Now for the next 50 years!

Here we are, home again after a fun three weeks.  It is said that travel broadens the mind....it certainly broadens the behind, because we sit a lot when travelling, don't we?

Anyway.....

We had a good time revisiting places from years past, and it's interesting to see changes since then.  The weather was mostly kind (we did have quite a cold change in Canberra but that's nothing new; fortunately we had warm jumpers with us) and there are photos to share.

Seen on the wall of a café in Tumut while sitting under cover out of light rain, a sentiment with which I heartily concur in these days of doom and gloom:

The coffee was good, and the munchies were excellent too; we took a couple of slices back to our accommodation to share later in the day.

The bathroom floor of our apartment in a beautifully renovated old house - the same design as my tumbling blocks currently being sewn, but with only three colours instead of many:

And yes, those are my feet in my gorgeous green sandals - which, believe it or not, started life as boring beige.  Green is much prettier than boring beige....just about anything is better than boring beige, actually.

Not the best pic ever taken, but there we were at the end of summer and there were still flowers on the wisteria shading the verandah - even though they were hiding behind leaves.  I'm not sure if they were late bloomers from last spring, or getting an early start for later in the year.

One day we drove from Tumut to Batlow where this interesting sculpture was on a park at the entrance to the town.  You can't see here - but it moves!  The whole 'leafy' top section swivels back and forth, while the individual 'branches' also twist and turn at the same time.

It's part of a sculpture trail; I was a little annoyed to find no information on the sculpture without having to scan a code and visit a website.  What's wrong with an information board near the sculpture itself?

Perhaps I'm just old......

We celebrated our anniversary with a very nice lunch at a Tumut pub.  When our server found out about our special occasion she insisted on gifting us our drinks, and also brought a special dessert for us to share.  Dark chocolate dipped strawberries, yummo.....cheesecake too.....the strawberries were beautifully ripe and very delicious.  It was a pleasantly warm day, fortunately nowhere near as hot as the day on which we were married 50 years earlier.

There are some more pics to show, which will make their way onto the blog in due course.

How have you all been over the past few weeks?  I hope to catch up with blogs over the next few days; we arrived home three days ago and have been busy unpacking, and sorting, and washing clothes, and putting Stuff away, etc.  You all know what happens at the end of a holiday, don't you.  Well, that's what we've been doing.  However, I think we are just about caught up, so normal life can resume next week.

While we were away stitches were knitted and sewn, and words read.  Some shopping was indulged in, and my supply of home-made jams should last for quite some time.  My wardrobe has been expanded by some op shop purchases including a brand-new-with-tags top from a well-known retailer, which will be quite useful.  A couple of fabrics shops were visited and a small - quite small - amount of shopping done in them.  Best of all, though, was time spent with family and friends.....The One And Only Grandkid is now a foofteenth of a smidgin taller than I am, and he's still only 11.

Today's quote will be continued next week, as it's fairly long.

"Breaking an engagement.

Sometimes it is necessary to break off an engagement.  Many circumstances will justify this.  Indeed, anything which may occur or be discovered which shall promise to render the marriage an unsuitable or unhappy one is, and should be, accepted as justification for such rupture.  Still, breaking an engagement is always a serious and distressing thing, and ought not to be contemplated without absolute and just reasons."

This is true.  I was told about events which, had I been given more notice, would have led to the engagement with the first husband being broken off....but just ten days before a wedding is not much notice, is it?  Especially when one is the only girl in the family, whose parents (particularly whose mother) had been looking to seeing their one and only daughter safely married off.  So the wedding continued, but the marriage did not.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Back in a few weeks

Next Friday - Friday 13th, but we're not superstitious - we will heading off on our travels down south.  There probably won't be opportunities to update the blog during that time, but we'll be back a few weeks later.  There will, I'm sure, be photo opportunities during our travels.

Consequently not much has happened this week.  More diamonds have been cut, some stitches knitted.  Songs were played and sung.  Appointments were kept.  Food was purchased.

Not having to pack a caravan has its advantages, and its disadvantages.  No more "there's plenty of room so this, that and the other can go in" thinking.....no; on the other hand we are more conscious of only taking what will be needed with no unnecessary extras.  And, of course, a ukulele.  

My brain has been itching, however, to get on with cutting green border fabrics for my house quilt, and to get those tree blocks laid out for Arboretum, and perhaps even to cut into the fabrics for that yellow quilt I have been wanting to make for nigh on 30 years......never mind; we will arrive home the day before Easter, so there will be opportunities for all that cutting and stitching.

But - we need a picture, so let's see what we can find.

Several years ago we spent Easter at the folk festival, then we stayed in Canberra for a few more weeks as our son and (now ex) DIL were away on their delayed honeymoon.  One Saturday morning I was reading the local paper and found that a local (local-ish) garden was open for inspection, so off we went.  It was a 40-45 minute drive east in some rather gorgeous country, and well worth it.

We paid our charity dollars at the gate, and in we went.  I don't even remember what the house looked like - it was not open - but the gardens were beautiful.  I'm not sure what this small tree was, possibly some sort of oak, but the leaves were very bright.

An area just outside the house had been set up as a small café where we enjoyed a coffee and admired the flowers on our table, large dahlias wearing their autumn dresses.

Lots of fallen leaves.......

......and a pond......

.....with a rose trellis......

'Nahema' has a wonderful scent.  If you look it up you can see that's it's a climbing rose which is quite spectacular when covered with blooms.

Here is a timely read for you.  Today is International Women's Day, and this article shows that much is still to be done to make a world in which women feel comfortable.  A woman is not just a shorter bloke with longer hair, there is much more to us than that; I'm not tall, about five foot two as the songs says (although I don't have eyes of blue) and I find many chairs are too high for me to rest my feet on the ground.....and I'm by no means the shortest woman I know.  Many years ago I read that anyone under five foot three inches tall finds most chairs too high.  That's certainly true.  The particularly galling part is that many medications given to women are not tested on them - too hard, say the medical scientist blokes, women have menstrual cycles and pregnancies and menopauses which make them unavailable when we need them to be tested, so we won't bother about them.  Perhaps in the future things might change....we certainly hope so, even if we're no longer around to benefit.

Sigh.....

"Lovers' disputes.

Neither party should try to make the other jealous for the purpose of testing his or her affection.  Such a course is contemptible; and if the affections of the other are permanently lost by it, the offending party is only gaining his or her just desserts.  Neither should there be provocation to little quarrels for the foolish delight of reconciliation.  No lover will assume a domineering attitude over his future wife.  If he does so, she will do well to escape from his thrall before she becomes his wife in reality.  A domineering lover will be certain to be more domineering as a husband."

Of this, I have no doubt.

We will return in a few weeks, but until then - 

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Well, that's Christmas done and dusted!

The Chrissy earrings have been packed away for another eleven and a half months, likewise the Christmas music and songs.  Just a few more days left of this year, then we start a new one.  

I don't do resolutions.  I do, however, have hopes.

The new project was started on Boxing Day.

Isn't this fabric fun?  It came home with me from Canada (as if you couldn't guess!) and was a gift from a quilt shop in Maxwell, Ontario.  We were driving from one town to another late in October 2018, it was getting a bit snowy - more than a bit, actually; it was getting darn near to being a whiteout, something we aren't used to driving in....add that to being on an unfamiliar road, driving on the other side of the road, and you can double and triple the stress.  As we approached Maxwell....there's not much at Maxwell, let me tell you....I told Kevin we should stop as he needed a break from driving, and I wanted to call in at a quilt shop that we had driven past without stopping at three years earlier.

So we stopped.  'Threads That Bind' had a lot of fabrics and all manner of other quilting Stuff, and was just finishing up with a demonstration when I walked in.....did I mind looking around while the owner dealt with purchases from the demo, I was asked, not at all, I said......and bought some prints that have been used in my autumn quilt.  When I went to pay, the owner sussed out that I wasn't Canadian (the accent gives it away every time, doesn't it) and said she always had a gift for quilters who had come from far away.  This was my gift, a FQ of Robert Kaufman moose fabric.  Just the right pattern was waiting for it too, also purchased in Canada a few years earlier.

The selvedge is pretty, with colourful maple leaves.

While I was happily browsing and shopping and chatting Kevin drove to the diner further down the road for coffee, and he was also chatting to some locals while he waited for me.  After my stroll from the quilt shop to meet him at the diner I enjoyed my coffee too, and as it was just a couple of days before Halloween the diner's front steps were decorated.....even the fallen snow looked like part of the decor.

A couple of strips have been sewn around the outside, and more are waiting to be sewn.  That pine cone print might not be used, though, as it's a bit too yellow compared to the other strips.  The print with tiny leaves has been in my stash for *ahem* quite some time, it's a Debbie Mumm fabric that has been waiting for the right project.

