Cool rainy day trees

Today is definitely a better day to be in looking out, than to be out looking in.  The wind is a bit nasty, the sun has forgotten to shine, and every now and then blustery rain hits the windows.

Last night the final stitches were taken on the hanging sleeve of Autumn Rhapsody, so yay goody for me!  It can now finally be counted as a finish.

This week's trees, numbers 61 and 62.  We're getting through the blue fabrics - not many more to go, now.  This pinkish-orange (or is it orange-ish pink?) makes a good contrast.

I remember buying this leaf fabric in Canada, at a quilt show in Kincardine.  How did I get to know about a quilt show on the other side of the world, I hear you ask?  Back in late 2012 we were waiting at Sydney Airport for those l-o-o-o-n-g flights to Canada, so to keep myself entertained I had taken along some hand-piecing.  Another woman who was waiting sat beside me and we started chatting; her name was Mary, she was from Kincardine, and she mentioned her group's quilt show.  We hired a car and off we set for some exploring in towns along Lake Huron, one of which was Kincardine, and goodness me - look at that sign, dear, there's a quilt show at Knox Presbyterian Church today!  Fancy that!!

The contrast is left from my tree hanging.  It made an excellent trunk then, and it makes another good one today.

Slightly shaded trees, because the cloudy day means lights have to be on.

Thoughts have been thought about the yellow quilt, and fabrics pulled from the stash.  Lots of tone on tones, checks, florals, spots......you name it.  A couple of fabrics have some orange on them, which really pops; I was unsure about them at first, but they can stay in.  The fabric with blue flowers may go, however, as I have already made two yellow and blue quilts.

Many years ago....many, many years ago......I fell in love with this fabric and bought some intending to use it for borders, but have now changed my mind.  It will make an excellent backing instead.

A pattern in a magazine from about 2007 is inspiration, but rather than the original designer's plain borders mine will be pieced.  This has been percolating in my mind for many years, so it's about time it popped out, yes?  There is a lot of cutting out to be done, my least favourite part of the quilt-making process, but the rotary cutter will have a new blade inserted and it will be good to go.

Never mind about all the other projects waiting in the wings......

The view from my sewing room window a couple of days ago, while making trees.  The sun was getting ready to set, but the trees further up the hill had a golden light on their tops.  In the short time it took me to go outside the light changed but it hadn't completely gone, so I took this pic.

How has everyone been this week?  We have had the usual uneventful week: we hunted, we gathered.  We drove to a smaller town half an hour away to take the new(ish) car for a bit of a run and to visit its two butchers, both of whom have very good meat and most of which is now in our freezer. Stitches have been sewn, words have been read.  Songs have been plinked and sung.  That's about it, really.  We've been staying inside out of the weather.

There has been so much rain this week that roads have been closed, the river has had a minor flood, and more water is probably still making its way downstream toward us as we speak.  A check of the rain radar shows showers all around us, so we may still get more before we turn off the day and go to bed later.

It's better than being in drought, though.

"Thorough acquaintance as a basis for marriage.

Perhaps there is such a thing as love at first sight, but love alone is a very uncertain foundation upon which to base marriage.  There should be thorough acquaintanceship and a certain knowledge of harmony of tastes and temperaments before matrimony is ventured upon."

This is probably true.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A couple of late trees

Yesterday afternoon we were at the theatre, so this week's post is a trifle late.

First, a turquoise tree.....

....then an azurite/malachite tree......

.....and these make 60 trees finished!

If memory serves me correctly these are the last trees made from fabrics from my prize bundle, and they were both, of course, used in Summertime Blues.

Azurite/malachite is a real mineral.  It has both deep blue azurite and rich green malachite, and examples I found online were quite spectacular.  I can see it making beautiful jewellery, I could fancy some earrings....or a ring.....yummm......

Yesterday's theatrical afternoon was a play with music about the life of George Formby, a British performer of years gone by, whose trademark was his ukulele.  Many of his songs are still popular today, however his career, like that of several others, fizzled away after the end of World War II.  His morale-boosting concerts and films did a lot to lift the spirits of civilians and servicemen and women alike, but once the war was over people didn't want to be reminded of those sad times so they turned away in droves.  He was only 56 when he died, just a few months after his wife Beryl, but his songs live on.  The play was very clever, just two performers, a real-life mother and son; mother played the parts of George's mother and of his beloved Beryl, while son played George.  With just a few props and some quick on-stage costume changes, the story was very cleverly done.

How has everyone been this week?  Apart from our jaunt to the theatre it's been a busy week; the choir's charity concert on Saturday night went off well and I had the chance to repeat my award-winning performances with both song and poem, which was fun and which was well received.  Stitches have been sewn but not knitted, one of these days the knitting will be picked up again, however the two-part hanging sleeve on my autumn quilt is now half done.  Once it's finished, those needles and yarn will once more take the quilt's place on my lap.  We hunted and gathered, so we won't starve.

The new car is very comfortable to ride in.  It has now been in our lives for several days and we are getting used to looking at a different shade of silver/grey than in the past.  It might look slightly posh, but it's still a boring colour.  We have had a silver/grey vee-hickle since 2002 so we should be used to boring by now, shouldn't we.

Lime green would have been so nice.....sunshine yellow would be lovely....deep golden orange would be scrumptious, or perhaps bright turquoise......anything but silver/grey.  This will be the last car we ever buy, however, so I suppose we are stuck with boring.

Oh well.  Sigh......at least we have a car.....

Winter continues with some quite chilly mornings.  Earlier this year the long-range forecast was for a warmer than average winter, but so far it's been fairly cool; days are nice, but mornings are definitely not for roaming around barefoot in the grass.  Some rain has fallen and more is forecast which is good, as winter is usually our driest season.  The fire has been doing its job of keeping us warm.

My thoughts have been turning to cutting fabric for another quilt, something I really don't need to do - yet - but after Arboretum is done that might be the time.  For many many years I have wanted to make a yellow quilt, the fabrics have been pulled, and it just might have its turn once those trees are finished.  A search through an older magazine has yielded an easy design, so perhaps that will be The One.  Just think, sunshine gold....lemon yellow.....mustard....butter yellow......wattle flowers and daffodils and other yellow flowers....the more I think about it, the more I want to fondle those fabrics.

Way back when I first started patchwork in the early 1990s yellow was a difficult colour to find, so I bought it when I found it.  It's easier to source these days, but I really don't need to go shopping for yellow fabric as that golden stash is calling.

"Premature declaration.

It is very injudicious, not to say presumptuous, for a gentleman to make a proposal to a young lady on too brief an acquaintance.  A lady who would accept a gentleman at first sight can hardly possess the discretion needed to make a good wife."

I had to look twice at the heading.....and yes, accepting a gentleman at first sight seems somewhat impetuous, to me.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A tree growing underwater, and a winter tree

It must be underwater, because there are fish.

Another fabric from my prize bundle which was used in Summertime Blues....fish swimming in a tree is not something that you see every day, so perhaps it's in the depths of the ocean somewhere.  The contrast is left from my Canadian quilt, in keeping with the blue watery theme.

My memory tells me that this fabric was bought on one of our trips to Canada.  I'm not sure if the background is blue, or grey, or even edging toward pale lavender, but it suits our current freezy frosty chilly weather.  The contrast was a piece of fabric from I know not where which would have made an interesting tree; sadly it wasn't wide enough, but it livens up the pale background.

Two very different trees, numbers 57 and 58.

How has everyone been this week?  We shopped for various things, including the ongoing search for another vee-hickle (of which more later).  Words were read, stitches were sewn; the hanging sleeve on Autumn Rhapsody is about one quarter done, and it keeps my lap warm while doing so.  

Songs were sung, and my Eisteddfod song is being practised again because - I have been asked for a repeat performance!  How fabulous is that!!  Our choir director Bill has asked me to reprise both song and poem at a concert we are doing next Saturday evening, for an organisation which raises money to give practical help to local folk who are given a cancer diagnosis.  Bill himself was on the receiving end of their help a few years ago, so he does as much as he can to assist.  His original plan was to ask a few of the shining lights in the local music theatre scene to perform, but he has since decided that "we can do it ourselves, we don't need outsiders to put on a good show!"  I feel very honoured to be asked.

The search for the new car has moved onto Plan B.  Last weekend we went for a test drive in a car about which we know absolutely less than nothing, and an online search turned up quite a  bit of dissatisfaction among owners.  Added to that Kevin drove it to our regular mechanic around the corner from the car yard, and was told "nah, mate, I wouldn't touch it".  The four-letter word starting with sh and ending with it was also used by the mechanic as a description, so we hastily backed out of that deal and went to another dealer up the hill.  Result:  we have found our new chariot and will take possession when the money side of things is sorted, money is being moved around as we speak, and hopefully it won't be long.  It's a smallish-medium SUV; much as we would both like a little car for zipping around we are finding that small low cars are getting difficult to get in and out of as we age, and as neither of us are tall we like the extra height while in traffic.

Only thing is, like many other cars on the road the new car is grey....the current car is very light silver/grey, the new one slightly darker silver/grey......grey is not a colour.  Grey is a mood.

The rain which we were eagerly awaiting last week eventually fell that day, but not in any great quantity.  We are told there may be some sprinkles during the coming week - we certainly hope so.

The elbow which is being treated with the fancy (expensive!) cream hasn't fallen off yet, for which we are thankful.  I am assuming that the cream will do wonders and, eventually, make it heal.  We live in hope.

Continuing from last week's quote:

"A lady's conduct toward gentlemen.

No well-bred lady will too eagerly receive the attentions of a gentleman, no matter how much she admires him; nor, on the other hand, will she be so reserved as to altogether discourage him.  A man may show considerable attention to a lady without becoming a lover; and so a lady may let it be seen that she is not disagreeable to him without discouraging him.  She will be able to judge soon from his actions and deportment, as to his motive in paying her his attentions, and will treat him accordingly.  A man does not like to be refused when he makes a proposal, and no man of tact will risk a refusal.  Neither will a well-bred lady encourage a man to make a proposal, which she must refuse.  She should endeavour, in discouraging him as a lover, to retain his friendship.  A young man of sensibilities, who can take a hint when it is offered him, need not run the risk of a refusal."

There has to be quite a subtle knowledge of behaviour in these situations, yes?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

In which we have a citrus fruit salad tree

Yes - there is such a thing!  A 'fruit salad tree' is a tree bearing different species of fruit on one tree, achieved by grafting different fruits onto one parent tree....so, theoretically you could have lemon, lime, orange and even finger lime on one tree.  You could also have peach, apricot and plum, or you could have different varieties of apples and pears - the list is probably endless.

Like this citrus fruit salad tree, perhaps.

This interesting fabric, and the one below, were purchases on our trip to Canberra in March this year.  I hesitated to buy this at first, wasn't sure if it would make a good tree.....but it does.  Its contrast is a graduated lemon/lime fabric cut across the stripe, which suits really well against the deep dark green background. 

It's difficult to know if the figures on this fabric are butterflies, or flying women, or angels, but I like the background colours and the stars.  The contrast was used for a tree a few weeks ago, and was one of my prize bundle which was the start of Summertime Blues. 

Quite an interesting pair of trees, this week.

These weekly pics are taken on a white cloth spread on the cutting/working table in my sewing room, which has an overhead light.  Consequently, it's quite difficult to avoid getting my own shadow in the shot; I have tried standing in different places, and tried laying the blocks on another part of the table, but the shadow is always there.  The time of day factors into the success or otherwise of the shot too, as the light levels vary from hour to hour.

Work has also started on stitching the hanging sleeve to my autumn quilt, slightly awkwardly because of the hand which doesn't like being held in some positions, but it will be finished eventually.

How has everyone been this week?  We have drifted along as usual; words have been read, stitches sewn and knitted, fabrics cut out.  Songs have been plinked and sung, and now U3A ukulele is on school holiday break.  Many of the members have grandparent duty during school holidays so there's not much point in meeting, we'll start up again at the end of the month.  Fortunately choir continues during the hols, so I still get my musical fix.  We hunted and gathered for the usual food and Stuff, and that was the week that was.

Some slightly different hunting and gathering this week, too - we are shopping for another car.  The trusty VW was bought 11 years ago, and earlier in the week Kevin popped in to see our usual mechanic because he had noticed spots of oil on the garage floor.  Mechanic duly checked it over and presented us with a long list of "probably shouldn't leave it too long" repairs with an eye-popping amount at the bottom of the page.  If I were you I would put this money toward another car instead of throwing it at this one, said the mechanic.  Not what we wanted to hear.....so Kevin has been out and about to various car yards checking what's available, and we have pretty much settled on a white (sadly not green or yellow or orange) car.  At least we no longer have to factor in having to buy a car which can tow a caravan, which makes the choice easier.  We need to have another test drive, Kevin drove it yesterday, but I have yet to sit behind the wheel to give my considered but totally un-mechanically minded opinion.

Some folk might taking buying another vehicle in their everyday stride, but for Olde Phartes like what we are it's quite a big deal.....my goodness, the excitement......be still, my beating heart......

Some quite changeable weather this week, not much in the way of frosty mornings but quite a lot of cloud.  Yesterday when we were out and about test-driving cars it was so sunny that sunglasses weren't enough for me, one of my summer hats had to come out again.  Today's forecast was for showers, but here it is nearly 4 p.m. and we are still waiting for the drops to start falling.

Following on from last week's advice for gentlemen, this week we have advice for ladies.

"A lady's conduct toward gentlemen.

A young lady should not allow special attention from anyone to whom she is not specially attracted, because, first, she may do injury to the gentleman in seeming to give his suit encouragement; and, secondly, she may keep away from her those whom she likes better, but who will not approach her under the mistaken idea that her feelings are already interested.  A young lady should not encourage the addresses of a gentleman unless she feels that she can return his affections.  It is the prerogative of a man to propose, and of a woman to accept or refuse, and a lady of tact and kind heart will exercise her prerogative before her suitor is brought to the humiliation of an offer which must result in a refusal."

Well, yes.  

The folk in those days certainly knew how to string a long sentence together, didn't they?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer