A week of firsts

Quite a few 'firsts' have happened this week.  On Tuesday my first volunteer shift happened at a local gallery - volunteers started back last month but I didn't want to appear before the public looking like Dr Frankenstein's monster, so held back for a month - it was good to be out and about again.

Friday afternoon was my first time volunteering at a history museum - that was also postponed for a month - but as no visitors came, there was no social distancing to worry about.  It was also warm enough to wear a short-sleeved top, and......sandals!  First time for both bare arms and bare toes for several months.

It has rained.  The forecast is for more rain.  That will be good.

Following some deep thinking, yesterday a box was taken out of the cupboard in my sewing room and now cutting has re-commenced......not the gorgeous orange batik, but these black and white prints and others not in the pic.

These were already cut; triangles now, they will become diamonds.  

The design was inspired by a workshop a few years ago with Jenny Bowker, whose work I have long admired.  Unfortunately that was also the year of our two floods when nearly everything in our lives was shelved until things returned to a semblance of normality.  The original plan was for light and dark black and white background prints, but a quilt seen on our last Canadian visit which only used light black and white prints turned my mind in a different direction - so, mine will be all light.  The darks will keep for another project.  Or two.  Or maybe more.

I like black and white quilts.....this will be my third.

These creamy iris are flowering again just outside our back fence, planted by the previous owner.  They flowered the first year we moved here but have seldom flowered since, probably due to being trampled and eaten by visiting cattle from the other side of the hill.  The cattle haven't been around for ages......but today I noticed there is one flower, with more to come!

Days are getting longer, those lovely dark winter mornings have ended.  One has never been a person who bounds out of bed at the first sign of light, to cheerfully greet the new day.  One likes dark mornings.  We will have a short reprieve soon when daylight saving starts in a couple of weeks, but that will be it for some months.

Sigh.......

"The success of a dinner.

A host and hostess generally judge of the success of a dinner by the manner in which conversation has been sustained.  It if has flagged often, it is considered proof that the guests have not been congenial; but if a steady stream of talk has been kept up, it shows that they have smoothly amalgamated, as a whole.  No one should monopolize conversation, unless he wishes to win for himself the appellation of a bore, and be avoided as such."

No mention of mobile phones disrupting conversation, you notice.

Enjoy your days!

Something achieved!

What do you think about my Jacob's Ladder blocks, these two were made to pin on the wall at quilt group so anyone making my block can see what I have in mind. I made one block with just two different green fabrics and the other block with lots of greens.......think I like it best. And I have fixed up the mistake. While I'm certain that I won't be given enough blocks to make a quilt it will certainly be the start of one. Years ago I had the idea to make a quilt in greens and creams but had thought of a Flying Goose variation, but I think this will work well. Must have a play with it in EQ7.

Yesterday The Only Choir In Town put on its spring concert and I achieved something I never thought I would do. I have sung an aria from Handel's "Messiah"....one with lots of high notes....never thought I could do that. Just as well no one could hear too closely because I suspect my notes came out sounding more like a mouse than a bird. We had a varied program and sang quite a lot of songs, it was well received. At the concert I heard a rumour that there is another choir in town - perhaps I could follow that up. There are also a couple of church choirs but I don't attend church.

Today I did my first stint as a volunteer. We have both made enquiries about local opportunities for volunteers and have a few options to try. I am now the librarian at a small college which runs courses in counselling and will do that each Monday morning, except for once a month when I go to quilt group. There are a couple of other places I am interested in working at too, the local art gallery and also the local history museum and possibly the visitor information centre.

It's started lightly raining, the gardens will be pleased. We are continually being surprised by what is coming into bloom, the latest is a shrub in the front garden which has little purple flowers, the leaves are tiny, pale green with light edges; it's very lacy and pretty. And something else that at first I thought might be a camellia, which has small very dark red flowers. Perhaps I will take a cutting of them along to a local nursery for identification. The reserve over the back fence has lots of dark green thistles, but it also has some little pink/mauve poppies and some other flowering plants that I suspect are weeds. It's colourful anyway.

It's been several months since my hair had the ministrations of a hairdresser. I have checked a couple of local salons, might check one or two more before making a decision as to which one I shall patronise - it's an important thing isn't it, one's relationship with one's hairdresser? My hair is long and I like it that way, past my bra strap, but it does need a couple of inches off the bottom to tidy it up. And it has also been several months since I had any colour put in......when one has been colouring one's hair for many years it takes courage to stop. My life has reached the point where I feel I now can. So the grey hair that I fought against for so long is coming through, and the hair which is now uncoloured is darker than I thought it would be. Nature originally gave me auburn hair and the colour I used for so long was also auburn, so goodness knows what it will look like in a year or so.......watch this space for updates.......

"The Hair.

There is nothing that so adds to the charm of an individual, especially a lady, as a good head of hair. The skin of the head requires even more tenderness and cleanliness than any other portion of the body, and is capable of being irritated by disease."

Now it's time to play with some fabric. Enjoy your days!

Jennifer