Around the octagon

All four rows of strips have been added to the moose fabric centre, which makes the top complete.

As there aren't enough Canadian themed fabrics in the stash, some of my favourite autumn prints have also been added.  The top measures a smidgeon over 20-1/2 in across....

....but the stripe fabric chosen for the backing isn't quite that wide, it only measures a smidgeon over 20 in across.....

It's long enough in the other direction being the full width of fabric selvedge to selvedge, but when it was purchased this project wasn't in mind.  Never mind; it's an opportunity to be creative, isn't it.

Sewing has been a good pastime in the heat; today is a wee bit nasty hot although not as bad as many other areas are getting.  With the fires down south, and cyclones up north, it's definitely summer in Australia, folks.  

How has everyone been?  We've been staying inside, and keeping as cool as possible.  I'm ready for autumn to arrive as summer is for enduring rather than enjoying, in my book.  Just a few months to go.....we are making plans for our annual trip down south for our older son's Major Milestone Big 0 birthday in March, and we hope it may be a bit cooler by then.

Words have been read....many many words, as staying inside and reading doesn't use much energy in hot weather.  Stitches have been sewn by hand and machine, although that voile top still isn't done....My Lovely New Bernina is set up with the right colour thread, and the right presser foot, and the right throat plate to do so.  However, that machine will be needed for quilting the moose table centre as my 1950 Singer Featherweight doesn't have a walking foot, so that top had better get done first then thread, foot and plate can be changed for quilting.  No stitches have been knitted this week as it's been a bit warm for having wool on one's lap.  

A few days ago was my annual eye exam, and they received a very good report - so good, in fact, that my glasses prescription doesn't need to be changed, which is not bad for a decrepit Olde Pharte of my advanced years.  Besides which, I like my pretty green glasses and will be sorry when the time comes to say goodbye to them; new lenses were put in the same frames last year, but that's not always possible as the frames get older.  The slow-growing cataract on my left eye which has been hanging around for a few years hasn't advanced which is probably a Good Thing, despite the fact that many folk in my age group have already had surgery for theirs.

We will just have to see what the future holds, won't we....eye eye, sir....

People are gearing up for the big country musical festival, which starts next Friday.  Camping areas are filling, and buskers have started appearing in the main drag.  Many locals loathe it, many leave town to avoid it, while others can't get enough of it.  We're somewhere in the middle although we tend to avoid crowded loud venues - I would rather stay home than have my senses assaulted by sound.  It is said "if it's too loud you're too old", but I beg to differ; back when I was young (and slender....sigh....) sound gear wasn't what it is now, and certainly wasn't cranked up to the same volume as it is these days.  There will be ukulele sessions, something which hasn't been done before - not in our time living here, anyway - so I might trot along to the first one to suss it out and decide if I wish to continue.

Who knows, perhaps fame is just around the corner!

"No true-hearted woman can entertain any other feeling than that of commiseration for the man over whose happiness she has been compelled to throw a cloud, while the idea of triumphing in his distress, or abusing his confidence, must be inexpressibly painful to her."

Perhaps the true-hearted woman's name is Tess?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Well, that's Christmas done and dusted!

The Chrissy earrings have been packed away for another eleven and a half months, likewise the Christmas music and songs.  Just a few more days left of this year, then we start a new one.  

I don't do resolutions.  I do, however, have hopes.

The new project was started on Boxing Day.

Isn't this fabric fun?  It came home with me from Canada (as if you couldn't guess!) and was a gift from a quilt shop in Maxwell, Ontario.  We were driving from one town to another late in October 2018, it was getting a bit snowy - more than a bit, actually; it was getting darn near to being a whiteout, something we aren't used to driving in....add that to being on an unfamiliar road, driving on the other side of the road, and you can double and triple the stress.  As we approached Maxwell....there's not much at Maxwell, let me tell you....I told Kevin we should stop as he needed a break from driving, and I wanted to call in at a quilt shop that we had driven past without stopping at three years earlier.

So we stopped.  'Threads That Bind' had a lot of fabrics and all manner of other quilting Stuff, and was just finishing up with a demonstration when I walked in.....did I mind looking around while the owner dealt with purchases from the demo, I was asked, not at all, I said......and bought some prints that have been used in my autumn quilt.  When I went to pay, the owner sussed out that I wasn't Canadian (the accent gives it away every time, doesn't it) and said she always had a gift for quilters who had come from far away.  This was my gift, a FQ of Robert Kaufman moose fabric.  Just the right pattern was waiting for it too, also purchased in Canada a few years earlier.

The selvedge is pretty, with colourful maple leaves.

While I was happily browsing and shopping and chatting Kevin drove to the diner further down the road for coffee, and he was also chatting to some locals while he waited for me.  After my stroll from the quilt shop to meet him at the diner I enjoyed my coffee too, and as it was just a couple of days before Halloween the diner's front steps were decorated.....even the fallen snow looked like part of the decor.

A couple of strips have been sewn around the outside, and more are waiting to be sewn.  That pine cone print might not be used, though, as it's a bit too yellow compared to the other strips.  The print with tiny leaves has been in my stash for *ahem* quite some time, it's a Debbie Mumm fabric that has been waiting for the right project.