No strips were sewn yesterday as I took the opportunity to give my Singer Featherweight machine a grease and oil change; it was a bit sluggish when sewing those first strips, but now it is purring along beautifully.

This is what it will become.  The 'Sweet Treasures' pattern and the fabrics were bought as a kit from a quilt store on Vancouver Island....my friend took me to so many stores that I can't remember where it was bought.

We had a very quiet Christmas, a phone call from our son in Canberra was a highlight of our day.  We don't bother with presents any more, but there are a couple of items that we want so we will check them out while the sales are still on.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn and knitted.  My fingers and the ukulele have been resting, but we'll get back together this week.  Plan B for fixing my voile top has been thought out in my head so will now be carried out - fingers crossed that it works - some hunting and foraging early in the week before the shops became too hectic with Christmas shoppers, and that was us done.

We are still learning how to treat a refusal of a proposal of marriage.

"In refusing, the lady ought to convey her full sense of the high honor intended her by the gentleman, and to add, seriously but not offensively, that it is not in accordance with her inclination, or that circumstances compel her to give an unfavorable answer."

It is good to be serious without being offensive, yes?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

It's good to go away.....

.....but it's even better to be home.

Well, that was a fun couple of weeks!  Spending time with family and friends - hello, Janice and Mick - going places we hadn't been before, and a little (just a little) shopping.

Every year when we visit Canberra I tell myself I will take lots of pics, and it seldom happens.  It didn't happen this year either; we have been making these annual autumn visits since 1996, and it's so familiar now that I forget to whip out the camera.  However, occasionally something will catch my eye, and I think to myself "now, that's nice"!

This was taken outside a café.  The cloudy diffused light through the leaves shows some autumn colouring just starting to peep through.

One place which has been on my list for a few years is the Canadian pub, on the south side of the lake.  We met our son there one day for lunch, and jolly good it was too.  There are quite a few artworks with a caribou theme throughout, but I specially liked this one stitched in gold (it doesn't show in the pic, but it was gold) on a dark fabric background.  The finger marks in the corner are not ours.

A yarn bombed tree.  The other side was even more colourful, but because of plants and the sloping ground I couldn't get to it so easily.....still, this is very bright!  

Canberra weather can be quite chilly, so the tree is probably glad of its warm blanket.

The view looking down from my chair at a favourite café, one morning.  As soon as I had taken this pic a little puff of wind blew those leaves in all directions, and - pouf - they were scattered.

Our anniversary lunch the day before we left was special.  We tried a new-ish restaurant and oh, it was good.  Might be somewhere to keep in mind for my birthday next month.....I could certainly eat there again......

Fabrics for the next two leaves were chosen before we went away, so they were made yesterday.  This one puts me in mind of the old rhyme "Lavender's blue, dilly dilly"; the background fabric was used for my Summertime Blues quilt, and the lighter fabric was left from my Canadian quilt.

I quite like this tree.  My first thought in choosing these two fabrics was that they would clash - that's all right; I'm not a great fan of matchy-matchy, I like contrast - but it looks good!

Two contrasting trees to welcome us home.

We had a medical moment while in Canberra, but this time it was Kevin's turn.  While I was browsing at a used book and CD shop he realised that he had left his phone in the car, so trotted off to get it.  On returning he tripped going up a step - there was only one step - and banged his head on a convenient metal pipe.  A helpful woman brought him over to me, so after I paid for my purchases (wasn't going to let those chosen CDs get away!) I drove him to an urgent care centre.  Nurse Lucy cleaned and dressed the wound on his head and sent us off to the hospital for a scan, as head wounds in older folk need to be checked.  Fortunately the scan showed no damage, so we went back to our cabin for a quiet night.  The next day was Saturday; we had arranged to meet our son and The One And Only Grandkid but the weather changed, it was cold and raining, Kevin was still recovering, so we stayed in for a quiet day.  I had hoped to get to the farmers' market that day but with the rain and associated mud and slush decided against it.....the first time for many years that we have missed going.  Never mind, there's always next time.

Words were read while we were away, and since coming home.  Stitches were knitted, and also sewn - the box with finished three-diamond hexagons now contains exactly 300! - and even crossword puzzles attempted.  Some plinking took place in Canberra as my tenor uke came with me, but sadly there were no other uke players to jam with this time. 

The rain which our town missed out on before going away certainly fell while we weren't here!  We had quite a bit in Canberra, but much more fell in our town.  When we left things were dry and brown, just a little tinge of green.....now all is lush bright green, and it looks really good.  Daylight saving finished last night so today was an earlier start than I would like, my body clock needs to reset itself, but it will.

And the end of an era has come.....as of ten minutes ago our caravan has gone, sold to an interstate buyer.  It is now on its way to its new home in The Land Of The Queen, or Queensland as some folk might call it.  I'm sure its new owner will enjoy it as much as we have - even if they don't have it for 27 years as we did.

"The gentleman's duty as an escort.

When a gentleman contemplates riding with a lady, his first duty is to see that her horse is a proper one for her use, and one that she can readily manage.  He must see that her saddle and bridle are perfectly secure, and trust nothing of this kind to the stable men, without personal examination.  He must be punctual at the appointed hour, and not keep the lady waiting for him clad in her riding costume.  He should see the lady comfortably seated in her saddle before he mounts himself; take his position on the lady's right in riding, open all gates and pay all tolls on the road."

Probably very good advice.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Well, golly gosh!

As a character in a long-ago TV show used to say.....I can't remember the name of the show or the character, but I remember "Oh......g-g-g-golly gosh!"

Two more trees done this week.

Both of these fabrics were used in 'Summertime Blues'.....I like the contrast between the light orange and the blue/green.

This yellow and blue fabric was pulled out to use in that quilt too, but the yellow was too.....yellow.  It wasn't gold/orange, the colour I was going for, so it wasn't used.  The purple is a remnant from a long-ago project.

They hold hands nicely together, don't they?

Here's the g-g-g-golly gosh - two dozen trees have been made, so it's time they lined up for a photo.  Don't they look good together!

A design wall would be a Very Useful Thing; these were spread out on the spare bed, and you can see how the random layout works..  This won't be the final layout, by any means, because many more trees still need to be made.  Perhaps it will be a colourwash layout, or perhaps I will just stick to random.  I quite like random.

How has everyone been?  We have had a busy week; on Wednesday we took our little caravan to a flat car park to get some pics, and it has now been listed for sale on a social media page dedicated to that model.  There have already been a few nibbles, so perhaps we will be saying goodbye to it sooner rather than later.

It's not very big, but it has taken us to some amazing places.....and it's better than sleeping on the ground in a tent.  After so many years, we will miss it.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, and several diamonds have been cut to add to the travelling stash.  Songs were sung and plinked, and a certain amount of fun was had by the ukulele group - I hope!  Choir is taking a break until the end of next month as our leader is directing a play which is taking quite a lot of his time and energy, and I will miss my Wednesday night singing.

It's been a fairly hot week, the "h" word - heatwave - was even used, but hopefully today will be the last hot day for a while.  Temperatures in the coming week look like being a lot milder and we may even get some rain, something we certainly hope to get.  It's been a hot dry summer, and we're more than ready for cooler damper weather.....fingers crossed.  We've been noticing signs of autumn colour on many trees; perhaps they are just stressed by the heat, as most of us are.

Some plans are being made for activities during our trip to Canberra next month.  For me, op shops are a great drawcard; those Canberra folk donate quite nice clothing, and in the past some has come home with me.  Even Kevin finds the occasional bargain, too.  No doubt there will be an exhibition or two, and there are family and friends to catch up with, so we won't be lacking for things to do.

Continuing on from last week's etiquette post:

"On the other hand, no man who pretends to be a gentleman will attempt any familiarity.  The practice of some young girls just entering into womanhood, of flirting with any young man they may chance to meet, either in a railway carriage or on a steamboat, indicates low-breeding in the extreme.  If, however, the journey is long, and especially if it be on a steamboat, a certain sociability may be allowed, and a married lady or a lady of middle age may use her privileges to make the journey an enjoyable one, for fellow passengers should always be sociable to each other."

A steamboat ride sounds quite jolly, doesn't it?  It might be more fun than a long plane trip stuck in a tin box with several hundred of one's new best friends and 97 crying babies.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Blue butterfly wings

This week's trees are quite different to each other.

First, we have the aforementioned blue butterfly wings....at least, that's what this print says to me.  There is a little distortion in the colour, the cloth in the background is really white - I didn't realise morning light in my sewing room has a pink tinge.

The green and yellow spot fabric was, I think, one of the strips in the strip scrap bag purchased some years ago, and the blue was very useful in my 'Summertime blues' quilt.

A rich gold tree, taken just a minute after the previous photo on the same white surface.

The tan fabric used for the trunk and branches, if memory serves me correctly, was once purchased as a background; it has some yellow in it, which makes it sit well with the gold.

This week's trees on - believe it or not - a white surface.

While thinking about the colour choices for the gold tree I looked up the word 'khaki', and found out the word means 'soil coloured'.  The examples in that article range from light gold, through tan, to deep olive green....but they are all considered 'khaki'!  So perhaps my tree trunk is khaki rather than gold, although I like the connotations of gold better.

This is the Big Basket of  Batiks.

There is a lot more fabric in it that you would think; indeed, it's quite heavy.  The fabric stack reaches over nine inches high.....perhaps it's time to find another container!  Smaller pieces, including strips, are in their own much smaller basket.

Words have been read, stitches have been sewn.  The binding on Autumn Rhapsody is coming along nicely, a few more sewing sessions and it will be done, yay!   The hanging sleeve still needs to be made and attached - it won't be beautifully sewn down either, I can tell you - and the label covered, but there are still ten days to get that done.  You can do it, you can, I keep telling myself.....notes have been plinked and songs sung.  The Thursday ukulele group is progressing, I joked that we should call ourselves 'The Hummers and Strummers'....we still might do that.

The caravan is cleaned out ready for sale.  We will hitch it up and drive to a flat road to take pics, inside and out; we live on a hill, so getting photos here without making the van look as though it is leaning unevenly will not be easy.  We have even started planning our first van-less trip for many years.  Next month is our Canberra son's birthday, so our annual trip down south will be a little different this year.  With the exception of trips to Canberra for our son's wedding and to meet The One And Only Grandkid for the first time, every trip we have taken since that first trek in March 1998 has been with the van.

Here's an interesting story I found earlier today - I didn't know that we had two Canadian-made totem poles in Australia!  We often drove by Victoria Park when we lived in the Big Smoke, but I never knew about the pole there.

Mother Nature has thrown quite a lot at us this week.  We have had heat, and wind, and storms which promised a lot but delivered very little rain, and today is almost autumnal.  I usually slop around the house in shorts but today is cool enough for capri pants, or "Olde Lady's Shorts" as I call them, the garment one wears when one considers one is past wearing shorts in public.....although not all Olde Ladies seem to feel the same about the matter as I do.

We are still travelling in public conveyances, but we have moved on from railway carriages to trams.

"In the street tram-cars the case is different.  No woman should be allowed to stand while there is a seat occupied by a man.  The inconvenience to the man will be temporary and trifling at the most, and he can well afford to suffer it rather to do an uncourteous act."

Our last tram rides were in Toronto, in Canada, and I have been given a seat on more than one occasion.  While it was appreciated, it is another sign that I am no longer considered young.....except in my own mind.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Have you ever seen a red peacock?

Neither have I.

This fabric was in the Big Basket of Batiks, and I thought it deserved to be a tree.

Definitely a peacock feather thing going on.....the blue contrast was a strip left over from one of the blocks in my Canadian applique quilt.  

It's several years too late, but if you had some spare moolah back in 2008 you could have bought yourself a magnificent embroidered peacock feather cape......the 'eyes' are embroidered, the rest of the feathers are filaments from real peacock feathers, and it is lined with yellow silk.  Perhaps it was intended for an Empress or Emperor to wear.

I think the green fabric might be sideways but it wasn't wide enough to be cut vertically, so sideways it had to be.  Perhaps it's a windblown tree.

Many years ago I bought a bag of leftover batik strips from a well-known quilter in the Big Smoke who did a lot of strip piecing.....perhaps one day they will become a bag, I thought to myself.  They never did, but are now coming in useful as trunks and branches.  This cheerful orange was one of those strips, and others have been used so far too.

A week of bright trees.

Did you know about the Blue Tree Project?  We have a few trees in our town - one we pass regularly is in a park next to the river, at the bridge - and the small town half an hour away with the two excellent butcher's shops also has one.  I have made two blue trees so far, so I suppose I'm doing my bit too.

How is everyone this week?  Not much has happened here.....on Friday I had my quarterly medical check-up, and all is mostly well.  A slight tweak of one medication should fix that, she said.  Jolly good.  Don't need to go back for a few months again now, it's not my favourite place to be.

Sewing the binding down on Autumn Rhapsody continues.  Some stupid little bug in my brain must have told me to use very small stitches, which is why it's taking a while; two weeks into it, and it's not quite half done.  The Cunning Plan was to have it done by the last week of this month so it could be entered in the annual show but there is still a lot of binding to be sewn down, then the sleeve to be done, then the label covered up (quilts are anonymously judged) and that may not be done by 26th February when entries have to be delivered.  Oh well.....there's always next year, isn't there.....

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn.  Songs have been sung because choir resumed for the year last week, and plinking has happened because U3A ukulele group is also back.  We have some raw beginners.  I am not a trained teacher, neither am I a properly trained musician, so I find it very stressful.  No doubt we'll blunder along; the holidays at the end of each term will certainly be welcome.

One thing which has been in our brains lately - we have come to the point of selling our caravan.  Last year's trip home from Victoria was difficult for Kevin as, being plastered for the broken arm and in a certain amount of pain, I couldn't help with the daily set-up at all.  He found getting the roof up by himself quite difficult; we usually push it up together.  We compromised by staying in motels or cabins in caravan parks where the van could be parked nearby and which also made it easy for Kevin to help me shower; while caravan parks have facilities for those with disabilities (which I certainly was then) they weren't stand-alone facilities.  That van was an impulse buy 27 years ago and has taken us to many places we would not have visited otherwise, but it is getting a bit tired....so perhaps it's time to pass it on to another owner who will enjoy using it as much as we have.

We will miss it.  There are still so many places I want to go but I suspect never will now as we, too, are 27 years older.

Still on our train journey:

"It is not required of a gentleman in a railway carriage to relinquish his seat in favor of a lady, although a gentleman of genuine breeding will do so rather than allow the lady to stand or suffer inconvenience from poor accommodation."

Perhaps it depends on the length of the journey.  Standing for a trip of several hours would not be fun, whether one is a lady or a gentleman.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Decisions have been made

Yes indeedy.....the side borders for Autumn Rhapsody have now been laid out on the design bed, next step is to sew them together.  The fabrics are spread so that the same fabric doesn't touch itself, otherwise all the placement is completely random.  I like random.  Some folks have problems with random, but random is fun.

This is halfway along one side, one of the remaining leaf blocks surrounded by half square triangles ready to be sewn......

......and this is one corner.  You can see how the design wraps around.

This corner wrap is why I don't care for the original rectangle design.  The layout is a square medallion-style, then a couple of rows were added to top and bottom making the design (in my eyes, at least) unbalanced and clumsy.....so, mine will be square.

This is another of my autumn projects, a table runner made from fabrics purchased in Canada.  Some were fabrics used in a challenge by Rose Marie's group, and I liked them so much that I bought more of the range - and now those are in my autumn quilt, and can be seen in the pics above.

The background and backing for the runner are a pale creamy leaf print bought here after arriving home and it, too, is used in the autumn quilt.  I don't know how many background fabrics are in that quilt, but the variety of colours and prints gives more texture than using the same fabric throughout would have done.

How has everyone been this week?  My hand and fingers are slowly progressing although still swollen and sore, but on waking the past couple of mornings my fingers weren't as painful and stiff as they have been.  While it's warm in bed, the many hours of inaction mean my fingers are tender by morning and need some wiggling and wriggling to get them working again.  Every little step of progress is worthwhile, and I am expecting a good report from Emma physio on Tuesday.

Words have been read.  No seams were sewn by machine but some hand sewing was done.  Notes were plinked without too much discomfort, always a good thing.  We hunted and gathered enough to keep the wolf from the door, my monthly volunteer shift at a gallery was on Tuesday, the quarterly medical check-up was on Friday, and that was the week.

Mrs "what strumming pattern should we play" didn't come to Thursday uke, something for which I was thankful.  (I shouldn't say that, should I.....but I was)  We had a small group for the first day back and I was able to spend time afterward with one player who is getting more experienced on ukulele.  I gave her a few tips about which fingers to use for which chords, and a few other pointers; she later sent an email saying how grateful she was, and how much it helped.  That is good feedback, and I'm happy to be of assistance.  

Just to remind us that winter hasn't yet gone we have had more freezy frosty chilly mornings this week but that looks like changing from tomorrow, with some rain forecast and - well, not quite warm, but less cold mornings.  Today is grey and overcast, a foretaste of tomorrow's expected rain; this morning's sun, which made us optimistic enough to hang two loads of washing outside, has disappeared and the washing is now inside finishing off its drying by the fire.

Every time the TV is turned on (which isn't all that often, there being not much that appeals to us) we are being swamped by coverage of the Olympic Games.  Not everyone in the world thinks this is a good idea; all I can think of is "my goodness, what does it all cost"; no wonder fewer and fewer countries are putting up their hands to host it.  Many schools and hospitals could be built and staffed for what is, after all, just a glorified sports carnival.  I have never been a very sporty person right from when we had compulsory sport at school - which I really disliked, I would far rather read a book - so I don't feel inclined to spend my leisure hours watching it.  When the games were in Sydney back in 2000 we, in common with many others, left and went to New Zealand instead.....where we even bumped unexpectedly into people we knew in Sydney!

Continuing on with Conduct at charity fairs:

"As a gentleman must always remove his hat in the presence of ladies, so he should remain with head uncovered, carrying his hat in his hand, in a public place of this character."

A gentleman keeping his head (mostly) covered is something that has gone the way of the proverbial dodo, isn't it?  I wonder what those long-ago folk would think of the ubiquitous baseball-style cap which is never taken off, even indoors - especially when worn back-to-front.  You can imagine the derision, can't you.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Frustration and annoyance

Is what I am feeling right now.  The physio treatment for my arm, hand and wrist, which was to have started on Tuesday, has been postponed by two weeks due to staff being absent.  Hopefully when it does eventually get under way it will help with the stiffness; there is still quite a lot of bruising anyway, so I am telling myself the delay is a good thing.  Even though myself is not convinced.

Ah well.  Onward and upward.

These are the last of the pics taken during our holiday, from Mount Ainslie.  Canberra is ringed by hills, many of which can be ascended to admire the view.  Looking over the city....

Looking away from the city.....

Some of the Ozzie native plants, many of which are not lush and green like those in other parts of the world.

I love the muted colours.....makes me think of an impressionist painting.

Words have been read.  No medical appointments have happened.  Hunting and gathering did, however, and songs were sung.

The bruise under my eye has not yet gone, I have forgotten what my face looked like before the fall nearly eight weeks ago.  One day it won't be bruised any more, and then - oh, how happy I will be!

The coming week may - hopefully will - bring a chance to sew on a machine.  Pinning may still be beyond my right hand but one never knows, does one?  The fine motor skills required may not be there yet, but will return one day.

Some of the sights seen around town make one chuckle.....recently there was a young bloke who was wearing shorts, tee shirt and thongs.  (That is thongs for the feet, called flip flops by some people, but 'thongs' by Ozzies)  It was a mild day, hence the bare legs and arms......and.....he was wearing a knitted beanie.  That is somewhat akin to the young chickies we sometimes see in mid-winter who wear. shorts and a skimpy top with fleecy boots and a chunky scarf wrapped round the neck.  When I was a Sweet Young Thing we wore mini skirts, yes - but we wore a slip or lining under it, and thickish tights, and a warm jumper.  Never did we wear a top with spaghetti straps in winter, makes me shiver just to think about it.

I am waiting until the day when the brace can come off my arm so I can wear a warm jumper without the velcro fastening on the brace catching on the knitted fabric.  Several years ago I made a warm mohair cardy jacket which has been Very Useful these past weeks, and which fitted over (first) the plaster and (now) the brace on my arm without snagging.  Eye make up remover pads are helpful where the brace presses on my bruised wrist and hand; they provide just enough softness to cushion the pressure without being bulky, a tip passed on several years by a nurse.

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

"In passing out at the close of the performance the gentleman should precede the lady, and there should be no crowding or pushing."

Indeed.  There is no need to crowd or push.  Everyone will make it outside eventually.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Two more days....only two more days

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

On to much happier things.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Save the date

In just nine days the heavy plaster on my arm will be removed, something which will make me a very happy woman.  When I saw the specialist during the week he said he pleased with its progress and told me to make the removal appointment; he also mentioned using a splint or brace for a while, but that couldn't be heavier or more awkward than the layers of plaster in which my arm is currently encased.

I'm sorry, I led you astray in last week's post!  The quilt which won first place for ten years was made earlier than my imperfect memory thought, from 1887 to 1897.  It's still quite an achievement, though.

