Yay goody for me - again!

Well, I did it....I won another blue ribbon, that's twice in my life!  How good is that!

When I went to collect my quilt this morning imagine my surprise when there was a blue ribbon pinned to it - something I did not expect.  Because of the continuing heat I didn't get to the show to see it hanging, and I wish now that I had done so.  

If you haven't seen the whole quilt before - or even if you have - this is it.

The ribbon and certificate will be kept with the quilt.  The eventual plan for when I am no longer on this earth is that the quilt will go to our son and his partner in Canada, and as the blue ribbon is now part of its story it will, of course, go too.

Yesterday the fabric was cut for one of the inner borders in my leaf quilt, hereinafter to be called 'Autumn Splendour'.  It was a toss-up between different fabrics, but I think this one will work well for a pieced border; there are leaf blocks and half-square triangles in that particular round (it's a medallion quilt) used with wide strips of print fabric.

Some work will be done on it at quilt group on Tuesday, then it will be put aside until we return from down south.  Love those autumn colours......

No diamonds were cut, although I had better get a move on with them as I want a good supply ready to take away with me.  Some stitches were knitted, and it's interesting to see how that pretty yarn knits up.  The two tees didn't have their sleeve hems repaired but there is always this week, isn't there.  Words were read.  Knee exercises are being faithfully done.  Hunting and gathering was once more undertaken.

We have had more extreme heat but today is - thank goodness - much milder; I for one feel as though I have more energy when it isn't so hot, and indeed have found this summer's heat to be quite distressing at times.  There might even be some playing around in my sewing room later this afternoon - perhaps some of those recalcitrant diamonds may be cut.  

Our U3A ukulele group on Thursday afternoons is proceeding along nicely.  This term we had four - four! - brand new beginners start; one has decided to have some lessons with a teacher then return to us when she is more confident, one is coming along really well, another is managing nicely, and we haven't seen the fourth again.  Hopefully she will decide to come back as she has previous musical experience, so she's not a complete beginner.  All up, we blunder along quite nicely......especially when I am leading, as I am at present while the main leader is away.  Even though I don't really know what I'm doing.

A few of us from uke also attend Thursday night choir, and last Thursday night lovely Liz was very complimentary when telling me how much she enjoyed that afternoon's uke playing - such feedback is very welcome!

We have now concluded our Conduct in Church section of Etiquette in Public Places, so now we are off to the theatre.

"Invitation to opera or concert.

A gentleman upon inviting a lady to accompany him to opera, theatre, concert or other public place of amusement, must send his invitation the previous day.  The lady must reply immediately, so that if she declines there shall yet be time for the gentleman to secure another companion.  The consent of parents or guardians is necessary."

This advice was, of course, written long before the advent of folk having personal phones....these days an invitation would probably be sent by a text, which isn't very romantic, is it?  I'm afraid "do u wanna go w me c u at 8" doesn't have the same tone as a nicely hand-written note.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

I won a blue ribbon!

Never won a blue ribbon before!

This is special because it's the 150th anniversary of Tamworth Show - even the artwork on the prize card is from a design used on similar cards in the 1930s.  An Aussie show would be like an autumn fair or state fair, I suppose, with farm animals and birds being paraded and judged.  There were various cooking and handicraft sections, and there was even a recipe provided for a boiled fruit cake which had to be used by all entrants in that section.

My hanging (my prize winning hanging, how cool is it to be able to say that!) in full, plus some carpet.  One of the rules was that entries had to be finished in the past year.....mine was a little older, but as it hadn't been exhibited previously I was assured that entering it would be fine.

Last time I won a prize with my sewing was back in nineteen-umpty-um....might have been 1996 or 97.....my quilt group in the Big Smoke had a competition for a pieced or applique basket block.  Mine was pieced, and it was judged the pieced winner; the blocks were eventually made into quilts and raffled for charity.  I won a book and a pack of fabrics, but not a blue ribbon.

Some knitting has happened.  The decision to write out the cable pattern for the front of my jumper was, after a few minutes, abandoned as a lost cause, and a PDF pattern bought - this one, with the pattern all written out for me.  That's the cable I plan to use up the centre front, two repeats wide; it's not so difficult that it will take forever to do, but is interesting enough to be a fun knit.  I like intricate twisted and interlocked cables.  I don't care if they are in fashion or not.  It's my jumper, and I can make it how I like.

A few diamonds have been joined, more have been cut.  Words have been read.  Notes have been sung and plinked.  More sorting of music has happened but the 'waiting to be sorted' piles are very few and quite small now; a couple of folders containing Christmas songs were unearthed the other day, so they will now go into the Big Christmas Song Folder from whence they will be pulled out again in November.  Once the music sorting is done the next big sort will be the books which are in dire need of sifting and sorting, and which will be much bigger job.

It has even rained, lovely soaking rain last night and this morning, and very welcome it is too after the past few dry months.  Over the past couple of years we had a lot of rain, we even had several floods, but since the rain stopped late last year it has been very dry.  I'm sure the town will look a lot greener tomorrow than it did on Friday.

Continuing on with Etiquette of the Streets:

"Offensive behaviour.

No gentleman is ever guilty of the offence of standing on street corners and the steps of hotels or other public places and boldly scrutinising every lady who passes."

Indeed not.....the men of the mid 1880s really weren't much different to the men of today, were they?

Enjoy your days!

I won I won I won!

Recently there has been a Canadian Blog Hop, and because we have family and many friends in Canada I was reading the blogs......and there were giveaways, and the fabrics were very luscious, so I entered my name on one......

.......and I won!

Thank you to Linda at Stitch Lines, and to Sew Sisters Quilt Shop in Toronto, for my prize.

It's a very small world these days because Linda knows Karen, and I know Karen too......and now I have 'met' Linda, although we are on the far side of the known universe from each other.

Several years ago I worked for a boss who was very suspicious of the internet and anything to do with it   He couldn't believe that I would meet up (and even stay!) with people sight unseen, because we had made contact online.  That was 15 years ago, wonder if he has changed his mind since then?  Kevin and I have met some wonderful people over the years that we would never have met otherwise thanks to the interwebz, and it enables us to keep in touch with our sons who both live far away from us.

Linda even said she would send me some cold air from Canada, isn't she a wonderful person?  It has been needed here because last Saturday was 41.7 deg C (which is 107 deg if you are thinking in old money) with a hot dry wind, and it wasn't at all nice.  Fortunately the uke gig was in an air-conditioned room, we were very thankful - and so were our ukes.  Stringed instruments don't like extreme heat, they get unhappy and go out of tune.

A couple of days ago the second large block for the flower basket quilt was finished.  First large block.......

 .......second large block, 23 to go.  Blocks are 18in finished and will be set alternately.

The blocks will be quilted as I go (can't say quilt as you go, because you aren't doing it - I am) before being joined but I haven't yet decided if it will be by hand or machine.  Probably machine.  I would like to see it finished while I am still on this earth.  Next Easter will be nine years since it was started; it was never intended to be a quick finish, just a project to pick up from time to time and take away on holidays.

Last week was one year since my shoulder operation and I am pleased to report that it is still attached to the rest of me.  It doesn't even hurt now, thank goodness, just the occasional twinge of discomfort on certain activities such as hair washing.

Because of the heat, work on Cricket/ette's quilt had slowed but as today is milder the outer borders have now been cut, and the inner borders are pinned to be joined in one long strip prior to being cut to length.  Our son rang earlier today, they had just been to the baby doctor for a check-up (I can't spell obstetrician) and all is proceeding well.  He asked me what his birth weight was, he was 6lbs 12 ozs - his wife said she was over 7lbs at birth; they have been told the baby isn't too huge but has a big head.  I sent her my sympathy.

"Where gentlemen may keep their hats on.
At garden parties and at all assemblies held in the open air, gentlemen keep their hats on their heads.  If draughts of cold air, or other causes, make it necessary for them to retain their hats on their heads, when in the presence of ladies within doors, they explain the necessity and ask permission of the ladies whom they accompany."

Any sensible person, male or female, wears a hat in summer here.  I have five summer hats so can make a choice based on what else I am wearing before setting foot outside........and believe me, I do.

Enjoy your days!