No strips were sewn yesterday as I took the opportunity to give my Singer Featherweight machine a grease and oil change; it was a bit sluggish when sewing those first strips, but now it is purring along beautifully.

This is what it will become.  The 'Sweet Treasures' pattern and the fabrics were bought as a kit from a quilt store on Vancouver Island....my friend took me to so many stores that I can't remember where it was bought.

We had a very quiet Christmas, a phone call from our son in Canberra was a highlight of our day.  We don't bother with presents any more, but there are a couple of items that we want so we will check them out while the sales are still on.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn and knitted.  My fingers and the ukulele have been resting, but we'll get back together this week.  Plan B for fixing my voile top has been thought out in my head so will now be carried out - fingers crossed that it works - some hunting and foraging early in the week before the shops became too hectic with Christmas shoppers, and that was us done.

We are still learning how to treat a refusal of a proposal of marriage.

"In refusing, the lady ought to convey her full sense of the high honor intended her by the gentleman, and to add, seriously but not offensively, that it is not in accordance with her inclination, or that circumstances compel her to give an unfavorable answer."

It is good to be serious without being offensive, yes?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Green, green, it's green they say....

....on the far side of the hill.....

Anyone else remember that song?  It seems appropriate, considering that I've been cutting green fabrics for the outer border of the neighbourhood.  This is what's been cut so far.

But - there is still lots to go, because in my wisdom (not sure that it was very wise, but there you are) I have been cutting short pieces, and it's a fairly big quilt.  It might be a good idea to get cracking and cut some longer strips, those shorter pieces can be used between the longer ones.

This is Butchart Garden on Vancouver Island, Canada, in autumn.  That garden is famed world-wide for it's wonderful floral displays but when it's not flower season all the tones of green are highlighted, as they were back in November 2012 when this was taken.

Speaking of colour - no doubt you may have already heard that the Pantone colour of the year for 2026 has been released, and after so many colourful years it seems like a cop-out that white has been chosen.  It's been gussied up with a fancy name.....'Cloud Dancer'.....but white is still white.  I always thought that white was the absence of colour - yes?  If that's so, how can it be chosen as colour of the year?  I must admit to being somewhat....underwhelmed.

Here's a site I found which shows the colours of the year going back to 2000.  While I don't care for them all (although I do quite like 2017's colour) each and every one of them is more inspiring than boring white.

For many years now home renno shows have been showing white kitchens, which remind me of hospital laboratories.  Give me some colour any day.  Our kitchen (which came with the house but we like it, so it's been left) is light creamy-beige; it's not brown, it has warm yellow undertones with enough colour not to be boring but is still light enough to be practical.  There is also a fad on those shows to have dark kitchens with dark floors, dark cabinets, dark bench tops.....why, fergawdssake?  You would have to have the lights on all day, and even then you would need a magnifying glass to chop vegies so you didn't chop your fingers instead.

We have had more storms, and a few more small branches have fallen from our front yard tree.  They seem to recover, though, so we won't panic just yet.  Don't want to waste a good panic, do we.

The festive season is getting closer.  On Wednesday my sewing group had our Christmas lunch and jolly nice it was too, while the ukulele group finished for the year on Monday.  One of the members, Chris, gave me a jar of sweet onion chutney that she made herself (which is very nice too, it's already been opened and tried) together with a card, the hand-written message inside thanking me for, as Chris put it, "sharing your love of music with us".....isn't that sweet?  So, that's the end of music groups for the year...but I can always plink and sing away to myself, can't I.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been knitted and sewn but that summer top isn't yet repaired, as time just ran away from me; while the coming week also has some appointments, I live in hope that the top will be done by next weekend.  We hunted and foraged and will do some more this week because, even though there will just be the two of us for Christmas, we can still enjoy some festive foods.  The idea of going out to a restaurant for an indulgent Christmas lunch has been left in the dirt as these days it's way out of our budget, so we will just have to indulge at home.

When you are the person responsible for meal planning, and shopping, and preparation, though, Christmas is just like any other day.  Compared to a meal which someone else has prepared, served and cleaned up here's nothing special about a meal you have had to make yourself, is there?

The One And Only Grandkid has an upcoming birthday.  He will turn eleven next Friday.  We have deposited some money in his father's account so he can be taken shopping and choose what he would like; there is an excellent children's book shop in Canberra, and we are told there are also good toy shops.  We don't see him enough to know what he would like (although you can bet that fantasy/superheroes would feature somewhere, just like his father at that age) so it's better that he makes his own choice and has something he would like.

"How to treat a refusal.

As a woman is not bound to accept the first offer that is made to her, so no sensible man will think the worse of her, nor feel himself personally injured by a refusal.  That it will give him pain is most probable.  A scornful "no" or a simpering promise to "think about it" is the reverse of generous."

We certainly don't wish to be ungenerous, do we?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Gone gone gone......

Those Christmas blocks have moved out of our house and are now residing at the craft centre, where my quilt group meets, awaiting a new owner.  They were taken along on Tuesday but, as no one put up a hand to take a block or two (or maybe more), they have been stashed in Our Box in the cupboard and will be brought out again in a couple of weeks.  There is another Saturday quilt group so, if no one in our group wants them, someone in the other group might.

Either way, they are no longer in my possession.  Gone gone gone.

This week's blocks were made in between storms.  Butterflies flitting around a contrast print of eucalypt blossoms and leaves......

....and a tree whose rich colours put me in mind of trees seen on autumn trips in Canada.

Numbers 91 and 92, so now there are only seven to go; the end of this month will see the last trees made, just three more weeks.

One of many autumn trees photographed in Canada, this was huge - so big that it took a while for the colour changes to happen, depending on how much sun different parts of the tree were getting.  

The colours brightened up a dull overcast day which later turned to showers, but you can see how those leaves inspired one of this week's trees.

Fort York was an interesting place to visit.  You can read about it here - Fort York - we missed out on the re-enactments which happen because we visited in autumn, and they are mostly in summer.  That would have been fun.  It's an oasis which sits quietly among the tall buildings and bustle of a modern city, something which makes it all the more peaceful by contrast.  The style of many buildings is similar to that of early Australian buildings built in the same era so there was an unexpected familiarity, although we had never been before.

A copy of the Magna Carta was on display in the newly finished visitor centre, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of that document.  Our guide was suitably impressed when she found out we were Ozzies because Australia has its own copy, dating from 1297, while Fort York's was on loan from elsewhere.

How have you all been this week?  We managed to survive some stormy weather....being kept awake by loud rumbling thunder rolling around the hills behind is not my idea of fun but we did get some welcome rain from it, and there was repeat albeit on a lesser scale yesterday afternoon after I arrived home from lunch.  Words were read, stitches were sewn and knitted; the second sleeve on the probably-a-jumper is proceeding well now.  Songs were plinked and sung.  We hunted, foraged and gathered comestibles to keep starvation at bay, and that was about our week, folks.

Yesterday was the first seasonal function, an end-of-year/Christmas lunch for members of the historical society.  It's interesting to be able to sit and chat to folk usually seen briefly.  One woman rocks a vintage look which suits her, and the talk turned to aprons because she wished she had one; she was our drinks server, and is also in charge of supper at the monthly meetings.  This morning it occurred to me that there is a pink gingham apron in our linen cupboard, part of a long-ago raffle prize, which I have never worn - it's pretty but it's pink, I don't do pink - it's been taken out, and will be gifted to Melissa if she would like it.  The pink gingham is used as a base for a cross stitch design in deeper pink, green and navy, and there is white lace trim on the pocket.

My mother's Aunt Emily would make items such as tablecloths and aprons in gingham, using the grid for what is now called 'chicken scratch' embroidery - Aunty Em didn't call it that, she used a different name which has since flown out of my brain because it's been so long; I was but a child at the time.  It's a technique I have never tried and probably never will because, even though I like the result, there are so many other things I want to try while I'm still around.

Our suitor is still hoping.

"Though a gentleman may repeat his suit with propriety after having been once repulsed, still it should not be repeated too often nor too long, lest it should degenerate into importuning."

'Importuning' means to harass repeatedly, something I am sure no gentleman worthy of the name would do to a woman for whom he professes to care.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Halloween trees

They were made on Friday, 31st October, so they are definitely Halloween trees.  Perhaps this one is being blown by the howling wind.

Not too sure what this plant is, but they are definitely flowers of some sort.  The name probably doesn't matter, anyway.

Numbers 89 and 90....so now there are only nine more trees to be made!

An idle thought popped into my head recently concerning a collection of 12 inch Christmas blocks stashed away.  These six are all the same design, and were a win in a BOM draw in my quilt group way back when we lived in the Big Smoke.  The block just peeking in on the far left is mine.  (The green wavy lines belong to the damask tablecloth used as a backdrop for my photos; I have a green one and a blue one, goodness only knows how old they are.  They were my mother's.)

These next blocks were also a win, on a retreat weekend.  From memory we were told to make a star block which could be any design, using Christmas fabrics; they were bundled together in groups of six and a few winners chosen.  These six blocks were my prize, and my block is the green and white on the centre top.

I used only two fabrics, the green and red print and the cream solid background, and the block is called 'Coronation'.  There are a lot of pieces in one 12-inch block, but it was fun to make.

My question is - what shall I do with them?  My original thought was to set all 12 blocks together and use the result as a tablecloth.  As you can see, that was never done.  However, we already have a few Christmas cloths and don't need any more.  Earlier in the week it occurred to me that they could be made into two or three table runners, one for us and the others gifted, but on laying them out I'm not sure that I love them enough to want to do that either.  In Australia we don't need quilts on the bed at Christmas, so they won't ever become a quilt.  

I may just end up giving them away to someone who can use them, rather than having them sit in my cupboard any longer.  Gone gone gone, she says, dusting her hands together with a sigh of relief.

As promised, winter made an unwelcome visit earlier in the week, and the winter woolies were dragged out again to keep us warm.  On the news that night we were told it was "the coldest October day since 2012", but we didn't remember that - because we spent most of October 2012 in Canada!  This was taken on 28th October, the same day as our record-breaking cold here, but 13 years earlier.

When visiting with Rose Marie and her husband we were taken to a pumpkin farm and corn maze, something we don't have here!  A delicious pie was bought, which we ate that evening.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn and knitted.  Songs have been plinked and sung, and rehearsals for our choir's charity concert at the end of this month are coming along nicely.  Appointments have been dealt with too, because various hurty bits of our aging bodies need checking out from time to time.

A highlight on Wednesday was catching up with Janice and her husband who were here for a few days - we girls had a lovely chatty lunch, which was very enjoyable.  The next day our two blokes took themselves off to one of the lawn bowls clubs for a game, where a fun time was had by them too.

"A lady's first refusal.

It is not always necessary to take a lady's first refusal as absolute.  Diffidence or uncertainty as to her own feelings may sometimes influence a lady to reply in the negative, and after consideration cause her to regret that reply."

It is to be hoped that any influence brought to bear on our young lady does not cause her any distress, or make her reply something she does not wish it to be.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A cactus or a tree?

 They are not the same - cactus aren't classed as trees, they are a different species altogether.  However, one has snuck in with my trees, so it can stay there.

A desert cactus......

And an autumn foliage tree.

Two very different trees this week, numbers 81 and 82.  Only 17 to go!

During the week I managed to fit in a visit to the local quilt shop where I found a few batik fabrics to add to the stash.

No doubt they will make excellent trees.  

Every now and then this pic comes up on the computer.  It was taken at Butchart Gardens back in November 2012; we were visiting with friends, and their car was parked in front of a tree which was busy dropping leaves.  The fallen leaves put me in mind of some of my batik fabrics.

If you have ever visited Butchart Gardens you will know how beautiful they are - if you haven't been and the opportunity arises to go, take it.  It is a never-to-be-forgotten experience at any time of year.

How has everyone been this week?  We have managed to survive a whole week with no medical visits necessary, for which we are thankful.  Hunting and foraging, as usual, filled in some time.  Stitches have been sewn and knitted.  Words have been read.  Sadly no notes have been sung; I was all geared up for choir on Thursday afternoon but received a message from the director earlier in the week to say there would be no choir on Thursday.  So......now I am doubly eager for this coming Thursday to roll around!

Last night daylight saving began, so our clocks (body clocks, and horological clocks) will take a few days to re-adjust.  I don't mind daylight saving, although there are those (a couple of women in my quilt group come to mind) who are vociferous in their dislike - nay, hatred - of it, but why waste energy?  There is nothing they can do about it; it is here to stay having started over 50 years ago in our state, so all their moaning and whingeing won't make it go away.  Not being a morning person, particularly not being an early morning person, means I don't mind darker mornings so it doesn't bug me too much.

Over 20 years ago we were visiting southern Queensland in summer.  Queensland doesn't have daylight saving, and it was a great shock when the mornings were getting light at about 4 a.m.!  At that stage we had been used to daylight saving for well nigh on 30 years, so our bodies had adjusted to it.  We stayed in Toowoomba, a nice town, which seemed to close down at about 5 p.m.....which is no wonder, when it's daylight again not long afterward......

We are having a quiet long weekend lying low.  There is a massive footy (i.e. rugby league) carnival taking place in our town with thousands upon thousands of visitors, so we are keeping out of it.  It's the annual Labour Day weekend which can often be busy, but a peaceful day suits us.  Workers - stonemasons - in Victoria, Australia, were the first in the world to achieve an 8-hour working day, so that's something to celebrate.

"Mutual trust and confidence are other requisites for happiness in married life.  There can be no true love without trust.  The responsibility of a man's life is in a woman's keeping from the moment he puts his heart into her hands.  Without mutual trust there can be no real happiness."

This is probably so.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A little of this, not much of that

Pretty much sums up my week.  How was yours?

The decision was made to use the darker fabric to bind the blue and green quilt, so strips will be cut this week.  The bags shown recently have been handed over to the Worthy Cause, so they have left the sewing room.

Diamonds have been cut, and also sewn.....an easy mindless project in front of TV.  Words have been read.  Notes have been plinked and sung; once again I was the leader for the U3A ukulele group, and once again we managed without descending into total anarchy.  I have to admit to being floored when I mentioned making sure ukes were in tune....one woman said she never tuned hers, didn't own a tuner, in fact didn't think it made any difference!  Ohmygawd......if you have ever heard an out of tune instrument, doesn't matter which instrument it is, it's enough to set your teeth on edge.  (well, mine, anyway)  She has instructions to buy a tuner before next Thursday, and I will show her how to use it.

Many years ago we used to meet up at folk festivals with a lovely man and his wife who had a sticker on their car window which read "Love thy neighbour - tune thy piano".  Never a truer word spoken.  Or written.  He used to have a beautiful green parrot on his shoulder, and a permanent trail of bird poop down his back.....but his piano was always in tune.  Sadly, he is no longer with us.  I don't know about the parrot.

As not a great deal of note has been accomplished this week, we will trawl back through the vaults for some photographic inspiration.

When Kevin was putting the 1926 Singer treadle machine back together he noticed this piece of metal on the floor that he thought must have come from the machine.  I duly photographed it and asked the "what is it?" question on a social media vintage machine page.  It is the central piece of the tension assembly, I was told by Those Who Know.  Kevin checked - but it isn't from that machine!  So - it either came from the 1925 machine, or I have ended up with a spare.....and a mystery.

Pics are appearing on social media of autumn on the other side of the world, beautiful droolworthy pics of glorious fall colour.  These are a little different; they are fungus photographed on an autumn trip to MacMillan Provincial Park on Vancouver Island.

This looks like two birds, or perhaps two fish, doesn't it?  But no - it's fungi.

The park had lots of different fungi.

There are very tall straight trees in that park, too.  Vancouver Island is the Land of Tall Straight Trees.  We have tall trees in Australia too, but they aren't very straight.

The weather has gone from quite hot to rather cool, and hasn't yet swung back.  It's the time of year where the big decision as to what to wear is dependent on conditions, and will we be inside or outside, will it be sunny or windy......however, we know it probably won't be wet, although it rained a few nights ago.  We were woken at stupid dark early o'clock to very loud thunder and the garden enjoyed a drink, although it would like more.

Continuing on with Etiquette if the Street, Some General Suggestions:

"A gentleman will always precede a lady up a flight of stairs, and allow her to precede him in going down."

Of course he should.....and just think, this was written many years before the advent of mini skirts when some men tried to walk up stairs behind a lady!  Shame on them.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Not a stitch, not one street or laneway

No sewing was done on the house quilt.  The older I get, the more the first few days of daylight saving hit me; once it's been underway for a while it's easier to cope, but I'm pretty useless for those first few days.  That's my excuse for why I didn't get to quilt group on Tuesday.  It was still dark when I woke up, and I don't bounce out of bed when it's dark.  

Never mind.  There is no deadline....it's just a fun project.

Consequently it's been a(nother) lazy week, although the time change fog is lifting now.

The backing for the blue and green quilt has been pieced, although it needs to be cut down to size.

The fabric needed to be cut and re-joined to make a big enough piece.  There was no guarantee that the diagonal swirl (this is tilted) would match up when that was done and, if it didn't match, that would bug the bejabbers out of me every time I looked at it, so the blue stripe was added.  My brain can do random with no problems....it can do matched.......but it doesn't do mis-matched.  Mis-matched just looks.....untidy, doesn't it?  The blue stripe will be about one third of the way down going across the quilt, and the swirls will go top left to bottom right.  Or vice versa.

It is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, so best wishes to my Canadian family and friends!

This was taken on Thanksgiving back in 2015.  We had celebrated Turkey Day with our son and his partner the previous day and, of course, being a holiday there wasn't a lot open on the actual day.  As it was a glorious day we took a bus to Rosetta Mcclain Gardens which we had passed several times by bus and car, but this was our first visit......and it was worth it, for sure; it was a beautiful place to while away a couple of hours with its early autumn colours.  While strolling around we heard a familiar sound - an Australian cockatiel!  It was sitting on its owner's shoulder chirping away, so of course being True Blue Ozzies we said in our best broad Strine "g'day, mate".  However, the bird being Canadian born and bred far from its native land didn't understand our accents, which we thought was funny.

Words have been read.  Notes have been sung but none plinked, but uke group resumes tomorrow so we will be plinking again.  Diamonds have been cut, and sewn.  Thoughts have been thought about many profound things.  Hunting and gathering has happened.  A little shifting of fabrics from one place to another has been done.

A major Aussie car race is taking place today which Kevin is watching, at times through his eyelids.  The sound is turned off because I cannot stand the screaming commentary, and the radio is playing instead; currently it's a program of instrumental music from movies.  I have tinnitus, and find having a radio playing in the background helps distract my brain from the endless annoying humming and buzzing in my ears.  My generation grew up without television, certainly those of us who grew up in country towns did (TV came to the Big Smoke several years earlier than it did to smaller towns) and to this day I am more than happy to leave it off, unless there is a program I really want to watch.  But - we had radio!  There was always music; in our house the 'wireless' was turned on first thing in the morning and turned off last thing at night.  The local station played a mix of the latest hits and music from earlier times so we grew up familiar with music from the 1950s, 40s, 30s.....even the 1920s, and those older songs were also played at the dances we attended so of course we sang along while tripping the light fantastic.

An unwelcome visitor popped in for a chat earlier this week - winter made a return!  It was so cool on Thursday evening that we even had a fire; we could have done with one last night too because this morning was distinctly chilly.  We'll see how this evening develops, it may even be lit again.  This is the latest we have had a fire, we are usually done with them by the end of September......but not this year; last week was very warm for so early in the season and this week has swung to the opposite extreme.

Etiquette of the Street, Some General Suggestions:

"If a gentleman is walking with two ladies in a rain storm, and there is but one umbrella, he should give it to his companions and walk outside.  Nothing can be more absurd than to see a gentleman walking between two ladies holding an umbrella which perfectly protects himself, but half deluges his companions with its dripping streams."

"Absurd" doesn't begin to describe it, does it?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Sniffle sniff....

Wretched hayfever....it certainly is a bad season this year.  I don't usually succumb to spring sniffles, mine are more common in autumn due to tree pollen, but not this time.  The spring equinox was yesterday afternoon and, according to Those Who Know, it is a bad hayfever season.

Oh well.  This, too, will pass.  In the meantime, it just leaves me feeling miserable.  And sniffly.

Our quilt group's show was yesterday and this morning, packing up was done just after lunch today, and the quilts are now back in their respective homes.  We have learned a lot and the decision has been made to hold a show every two years, it was felt that is often enough; there is a lot of organising to be done, and as it was the first for this group we had a lot of learning to do.  We aren't a large group which is fortunate as the venue isn't large, either.

Because my brain just wasn't functioning (blame the sniffles) I forgot to take pics of the show, but my quilts were well received.  It was decided not to have a "viewer's choice" vote.  How do you single out just one quilt?  The makers all put their heart and soul into their quilts, and if they don't appeal to one person they will appeal to another anyway.  

Let's see what we can find in the picture vaults.  We are heading into our warm time, so some autumn pics from our last holiday in Canada will be just the thing to cool us down.

I have often taken a photo of just one fallen leaf on the ground.  This one appealed because of the contrast between the bright leaf and the granite pebbles - however it's not a big leaf and the pebbles are quite small, so it was a "squat down and hope I can get up again" pic!

Lake Huron on a windy day.  Even though it is landlocked, it can whip up some fearsome stormy weather.

There is a reason for the green.....it was a drizzly day when we visited.

Another "squat down." pic.  

Sometimes interesting Stuff is at ground level, isn't it?  So we just have to grit our teeth, and bend or squat and hope we don't get stuck, because without a fancy-nancy big camera with lots of whoopi-doo lenses it's only possible to zoom in a certain amount without losing clarity.

Unlike many of you, I don't take photos with my phone.  Correction - one photo has been taken of autumn leaves on the ground, which was made into the home screen.  That is it.  Many people have their lives documented on their phone; it is whipped out so the rest of us (whether we want to or not) can duly admire the latest grandchild, or a dish served in a restaurant, or a view from a recent holiday.  All well and good until the phone is lost or stolen, or dropped and run over by a car......it's all gone then.  We download our photos onto our computer and yes, I know computers can fail too.  When we had those two plumbing floods several years ago we lost some older photos, but we seldom looked at them anyway.  Perhaps one day we will go through them and just keep a few.

Words have been read.  Notes have been plinked and sung, we played for a birthday function on Wednesday for one of the local VIEW Clubs which was celebrating its 55th birthday - the ladies had fun singing along with us, some even jumped up and danced!  Diamonds have been joined, but the supply is quite low so more need to be cut.  

The next couple of weeks will not be as busy as usual.  No uke on Monday afternoons as it's school holidays and some members have grandparent duty, the same for our Thursday afternoon U3A uke group.  Choir continues, as it's an evening activity.  There are no pending appointments, although hunting and gathering will continue because we need to eat.

"Avoiding carriages.

For a lady to run across the street to avoid an approaching carriage is inelegant and also dangerous. To attempt to cross the street between the carriages of a funeral procession, is rude and disrespectful.  The foreign custom of removing the hat and standing in a respectful attitude until the melancholy train has passed, is a commendable one to be followed in this country."

This is good advice.  

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

As we march ever closer to the Big Day....

A small amount of decorating has been done, as you can see if you come to our front door.

Welcome - do come in!

Flossie the Angel is guarding the wombats; some of the wombats were gifts and some were bought by me.

Or.....perhaps the wombats are guarding Flossie?  Who knows?

The Canadian tree, once again some gifts and some purchases, but all come from Canada.  The tiny green lights are little pine trees, appropriate considering how many of them we have seen growing in Canada.

That's pretty much it for this year, folks.

We have bought a seasoned turkey roll so we can feel a bit festive, it will be cooked on Christmas Eve (if I am organised enough) or Christmas Day (if I'm not).  The turkey farm just outside town has a shop; it's been a local hangout for years but we hadn't been before, so yesterday we harnessed up the trusty steed and out we went.  Anything turkey - you name it!  We also bought some turkey sausages to try.

Now I think I have said that I never make new year resolutions, but I do have Hopes.  Some of the current Hopes are gifts from a friend in Canada that I plan to make; since making my tree hanging and my Canadian quilt I have lost my fear of fusible applique, so it's time these were done.

First will be the musical piece on the bottom right; the fabrics are mostly from the Grunge range in muted browns and greys, appropriate considering that guitars and ukuleles are mostly made from wood.

It may go on the wall, or it may become a table centre.....yet to be decided.

Some (many!) notes have been plinked, some diamonds joined although more need to be cut, not one stitch knitted.  Words have been read.  Rehearsals have happened.  The usual hunting and gathering took place, and so another week has passed.

The ukulele group played its last gig for the year last night at a small village not far out of town, and considering that it was pretty much thrown together with not a lot of organising it went off well.  The folk who ran it were lovely and they want us back next year; we sang our funny and happy Christmas songs, a choir sang a few songs, and there was a pianist leading everyone in the carol singing.  

Seasonal music is taking over the air waves, as they say, and we are being regaled with the usual December selection.  While I don't mind most of the traditional carols - indeed, I grew up singing them - I do draw the line at songs which are about winter but not about Christmas. Songs such as 'Let it snow'......'Winter wonderland'.....'even 'Jingle bells' was not written as a Christmas song, you know.  Our Christmas is in summer and it can be very hot, so we don't need songs about nostalgic winter Christmases in our December playlists.  Many Christmas songs are too sentimental and mawkish for my taste, anyway;  I don't put my foot down very often with the ukulele group, but under no circumstances whatsoever will I ever sing 'I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus' - I can't stand that song, grumpy Olde Pharte though I may be.

Some recent visitors to my blog have come up as "no-reply bloggers", meaning I can't reply to your welcome comments....if this is you, you might want to change your settings so I (and other bloggers) can reply.

 Continuing on with Etiquette of the Street:

"Bowing to strangers with friends.

If a gentleman meets a friend, and the latter has a stranger with him, all three should bow.  If the gentleman stops his friends to speak to him, he should apologize to the stranger for detaining him.  If the stranger is a lady, the same deference should be shown as if she were an acquaintance."

Indeed.  One should always be polite.  Politeness costs nothing, and leaves a lasting impression.

Enjoy your days!

Alas....it was not to be

The Cunning Plan to have all the binding sewn down on my Canadian quilt didn't happen in time for show and tell yesterday....but that's all right.  It can be shown at the meeting at the end of January so I don't have to rush.  It is more than half done, anyway.

So now my thoughts have turned to houses.  To be specific, the box of house blocks and sashing strips and setting triangles.  And backing fabric.  And Stuff like that.

Very merry and cheerful and bright, yes?  It's going to be a fun quilt.

Gorgeous fallen leaves in the car park at Butchart Gardens in autumn, taken just because the ruby and garnet colours were so lovely.....a good reason to visit Canada in fall.

The cone is one of the lights found throughout the garden.  We have been lucky enough to visit in summer when the roses and other flowers were in bloom, and also in autumn with foliage colours.  On our last visit the annual display featuring the twelve days of Christmas was being set up, which was fun to see.

What a busy week, I'm glad to draw a line under it!  Two ukulele gigs and a choir concert, all of which went well, plus the usual weekly rehearsals, and hunting and gathering, and socialising.....next week is looking (slightly!) less hectic, thank goodness.  An end-of-year dinner with the choir on Thursday night will be the highlight; I always enjoy a meal I haven't had to think about, prepare, cook and clean up afterward.

Words have been read.  No stitches have been knitted, no diamonds have been cut or sewn.  More had better be cut soon, the waiting-to-be-joined stack is perilously low.  Notes have been plinked and songs sung.  That's about it.

Here in Australia the concept of 'Black Friday sales' has never been big but over the past couple of years its popularity has, as they say in the media, soared to new heights.  Our traditional big sale day is Boxing Day but if one is shopping for Christmas pressies it makes more sense to shop a few weeks earlier, doesn't it?  To that end we betook ourselves out a few days ago and I was able to find some cropped navy pants to replace a pair which are still fine for wearing at home, but less so for wearing out.  That's probably my not-very-major purchase for the year done.

Last of the big time spenders, me.

It has not rained all week!  Today is quite warm and sunny, a foretaste of summer.  A couple of days ago Kevin rolled the outside blinds down to shade the windows on the north side - our sunny side - if the sun doesn't hit the windows so fiercely, the rooms inside stay cooler.  They were a purchase several years ago, and we are so pleased we did it.  It won't be so hot after tomorrow so we will enjoy the cooler weather before summer really hits hard.

Continuing on with Etiquette of the Street:

"Intrusive Inquiries.

If you meet or join or are visited by a person who has any article whatever, under his arm or in his hand, and he does not offer to show it to you, you should not, even if it be your most intimate friend, take it from him and look at it.  That intrusive curiosity is very inconsistent with the delicacy of a well-bred man, and always offends in some degree."

In other words, don't be nosy.  If your friend wants to show you the article, she/he will do so.  If she/he doesn't wish to do so then, in the immortal words of Kath and Kim, "mind your own beeswax".

Enjoy your days!

Unchallenged

You know what they say about plans going astray and all that stuff.....

Yesterday, in a great fit of enthusiasm, those Jacob's Ladder blocks were taken out of their box and measured.  The blocks were made by several different people and the instructions supplied (written by me, and I was trained to write correct instructions) ended with, the block should measure 9-1/2 in finished.

Well - no, they didn't.  Not all of them.  Seven blocks did; the remaining 22 blocks were lucky to measure 9 in and some of them weren't even square, making them well nigh useless.  As I see it there are a few choices, one of which is to trim all the blocks to 9 in.....not happening, too many seams would be cut off; take the undersized blocks apart and hope the pieces were correctly cut to size in the first place, then reassemble the blocks to measure 9-1/2 in....also not happening, that's a lot of work for a not-very-fabulous result considering the quality of some fabrics used; or forget the whole thing.

So, forgetting is what I'm doing.  That challenge will go unchallenged.  Those useless blocks may end up being tossed out.

Four years ago we were enjoying autumn in Canada, and getting ready for Thanksgiving.

This is a very small pine tree by the water in Parry Sound, it was down-on-hands-and-knees to get this photo on a cold snowy day.

Each time we left the car in a parking area behind the Midland main street shops we saw this tree....it was even more beautiful than this pic shows.

Fallen leaves on the sidewalk outside our B&B in Goderich.  I love this mix of colours, it puts me in mind of some batik fabrics.

A damp day in The Land of Tall Straight Trees, on Vancouver Island......I know that's not its official name, but there were a lot of trees, and they were tall and straight.

Embroidery on the first label for my Canadian quilt is proceeding.  No stitches were knitted, no diamonds cut or pieced.  Words were read, notes were plinked and sung.  A sore right shoulder and upper arm has somewhat hampered efforts this week, goodness knows how that happened, but our helpful chiropractor has hopefully started it on the way to recovery.  I'm trying not to do anything which will hurt or will injure it further, which makes for a slightly boring week.

A milestone was passed last week - I have now outlived both of my parents!  All my grandparents made it into their 80s.....my maternal grandmother was 80 when she died, but both my parents died younger than their parents did.  I think my paternal grandmother made it to 90 but I don't know for sure; my father's family cut my mother, my brothers and me out of their lives when my father walked out on us.  "I don't want any part of your family squabbles" the old bat wrote to my mother on hearing the news that her older son had left his wife and children without a word to any of them.  That's fine.  We can live without you too.

We have another flood.  The river is up, roads are cut including one of the three river crossings in town.  I have lost count of how many floods we have had this year.  However, with memories of the drought of just a few years ago fresh in our memories, we aren't complaining.

Now that we have finished with our general rules of etiquette for balls, we shall move outside the ball room to the street.

"The manners of a person are clearly shown by his treatment of the people he meets in the public streets of a city or village, in public conveyances and in travelling generally.  The true gentleman, at all times, in all places, and under all circumstances, is kind and courteous to all he meets, regards not only the rights, but the wishes and feelings of others, is deferential to women and to elderly men, and is ever ready to extend his aid to those who need it."

I think we could add "the true lady", could we not?  It behooves a 'true lady' to be kind and courteous, also.  

Good manners and courtesy are not just knowing how to hold a knife and fork, but how to make others feel at ease in any situation.  This is not the only book of etiquette on my bookshelf; I have a more modern book, published in England, which is quite stiff and formal.  It places great importance on knowing which fork and spoon to use for which course, and which glass for which wine, and how deeply to curtsey to Lord and Lady So-and-So, but very little on how to treat others with kindness.....something far more important in my opinion, which is emphasised in my 1885 book.

Enjoy your days!

One of these days....

....this quilt will have its borders pinned ready for quilting.

It seems that every time I have a block of time to get it done, something intervenes....it is so frustrating....time had been reserved yesterday but we went shopping for a dishwasher.  By the time we returned home, had a cuppa, fiddle-faddled around for a bit, there wasn't enough of the day left for something I prefer to do in natural light.

Oh well.  The coming week doesn't look too hectic....fingers crossed....

Just because I love autumn pictures:

Taken on a cool damp day outside our B&B in Goderich, a small town in Ontario.  If I ever moved to Canada (not much chance of that; I don't think I would survive the first winter) I would live in Goderich, it's a very pretty town.

How have you all been this week?  It's still winter here, not much has changed, life for these two Olde Phartes drifts along.  

A few of us from the ukulele group provided some entertainment on Friday for a Refugee Week function, which was interesting; it makes you realise how lucky we are to live in a safe country free from conflict.  When I was a child we heard about 'displaced persons' as European refugees were called after World War II.  Many came to Australia in search of peace; most found it, although life here in what was still considered a colonial outpost would have been so different from the life they were used to.  

When I think about the bland boring food we grew up with - lamb chops served with mashed potato and peas, every week - I am so pleased times have moved on, driven by people who have settled here from other countries.  My mother didn't like cooking, it was a chore she did from necessity, and as a result she was an unimaginative cook.  A pinch of curry powder in the savoury beef mince - always boiled, never browned in oil - was the most adventurous dish she served.

I remember when convenience foods started appearing in shops, and my mother seized the opportunity with both hands.  Packet cake mixes were her favourite, she made two double-sized cakes a week because my father took lunch from home.  'Smoko' (morning tea break) was not considered complete without a large piece of cake for those doing manual labour - including bricklaying, my father's occupation.  Many older Ozzies still call the morning tea break 'smoko' even though a much smaller number of people now smoke than used to, and many of us (myself included) have never ever not once lit up even one surreptitious puff.  Not ever.

Something else which pleased her was the advent of synthetic fabrics, fabrics which advertised themselves as 'wash and wear', no ironing needed.  However Ozzie summers can be fearsomely hot, and the last fabric you want to swathe yourself in is a non-breathable fabric; we have gone back to realising that cotton and linen fabrics are more comfortable.  If ironing bugs you, then don't do it - who is going to care if you are wearing wrinkled clothing?  Not me....

Continuing on with General Rules for Balls:

"When dancing a round dance, a gentleman should never hold a lady's hand behind him, or on his hip, or high in the air, moving her arm as though it were a pump handle, as seen in some of our western cities, but should hold it gracefully by his side."

Yes indeed, gentlemen.  I have danced with blokes whose dancing style is....shall we say.....creative.

Enjoy your days!