Only another woman will understand!

My progress continues with another milestone this week, a milestone that most women take for granted......

......I managed to hook up my bra behind my back correctly!  Yay for me!

Instead of asking Kevin to do it, or fastening the hooks in front, turning it round and wriggling my arms in (which is not all that easy, either) I can now dress myself correctly - it was almost 14 weeks to the day of the break, so you can see why I am celebrating!  My hand continues to improve, slowly getting stronger and more flexible, for which I am thankful.

Stitching has continued on the second side border of Autumn Rhapsody; it, too, will soon be done, and the third side can be commenced.  My brain has been thinking thoughts of how best to ensure that the borders are attached to the correct sides - yes, it will matter for the design, they're not identical - and this is what I came up with; a 2-1/2 inch square was cut in half and each half pinned (using safety pins, rather than straight pins which can slide out of place) to the quilt top and the border.  When the time comes to attach the border those fabrics will be matched, and all will be hunky dory.....and yes, before you ask, four different fabrics were used to avoid confusion, one for each side.

Speaking of hunky dory, do you know the origin of that phrase?  No one seems to be certain - but all sources agree that it first appeared in print in the mid-1860s, so it was known then.

It is time for the annual glorious golden yellow wattle gorgeousness pic, just a few fluffy balls yet but that will soon change.  It's a bit soggy and droopy at present as we have had good rain over the past couple of days, but as it dries the branches will spring back.

Not bad, considering it was at death's door as a very young plant.  I can't remember its name as the card which came with the plant on purchase has been put in a Very Safe Place, probably never to be seen again.

Words have been read, hair has nearly been torn out in frustration over a computer mystery, but I have high hopes it will eventually be solved.  Machine and hand stitching has happened.  Songs have been sung; last night the choir held its Christmas in July party, and great fun it was too.  The usual hunting and gathering to keep starvation at bay, trips to the computer problem solving place, and that's been our week.

The uke will come out for a plink this week to see how my hand copes, as the U3A ukulele group resumes on Thursday.  It's official, I am now the (slightly reluctant) leader.  Most of the players are fine but there is one woman....there's always one person, isn't there.....who is challenging.  If she is so musically fabulous and considers that she knows so much more than I do (which wouldn't be hard) she is welcome to be leader.  I wouldn't care in the slightest.  We'll see how this term progresses.

Thoughts are being thought about whether we should keep our little caravan, or if it's time to let it go to another owner who will enjoy it as much as we have.  Kevin found it difficult without my help on our return trip home, and we are now 26 years older and 26 years less able than when we first started travelling with it.  It has just been re-registered for another year, which gives us several months to ponder on whether we will or whether we won't.  I would like to finish the trip that was cut short by my unfortunate fall, but whether we do.....well, who knows.

This week has been milder, some days were almost warm!  Over the past couple of days, though, we have had good rain, which that means our mild weather has run out for a while.  The next few nights are forecast to be somewhat chilly, downright cold in fact, minus several degrees below zero.

Continuing on with Conduct at charity fairs:

"Be guilty of no loud talking or laughing, and by all means avoid conspicuous flirting in so public a place."

Oh, yes.  No PDAs at the charity fair, nothing, in fact, which draws attention - unwelcome or not.  The true lady and/or gentleman of those times was not one of the "look at me" current generation, they knew how to be discreet.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Leaping and jumping

One half of one side border is done.

The magazine instructions are quite sparse - we are told to just "arrange the pieces and sew together as in the photograph".  Well.....that's what I intended to do anyway!  If using someone else's pattern I generally follow the picture rather than the writing although I do take their word for the cutting instructions, and fortunately this pattern's cutting instructions were spot on.

A few years ago a local quilt shop/café/gift shop closed when the owners retired, and I took the opportunity to buy all that was left of an autumn leaf print that I had fallen in love with when it first arrived.  It will be the outside border and some of the pieced backing; it's peeking out in the square on the centre left on the leaf block and is quite scrumptious.

It's not my first autumn quilt either......this was made several years ago.  It has been shown on my blog in the past - but because I love it, here it is again.

All batik fabrics, some bought locally and some from overseas, including gifts from friends.  It was a workshop with a visiting tutor several years ago, and was fun to make.

When that pic was taken we were in the throes of drought, as you can see by the dry grass on the hill.  The plant in front of the quilt succumbed - such a shame, as I really loved it - and has been replaced by drought-proof rosemary which is in the throes of taking over the universe as we speak; bees love its pretty blue flowers, and it's useful for cooking.

Another sign of progress this week: I can now use my right hand to comb my hair, and my left hand is pleased about that.  You don't realise how much your wrist twists while doing these everyday activities, until it can't twist at all.  My thumb can touch the tips of the fingers one at a time, but those fingers can't yet touch the palm....I can't make a fist with that hand and until I can, I'm not keen to drive the car.  On Tuesday Emma physio was pleased with my progress and pointed out that it was, indeed, a bad break, and my hand and fingers also suffered significant damage.  So, the exercises are done daily and the hope is that one day eventually it will be more like it used to be, even though it may not, because of my age, ever quite go back to what it was before the fall.

Ah well.

Stitches have been sewn by hand and by machine.  Words have been read.  Songs have been sung.  In the coming week the uke will come out of its case for a bit of a plink which, hopefully, will be easier and less painful than a few weeks ago.  Hunting and gathering and the usual drug run, and that's been our week.

Some of you liked my thoughts on old words in last week's post.  Several years ago the school library where I worked was culling a copy of 'The dictionary of Australian colloquialisms".....you can't chuck that out, I said....take it, I was told.  It's a very entertaining book; each word or phrase is dated to where and when it first appeared in print, a reliable method of dating when it came into popular use.  When I put it in front of our musician friend his eyes lit up, and he had great fun poring through it.  My copy is the 1980 edition and, although there are more recent editions - mine was the right price!

This week has certainly lived up to its reputation of being the coldest week in the whole year.  Now, although I'm not a great fan of summer's heat, we can look forward to some warmer weather once July is behind us.....meanwhile, that fire is keeping us warm.

Continuing on with Conduct at charity fairs:

"Never appear so beggarly as to retain the change, if a larger amount is presented than the price.  Offer the change promptly, when the gentleman will be at liberty to donate it if he thinks best, and you may accept it with thanks.  He is, however, under no obligation whatever to make such donation."

These words, unlike last week's, seem to be aimed at a seller rather than a browser or purchaser.  The monthly main street markets were on this morning, but it was a bit cold for getting out and about too early.....so we didn't get to check out the baby Stuff and dog Stuff for sale.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Leapfrogging

Which is when one thing is jumped over by another thing, thereby making a change to the order of......things.

The decision was made to postpone the rotary cutting for a little longer, as my fingers are still sore and stiff and complain if asked to do much.  The pieced borders will be made next, then they will be ready to be added after the peeper border is cut and sewn on to the top.  The HSTs finish at four inches when joined so the quilt will grow by twelve inches all around when these borders are on.

Some of one side......

.....and some of the other.

You can see the variety of colours, prints and backgrounds, can't you?  Even on a dull day with the overhead light turned on, rather than natural light.

Today is grey, and cloudy, and quite cold.  Historically the third week of July is the coldest week of the year in Australia, or so I read a day or two ago, and I see no reason to doubt it.  It is freakin' cold.  The "feels like" temperature is nowhere near double figures, and the fire is keeping us warm....I can't begin to imagine how cold the house would be without it.  Towns at a higher altitude, an hour or less away from here, are expecting snow during the coming week; last time snow was recorded as falling here in the valley was in 1984, and we weren't living here then.

My hand is gradually getting used to being able to do more.  I can now use a spoon or folk in my right hand to bring food to my mouth, something not possible until a day or so ago; the twisting in the wrist required to do so was beyond me.  I can also trim and file the nails on both hands, although the slight 'buzz' when filing my right hand nails feels strange!  Last night I diced some fetta for a spinach pie and, although the fetta was fairly soft, my wrist complained.....but Kevin's idea of chopping food and mine don't quite agree and it needed to be finely chopped, not left in large chunks.  So I did it.

It was worth it, though.  The result was quite yummy.

Some hand sewing has happened.  Words have been read, and songs sung, but no notes plinked; I will get the ukulele out again during the coming week as my wrist is feeling stronger.  We hunted and gathered, the usual social highlight of the week as we often greet acquaintances while trundling around the shops, and that was about it.  The coming week might be a bit more exciting as there's a visit to the physio (be still, my beating heart) and a sewing group meeting on Wednesday.  Whacko.....or as my maternal grandfather used to say many many years ago, whacko the diddle-o.

Our speech patterns are continually changing and evolving, and some of the older words and expressions are dropping by the wayside as a result.....including 'whacko', although it's still used in a sarcastic way.  I suppose it's inevitable as more influences come into our lives....first it was radio followed by movies and television, then the internet has since opened up the world......but many folk, myself included, think it's a shame to lose the old words.  No doubt though, when someone uses an expression that you remember from years ago - it's instant bonding, and you have a new best friend!

Our musician friend who has stayed here a few times during the country music festival is from our generation being just a few years younger than I am, and grew up in another state, and we have a lot in common - and one of them is speech and words.  One of his favourites is 'cobber' meaning mate or friend, usually used by and to males.  I remember my Posh Melbourne Grandmother saying of someone she knew "he's a bonzer chap".  'Bonzer' means 'excellent' or 'very good' while 'chap' is 'man'; these days we would probably say "he's a good bloke", however - I cannot imagine my PMG using the word 'bloke'.  Oh, no.  Dear me, no.

"Conduct at charity fairs.

In visiting a fancy fair make no comments on either the article or the price, unless you can praise.  If you want them, pay the price demanded, or let them alone.  If you can conscientiously praise an article, by all means do so, as you may be giving pleasure to the makes if she chances to be within hearing.  If you have a table at a fair, use no unladylike means to obtain buyers.  Not even the demands of charity can justify you in importuning others to purchase articles against their own judgement or beyond their means."

We have street markets a few times a month here, and over the years have noticed a change in goods being made and sold.  These days there is a lot of baby Stuff, and dog Stuff, and as we are not needing any of these things we have gotten out of the habit of attending.  Perhaps when the weather is milder, we may do so again.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

In all its autumn rhapsodic beauty

The centre of Autumn Rhapsody is done.

It now measures 48 inches square.  This pic was taken against the back fence (the sheet is to protect the quilt from our wire fence) on a slightly breezy day, it co-operated and didn't blow around too much.

I love it!

However - that is as far as it can go until I am able to cut fabric for the next round, a 'peeper' flange finishing at one quarter-inch.  The choice is between these two fabrics; the top fabric is a brighter golden brown than it appears here, but the bottom fabric speaks to me louder anyway......so, the bottom fabric it shall be.  I like the flashes of different colours.

The peeper strips are cut one inch wide, so are slightly fiddly-diddly to cut.  During the coming week I'll see how my hand can....er....handle the cutting!  I have been hemming and hawing about whether to include the peeper, but have now decided to do so.  This quilt will eventually go off to a long-armer for quilting but before that is done the peeper flange will be stitched down by hand, so it won't get in the way of the needle.

Thoughts have been thought on the size of the finished quilt, too.  The original magazine quilt is large, 85 by 97 inches; it's made rectangular by extra borders on top and bottom, a design feature that I have never liked.  Some quilters don't like square quilts, I do, and I like some rectangular quilts - but I don't care for designs which look as though the quilter thought "oh, I'll just add a bit to the top and bottom to make it big enough".  I think my quilt will end up being about 85 inches square, more or less, and the surplus HSTs already made can go on the back.  Waste not, want not, and all that stuff.

How has everyone's week been?  Ours has drifted along, as usual.  Another session with Emma physio on Tuesday, she is pleased with the progress of my hand and wrist.  There are now exercises to help my fingers too; all those weeks ago my fingers curled under as I fell onto my hand and wrist, so the swelling and bruising in my fingers was quite bad.  I still can't make a fist, but can now touch my thumb with the fingers one at a time and......progress!  I can also now hold a pen (although anything written with it is still not very neat) so I can now sign my name for my various activities.

Words have been read.  Some stitches have been sewn by hand, and by machine.  No knitting, yet.  No crossword puzzles either.....but plenty of exercises.  Songs have been sung, and a few plinked.  Some hunting and gathering, and that's about it for the week.  Perhaps one of these days something more exciting may happen.  We can but live in hope, can't we.

Another picture of my quilt, just because I can.

"Conduct in picture-galleries.

In visiting picture-galleries one should always maintain the deportment of a gentleman or lady.  Make no loud comments and do not seek to show superior knowledge in art matters by gratuitous criticism.  If you have not an art education you will probably only be giving publicity to our own ignorance.  Do not stand in conversation before a picture, and thus obstruct the view of others who wish to see rather than talk.  If you wish to converse with anyone on general subjects, draw to one side, out of the way of those who wish to look at the picture."  

Yes.  To which I would add, keep your phone in your pocket.  You don't need to obstruct the view of others by taking pictures of yourself or members of your family in front of famous works of art, as was done at an exhibition we attended a few years ago.  Just enjoy the moment, and the painting. 

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer