Slightly late slightly stressed trees

Much of yesterday was spent at a museum sewing, and singing and playing ukulele, and talking to people about sewing and about singing and Stuff......and another visit to the emergency department in the evening to have Kevin's hand checked because it was swollen....and that was my yesterday.  Today, however, is another day.

This week's trees, one which reflects the now-darker wattle.....

....and one which looks like interesting petroglyphs.  Some sort of glyphs, anyway.

Both reverse trees.  It's interesting to see how fabrics change according to the other fabrics they are partnered with.  There are now 76 trees, the same as the number of trombones in the well-known song.

Yesterday's time at the historical museum produced one bag; two were cut out and went along with me, one was started and completed.   The other will be made up on a day that I just feel like some mindless sewing

The white lines are straight but to fit it in a photograph it needed to be bent a little, hence the wiggly lines.  I'm not sure that I love it enough to want to keep it but my friend was admiring it yesterday, so it might be gifted to her.

The weekly wattle.  As you can see the bright lemon colour is darkening; we had rain during the week, and those little fluffy yellow balls were heavy with the weight of water.  They have since popped up again.

The colour, however, has changed for the season.

Kevin's hand is, we hope, healing.  The last stitches were removed on Friday but a close eye is still being kept on it by the medical people.  As directed by the hospital people ("see your regular doctor in a week") we duly trotted along last Tuesday, and indeed every day for the following four days.  We will be back again this afternoon at 4p.m. - we should have had a reprieve from medical visits over the weekend, but Kevin's hand had other ideas - and possibly several more times this week.  At last night's visit the hand was unwrapped, checked....not too bad, you can wait to see a doctor if you think you need to, but it will be several hours' wait.....re-wrapped by the nurse who didn't think it needed to be seen by a doctor, thank goodness...so we will see what is said this afternoon.  It doesn't feel too bad he says.  That's good, I says.  Have you ever tried to keep an old bloke from doing things?  It's not easy, let me tell you.  I do let him put the car in and out of the garage, magnanimous person as what I am.

The historical museum yesterday was fun.  The house is called 'Calala Cottage' and this year celebrates 150 years since it was built, so of course the ukulele players sang 'Happy Birthday' with the audience joining in.  The Cunning Plan had been to take one of my 1920s Singer treadle machines along but, as Kevin's hand didn't lend itself to taking apart, carrying and re-assembling a heavy machine twice, I came up with the idea of taking my 1950 Singer Featherweight 221 instead.  It's still an old machine albeit 75 years old rather than 98, but as it's so small and easy to manage it was the right decision - and it still generated a lot of interest.  A couple of women said "oh, a Featherweight!" so of course we chatted about them, and even a few older blokes talked about their memories of learning to sew by hand and by machine as children; one man in particular was very interesting.  I didn't mind the chats; if no one was interested in the machine and what I was doing I could have accomplished more, but it wouldn't have been as much fun.

In fact, it's been such a busy week that I still haven't had that rest......

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn and knitted - my knitting now goes with me every time we get in the car, because we never know how long these medical appointments are going to take....one sleeve is nearly completed, and the other has been started.  Many songs have been plinked and sung, and yesterday's audience enjoyed our offerings; a few of the U3A folk had never performed in public before but did very well, and our audience said nice things to us and about us.

"Requirements for a happy marriage.

Respect for each other is as necessary to a happy marriage as that the husband and wife should have an affection for one another.  Social equality, intellectual sympathy, and sufficient means are very important matters to be considered by those who contemplate matrimony."

Well, yes.  To which I would add, to be happy to drive each other to medical appointments.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A poke in the eye with a burnt stick

That's an Aussie expression - saying something is "better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick", although I believe the original was "with a sharp stick".

On Wednesday morning I was finishing getting ready to head off to sewing group, lunch was packed, hand sewing was in the bag, just draw on a couple of eyebrows.  Like many older women what eyebrows still remain are now grey and invisible and I'm naturally pale-skinned anyway, so a little definition is good.  Brows drawn on, grasp the pencil with the brush end out to give a little tweak to the shape, when my not-always-steady-yet right hand flipped and the brush poked me in the eye.  Ouch.  Double ouch and triple ouch. 

So off to the optometrist we go, oh dear says Simone, you have scratched your cornea.....use this antibiotic ointment and these lubricating drops, and come back on Friday afternoon.  Ointment and drops were duly used and Friday afternoon's report was "It's healing well.  Not complete healed yet, but doing fine."  The ointment is not needed now, but the drops will be continued for some time yet.

Talk about pain.  I would rather give birth than ever do that to my eye again.

This week has either been busy or raining (or sometimes both at once) so the pic of my quilt top still hasn't happened.....but it will.  Thoughts have been thought on piecing the back, and some fabric has been cut.  Due to the aforementioned busyness and a sore eye for a few days, that's as far as it has gone.  However, in the bustling around a visit was paid to the red and blue fabric and craft store (which shall be nameless because they don't pay me to advertise, but Aussies will know who it is) for some solid fabric, so the in-progress bag can proceed.

This bright blue - called "new turquoise" on the receipt - was chosen, and it suits quite well.  I wonder what happened to the "old" turquoise?

These are the remaining four squares which will form part of the handle; it was taken late yesterday afternoon under artificial light so the top pic is much closer to the true colour.  The bag will be pretty when done, those 22 squares will be moved out of my sewing room to a new owner, and I can pat myself on the back being careful not to dislocate my shoulders in the process.

How have you all been?  Apart from my mishap with the brow brush, we've been well.  Words have been read, stitches sewn by hand and by machine.  Songs have been sung and notes plinked, as ukulele has started up again.  We have hunted and we have gathered so we can eat once more.

Our new(ish) local council has elected the mayor for the next two years, and surprise, surprise - the old mayor is in the seat again.  I had hoped he would not be elected by his fellow councillors, but alas, he was.  So we have another couple of years of seeing his smirking face on the local news.  The mayor for some councils is elected by the locals on polling day - the person with the most votes wins a seat on the council and gets to sit in the mayoral chair, but our council is one of those whose mayor is elected by the councillors themselves.

Oh well.  Hopefully at the next election in four years, we can get some women back on council again.

"Duties of an escort.

However self-possessed and lady-like in all her deportment and general bearing a lady may be, and though capable of undertaking any journey, howsoever long it may be, an escort is at all times preferable, much more pleasant, and generally acceptable.  When a gentleman undertakes the escort of a lady, he should proceed with her to the depot, or meet her there, a sufficient time before the departure of the train, to attend to her baggage, procure her ticket, and obtain for her an eligible seat in the carriage, allowing her to choose such seat as she desires.  He will then dispose of her packages and hand-baggage in their proper receptacle, and make her seat and surroundings as agreeable for her as possible, taking a seat near her, or by the side of her if she requests it, and do all he can to make her journey a pleasant one.

Sounds like a good idea, to me.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

I have a finished top!

However - I'm afraid you'll have to take my word for it because it's quite large (86in square) and my quilt holder-upper isn't a tall enough bloke with a wide enough wingspan.  We shall have to come up with Plan B to get the photo.  The kids next door are growing, a couple are now teens, they are always helpful......

Never mind.  Here, at least, is one of the perfectly mitred corners.

There are another three just like it, too.  You have no idea how pleased I am about them, my shoulder is nearly dislocated from patting myself on the back.....and they do look better than straight borders would have done.  The binding will be the same fabric as the outer borders.

Now my thoughts are turning to piecing the back.  There are a few metres of that gorgeous leaf print used in the border and blocks, and a couple of metres of a different leaf print, and some of the inner border fabric......I'll make it work.  It's going off to be quilted by a long-armer, because it's too big for me to do it justice with My Lovely New Bernina - and, all being well, I hope to enter it in the local show early next year.

How has everyone been this week?  We've been doing well, my formerly broken bits sometimes complain, but I just ignore them.  We had some rain, and more is forecast; when it rains, the neighbourhood kangaroos come around for a visit.

There were several more, too.  It wasn't raining that day but had rained the day before, so the grass was still damp and juicy.  It's a bit difficult getting good pictures of the roos because they don't stay still for long, and we don't want to encourage them down to our fence; kangaroos have been known to attack people they see as a threat, so we stay on our side of the fence when they are out and about.  There is nothing in our garden for them, we are quite happy to see them from a distance, and hope they subscribe to the belief that we hold - "if you don't bother us, we won't bother you".

