The bear went over the mountain

On Thursday we will be heading south, this time sans caravan.  After so many years it's going to seem a bit strange not to take our home with us.....but never mind; we will still have fun.

Because we had a busy day yesterday, this week's post is a little late.

Before I retired a work colleague and her husband enjoyed a cruise to Alaska, and she very kindly brought me (and another colleague who was also a quilter) some Alaskan fabric with bears and moose.  Some of mine has already been used in one autumn quilt, but there was still a big enough piece to make a tree.

The bear is nearly disguised among the branches, ready to pounce on an unwary passer-by.  The choice had to be made between using the bears, or the moose.  As moose don't climb trees and bears do, it just had to be the bear - yes?  Unfortunately the remaining fabric isn't long enough to cut another tree, so those errant moose will be used for something else.

Another peacock, this time featuring more peacock-like colours than the last one.

The bear and the peacock.  

Part of the fun of making these blocks is making fabric decisions.  Sometimes a contrast is the right choice - as in this peacock block - and sometimes a co-ordinating fabric, as with the bear and its tree, is better.  Fabrics for the next two blocks have been chosen, and they will be made after we return.

How has everyone been?  We've had a busy few days; on Saturday we took ourselves for our annual drive to Armidale for a quilt show.  As usual there were some very interesting quilts; each year they have a theme for their 'entrance quilts' - small quilts hung immediately in front of the door, the first to be seen on entering the hall - this year's theme was birds, and they ranged from very realistic birds to funny cartoon birds.  

The elevation of our town is about 400 metres above sea level, and Armidale is over 1,000, so there is usually quite a difference in climate....as there was on Saturday, but that, of course, means a downhill run home; unfortunately it took my ears a painfully long time to 'pop' afterward.

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed a visit to the theatre to see the play written and directed by our choir leader, the second time we had seen it (although last time was several years ago).  The story:  the idea of reviving the fortunes of a very small outback town by growing.....ahem......illegal leafy plants in derelict mining tunnels was the brainchild of a few of the local blokes, but of course it's difficult to keep a secret in such a small place!  The usual Sunday night zoom trivia quiz with The One And Only Grandkid, his mother and her parents (his Other Grandparents), our usual Sunday evening activity, finished off our busy weekend.

This week will be appointments, and clothes washing, and lunch on Wednesday, before starting our drive on Thursday.  Even though it will be a short week, it will be somewhat busy.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, and more diamonds cut.  Songs were plinked and sung by the hummers and strummers of the ukulele group, and now they will have to do without me for three days.  I'm sure they will cope.  Our neighbour Yvonne has friends who were interested in buying our caravan but they have decided against it, so after we come home we are expecting a woman to come from interstate to check it out; she seems quite keen.  While we will miss it, we know we have made the right decision.

Last weekend's rain was a bit of a non-event.  For quite some time forecasters had been saying our region would get a lot of rain, but no.  We had "some" rain.  We did not get "a lot" of rain.  What we received was very welcome but summer has been quite hot and dry, so while we fared better than the folk further north who suffered floods and associated damage even more would have been appreciated.  

Never mind.  Thursday is the autumn equinox and autumn can be rainy, so we are still cautiously optimistic.

"Learning to ride.

The first thing to do is to learn to ride, and no one should attempt to appear in public until a few preliminary lessons in riding are taken.  Until a person has learned to appear at ease on horseback, he or she should not appear in public.  The advice given in the old rhyme should be kept in mind, viz:

        Keep up your head and your heart,

            Your hands and your heels keep down;

        Press your knees close to your horse's sides,

            And your elbows close to your own."

As I have no intention whatsoever of learning to ride, I can probably safely disregard that sage advice.

Back in a few weeks, but until then - 

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Things which grow on trees

This week's trees has some...interesting...things growing on, or in, them.

Does this remind you of fireworks - or 'crackers', as we used to call them?  Because it certainly reminds me of those bursts of colour when they explode in the sky and everyone looks up and says "....aaaahhhh....."

Or perhaps they are spiky plant seeds which catch in clothing and irritate one's skin.  Nasty things they are, too.

On second thoughts, I prefer fireworks.

Some large flowers growing in this tree.  The bright lemon/lime at the top appeals to me, it certainly contrasts with the rest of the fabrics.

They look quite good together, but I prefer the fireworks tree.

Back in my childhood we used to have an annual "cracker night"; we would save our pennies and buy ourselves some crackers which we would light - under parental supervision, of course.  In those far-off days 'Empire Day' was celebrated on 24th May, Queen Victoria's birthday, and we had a half-day off from school.  Since then the sale of crackers for home consumption has been banned, the half-holiday is no more, and we're apparently all about the Commonwealth rather than the Empire.

How has everyone been this week?  We have drifted along on our merry way; a visit to the hairdresser on Monday for me....there are few things worse than having to look at one's reflection for what seems like far too long, in my book.  A mirrorless trim would be ideal.  Still, it won't need trimming again for several months, so that's something, I suppose.  My hair was long for many years and I still miss it - mainly because it meant fewer meetings with that dreaded mirror.  It's shorter now because the eye surgery of a few years ago - good heavens, it will be five years in August - means that my vision is now so big and broad that my eyes need protection from the sun making a hat necessary, and shorter hair is easier for wearing a hat.

Words were read.  Stitches were sewn, and more diamonds to add to the travelling stash were cut.  Songs were plinked and sung, choir is still in recess but the ukulele group warbles along.  We hunted and we gathered, and that was about it.  No more nibbles from anyone interested in buying our caravan, but we are forever hopeful.

Next weekend looks like being a bit busy:  a trip for a quilt show an hour north on Saturday, and a visit to the theatre on Sunday to attend the play written and directed by our choir leader.  The following week will be short as we head off for our trip south on Thursday 20th March, and a day before that we will take ourselves out for a (hopefully) nice lunch to celebrate our 49th anniversary. 

Best of all, it is starting to lightly rain!  Our forecast indicates that we should get more worthwhile rain in the next two days that we have had for several months.  The tropical cyclone which was hanging around before being downgraded is responsible for that, even though we are further inland and further south from the main areas of rain and damage.  I, for one, would not have liked to have been in one of those high (very high) rise buildings when the storm was raging, I reckon it would have been swaying enough to cause sea sickness.

We have now moved on from travel in railway carriages, tram cars and steamers.

"Riding and driving.

One of the most exhilarating and enjoyable amusements that can be indulged in by either ladies or gentlemen is that of riding on horseback, and it is participated to a very great extent in Australia.  The etiquette of riding, though meagre, is exact and important."

Well, yes - it probably is. Don't want to frighten the horse by inexact etiquette, do we?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Well, golly gosh!

As a character in a long-ago TV show used to say.....I can't remember the name of the show or the character, but I remember "Oh......g-g-g-golly gosh!"

Two more trees done this week.

Both of these fabrics were used in 'Summertime Blues'.....I like the contrast between the light orange and the blue/green.

This yellow and blue fabric was pulled out to use in that quilt too, but the yellow was too.....yellow.  It wasn't gold/orange, the colour I was going for, so it wasn't used.  The purple is a remnant from a long-ago project.

They hold hands nicely together, don't they?

Here's the g-g-g-golly gosh - two dozen trees have been made, so it's time they lined up for a photo.  Don't they look good together!

A design wall would be a Very Useful Thing; these were spread out on the spare bed, and you can see how the random layout works..  This won't be the final layout, by any means, because many more trees still need to be made.  Perhaps it will be a colourwash layout, or perhaps I will just stick to random.  I quite like random.

How has everyone been?  We have had a busy week; on Wednesday we took our little caravan to a flat car park to get some pics, and it has now been listed for sale on a social media page dedicated to that model.  There have already been a few nibbles, so perhaps we will be saying goodbye to it sooner rather than later.

It's not very big, but it has taken us to some amazing places.....and it's better than sleeping on the ground in a tent.  After so many years, we will miss it.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, and several diamonds have been cut to add to the travelling stash.  Songs were sung and plinked, and a certain amount of fun was had by the ukulele group - I hope!  Choir is taking a break until the end of next month as our leader is directing a play which is taking quite a lot of his time and energy, and I will miss my Wednesday night singing.

It's been a fairly hot week, the "h" word - heatwave - was even used, but hopefully today will be the last hot day for a while.  Temperatures in the coming week look like being a lot milder and we may even get some rain, something we certainly hope to get.  It's been a hot dry summer, and we're more than ready for cooler damper weather.....fingers crossed.  We've been noticing signs of autumn colour on many trees; perhaps they are just stressed by the heat, as most of us are.

Some plans are being made for activities during our trip to Canberra next month.  For me, op shops are a great drawcard; those Canberra folk donate quite nice clothing, and in the past some has come home with me.  Even Kevin finds the occasional bargain, too.  No doubt there will be an exhibition or two, and there are family and friends to catch up with, so we won't be lacking for things to do.

Continuing on from last week's etiquette post:

"On the other hand, no man who pretends to be a gentleman will attempt any familiarity.  The practice of some young girls just entering into womanhood, of flirting with any young man they may chance to meet, either in a railway carriage or on a steamboat, indicates low-breeding in the extreme.  If, however, the journey is long, and especially if it be on a steamboat, a certain sociability may be allowed, and a married lady or a lady of middle age may use her privileges to make the journey an enjoyable one, for fellow passengers should always be sociable to each other."

A steamboat ride sounds quite jolly, doesn't it?  It might be more fun than a long plane trip stuck in a tin box with several hundred of one's new best friends and 97 crying babies.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer