One down, eight to go

Arboretum is being constructed in panels, for ease of handling.

The trees are set 11 across by nine down in the finished quilt, but four across by three down is a manageable size to work with.  New panels will be joined to the previous one as we go along; the next piece will go on the bottom of this one, hopefully that will be done later today.  There will be nine panels.

Some jiggling of blocks is still happening.  Every time I walk into that room and look at the trees spread out on the design bed another one or two get moved......but it is getting closer to being the final design.

It will go out to be quilted as I'm not sure that my sometimes-painful shoulder and wrist could handle machine quilting, even though it's not enormously huge.  It's about 60 inches across by 72 down.

How has everyone been?  We have dealt with our usual Olde Pharte appointments, and even fronted up with our sleeves rolled up for the annual flu shot early in the week.  Geez, I hate having pointy things poked into me.....apart from tiredness for the next couple of days and a slightly sore arm from the pointy poke there have been no side effects.  I've been having the flu shot for over 25 years without a problem, but I am not having any more covid shots after bad side effects from the last two.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn and knitted.  The shops were shuffled around for the weekly wanderings and food was purchased for the consumption thereof, in a never-ending cycle.  Songs were sung, and the realisation come to that I had better get cracking on learning the chords for my Eisteddfod song; the poem is in my brain, the words of the song likewise, but those chords have yet to follow - and they have just a month to do so.

Our autumn weather has been pleasantly warm, not hot, but it is oh-so-dry....no rain has fallen at all this month.  Not one dribble, not a drip.  Nothing.  Reports have been coming in on social media about kangaroos coming into town because their usual food supply in the bush has died off due to the complete lack of rain.  Apparently autumn is usually our wetter season, so a dry autumn does not augur well for the year's crops.

If wishing would make it rain we would have a flood, but alas......

Do any of you watch the program in which people get 'fake married?  Just seeing the ads is bad enough....I think to myself (and indeed, usually say out loud) "what drivel!"....there are far too many programs in which people are pitted against each other to win a cash prize, or perhaps a fake spouse....the TV stays off more than it is on in our house.  We don't subscribe to streaming (I nearly wrote 'screaming' there) services, either.   I would far rather read a book.  Growing up without television didn't bother my brothers and I; we were teenagers when it finally arrived in our town, and I was far too busy being a social butterfly to stay home and watch.  Kevin is a great one for channel surfing with the remote - it's a bloke thing - but doesn't end up watching much anyway.

 We have finished the chapter on Courtship and Marriage, so now we move onto Etiquette of Weddings.

"The circumstances under which weddings take place are so varied, and the religious forms observed in their solemnization so numerous, that to lay down rules applicable to all cases would be a matter of great difficulty, if not an impossibility.  Consequently, only those forms of marriage attended with the fullest ceremonies, and all the attendant ceremonials, will here be given, and others may be modelled after them as the occasion may seem to require."

Nothing here about fake TV weddings, you notice.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Finished is a good feeling!

As, I'm sure, we all know.

The last stitches were taken on the binding nearly half an hour ago.

Stepping back and looking at it finished - well, I like it. A lot.  Were there things I would have done differently - possibly.  Would I love it any more if those changes were made - no.

Fabrics from my stash of Canadian fabrics, and from my stash of autumn print fabrics, and from my stash of low volume background fabrics.  My stash contains several sub-stashes, as I'm sure everyone else's does too.

A couple of corners.

The back.  The original plan had been to use the wide stripe for the whole back, but it wasn't quite wide enough.  The maple leaf fabric is from the same manufacturer as the stripe - Northcott Fabrics - so the colours blend.

Large-scale stripes can be difficult to use; I remember I hesitated before buying this one, but I liked the Canadian-ness of it so it came home with me.  It suits the back perfectly.

Now there is a block sitting on the sewing table waiting to be made for next Saturday's group meeting....some fabrics were supplied, you will need four large-scale floral fabrics, said the instructions....I managed to find four in the stash.  The coming week is busy with several appointments and commitments for us both, but no doubt I will find the odd moment here and there to make one block.  Even though one of the supplied fabrics is pink, and I really don't love pink.

Words have been read.  As you can see, stitches have been sewn but none knitted, however the knitting will come with me to those various appointments, and who knows how many stitches will be knitted while we wait?  Notes have been plinked and sung.  We hunted, gathered and foraged in order that we may not starve, and because we are lucky we get to do it all over again next week.

Kevin was scrolling through the offerings on TV earlier, and he came across a cooking program.  I don't know what it was called, but it annoyed the bejabbers out of me because it was a man and a woman demonstrating.....she made a sauce out of I-don't-know-what, I think there was cream involved, then HE laid the potato slices tenderly in their dish, HE poured over the sauce she had made, HE placed the dish in the oven, HE took the dish out......all the while he was grinning inanely as if HE had just re-invented the wheel.....which is why I don't care for male TV chefs who have the "step aside, little lady, and let a real man do this" attitude.  Yes, I know many men like to cook.  Good for them.  I'm sure they do so without the superior attitude of most TV chefs.

The same goes for ads with a man showing a woman how to do the washing....in my experience it has been a woman (me) showing a bloke (Kevin and our two sons) how to operate a washing machine and how to use the iron. 

And while we're on the subject......do any of you sniff the contents of the wash basket before they go into the washing machine? Or blissfully sniff those freshly washed contents as they hang on the line in the sunshine?  Because I, for one, don't, despite those ads which show it happening.

When I rule the world, things will be different.

The plans for our 50th Anniversary Mini World Tour next month are proceeding nicely, all our accommodation has been booked, and I am starting to suss out places to visit.  Op shops, of course, that goes without saying....maybe a fabric shop or two.....hopefully someone to play music with.....family to visit in Canberra (no doubt the One And Only Grandkid will be towering over me by now) and friends to catch up with.

Something I have forgotten to mention: during the country music festival last month we attended a morning of poetry and comedy; we have been in the past and always enjoyed it.  As we entered we were given a numbered ticket and guess what - I won!  A DVD of poetry and laughs from some of the performers; we haven't watched it yet, but we will.  Just goes to show that, sometimes, you can be lucky.

"The relations of an engaged couple.

A young man has no right to put a slight upon his future bride by appearing in public with other ladies while she remains neglected at home.  He is in future her legitimate escort.  He should attend no other lady when she needs his services; she should accept no other escort when he is at liberty to attend her.  A lady should not be too demonstrative of her affection during the days of her engagement.  There is always a chance of "a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip"; and over demonstrations of love are not pleasant to be remembered by a young lady, if the man to whom they are given by any chance fails to become her husband.  An honorable man will never tempt his future bride to any such demonstration.  He will always maintain a respectful and decorous demeanor toward her."

That's right.  No PDAs please, folks.  One never knows where to look when one is a spectator to such an activity.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Welcome to 2026

The more often you write the date, the easier it is not to make a mistake and write last year's date instead.  We've all done that, haven't we?

We saw the new year in in bed, fast asleep - at one stage we heard fireworks which were probably being illegally set off in someone's backyard, otherwise it passed us by.  

The Boxing Day project has had its first round (can an octagon be considered round?) sewn in place, and fabrics pulled from the stash and cut into 1-1/2 in strips for a prospective second round.

There aren't enough Canadian-themed fabrics in my stash for all the required strips so fabrics from the autumn leaf and low volume stashes will be used; several of them were probably bought in Canada, anyway.  I'm trying not to be too precious as to placement, although the plan is to hopefully avoid putting similar fabrics together.  There will be trees and open spaces for dancing because those moose like to party with their headphones and flags and bottles of maple syrup.

How has everyone been this week?  We have been well, trying to keep cool - not always easy in summer - and out of trouble.  Appointments were attended, some hunting and foraging was done.  Stitches were sewn and knitted, words were read.  That voile top still isn't done but I have Hopes for it this week, as it's unable to be worn while it sits unfinished on my machine.  The decision about which song to sing at the mid-year Eisteddfod has been made; the words are firmly set in my brain but now the music needs to be learned.

Those Christmas quilt blocks which were shown here several weeks ago found a new home before Christmas.  Kate, a member of my quilt group, decided to take nine blocks to make a festive table topper, and the remaining two for a centrepiece; one block had already been snaffled by someone else, I know not who.  That's fine.  They have been moved out from my house.

Now that the holidays are over, life is getting back to what passes for normal.  On Friday we headed to an auto parts place to see if a CD player can be fitted in our car, new (even new-ish) cars don't have them, and as we are planning our annual trip down south in March we will need some music along with us.  We have....goodness knows how many, several hundred at least....CDs in our collection which we enjoy listening to; we are told that these days one is expected to download everything to one's phone or some such electronic gimcrackery, then plug it in and listen that way.  No.  Not happening.  I just cannot be bothered.  I have, I've decided, reached saturation point with all that electronic Stuff.

Speaking of electronic Stuff, what is it with blokes and remote controllers?  Why do they feel the need to hang onto it like a security blanket, and channel surf to their wife's annoyance without settling on anything to watch?  I check the online guide to see if there is something I wish to watch (we don't subscribe to any streaming service, in fact if the TV were to disappear overnight I probably wouldn't even miss it) because idly channel surfing is something I find irritating in the extreme.

Perhaps that's just me.....

"Unladylike conduct toward a suitor.

It is only the contemptible flirt that keeps an honorable man in suspense for the purpose of glorifying herself by his attentions in the eyes of friends.  Nor would any but a frivolous or vicious girl boast of the offer she had received and rejected.  Such an offer is a privileged communication.  The secret of it should be held sacred.  No true lady will ever divulge to anyone, unless it may be her mother, the fact of such an offer.  It is the severest breach of honour to do so.  A lady who has once been guilty of boasting of an offer should never have an opportunity for thus boasting."

Harsh words, but no doubt necessary. Such a lady would not be worthy of the attention of a good man.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Finally....unstressed trees!

Things are proceeding well on the injured hand.  It can now be left uncovered to enjoy the fresh air, and is enjoying its freedom - as is its owner, and as am I.

Consequently the stress has pretty much disappeared, so this week's trees are stress-free.

First, a lime tree with what could be berries.....

....I'm not sure if one can grow blue, red and purple berries on one tree, but this tree does.

This puts me in mind of a creeper growing against a rusty metal fence, so perhaps it's not ~quite~ a tree.

Although I still like it.

Numbers 79 and 80, how good is that?  Only 19 to go; at two a week, and three in the last week, that makes nine weeks' worth of trees left.

This fabric will be used for binding.  It was bought on our last trip to Canada and is from the same range as the border fabric on my Canadian quilt.  It was made in red and black (the border fabric is red and black), red and red (which I liked, but the black/red contrast appealed more for the border), blue and black, and gold and black.  As it was well into autumn by then, the gold had to come home with me.

I couldn't remember how much had been purchased - turned out to be half a metre, more than enough for binding.  Decisions still need to be made on backing, but as there also need to be more fabrics bought - eight or nine or so, not many - an eye can be run over the batik choices in the local quilt shop.  If she doesn't have anything which appeals to me, there is another shop in a town an hour north.

Today is an early taste of summer warmth.  The bluebells (which we didn't plant) have joined with the snowdrops (which we also didn't plant) flowering in the back yard, and their (mostly) annual flowering is a delight.  The huge port wine magnolia in the front yard is flowering this year because we have had good rain; it doesn't flower at all in dry years, and the flowers are fairly undistinguished anyway, but oh - their scent is wonderful.

How has everyone been this week?  We spent time at the medical centre having Kevin's hand checked - thank goodness those visits have now ceased, although I achieved quite a lot of waiting-time knitting - and we managed the usual hunting and foraging.  Words were read, stitches were sewn and knitted.  Sighs of relief have been heaved at the thought of no more medical Stuff for some time.  

Songs were plinked and sung, and my tenure as leader of the Thursday U3A ukulele is now over.  In a few weeks I will taking up my new position as leader of the new Monday group instead, and best of all....next Thursday I can go back to choir after having to miss two long months, something I am really looking forward to.

We are, I hope, nearing the last of the annual footy season, although these days it seems to go on for most of the year.  Time was when cricket was the main summer sport, and various styles of footy were played in the cooler months, but not so much now.  I find myself wishing that they would disappear from our screens forever, I don't watch them; boofy blokes kicking/throwing/hitting a ball around doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.  Kevin is welcome to watch with the sound turned off, as we can't stand the commentary either.  As for motor racing....well, you can see what's happening, you don't need the screaming of the cars, the spectators and the commentators, do you?

We find ourselves turning the TV off more than it's on.  We don't do streaming as we can't see the point in paying for things we wouldn't watch; both of us grew up in the era before television took over everyone's lives, so we don't mind just having music instead.  Let's face it, when one considers the dross available on the screen these days, it's no great loss.

"Another condition of domestic happiness is intellectual sympathy.  Man requires a woman who can make his home a place of rest for him, and woman requires a man of domestic tastes.  While a woman who seeks to find happiness in a married life will never consent to be wedded to an idler or a pleasure-seeker, so a man of intelligence will wed none but a woman of intelligence and good sense.  Neither beauty, physical characteristics nor other external qualifications will compensate for the absence of intellectual thought and clear and quick comprehensions.  An absurd idea is held by some that intelligence and domestic virtues cannot go together; that an intellectual woman will never be content to stay at home to look after the interests of her household and children.  A more unreasonable idea has never been suggested, for as the intellect is strengthened and cultured, it has a greater capacity of affection, of domesticity and of self-sacrifice for others."

Times have changed, haven't they?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Happy New Year!

Just think, that means we're a quarter of the way through the century......

Did you all have a peaceful New Year celebration?  We certainly did; we drove out of town to meet up with a friend for lunch, which was a lovely way to spend time at the end of the old year.  Consequently we ate very sparingly later, and of course we watched 'Dinner for One'.  If you have never seen it I would recommend watching it - it's quite funny, and we all need a chuckle at times, don't we.

The new year started with two new trees.  Not all trees will have foliage, some will be more impressionistic.

Something different was tried with the branches too - a branch growing off a branch, rather than all branches growing from the centre.  After all, trees have branches growing in different directions, yes?

I like this deep gold fabric.  The leaves are purple so some leftover binding from my autumn tree hanging makes good branches, as it, too, is deep purple.  (Wouldn't that make a good song title?  Oh wait......)

Side by side.  One of these days all the trees made so far will be lined up for a pic, to see how they look together.

Binding was cut for Autumn Rhapsody, and while doing that I couldn't resist a pic of the selvedge.

The Cunning Plan for the coming week, as well as to make two more trees, is to join the binding strips and maybe - just maybe - start sewing binding to the quilt.  The label is in progress as we speak; the information is being embroidered with one strand of DMC floss 3781, a warm brown, on a mottled light tan fabric which is one of the background fabrics used in the quilt.  3781 has been used for other projects, it's a very useful floss colour.....one of those projects now lives in northern Ontario, Canada.

How has everyone's last/first week of the year been?  

Words have been read here, stitches have been sewn.  No songs have been sung or plinked yet.  We hunted and gathered; in fact we took ourselves for a drive to a small town half an hour north to try a different butcher.  A few months ago we voted in local council elections at a small village 10 minutes north and, after casting our votes, bought a democracy sausage each to help the village school funds.....and what nice sausages they were, too.  Upon enquiring we were told they came from a butcher in the aforesaid small town, so on Friday off we went.  We harnessed up the trusty VW and drove up the road to Manilla where we went to both butcher shops, making purchases at each.  Well - what nice meat from both shops, and what pleasant staff!  We have tried some already, and more is waiting in the freezer.  We have decided to repeat the exercise from time to time; it's a pleasant drive, the meat from both shops is certainly good, and parking is very easy, something that can't always be said for our bigger busier town.

Summer's heat is well and truly upon us, but some rain would be nice.....our rainfall total last year was above average, but the last couple of months were not; December was well blow average.  It's easy to see who waters their lawn regularly, and who doesn't....we don't.  Our lawn will recover when it rains, and it will rain eventually; we had a couple of storms over the last few days, but not much rain to speak of.  So we won't.

"Reading when travelling.

If a gentleman in travelling, either on tram-cars, railway or steamboat, has provided himself with newspapers or other reading, he should offer them to his companions first.  If they are refused, he may with propriety read himself, leaving the others free to do the same if they wished."

One wonders what those travellers in 1885 would have thought of today's tablets, e-readers and indeed phones taken along on a journey for reading....would they offer theirs to their companions first?  Somehow, I don't think so.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

One peeper peeping

Sounds like a line from "The Twelve Days of Christmas", doesn't it?  But no - two of the peeper borders have been sewn to the centre panel of Autumn Splendour.

Those one inch strips were folded in half lengthwise and pressed (something which added a whole new dimension to the meaning of fiddly-diddly, especially pressing with my left hand) then sewn to opposite sides of the centre panel.  The remaining two sides will, hopefully, be added to the remaining two sides later this afternoon....or, if not, tomorrow.  The seam is one eighth inch rather than a quarter inch but it's just to hold the strips in place for the next step; the outer borders will be joined on with the usual quarter inch seam, and the peepers will be peeping.

Now that I can use a rotary cutter my thoughts have been turning to my blue and green quilt, which needs binding.  It was collected from the quilter before we left for our holiday in March, and has since been languishing waiting to be bound.  There is a piece of fabric in my stash which will serve the purpose and which will, I hope, look good; I really wanted to use a dark blue tone on tone for binding, but there isn't enough of it left in my stash.  Oh, well, on to Plan B.  The proposed binding fabric is from the Fossil Fern range, from several years ago - is it still available?  it was a very useful range - in a deep blue, with touches of lighter blue, purple and green.  

Well, what do you know - Fossil Fern is still available, in a rainbow of over 100 colours.  I just looked up the Benartex Fabrics website and found out that my colour is called 'Bluebell', something not shown on the selvedge.

The next meeting of the quilt group is on the fourth Saturday of this month and it would be good to have a completed project for show and tell, something not possible for the past several months.

How has everyone's week been?  Mine has been marked by another milestone in the ever onward and upward progress of my injured hand and wrist - I managed to complete a few clues in a crossword! For some weeks now I have been able - just - to sign myself into choir, and quilting and sewing groups, albeit somewhat slowly and painfully, but yesterday I managed to complete a few words in a crossword, and that feels good.  On Monday I duly trotted along to have my bone test and when I get around to it will contact my doctor about the results.  I'm not in a hurry to do that, I've had enough of medical appointments and Stuff over the last few months to do me for quite a while.  

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn by hand, and by machine.  No diamonds have been cut this week.  Songs have been sung and plinked.  Physio exercises are being done daily.  We hunted and gathered.  That's it for the week, folks.

Ads are frequently shown on TV for an Aussie home renovation show which has several couples vying for the big prize, sniping against each other, taking it in turns to storm off the set in a huff and/or in tears, and being judged for their results room by room.  Although I enjoy some renno shows I never ever watch that show, as it seems to be more about the drama and fights and less about the renno.  My ideal renno are just that - home ideas, no drama, no sniping.  Friday nights currently bring us a Canadian show which has gorgeous autumn scenery...sigh...and no dramatic huffs and puffs, and sometimes we can point at the screen and say, "yay, we've been there!"

Continuing with Conduct in an artist's studio:

"It is not proper to visit the studio of an artist except by special invitation or permission, and at an appointed time, for you cannot estimate how much you may disturb him at his work.  The hours of daylight are all golden to him; and steadiness of hand in manipulating a pencil is sometimes only acquired each day after hours of practice, and may be instantly lost on the irruption and consequent interruption of visitors."

Indeed.  Daylight is when I sew by machine; as the day draws on my brain and particularly my eyes tire, and I am more likely to make mistakes.  Consequently, hand sewing is for evenings in front of TV and machine sewing is done during golden daylight hours.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

I can see clearly now!

That would make a good song title, wouldn't it?  Oh, wait......hmmmm.....

My new glasses were collected a few days ago, and now all is clear.  Deep teal and sort-of-bronze, with more of those details on the arms.  They are quite pretty, with a slight Art Deco styling.

Much to the interest of the staff I took along a needle, thread and fabric to try the new glasses before bringing them home, and yes - they worked!

With my spiffy new specs, I should be able to read a menu correctly too.

A couple of weeks ago we met up with a friend for lunch at a pub not far from here - when you live in a country town, an hour is considered "not far" - and when perusing the menu I thought is said "bananas and mash".  Well, no....it was "bangas and mash".  For the non-Ozzies "bangers" (the usual spelling) are sausages (definitely not hot dogs) grilled or broiled, and mash is of course mashed potato.  It is usually served with copious amounts of gravy, and sometimes "dead horse" - tomato sauce.  Not ketchup.  We don't do ketchup.  

The week hasn't entirely slipped by, some sewing has happened, and the quilting on my musical hanging is done.  Now the edges need to be stitched and trimmed, then it can be bound with the dark yellow fabric shown; it picks up the yellow in a couple of the music notes, and will add a bright touch to the edge.

Nothing fancy about the quilting, just some lines echoing the design.  Perhaps they are sound waves.  It's supposed to be a guitar - tenor guitars (and ukuleles!) have four strings, so we will say it's a tenor with slightly crooked strings.  Once it is bound and hanging on the wall it will look like a true work of genius.  I hope.

Diamonds have been sewn, and more cut.  Words have been read.  Notes have been plinked and sung in readiness for an annual gig next Sunday morning at silly early o'clock, for a gospel breakfast at a small church just out of town; the folk who run the church are all nice people, and they like our songs.  The usual foray for hunting and gathering has taken place, and that's it for another week.

Our next caravan trip away will be in March, so thoughts need to be thought about a knitting project to take along.  It's over 700 kms from here to Canberra by the most direct route - which we don't always take anyway - so that is a lot of knitting time.  There is some bewdiful new yarn waiting in my stash for inspiration to strike......cardy or jumper, jumper or cardy......

Recently while eating our way through (chocolate chip!) shortbread, part of a Christmas gift, I wondered why shortbread seems to be associated with New Year, so looked it up......and yes, it is, particularly in Scotland.  Shortbread was once considered quite a delicacy, and Hogmanay - New Year - used to be an important celebration in Scotland; indeed, it still is in many places.  Of course a celebratory occasion calls for celebratory food, and so the association between New Year and shortbread was started.

Last night we watched two parts of a documentary on railways of the world.  The first part was set in Scotland, but we weren't provided with subtitles or an interpreter.....those Highland Scottish accents were very thick and broad......just because we speak the same language (sort of, more or less) doesn't mean to say we can understand each other.  The scenery was pretty, so we just watched it roll by and picked up the occasional word as best we could.  Part two was in California, we had no trouble with that!

Once again the rain has passed us by, but we have hopes - which may be doomed to disappointment, but we can always hope - for the coming week.  We might be doing that rain dance yet.

Continuing with Etiquette of Public Places, Conduct in Church:

"Do not turn around in your seat to gaze at anyone, to watch the choir, to look over the congregation or to see the cause of any disturbing noise."

No, not at all.  Eyes front, and all that.  Not even if something untoward occurs.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

 

Well....it works!

How have you all been this week?  It is still quite warm here - one might even say it is hot, which it is - and today is hazy and smokey.  There are fires two or three hours west of here and smoke is drifting this way, so the air outside has a tinge of gold.  It's good weather to stay indoors, because being outside is probably unhealthy..

My idea about slicing and dicing the blocks shown in the last post actually works, which makes me happy!

The original block.  This pic will be added to the written instructions handed out to the quilt group next month.

When the blocks come back to me (doesn't matter if it takes a few months, there's no hurry) they will be cut on the diagonal and the colours mixed around.

Then two of those triangles will be joined with a one inch strip of black solid, and voila - we have a new block!

  This pic makes it look rectangular, but it isn't.  My ruler tells me it is definitely square.  Because there will be several seams coming together they will be sashed with plain black, and I am hoping the effect will be of stained glass.

Needs some green, doesn't it......

For the last sewing group meeting for this year one of our members showed us how to make an origami tree.  We had to take along a square of paper and our paper scissors....not the Good Scissors, no!......and we folded, cut, folded some more, snipped some more, and this is the result.  I used Christmas wrap which looks good when finished, although it was more fiddly to work with than a stiffer paper would be.

Should you wish to make your own, or perhaps need to entertain a younger person during the holiday break by making a tree with them, here are instructions and a video for you. 

The silly season is upon us.  A few nights ago we were watching something forgettable when an ad break came on, so of course the mute button was pressed.  (We don't enjoy having ads blasted at us.....they are always far too loud.)  An ad came on for a barbeque griller thingy, the well-known brand starting with W, they don't pay me to advertise so I won't name them. The grills come in different sizes, and this ad was for a 'baby' one. The young couple in the ad looked the part, he was smiling proudly at the new small grill while she, gazing adoringly at her man's prowess with the tongs, was holding a small child. Quite a young child. Just then the 'baby BBQ" writing flashed up on the screen, and I lost it completely. Nearly-fell-off-my-chair-laughing lost it.

Well.....what else would you cook on a baby BBQ?

Yesterday I put that on my facebook page and one person (who must have had a sense of humour bypass) took it seriously. "Oh no, they shouldn't imply that" she said.......truly......

A fun week this week with a couple of end-of-year functions. A 'thank you to our lovely volunteers' party at the gallery where I do my monthly shift; my last shift for the year will be coming up on Tuesday. My new-to-me recently op-shopped red bag made its first appearance, and looks like being very useful.

Thursday was lunch and a final play for the year with the U3A ukulele group. I was surprised and touched when both the leader and I were each presented with a lovely hand-made card signed by the members and a 'thank you for your help with the music' gift; it was totally unexpected but very appreciated, and the hand-written messages in the card are a delight to read.

Words have been read.  Diamonds have been joined, and (finally!) more have been cut.  Notes have been plinked and sung.  We have hunted and gathered, and so another week has passed.  Hi ho, and so we go.

Continuing with Etiquette of Public Places, Conduct in Church:

"It is ill-mannered to be late at church.  If one if unavoidably late, it is better to take a pew as near the door as possible."

Indeed.  In fact, it is ill-mannered to be late nearly anywhere, although we understand that traffic can be unpredictable.....especially at this time of year.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Not a stitch, not one street or laneway

No sewing was done on the house quilt.  The older I get, the more the first few days of daylight saving hit me; once it's been underway for a while it's easier to cope, but I'm pretty useless for those first few days.  That's my excuse for why I didn't get to quilt group on Tuesday.  It was still dark when I woke up, and I don't bounce out of bed when it's dark.  

Never mind.  There is no deadline....it's just a fun project.

Consequently it's been a(nother) lazy week, although the time change fog is lifting now.

The backing for the blue and green quilt has been pieced, although it needs to be cut down to size.

The fabric needed to be cut and re-joined to make a big enough piece.  There was no guarantee that the diagonal swirl (this is tilted) would match up when that was done and, if it didn't match, that would bug the bejabbers out of me every time I looked at it, so the blue stripe was added.  My brain can do random with no problems....it can do matched.......but it doesn't do mis-matched.  Mis-matched just looks.....untidy, doesn't it?  The blue stripe will be about one third of the way down going across the quilt, and the swirls will go top left to bottom right.  Or vice versa.

It is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, so best wishes to my Canadian family and friends!

This was taken on Thanksgiving back in 2015.  We had celebrated Turkey Day with our son and his partner the previous day and, of course, being a holiday there wasn't a lot open on the actual day.  As it was a glorious day we took a bus to Rosetta Mcclain Gardens which we had passed several times by bus and car, but this was our first visit......and it was worth it, for sure; it was a beautiful place to while away a couple of hours with its early autumn colours.  While strolling around we heard a familiar sound - an Australian cockatiel!  It was sitting on its owner's shoulder chirping away, so of course being True Blue Ozzies we said in our best broad Strine "g'day, mate".  However, the bird being Canadian born and bred far from its native land didn't understand our accents, which we thought was funny.

Words have been read.  Notes have been sung but none plinked, but uke group resumes tomorrow so we will be plinking again.  Diamonds have been cut, and sewn.  Thoughts have been thought about many profound things.  Hunting and gathering has happened.  A little shifting of fabrics from one place to another has been done.

A major Aussie car race is taking place today which Kevin is watching, at times through his eyelids.  The sound is turned off because I cannot stand the screaming commentary, and the radio is playing instead; currently it's a program of instrumental music from movies.  I have tinnitus, and find having a radio playing in the background helps distract my brain from the endless annoying humming and buzzing in my ears.  My generation grew up without television, certainly those of us who grew up in country towns did (TV came to the Big Smoke several years earlier than it did to smaller towns) and to this day I am more than happy to leave it off, unless there is a program I really want to watch.  But - we had radio!  There was always music; in our house the 'wireless' was turned on first thing in the morning and turned off last thing at night.  The local station played a mix of the latest hits and music from earlier times so we grew up familiar with music from the 1950s, 40s, 30s.....even the 1920s, and those older songs were also played at the dances we attended so of course we sang along while tripping the light fantastic.

An unwelcome visitor popped in for a chat earlier this week - winter made a return!  It was so cool on Thursday evening that we even had a fire; we could have done with one last night too because this morning was distinctly chilly.  We'll see how this evening develops, it may even be lit again.  This is the latest we have had a fire, we are usually done with them by the end of September......but not this year; last week was very warm for so early in the season and this week has swung to the opposite extreme.

Etiquette of the Street, Some General Suggestions:

"If a gentleman is walking with two ladies in a rain storm, and there is but one umbrella, he should give it to his companions and walk outside.  Nothing can be more absurd than to see a gentleman walking between two ladies holding an umbrella which perfectly protects himself, but half deluges his companions with its dripping streams."

"Absurd" doesn't begin to describe it, does it?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Yay! Double yay and triple yay!!

Yay even unto the nth degree yay!!!

It is done!

I am very happy with it, too.  When I can I'll get a better pic, but it is done.  The hanging split sleeve still needs to be sewn down on the back, but that doesn't count towards done, does it?

During its making I earned a lot....I learned how to quilt as you go; I learned how to do raw edge applique, something I had done very little of before this.  On our last trip to Canada our DIL and I went to a quilt show which had one of these hanging, but I didn't take a pic - because I wanted to photograph my own when it was done.

However, the most impotant thing I learned was - don't ever do anything like this again!

Now things can be moved around again in the sewing room.  The house blocks have been brought back into daylight and will now be worked on, likewise a foundation pieced project which needs its turn in the sun.  Each project has its own box; for some time now the biggest box has had fabrics and patterns for the Canadian quilt because it was large enough that the blocks could stay flat, but now it will be used for another project.

A few diamonds were cut but none joined.  No stitches were knitted; it's getting a bit warm for knitting.  Words have been read.

A few nights ago Kevin was standing over the barbecue on the back verandah (which we call the beer garden although we seldom drink beer in it) and a few of the neighbours popped by for a visit.  I think the one on the right should be wearing a "baby on board" sign.

There's always one who likes to be Nigel or Noreen No-friends on its own....

The year is slowly winding down.  A few nights ago the choir had its end of year dinner at a restaurant for a very nice meal and in a week or so the sewing group is doing lunch.  The quilt group had theirs last Saturday but I didn't go as it clashed with the choir concert, and as it was probably our very last performance ever there was no choice, was there?  Choir won't stop meeting, but we won't do concerts.

Ads are starting to appear for so-called 'talent' programs starting back on TV next year (nothing like getting in early, is there) and one young feller shown was singing, head back, eyes closed, throat tight, face contorted in agony.....if you don't enjoy it, mate, don't do it.  Simple.

Houses in our street are putting up fancy lights, the neighbours two doors down at no. 72 have a large display with just about every light flashing merrily.  When we came home from our dinner on Thursday night we passed several houses with their flashing displays and it was already 9.30 p.m......if we lived near one of those displays I would be asking (nicely, of course) (at first, anyway) if they could be turned off no later than 9 p.m.  Or preferably earlier when it just starts to get dark, because flashing lights annoy the bejabbers out of me.  Bah humbug.

This year will be just the two of us so the house will be quiet, but there will be a few decorations put out.  My Canadian tree - a small tree with decorations from Canada, some bought by me and some gifted - will go up, and the Chrissie wombats will of course make an appearance.  Even Flossie, the Jim Shore Christmas angel, might pop in for a visit.  She can keep an eye on the wombats, because Santa Paws doesn't come to naughty wombats, you know.  Even Christmas decoration wombats.

Continuing on with Etiquette of the Street:

"The first to bow.

In England strict etiquette requires that a lady, meeting upon the street a gentleman with whom she has acquaintance, shall give the first bow of recognition.  In Australia, however, good sense does not insist upon an imperative following of this rule.  A well-bred man bows and raises his hat to every lady of his acquaintance whom he meets, without waiting for her to take the iniative.  If she is well-bred, she will certainly respond to his salutation.  As politeness requires that each salute the other, their salutations should thus be simultaneous."

I remember being out with my maternal grandfather, Pop Davis, when I was a child, and he would always raise his hat if he saw someone he knew - particularly a lady.  I don't, however, remember if their mutual salutations were simultaneous.

Enjoy your days!

I have seen the light......

A few months ago when having my annual eye exam the optician recommended getting a task light.....good idea, I said.  I kept meaning to go shopping for one but time flew by then we went away and were busy after coming home again.  However - a few days ago I announced that I (we) would go light shopping.  So I (we) did.

Isn't it a pretty colour?  It goes with my green chair - in the same colour family, at least - and gives a wonderful light for handwork; the flexible neck was pulled down for this pic.  You can also see my new Jennifer table with my Stuff on it, including a wombat coaster for my drink of choice which is usually either water or coffee.

The lighting shop had this colour reduced because - can you believe it - green doesn't always sell as well as other colours do.  It is euphemistically called 'Mint' although I have never seen mint that colour; it's more like aqua, and it holds hands nicely with my smokey turquoise chair.

If you look up 'mint green' a range of colours appears, very few of which I would associate with the bright vibrant green of mint plants.  

Some fallen leaves in Canberra last month, mostly from plane trees.

Even when fallen they make a pretty picture against the grey pavers.

Plinking has happened, practice for the Eisteddfod on Saturday afternoon and the market outside town on Sunday morning.  (No sleep in for me on Sunday!)  Knitting has happened, the first sleeve on the new jumper/cardy is coming along well.  Sewing has happened, a few more diamonds have been sewn together and more have been cut.  My Canadian quilt is now on my work table waiting to have the batting tacked together inside the border layers - not as difficult as it sounds - I am looking forward to having it done.  

Books have been read, some better than others.....I've always been a quick reader, had my own library card when I was about four years old.  Neither of my parents were readers, so I don't know where I came from.

We are now seeing ads for the next sportfest, the Commonwealth Games, which will be happening in the next month or two or three, I don't really know or care.  What I do care about, what really makes my blood boil, is the wording of ads for those games, ads hailing our 'heroes' accompanied by people wearing sports clothes and waving medals.  To me a 'hero' is someone who does something selfless for another, sometimes at the risk of their own life, not someone who can run or swim faster or jump higher than another person.

Another grumble:  last night one of my favourite movies 'The Dressmaker' was on TV so we watched it - and it had scenes cut out!  How annoying was that!  At least we could still admire the wonderful costumes.  Not everyone who sees this movie has enjoyed it but anyone who grew up in a country town would, I think, get it; the pettiness of small town life, the gossip, the closing of ranks against anyone perceived as an outsider.  Our Canberra son's father-in-law also likes it; he grew up in a small town.

We've had some cold frosty mornings and some grey days.  I'm glad I don't live where the sun doesn't shine for months on end.....I can't imagine what that would be like.

Continuing on with General Rules for Balls:

"The difference between a ball and an evening party is, that at a ball there must be dancing, and at an evening party there may or may not be.  A London authority defines a ball to be "an assemblage for dancing of not less than seventy-five persons."

Considering that many dances are for two people, or for two or four couples, I wonder who decided the figure of seventy-five persons was a good number?  Someone who can't count, perhaps.

Enjoy your days!

'Weeds of Grace' is finished!

My magnum opus is done, and what an opus it is.  Had the weather been kinder some very artistic pics could have been taken outside, perhaps even in a park - but it has been, still is, and will continue to rain so inside it had to be.

To give an idea of size, this is on a queen sized bed.  The back is not boring either.

You can see the backing, a wide fabric bought in Canberra on our trip south earlier in the year......when I saw it I knew it would be The Very Thing.  It's the first time I have used a wide backing fabric, and it won't be the last.

The label is hand embroidered on a fabric used for some of the tumblers, and edged with a piece of leftover binding.

The week has been productive, more of the Canadian quilt is done, and there is only one block to go - yee har!  I want to have the centre panel done before next Saturday for the big reveal; our challenge this year was to finish a UFO, and this was mine.  Borders won't be done by then, but it is much further along than it was in February when we started.

'Weeds of Grace' will also go along to be flashed around for show and tell, another finished UFO.

This week's houses, butterflies around a striped house and bicycles around a fishy house.  There is a saying "a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" which was coined by the women's movement in 1970, so I couldn't resist putting the fish and bikes together.

There are not many houses left to be bordered now.

This morning the ukulele group played our first gig since February, and great fun it was too!  We played at a charity fair and were allocated a spot under cover (fortunately, because......rain) so we had an audience the whole time.  We tried some songs which were new to us and some old favourites; we had people singing along, and were given many compliments.  Considering how out-of-practice we are at playing for an audience, we did very well indeed - let's hope that next year brings more opportunities to play.

According to a web page which has information about what is being celebrated on a particular day, week or month, today is World Television Day.  It will probably be marked in this household by leaving the television off, because there is a lot which just doesn't appeal to us.  Perhaps we're just weird......Kevin is currently watching a car race.  With the sound off.  Because sports commentary is mind-numbingly unutterably boring and far too loud, to me.  We came to an agreement many years ago whereby he watches sport, and I listen to something else.

"The music.

Four musicians are enough for a "dance".  When the dancing room is small, the flageolet is preferable to the horn, as it is less noisy and marks the time as well.  The piano and violin form the mainstay of the band; but when the rooms are large enough a larger band may be employed."

Some of our songs this morning could have been danced to, but no one did.  In the past I have played in bands for dances and loved it.  A flageolet is a wind instrument similar to a recorder; I wonder if it would have been heard when being played for dancers?  Perhaps if the dancing room was small enough, it would have been all right.

Enjoy your days!

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!

Greening up nicely

Oh my, it's windy today!  I am staying inside so I don't get blown away, as I nearly did when it was time to bring in the washing.  It's also a long way from being cold despite the fact that it's still winter, the warm breeze may bring rain......and it's a bit soon to put away the winter woollies just yet, as the coming week will be much cooler than today.

The park is coming along well, as are this week's blocks.

These are two of the outer corner triangles, two more need to be made for the other two corners.  These are four by four squares cut once on the diagonal; the side triangles are seven by seven, and are each cut into four quarter-square triangles.  They are slightly larger than the measurements given in the book if cutting from yardage, but hey......you can always trim off half an inch, but you can't add it on so easily should it be a bit small.

The black and white fabric around the pale spotted house is left over from a skirt made several years ago.  The fabric was bought from a quilt store, I really liked it, but sadly the skirt wasn't a good fit so I ended up giving it away.  The leftovers still find themselves turning up in the odd quilt here and there.

This is one from several years ago.

The same black and white print is in the inner corner of each block, fussy cut to feature the floral design.  It was also used in the piano key border and for the binding.

All the applique on the Canadian blocks is stitched down, a great sigh of relief was heaved when the last stitch was done.  Now the stabiliser is being torn away from the back......then the blocks can be joined, yippee!   

It has been another quiet stay-at-home week.  A time for sewing, for playing music, for reading, for knitting the odd stitch or two.....a time for just......being.  We have stopped watching the news again (as we did last year, for several months) and we do not click on links to stories about doom and gloom.  Some might say we are sticking our heads in the sand - I prefer to say we're looking after our mental health.

The television is off more than it's on because so little appeals to us.  We don't mind some renno porn shows - house hunting and renovating - we have our favourites, but there are many we never watch.  Other so-called "reality" shows - never.  Not ever.  There isn't much drama that we like and we don't want to watch the same British police shows for the unpteenth time; they were good the first time, all right the second, but lose their gloss after that.  There are the online channels, occasionally I remember to look through their offerings but then forget to put it on.

Back in the days when I was young our town didn't have television; it didn't arrive in major Australian cities until the mid-1950s, and not in country towns for several more years.  We, three deprived little kids from a country town, were mesmerised when we visited our Posh Melbourne Grandparents because they had T.V.  The soundtrack to my childhood and growing up was radio rather than television, and I still prefer it.  My mother used to listen to her radio serials - now, that's something you don't hear any more!  She sang along to the radio and we learned all those old songs by osmosis, they just soaked into our brains.

"Strive to keep the cloth as clean as possible, and use the edge of the plate or a side dish for potato skins and other refuse."

The history of the tablecloth is interesting.  Apparently, several centuries ago, people would blow their noses on it, wipe their mouths on it during eating instead of using a napkin.....a bit gross, really.  Makes you pity the poor servants who had to wash the table linen, doesn't it?

Enjoy your days!

Back in the business of construction

Two more houses have joined the neighbourhood.

A fabric which has always reminded me of conversation lollies - remember them? - with their 'I heart U', cats on what may have been a hot tin roof at night, and gardens with pink flowers.  A couple more have also been cut out.

Leftover tumblers are still being joined for a panel on the back of 'Why Not'.  It's an easy project at night in front of TV, without requiring too much brain power.

Some half square triangles have been made in autumn prints and lighter background fabrics for my (eventual) autumn quilt.  Feeding them through the machine is wonderfully mindless sewing, then they have to be trimmed and pressed.  Trimming can get tedious so I try not to do hundreds at a time; there are over 300 required for the quilt, but I am trying to do smaller batches because my back rebels at having to stand and trim for too long at a time.

We haven't had rain for a couple of weeks, the grass which until recently was green and lush is drying off again, but there is rain forecast for the coming week.  Fingers crossed some of it falls on us.

Absolutely no progress has been made on clearing out the pantry, it's been a bit too warm.  That will happen in due course.

So, as you can see, it's been a good week for doing very little.  We haven't been out at all, apart from a little hunting and gathering and a drug run.  As the weather starts to cool and energy comes back, there will be no stopping us.  It's now been more than a month since the summer solstice, and we are noticing that mornings are darker than they were not so long ago.  It's the beginning of the end of summer, although it will hang around for quite a while yet.

Speaking of TV, there isn't much to watch that appeals to us......or to me, anyway.  Kevin likes to watch some sport which doesn't bother me, so long as he turns the sound off (those commentators can get very loud at times; I can't stand their screaming and the noise of the spectators), we have a few renno porn shows that we enjoy, and that's about it.  We like some police/mystery shows but most are on their umpteenth repeat; once is good, twice is maybe not too bad, but we don't need to watch it three or more times when we already know who dunnit and any surprise is lost.  Having a lot of channels - compared to years gone by we do, even without cable - doesn't always guarantee that there will be something you want to watch, does it?  

So the 'off' button is clicked and the radio turned back on, either to a classical station or to my new favourite, an internet folk music station.

Continuing on:

"In private families it should be observed as a rule to meet together at all meals of the day around one common table, where the same rules of etiquette should be rigidly enforced, as though each member of the family were sitting at a stranger's table.  It is only by this consistent practice of the rules of good behaviour at home, that good manners become easy when any of them go abroad."

This is true.  At times it might be easy to take the path of least resistance and let everybody do whatever they wish, but you tell yourself that they will - hopefully - thank you one day.

Enjoy your days!