One thing I did this week was to start making a bag from a pack of five inch squares that came back from Canada with me.  On our last trip a friend took me to a store not far from her house, 'Huckleberry's Fabrics Inc.', which was having a morning of demonstrations, new products and giveaways.  It was a fun day and one of my goodies was a pack of squares - but there were only 22.  What can you do with just 22 squares, without having to buy more co-ordinating fabric?  The idea finally came a couple of days ago; the 18 floral squares were laid out in six rows of three, joined together, then seamed across the bottom to make a bag.  The remaining squares, deep jewel tone-on-tones, will be used to trim the handles.  Sometime soon I will hit the big craft and fabric store for a metre of solid homespun in a suitable colour and the bag will be finished, then off it will go to be filled with toiletries and other necessities to be given to a woman in hospital who may have been admitted with no time to gather what was needed.  Our group has been making such bags for a couple of years now, and they are gratefully received.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn by hand, and by machine.  Songs have been sung.  Exercises are still being done, although not as diligently as a couple of months ago.  We hunted and gathered for the weekly requirements, and that was about it, really.

Last month elections were held to fill places on the local council and I am shocked and surprised by the result, which was recently announced.  Our council now holds the record, not one to be proud of, for being the only council in the state without a single woman.  Not one.  Apparently the last time it happened here was in 1971, and I had already moved to the Big Smoke by then.  Even sitting female councillors who were up for re-election were not voted back in.  Now we have four years of local issues being decided by blokes, despite probably half the population being female.  A much smaller town an hour away has ended up with six women in a council of nine people, but we have none.

If I were younger I would stand for council, but I fear I have left my run thirty years too late.  The older I get, the more of a political animal I have become; back when I was of an age to be useful I didn't have as much interest in politics as I do now.

We have come to the end of Etiquette of Public Places, so now we will turn to Etiquette of Travelling.

"There is nothing that tests the natural politeness of men and women so thoroughly as travelling.  We all desire as much comfort as possible, and as a rule are selfish.  In these days of railroad travel, when every railway is equipped with elegant carriages for the comfort and convenience of its passengers, and provided with conductors and servants, the longest journeys by railroad can be made with perfect safety and but little annoyance."

To which I can only say, so many of these words could also be applied to modern plane travel.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Is done!

Finally - the lime green bag is finished, done, completed, and has already been used.

 It's cheerfully bright, and very summery.

I have trouble coping with summer's heat, but this new bag might cheer up those stinking hot days a little.

Have I ever mentioned that I am quite fond of green?

The Secret Squirrel project is progressing nicely.  Pics have not yet been taken because it is a secret.

Not long ago I buggered up the sound system in my sewing room.  I can't work in silence, I need music; my choice of either a CD or the radio, it depends on the music being played and my mood.  I had one of those radio-CD-cassette player systems (remember cassette tapes?) and those tapes hadn't been played for ages so I popped one in to try it out.....and it stuck.  Eventually we freed it, but every time the unit was turned on there was a continual clicking noise no matter whether the radio was on or a CD was playing.  Considering it was bought in the year 2000 it has done sterling service so a couple of days ago I bought a new mini system, and now I have music again and I am a happy woman once more.

There is a strange sound on the roof......could it be light rain?  It's been so long since we have had a decent shower we have forgotten what rain sounds like......(jumps up and runs to window to check)......yes indeedy, the path outside is damp.  Wonders will never cease!  In recent days we have had a taste of the summer to come, and I for one am not looking forward to it.  We really like living here in the Small Smoke although the hottest weeks of summer can be trying - but the alternative, the humidity of living on the coast, would just about do me in.  I'll take the oven over the sauna any day.

Now that local folk are gadding out and about in their summer clothes again we are seeing some wondrous sights.  Just because one can wear something, doesn't mean that one should.  I do check before going out in public that I am passable, but of course my standard of passable may not be someone else's.

We have a long weekend coming up, so I think we need a Nice Sunday Drive although it will probably be on Saturday.  Perhaps a trip to Nundle, a small town not far away from here, near where my maternal grandfather was born way back in 1885.  He used to tell few tales about growing up in the village when it was still a gold mining town, I wish I had listened more attentively.....but you don't when you are young, do you?  Pop's birth was registered in the local courthouse when it was possibly the most important building in town; the building is still there, but now it's a museum.  His mother's name is wrongly given as Emma on the official record, although her name was Emily......I wonder if perhaps Pop's father John had been wetting the head of his seventh child and fourth son and so slipped up with his wife's name, or if perhaps he called her Em or Emma so that's what he told the clerk who was recording the details?

We will never know.

"In calling upon a man during business hours, transact your business rapidly and make your call as short as is consistent with the matters on hand.  As a rule, men have but little time to visit during business hours."

Yes, and make sure you get your wife's name correct on official forms.  Your descendants will not thank you for making their family history record search more difficult than it should have been.

Enjoy your days!

Sniffly WOW

Several years ago we visited an animal park on the south Coast of NSW where I met some real live wombats and was even able to cuddle some....yes, I have the photographs of that occasion and no, they will not be put up here for the world to see the two black eyes I had at the time......I bought this hanky as a souvenir of our visit. I can't bring myself to blow my nose on this little feller so it is still a pristine hanky.

The woeful story of the black eyes is this: some years ago I used to do a lot of dancing, some folk dancing and also the social dances that have been done in Australia over the past 220 years. I used to get dressed up in my ballgown and go dancing, a roomful of folk in outfits from 1800 to 1900 is a glorious sight to see. At one ball during an energetic 'Postie's Jig', a Scottish country dance, I was hit between the eyes by another woman as she flung up her arm for the final swing with her partner. I didn't fall down but by crikey I saw stars, and the bruising to my face caused two black eyes which took a few weeks to settle down. It was during those weeks that we had our holiday and met the wombats.

My new bag is finished and yes, all that beautiful even quilting was done by me! The fabrics were bought at Cock-A-Doodle Quilts in Toronto, Canada - the green fabric is Catch a Star by Whimsicals for Red Rooster, the tan fabric is Bound to the Prairie by Kansas Troubles for Moda and the lighter lining fabric is also by Kansas Troubles, but from a different range. You know how it is when you keep something in your brain that turns out to be wrong.......when I bought this fabric I had it in my head that I needed 80cm of the lining fabric and 1.3M of the main fabric, so that is what I bought......not so. I needed 80cm of the main fabric, and 1.3M of the lining fabric because it is also used for the trim, and I hadn't thought of that. I didn't realise until after we returned home from our trip, so I contacted the shop in Toronto but they had sold out. I really wanted the green fabric to be the main fabric and the other to be the trim, I didn't want to change them around. After lying awake in bed at night pondering on it deeply and being unable to buy more of the fabric I needed, I decided to buy something different but similar for the lining. So to make a short story long, the bag is made of three fabrics instead of two but I am still pleased with it.

My shoulder has decided that I prefer to use smaller bags, because they can't be filled too much and become too heavy. It doesn't like carrying anything heavy.

When I was choosing the fabrics I found the green one first then went looking for another fabric to put with it. I decided not to use two fabrics from the same range because they can be so beautifully co-ordinated it can look a wee bit boring; I like the element of surprise that arises from two different fabrics together.

This morning we saw a wallaby in the reserve on the hill, we haven't seen a wallaby or kangaroo for some time! Today is quite warm for a winter day but the wind is strong, and cold too if you are in the shade. Since it became wintry the roos haven't been around, perhaps they prefer the warmer weather? The next few days are supposed to be colder and rainy again, our nice days have come to an end for a while.

The etiquette book has a wonderful repellent recipe for mosquitoes, as they can be a summer problem in parts of the USA and Canada - here it is.

"Another prescription, used by hunters to keep away the black flies and mosquitoes, is said to leave the skin very clear and fair, and is as follows: Mix one spoonful of the best tar in a pint of pure olive oil or almond oil, by heating the two together in a tin cup set in boiling water. Stir till completely mixed and smooth, putting in more oil if the compound is too thick to run easily. Rub this on the face when going to bed, and lay patches of soft cloth on the cheeks and forehead to keep the tar from rubbing off. The bed linen must be protected by cloth folded and thrown over the pillows."

That sounds as though it would keep just about anything away, including one's bed partner.

Have a lovely week!

Jennifer

Sewing Helper WOW

My little furry friend is helping me make my new bag, isn't that nice? My wombat collection has a few furry little ones. You can see the pretty fabrics I bought in Canada last year, the green fabric and the golden brown are the main fabrics, and the paler tan is the lining. Due to my tiny brain getting the quantities wrong I chose to buy a different lining fabric, rather than spend ages agonising over my error and getting nothing made. I had great plans to sew some more today but got very little done because of a headache - not a bad one, but a niggly little one that hung around and wouldn't go away and made me take a slightly fuzzy photograph. Never mind, as Scarlett O'Hara said, tomorrow is another day.
It has occurred to me that, while the world has seen pictures of the outside of our new house, none of you know what the inside looks like. So.......when you come to visit and step inside the front door this is what you will see. One of the shops in our new town sells all manner of lovely things, patchwork fabric and supplies, pretty flowers like this one, even containers for pretty flowers. And coffee and cake. That's right, they even have a cafe! It is a gorgeous place to browse while one is waiting for one's excellent coffee to be made. The orchid was also available in bright yellow which I loved.......I really really love yellow and it looked great in the grey pot......but a yellow orchid against the pink wall would not have looked so good. More pics will follow in due course.

I still might succumb to the yellow orchid - not all the walls are pink.

The election campaign is getting quite annoying, it is very negative. Most ads are more about running down the opposition than telling us anything positive. Another ten days to go.....but it doesn't matter who we vote for, we will still get a politician.

Been trying different food ideas lately, tonight I made a blue cheese sauce for ricotta and spinach wholemeal ravioli. We both enjoyed it, which was a surprise! But sometimes my brain doesn't want to think food, it would like someone else to make the "what shall we eat tonight" decision.

"Unladylike conduct toward a suitor.

It is only the contemptible flirt that keeps an honorable man in suspense for the purpose of glorifying herself by his attentions in the eyes of friends. Nor would any but a frivolous or vicious girl boast of the offer she had received and rejected. Such an offer is a privileged communication. The secret of it should be held sacred. No true lady will ever divulge to anyone, unless it may be to her mother, the fact of such an offer. It is the severest breach of honour to do so. A lady who has once been guilty of boasting of an offer should never have a second opportunity for thus boasting.

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."

So next time someone makes an offer for your hand and you refuse, don't boast about it. That would be unladylike, and we can't have that can we?

Jennifer

Dangly WOW

It has occurred to me that these wombat earrings haven't yet had their turn on the blog, so here they are. Back left are wooden - right are titanium, they're a purplish-brown colour and are incredibly light - and the little ones in front with the bead trimming are pewter. A little bit of fun for when I'm feeling wombatty and frivolous!

The floods have subsided although there is still a lot of water coming from upstream. According to the local paper a few people were stopped from driving onto flooded roads by the police and fined......jolly good, say I. Not only do they put their own lives and those of any passengers at risk, but also the people who attempt to rescue them.

Today I baked some pecan brownies.....recipe is here......this house has an electric oven and cooktop, but for the past 20 years I had a gas stove so I have to re-learn cooking again. If you have ever used both you will know they are different! The oven seems to bake well, a few weeks ago I made some little cupcakes to try it out so today I was a bit braver. I had a piece of brownie with my coffee a few minutes ago (can't serve it to Kevin without trying it first, can I?) and it was delicious. But I wish I had a gas cooktop, so much better than electric hotplates, more instant control when turning the heat up or down.

I have started making my new bag and will take a pic soon, hopefully it will look very elegant. The book I ordered to help me make my maritime challenge quilt came from the UK today - "9-Patch Pizzazz". Great service, 10 days from there to me, and a good price too. As soon as the bag is finished that will be my next project, I have already started thinking about it and am looking forward to making it. Some of the fabrics have been in my stash for a long time, they should be matured by now - like fine wine and cheese! Colours are lots of blues, with some red and gold.

Today has been lovely and sunny, a good afternoon for a walk - only problem is, today the locksmiths keyed all the locks in the house to the same key, and he left the new keys with me because I was home and Kevin was out playing lawn bowls, so if I go walkies taking the new key with me and Kevin comes home........he won't be able to get in!

I have had EQ6 for some time now, and the new update for EQ7 is out - I'm debating with myself whether I really need it - while EQ6 is handy I don't use it to its full capacity, but does that really matter? So long as I can use it for what I need. I might debate for a wee while longer.

The Only Choir In Town is practising for a concert next month, we will be singing some songs from Gilbert and Sullivan, and some Elizabethan madrigals, and some hymns and sacred songs. And a chorus from an opera. If I am singing opera does that mean I can be a diva and throw tantrums if things aren't to my liking?

Must share this with you, the 1885 etiquette book has a chapter titled "Toilet Recipes" of which this is one.

"Wash for the complexion.
A teaspoonful of the flour of sulphur and a wine-glassful of lime-water, well shaken and mixed; half a wine-glass of glycerine and a wine-glass of rose-water. Rub it on the face every night before going to bed. Shake well before using."

Some old recipe books use "a wine-glass" as a measure, I wonder what size glass those Victorians used? If anyone is brave enough to try this, don't come crying to me when your face falls off.........

Jennifer

Final day in Sydney

First, a couple of pics of the bag I made recently for our older son's girlfriend - the pattern used a magnetic fastener, but I made a covered button and loop instead and also added the piping. The close-up in the top pic shows the button and loop, and also the fabrics I used. The pattern is "Meadow" by "Melly and Me" and was sent to me as part of a swap by Carol in Arizona. I will probably make it again as it wasn't difficult.....but somehow the shape (which is baggy at the bottom) reminds me of old-fashioned bloomers.

Well, this is my last day living in Sydney. No regrets about leaving, except for not seeing as much of my friends and of course our wonderful son and his girlfriend. But as our sons have flown the nest - it's our turn to look for another tree in which to nest! (don't you think I have put that well?) Tomorrow I am off to Tamworth, and next Friday we move into our new home. Nothing more has been heard from our purchaser so we are assuming that all is going well with her too. When we have the computer up and running again I will post some pics so you can all enjoy the lovely view with us. The local library has computers that I can use to access my email but I will save up any further blog posts until we have our own computer back again.

Today I had a farewell lunch with some friends, I have had more farewells than Dame Nellie Melba. For the non-Aussies, Dame Nellie Melba was a soprano who had great success all over Europe as well as America and Australia in the late 19th-early 20th centuries, and her farewell tour lasted for four years or more as she insisted on singing a farewell concert in as many places as she could - so to "do a Melba" is to string out a leave-taking for as long as possible. Dame Nellie's trademark song was "Home, Sweet Home" but I won't singing it as we drive out of Sydney tomorrow.

Some blog house-keeping: for some time now my little "weather pixie" has not been available so today I found a sticker on Weather Underground. It doesn't have the cute picture but does give the Tamworth temperature in both C and F (we use C in Australia) and the time. When weather pixie is up and running again I will put my little girl back. After we settle into the new place I might change my blog template, I don't mind working with blogger but have decided that I would like a fancier blog. I might be asking for help when I do, I'm a bit of a computer klutz.

"Leave-Taking.
Upon taking leave, express the pleasure you have experienced in your visit. Upon returning home it is an act of courtesy to write and inform your friends of your safe arrival, at the same time repeating your thanks."

So I shall take my leave for a little while, and I'm sorry I won't be able to keep up with the blogs I enjoy visiting, but I will be back as soon as I can. Now I need to pack clothes and "stuff" - knitting, hand-piecing, crocheting, books to read - and my guitars and ukulele (because they are precious to me and I don't want anything to happen to them en route to Tamworth) so I can entertain myself for a few days in the caravan on my own.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jennifer

Very little WOW

This ceramic wombat is even smaller than last week's weeny wombat! The little card was sent by a friend who knows about my wombat weakness.

It's been quite a busy week, a farewell lunch with friends yesterday and my last choir practice tonight, there was a goodbye party with singing and yummy food. We have a gig on Thursday evening so that will be the last time singing with them. I'll have to find a choir in my new town, won't I? Also had my last appointment with my hairdresser, I had gone to her for just on ten years. There are more and more "last" and "final" now.

At the weekend I finished a bag for our older son's girlfriend and gave it to her, I will put pics up when I download them from the computer. I used blue, beige and gold fabrics with a teeny touch of green - I think she likes it.

Today we went to the local camping and recreation show to look for a couple of new chairs for when we go away in our caravan, one of the chairs that we have had for many years came to a sad end on our recent trip to Canberra. Next time we are staying in the van we will have two comfortable new chairs to sit outside and enjoy the scenery. And I will own up to a slight indulgence......one of the shops was selling goods from South America and I fell in love with a beautiful peacock-coloured alpaca wrap with attached neck scarf. I don't have a winter coat because Sydney in the winter isn't cold enough to need one (unless you are out very early or very late) but Tamworth winters will be a different story. It won't snow but it may get fairly cold by Australian standards, so my lovely new wrap will keep me warm.

And today we heard that the purchaser of this house doesn't want the final settlement to be mid-week, she wants it to happen on a Friday so she can move straight in over the weekend because - get this - she doesn't want the house left empty for two or three days. What about all the times we have gone on holidays and left it? It's always been here when we come back. We want a mid-week settlement because we are moving several hours away, and a Friday settlement would mean, among other difficulties, paying our removalists overtime to work on a weekend or finding somewhere to live until the following Monday. Our legal person is in discussion with her legal person so we will see what they can sort out between them. We have already made a few concessions for her so we reckon she can make this one for us. I will be glad when it's all sorted out and we are in the new house, hopefully just two weeks away now.

"Expressing unfavorable opinions.
You should be exceedingly cautious about expressing an unfavorable opinion relative to a young lady to a young man who appears to be attracted by, and attentive to her. If they should marry, the remembrance of your observations will not be pleasurable to yourself nor the married parties."

Now it is late, and I am tired, so I shall go to bed. Have a wonderful week!

Jennifer

I'm just about caught up with sleep

Here are pics of the bag I made for my musical friend Liz, she of the beautiful voice....there is even a fabric with musical notes somewhere.
The bag in the pattern illustration was more subdued and 'country' but I thought I would try something different.
I used the same pattern to make this bag.
The lining is purple, because Liz loves purple....and I lined the pockets with black and white check, as you can see.

We are catching up with the sleep we missed while at the folk festival, for the first time in 15 years of attending we had slightly inconsiderate camping neighbours so we had disturbed nights. I even managed to stay up till nearly 3am on the last night, we were having such a great time in the singing room that it seemed a shame to finish. It's difficult to say what were the highlights, as there were so many wonderful performers. I even joined in a couple of ukulele workshops and picked up a few ideas. What a shame it's a whole year until the next time!

Had a funny happening when I was working in the office while the festival was being set up. One of my duties was signing out keys to various buildings and vehicles, and as they were signed out I entered the time on a record sheet. On the second day of working I signed out a key and looked at my watch (which I had forgotten to wear the previous day) which said 9.15. Clock on wall said 12.15, I had started my shift at noon. Took me a few minutes to realise that the last time I had worn that watch was in Canada, the day I fell and broke my arm in Toronto; I had to take it off in hospital as my arm was swelling very quickly and painfully, and of course it was still set to Toronto time.

The countdown is now on for the big move, while we were away the people working behind the scenes brought the final date forward by two days. Now two days may not seem like much, but when you haven't yet packed anything.......however this afternoon I have packed my beading supplies, so that's a start. I get the heeby-jeebies just thinking about packing up my sewing stuff, but no doubt when I start it will become easier. A few weeks ago I cut out three projects but am determined not to start them until we have moved and unpacked. Two are table runners, and I am looking forward to seeing them on the table in our new house. Sewing can be my therapy when the unpacking all gets to be too much, as no doubt it will.

Over the next few weeks there will be some farewell lunches with friends, and also my last night at choir and at my folk club. Have to say, I won't miss Sydney but I will miss some of the people. Three weeks from today I will be leaving Sydney, and Kevin will follow a few days after. While we have enjoyed living in this house and bringing up our sons here - we don't really mind leaving.

"It shows a want of courtesy to consult your watch, either at home or abroad. If at home, it appears as though you were tired of your company and wished them to be gone. If abroad, it appears as though the hours dragged heavily, and you were calculating how soon you would be released."

Autumn has finally arrived here so we are enjoying the cooler weather - it's wonderful for knitting again, and for sewing - and probably for packing -

Jennifer

Today's WOW and last week's finish

First the finish......the blocks for this bag were started a few years ago and I never got around to assembling the bag when the blocks were finished. The pattern is one I have had for a very long time, "Sampler Sewing Bag" by Amberwood Crafts and it's the second time I have made it. The colours for the blocks were inspired by the rainbow striped fabric used for the handles, back and a couple of the blocks; the lining is lilac cotton.
This week's WOW is a blue, green and pink swirly glass wombat bought several years ago in Canberra, and it is posing on a lovely lace doyley made of linen with an edge of tatted lace. The doyley was made many years ago by my mother's Auntie Laura, I have several of her lace pieces. Unfortunately I never knew her as she died when I was a baby. Poor Laura, she had a sad life; had her first child, a son, at 17 then several years later married and had a daughter. Her daughter died as a teenager, and her son was killed just three years later in a confrontation between striking miners and police in the Hunter Valley, NSW. A distant cousin and I both share the middle name of Grace - Laura's daughter's name was Dorothy Grace.

We have been enjoying some lovely rain over the past few days, and more is forecast for tomorrow. Australia has had it all in the past ten days; floods in Queensland and parts of NSW, and fires in Victoria.

Kiera-Oona and I have been trying to work out to combine the posts for the folded star tutorial into one, if anyone out there in blogland knows how to do it we would appreciate a point in the right direction.

Jennifer

No takers yet for Pay It Forward?

See this post for details - it's the first time I have tried Pay It Forward - it seems like a lovely way to connect with folk elsewhere in this big wide world.

I am trying to get enthusiastic about progressing on my latest bag but it's getting a bit warm, my sewing mojo slinks away for a while in this heat. Even more so does my knitting mojo......at this rate my cardigan won't be finished by autumn......and this weekend the forecast is for 44 degrees C - that's 111 degrees F, for those who count that way - that's not nice. But next week will apparently be much cooler thank goodness, my mojo will come back and I will sew up a storm.

The other day I quilted the layers together in a diamond grid for the bag back, laid it carefully on the desk so it wouldn't get creased, and yesterday evening had to kick Binky (The World's Friendliest Cat) off it. She thought it was a lovely new little Binky-sized quilt. I have news for her......no pics yet, I will take a pic when it is finished. There is still some decorating with beads, buttons and bows for the front to be done, the handles to be made, the lining to be cut and assembled, and the whole bag put together. When it's put that way - it doesn't look as though I am very advanced at all!

If anyone emails me and I don't reply within a day or so, please forgive me; we are having ongoing mailbox/server problems. It is so bad that last week I rang the government ombudsman who helps sort out problems, after being passed around from technician to technician, and country to country, I have had enough. I may be old,* short* and fat* but don't mess with me.

Jennifer
PS *old - not really, I am 29 and some months; *short - can't help that, blame my parents; *fat - no, just carrying a bit more weight that my doctor thinks is good for me. But don't mess with me anyway.

First two projects for 2009

Isn't this cute. Too small to leave its mother. While we were visiting Cooma I bought a kit to make this little bag, which is made of eight rectangles - four for the outside, four for the lining. The beads were included in the kit to be used for the bag trim but I haven't decided if I will use them. I had always wanted to know how these bags were made.
The bright bag - these pretty fabrics are the Maypole range by April Cornell for Moda, florals, bright spots and tone-on-tone florals and spots. I used all 40 squares. First one side.......
.......then the other.
I used all 40 squares, the last six made pretty pockets inside. The lining is a teensy weensy tiny soft lime green print on cream. And I made a rigid bottom so it would stand better. I like the prints but I'm not sure the bag is really "me", however it will get used. Bags are always handy.

Ain't technology wonderful! The weather pixie on my sidebar changes her clothes according to the weather! We had soft rain overnight and this morning, so she put up her umbrella. This pixie is the closest to me, I have long hair too and most of it is still auburn.

And for those of you who would like to get rid of your snow and ice, hang in there. Our weather forecast is for 39 degrees C again this weekend. Just keep it packed ready to send.

One of these days I shall see how my guitars are surviving the heat and start learning my new song for the first meeting of the folk club in mid-February.

Jennifer

My latest bag

This is my new everyday bag. A couple of years ago, while visiting Alaska, I was very taken with the pretty Vera Bradley bags that I saw. I didn't find out where to buy one so when I came home I made my own in a similar style using McCalls pattern 4118, in a bright yellow floral fabric. It was used so much the corners were getting very worn, and the handles were getting very grubby, so recently I made a new one.
Yes, I did all the quilting......the fabric wasn't bought ready quilted! It has pockets on the inside (3 on each side, a large one in the middle and two smaller ones at the ends), and pockets on the outsides. The main fabric is a Japanese cotton in a paisley design and the trim fabric is tiny green stars on a creamy background. It's quieter than my usual fabric choices - I usually go for brighter colours - but goes with lots of the colours that I wear, and has gained many compliments. Isn't it lovely to get praise for one's efforts!

I skipped my walk this evening as the sky looked very stormy and dark, and it has already rained. I'll go tomorrow, weather permitting. Have to do something to get the blood pressure down, I hate the thought of being on medication for the rest of my life or worse, having a stroke or heart attack.

Do you like my new background? I am getting braver about trying new things on my blog, I want it to be a learning experience. Now if I can only find out how to add things like 'blogs I am following' I will be a happy woman.