Well, that's February half done

Seems like the year is racing by, and Christmas will be upon us again before we know it.

Yesterday was Kevin's birthday, so off we went for a Nice Sunday Drive - yes, I know it was Saturday, but one can go for a Nice Sunday Drive on any day of the week - to a small town in the hills to the south-east.  Nundle is nearly an hour away; the road is not a multi-lane freeway by any stretch of the imagination, but is a really nice drive through the hills.  The pub has a reputation for being a place for a good feed, and it certainly didn't disappoint, my trout (from a local business) was delicious.  It's a place I have always enjoyed visiting as my family's history is tied up in the area, my maternal grandfather was born not far away, and his birth and the births of several of his siblings were all registered at the Nundle courthouse, a handsome building dating from 1880 which is now a museum.

Which is why the binding on my Canadian table topper isn't yet finished, as there wasn't much of yesterday left by the time we arrived home and I seldom use the machine at night.  Tired eyes, tired brain and machinery make for unhappy results, as I have found out in the past.

As you can see it has been cut, the strips joined and sewn to the topper, but the binding ends need to be joined then turned to the back and sewn down.  This red leafy fabric was in my stash - isn't it delicious?  As it has maple leaves and is red, it seemed just the Very Thing for the binding.

Over the past few days we have been planning our annual March trip down south.  We will be joining with our son to celebrate his 50th birthday - how can I have a 50 year old kid when I am only 29 and some months, I wonder? - and before that our 50th anniversary, which falls a few days earlier.  It didn't matter at the time, and 50 years later it matters even less, although my MIL was a bit shocked and scandalised that her only son would take up with a not-yet-divorced woman.  We are planning a few days in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, basing ourselves in Tumut and using it as a base to do some exploring.  Then it will be off to Canberra for ten days, before heading off home.  We will be away for three weeks, and are looking forward to it.  We have stayed overnight in Tumut a couple of times, nigh on 30 years ago, and remember it as a very pretty town.

At least I was legally divorced when we married, unlike my grandmother who married my grandfather before her decree was absolute, making their marriage bigamous.....and my mother and her brother illegitimate.  My mother would have been mortified to the ends of the earth, had she known.  I enjoy watching genealogy programs, the scandals are often more interesting than boring everyday living, aren't they?

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn but not knitted.  Notes have, once more, been plinked and sung.  Appointments have been kept.  Hunting, gathering and foraging have been on the menu, and so passed another week.

Some rain would be nice....this weekend's forecast was for good rain, but not a drop has fallen from the sky.  Not a dribble, not a drip.  Oh well, no doubt rain will come when it comes.

"Position of an engaged man.

The same rules may be laid down in regard to the other party to the contract.  Neither should assume a masterful or jealous attitude toward the other.  They are neither of them to be shut up away from the rest of the world, but must mingle in society nearly the same as before, and take the same delight in friendship.  The fact that they have confessed their love for each other ought to be deemed a sufficient guarantee of faithfulness; for the rest let there be trust and confidence."

Very sensible words.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Upside down - or downside up?

The back for my table topper is pieced.

The decision was made to reverse the stripe for added interest, and because it then doesn't matter which way is up.

It's been a busy week, so this is pretty much all the sewing which has happened.  We have been going out and about, and taking in some music and poetry, and enjoying time with our musical guests.  They had planned to leave tomorrow but, due to a blown tyre which needs to be replaced and tomorrow being a public holiday (meaning that few businesses will be open, certainly not tyre shops) asked if they could stay another night.  Not a problem, we said, we don't mind.  Which, of course, we don't; a few years ago we had valuable help from a caravan park manager when we suffered a van mishap, so we don't mind paying it forward.  They have a long drive ahead of them, down south....way down south......so need to make sure that the tyres on the little blue car are in good condition.

The package for our Canaussian son and his partner is, at last, on its way.  We took it to the general store/post office not far out of town from us but, being such a small post office agency, they weren't sure what to do with a package for overseas.  So....back to the post office in the shopping mall on the other side of the river where much filling-in of forms took place, money was handed over - my goodness, postage costs have risen! - and a sigh of relief was heaved.

My house quilt is now registered as my UFO for the annual challenge of my quilt group, an easy decision because I really want to have it finished this year.  Once my table topper is done work will resume on the neighbourhood; more long green strips need to be cut for borders.....it's a large quilt and so far I have been cutting short border pieces, not such a good idea as it turns out.....but that's all right.  It was doing quite well until it was interrupted by my broken arm the year before last, but normal service can now resume.  The plan for the label is to make a very pale house with no colour on window or doors, almost no garden and very pale sky, and embroider its details in a multi-coloured stranded thread, something which wasn't easy to find, I can assure you.

Much fruit slice has been consumed, in fact there is another tray cooling on the kitchen bench as we speak.  Hopefully you can read this without having to pay....https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/recipes/mrs-atkins-fruit-slice-20111019-29v86.html because it's very easy, and certainly worth making.  I don't stick exclusively to "vine fruits" as in the recipe, I use a mix of whatever is in the pantry, including nuts.  So long as you don't exceed the quantity of fruit, 225g, it doesn't matter what the fruit and nuts are; this batch has Australian sultanas, craisins (dried cranberries), chopped dates, and pecan pieces.  If you wish you could also reduce the amount of sugar, it is caramelly and very nice....I don't.

Words have been read.  Songs have been plinked and sung.  Stitches have been sewn, but none knitted; appointments during the coming week mean that some possibly could be.  We managed to avoid the festival crowds in order to get some hunting and foraging done, and that was our uneventful but busy week.

"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 get engaged, we just got married, so I have no engagement ring.....but 50 years later it really doesn't matter, does it?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

My halo is all polished and shiny!

The top which has been languishing in my sewing room for far too long is done, and you can probably see the gleam of my halo from wherever you are right now.  Big pat on the back for me!

The decision has been made on the backing for my table centre.

My stash includes some of the scattered cream maple leaves on red which was my original thought, but then the red leaves on cream came to the fore, jumped up and down and said "what about me?"  So, that's what it will be; a strip will be cut, the printed stripe will be sliced down the middle and the lighter strip inserted, then it can be layered and quilted.  I am even thinking of turning one of the two striped pieces to face the other direction so that the stripes don't have to match across the inserted strip.  Binding still to be decided, but possibly might be red.

The original plan was to have it done for show and tell at quilt group next Saturday but that probably may not happen, as there are concerts to be attended, and music to be played, and musical friends to be seen.  Never mind; if it's not done for next weekend it will do nicely for February's meeting.

Our annual challenge for this year is to finish a UFO - now, which one shall I choose, I wonder?  Decisions, decisions....the idea is that we take it along next Saturday where it will be duly photographed and recorded, then we flash the finished quilt around at the final meeting of the year.  I am thinking that my house quilt will be Just The Very Thing, as I am determined to finish it this year anyway.

Our musical friends arrived yesterday, and we have spent some time catching up over a cuppa and a piece of fruit slice.  We spent money - a whole $10 (!) and bought an official program, something I don't usually bother doing, but finding out what's on and who is where is much easier that way.  Feedback from our friend's time spent strolling the main drag yesterday afternoon checking out the many buskers was - don't bother.  It was far too loud for comfort, he said.  My ears thank him for his research on our behalf, so we will keep away.  Buskers have always been a major part of the festival and are spaced close enough that, if one player turns up their sound to be heard over a player nearby, everyone else around them turns up theirs too....and so it goes on.....

Fortunately, too, the weather is kinder than usual.  Some rain during the week and again early this morning has cooled temperatures down to make getting out and about much more pleasant than usual, too.  Higher temps aren't supposed to arrive until much later in the week, and even then not as hot as most years have been.  Those folk camping in their tents may have been somewhat nervous during this morning's thunder, though.

My doctor visit during the week was supposed to be for one thing but I ended up being called in by the nurse first....our records show that you are due for two immunisations, she said....I expressed some slight scepticism (not fond of injections, me) and she pointed out that the five yearly pneumonia vaccination was one, so I reluctantly said oh all right, go for it.....and she did.....not kindly, either.  So roughly, in fact, that I pulled away and apparently ended up with only half a dose and a scratch wound on my upper arm.  I have dealt with her in the past too, and she isn't as gentle as other nurses at the practice; she has a way of making a question sound like an accusation.

Another grumble:  the annual package of goodies for our son and his partner way over there in Canada was packed and wrapped using copious quantities of tape, taken to the post office, the customs form was filled in and taken to the counter.  Oh no, said the post office woman, you haven't put the weight of each individual package on the customs label....it's apparently a new thing, it used to be just the total weight of the whole parcel....so now it has to be taken apart, some items weighed because they don't have the weight printed on them and the label re-written (I was so annoyed that I tore it in half) and taken back to the post office to go through the whole procedure again.  Sigh.....

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn and knitted, the second sleeve on my jumper is coming along well and is an ideal project to pass the time while waiting at appointments.  Songs have been plinked and sung.  We hunted and foraged, and visited the post office - see above - and that's another week gone.

"The rejected suitor.

The duty of the rejected suitor is quite clear.  Etiquette demands that he shall accept the lady's decision as final and retire from the field.  He has no right to demand the reason of her refusal.  If she assign it, he is bound to respect her secret, if it is one, and to hold it inviolable.  To persist in urging his suit or to follow up the lady with marked attentions would be in the worst possible taste.  The proper course is to withdraw, as much as possible, from the circles in which she moves, so that she may be spared reminiscences which cannot be otherwise than painful."

We don't want our rejected suitor to be tasteless, that's for sure.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Around the octagon

All four rows of strips have been added to the moose fabric centre, which makes the top complete.

As there aren't enough Canadian themed fabrics in the stash, some of my favourite autumn prints have also been added.  The top measures a smidgeon over 20-1/2 in across....

....but the stripe fabric chosen for the backing isn't quite that wide, it only measures a smidgeon over 20 in across.....

It's long enough in the other direction being the full width of fabric selvedge to selvedge, but when it was purchased this project wasn't in mind.  Never mind; it's an opportunity to be creative, isn't it.

Sewing has been a good pastime in the heat; today is a wee bit nasty hot although not as bad as many other areas are getting.  With the fires down south, and cyclones up north, it's definitely summer in Australia, folks.  

How has everyone been?  We've been staying inside, and keeping as cool as possible.  I'm ready for autumn to arrive as summer is for enduring rather than enjoying, in my book.  Just a few months to go.....we are making plans for our annual trip down south for our older son's Major Milestone Big 0 birthday in March, and we hope it may be a bit cooler by then.

Words have been read....many many words, as staying inside and reading doesn't use much energy in hot weather.  Stitches have been sewn by hand and machine, although that voile top still isn't done....My Lovely New Bernina is set up with the right colour thread, and the right presser foot, and the right throat plate to do so.  However, that machine will be needed for quilting the moose table centre as my 1950 Singer Featherweight doesn't have a walking foot, so that top had better get done first then thread, foot and plate can be changed for quilting.  No stitches have been knitted this week as it's been a bit warm for having wool on one's lap.  

A few days ago was my annual eye exam, and they received a very good report - so good, in fact, that my glasses prescription doesn't need to be changed, which is not bad for a decrepit Olde Pharte of my advanced years.  Besides which, I like my pretty green glasses and will be sorry when the time comes to say goodbye to them; new lenses were put in the same frames last year, but that's not always possible as the frames get older.  The slow-growing cataract on my left eye which has been hanging around for a few years hasn't advanced which is probably a Good Thing, despite the fact that many folk in my age group have already had surgery for theirs.

We will just have to see what the future holds, won't we....eye eye, sir....

People are gearing up for the big country musical festival, which starts next Friday.  Camping areas are filling, and buskers have started appearing in the main drag.  Many locals loathe it, many leave town to avoid it, while others can't get enough of it.  We're somewhere in the middle although we tend to avoid crowded loud venues - I would rather stay home than have my senses assaulted by sound.  It is said "if it's too loud you're too old", but I beg to differ; back when I was young (and slender....sigh....) sound gear wasn't what it is now, and certainly wasn't cranked up to the same volume as it is these days.  There will be ukulele sessions, something which hasn't been done before - not in our time living here, anyway - so I might trot along to the first one to suss it out and decide if I wish to continue.

Who knows, perhaps fame is just around the corner!

"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."

Perhaps the true-hearted woman's name is Tess?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Nearly half way through April!

How can this be?  I'm sure it was January just the other day.....

Easter is coming up next weekend, and we won't be at the folk festival.  Oh well, we shall just have to play some of our CDs bought at festivals in the past, and pretend that we are.  Perhaps I could plink a note or two, and maybe burst into song very late at night, as one has been known to do at folk festivals.

This week's trees.

The palm tree fabric has been in my stash for quite some time.  Our town has a lot of palm trees.

A bright fabric, a gift from a friend several years ago, some of which has also been used in another quilt.  Not sure what the leaves and fruit are - olives, perhaps?  The contrast fabric looks solid but has different colours, almost too pale to show up in this pic.

A twin portrait.

We get to enjoy this gorgeous hibiscus which is in our neighbour's front garden.  The flowers are quite large and frilly; fortunately this one was low enough that I could photograph it easily, which is not always the case.

I don't know what this blue flower is!  It pops up in the garden every year, although it's not one that we planted; it was already here when we came.  The flowers are quite a bright electric blue (not as light as they appear here), and the leaves take on a beautiful rusty-red colour in autumn and winter, so it's not an Ozzie native.

A sign in the Canadian pub in Canberra, which made me chuckle.

How has everyone been this week?  We have hunted and gathered, and gone out for various purposes, and come home again.  Words have been read, stitches have been sewn.  Notes have been plinked and sung; no choir this week because of Easter, so we have a week off.  U3A ukulele group is now on holidays as we go by NSW school terms; several of the members have grandparent duty in the holidays, or are away, so we don't meet for those weeks.  We will back playing together next month.

A project which will be done during the cooler months will be sorting out music.  Some weeks ago I bought a two-drawer filing cabinet, and during the week bought a box of hanging folders and tags to use with it.  There is so much music spread around our living/dining room that the table is unusable, so that will be taken care of....some will be filed, some will be culled, but a decision will be made on each and every piece of paper as it is picked up.  Once that is done, it will be the turn of quilting, sewing and craft paperwork to be sorted.  A big job - but eventually it needs to be done.

"Assisting a lady to mount.

The lady will place herself on the left side of the horse, standing as close to it as possible, with her skirts gathered in her left hand, her right hand upon the pommel, and her face toward the horse's head.  The gentleman should stand at the horse's shoulder, facing the lady, and stooping, hold his hand so that she may place her foot in it.  This she does, when the foot is lifted as she springs, so as to gently aid her in gaining the saddle.  The gentleman must then put her foot in the stirrup, smooth the skirt of her riding habit, and five her the reins and her riding whip."

I wonder what those women back in 1885, with their riding habits and side saddles, would make of how women dress to ride now?  They might be aghast at the current skin-tight riding clothing....but on the other hand, they may envy the freedom it gives.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Marching along

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

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

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

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

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

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

The colours of Australia.

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

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

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

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

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

Ah well.  We shall see how it goes.

"Retaining possession of a seat. 

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

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

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Forwards and backwards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don't they look good together?  

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

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

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

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

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

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

Further to our last point of etiquette:

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

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

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

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

How has everyone been this week?

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

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

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

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

The label for Autumn Rhapsody is done.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Occupying too many seats.

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

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

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Coming along splendiferously

'Autumn Splendour' is progressing nicely.....this is how it looks after a sewing session at quilt group on Tuesday.

It is now 32 inches square; the Maple Leaf blocks are eight inches finished.

This is how it will look with the next square round added.  Two opposite corners have three Maple Leaf blocks each, while the leaf print strips and some more HST blocks make up the sides......I couldn't resist trying it out.

It is looking browner than I had hoped, although some of those autumn prints are quite bright - but then, the lighting in the spare bedroom is a bit dull on this cloudy day and the background fabrics are light tan/beige rather than blinding white.

The original quilt, published in a magazine, used much brighter colours - red, yellow, green, orange - and brighter background fabrics too, but it said "spring" rather than "autumn" to me, despite the leaf blocks.  The colours in my quilt are much more the colours we have seen during our autumn visits to Canada with brighter colours popping out here and there among brown oak leaves, some yellow/green and orange leaves.....and, of course, red maple leaves.

How have you all been?  We are well, my recalcitrant knee is still firmly attached thanks, no doubt, to the exercises which are diligently done daily.  The usual hunting and gathering was done with an eye to "what do we need to take away with us" shopping as well, as it's only ten days until we leave.

Diamonds have been cut but none sewn, they are being saved for holiday sewing.  Stitches have been knitted and the ribbing on the back is now complete, so the next row will start the stocking stitch section.  Words have been read.  Notes have been plinked and sewn.

Our trip away needs some thinking as a few Occasions need to be organised.  The day after we arrive in Canberra will be our son's birthday - we don't get to celebrate with him in person very often, so a table has been booked for lunch at a pub which we like and where our son hasn't eaten.  The One And Only Grandkid will be joining us too.  

My performer ticket for the folk festival at Easter has been downloaded and printed; strolling around wearing a 'performer' wristband is a thrill I never tire of, I can tell you.  My entry for the Eisteddfod in June has gone in, so once again I will be making a fool of myself in public.

And - we have our (free) tickets organised for the National Gallery of Australia, where the Rajah Quilt will be on display!  I was lucky enough to see it many years ago when it was part of a touring exhibition; we were living in the Big Smoke and drove 90 minutes south to see it.  Each and every one of those 90 minutes was worthwhile.  I had trouble tearing myself away....there is so much to look at, so many fabrics (the backs of some fabrics are used, the conjecture is that lighting in the bowels of a convict ship wasn't very good), so much colour....some of the patches are bright yellow/gold.  There is a replica in Canada, held in the Elizabeth Fry Society in Ottawa; we learned at school about Elizabeth Fry and her organisation which helped convicts, women convicts in particular, on those long voyages to the other side of the world.

One of Kevin's ancestors, a Irish woman named Mary Heffernan, arrived in Tasmania in 1841 - but not on the 'Rajah'.  She seems to have been quite a woman who, even after her marriage, was often up before the court on charges of prostitution, drunkenness or fighting.....no quiet life for Mary, it seems, although she did eventually settle down to marriage and family.  Perhaps - sewing patchwork may not have been her thing?

Continuing with Etiquette of Public Places, Invitation to Opera or Concert:

"It is the gentleman's duty to secure good seats for the entertainment, or else he or his companion may be obliged to take up with seats where they can neither see nor hear."

If that is the case - there is no point attending, is there?  One may as well stay home and entertain one's self.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Forty seven years and counting......

Yesterday was the 47th anniversary of the day we stood up in front of family and friends, and said nice words to each other.  47 years!  My gawd, that's a long time!

To mark the occasion we harnessed up the trusty steed and drove up the hill to a town an hour north, because their annual quilt show was being held.  I entertained myself at the show for a while, and Kevin strolled around enjoying the architecture and streets of Armidale.  Once again I met up with my Armidale namesake - another Jennifer Richards, how cool is that?  Her quilts on show were lovely, and her hand quilting beautiful.  I have been to that show before; it's not a large one as the hall isn't big, the group isn't huge, and because they have an annual exhibition there is usually only one year's worth of quilts to be shown.  I was impressed by the standard, however, especially the quilts of this young feller.....he is very talented and has great colour sense, while his quilting is superb.

It was International Quilting Day on Saturday, so a show on that weekend is very appropriate!  Here's a few of my quilts, even though they weren't done at the weekend.

Every quilter, it is said, has a blue and yellow quilt.  This is one of mine.

This was made from the leftover star triangles of the quilt above - same blue and yellow fabrics, different borders.

Love this one, just a study in black and white.  It was started in a class back in the Big Smoke and finished here.

Autumn - my favourite season!  Started in another class with the same tutor, after moving here here to the Small Smoke.

A soft pretty quilt made for a friend undergoing some health issues.

If I was asked which of all my quilts is my favourite - and of course there more than these shown - this one would be very close to the top of the list.  I love its exuberance, how could you not?

Words have been read this week, stitches have been knitted.  No diamonds have been joined - indeed, more need to be cut so as to have enough to take away for a few weeks in the caravan; it is only two weeks now until we leave so I had better get cracking with the cutting.  More music has been sorted, in fact I can almost - almost! - see the bottom of those piles.  Songs have been plinked and sung.

It's going to be a busy couple of weeks with shopping, a musical gig, and various appointments for both of us.  Once we are in the car heading off down the road, I suspect there will be a big collective sigh of relief.  We are going down south to catch up with the family, and for me to attend the big folk festival.  Kevin will probably spend time with our son while I am off making music, they can do Boy Stuff together and perhaps The One And Only Grandkid will join them for some of it.  There has been a marriage split so the aforementioned Grandkid now lives with his mother, although of course he spends time with his father.

We will just keep out of the way as much as we can, and smile sweetly while offering no opinion on anything or anybody.

Continuing on with Etiquette of the Street:

"Carrying packages.

A gentleman will never permit a lady with whom he is walking to carry a package of any kind, but will insist on relieving her of it.  He may even accost a lady when he sees her overburdened and offer his assistance, if their ways lie in the same direction."

Not sure about the use of the word "accost"?  These days it has cme to mean "to approach someone boldly or aggressively", something I hope a proper gentleman would not do to a lady of his acquaintance.

Enjoy your days!

Back to normal programming

Or what passes for normal here.

The music festival has happened, our musical guest has been and gone - and what fun that was, we shared many laughs over many a cuppa while he was here - and our quiet life has resumed once more.

We went to a few concerts which we really enjoyed, and kept out of the way of noisy places.  It has been said "if it's too loud you're too old".....but I beg to differ; back in my younger days when I used to go to concerts and dances amplification equipment was nowhere near as loud as it is nowadays, and my hearing wasn't damaged as a result.  Earphones were a thing of the future too, we didn't spend our time with sound cranked up to an unbearable volume ringing in our ears.  

Some stitching has happened, diamonds have been cut and joined.  No stitches were knitted, although they will be when summer isn't so fiercely warm.  Words have been read.  Notes have been plinked and sung.

The house blocks were laid out and pinned into rows, the sewing of which will commence before too long.  There are eleven diagonal rows labelled by small pieces of leftover fabrics with numbers written on using fabric pen.  They were made when my tumbler quilt was being laid out and were going to be tossed once it was joined, but a little voice in the back of my brain said "hang on......don't do that, those labels can be used again....and again" and sure enough, they are.  Being fabric they will not tear like paper labels would.

On the last post I mentioned Mary Card and her beautiful crochet designs.  This mat, made by Kevin's maternal grandmother, is possibly another of her designs.  It sits on top of my bedside chest, and is made from very very fine thread.

Such exquisite work should be celebrated and enjoyed.  Many years ago when my brothers and I were clearing out my mother's house after her death I took the beautiful lace - tatted and crocheted - and embroidery work, mostly made by my mother's aunts.  My sister-in-law (who has an opinion on everything) said "I don't want any of that old stuff"....which was good, because I was prepared to take it by force if necessary.  But....when I am gone who will get it?  I have no daughters or granddaughters to inherit any of my Stuff.  If it ends up an an op shop it may be bought by someone who loves it, and that's fine by me.  Better that than having an unwanted bequest dumped on you, yes?

It's not very often I have a win, but I had one recently.  Just after Christmas I ordered black cropped pants online because the local store had none.  The money was quickly taken from our account but no pants arrived, and no notification of a post tracking number to let me know my order was on its way.  So....a few weeks later I rang their 'contact us' number and was told, we don't have your goods.  We are looking in our distribution centres.  Ring us again in about seven days.  That was when a little something went 'ping' in my brain and I interrupted her....."no....no.....no" I said....."I will not ring you.  You will contact me.  You have taken my money and have not supplied the goods I ordered.  If you cannot do so, then I want my money back."  I was not rude, but by heck I was firm.

And a couple of days later that money was back in our account!  But I still have no black pants.....

Contrast that with an order placed on Monday evening for a few sets of ukulele strings from an interstate dealer, which were in my hands by lunchtime on Friday.  I love the email I received from them - "Congratulations on your order Jennifer, you Ukulele Rockstar you!"  How could you not shop from someone with such a fun attitude and such excellent service?  There is a music store here but they have proven to be unhelpful and unreliable (and they don't call me a ukulele rockstar), so I shop elsewhere.  

Summer's heat has arrived, and with it some quite fearsome storms with lights and music echoing from the clouds and rolling around the hills.  There have been some spectacular pics on social media of the lightning a couple of nights ago.....a shame that thunder can't be photographed too!

Continuing on with Etiquette of the Street:

"Lady and gentleman walking together.

A gentleman walking with a lady should treat her with the most scrupulous politeness, and may take either side of the walk.  It is customary for the gentleman to have the lady on his right hand side, and he offers her his right arm, when walking arm in arm.  If, however, the street is crowded, the gentleman must keep the lady on that side of him where she will be the least exposed to crowding."

Yes indeed.  A lady does not like to be crowded.

Enjoy your days!

A day late, but not a dollar short

Which is good.  We don't want to be short of a dollar or two, do we.

The music festival has been and gone, and from all accounts was a success.  We went to a couple of concerts - one was yesterday afternoon, which is why there was no blog post - and had a performer staying with us, a lovely bloke whose songs we really enjoyed and with whom we share mutual friends; but we didn't (as we have done in previous years) hang around town to listen to buskers and to check out market stalls.  There were a lot of visitors from all over bringing who knows what germs with them, and while we aren't living our lives in fear of catching the plague bug we are going away next week and didn't want to get sick before we go.

Consequently not much was achieved.  Songs were plinked and practised for the concert next weekend, stitches were knitted.  Some stitches were sewn on the flower basket quilt.....not long to go now, yay!....and some diamonds were cut.  As a result no pics were taken, so we'll dig into the vault today.

These were all taken at the Japanese Garden in Cowra on an autumn afternoon, some years ago.

Cowra is a pleasant town with a sad war history, which you read about in the link.

It's a very peaceful garden......

......a fitting memorial.

It seems appropriate to show these pics today as it's ANZAC Day.  This is a re-post of my words from several years ago:

'Today Australia and New Zealand are celebrating, if that is the right word, ANZAC Day.  It's the day when we remember the sacrifices of those who fought in wars for our country.  My father was stationed in New Guinea in WWII (as we found out a few years ago, he was in the War Graves unit) and never, never, ever spoke of his experiences - he was only 25YO when the war ended and it affected him profoundly.  Consequently it affected all of us; my mother, my brothers, and me.  He was not a happy man, he was a distant, sometimes abusive, father who walked out one day and never contacted any of us ever again; we found out he had died many years after it happened.  War doesn't only take people's lives....it takes away their souls too.'

He never marched on ANZAC Day.  It was not a good day in our house because he would go out and get drunk, my mother would get annoyed and bad-tempered, and we children would just do our best to keep out of the way. 

We do have a happier celebration though because, 48 years ago today, I moved in with Kevin - a minor scandal at the time, but inconsequential all these years later when so many couples live together without benefit of a ceremony.  Nearly half a century - my goodness!

Last week the courage was plucked up and a visit to the hairdresser took place.  I do not like sitting in the chair staring at myself for however long it takes.  I just do not.  However as it had been six months since the last trim and I want to look a bit spiffy for the concert next Saturday evening, it was time to have a few inches lopped off.  On the way home I called into the French café for a coffee (and a small treat) (because their treats are really nice) and asked if the hot cross buns were, indeed, flavoured by cardamom.  They were.  

"Duties of an escort.

A lady's escort should call for her and accompany her to the place of entertainment; go with her as far as the dressing-room, return to meet her there when she is prepared to go to the ball-room; enter the latter room with her and lead her to the hostess; dance the first dance with her; conduct her to the supper-room, and be ready to accompany her home whenever she wishes to go.  He should watch during the evening to see that she is supplied with dancing partners.  When he escorts her home she should not invite him to enter the house, and even if she does so, he should by all means decline the invitation.  He should call upon her within the next two days."

He sounds like the ideal escort, doesn't he?  Almost too good to be true.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

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 wildlife around here is.....wild

A couple of days ago we harnessed up the trusty steed VW and drove downtown for the weekly drug run, because when you are Olde Phartes who haven't been anywhere much for the past two years (apart from one trip away, a year ago) the drug run can be a social highlight.  When we returned we drove up and stopped in front of the garage whereupon Kevin hopped out of the trusty steed, garage key in hand, to open the door.  (We are old school Olde Phartes.  We don't have one of those fancy-nancy electronic garage door opener thingies.)  As he walked around the front of the car he motioned me to come and look at something between the front of the car and the garage door.....and it was this big feller!

A big bluey, or blue tongue lizard - a very large skink.  Their tongue is indeed bright blue, and is used to scare predators.  This plump feller - we didn't ask if it was a boy or a girl - had flattened itself out to soak up warmth from the concrete in front of the west-facing garage door.  It would have been more than 30cm long, or over 12 inches in old money.  Needless to say, we didn't put the car away until it had moved back into the garden.

It is said that if you have a friendly bluey hanging around you won't have snakes, although that isn't quite so.  The story probably arose because blueys will eat snake eggs so there might seem to be fewer snakes around, but if it came to a fight between an adult brown snake and an adult blue tongue lizard the snake would probably win.  Despite this one's fearsome appearance they are good to have in the garden, as they eat snails and slugs.

Kangaroos have been coming around in the mornings, as grass with the dew still on seems to make for a tasty snack.

Progress has been made in the sewing room:  some diamonds have been cut, stitches have been taken in the flower basket quilt.  Stitches of another kind have also been knitted.  The Canadian quilt has been pulled out once more to work on the border; the batting is being inserted between front and back then it will be quilted to hold it in place.

If the world was in a different place we wouldn't be here this week, we would be in Canberra for the big folk festival.  It hasn't been held for the past two years due to the plague but is on this year......and we won't be there, first time (for me, anyway) since 1996.  By today we would have arrived, have our campsite set up and even been working the first of several volunteer shifts, something I first started doing in 2002.  Since the last festival three years ago there have been many changes, some due to the ongoing plague and others due to changes in organising personnel and procedures, but that's the way of the world now.  We understand that changes happen, even if we don't always like the changes.

Oh well.  We will see what next year brings, won't we....so much of our lives these days seem to be "wait and see'.

Our weather is definitely autumnal now.  Nights are cooler (although still not cold) and, athough the days warm up by mid afternoon, they start to cool down quicker than they did even a few weeks ago.  Perhaps if we are very lucky one day soon we might be able to take ourselves on a Nice Sunday Drive to admire some autumn leaves, because you all know how much I love those colours.

More "Suggestions for gentlemen:

A really well-bred man will remember to ask the daughters of a house to dance, as it is his imperative duty to do so; and if the ball has been given for a lady who dances, he should include her in his attentions.  If he wishes to be considered a thorough-bred gentleman, he will sacrifice himself occasionally to those who are unsought and neglected in the dance.  The consciousness of having performed a kind and courteous action will be his reward."

Back in my dancing days - not very many years ago - on entering the ballroom we were each issued with a dance card, and part of the fun was booking partners.  Sadly Kevin would not and did not dance, but I still enjoyed the exercise and the dressing-up.  Somehow, though, I don't think the twice-fractured right foot would go for an energetic polka, or even a more genteel waltz, any more.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer