A busy week with not much to show for it

We all have weeks like that, don't we.  We seem to have been on the go for most of the week, but when we look back not much seems to have been achieved.  

Work is proceeding on sewing down the peeper strip on Autumn Rhapsody.  I had high hopes of getting to the half-way point last night, but alas - it was not to be.  Some of the pieces for the back are pinned ready to be sewn but that doesn't make for an exciting pic, so there isn't one.  

Thoughts have been thought on which project will be worked on next, and it will probably be borders for the house quilt.

I thought there was a pic of the finished top, but it must be hiding in the photo vault.

Imprismed will be worked on. 

I am determined to finish it next year, it's been taking up a project box for long enough.

A quilt found online some time ago has been burning holes in my brain, so it's time it was started.  'Arboretum' ticks a lot of my boxes; mine will be made in batik fabrics rather than the fabrics used in the original.

That should be enough to keep me out of mischief, yes?

The hairdresser was duly visited, and my head now sports its summer cut.  That should keep me going until autumn, making it several months before the next staring-at-myself-in-the-mirror episode.  Summer means bright sunshine, which means wearing sunglasses and a hat outside, and the hat sits better with shorter hair.....but I miss my longer hair.

My hurt eye is doing very well indeed, if I hadn't remembered hurting it I would never have known the injury happened.  Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn.  Songs have been sung and plinked, there are two more rehearsals before our World Premiere performance, and I'm sure we will be fine.  My nemesis in the U3A ukulele group turned up on Thursday, and true to form was under my skin before we had even sung one song.  I told her she could run it if she wished, and was ready to pack up and walk out; we were drifting along nicely without her.  We hunted and we gathered, often the social highlight of our week.

For the past few weeks our town has been fortunate to have an exhibition by renowned quiltmaker Jenny Bowker which finishes today and I have, of course, been along to see it a few times.  During the time of the exhibition Jenny has given a couple of lectures, one of which was on my monthly day for volunteering at the gallery - how fortuitous was that? although I would have gone along anyway - and the second was last Friday evening as part of the annual lecture series run by ArtsNational.  The first talk was about Jenny's techniques, how she builds up layers and colours for her appliques, and was very interesting; the second was about her life as the wife of a diplomat in various countries in the Middle East, the theme of the quilts in this exhibition.  The organisers had a fund-raising raffle at the entry table so I duly bought a few tickets - I'm always happy to support worthy causes - and, much to my surprise, one of my tickets was the winner!  So now I am the proud possessor of a beautiful platter made of jacaranda wood and a selection of yummy gourmet goodies which will not, I assure you, go to waste.

I've often said I couldn't win an argument, let alone a raffle, and I am more than happy to be proven wrong.

Summer has arrived, the coming week looks like being a bit warm for my liking, but there's not much I can do about it.  We stay inside during the hottest part of the day; sometimes we have to venture out for an appointment or for shopping, but we head for home as soon as we can.  It's not unusual to have a burst of heat early in the season before it settles down to more moderate temperatures for a while, so let's hope that pattern is followed this year too.

"The duty of a lady to her escort.

The lady may supply her escort with a sum of money ample to pay all the expenses of the journey before purchasing her ticket, or furnish him the exact amount required, or, at the suggestion of her escort, she may allow him to defray the expenses from his own pocket, and settle with him at the end of the journey.  The latter course, however, should only be pursued when the gentleman suggests it, and a strict account of the expenses incurred must be insisted on."

We don't need someone else to be out of pocket on account of our journey, do we?  

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

On to Plan B......or C........

No progress has been made on the Canadian quilt, because the corners have me stumped.  I have absolutely no idea how to make them quilt as you go unless the corner design is changed, and I don't want to change it.  I like it as it is. 

On Monday 'Weeds of Grace' was taken to my quilting friend, and as we sat in the sun enjoying a cuppa and a nibble I asked her advice on said corners.  "Well, you could......no, that wouldn't work.  Or you could perhaps......no, that won't work either" she said.  I have another person to ask for advice, fingers crossed she may have a workable suggestion.

Never mind.  A brilliant idea may pop into life into my brain one day.

Meanwhile, 'Imprismed' has been exhumed from its box.  It's not a big quilt (49 in by 56 in), it's just that I find foundation piecing a wee bit tedious although it's not difficult.......but now that its box has been re-opened (a bit like opening an Egyptian pyramid) work will continue on it.  These half-blocks are laid out but not all sewn together.

This week's houses, very bright and cheerful; one bright pink with tiny black spotty circles, and one teal with a bright orange door.

Back in the 1970s people were buying older timber or fibro houses and 'doing them up'; sometimes 'doing up' included painting the house a bright colour.  Pink was popular, so was purple.  (Well, it was the 1970s......)  The problem was that when there were only one or two bright houses in a street they really didn't go with other houses which were dark brick or the always popular white or cream paint, so the visual cohesion of the neighbourhood suffered as a result.  My neighbourhood won't have that problem, for sure, because nothing goes with anything else.

Gilbert and Sullivan's opera 'The Mikado' states in one song "When everyone is somebody, then no one's anybody".  My houses will all be somebodies so no one will stand out from the crowd.

Our world is opening up again.  We are now allowed to talk to other people although we still have to wear a bag over our head when out in public.  Kevin is hanging out for a haircut while I may have a chance to shop for undies, even if it means wearing the dreaded bag over the head mask.  Hopefully I will be able to get it done as quickly as possible, take off the mask and breathe again, because I certainly can't breathe while wearing it.  Which is a bit of a bother, really, because breathing is probably a good thing.

We may even be able to get together and play music again, and sing, and go back to choir!  The choir is due to perform at a concert at the end of November at which the ukulele group will also be playing and I will have a solo (yay me!), but we have missed over two months of singing since lockdown started which means we may not be ready to perform......and there is still no guarantee that the concert will be able to happen, anyway.  Sigh......

Earlier in the week Bianca had a trip to the vet because we were concerned about her.  She needed some fluids under the skin which she was given and has been fine since, but we know at nearly 19 she is on borrowed time.  We will just try to make her remaining weeks/months as comfortable and pain-free as possible for as long as possible.  When we moved in together over 47 years ago my grey and white cat Smokey came with me, and we have had at least one cat ever since......it will be a very quiet household indeed without Bianca.  

Continuing from last week's quote:

"It is the duty of the hostess to maintain silence among her guests during the performance of instrumental as well as vocal music.  If any are unaware of the breach of good manners they commit in talking or whispering at such times, she should by a gesture endeavour to acquaint them of the fact.  It is the duty of the hostess to see that the ladies are accompanied to the piano; that the leaves of the music are turned for them, and that they are conducted to their seats again.  When not intimately acquainted with them, the hostess should join in expressing gratification."

In other words - when at a musical entertainment of any sort, sit down, shut up, and listen.  Clap enthusiastically or politely at the end, but clap.  That is all.