While in Canberra we visited the Australian National Archives, as I had read of a photography exhibition which sounded interesting....and it was!  For nigh on sixty years the Australian government sent photographers out around the country to capture what they saw, and a selection of those 10,000 photos was on display at the Archives.  It was such a fascinating place that we went again, to check out other exhibitions....and to try out their café, where we partook of excellent coffee and yummo Cherry Ripe Slice.

For the non-Ozzies, Cherry Ripe is a cherry coconut bar encased in dark chocolate....and this year is its 100th birthday!  Cherry Ripe slice, or squares or bars, can have a biscuit or pastry base with a cherry coconut filling, and is topped with melted dark chocolate.  Should you feel inclined to try it yourself, there are any number of recipes to be found online.

One day we drove west of Canberra along Paddys River Road, and stopped at Lambrigg Lookout.

William Farrer lived near here, and it was here that his experiments with wheat led to the discovery of disease-resistant strains; we learned about him at school, as he was a very important figure in Australian agriculture.  For some years his portrait was on the $2 note; unfortunately due to sun glare the sign isn't as legible as I hoped.

The house, built by Farrer, is privately owned.  I found this article with pics of its beautiful garden.

Another week has passed.  Words have been read, medical appointments have taken place.  Songs have been sung.  

When the plaster is removed I am hoping to have approval from the physio to play three chords - just three - on my uke, as my annual Eisteddfod performance will take place just five days later.  I can sing unaccompanied and indeed plan to do so on the day, but a starting introductory note would be a help.  Just D - G - D - A - that's all I ask, it's not much is it.....

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

"During the performance complete quiet should be preserved, that the audience may not be prevented from seeing or hearing.  Between the acts it is perfectly proper to converse, but it should be done in a low tone, so as not to attract attention.  Neither should one whisper.  There should be no loud talking, boisterous laughter, violent gestures, lover-like demonstrations or anything in manners or speech to attract the attention of others."

I wonder what the folk back in 1885, when these words were written, would think of the 'look at me' behaviour of so many people nowadays?  

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Home again!

We had a good time in Canberra catching up with family and friends, and enjoying some musical shenanigans.  The antique quilt exhibition was wonderful, as were other exhibitions we attended....Canberra has many venues for such things.

Or musician son had a gig that we were able to attend; he's a good player and we don't get many chances to hear him because we live so far apart, so we take the chance when it arises.  The One And Only Grandkid is shooting up and is a bit obsessed with superheroes and such phenomena - just like his father was at the same age.

We extended our stay in Canberra by a week due to wet and stormy weather (better to stay put than to travel in heavy rain if we didn't need to, we decided) and eventually crossed into Victoria.  Our plan was to travel to Shepparton....but we didn't make it.  We stopped in Benalla for fuel and when Kevin was filling the car I thought I would stretch my legs, climbed out of the car, started walking, and tripped on an unmarked bump in the forecourt.  Down I went....result, a badly broken right arm and bruising in places I didn't know I had, including a spectacular black eye caused by my sunglasses when I fell onto my cheek. 

Ouch......double ouch and triple ouch......

The staff at Benalla Hospital were lovely, the paramedics who ferried me around also great, and the staff at Wangaratta Hospital (my broken arm was deemed too complicated to treat in Benalla's smaller facility so I was taken to Wang, as the locals call it) were also terrific.  Back home after cutting our holiday short now, for the past week we have been running around from one medical appointment to another, but the good news is my arm, although badly broken, doesn't need surgery (although it was touch and go for a while there) and it hasn't fallen off.

A slight chuckle has been caused by the fact that Kevin realised, when we were on our way, that he had forgotten his hearing aids....so when I was squealing in pain on the Benalla forecourt being ministered to by two complete strangers, he was happily pumping fuel into the other side of the car not hearing a thing.  You may be sure I won't let him forget that.  Fifty years together and he ignores his poor wife's sufferings....

We did get to see the Rajah quilt in Canberra though!

Probably the best quilt label ever.

It's quite large.

It was a bit tricky to photograph as it was laid out tilted behind glass, so reflections are unavoidable.

Some of the fabrics used; I love that rich dark yellow.

There were other quilts in the exhibition.  I photographed one from this time period, but as typing is slow and laborious - and quite painful - I will save it for another post.

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

"A gentleman should, on no account, leave the lady's side from the beginning to the close of the performance."

Indeed.  Especially if she is injured.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer