Two more days....only two more days

The appointment to have the plaster taken off my arm is at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, and you can bet anything you like that I won't be late for it.  It will be such a relief to be plaster-free again.

On to much happier things.

The last pic taken on our holiday was in Holbrook, a small town now bypassed by the highway.

This was mid-afternoon, early in autumn....I loved the golden trees against a clear blue autumn sky..

A few days after our return home (when we should still have been away....sigh) we celebrated fifty years since setting up house together, although we didn't marry for another two years.  Fifty year anniversary is gold, and Kevin cheered me up with these scrumptious - gold, of course! - citrine earrings, aren't they bewdiful?  I love them.

They were worn when we went out for an anniversary lunch at a posh restaurant.

While in Canberra I managed a visit to a quilt shop, and found these prints to add to the batik stash.

The next quilt to be started will be this one, Arboretum, which I really like; the original quilt was made in Kaffe Fassett prints, but mine will be in batiks.  The pale green print is lighter than I would usually buy, but will make a good contrast to the darker richly coloured fabrics in my batik stash. First, I want to finish one of the quilts currently in progress....but oh, those trees are calling.....

Next Sunday my big trophy will be handed back and will go to the performer judged to be the Most Entertaining, at the Mature Performers section of the Eisteddfod.  I have enjoyed having it for a year, and as it's a perpetual trophy it will pass to the next winner.  You can read about my triumph here.

The glass disc on the right, however, is mine to keep; it is engraved with my name, the date and details of my win last year.  It's difficult to photograph glass without reflection but you can make out the number '75'; it was the 75th anniversary of the competition.

So, you see why I am so keen to be able to play ukulele next Sunday....I have a reputation to uphold!  

Words  have been read.  Songs have been sung.  It has been a rare week without medical appointments, something which can't be said for the coming week.  Physio on Tuesday for plaster removal and exercises to get the arm moving again.....X-ray on Wednesday....specialist on Friday.....it's all go-go-go here, folks......the black eye hasn't completely gone but the bruise is much smaller and paler than it has been, thank goodness.

Continuing on with Conduct in Opera, Theatre or Public Hall:

"It is proper and desirable that the actors be applauded when they deserve it.  It is their only means of knowing whether they are giving satisfaction"

Believe me, it takes a whole heap of courage to get up in public and perform (especially solo) but that applause makes all the nerves worthwhile.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A week gone, and nothing much to show for it

Do you ever have one of those weeks where you are busy, sometimes chasing-your-tail-busy, and at the end of the week there isn't much to show for it?  That was my week.

Last night's choir concert/party was fun, my song was well received, and now there is no singing for a couple of weeks.  The room we use is being renovated - something which was to have been finished several weeks ago, but which had not yet been started when we were in it on Thursday night - and our leader is having eye surgery.  We will miss our choral evenings.

This is my sparkly brooch, worn last night pinned to a lime green silk scarf.  A gen-u-ine 1960s design which is now quite sought-after, if online listings are anything to go by.  I don't know if this is the original box - there is no brand or other information, not even the name of the jeweller who sold it.

This morning my wool order arrived.....is it not bewdiful?  A mix of green, blue and a little purple.  Perhaps it will become a jumper.....

.....or perhaps a cardigan......yet to be decided.  Those big balls are 200 grams each, so not many ends have to be darned in to finish.

The jumper currently on the needles is having its neckband knitted; holding an almost-completed jumper on one's lap is quite warm, and evenings this week haven 't been too freezy.  (Mornings have been freezy frosty chilly, but then I don't knit first thing in the morning.)    Diamonds have been cut. Those yellow sashings which were cut too long have been shortened, and are now - fingers and toes crossed - the correct lengths.  Words have been read.  

The coming week looks like being even busier, too.  Activities which are suspended during school holidays will resume....there is a legal appointment to amend our wills now that there has been a marriage break-up in the family (not ours, I hasten to add)......monthly sewing guild.....quilt group next Saturday......volunteering......if I'm really lucky I may have a chance to turn around and scratch myself, as the old saying goes.  The plan (the hope!) had been to make a start on sewing those blue and green blocks, but alas - it was not to be.  

Never mind, it will happen in due course.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't find it easy to use a machine in the evenings when my eyes are tired; it's too easy to make mistakes, as I have learned in the past.  Evenings are for hand work, whether sewing or knitting.

We took advantage of a slight lull earlier today to fit in some hunting and gathering while we could.  As we were leaving the car park we were surprised to see, parked well away from other cars - a Rolls Royce!  Not something one usually sees in the supermarket car park in a country town, for sure; the usual selection of (slightly boring) cars doesn't usually include Rollers.  There was someone sitting in the driver's seat, and we couldn't decide if it was the owner or perhaps a chauffeur.  If it was a chauffeur that would mean the owner was inside hunting and gathering with the hoi polloi - and surely that would never do, would it?

Continuing on with Etiquette of the Street:

"Ladies should not monopolize the time and attention of salesmen in small talk, while other customers are in the shop to be waited upon."

These quotes show that sales staff were male, as the word 'salesman' or 'salesmen' is used.  I would have thought that some shops were using female staff even back in the 1880s - surely goods being marketed to women - women's and children's clothing, fabrics, household furnishings, etc. - might have been sold by female staff?

Enjoy your days!

It's been said before....

....and no doubt will be said again......if I had half a brain, I would be dangerous.

All the narrow sashes for between the house quilt blocks were cut last weekend.  The shorter sashings had already been attached to the left side of each and every block, and the blocks joined into rows.  On Tuesday at quilt group one more sashing was sewn to the right side of every row so now all the blocks are sashed vertically, if one can have 'vertical' in an on point setting.  That just leaves the long strips for joining the rows into a quilt top.  (I dislike the term 'flimsy' used for quilt tops.  Believe me, there is nothing flimsy or insubstantial about this one.)  The shorter strips were the length of the blocks, so were all cut nine inches.  All well and good.  Hunky dory, one might say.

When cutting the longer strips a little voice in the back of my brain said to me "you need to allow nine inches for each block width, plus the half inch sashings, plus two times one quarter inch for the two outer seams".  Calculations were calculated and strips cut.  

However.....when I went to attach the first strip it's too long......because the blocks are not nine inches between the sashings, they are eight and a half inches.  That's what happens when one doesn't measure, one just assumes the guess is right - so now each and every one of those strips will need to be measured again, and shortened.

Oh well......although I suppose it's better than cutting them too short, isn't it?  Silver linings and all that stuff, but still....

Sigh.

I want to start sewing the green and blue blocks, but those sashings need to be corrected first.

My jumper is now being seamed in preparation for knitting the neckband.  Having the weight of a whole jumper on one's lap is really good on a chilly night.  Words have been read.  No diamonds have been cut or joined this week.  Ukulele groups aren't meeting because it's school holidays and some folk have grandparent duty, so it's a quiet couple of weeks.  A little hunting and gathering has been indulged in, although I'm not sure that 'indulged' is the right word for a foray into the supermarket during holiday time when some of the kiddie-widdies are a bit feral.

Some plinking will be done this week as the choir is having a 'Christmas in July' hooley next Saturday night, and I have been asked to reprise my recent prize-winning performance.  It's probably a good idea to practice before that so as not to make a complete and utter fool of myself, yes?  It has been suggested that we wear 'bright clothes', something not easy during the dead of winter.  I have a purple lightweight wool jumper, and a lime green silk scarf, and a sparkly brooch which was my mother's, so that should do nicely; if memory serves me correctly I may have given her that brooch a long time ago either for a birthday or for Mother's Day.  Some of those vintage brooches are quite sought-after now.

Wearing a brooch isn't 'done' as much these days as it used to be, is it?  I wear brooches in winter because they set off a plain jumper or jacket nicely, but summer clothing fabrics don't always lend themselves to a brooch.  Woven fabrics are usually sturdy enough to have a brooch pinned on, but not knits.

Continuing on with Etiquette of the Street:

"It is an insult for the salesman to offensively suggest that you can not do better elsewhere, which should be resented by instant departure."

Indeed.  If it is suggested that I may get a better price or article elsewhere, I shall be off post haste to find out if this is so.

Enjoy your days!

That was fun!

Last Sunday's treadle demonstration and ukulele gig went well and was fun, but oh my....it was a busy day.  By the time we arrived home, unloaded the car, put the machine back together and sat down with a cuppa I was done for the day, so no blogging.

This is the base - doesn't it put you in mind of a skeleton!

It looks a bit naked without the cabinet and machine, doesn't it?  The cabinet screws into four holes at the top of the base.

The green bag was started and finished during the demonstration and the red bag would have been finished too, had it not been for the machine having conniptions with its tension.

See the tension wheel on the front left?  Part of the tension assembly includes a fine wire spring which had slipped out of place and moved, allowing the thread to wrap itself around the next guide, pull taut and snap.  Fortunately Gina (a choir friend who knows old machines inside out and backwards) was at hand to help, we fixed it and had it going again.

The ticking fabric was given to me by a former boss who, with her husband, had a side business restoring old furniture.  They did the wood finishing themselves but had an upholsterer do the seats, backs and pillows who didn't stint on quality fabrics......I know because she gave me some bags of leftovers; this sturdy ticking was included.  There were two long pillow forms already sewn along the sides and ends with openings left for stuffing; cut across the middle they make good sized bags, with strips cut off for handles.  The backing on the straps matches the lining fabrics from my stash, so they are colourful as well as being strong.

Our ukulele songs were well received, people said nice things to us and about us and the young children who danced around to our music had a great time, so much so that we have been booked for the next Spring Fair - in two years' time!

The big news item in recent times has, of course, been the death of Queen Elizabeth II.  While I sympathise with her family losing a loved mother and grandmother I really don't understand the outpouring of grief from those who would never have moved in the same circles.  She (and various other family members) visited Australia several times, but I have never seen the attraction of being squashed in a crowd just to see a hand waving out a car window.  I would, however, love to put dibs on all the emeralds....she had some beautiful emeralds, I am quite fond of green and emerald is my birthstone.....she often wore a beautiful Golden Wattle brooch which my country gave her on her first tour and which I covet mightily.  There is also a gorgeous diamond and sapphire brooch which was a gift from Canada which I really like, but will leave for my Canadian friends to fight over.  There are some very pretty jewels and trinkets in the royal vaults, I do like a nice trinket....and these are very nice indeed.

Some quilting has been done on the Canadian quilt border, yay!  Hopefully some more can be done later today.  More stitches have been knitted, more diamonds have been joined.  Words have been read, notes have been plinked.  Hunting and gathering has been done, and so passes another week with more of the same to come.

Much great excitement here on Friday, after very heavy rain the previous night we had a flood with two of the three river crossings in town being closed.  The river has gone down for now but more rain is expected later in the week, goodness knows where it will go as the ground is so wet already.  Those Who Know have assured us that another flood is possible.  Meanwhile, smaller towns downstream are currently seeing major floods with the prospect of being cut off from the outside world for several days, so I don't suppose they will need more water.

It hasn't been the weather for a barefoot frolic in a flouncy summer frock.

Continuing on with General Rules for Balls:

"When balls are given, if the weather is bad, an awning should be provided for the protection of those passing from their carriages to the house.  In all cases, a broad piece of carpet should be spread from the door to the carriage steps."

Such an awning would have been needed here on Thursday evening.  Fortunately the building in which our choir practices are held has such an awning going from the door nearly to the street, so one didn't have to sprint through the raindrops for too long before arriving at one's (self-drive) carriage.

Enjoy your days!

A girl's best friend

According to the song it's supposed to be diamonds, but what if you're a girl who prefers coloured stones?  Emeralds, peridot....my newest unaffordable love is demantoid garnets which are the most scrumptious (and expensive!) green ever....sapphires, topaz, garnets.  Rubies if they aren't too pink.

I don't even have an engagement ring, we didn't get engaged.....we just got married.....it was the 1970s, after all, when people were being different just to be different and it was my second marriage anyway, so the whole 'get engaged with a diamond ring' thing seemed a bit meaningless.  Many years later Kevin gave me a lovely emerald and diamond ring, an un-engagement ring.

Having always been one of the aforesaid girls who prefers coloured stones, though, I have to admit to being swayed by some of the trinkets we saw at the Cartier exhibition in Canberra a few years ago.  Some of those tiaras, a solid wall of diamonds perched atop one's forehead, came close to changing my mind.  

But - I still love coloured stones best.

Progress on the diamonds so far.

All the diamonds on the right are grouped in threes, light, medium and dark; the top left (there are more than you would think) are single light diamonds, and just a few medium on the left.  It's only two weeks and two days until we go away so I had better get cracking with cutting more, yes?  

I am pleased to announce that, finally, the batting is inserted between front and back borders of my Canadian quilt, and when we return home it will be quilted.  There won't be time beforehand.

It took so long to do because it's a method I haven't used before, and when one isn't a very confident person one hesitates to do new things in case one just messes up.  That probably comes from having perfectionist parents for whom one's best was frequently not good enough; a less-than-perfect school exam result - that is, anything not in the top three in the class - was looked on as abject failure and frequently resulted in a severe beating.  I'm not asking for sympathy, just telling how it was....but it has resulted in a lack of self-esteem and confidence, even all these years later.  Some things just never leave you, you know.

The new jumper is coming along well, decreasing for the armholes on the back is progressing.  Having two stitches less in every two rows means that the further along it is the quicker it progresses, if you can follow that.

This year I did something I've never done before, I ordered myself six hot cross buns from the French baker/patisserie on the other side of the river (because Kevin doesn't eat fruit buns, and because we've always been away at Easter), collected them yesterday morning and to date have conducted two taste tests....they are far and away the nicest hot cross buns ever with a hint of - something, could be cardamom perhaps?  Might need to taste test the remaining four to make a proper decision....

Visitors are arriving in town for the postponed country music festival which officially starts tomorrow, but which seems to be already under way.  Lots of new faces in town; it's easy to play 'pick the tourist'!  We have earmarked a couple of concerts to attend; these days 'country music' seems to have evolved into country rock with screaming guitars and loud drums and basses which is not our taste at all, but we can manage to avoid that.

More suggestions for gentlemen:

"When gentlemen, invited to a house on the occasion of an entertainment, are not acquainted with all the members of the family, their first duty, after speaking to the host and hostess, is to ask some common friend to introduce them to those members whom they do not know.  The host and hostess are often too much occupied in receiving to be able to do this."

Indeed.  Making the acquaintance of the family members of one's host and/or hostess is a polite thing to do.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

The name of my quilt is.......

......"Weeds of Grace".  Something weedy but not 'tumbleweeds', and Grace is my middle name.

You can find so much on the internet, among which are quotations on any subject you wish - even weeds, believe it or not!  That prolific writer William Shakespeare has some, one of which is from Richard III, Act II, scene 4:  "Small herbs have grace, great weeds do grow apace".  Another by Shakespeare (the play was not named) is "Sweet flowers are slow, and weeds make haste" which, to me, is another way of saying the same thing.  So......change the words slightly, and you have 'Weeds of Grace'.  I like it.

This week's houses.

That black and white swirl on the yellow house is almost the stuff of nightmares; you wouldn't want to wake up in sheets with that pattern after a hard night, although it's not quite as bad in real life as it looks here.  

Kevin will be pleased when the current lockdown is over, he is hanging out for a haircut.....and I will be pleased when I can go shopping for undies as the undie situation is getting a bit parlous, although there is fabric in my stash which, if things get desperate, would be suitable.  I have made many garments over the umpteen years I have been sewing but have never made knickers, although I know women who have.  There's always online shopping, but I prefer to feel the fabric before I wear it against my skin.

Speaking of sewing (notice how one subject segués into another so seamlessly?  she's not bad, is she?) earlier today we watched a program devoted to rural Australian topics, 'Landline', which had a segment on Madame Weigel.  Johanna Weigel arrived in Australia with her new husband in 1877 and soon after that started a business making clothing patterns.  The business lasted until 1968 - I remember Madame Weigel patterns, although I have never made one up.  She grew her business by having agents in country towns who stocked her patterns so women in rural areas could be as smartly dressed as their city sisters.  Just imagine the excitement in a farming household or in a small town far from a big city when a bundle of new patterns for the whole family arrived, everything from a wedding gown to a layette for an expected baby!  In just 1915 alone over one million patterns were sold - it was big business, but we never hear about Madame Weigel today.

I bet if the business had been started and run by men we would know all about it, wouldn't we.

My Sunday earrings this week are silver, bought many many years ago at a folk festival.  They were bought from Celtic Dreaming jewellery; I have many of their pieces and love their designs.  These are today's........Short Knot Earrings; there are also other earrings, a pendant, and a couple of brooches made by Desmond in my jewellery box.  If one is going to have trinkets (and one does like a nice trinket) they should be good ones, and these are good indeed.  We looked forward to seeing what new pieces Desmond and his wife had, and watched his gorgeous daughters grow from small children to beautiful women, for 25 years - although that hasn't happened since 2019.  The festival is supposed to happen again next Easter, but who knows if it will?  

We aren't holding our collective breath.  So many events have been postponed, and postponed again, then eventually cancelled......we had hoped to see a production by the local musical society in late October but now it, too, has been postponed until May next year.  We keep trying to be cheerful and looking on the bright side, but lately the bright side is becoming a bit tarnished. 

I'm sorry to say you all missed out on last week's Pumpkin Raisin Bars, but they were very nice.

"Invitations.

Invitations to a reception are simple, and are usually very informal.  Frequently the lady's card is sent with the simple inscription "At Home Thursday, from four to seven."  No answers are expected to these invitations, unless "R. S. V. P." is on one corner.  One visiting card is left by each person who is present, to serve for the after call.  No calls are expected from those who attend.  Those who are not able to be present, call soon after."

When I was a child it was not uncommon for family and friends to call unexpectedly.  There would be a knock on the door and we would hear "yoo hoo - anyone home?"  Doors were seldom locked, so whoever it was could just walk in.  While we don't necessarily wish to go back to the formality of the 1880s as in my book, I don't like the idea of anyone walking in on me either.  I like my privacy.

Enjoy your days!

Backing up

The back of the tumbler quilt is done!

The leafy stripe bought recently has been well and truly cut into; the main backing fabric was bought in Canberra in April.  It is fairly dark but suits the quilt well, I think.  Now to have speech with a long-arm quilter.  If we are allowed to talk to each other......sigh.......

It also needs a name.  When it was in progress many people asked why I was making it by hand, to which my answer was "why not?"  So "Why not" was going to be its name, but I am having second and third thoughts.  "One man's weeds are another man's flowers" is a saying I like; the tumbler shape puts me mind of the old song "Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds", so perhaps it will be named something weedy.

You'll be singing that all day now, won't you.......

This week's houses.

Bird tracks around a bright house that came all the way to the neighbourhood from Missouri - thank you, Sally, I hope you like what has been done to it!  The other bright house in a night sky is pretty much the last of that shaded lime fabric.  Another strip of green has been made; the seams are being pressed open to make for easier slicing and dicing when it happens.

Work has resumed on finishing off blocks for the Canadian quilt, little touches such as embroidering animals' eyes and noses, etc., because a polar bear without its black nose and eye is just a white blob.  It would probably still eat you though.

The wattle at twilight, still looking good but lacking the golden glow of daytime.

Earlier this month it was 12 months since my eye surgery, a whole year of seeing better with amazingly wider vision!  The deterioration in my range of vision had happened gradually over several years as the skin around the eyes became droopier, but until it was corrected I hadn't realised just how bad it had become.  There is a banana-shaped scar over each eye which, fortunately, isn't as noticeable as it first was, but it is worth it.  One woman in my sewing group made a crack about "cosmetic surgery" prior to having it done but believe me - it wasn't.  

My comment last week about always wearing earrings, even with trakky saks, has made people smile.  After so long with pierced ears I feel undressed without earrings; it took until I was 30 and had already given birth to pluck up courage to have it done (because what's a couple of little ear holes compared to popping out a baby, right?) and now have quite a collection.  Today's are dark blue, a little (fake) sapphire bead with a  teardrop (fake) sapphire set in (fake) gold hanging from it, matching my dark blue shirt.  

Even in lockdown we have our standards, you know.

It has been the usual quiet week.  A medical appointment on Friday meant donning the dreaded mask and waiting my turn, so by the time I was seen my blood pressure had shot up so high due to stress that the staff were quite alarmed.  They told me to take off the mask, much to my relief, even though it had to be re-donned to walk out through the waiting room and back down to the car.

"The Refreshments.

The refreshments for "morning receptions" are generally light, consisting of tea, coffee, frozen punch, claret punch, ices, fruit and cakes.  Often a cold collation is spread after the lighter refreshments have been served, and sometimes the table is set with all the varieties, and renewed from time to time."

Earlier this week I made pumpkin raisin bars with maple frosting, and very nice they are too.  If you visit for a morning reception before they are all gone you will be offered some - but we like them and they are disappearing fast, so there won't be any unless you hurry.  I'm sorry to say, though, that you are out of luck with the claret punch.

Enjoy your days!

A momentous week

It has been, indeed!

First up: on Friday 19th March Kevin and I celebrated the 45th anniversary of the evening we stood up in front of family and friends, and plighted our troth.  Forty five years.....and neither of us has yet committed murder!

The forty five year anniversary gem is, it seems, sapphire.  Are these not gorgeous?

My jewellery collection, though no doubt modest by many standards, has some very pretty things including some earrings from Annette Piper; I like her designs and how she puts colours together.

Nothing was posted last weekend because - I went to a quilt show, the first for a couple of years!  A town an hour north of here has their show each March, but of course last year's had to be cancelled with not much notice.  This year's was a little smaller than usual, no doubt due to the restrictions on how many people can be in one place at a time, but the quilts were wonderful and it was good to be 'somewhere'.

Two houses have been made, a red swirly house, and an Aussie kangaroo house with grass for them to enjoy and cockatoos flying through the sky.  Only four more to be done; they will be a "when we are home again" project.

Work is happening on the flower basket quilt.  The date on this pic is 26th November, 2014 - these blocks have been sitting for a while, haven't they?  Never mind; they are now progressing.

All the triangles for the autumn quilt have been trimmed and they are now in their box ready for the next step which will involve lots of lovely mindless sewing.  No doubt you can see the gleam of my shiny halo from your place.

We had more rain during the week, and we even had a flood.  When I say "we had a flood" I don't mean Kevin and I, but the town!  Yes indeed, the river rose above the banks and flooded farmland and sports fields, two out of the three bridges were closed because they were under water, but as far as I know no buildings were damaged here......which is more than can be said for many other parts of the state.  There has been a lot of damage to a large area - why, oh why do councils permit building on areas known to be flood plains?  The more that natural drainage such as grass, undeveloped fields and creeks is covered by buildings and roads, the more damage there is.

When I rule the world, things will be different.

The day after tomorrow we are heading south for our holiday, to catch up with family and friends and to enjoy some autumn colour.  I probably won't have a chance to keep up with reading blogs on my aging tablet, but will resume when we are home again late next month.

"Refrain from making a noise when eating, or supping from a spoon, and from smacking the lips or breathing heavily while masticating food, as they are marks of ill-breeding.  The lips should be kept closed in eating as much as possible."

As children we were told "keep your mouth closed while you are eating", but judging from the behavious of people I have seen eating in public - not everyone was.  I wish they had been.

Enjoy your days!

We're not locked in so tightly now

However I suspect the slight easing of restrictions won't make difference to us, we will still live a fairly circumspect life for a while yet.

Another little house is finished.

More are cut out, ready to be sewn.  This is going to be a very cheerful neighbourhood!

Finally bit the bullet and have started stitching down oak leaves.  The Cunning Plan was to - carefully - stitch around all those wiggly edges (erk) then stitch the veins, but some of the leaves weren't sticking down very well so I stitched the veins on one leaf before getting into the wiggly stuff.  Well, that is it.  Done.  There will be no more stitching on this leaf.  It's not going anywhere; the wind can blow all it likes but this leaf is staying on its branch.

The veins on several other leaves have been stitched since then and there are only a few more to go.  That will be enough to anchor them.

Did you know I own a tiara?

Way back when the internet was much younger than it is now I joined an online quilting group for Aussies and Kiwis.  The suggestion was made to have a get-together for a weekend, a few people put up their hands to organise it, and it happened.  It was such a success that the following year a group in another city put up their hands......and it has continued to this day, in a different city each time.  I have only been to one of those weekend retreats when it was held in the Big Smoke where we lived, but it was fun.  This year it had to be cancelled because of the current plague, but it still happened this weekend online - and what a hoot it has been.  In earlier years a few women decided to add a fun touch to the Saturday night dinner and wore tiaras; they ranged from a child's sparkly plastic tiara to bridal headwear and everything in between.  I bought this 15 years ago at a street market in a small town, it cost me all of $20......the woman from whom I bought it told me "that was my wedding tiara over 40 years ago.......it came all the way from Sydney, you know!"  These days that's less than a four hour trip, but back then it would have taken most of the day.

Kevin doesn't mind the odd drop or two of whisky from time to time, and when I saw the bag it seemed Just The Thing to store my tiara.  The pic was taken with lights off so you can see the design much better, it's not easy to photograph something so shiny and gleaming.

We all need some sparkly fun in our lives, don't we?  Mine is a tiara to wear to a quilting dinner, and it is also worn each year on the last night of the Easter folk festival.

"The full dinner dress.
The full dinner dress for guests admits of great splendor.  It may be of any thick texture of silk or velvet for winter, or light rich goods for summer, and should be long and sweeping.  Every trifle in a lady's costume should be, as far as she can afford it, faultless.  The fan should be perfect in its way, and the gloves should be quite fresh.  Diamonds are used in brooches, pendants, ear-rings and bracelets.  If artificial flowers are worn in the hair, they should be of the choicest description.  All the light neutral tints, and black, dark blue, purple, dark green, garnet, brown and fawn are suited for dinner wear."

There you have it.  I wonder if a rhinestone tiara would be acceptable?

Enjoy your days!

Rolling along nicely

Block number seven of my Canadian quilt, Prince Edward Island, is stuck down.

The Cunning Plan is to prepare all the blocks first then stitch the applique - hopefully (fingers crossed) the same fabric in all blocks can be done one block at a time before the thread colour is changed.  The next block is Ontario; some of the pieces have been traced, I'm not sure if they all have.  Will need to check.

'Hanging on' is still hanging in there.  It has been layered, now needs to be pinned.  I don't envy me trying to pin through - in some places - two layers of applique plus the background, so will just try for the empty background for pinning.

Meanwhile, the tumblers keep tumbling along.  Another row strip was finished a few nights ago which makes two done, four to do.  Each row strip is four tumblers high by 31 across.

Are you all staying safe, and staying sane?  We popped out yesterday for a spot of hunting and gathering and were surprised to find out that there are actually people in the world besides the two of us!  We will need to venture forth briefly tomorrow as the last of our nice dark chocolate will be eaten tonight, and a chocolate-less world doesn't bear contemplating.  Supermarkets hereabouts are opening at sparrowfart o'clock for oldies like us, so we will go then.

There is a small up side to the current shut-in situation.  Because we are wearing 'home' clothes nearly all the time, as opposed to 'out' clothes and 'home' clothes, there is far less washing than usual!  On the down side, looking like a dag each and every day is a tad boring.  Perhaps I should wear my tiara around the house, just because I can.  I do have a tiara, you know; a gen-u-ine rhinestone tiara from the 1960s, very pretty and very sparkly.

The kitchen smells nice thanks to 'Matrimonial Cake' not long out of the oven.  The recipe came from a friend on Vancouver Island and was her mum's recipe.  I added a little pumpkin pie spice mix to the flour/brown suger/rolled oats (oatmeal) base and topping; my friend hasn't tried that, but I thought I would give it a go.

The golf club where Monday's ukelele group met closed last weekend.  A few members came here instead, we were able to sit apart outside.  However, cases of the plague has now been diagnosed here so we have called a halt for the foreseeable future.  Yes, I can play here by myself, but......sigh.  Some things are more fun in company, and making music is one.

"A letter of introduction should not be given, unless the person writing it is very well acquainted with the one whom he introduces, and the one to whom he writes.  If the person who receives such a letter is really well-bred, you will hear from him or her within twenty-four hours, for a letter of introduction is said to be like a draft, it must be cashed at sight.  The one receiving it either invites you to dine, or to meet others, or to a drive, or to visit some place of amusement.  Too great caution cannot be exercised in giving a letter which makes such demands upon an acquaintance."

No letters of introduction in our changing world now, sadly......an email instead, perhaps? or a text?

Enjoy your days!

Hanging in there

How is everyone doing this week?  I hope the "social isolating" we are all practicing isn't doing anyone's head in, it could be a bit lonely if one lived alone.

We have discovered an internet radio station which plays folk and blues - just our kind of music, so we are happy.  It makes a change of diet from our usual classical station.  If folk and blues are your thing, try this - it has presenters and programs from different parts of the world.  Currently it's Celtic music from somewhere in the U.S.A. which sounds very Irish to me.

Right now it's the only folk music we can have (apart from our own CDs) as the festival in Canberra has been cancelled.  Our son's band also had a gig booked that we had planned to attend while we were there but it, too, is off.  Sigh......

Stuff has happened in the sewing room, the block for Yukon is done.

Early in our Canaussian son's time in Canada (this was way back early in 2005 when he was still only intending to stay for one year, he hasn't come back yet) he spent a few weeks in Whitehorse, Yukon, and one night was lucky enough to see the Northern Lights.  That is the one thing on my bucket list, but I am realistic enough to know that I will probably never do so - while I can cope just fine with winter in Australia, I don't know if I could survive those wintery temperatures!

A whole heap of oak leaves cut from one batik fabric......

......and the result.  It is still spread out on the ironing board to cool, I'm not game to move it until it has cooled down.

"Hanging On", pattern by Edyta Sitar.  Once I know everything is stuck it will be layered and quilted; the quilting holds the applique down.

We cancelled our market gig this morning.  Much of the audience is on the shady side of 60-65 (as are we!); we didn't want to make any of them sick, and we darn sure didn't want any of them to make any of us sick either.  While we can we will continue to meet on Mondays at the golf club as we are a small group even when everyone is there, and the room is large enough that we can keep far enough away from each other but still be heard.  Humans are social animals; we need that contact, and we need our music.

We did manage to get out for our anniversary lunch on Thursday, our anniversary, and were one of only two or three couples in the restaurant.  We had a really delicious meal with great service, and on leaving were presented with a bottle of bubbly - wasn't that nice?  It is chilling in the fridge as we speak.

We have passed the equinox, so summer is officially over (although it is having a last hurrah this weekend). It can take its heat and bugger off somewhere else. Sadly it takes apricot season with it.

"Presents after engagement.
When a couple become engaged, the gentleman presents the lady with an engaged ring, which is worn on the ring-finger of the left hand.  He may also make her other small presents from time to time, until they are married, but if she has any scruples about accepting them, he can send her flowers, which are at all times acceptable."

We didn't use an "engaged" ring, or an engagement ring as they are now known.  It was my second marriage, so the whole engagement thing seemed a bit superfluous.  Nearly 20 years later I was given a lovely emerald and diamond ring instead.

Enjoy your days!

A quarter of the year has gone

Doesn't seem like the year is already one quarter over, does it?  Do you ever feel as though your life is flashing by before your eyes, while you sit back and watch it?  Because I do. 

We had very good rain yesterday, the most rain to fall in one day for over two years.  Not enough to break the drought - the water table is so low it will take more than 50 mls (or two inches in old money) to make much difference, but it has created optimism.  Gloom and doom has been the order of the day for quite a while now, it would be nice to see a smile on people's faces.

The rain also brought some cool weather with it - just like that, today is autumn!  If I could snap my fingers to show you how suddenly the seasons changed I would, but alas......I cannot snap my fingers.  Today is downright chilly, and several hours south of here in the Australian Alps it has been snowing. 

As it's near enough as dammit to the start of a new month, the table centre was changed today.

This was made from a kit purchased on one of our trips to Canada several years ago.  The little tree was a gift from our Canaussian son a while before he took off for Canada early in 2005; the tiny leaves, each one individually wired to the trunk, are green aventurine while the base is a solid chunk of bloodstone which is heavier than it looks.  Trunk and leaves are silver wire.

This table is in our 'good room'.  Aussies of A Certain Age may remember when children were not allowed in the formal living room, if the house had one; their domain was the kitchen where the family ate.  The 'good room' was kept tidy in case of visitors.  Our house has an informal kitchen/family room and a more formal living/dining room, so we refer to that room with a touch of irony as our 'good room'.  In days of yore it was probably called 'the parlour'.

However - it has become my music room, and has several bookcases full of books and CDs and a good sound system, so it does get used. 

Like many of you, I suspect, we like watching renno porn.  You know the home renovation shows, and house hunting shows, and others of that kind?  We have been noticing that the open plan kitchen/living/dining single room is quite the trend now, and I'm not sure that I am a fan.  If one has small children or teenagers it would be very noisy, especially as hardwood floors, hard surfaces and curtainless windows also seem to be popular.  I remember when our boys were teens the older one was very heavy-footed; I was very thankful that we had a single story home as I would not have liked to hear his great clodhoppers clumping over my head on a wood floor, especially when he came home late (or early morning, more like) after a music gig.  These new/renovated homes are not made for hobbies either, there is never a music room or sewing room, and the master suite takes up nearly half the house while everyone else is squashed into what's left.  How much room does one need for a bedroom - apart from bed activities of all kinds why do people think they need so much space? and who needs a TV in their bedroom anyway?

Things will be different when I rule the world, you know.

During the week we attended a performance of "The Three Musketeers" by a local amateur group, with real swords! and much fighting!  It was all jolly fun; the actors were entertaining, while King Louis and Cardinal Richelieu were excellent.  Next local production is "Beauty and the Beast" which we will probably miss although I am sure every eight year old girl in town will be there.

"The dress for the theatre."
The promenade dress with the addition of a handsome cloak or shawl, which may be thrown aside if it is uncomfortable, is suitable for a theatre.  The dress should be quiet and plain, without any attempt at display.  Either a bonnet or hat may be worn.  Gloves should be dark, harmonizing with the dress."

How about black pants with a lemon/lime shirt, all in linen?  I felt quite overdressed as quite a few of the audience were very casual, some even wearing shorts......although I think several may have been friends of the caste members, many of whom were young.  We come from the generation where one dresses up a little to attend the theatre; it pays the actors a compliment.  To me, too casual says "we don't care enough to dress up to see your performance, you're not worth the effort".

Enjoy your days!

It's now the middle of April!

We're back, as you can see!  We had a good holiday; the Canberra family is well and happy, Young Euan is growing like you wouldn't believe and leading his parents a merry dance while his grandparents sit back and chuckle remembering the days when his parents did similar things,  the folk festival was fun (although it would have been much more funner had I not succumbed to a bad dose of hay fever), no new instruments came home with me although I had a play of a beautiful small-body guitar which I still covet enormously, and the chocolate shops in Canberra still have some stock left.

The weather was surprisingly hot, dry and sunny.....a bit too hot and sunny for comfort most days.....Easter in Canberra is supposed to be autumn colours, mild days and cool nights.  Not so, this year.  Don't be fooled by the greens in the picture below, everywhere else was very dry.

 More like these two pics show.

 We discovered the new-to-us lookout at Red Hill last year and were most impressed!  This year we had lunch at the cafe overlooking Canberra, and a very nice lunch it was too.

Some brave locals were traipsing up and down the somewhat steep hill for their daily constitutional.  Hardy folk, those Canberrans.

We also went to the jewellery exhibition.....well, what can I say......those trinkets were mostly very gorgeous although there were some I didn't care for, the tutti frutti pieces among them.  There is just too much going on in those pieces.  I have never cared much for diamonds but after seeing some - not all, mind you! - of the diamond pieces on display I can see the attraction of a wall of shimmer on one's bosom or head; every time one moved one would sparkle and dazzle.  My favourite - even though it's not green! - is this pretty little tiara; compared to some of the jewellery on display it was fairly modest, but was quite sweet and I loved it.  Just the same, the green baubles were all rather lovely and I could have brought any of them home with me.

But I didn't.  Law abiding Jennifer, that's me.

Now we are back home and settling in the next Big Trip will be to Canada in early October......and the months won't take long to fly by, if the last few are an indication.  However, the Canadian government has now decided that Aussies travelling to Canada have to fill out and lodge a visa waiver form thingy which we have duly successfully done, but imagine our surprise when we found out, upon completion, that each form is costing us $127!!  Geez!!  That's $254 less to spend on maple syrup and fabric, you know......never had to do that in the past and we have visited Canada five times......sorry Canada, I love youse all but that's a bit rude......

Oh well.  If we want to see our boy we have no choice, and it's already paid.

My quilt is waiting to be bound, it is quilted with a design of oak leaves which suit the autumn colours.  The binding is made and pressed, still need to design a label but that will be done soon.  Something with an oak leaf or two, perhaps.  Then, hopefully before you know it, the whole thing will be all finished, done and completed!  Yay!

"Cleansing gold jewellery.
Gold ornaments may be kept bright and clean with soap and warm water, scrubbing them well with a soft nail-brush.  They may be dried in sawdust of boxwood.  Imitation jewellery may be treated in the same way."

I wonder if that method would be used on a diamond tiara?  And I wonder if one can buy sawdust of only one particular species?

Enjoy your days!

It's baaaack.......

Just when we thought the heat of summer had gone - it has returned!  We're having what the weather people call a 'mini heatwave' for a few days.   We still have to survive today and tomorrow and it should start to ease on Wednesday, just in time for when we head off in the caravan.....and we will be going south where it's cooler anyway, so that's all right.

Hot weather at this time of year isn't unusual, however.  Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary (42 years with the same bloke, I'm not sure which one of us deserves the bigger medal) and the day we married was very hot.  The heat stayed around for a few more days, but by the next weekend the weather had broken and summer was finally gone.  Fingers crossed that's what happens here, too.

Any sore heads from yesterday, St Patrick's Day?  We were very circumspect here, no leprechauns made their way into the Chateau des Wombats, just a little diddly-i music.

It was also International Quilting Day, did you know that?  I cut out fabric (some of which is green, thereby tying together both celebrations......you get value for money here, folks) and stitched a little, but no actual 'quilting' stitches were made.  If one doesn't actually 'quilt' on International Quilting Day, does this make one a failure as a quilter?

My quilt backing has been made, those two seams were quick to sew and trimming that humungous piece of fabric didn't take long either.  It has gone off to the quilter, and will be collected when we return from our jaunt down south in the middle of next month.  There are quilt shops down south, you know.....there is also a big music shop......

When in Canberra we often take in an exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, or the National Library, or visit a chocolate shop - much as we love living here in the Small Smoke it is sadly lacking in chocolate shops - in short, we try to enjoy experiences we can't have here.  To this end we have booked tickets to an exhibition opening at Easter at the National Gallery of Australia, and you will all wish you were coming with us because it's Cartier trinkets and baubles, bangles and beads. 

I reckon every woman who attends should be given a little souvenir of her visit to take home and enjoy wearing.  I'll have an emerald trinket, thank you.....but not that one with the crocodiddlies.  I don't do reptiles, even if they're emerald reptiles.  The aquamarine tiara is pretty too, I could wear that shopping; after all, what's the point of having baubles like these if you never wear them?  A tiara would be the very thing for sashaying round the supermarket, yes?  Most of all I'm very partial to the necklace with the honking great emerald, it would sit nicely with the green strap on my tenor ukulele.

"To keep the hair from turning grey.
Take the hulls of butternuts, about four ounces, and infuse in a quart of water, and to this add half an ounce of copperas.  Apply with a soft brush every two or three days. This preparation is harmless, and is far better than those dyes made of nitrate of silver."

Copperas is also known as iron sulphate.  I always thought hair turning grey to be a natural process of aging so there isn't much can be done about it; one can refuse to accept it and dye the heck out of their hair, or one can just shrug one's shoulders and accept it.  I have done both, and for several years now have been shrugging for all I'm worth.  Surprisingly, considering my advancing age, my hair still has a lot of its natural colour although there is getting to be more grey with every passing year.  I can accept the grey but will not go for the Old Lady Chop, so it's still long.....an aging born-again hippy, that's me.

We'll be back in the middle of April.

Enjoy your days!

Not back to normal yet

Like that shampoo ad said on TV a few years ago, it won't happen overnight......but it will happen.

Well, it seems this flood really caused damage.  The bottoms of several doors soaked up moisture from sitting on wet carpet, so they will also be replaced.  Some skirting (base) boards will need to go, but only a couple - most are made of proper wood, so they have less damage.  We can't help wonder why real wood was used for some, and cheap crappy artificial wood for others?  We have noticed that some odd short cuts were taken when this house was built 25 years ago.  At least one inside wall has to be partially removed to check for moisture between inner and outer walls.

Two of my books were lost.  One was a Mon Tricot knitting and crochet stitch and technique dictionary which I bought new in 1974, and to which I refer often; even though all that stuff can be found online sometimes there is no substitute for a proper book with real pages, is there?  Guess what - I found a copy on Ebay!  A small thing to be sure but something to cheer me a little, it should arrive soon.  The other was a book of basic women's knitting patterns which is still available, so that will also be done soon.  Both those books had their pages stuck together too firmly to be separated, because of the paper used.

However we aren't buying 'stuff' at present, because there is nowhere to put it!  Much of the house has been emptied, and furniture which hasn't been hauled away is stored in the garage.  We are trying to keep floors as clear as possible to make it easier for whoever puts down the new carpet.  One thing is for sure, though......we won't be going back to the store where the last replacement carpet was furnished, the owner bloke wasn't wonderful to deal with.  When we said to the assessor/builder from the insurance company that we would prefer to use another supplier he asked was it because of the boss man......we said yes......funny, he said, several other people have told me the same thing. 

Having said that......this morning a fundraising Christmas Fair was held and I couldn't resist some pretty blue and green earrings, they won't take up much room will they......and a necklace made in Madagascar from cow horn dyed in bright colours, which I am wearing as we speak.  I will call them my Christmas present.

My guitars and tenor ukulele were sitting on the wet floor but because they were in their cases I think they will be all right, and my cheapie soprano uke is probably some sort of plastic which would be impervious to water anyway.  On another cheery note, there have been a couple of ukulele gigs lately, playing music is more fun than moping about our spoiled house! 

Our town has two big used book sales a year, one in May organised by a Rotary Club and one in November organised by a Lions Club.  Since moving here I have found some wonderful treasures at these sales, but didn't go to the current sale in case I was carried away and bought books.......and right now we have nowhere to put them.

Sigh.  I do enjoy those book sales.......

"Never hold your companion in conversation by the buttonhole.  If you are obliged to detain him forcibly in order to say what you wish, you are pressing upon him what is disagreeable or unwelcome, and you commit a gross breach of etiquette in so doing."

Oh my - I would never do that to anyone, and I hope no one would ever do it to me.

Enjoy your days!

Aaaannndddd here we are, back home again......

We've been back for a week, and what a busy week it has been......appointments, often more than one, every day......but we seem to have caught up with things, so now it's the blog's turn.

We had a good time.  Didn't make it over to the coast, but there is always next year isn't there?  The folk festival was excellent as always, the family is doing well, Euan is sprouting up, friends are happy and healthy.  There were other distractions before we came home too; a craft festival, and even a ukulele festival which was great fun.

Also didn't take many pics!  Probably because we have been going to Canberra for so long that there doesn't seem to be anything left to photograph.  We missed our chance to get a Euan photo but never mind, our son has promised to take one of him with his quilt that I made him when he was a much littler tacker than he is now.

We had some company for a few days at the pet-friendly camp ground.

Two of the team of four Clydesdales associated with an Aussie brewery - they don't pay me to advertise so I won't name them.  Makes a change from the usual dogs and the occasional cat who camp with their owners, doesn't it?  They stayed for a few days, and were beautiful.

We found a new-to-us spot on the lake in Canberra, Black Mountain Peninsula.  This is Black Mountain looming up, and the tower is - wait for it - Black Mountain Tower, would you believe?

 Some of the black swans on Black Mountain peninsula.  Black swans are native to Australia but have been introduced to many other countries who, perhaps, believed their own white swans are not exotic enough.  I was snapping away when these three started edging toward me, and as I didn't trust the looks on their feathery little faces I put away the camera and backed away.  Slowly.

 You know how much I love autumn colour......a couple of oak trees in Boorowa, a favourite stop on our trips to and from Canberra.  The white building behind is the Court House, built in the 1880s.

Autumn colours everywhere were glorious.  Not quite up to the standard of a Canadian autumn, but not bad just the same.

Sadly not all our trip was good as I came down with a nasty bug which laid me low for several days.  However I recovered, and am now back to jumping out of my skin again.

Last week there was an Occasion.  The annual anniversary of the day on which I was born came round once more; this one is probably significant because it ends in 0, but all I can think is "geez......I am really old now".  We were on our way home in Mudgee and assumed because it was a Tuesday night - normally a quiet night in a country town, one would have thought - we would have no trouble getting a table for two at a local restaurant.......but no!  Two restaurants we tried were completely full so we ended up at a pub.  The food was excellent (Mudgee has a reputation for being somewhat of a gourmet town) but when all was said and done it was still just a pub, with a large TV showing a football program up on the wall.  Kevin gave me a surprise present, a beautiful wombat brooch, which went a long way towards making the TV recede into the background.

Isn't it gorgeous?  It doesn't have a coloured nose, the camera must have caught a reflection from somewhere.  It was made by Desmond of Celtic Dreaming; I have several of Desmond's pieces, some Celtic and some Australian, bought at the folk festival over the past nearly 20 years and I love them all.

The builder brought his tiler here a few days ago, and went off promising to order the new floor tiles immediately.  We hope he has.  Once they are in hand the repairs can, hopefully, start; our weather is cooling down and concrete floors are not warm.  It's also darker because grey concrete is darker than sort-of-beige carpet, and now that days are shorter and the sun is lower in the sky we find we need to turn lights on early in the afternoon.

Never mind......perhaps it will all start to happen soon.

"We put bright colours upon our little children; we dress our young girls in light and delicate shades; the blooming matron is justified in adopting the warm, rich hues which we see in the autumn leaf, while black and neutral tints are declared appropriate to the old."

Oh dear......seems I am now confined to black and neutral tints.  Well, bugger......I don't like neutral tints.  Neutral tints are dull.  Boring.  I suppose considering lime green to be a neutral is out of the question?

Enjoy your days!

In which we find a big spiky bum

The neighbourhood echidna has been visiting our front garden lately.

 Now you see it......

 .......and now you don't.

We don't know if it's a boy or a girl echidna, and weren't going to look either.  We're not silly.  When it thought that I and the camera had gone it would turn round, poke out its snout into the garden and burrow for ants, but as soon as I or the camera hove into sight again it flipped around and buried its head - so I'm very sorry, but the only shots I could get are of its aforementioned big spiky bum.

It's all go go go up here on the hill, folks.

Did you all have a nice Mother's Day weekend?  The day before, Saturday was my annual 29th birthday so we went for a drive to Armidale, an hour or so north, to a cat show.  Lots of lovely kitties, we could have brought several home with us......we told Bianca that if she doesn't behave, we will trade her in on a new model.  That night we also went out to dinner at a - actually, the - local French restaurant and had a wonderful meal; engraved on the portals of this house (and just about any other house I have lived in) are the words "The Mother Does Not Cook On Her Birthday".  Kevin gave me an unexpected birthday present, a beautiful brooch in a Celtic design of entwined birds made by a silversmith we know.  I have a few other pieces of his work......earrings, a pendant......and wear them often.

So now I am a year older.  I don't like getting older.  Don't give me that guff about it being better than the alternative either.  And don't say tritely "it's only a number" because the number is getting larger every year.  Scary large.  I am not liking the stuff that goes along with getting older such as health problems, and losing any claim I may once have had to a nice slender figure, and my once-gorgeous auburn hair going grey and colourless.

Sigh.

The green top has been started, so let's hope it fits!  The next quilting project will be to finish a charity quilt, and the next sewing project will be some new pyjamas from fabric in my stash.  A quilt show is held annually here in spring, and I have it in mind to finish a couple of projects for this year's.  The jumper (sweater) which was being knitted is all done, and is now being sewn together.

None of which will get done if I sit here on the computer, will it?

Tonight we will be attending a performance by the local Musical Society of "Company", a musical we haven't seen before and of which we don't know the plot, but if it up to the usual high standard of the local society - and it has a very high standard - we will enjoy it.  On another musical note (hah) some of us in the uke group played last Thursday for a local women's organisation, and the feedback was positive, they loved us and will probably ask us back.

"Deference to elderly people.
A young lady should show the same deference to an elderly lady that a gentleman does to a lady.  It may also be said that a young man should show proper deference to elderly gentlemen."

We can always hope, can't we?

Enjoy your days!