It's nearly wattle time again

I have just strolled around our large wattle bush looking - sadly, in vain - for some little yellow balls of fluffy goodness, but as yet there are none to report.  It shouldn't be long, though, until it's bright gold again.

There is a little breeze blowing, just enough to wave those branches around and make it tricky to take a clear pic.

Wok continues on Arboretum's label, which is now down to the last few words.  Once that's done the final trimming and binding can be done - and oh! how I am looking forward to seeing it finished.

This is a project from a long time ago, so long ago that it wasn't on the computer.  It wasn't a quilt, it was a banner made for the Scottish country dance group of which I was a member, back in the very early noughties.  Each year a school, 'Winter School', was held with visiting teachers and musicians, culminating in a ball with participants in full Scottish regalia, kilts for the men, tartan sashes and brooches for the ladies, and I'm sure it was a very grand affair; however, tickets were a bit pricey, so I never went.  One year each group was approached about making a banner to decorate the hall for the ball, so I volunteered to do ours.  We were given a large piece of unbleached calico (muslin, for some of you) with the design drawn on with black marker, sample pieces of poly/cotton fabric to use as colour inspiration, and a smaller copy of our design to help with colour placement.  Each design was different, and groups could choose their method, paint, fabric, whatever they wished.

Well, what fun that was, tricky but fun!  The original was used to make tracing drawings for placement, and to work out yardages of the poly/cottons.  I decided on the gold for the background and used the other colours in different parts of the design.  A whole roll - 30 metres - of black 1/2" wide bias was bought for the leading (24 metres were used), and an attempt was made at gluing down the smallest pieces of bias prior to stitching.  That didn't work too well, so pins were used and the bias was machine stitched down along both sides.  The under-over crossing of the design meant that all raw edges were covered.  The background had already been hemmed along one end with a casing for a hanging rod on the opposite end, something I didn't need to worry about doing; the design was about - from memory; it was a long time ago - about 36-38 in wide.

And, the best part - my banner was hung in the position of honour directly opposite the entrance!  It was considered to be the best, although it wasn't a competition with a prize.  I could have had it back afterward, but gave it to my group (after all, they paid for fabric and bias) and it was going to be hung every time there was a dance.  

How has everyone been?  I have been trying to make phone calls on Kevin's behalf, and ended up frustrated with people who don't return calls.  Some stitches were sewn but not knitted, words were read.  No songs were sung or plinked, but U3A ukulele starts again tomorrow afternoon; choir is still on a break.  We hunted and foraged.  We haven't starved.

We managed to keep warm despite yesterday morning being the coldest day of the year, it was very freezy frosty chilly.  It would have been nice to stay inside but no, it was my quilt group's AGM; we meet in one of the coldest buildings in town.  There are heaters but the ceiling is very high, it started life as a large old industrial tin shed and, although the interior walls are lined, I don't think there is any insulation so it's not ~ quite ~ warm inside.  Today is also fairly cool, but not as cold as yesterday's minus 6 C with a 'feels like' of minus 9.5 C.

Oh well, it is still winter, after all......

We haven't finished with our groomsmen yet.

"At the church the groomsmen are the first to arrive.  They stand by the inner entrance and offer their arms to escort the ladies, as they enter, to their proper seats in the church.  If a lady be accompanied by a gentleman, the latter follows the groomsman and the lady to the seat shown her.  The groomsmen, knowing the two families, understand where to place the nearer, and where the remoter relatives and friends of the bridal party, the groom's friends being arranged upon the right of the entrance, and the bride's upon the left.  The distribution of guests places the father (or guardian) of the bride at the proper place during the ceremony."

Do people still sit on the bride's or the groom's side of the room, or has that custom gone with the wind?  Where does one sit if one knows both bride and groom equally well, I wonder?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Some days....

....I swear some of the rubber bands holding my brain together just snap....

Yesterday afternoon quilting was started on the Canadian table centre.  When this pattern was made several years ago the quilting was a few parallel rows of stitching inside the borders; the first row was 1/4 in inside the border then another row 1/2 in inside that row.  A gap of a couple of inches then two more rows half an inch apart finished the quilting for the centre section.  It was easy and looked good, so the idea was to quilt the Canadian centre the same way.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon:  first the bobbin thread ran out - my own fault for not checking before I started, that was the first rubber band snapping.  The bobbin was filled so off we went again; the first row was stitched 1/4 in inside the border with no problems, then the second row started 1/2 in inside that.  Somehow, though, when the first corner was turned the second row became 1/4 in inside the first instead of 1/2 in, and that was kept up until the last corner was turned.  When it was realised that those two rows of stitching were not going to line up the decision had to be made - lots of unpicking to sew the second line 1/2 inch away from the first, or a very small amount to continue with 1/4 inch away.  Not much choice, really.....

So the first two rows are now 1/4 inch apart, and will stay that way.

Subsequent lines will be stitched 1/4 in apart, to finish off quilting the centre.  The borders will be quilted in the ditch (not my favourite method of finishing a project, but all that this simple design needs) and it will be bound in a red maple leaf print.

This pic was taken at Mount Tomah Botanic Garden the same day as last week's waratah pics, this is how they grow in the wild.

A flowering waratah bush is quite a sight.  Sadly they don't grow around here as the soil is wrong - they grow on sandy ridges, something we don't have - and being in a valley, our summers are too hot.

How has everyone been?  Fortunately it has cooled here - not a lot, but still better than the extreme heat of late January - a little rain fell last weekend, with more forecast tomorrow.  Just in time, because the garden is getting crispy from the heat.  I had plans earlier in the week but a severe (fortunately only occasional, and not usually this bad) flare up of bursitis and sciatica laid me low for several days.  Never mind; all is much better, I can move again without agonising pain on every step, and my energy is back.

Words have been read, many words, because when one is feeling poorly and in severe pain one finds it difficult to be energetic so sitting in one's supportive chair reading is a good way to pass the time.  Stitches have been knitted, stitches have been sewn, more diamonds have been cut for my tumbling blocks quilt; the design requires 449 hexagons, each made of three diamonds, which by my calculations makes 1347 diamonds in total.  There are three bags each containing 100 completed hexagons, and that fourth hundred is also proceeding nicely.  We hunted and foraged.  That was the week, that was.

Monday afternoon ukulele is back, yay!  We seem to have lost a couple of people but have gained two newies who want to progress beyond easy chords, so that's good.  Choir also started back last Thursday afternoon, so my musical life has resumed once more.  It is very much missed when in recess.

While out and about recently we have become aware that several trees seem to be preparing for their autumn change, something I have noticed happens here in late summer.  Either that, or they are just stressed by the heat the same as humans are.  First the green leaves lose some of their brightness then they begin to look washed-out and faded, even though it's still a couple of months until autumn.  I don't remember seeing these changes when we lived in the Big Smoke, but then the climate is very different down there; autumn passed by in a flash, winter likewise, and before we knew it it was back to summer's never-ending humidity.

The winter sports carnival is on again overseas.  I am not, and never have been, one for sport; at school I managed to get out of most sporting activities, not that it was a difficult decision to do so.  In those days it was all about winning rather than taking part - I suspect it still is - and as I was never going to be a world-beater in any physical activity I had no interest in it at all.  Didn't then, don't now.  For many years my chosen activity was dancing, international dance - Irish and Scottish, dances from Australia's past, just about any form of social (as opposed to theatrical) dance, and great fun it was too, but sadly that twice-broken foot means that my dancing days are done.

Sigh.....

"The position of an engaged woman.

An engaged woman should eschew all flirtations, though it does not follow that she is to cut herself off from all association with the other sex because she has chosen her future husband.  She may still have friends and acquaintances, but she must try to conduct herself in such a manner as to give no offence."

This is so.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Never be seen?

Back in those long-ago days when I was a Sweet Young Thing it was said that "blue and green should never be seen" - sometimes, "without another colour in between" was added.  Now I don't know about the rest of you but every day we look out onto the green hill behind us and the blue sky above, and I think to myself, I think......"whoever thought that one up?"

Early last month it was my turn to supply a block for the members of the quilt group to make or not, as they chose, and this was mine.  Yesterday I received some completed blocks and couldn't resist laying them out.

There are several blocks with green leaning toward khaki but brighter blocks will be made to balance that......there is quite a bit of green in my stash, you know.  Have I ever mentioned that I am quite fond of green?  It will be fun when done, but there is no hurry.  After all - it's not as though I lack for projects.

It needs a title.  Eventually my brain will think of something clever, but until then it will be referred to as 'the paving quilt'.

The batting borders have been cut for my Canadian quilt, and I have hopes that it will be prepped this week for the borders to be quilted.  I had hopes it would be done this week, but alas.....it was not to be.

Some people make resolutions at New Year - I have hopes, some of which eventuate and some of which are doomed to languish forever unfulfilled.

Well, this morning I took my courage in my hands and joined in Chookyblue's zoom......it was great fun, and lovely to see a familiar face, and to meet new ones......even if they couldn't see me!  The camera on our computer doesn't always like zoom so perhaps the time has come to trot off to the big office supply store and see what options are available.  We have had this camera for quite a long time; perhaps it hasn't kept up with the updates that the computer tells us need to be done from time to time.

I can't be beautiful and have a technical brain as well, you know......

The week started off with more storms; although we don't live in the tropics there are times when the weather touches on the tropical with hot days and afternoon storms.  The past couple of nights have even been cool enough to have on more than a sheet over us.  I suspect that Kevin would prefer to throw off the sheet on warm nights, but I like a layer of protection between my skin and Bianca's claws.  She might be geriatric, but her claws are still quite sharp.

It has been a very quiet week; had the country music festival not been cancelled the town would have been bustling with people and music and concerts.  We probably won't be here for the postponed April festival as our plan is to head south to spend time with family and to enjoy some autumn colours, provided the world is open by then.  We live in hope.....

The coming week brings a couple of celebrations, Australia Day on Wednesday and, to stir my Scottish blood, Burns Night the previous evening.  Many years ago in the Big Smoke I belonged to a Scottish country dancing group which was asked to dance at a Masonic Club Burns Night - and what an interesting evening that was!  When we arrived we joined the ladies downstairs while the men conducted their Secret Business upstairs, then they joined us.  After dancing we took our seats for the serious part of the evening; the haggis was piped in as was the whisky to be followed by Burns' 'Address to a Haggis', and for the first time in my life (and so far the only time) I tried haggis......it's a variation on meat loaf, served with 'neeps' and 'tatties', mashed turnips and potatoes, and was quite tasty.  The haggis was duly toasted with whisky - a Scottish variation on home brew made with whisky and oatmeal was served, and very potent it was - more toasts and replies, and we were asked to repeat our dance performance as our hosts had enjoyed it so much.  I do not recommend dancing reels after partaking of home brew, but somehow we managed to keep our equilibrium and our dignity intact.  As we all had to drive home afterward we certainly didn't chug it down!  You can read about Burns Night traditions here.

Many Australians have Scottish roots; my great-great-grandparents on my father's side came from Scotland, my great-grandfather Arthur was born in the 1840s after they arrived here, my Posh Melbourne Grandmother Florence was his daughter......so the roots are there, but they run deep.

"The number to invite.

Persons giving balls or dancing-parties should be careful not to invite more than their rooms will accommodate, so as to avoid a crush.  Invitations to crowded balls are not hospitalities, but inflictions.  A hostess is usually safe, however, in inviting one fourth more than her rooms will hold, as that proportion of invitations may be declined.  People who do not dance will not, as a rule, expect to be invited to a ball or dancing-party."

Scottish dances were popular at balls in the time these words were written; indeed, 'Professor Christison' (as he called himself) wrote a manual of Scottish dancing and etiquette after coming to Australia, morally dubious character though he seems to 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