I feel the earth move under my feet......

........I see the sky tumblin' down.......

The earth moved here on Friday night, we had an earthquake!  I was home alone, and at 9.30pm was startled to hear a rumbling like a large truck coming up the street....then it sounded more like an army tank......then the house started to shake, doors and windows rattled, and after a moment or two all was quiet again.  A couple of minutes' respite, and it started up again.  I joined several neighbours in the street outside, and we could still hear rumbling so we decided we were having an earthquake.  Sure enough, that was confirmed a short while later on the computer news.  4.2 magnitude, the epicentre 50kms north west of here, and 17kms underground.  Not much damage, we have heard; a broken window or two in towns closer to the centre of the action is about all.

The cats were completely oblivious; Binky was asleep in front of the fire and Bianca was asleep on our bed.  However our neighbour told me her little dog, Pud the pug (a cute little roly-poly pudding of a dog), started barking just as the tremor began.  Binky used to be very nervous about loud noises or thunder, so she has certainly mellowed and relaxed in her old age - she didn't even blink.

That sort of excitement, I can do without.

Earlier in the week the top of this year's challenge quilt was finished.  The colours aren't as washed-out as they appear; the winter sunlight outside today makes them look a little pale.  The challenge is to make a quilt at least 120cm (48in or thereabouts) from stash, although we are allowed to purchase backing and/or wadding.  Before we left Sydney I bought the fabrics for this quilt, and the little pinwheels were made from leftover triangles from another project.  When trimmed they measured all of 2-3/4in (that makes them 2-1/4in finished) so the blocks are 6-3/4in, and the whole quilt measures a bit over 60in square.  I have a flower design in mind for quilting the alternate blocks and setting triangles, and the binding will be the same blue as the inner border.  Its name will probably be "Plastered Pinwheels", because those little pinwheels were assembled while my left arm and hand were encased in several layers of plaster and bandages.  Both arm bones were broken at the wrist, sustained in a fall.  Being unable to knit, crochet or sew was very boring and even holding a book to read was difficult and painful, so I went looking for fabric pieces that could be fed through the machine - and found these, the only fabric cut out ready to sew.  Some of the points don't line up  quite as beautifully as if I had two good working hands, but being able to achieve even this much meant a lot at the time.

Once again it is winter, we have had some pleasantly mild weather and some really really cold days and nights, and once again I am amused by the folk who don't dress accordingly.  Compared to many parts of the world our winter is mild, although it can have a bite to it.....but chickybabes who go out wearing shorts, sandals and spaghetti-strap tops?  I know some people feel the cold more than others, but those little chickies make me feel cold just looking at them.  Perhaps as they become older and wiser they will realise that shivers and goosebumps with those pretty clothes is not a good look.

The new jacket is finished, all knitted and sewn together.  The world won't see a picture of me wearing it because its fluffiness makes me look like the outside of a house, but it is very cosy and warm.  Last night a new cardigan was cast on, knitted from the top down - a new technique for me - we'll see how it goes.  Need something to entertain myself on those two upcoming six-hour train trips, don't I?  With a book to read, and hand-piecing, and knitting, and just watching the world go by outside the window, the time should pass nicely.  Just so long as I don't get a seat partner who snores, as last year's bloke did.

Today's etiquette is a little long, but its good advice deserves to be read in its entirety.

"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 accept any familiarity.  The practice of some young girls just entering womanhood, of flirting with any young man they may chance to meet, either in a railway carriage or on a steamboat, indicates low breeding in the extreme.  If, however, the journey is long, and especially if it be on a steamboat, a certain sociability may be allowed, and a married lady or a lady of middle age may use her privileges to make the journey an enjoyable one, for fellow passengers should always be sociable to one another."

Although we will be crossing rivers, one very wide, we won't be travelling on a steamboat.....such a pity, as it sounds like fun.

Enjoy your days!