Taking over the universe

One of these days it might, you know.  One of our darker blue rosemary bushes is growing, and spreading....and growing and spreading some more......

.....and of course, if brushed against, it smells wonderful.  Yes, it does get used in the kitchen.

This week's wattle pic taken a few minutes ago, which is about as up-to-date as you can get - and it, too, smells heavenly.

The forecast for the coming days is for rain so it may get somewhat bedraggled, but will soon bounce back when the rain stops.

This week's trees.  First an interesting brown tree with a rich blue/green contrast, which was one of the Summertime Blues fabrics.

This fishy fabric has been in my stash for many years, so long that I had nearly forgotten about it....it was near the bottom of the Big Basket.  The contrast has affirmatory words such as 'peace' - 'beauty' - 'love' etc.  All a bit hippy dippity, but it makes a fun contrast.

These two make 68 blocks which is very apt, as our house number is 68.

Way back in the mid-1990s when I was branching out from dressmaking into patchwork, I found a quilt in a now-defunct Ozzie quilting magazine which I thought would be within my capabilities.  The pattern is called 'Road to St Louis' and uses lots of two inch squares and two main fabrics; the magazine example used navy and cream as the main fabrics, but that wasn't quite 'me'.  I saw the same quilt at a show, and thought - wow!  The smaller scraps were all autumn prints while the two main fabrics were two shades of olive-khaki, and it was very striking.  That inspired a shopping trip for my two main fabrics, and I decided on a light green mottled tone on tone and this fishy batik.

I was very happy with the result.  It was the first quilt I quilted on My Lovely New Bernina - one of the first quilts I ever quilted at all, actually - so I didn't really know what I was doing, but it worked just fine.

You can see the fishes on the batik print here, as well as my somewhat shaky stitches which were done in variegated Aurifil thread.  

For many years it travelled with me in our caravan, and now it keeps me warm here at home.

How has everyone been this week?  Stitches have been seen and knitted; the first sleeve is progressing well, and will soon be up to the armhole.  Words have been read.  Songs have been plinked and sung.  Choir is much missed.  On Thursday we discussed moving the ukulele group to another day, and every day or time mentioned had someone saying "Oh no, I can't do that time".  So....I have decided that, as leader, I will find another time and another venue, and present it as a fait accompli.  Those who can come can do so, and those who can't, can't   There are only so many mornings or afternoons during the week; weekends most people are doing family Stuff, or social Stuff, or whatever Stuff.  At this stage I am looking at Monday afternoons.

We'll see what happens.  

Thank you to the anonymous person who left a comment a couple of weeks ago, who came up as 'unknown' - yes, we survived the flood which was nowhere near us, fortunately.  Today is sunny but cold, the sun is shining brightly but has very little warmth, so the fire is welcome.

Earlier today I was downloading a book to my tablet which, it turned out, I had previously read, so I deleted it and found another.  Its title has subsequently gone from my mind, but it was something akin to "empty grave", which set me thinking - can a grave be empty?  it would just be a hole in the ground, surely - a grave only becomes a grave when it contains someone buried, you would think?

We are still courting:

"Custom insists that the consent of parents must always be obtained before the daughter is asked to give herself in marriage.  Still in this country, with our social customs, it is deemed best in some cases not to be too strict in this regard.  Each case has its own peculiar circumstances which must govern it, and it seems at least pardonable if the young man should know his fate directly from the lips of the most interested party, before he submits himself to the cooler judgement and the critical observation of the father and mother, who are not by any means in love with him, and who may possibly regard him with a somewhat jealous eye, as having already monopolized their daughter's affections, and now desires to take her away from them altogether."

This is so.  

Along a similar line, to my mind, are public proposals of marriage in which a (usually young-ish) man goes down on one knee before a (we presume) (perhaps) unsuspecting woman, opens a ring box to display a sparkling trinket, and pops the question.  Sometimes it works out with tears of joy all round - and sometimes it backfires.

That is a horrible thing to do.  If it goes well then it is smiles all around, but if not.....she is humiliated, and he is even more so.  Do not do it.  Such occasions should be private.  You can share the joy once she says yes and the ring is safely ensconced on her finger, but if the answer is no then both parties are spared the embarrassment of a public refusal.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer