It's not ~quite~ warm here today

It is far from being freezing cold, it's quite nice when the sun peeks out from the clouds....but then it goes into hiding again and it gets cooler for a while.....still, July is the coldest month and we aren't even halfway through.

Never mind; it won't be long and we will be complaining about the heat again.....

Some diamond trios have been joined into strips.

Three strips, two of five trios and one of four, seams not yet pressed (which won't get done until I know which way they have to lie) but enough for a preview of the finished product.  The maths have been worked out; there need to be 11 strips of four trios and all the rest, however many that is, will be joined into strips of five.  First and every other row is 20 across, rows in between have 19, and the holes along all the sides will be filled with partial blocks continuing the pattern.  It's very therapeutic sewing, something much needed at present.

These days there are many phone calls to be made and some forms to be filled in on Kevin's behalf.  I have never liked filling in forms for any purpose....it makes me feel like I'm back at school doing a test, something I always dreaded, and I freeze up.  Ditto on the phone calls.  No good asking Kevin to make them, he gets confoozalated and difficult to understand, so it falls to me.  I find it quite stressful and I'm sure he has no idea that I do, because I can't seem to make him comprehend.  Come to that we don't really have many conversations about anything much, any more.

On to happier Stuff.

The choir has been practising for our winter concert to be held next Saturday afternoon, with proceeds going to a charity which supports cancer sufferers.  A few years ago our director Bill announced that we would no longer do concerts, and there was quite a bit of mumbling about that; just going along each week to sing is one thing but practising for a performance really gives us incentive to strive to do better, so we were all pleased when he eventually decided that yes, we would still perform after all.

Stitches have been sewn and knitted.  The label for Arboretum has been printed and traced onto fabric, a floss colour has been chosen (a warm brown DMC colour, a favourite for labels) and the non-woven interfacing has to be ironed onto the back before stitching can start.  It will take but a moment to do - the trouble is finding the moment!

Songs have been sung but not plinked this week as I've been too busy to pick up an instrument, and I miss it.

The new white kettle works very well.  The pretty green one would have worked equally well too, but would it make my coffee and Kevin's tea taste any better?  Well, that's the question, isn't it.....

Our musician friend has already booked his bed with us for next January's music festival, and we are looking forward to spending time with him again.  He, too, will be able to try out the new white kettle.  I'm sure he will be impressed.

Many folk during the past week have had phone problems, myself included.  I could send and receive text messages but couldn't make or receive calls.  That was somewhat of a nuisance so I had resigned myself to some time spent getting frustrated in the telecommunications shop trying to make young folk understand, but this morning I had a brainwave.  I turned the phone completely off then charged it fully.  Turned it back on, tried ringing Kevin's number - it worked, yay!  Tried ringing my phone from his and once again, it worked.  Fingers crossed that it stays working.

We are still finding out about the latest ceremonials.

"While the bride and bridegroom are passing out of the church, the bridesmaids follow slowly, each upon the arms of the groomsman, and they afterward hasten on as speedily as possible to welcome the bride at her own door, and to arrange themselves about the bride and groom in the reception room, half of the ladies on her side and half upon his - the first bridesmaid retaining the place of honour."

How many bridesmaids and groomsmen were in a wedding party, one wonders?  Sounds like rather a lot.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Winding and winging along

Winding Ways blocks are all done and laid out on the design bed ready to be sewn together, what do you reckon?  This will probably be the final layout, I think the balance of light, medium and dark is pretty much right.

 When those blocks are joined the top will finish at 60in square.  Two fabrics have been purchased for the backing which may possibly be made before we go away in a couple of weeks, not sure about that though......if it is, it is.  And if it's not, why then, it won't be.

Last Friday we went for a Nice Sunday Drive to Chaffey Dam, a local man-made water storage facility.  Over the past couple of years the dam wall has been raised so the capacity is much larger than in the past, and of late there has been so much rain that the 'new' dam is now nearly 90% full with the possibility of 100% coming soon, something that could have only been dreamed of earlier this year.

 The plaque above is set on a huge boulder of rhodonite, which is found in abundance in the area.  It's renowned as a good area for fossicking and I'm told it's still possible to find gold!  In the 1850s a gold rush started not far away.  This rhodonite lump is easily waist high on me......admittedly I'm only 5 ft two inches in old money, but that's still a good sized lump.

 It was very peaceful.

Is anyone else sick of hearing about a 'celebrity' couple who are splitting?  I'm not interested enough to read any of the stories in online news sites, but when it made last night's 'serious world news' on TV there was no escape.  I'm sorry for them and their family, but honestly......given some of the horrible things happening in the world today which put a marital break-up in the shade except for those most intimately concerned, do we really care?

No.

The Bronze Wombat has joined the 21st century and bought a smart phone!  Yesterday I received both a text and a letter - a real letter, written on real paper and sent through the postal system - telling me that my phone's network would no longer be supported after December, so this morning we took ourselves off to see the network people.  My heavens, there is such a choice if one wants a smart phone......and almost no choice if one doesn't.  As our household has two computers - a desk top and a lap top - and we each have a tablet, I neither want nor need a phone to keep me in touch with the world every moment of the day; that feature has been disabled, although it can be turned back on if I wish.  I just need a basic phone to make and receive calls and texts as I already have a good stand-alone camera which takes excellent pictures, and the current trend of whipping out one's phone and snapping pictures of all and sundry gives me a severe dose of the irrits.  To say nothing of taking selfies.......never taken one, never will, in fact I turn the other way if ever I see photos being taken.

"Business letters.
These should be brief and to the point, should be of plain chirography, and relate to the business in hand, in as few words and as clearly as possible.  Begin at once without apology or explanation, and finish up the matter pertaining to the business.  If an apology or explanation is due, it may be made briefly at the close of the letter, after the business has been attended to.  A letter on business should be answered at once, or as soon as possible after receiving it."

In these days of instant emails we don't get many business letters, do we?

Enjoy your days!