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 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

Halfway through Arboretum!

Blocks 49 and 50 were made during the week.  As the quilt needs 99 blocks that's halfway through, yes?

Another blue fabric used in Summertime Blues, one with a slight tropical lagoon feel.  The contrast is a mottled blue/green/brown, a bit muddy as batiks can be, but ideal for this purpose.

Another golden brown tree....I didn't realise how many golden brown batiks were in the Big Basket until I started making trees!  However, they make ideal autumn foliage.  The contrast has been in the stash for quite some time, and does a good job of pretending to be textured tree bark.

This week's achievements, numbers 49 and 50.

The handing sleeve for Autumn Rhapsody is in the process of being re-made, as the original was too long.  Once that's finished and sewn to the quilt it will finally be considered 'finished', and taken to a park to be photographed.  One of the features in the chosen park is an old-fashioned bandstand with four or five steps up to a stage area, and the wooden railing around the stage looks to be an ideal place to drape a large quilt.

Stitches have been sewn and knitted, and the back of the jumper/cardy is progressing up the armhole decreases.  Words have been read.  Songs have been plinked and sung, and my party pieces - one poem, and one song - for next Sunday's Eisteddfod performance have been scrolling through my mind on a continuous loop so they are firmly entrenched in my brain.  The usual weekly hunting and gathering ensured that we won't starve (although we might have to if the price of food keeps going up) and so another week rolls along.

The hole in my elbow is slowly healing, and the visit to the doctor on Friday yields the information that the Thing which was biopsied is an actinic keratosis.  Such Things apparently can, over time, develop into cancer, but given my advanced age already I'm not too concerned.  After it has a month to heal, said the doctor, there's a cream to use which will make it go away.  Jolly good, I said.  I can do that.  It's better than surgery.....mind you, anything is better than surgery, isn't it.

So, that's that.

I wonder if those folk who wear (almost wear!) their bum-baring swimsuits will be given the same news by their doctor in years to come?  There is probably a good chance that they will, given the nature of the Australian sun.  Just imagine having to have bits of your cheeks cut out.....oooh ouch......

My generation grew up before sunscreens had been invented and children back then were sent outside to play without hats or sun protection, although very young babies often wore a hat.  I can recall being horrendously sunburnt more than once, often badly enough to the point of blistering then peeling - ouch - and both my brothers were too.  When I was a slender young thing of 17 I was allowed to go to the Big Smoke for a holiday all by myself, and while there spent time on a beach in my brand new bikini; here in the Small Smoke there were no beaches although there was an outdoor swimming pool, so time at the beach was to be savoured.  The last day before going home the entire day was spent on the beach so of course I was really cooked, so much so that the new bikini had to be worn as underwear for the next week, because it fitted inside the white lines on the skin.  There is still a freckled patch on the outside of my upper thigh where the worst of that burn happened.

Silly me.  Unfortunately we didn't know better in those days; we had no idea that in years to come many of us would be having bits burnt, frozen and scraped out as a result of those decisions made - or not made at all - when young.

We have come to the end of the chapter on Etiquette of Travelling, so now we move onto Courtship and Marriage.

"The correct behaviour of young men towards young ladies, and of young ladies toward young men during that portion of their lives when they are respectively paying attention to, and receiving attention from, one another, is a matter which requires consideration in a work of this nature."

It is indeed.  Young men and young ladies may need guidance in such matters.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A year in the making

A few days ago was the 12-month anniversary of the fall which resulted in a broken arm and a truly spectacular black eye, and I'm pleased to say both arm and eye are working properly, or nearly so.  There are still some wrist movements which are stiffer than they used to be and unwelcome twinges of pain from time to time but, as the orthopedic specialist pointed out, "given your age, your arm may never be what it was before".  He's right, you know.....it isn't.  However, considering the damage (and, of course, my advanced age!) it's not too bad.

During our autumn trip to Canberra last year I visited a fabric store, and bought a few batik fabrics for the trees which I hoped to make one day.  The day has, of course, arrived, and now those trees are being made.  First a smokey blue, with a pale contrast whose design makes me think of mysterious hieroglyphics from an ancient civilisation.....

....then a brownish-greenish-khaki with touches of red.  The red fabric used for trunk and branches were already in my stash, but the others were bought on that trip.

Not a bad effort for the week.

During last month's trip there was, of course, another visit to the same fabric store for a few more batik fabrics.

This was before we departed on our recent holiday, all the thread which was left on the spool after making that week's two trees - certainly not enough to make another tree.

Talk about cutting it fine!  I find this Guttermann colour to be a Very Useful Colour for piecing.

During the week my autumn quilt was laid out once more, this time to have its hanging sleeve added.  That wasn't done in time to enter it in the show a couple of months ago, so it will certainly be done for next year.  I have found a good spot to photograph it, once the sleeve is on.

Yesterday we picked up our hot cross bun order from the bakery on the other side of the river, and jolly nice they are too.  Kevin doesn't eat fruit buns - although he really like date scones - so I will have to eat them all myself.  To make them last longer all six buns were cut across into two halves and placed in the freezer, so my daily treat isn't too huge.  Even though I could quite happily eat a whole bun by myself....those buns are my consolation prize for not being at the folk festival this year.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, and fabric cut.  Sorting of music has commenced, and I am being quite ruthless culling anything which I don't want to keep.  We hunted and we gathered, and went here and there, and that was another week done.

During our trip away we took the opportunity to try a couple of different - to us - roads, and we drove through Binda.  Thirty years ago I heard (and have been singing ever since) a song called 'Binda Ball', about a trio of bushrangers crashing the 1864 Boxing Day ball held in the small town of Binda.  The Binda police were away at the time escorting prisoners to Goulburn, so Ben Hall and his gang took advantage of that to kick up their heels for a few hours.  The storekeeper Morris, a former policeman, tried to get some of the local men to rush the bushrangers during the dancing and capture them, but the plan was overheard and foiled.  In revenge, they burned down Morris's store; he lost all his stock and his account books, without which he couldn't continue trading.  The girls who had such fun dancing with their 'bushranger sweethearts' were arrested; there are accounts published in newspapers at the time which can be read online.  All three - Ben Hall, John Gilbert, and Jack Dunn - died the following May.  Many bushrangers were descended from convict parents or grandparents; as such, most had scant respect for authority.

We all make choices in our lives, and these three men made unwise choices.  Others, in the same circumstances, made different choices and consequently lived (mostly) blameless, if less adventurous, lives - and longer ones.  Jack Dunn was still a teenager when he was hung for bushranging and murder.

Last week's etiquette post was about assisting a lady to mount a horse, using a side saddle.  One of the items held in the historical museum here is a side saddle belonging to Esther Stace - Mrs Arthur Stace, because women were known by their husband's name in those days - who held a side saddle jumping record which stood for nearly 100 years, only being broken in 2013.  Side saddle always looks awkward to me, but perhaps it's really quite comfortable.....who knows?

"Riding with ladies.

In riding with one lady, a gentleman takes his position to the right of her.  When riding with two or more, his position is still to the right unless one of them needs his assistance or requests his presence near her.  He must offer all the courtesies of the road, and yield the best and shadiest side to the ladies.  The lady must always decide upon the pace at which to ride.  It is ungenerous to urge her or incite her horse to a faster gait than she feels competent to undertake."

It is indeed.  Not every side saddle rider has Esther's skills.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

There are quiet trees, and there are noisy trees

As you can see from this week's additions to the forest.

First, a quiet tree.....

Quiet trees wear quiet raiment, and enjoy quiet music, and they mix with quiet company.

Noisy trees never quite let go of their 1980s neon clothing, and there is nothing they like more than a disco party with their friends.

However - they still like to hang out together, having more in common they they realise.  Despite their differences, they are both still trees.

Last week's pics didn't do justice to the pretty colour of the butterfly wing print, this is much more accurate.

How have you all been this week?  We have mooched around, and done some Stuff, and continued to get the caravan ready to sell.  We have found a flat car park not far from home, so the photos will be taken early in the coming week.  A few days ago we dropped off a box of caravan Stuff to an op shop, items that we don't need; we already have enough Stuff in the house, so anything from the caravan is surplus to our current requirements.  All cutlery, cooking pots and pans, and plate and bowls will stay with it.  It's a small van, ideal for beginning caravanners (as we were ourselves, all those years ago) and beginners may not have everything they need to just hitch up and go.  We have, however, taken out pillows and linen; although some of it is many years old we can use it up ourselves - and anyway, who would want someone else's 27 year old pillows?  Far better for the new owners to use their own.

Words have been read, stitches have been sewn.  Autumn Rhapsody is - finally - finished, yay!  Pics will be taken when I work out how to photograph such a large quilt.  Sadly, I have given up on the idea of entering it in this year's show.  Even though the binding is done it still needs a hanging sleeve, and there just wasn't enough time to sew one on before entries have to be handed in on Wednesday.  Never mind.....there is always next year, isn't there.  Thoughts have turned again to hand-piecing diamonds, so more of them need to be cut.  They will make a good travel project when we go away next month.

Notes have been plinked, and sung.  We have a new lady at U3A ukulele, and fortunately she can already play.  My nemesis from last year has not returned, in fact she hasn't renewed her membership, and the previous leader hasn't turned up either.  She is not my favourite person anyway since she announced in the middle of last year "I'm not doing this any more"; we were co-leaders, but nothing was said to me before it was all suddenly dropped in my lap.  Actually, we're managing quite well without her.

On Valentine's Day we betook ourselves to a fairly new restaurant to celebrate Kevin's birthday, and jolly nice it was too.  He had grilled steak and I had chicken scallopini in creamy mustard sauce with mushrooms and capers, then we finished with chocolate and walnut brownie with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce (for him) and honeycomb ice cream parfait with chocolate sauce (for me).  It was all jolly nice, and we would go again....I always enjoy a meal that someone else has cooked.  The only jarring note was the background music, vocal country music played a bit too loud.  Instrumental jazz is less obtrusive - I hope it was switched for something more mellow before all the young lovers went out for their Valentine's Day dinners in the evening, else the sweet nothings murmured in ears would be wasted.

"Discretion in forming acquaintances.

While an acquaintance formed in a railway carriage or on a steamboat continues only during the trip, discretion should be used in making acquaintances.  Ladies may, as has been stated, accept small courtesies and favors from strangers, but must check at once any attempt at familiarity.  On the other hand, no man who pretends to be a gentleman will attempt any familiarity."

Advice which could be heeded today, as much as when it was penned in 1885.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Blue butterfly wings

This week's trees are quite different to each other.

First, we have the aforementioned blue butterfly wings....at least, that's what this print says to me.  There is a little distortion in the colour, the cloth in the background is really white - I didn't realise morning light in my sewing room has a pink tinge.

The green and yellow spot fabric was, I think, one of the strips in the strip scrap bag purchased some years ago, and the blue was very useful in my 'Summertime blues' quilt.

A rich gold tree, taken just a minute after the previous photo on the same white surface.

The tan fabric used for the trunk and branches, if memory serves me correctly, was once purchased as a background; it has some yellow in it, which makes it sit well with the gold.

This week's trees on - believe it or not - a white surface.

While thinking about the colour choices for the gold tree I looked up the word 'khaki', and found out the word means 'soil coloured'.  The examples in that article range from light gold, through tan, to deep olive green....but they are all considered 'khaki'!  So perhaps my tree trunk is khaki rather than gold, although I like the connotations of gold better.

This is the Big Basket of  Batiks.

There is a lot more fabric in it that you would think; indeed, it's quite heavy.  The fabric stack reaches over nine inches high.....perhaps it's time to find another container!  Smaller pieces, including strips, are in their own much smaller basket.

Words have been read, stitches have been sewn.  The binding on Autumn Rhapsody is coming along nicely, a few more sewing sessions and it will be done, yay!   The hanging sleeve still needs to be made and attached - it won't be beautifully sewn down either, I can tell you - and the label covered, but there are still ten days to get that done.  You can do it, you can, I keep telling myself.....notes have been plinked and songs sung.  The Thursday ukulele group is progressing, I joked that we should call ourselves 'The Hummers and Strummers'....we still might do that.

The caravan is cleaned out ready for sale.  We will hitch it up and drive to a flat road to take pics, inside and out; we live on a hill, so getting photos here without making the van look as though it is leaning unevenly will not be easy.  We have even started planning our first van-less trip for many years.  Next month is our Canberra son's birthday, so our annual trip down south will be a little different this year.  With the exception of trips to Canberra for our son's wedding and to meet The One And Only Grandkid for the first time, every trip we have taken since that first trek in March 1998 has been with the van.

Here's an interesting story I found earlier today - I didn't know that we had two Canadian-made totem poles in Australia!  We often drove by Victoria Park when we lived in the Big Smoke, but I never knew about the pole there.

Mother Nature has thrown quite a lot at us this week.  We have had heat, and wind, and storms which promised a lot but delivered very little rain, and today is almost autumnal.  I usually slop around the house in shorts but today is cool enough for capri pants, or "Olde Lady's Shorts" as I call them, the garment one wears when one considers one is past wearing shorts in public.....although not all Olde Ladies seem to feel the same about the matter as I do.

We are still travelling in public conveyances, but we have moved on from railway carriages to trams.

"In the street tram-cars the case is different.  No woman should be allowed to stand while there is a seat occupied by a man.  The inconvenience to the man will be temporary and trifling at the most, and he can well afford to suffer it rather to do an uncourteous act."

Our last tram rides were in Toronto, in Canada, and I have been given a seat on more than one occasion.  While it was appreciated, it is another sign that I am no longer considered young.....except in my own mind.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Have you ever seen a red peacock?

Neither have I.

This fabric was in the Big Basket of Batiks, and I thought it deserved to be a tree.

Definitely a peacock feather thing going on.....the blue contrast was a strip left over from one of the blocks in my Canadian applique quilt.  

It's several years too late, but if you had some spare moolah back in 2008 you could have bought yourself a magnificent embroidered peacock feather cape......the 'eyes' are embroidered, the rest of the feathers are filaments from real peacock feathers, and it is lined with yellow silk.  Perhaps it was intended for an Empress or Emperor to wear.

I think the green fabric might be sideways but it wasn't wide enough to be cut vertically, so sideways it had to be.  Perhaps it's a windblown tree.

Many years ago I bought a bag of leftover batik strips from a well-known quilter in the Big Smoke who did a lot of strip piecing.....perhaps one day they will become a bag, I thought to myself.  They never did, but are now coming in useful as trunks and branches.  This cheerful orange was one of those strips, and others have been used so far too.

A week of bright trees.

Did you know about the Blue Tree Project?  We have a few trees in our town - one we pass regularly is in a park next to the river, at the bridge - and the small town half an hour away with the two excellent butcher's shops also has one.  I have made two blue trees so far, so I suppose I'm doing my bit too.

How is everyone this week?  Not much has happened here.....on Friday I had my quarterly medical check-up, and all is mostly well.  A slight tweak of one medication should fix that, she said.  Jolly good.  Don't need to go back for a few months again now, it's not my favourite place to be.

Sewing the binding down on Autumn Rhapsody continues.  Some stupid little bug in my brain must have told me to use very small stitches, which is why it's taking a while; two weeks into it, and it's not quite half done.  The Cunning Plan was to have it done by the last week of this month so it could be entered in the annual show but there is still a lot of binding to be sewn down, then the sleeve to be done, then the label covered up (quilts are anonymously judged) and that may not be done by 26th February when entries have to be delivered.  Oh well.....there's always next year, isn't there.....

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn.  Songs have been sung because choir resumed for the year last week, and plinking has happened because U3A ukulele group is also back.  We have some raw beginners.  I am not a trained teacher, neither am I a properly trained musician, so I find it very stressful.  No doubt we'll blunder along; the holidays at the end of each term will certainly be welcome.

One thing which has been in our brains lately - we have come to the point of selling our caravan.  Last year's trip home from Victoria was difficult for Kevin as, being plastered for the broken arm and in a certain amount of pain, I couldn't help with the daily set-up at all.  He found getting the roof up by himself quite difficult; we usually push it up together.  We compromised by staying in motels or cabins in caravan parks where the van could be parked nearby and which also made it easy for Kevin to help me shower; while caravan parks have facilities for those with disabilities (which I certainly was then) they weren't stand-alone facilities.  That van was an impulse buy 27 years ago and has taken us to many places we would not have visited otherwise, but it is getting a bit tired....so perhaps it's time to pass it on to another owner who will enjoy using it as much as we have.

We will miss it.  There are still so many places I want to go but I suspect never will now as we, too, are 27 years older.

Still on our train journey:

"It is not required of a gentleman in a railway carriage to relinquish his seat in favor of a lady, although a gentleman of genuine breeding will do so rather than allow the lady to stand or suffer inconvenience from poor accommodation."

Perhaps it depends on the length of the journey.  Standing for a trip of several hours would not be fun, whether one is a lady or a gentleman.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Marching along

A couple of days into February already....where has the year gone?

How is everyone coping with the heat?  We had some very hot weather during the week - including the hottest day of the year.  Fortunately it has eased off a bit now, and once we get further into February it will get a little cooler.  We hope.  At least we are not being flooded out of house and home unlike those poor people in the far north, or burnt out like those in parts of Victoria.  As the poem says: "I love a sunburnt country....droughts and flooding rains" indeed.

Because it has been so hot I didn't get as much of the binding sewn down on my quilt as I had hoped.  There's nothing like a large heavy quilt on one's lap when the temperature hits 40 deg C, is there?

Proof that some binding was, indeed sewn down.  One side is nearly done; the quilt is about 85 inches square, so one side is a lot of stitching with a sometimes tender hand....let along multiplied by four.

This week's trees.  I had hoped to have them done by Australia Day, but it was not to be....never mind, they are done now.  This dull green is the colour of some eucalypt trees; if we drive just an hour north-west, or an hour west, these are the colours we see.  It's very different to the brighter green around here.

A bright yellow block, because our National Flower is the Golden Wattle.

The colours of Australia.

The two fabrics used as trunk and branches were part of a bundle which came home with me from one of our trips to Canada, all of which have been useful for trees.

Our musical guest sent a message the day after arriving home to say he had tested positive for the covid plague, but we have been free of symptoms.  Apparently a few of the musicians also came down with it, but they were spending a lot of time rehearsing, performing or just hanging out together playing music - we attended a few concerts, but we weren't spending time in the same confined spaces as they were.  We certainly weren't still playing music at 2 a.m.  Although I have done so in the past, you know......

Stitches have been sewn.  Words have been read.  Not many notes have been plinked; considering that today is World Play Your Ukulele Day I shall play a few later, because it would be the right thing to do so - yes?  We have ventured out to hunt and to gather, an easier process now that the musical tourists have gone back from whence they came.

We have a good local op shop which posts regularly on social media, and on Thursday - "Random Thursday" - their post showed two really nice chairs.  Hmm....I thought, showed the picture to Kevin who liked them too, so after lunch we drove across the river to check them out......but they were gone!  Already sold!  What a disappointment.  Never mind; while we were there I found something else I have been looking for, so far in vain.  I now have a two-drawer wooden filing cabinet to organise all those sheets of music which have been copied and printed, a piece of furniture which doesn't scream "office" and which can sit neatly in a corner.  Sometimes you can be lucky after all, can't you?

On Wednesday our U3A group had their annual 'Launch Day' for people to put their name down for courses which interest them, and we have a couple of new people for the ukulele group.  A few of the names from last year were nowhere in sight - including the previous leader, the person who with no notice dropped the role in my lap while I was still recovering from the Big Fall and its aftermath.  I know it's probably not very nice of me, but I hope she doesn't come; I always feel she is testing me to see how I am doing and giving me a score of nil out of 20.

Ah well.  We shall see how it goes.

"Retaining possession of a seat. 

A gentleman in travelling may take possession of a seat and then go to purchase tickets or look after baggage or procure a lunch, leaving the seat in charge of a companion, or depositing travelling-bag or overcoat upon it to show that it is engaged.  When a seat is thus occupied, the right of possession must be respected, and no one should presume to take a seat thus previously engaged, even though it may be wanted for a lady.  A gentleman cannot, however, in justice, vacate his seat to take another in the smoking-car, and at the same time reserve his rights to the first seat.  He pays but for one seat, and by taking another he forfeits the first."

These days, if a gentleman left a travelling-bag or overcoat on a seat while stepping away for a short while, he may find his possessions gone and another person occupying the seat in his place.  One would hope that is not the case, but one fears it might be.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Forwards and backwards

The computer has been back in hospital....doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, they said.....I'm not convinced.  Anyway, it's back home for now.

How has everyone been?  It's been a busy couple of weeks; we're in the hottest part of the year and as usual the heat is quite unpleasant but it, too, will eventually pass.  The country music festival has come and gone, we had a new musical friend staying (I don't know where he gets his stamina from; his time was spent running from one gig to another and he had some very late nights, although he never disturbed us no matter how late he came home) and we enjoyed going to a few concerts.

No trees were made last week but the binding has been machined down on Autumn Rhapsody, and it's now being hand-sewn down on the back.  My bad hand doesn't enjoy long marathon sewing sessions, but so far it's behaving.  The panic over the too-short binding turned out to be misplaced in the end, as that extra strip wasn't needed after all.

Never waste a good panic.  You don't know when it may be needed for something really important.

If we were to hop in the trusty chariot and drive an hour or so south, we would be in sunflower territory.

A sunflower tree for the farmers who grow the sunflowers, and for tourists who love taking selfies in a field of big golden blooms.  Some farmers are now planting a field of flowers just for that purpose as it keeps the aforementioned tourists from trampling their precious crop, and the 'selfie fee' still raises some welcome money for their coffers or for charity.

Not sure what sort of tree this one is, but it's very colourful!

Don't they look good together?  

A reminder that one day this enervating heat will come to an end, and autumn will be with us once more.

To answer the comment from 'Anonymous' on my last post about a purple tree:  my least favourite colour in the whole spectrum is pink.  My second least favourite is purple, therefore a purple tree may continue to be missing.  There will, however, be more green and yellow trees to come.

Yesterday was Australia Day.  We spent the morning at home and the afternoon at a concert enjoying our musical guest's talents, before saying 'farewell' to the performers until next year.  As usual many words have been read and spoken on the subject of "should we celebrate Australia Day when it commemorates the arrival of European settlers to the detriment of the First Peoples" but I don't think the answer is simple, as any alternative date put forward is also problematic for some reason or another.  The date also marks the date of 26th January, 1949, when the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 was enacted.  That meant that we all became Australian citizens; prior to that date we were considered British subjects and even had to travel on British passports....and that, to me, is something worth celebrating.

My Posh Melbourne Grandmother, Florence, was one of five girls and two boys born in Sydney to Phoebe and Arthur Nelson.  (She and her new hubby moved to Melbourne after their marriage and spent the rest of their lives there.)  For several years from the mid-1890s Arthur, an engineer with his own business, was a member of the N.S.W. Legislative Assembly, and according to information found on Trove he attended Federation conferences in both Melbourne and Adelaide, prior to Federation in 1901.  In those days the prospect of Federation - all Australian states and territories combining to form one country - was obviously on Arthur and Phoebe's mind, so much so that a daughter born in 1887 was named 'Australia'.

She seems to have gone by her middle name of Mae.  Can't say I blame her, really.

Words have been read.  Notes have been plinked.  Stitches have been sewn, by hand and by machine.  We managed to avoid the festival crowds (not always an easy exercise when there are over 50,000 of them to avoid) in order to hunt and gather because the food supply was getting a bit low, but we are stocked up again now.  We keep out of the heat as much as possible, although it's a struggle to stay cool sometimes.

Further to our last point of etiquette:

"It shows a great lack of proper manners to see two ladies, or a lady and gentleman, occupy a seat in front of them and fill it with their wraps and bundles, retaining it in spite of the entreating or remonstrating looks of fellow-passengers.  In such case any person who desires a seat is justified in removing the baggage and taking possession of the unused seat."

It's even worse when people put their feet on the opposite seat.  Who would want to pick up someone else's feetsies and place them on the floor?  Not me.  Not even I.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Trees, and binding, and a label......

How has everyone been this week?

This week's trees.  I've never seen a turquoise, blue and yellow tree, but no doubt they exist somewhere....even if only in my imagination.

An autumn tree, just for me.  This is my new favourite.

The twelve trees made so far were laid out to see how they look.....there are definitely some autumn colours going on there.  

My eyes are detecting a shortage of green trees, though.....that's something to be remedied, yes?

The label for Autumn Rhapsody is done.

It has, believe it or not, been pressed.  No doubt when it's sewn to the quilt that stubborn crease across the middle won't be so noticeable.....or so I'm telling myself.

The binding strips are joined and pressed in half, but I have a feeling that it won't be long enough.  The trusty tape measure will be pressed into service before starting to sew binding to quilt because another strip may need to be joined in, and that would be easier before it's three-quarters sewn to the quilt, wouldn't it.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, by hand and by machine.  No songs have been played or notes plinked; my tenor uke has gone to have the machine heads replaced (that's the things that the tuning pegs are attached to) but I still have two ukes and two guitars I can play when the fancy strikes.  We hunted and gathered, food was bought.

It was also the time for the annual eye check-up.  My eyes, so the optometrist tells me, are in excellent health - something for which I am thankful; my vision, however, is another story.  The cataract which has been slowly....oh, so slowly.....forming on my left eye is still nowhere near needing an operation yet, and now another is starting to form on my right eye.  If you feel that your vision is getting worse come back and see us, said the nice optometrist.  My reading glasses are having new lenses fitted, a previous prescription is serving the purpose for now, but I will be pleased to have my others back again.

The tourists are arriving....there's a big country music festival here in January; many locals bail out and leave town, some rent their homes out to visitors, some rent out a spare bedroom or two.  For the past several years we have billeted one of the performers but our usual musical friend, Paul, can't make it this year (he has medical and health stuff happening).  We will miss him, and miss our chats around the table over a cuppa, but no doubt we will make a new friend with a different muso.

Best of all, we've had rain.....not heaps and heaps, but enough to make the dead dry brown grass on the hill behind us start to show a little touch of green.  More is forecast for this week, in fact the storm radar shows that we may get rain later today.  Just in time for those festival campers setting up their tents and caravans....

The occasional visiting frog in the down pipe has been croaking frantically (well, it sounds frantic to us) sending out his "I'm available, girls....how about it?" signals to the girl frogs.  He was very loud last night; we were hoping his lady love would soon arrive and put him out of his misery, but as he was croaking earlier today he had no luck last night.  Well, that's the way love goes, isn't it.

"Occupying too many seats.

No lady will retain possession of more than her rightful seat in a crowded tram-car or railway carriage.  When others are looking for accommodations she should at once and with all cheerfulness so dispose of her baggage that the seat beside her may be occupied by someone who desires it, no matter how agreeable it may be to retain possession of it."

Yes, she should.  When I was commuting by train I noticed that many school children took up more than their one seat with their school bag, while I always kept my bag on my lap.  More than once while waiting for the afternoon train it was common to see a teen - not always the same one - spread herself and her bag over a seat which was intended for three or four people, so I would turn my back to the seat and say in my best 'teacher' voice (despite not being a teacher) "would you move your bag, please" as I lowered myself to the seat.  

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Happy New Year!

Just think, that means we're a quarter of the way through the century......

Did you all have a peaceful New Year celebration?  We certainly did; we drove out of town to meet up with a friend for lunch, which was a lovely way to spend time at the end of the old year.  Consequently we ate very sparingly later, and of course we watched 'Dinner for One'.  If you have never seen it I would recommend watching it - it's quite funny, and we all need a chuckle at times, don't we.

The new year started with two new trees.  Not all trees will have foliage, some will be more impressionistic.

Something different was tried with the branches too - a branch growing off a branch, rather than all branches growing from the centre.  After all, trees have branches growing in different directions, yes?

I like this deep gold fabric.  The leaves are purple so some leftover binding from my autumn tree hanging makes good branches, as it, too, is deep purple.  (Wouldn't that make a good song title?  Oh wait......)

Side by side.  One of these days all the trees made so far will be lined up for a pic, to see how they look together.

Binding was cut for Autumn Rhapsody, and while doing that I couldn't resist a pic of the selvedge.

The Cunning Plan for the coming week, as well as to make two more trees, is to join the binding strips and maybe - just maybe - start sewing binding to the quilt.  The label is in progress as we speak; the information is being embroidered with one strand of DMC floss 3781, a warm brown, on a mottled light tan fabric which is one of the background fabrics used in the quilt.  3781 has been used for other projects, it's a very useful floss colour.....one of those projects now lives in northern Ontario, Canada.

How has everyone's last/first week of the year been?  

Words have been read here, stitches have been sewn.  No songs have been sung or plinked yet.  We hunted and gathered; in fact we took ourselves for a drive to a small town half an hour north to try a different butcher.  A few months ago we voted in local council elections at a small village 10 minutes north and, after casting our votes, bought a democracy sausage each to help the village school funds.....and what nice sausages they were, too.  Upon enquiring we were told they came from a butcher in the aforesaid small town, so on Friday off we went.  We harnessed up the trusty VW and drove up the road to Manilla where we went to both butcher shops, making purchases at each.  Well - what nice meat from both shops, and what pleasant staff!  We have tried some already, and more is waiting in the freezer.  We have decided to repeat the exercise from time to time; it's a pleasant drive, the meat from both shops is certainly good, and parking is very easy, something that can't always be said for our bigger busier town.

Summer's heat is well and truly upon us, but some rain would be nice.....our rainfall total last year was above average, but the last couple of months were not; December was well blow average.  It's easy to see who waters their lawn regularly, and who doesn't....we don't.  Our lawn will recover when it rains, and it will rain eventually; we had a couple of storms over the last few days, but not much rain to speak of.  So we won't.

"Reading when travelling.

If a gentleman in travelling, either on tram-cars, railway or steamboat, has provided himself with newspapers or other reading, he should offer them to his companions first.  If they are refused, he may with propriety read himself, leaving the others free to do the same if they wished."

One wonders what those travellers in 1885 would have thought of today's tablets, e-readers and indeed phones taken along on a journey for reading....would they offer theirs to their companions first?  Somehow, I don't think so.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

That's it for the year, folks!

A last post to say farewell to 2024....and to practise writing 2025.  It sometimes takes a few days for one's brain to catch up with the different numbers, doesn't it?

Good news on the photo front, I have worked out how to download pics from my camera to the computer.  It entails a new card reader and a new SD card for my camera and takes a few more steps than it used to, but what the heck.  So long as it works.  In between feeling somewhat unwell (although, I'm pleased to say, slowly improving; if I don't talk too much I don't cough, so the house is fairly quiet at present) I managed to make last week's and the previous week's trees.

This blue and brown batik is leftover from a kit for a bag bought on a trip to Canada, some years ago.  I like the contrast with the orange/red and yellow.

This interesting batik has the Colorado state tree and state flower - thank you, Dianne!  This is the second quilt it's been used in, and there is still some left.

A pretty pale yellow batik with highlights of blue/green; the trunk and branches were going to be a bright turquoise with hints of purple, but then my eyes lit on this mottled green in the Big Basket of Batiks.  I seem to recall buying this yellow fabric in a pack with a few others in Canada, too.

.

There are fires burning not far from our town at present, and very bad fires in Victoria.  The colours of this tree block say 'Aussie summer'.....I have to say it just might be my favourite block, so far.

And.....look who came home before Christmas!

Poor thing has been languishing waiting for me to feel well enough to think about binding, or adding a hanging sleeve, or even making a label, but a corner seems to have been turned and the label information has been printed off ready for tracing.  It will be embroidered by hand.

How was everyone's Christmas?  Ours was quiet; we managed a video chat with our Canaussian son and his partner in Toronto, Canada, which was wonderful.  We also spoke to our son in Canberra.  Our Christmas dinner was yummy, we had a small turkey roast (bought from the shop at the turkey farm on the outskirts of town) with vegies, and Christmas cake with gelato instead of the more traditional custard or cream, and even a glass of bubbly.  Yes, I know it's hot.  We have often had a cold meal on a hot Christmas day but this year decided to have our meal in the evening.  It was jolly nice, too.

Words have been read, a few stitches have been sewn....none by hand yet, but those tree blocks were made.  Not one note was plinked - or sung, as the result would have been a credible imitation of a donkey braying.  We did manage to get out to hunt and gather, although it took a lot of my energy.

One of the downsides to feeling so unwell (or 'crook', as Aussies say) was being unable to enjoy a coffee, thanks to the medicated lozenges which helped with the cough but left a taste in the mouth which did nothing whatsoever for coffee.  On Friday while we were out and about we stopped in at a favourite café for a cuppa but I didn't fancy my usual hot coffee so I had an iced coffee, and jolly nice it was too.  This morning I managed my first hot coffee for over two weeks which was thoroughly enjoyed, and now I am about to partake of another.

Many years ago when we lived in the Big Smoke we had to make a decision on where to move when we retired from work, as we both wanted to move out of the big city - big cities are not always user friendly for older folk.  In our travels we often visited Victoria, a state we both like very much, and were even thinking that we could up sticks and move down there.  (My father was born in Victoria's capital city, Melbourne, so I joke that I have Victorian citizenship.  The wonderful staff at the two Victorian hospitals where I was treated after the Big Fall earlier this year thought that was funny.)  However, one day I read that Victoria is the most bushfire-prone state in Australia - I have since read that is one of the most fire-prone areas in the whole world, and that would be heartbreaking. That is the sole reason which decided us to stay in New South Wales, albeit in a country town rather than the big city.

There are only a few days left of the year, so here is some advice should you be travelling:

"If, in riding in the street tram-cars or crossing a ferry, your friend insists on paying for you, permit him to do so without serious remonstrance.  You can return the favor at some other time."

Indeed you can.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer