole point of the concert is to be a charity fundraiser, and we won't be able to raise much money from a small audience.  So......it looks as though it may be postponed until early next year, instead.  It's the only concert we do all year so we want to make it as good as possible - and with a few more months rehearsal we should be even more fabulous than we are now!

A few nights ago we were rudely awoken at stupid dark early o'clock by the noisiest storm we have heard for some time; it was full-on lights and music, crashing thunder and flashing lightning with some rain and wind.  The clock read 3.33 a.m., which is far too early for any civilised person to be stirring.  Not much rain (a bit more would have been good, actually) and fortunately for us no damage, although people in other parts of the country haven't been so lucky with trees falling on houses and vehicles.  We had first-hand experience of a destructive hail storm many years ago while living in the Big Smoke, and it's something we never want to experience again.

"More formal entertainments.

Evening parties and balls are of a much more formal character than the entertainments that have been mentioned.  They require evening dress.  Of late years, however, evening dress is as much worn at grand dinners as at balls and evening parties, only the material is not of so diaphanous a character.  Lace and muslin are out of place.  Invitations to evening parties should be sent from a week to two weeks in advance, and in all cases they should be answered immediately."

Just remember to leave your lace gown at home before sallying forth to a grand dinner, and you should be fine.  We aren't as formal now as folk were in 1885 when these words were written, which is probably a good thing......but on the other hand, it's nice to get really dressed up occasionally although I can't remember the last time we did.

Enjoy your days!

A corner has been turned......and a new member of the family!

The first corner has been turned on the quilt binding.

It's a very very long way round.......but I am so thrilled with it.  The weather is getting a bit warm to have a heavy quilt on one's lap, the neck and shoulder are still bothersome so long sewing sessions aren't happening, but it is slowly getting done.

Meet our new "baby":

Back in late 2017 when we were living in temporary accommodation while flooded out of our home one of the plants in our back yard turned up its toes, so we bought something to replace it - an Aussie native, a Callistemon (bottlebrush) called 'Wee Johnnie'.  It was duly planted and looked after as best we could considering we weren't living at home at the time, and the drought was really getting underway.  Wee Johnnie didn't do much for a long time, he didn't die but didn't seem to be thriving......although every now and then he would grow another green leaf; Aussie native plants can be slow-growing and finicky and don't like being moved, so being transplanted from his little pot into the ground must have been quite a shock for him.  The weather has since improved, we have had good rain, and Wee Johnnie obviously gave himself a good talking-to because recently we noticed flower buds.  Yesterday I spied a little burst of red peeking out from under those green leaves......

......and here is Wee Johnnie today, nigh on four years later!

So - Chateau des Wombats has a new member of the garden family!  He (I can't bring myself to say 'it' because he's so cute) is barely 25 cm high or 12 inches if you prefer old money, and is now quite lush and green and red with shy flowers hiding under the leaves.....these are almost lying on the ground  He is so low that he is tricky to photograph.  Wee Johnnie has a bigger brother called - would you believe it - 'Little John'.

This week's houses, a yellow house covered in cat footprints and a parrot house.  The parrot fabric is left from the backing of a quilt made for a friend's child a very very long time ago.

More progress on the Canadian quilt, another block has been joined and its sashing is being sewn down on the back.  There are five more weeks until we are supposed to reveal our finished UFOs for the quilt group annual challenge so there is a very good chance that it won't be completed, but hey.....it's much further advanced than it was at the start of the year when the challenge started so that's a good thing, right?  And anyway there's always next year.....

Summer hit us yesterday with a bang but fortunately today is milder; perhaps it's time to take stock of the summer clothing supply.  Yesterday at quilt group someone said that there are good bargains to be had because so many stores have been losing sales with lockdowns etc. that they are doing their darndest to attract customers.  However as we have had almost no social life for months there has been no need for decent clothes, has there?  

Deb QuiltGal - lovely to see you visiting my blog recently but your settings don't allow me to reply, you come up as a 'no-reply-blogger'.

In recent times ads are starting to appear on TV for the Big Occasion which comes at the end of the year.....noooooo!  It's way too soon!  As in the past couple of years we will probably have a very quiet day here but hopefully we can go somewhere for lunch so it feels a bit festive, although I draw the line at a paper hat.

"At five o'clock tea (or coffee), the equipage is on a side table, together with plates of thin sandwiches, and of cake.  The pouring of the tea and passing of refreshments are usually done by some members of the family or friends, without the assistance of servants, where the number assembled is small; for, as a rule, the people who frequent these social gatherings, care more for social intercourse than for eating and drinking."

I quite like a slice of cake with my coffee and chat.  Yesterday it was my turn to take morning tea to quilt group so I fell back on a recipe made once before, Pam Scott's Apple Pecan Cake, and very delicious it is too.  Especially served with cream.

Enjoy your days!

Progressing along

Is that a real expression?  Or should it be 'making progress'?

Either way, some progress has been made sewing the binding down on 'Weeds of Grace'.  It's a very warm quilt to have on one's lap, let me tell you.  That plus a shoulder and neck which have been somewhat bothersome of late means it's not a quick job, but there are no prizes for getting to the end first, are there?  Except for the satisfaction of finally finishing.

The binding and inside border are from the same fabric, a different range and designer from the leafy stripe, but both by Moda.  They hold hands and play nicely together, don't they?

When I am hand-sewing binding to the back of a quilt I start a little way up from a corner, keep sewing......turn the first corner, keep sewing.....repeat.....which means that, by the time the last corner is turned, there isn't much binding left to be sewn.  Works for me.

There has also been progress on the Canadian quilt.  Four blocks have now been quilted then joined in pairs, now those pairs have been joined into a panel; the sashing on the back is next to be sewn down - more hand sewing - a couple of parallel lines of quilting through the sashing to hold everything together, then another block can be quilted and joined.  The bothersome neck and shoulder have a lot to answer for lately; it would be much further along if not for them.

This week's houses.  I can hear you all singing "Autumn leaves" from here: "the falling leaves drift by my window....."  A light purple house, or should that be lavender or lilac or some such colour?  It has teeny yellow stars on it, and a garden, and apples on the roof.  The doors for both houses were cut from the same fabric which shaded from lime to sort-of-aqua/turquoise.  There is none left now.

How have you all been this week?  We have had some stormy weather, but we fared better than a town just an hour away which had a tornado go through which left, as news reporters love to say, a trail of destruction in its wake.  (reporters do love a good cliché, don't they?)  The following night we had quite a wind storm here with rain and in some places hail, but fortunately it blew itself out fairly soon.  I read somewhere that when summer coming in meets winter going out, the results can be volatile......which they certainly have been, this year.

The nightly news has mask-wearing people being interviewed, and we can neither hear nor understand what most of them are saying.  I don't know who decided that interviewing someone who was unintelligible makes for good television, but let me tell you - it doesn't.  One woman interviewed was wearing a black mask covering much of her face, reflective sunglasses, and a floppy hat covering the rest of her face.  She looked like a scary faceless alien, and for all we know....because we couldn't understand a word she said.....she may have been one.

We are now being told that, because our state has reached a high enough number of double vaccinated people, that more freedoms will be allowed rfom tomorrow.  Whoopy doo.  I am waiting until the powers-that-be say we can leave off the masks, then I will be a happy woman again.

We are also required, as well as doing the sign-in thingy with our phones everywhere we go (which my phone doesn't do anyway) to show phone or paper proof that we have been injected twice.  I am waiting for "them" to require us to sign away our first-born child as well......

At least the ukulele group has been meeting again!  We gather here each Monday afternoon and have, hopefully, two upcoming gigs, so that's an incentive to pick up the uke at other times too.  I have also discovered a fun song called "Let the mermaids flirt with me" which we will probably put into our repertoire next year.

"There is less formality at a kettle-drum than at a larger day reception.  The time is spent in desultory conversation with friends, in listening to music, or such entertainment as has been provided.

Gentlemen wear the usual morning dress.  Ladies wear the demi-toilet, with or without bonnets."

I don't know about you all, but it has been some time since I wore a bonnet.

Enjoy your days!

All is well......

Turns out Kevin has an issue which is being treated by antibiotics, and nothing has fallen off.....everything is where it should be, which is a relief.

Getting older is not really wonderful at times, is it.

'Weeds of Grace' has come home after its trip out into the world to be quilted; it is now bundled up on the table in my sewing room waiting for more of the binding to be attached.  It's quite a large quilt and manhandling - er, womanhandling it through the machine is not quite easy.

It is truly gorgeous, and I love it!

This week's houses......every neighbourhood needs at least one spotted blue door, don't you think?  And butterflies, our world needs more butterflies for sure.

We have some pieces of coloured glass in our house including the light fiting in our bedroom, made by a local glass artist.  Last week we bumped into each other - not literally, fortunately - when I arrived for choir and Linda and her husband were waiting to go inside for their play rehearsal.  During our usual chitty-chatty I asked Linda if she could make me a leaf from one of my Canadian photos, she said yes......and a week later, here it is!

I sent my photo and Linda used it for a pattern.  It reminds me of our trips in fall; my original photo had different colours but I really like this.  Linda hadn't made a maple leaf before but she enjoyed doing it so much she asked if she could use the pattern to make more.  It was pinned to the sheer curtain in the dining room for this pic, we have yet to decide where to hang it so we can enjoy it.

There's something about light coming through coloured glass that I really like, I have several pieces hanging around the house, stars, diamonds.....you name it, even a wombat.  Some people might find it a bit hippy-dippy - that's their problem.  The world needs more fun, and coloured glass is fun.

We are a week into daylight saving and I am enjoying darker mornings again.  Before we went to bed last Saturday night Kevin trotted around the house changing the clocks, and when I woke on Sunday morning and looked at our bedroom clock I thought to myself, I thought......"my goodness, that's a long sleep-in!" I thought.  The clock read 9.30 a.m.  Computer said 8.30 a.m., I thought it hadn't updated itself as it usually does......but no.  Kevin had moved the bedroom clock forward two hours instead of just one.  It was a bit of a shock to the system first thing in the morning, let me tell you.

Some folk have very strong opinions one way or the other about daylight saving.  City folk generally like it - but not everyone does, while many people living in the country don't - but once again, many country folk do.  Being retired we can pretty much set our own timetables, which we do.  There is a woman living in a smaller town an hour away who used to write to the local rag every year bitterly complaining about daylight saving - I don't know what she expects to happen, have it changed just for her, perhaps?

Today is quite warm and windy, with lots of rain forecast to fall over the next few days.  The washing has been hung out, dried and brought back in already......I had visions of my undies being blown all around town which would never do, would it.  We haven't had a frog croaking in the drainpipe for some time, but last night there was one - a big green tree frog, quite a large one - just outside the back door.  I suppose that means we don't have a snake outside the back door; our poisonous snakes are much worse than frogs.  Perhaps we will serenaded by Drainpipe Froggy once more when the rain starts.

"Five O'Clock Tea, Coffee and Kettle-Drums.

Five o'clock tea, coffee and kettle-drums have recently been introduced into this country from England.  For these invitations are usually issued on the lady's visiting card, with the words written in the left-hand corner.

No answers are expected to these invitations, unless there is an R.S.V.P. on the card.  It is optional with those who attend, to leave cards.  Those who do not attend, call afterwards.  The hostess receives her guests standing, aided by other members of the family or intimate friends.  For a kettle-drum there is usually a crowd, and yet but few remain over half an hour - the conventional time allotted - unless they are detained by music or some entertaining conversation.  A table set in the dining-room is supplied with tea, coffee, chocolate, sandwiches, buns and cakes, which constitute all that is offered to the guests."

In my world a "kettle-drum" is a large musical instrument used in an orchestra, but in the 1800s a "kettle-drum" was an afternoon party invented by the British in India.  A large drum was sometimes used as a table for a large informal party, hence the name; a search for "kettle-drum party" will prove most edifying.  Perhaps we need to bring it back.

Enjoy your days!

More excitement than we really wanted

Which is what happened during the week.

Kevin was feeling a bit "off" on Monday, but felt slightly better on Tuesday morning.  By Tuesday evening his left foot and calf were swollen and red - from what, we don't know; a bite, perhaps?  A spider or a snake?  He has no recollection of his skin being pierced and there don't seem to be any puncture marks.  Should I take you to hospital, said I.  No, it's fine, he said, I'll ring the doctor in the morning.  Rang the surgery on Wednesday morning to see if he could be fitted in, but no......because of so many people having their injection for the plague they are quite busy at present.  Go to hospital, they said.  Could have already done that......hospital was puzzled, but after pricking, spiking, prodding and doing other medical stuff they were as puzzled as we are.  He was given an intravenous antibiotic and sent home with a prescription; there is obviously an infection of some sort, from what we do not know.  So far, so good; nothing has fallen off, leg and foot are still firmly attached, and although it is still swollen and red it isn't as bad as it was.  

That is more excitement than we have seen at Chez Wombats for quite a while, and probably more than we need.  

Quilting has happened on the Canadian quilt, two blocks have been quilted and are joined, a cause for much rejoicing!  Eleven more to go.  Quilt-as-you-go works well for this project, even though I have never done it before.  There will be no stopping me now.....the plan is to have it finished by the end of November.  We can but hope.

This week's houses.  I like the striped house with its flower garden, and both black and white prints are interesting.

This is the blackwork table centre mentioned in the last post.  The fabric is a brighter yellow than it looks here, the wooden table underneath has shadowed the colour.

A close-up of the leaf and berry design, each repeat uses four different filling stitches.

It's wonderfully repetitive work, very soothing to do.

We are being told that some of our world can open up from next week, how wonderful that will be!  Thursday night choir started up again this week and, considering that we haven't sung together for three months, we were all in fine voice.  The concert for which we were preparing will, unless the bottom falls completely out of our world, still go ahead at the end of November, something to look forward to.  The ukulele group will also - hopefully - be playing, although our numbers are down (there has been a slight fall off in interest due to nothing happening for so long) and I will be doing a solo, yay for me!

Our forecast "rain event" wasn't very eventful but we did get some rain, for which the garden is thankful.

Pondering on Stuff in general, why does it take me so long to start something new?  Witness the quilt-as-you-go; I have watched countless videos, and read as much as I could, and thought long and deep, before actually making a start - only to find it was easier than I had thought it might be, and I actually did it well.  It probably stems from a childhood of feeling (and, indeed, being told) that, unless I was absolutely the best at something the first time I did it, it wasn't worth doing.  It would have been nice to have been boosted up instead of being knocked down so often, but that's not who my parents were.  You came first in your class - good.  You came second - do better next time.  You came third - you have to do better than that.  Below third.....well, that usually led to a painful beating so is it any wonder I didn't finish high school, let alone go on to further education, because what was the point of trying when the result was never good enough?  

Ah well.  It was a long time ago, but some things just stay with you, don't they.

"Sunday hospitalities.

In this country it is not expected that persons will call after informal hospitalities extended on Sunday.  All gatherings on that day ought to be informal.  No dinner parties are given on Sunday, or, at least, they are not considered as good form in good society."

Sundays are informal here, too.  We do strive to keep up our good form.

Enjoy your days!