A tale of two treadles

Which isn't quite like a tale of two cities.

We have a Singer treadle machine up and running!

This was a freebie.  Way back in about 2001 my Big Smoke brother rang me to let me know that his neighbour had "a treadle like your old one that was Mum's" and, if no one collected it from his front verandah that very afternoon, he was going to take it to the tip.  Never one to pass up a free machine we immediately drove over to said neighbour's and found this beauty in its cabinet, above.  It had been taken apart but was not broken, all the screws which had held it together were in a bag, and it even had the original manual, the drawer key - which is as scarce as hen's teeth, let me tell you - and all the fancy feet.  The serial number indicates that it was made in Kilbowie, Scotland, in about 1925.

Recently I bought a couple of new leather belts, and some new bobbins, and felt pads for the spool pins; Kevin has spent some time disassembling, cleaning and re-assembling the tension mechanism and bobbin winder, and now it sews beautifully.

It joined my maternal grandmother Edith's 1924 machine, also made at the Kilbowie factory, which has been in my possession for 20 years.

They are both Singer 66 treadles with "Egyptian Lotus" decals, in identical cabinets.  Sadly the cabinet on Nana's machine isn't in as good condition as the freebie; my mother had kept it on her front verandah for a few years, the verandah was closed in but the machine sat against an outside wall, so because of our dry inland climate the left side of the cabinet is sadly weathered.

Fortunately the cabinet on the freebie is in very good condition, so on Sunday it is going with me to the local historical museum and together we will show how some of our ancestors used to sew.

Kevin's engineering mind seems to have enjoyed getting them up and running again, and he found having two identical machines very useful as he could learn from one while he worked on the other.  He now has a great respect for these old machines - they were made quite simply, but worked (and indeed still work) so well.

Back in the depression of the late 1920s-early 1930s people had their furniture and effects repossessed for non-payment of rent, but I have read that the bailiffs were not allowed to touch a sewing machine - it was regarded as a "tool of trade", i.e. a woman with a machine could use it to earn a living for herself and her family.

I remember my grandmother's machine sat in a corner of their dining room, and while I was allowed to play with her button jar and fabric scraps I wasn't allowed to use the machine.  I don't remember specifically being banned from it but I was never shown how to use it, so probably assumed - rightly or wrongly -  that it wasn't for me to use.

Oh well - it's mine now, and I can use it whenever I wish.

A touch of fame and glory this week too; my Winding Ways quilt, "The long and winding road", is hanging in public!  Volunteers at the local regional gallery were recently asked if we would like our humble efforts to be recognised by being displayed in the council building, so my black and white quilt is on display.  Yesterday morning we popped in to see it, and while there we were talking to a council employee who said she loved it (just as well, the poor woman has to look at it for much of the day) and Peter, one of the choir members who was gobsmacked by it and by the fact that I could do more than sing.  Because it is on a wall in a big space I was able to stand well back to look at it, something which can't be done here at home, and said "oh - wow!"

"Listening.
The habit of listening with interest and attention is one which should be specially cultivated.  Even if the talker is prosy and prolix, the well-bred person will appear interested, and at appropriate intervals make such remarks as shall show that he has heard and understood all that has been said.  Some superficial people are apt to style this hypocrisy; but, if it is, it is certainly a commendable hypocrisy, directly founded on that strict rule of good manners which commands us to show the same courtesy to others that we hope to receive ourselves."

Indeed.......and to save you looking it up, "prolix" means given to speaking or writing at great and tedious length and dates from the middle ages.

Enjoy your days!

Visitors

We have had visitors popping round lately, but not human ones......

 Ever since we moved here we have been entertained by kangaroos and wallabies on the hill behind us.  Sometimes they come fairly close to our fence, as they did earlier this week.

It was late afternoon, as you can see by the shadows.  Rain is badly needed, so the roos are coming close to fences in search of grass.

Occasionally we have seen two males roos fighting, and I wouldn't like to be nearby when they do as it looks quite vicious.  They balance on their tails while raking at their opposite number's chest with those powerful back legs and claws, while their heads are held back out of the way.

It's been an interesting time lately here at Chateau des Wombats.  Recently our main computer displayed a message that our virus protection wasn't working and suggested what to do about it......Kevin duly followed the suggested steps......computer told us that any added apps would be removed......right-oh, he said and pressed the 'run' button.......

......and all my bookmarks have gone, EQ7 disappeared into the ether, as did many other programs.  All are being slowly re-instated, the wonderful technical support folk at EQ helped with re-installation, and I am slowly becoming a happy woman once more.

Sigh.

The green purse only needs handles and an internal base to be finished, then a new guilt-free project can be started.

According to some people - not me, I hasten to add - today is the first day of spring.  Many years ago a bright spark somewhere decided that the first day of the months of September, December, March and June would arbitrarily bring a change of season, but you and I know that a new season doesn't suddenly happen overnight; it's a gradual process over several weeks.  It would make more sense had the first day of the following month been chosen instead, i.e. October, January, April and July, because that's when there is a noticeable difference in weather.  So every three months I yell at the TV when the announcer says "Today is the first day of a new season"......"No, it isn't" I say loudly.......

So spring is coming and that means the weather will get warmer, and before we know it summer will be upon us with its heat and I don't do summer very well, so will be hanging out for autumn to arrive......it's no wonder my life is flashing by before my eyes, is it?

My Winding Ways quilt is hanging in an exhibition at an art space in our local council building, the exhibition is of work by volunteers at a local gallery so there will be textiles, and paintings, and all manner of interesting works.  I shall endeavour to view it, for the thrill of hanging in public, before it closes; it only opened today, so there will be opportunities next week.  Fame at last.......

"Public mention of private matters.
Do not parade merely private matters before a public or mixed assembly or to acquaintances.  If strangers really wish to become informed about you or your affairs, they will find the means to gratify their curiosity without your advising them gratuitously.  Besides, personal and family affairs, no matter how interesting they may be to the parties immediately concerned, are generally of little moment to outsiders.  Still less will the well-bred person inquire into or narrate the private affairs of any other family or individual."

When I was growing up family affairs were never spoken of outside one's family, they were regarded as being no one else's business, and while this seems to have changed (reality TV, anyone?) I do my best to ignore other folks blathering on about their own and their family's private life.  I mind my own business, and expect others to do the same.

Enjoy your days!

Settling back home again

Much as I like being away and coming home, unpacking is not much fun......sorting out stuff, washing clothes, putting things away......but it's nearly all done now.

We had a good time except for the heat.  Fortunately it wasn't ~quite~ as hot as our trip one year ago, but inland Australia is usually hot in summer anyway.  Never mind, in a few months it will be cooler.

We had a fun 2nd birthday celebration with Euan, who says "Hello" beautifully.  He had learned "Hello, Gan-puh" by the time we left.  Me, I don't have a label yet......"Grandma" is still being worked out, it seems.  Perhaps it will be achieved by Easter when we see him again.

 He liked his birthday cake.

We also enjoyed our family Christmas, the first one for a few years!  Usually it's just the two of us.

The night before we left I decided that I needed a 'car knitting' project because we would be spending a long time driving, so yarn bought last April in Bendigo, needles and pattern were taken along.  The first stitches were cast on as we left town here, and when it was all measured yesterday - the day after returning - this much has been done of the back, only a few more centimetres remain to the armholes.  Colour is light blue with a hint of lavender.

 Just think of all the knitting time which would have been wasted if it hadn't been taken along!

A day or two before we left the final stitches were taken on Winding Ways, and it was finally photographed yesterday.  As you can see not all black is dark, and not all white is light.

 The back.......yes, they are cows.  A bloke on the other side of the hill owns them and they often come down our side of the hill.  We don't mind seeing them, but at times it smells somewhat......rural.

The next project will be started soon.  Very soon.

While in Canberra we saw two exhibitions,  One was "Versailles" at the National Gallery of Australia, and while it was interesting I don't think I could have lived in that palace.  By the end of our visit I was just about ready to run through the gallery waving my red cap while shouting "Vive la revolution"!

The second exhibition was, to me, more interesting perhaps because it related more to our lives.  "The Sell" at the National Library of Australia - talk about a trip down memory lane!  The oldest article in this exhibition is a small poster from 1796 advertising a play in Sydney at "the Theatre".  The first European settlement in Sydney was in 1788, so there may not have been many theatres eight years later.

On our way home we spent several days in Gulgong, a small town with an interesting history and many old buildings remaining from the gold rush days, including the Prince of Wales Opera House, a glorified tin shed with wonderful acoustics.  Their annual folk festival was held over the new year weekend, and great fun it was too; we spent time catching up with old friends, and making new ones, and listening to music.  Each night there were sessions to join in - playing and singing in the company of like-minded musical friends is, I think, one of the great joys of life.

"Requirements for a happy marriage.
Respect for each other is as necessary to a happy marriage as that the husband and wife should have an affection for one another.  Social equality, intellectual sympathy, and sufficient means are very important matters to be considered by those who contemplate matrimony."

To which I would add, the ability to stay married while sharing a small - very small - caravan for a few weeks.

Enjoy your days!

We'll be back in the new year!

Day after tomorrow, Saturday, we will be hitching up our little caravan, climbing into our car and heading south to celebrate a birthday, Christmas, and a new year, so you won't hear from me for a few weeks.

Life here at Chez Wombats has been drifting along.  My Winding Ways quilt is nearly done, yay!   A large amount of bias binding was made and machined onto the front, and is now being hand-sewn down on the back - right now it is three-quarters done.  Once that is finished it will be immortalised in a photograph for the world to admire.......after such a long time it's good to be so close to finishing; the first blocks were made in a class late in 2007.

Some hand-sewing will be packed to take along, and a book of crosswords, and of course a ukulele (that goes without saying), and my tablet loaded with who-dun-it mysteries.  We don't have TV  in our little van, the space it would use is taken by a microwave which, in my opinion, is far more useful, and if we get bored we can always watch our dinner go round and round......and round......a radio/CD player is our entertainment, we can usually pick up a local station somewhere.

There are always new acquaintances to be made in camp grounds, if we hit it off that's good......and if we don't, we can always console ourselves by remembering that it will be a brief acquaintance.

In recent times I have read biographies of two women, one born in England who lived a lot of her life in Australia, another who was born in Australia but lived for a while in England.  "The amazing Mrs Livesey" was about young Ethel Livesey, born in England in 1897, who married as a teenager and had a child to her first husband who was reported killed in World War I.  Her parents took the newborn boy to give her a chance to mourn and gather her thoughts, whereupon she packed her bags and took off for pastures greener and 'Husband' No. 2 - to whom she wasn't legally married, but that didn't stop her claiming his army money.  Forty (forty!) aliases later, eight husbands (many married bigamously), four children, living in several countries, young Ethel was never one to let the grass grow under her feet.  Although the book ends with her death there is even a question about that, because no one knows what name she was using at the time.  Ethel learned as a young woman to always speak well and to dress well, both skills which helped her along her merry way of scamming people......because who would ever believe that such a well-dressed and well-spoken woman could be a confidence trickster?

The second book is "Rosetta", written by Rosetta's great-granddaughter.  Rosetta caused a great scandal in 1905 when she left her prosperous businessman husband and young daughter to run away with a fortune teller......and not only was he a fortune teller, he was half-Chinese, someone who would have been well out of the social circles in which women like Rosetta moved.  They moved to Europe and numbered among friends many of the nobility and even royalty, quite a step upwards fro their earlier life in Melbourne!  The author has woven truth and possible truth together to tell Rosetta's story; much of it is documented in reports of the time, and some from her imagination.  From the day Rosetta left until she died she and her daughter never met again, although it turns out they lived not far apart.

We tend to think of ancestors and people of earlier times as living dull lives, but obviously that wasn't always the case!

"Manners and personal appearance.
A charming manner not only enhances personal beauty, but even hides ugliness and makes plainness agreeable.  An ill-favored countenance is not necessarily a stumbling-block, at the outset, to its owner, which cannot be surmounted, for who does not know how much a happy manner often does to neutralize the ill effects of forbidding looks?"

Obviously Mrs Livesey and Rosetta were both possessed of charm.......it certainly lubricated their way through life.

Until we meet again - no matter where you live or what you celebrate, best wishes for a season filled with peace and love.

Enjoy your days!

We're having a heatwave.......

.......a tropical heatwave......

Today is the fourth day of a very hot five day heatwave, and I for one am over it.  It can go away now.  According to the weather people it is being caused by a large slow-moving mass of hot air moving south from central Queensland.  As far as I am concerned they can have it back - we wouldn't want to deprive them.

On to happier topics.

The quilting is all done on my Winding Ways quilt, the last stitches were taken yesterday.  Now to sew a line of stitching around the edges and trim off the excess backing and wadding, and make the binding from a printed black and white uneven plaid cut on the bias.

This fabric - what do you reckon?  I laid it out to get an idea of how it would look, I think it will work well.

Well, the new green glasses are a thing of beauty, to be sure!  As I need to wear them when taking pictures I'm not sure if I can get a photo to show you, but you can see them here, the green/lime colourway.  They are comfortable to wear and seem to do what I need them to do, which is to help my somewhat aging vision......what more could a person need?  They have a slight cat's eye shape, something I haven't worn before.  According to their brand website they are "Urban Kool".  Doesn't that sound like me, Kool to the bootstraps?  (don't forget the capital K, so much kooler than just cool.)

A little sadness here at Chez Wombats, our nice neighbours at Number 66 have sold up and are moving early next month.  We will be sorry to see them go but understand why they are going - their neighbour on the other side, Ms 64, is making their lives very difficult.  Ever since she moved in a few years ago with several unrestrained cats there has been friction and bad feeling (we are all fed up with her free-ranging moggies, even those of us who like cats) which culminated in her bloke and Mr 66 exchanging punches last year when we were in Canada.  It ended up in court and has caused a lot of acrimony, so for the sake of their health they have decided to go.  On the other side two doors away Number 72 is also on the market but not because of nasty neighbours, this is due to a marriage break-up.

A couple of weeks ago while out shopping we bumped into Mrs 66 who told us she had been responsible for capturing a teenage burglar in our street that very morning.  She had been out walking their little pug and was coming back up the street when she saw a young bloke riding slowly, checking out houses and gardens as he went.  She became suspicious then remembered she had left her back door unlocked, so picked up Pud (probably short for Pudding, he's a roly-poly little dog) the pug under her arm and sprinted for home.  Once at her house she saw the bike beside the house across the road and a side gate open so went inside her house and rang the police, who came very promptly - and caught the young bloke in the act with some jewellery in one hand and car keys in another.  He couldn't say "oh no, it wasn't me" could he?  He must have laid hands on a police person too, because one of the charges he faces is assaulting police.  15 years old......why wasn't he at school?  Now he faces a criminal record and time in criminal detention where he will probably learn even more bad habits, and come out with something to prove to himself and society.

Like many communities we here in the Small Smoke have our share of opportunistic crime, some committed by young people who regularly truant from school and think the world owes them a living......a 'skill' probably learned from their parents and grandparents, and so it goes on down through the generations.  However far and away the majority of people here are decent people and a few bad apples don't taint a whole case.

"The pernicious influence of indolence.
If you would preserve your children from the pernicious influence of indolence and all its corrupting tendencies, you must be earnest in purpose, active, energetic and fervent in spirit.  Earnestness sharpens the faculties; indolence corrodes and dulls them.  By the former we rise higher and higher, by the latter we sink lower and lower.  Indolence begets discontent, envy and jealousy, while labor elevates the mind and character.  Cultivate in your children habits of thought which will keep their minds occupied upon something that will be of use or advantage, and prevent them from acquiring habits of idleness, if you would secure their future well-being."

Indeed.  Somehow, though, I doubt that the parents of these young miscreants would understand these words, let alone act on them.

Enjoy your days!

Round and round and round.......

Have you ever wrestled an elephant through your sewing machine?  That's what it feels like, but I am pleased with how it's turning out......circle after circle after circle.  Only four complete circles to be done - I think, I hope - and the remaining partial circles along the outside edge will be easier.

 Of course it wasn't finished for Saturday's Big Reveal of our challenge quilts, but I'm pleased to say mine wasn't the only one!

Every now and then pictures from last year's trip to The Great White North (which wasn't very white at the time) scroll through on our computer to remind us of our holiday, and I thought my Aussie friends might like to see this bear proof rubbish bin, or trash can in Canadian-speak.

We do have some nasty critters here (including some which may kill you if you are unlucky, although many Aussies live all their lives without ever seeing snakes and crocodiles in the wild) but at least we don't have to worry about bears.

This past week has been busy, fortunately not as hectic as the previous week but busy enough.  Two - two! - trips to the theatre, including a big band concert yesterday afternoon which was great fun.  Big band music from the 1930s and 40s is great.  On Wednesday night we attended a 2017 preview night at our local theatre to find out what will be on next year, we have some fabulous concerts and plays to look forward to.

Many regular TV programs have finished for the year and are replaced with, in some cases, much more interesting programs and in other, complete rubbish.......and summer sport......lots of sport, way too much sport.....we have found that ads are much more interesting with the sound muted.  Watching people dance and prance around with no music playing is quite funny!  Odd......but still funny.

However what intrigues me each and every year is that news programs also stop for over two months.  Regular daily news bulletins still continue, but in-depth news programs just - stop.  Does this mean nothing newsworthy happens over December and January?  I find that very difficult to believe, you know.

We will soon be starting to crank our brains up for the annual onslaught of Christmas.  Here at Chez Wombats Christmas is always quite low-key, and this year's event will be even more so as we won't be here.  We will be in Canberra having Christmas with family, for a change.  Fingers crossed for a mild season - last year's Yule season was horribly hot, and I can't cope with that too often.  So the Christmas wombats will stay packed away this year, and Flossie the Jim Shore angel won't come out of her box, and a tree won't be decorated.  We might take a small tabletop tree and a string of tiny green lights away in the caravan with us for a bit of festive cheer, but that will be the extent of our decorating this year; it will be "bah, humbug" all the way.

One of last week's appointments was at the optometrist for my two-yearly check-up and my eyes received a glowing report, which is great news.  The rest of me may be falling apart, but the eyes are amazing!  For many years, however, I have been wearing glasses for anything close (as do many older folk) and the prescription is being re-jigged, so I have ordered new frames to contain the new lenses......and guess what, they are green!  Not only green, but they fitted perfectly on first try-on - something which has never happened in the past.  My face is not wide so many glasses don't fit, and the length of the side arms is usually way too long as well, but not these gorgeous green frames.  Obviously made just for me!  The phone call to say they are ready to be collected should come any day now.

"Perspiration.
To remove the unpleasant odor produced by perspiration, put two tablespoons of the compound spirit of ammonia in a basin of water, and use it for bathing.  It leaves the skin clear, sweet and fresh as one could wish.  It is perfectly harmless, very cheap, and is recommended on the authority of an experienced physician."

This handy hint (or should one say 'hack' these days?  I don't) from the mid-1880s was in the days when one's clothing wasn't washed as frequently as it is now, so perhaps that ammonia was really needed.

Enjoy your days!

Something rare - time at home!

This week has been one of the busiest that we have had for a long time - many regular commitments and some irregular ones have all happened together, but now we're enjoying a rare afternoon at home.

It hasn't been totally wasted, though; a small project was assembled at sewing group.  Mind you, the pieces were cut out two months ago and have just been sitting around in my sewing room since then waiting for an opportunity to be made up.

Isn't it interesting?  My Victoria, B.C., friend Lois (who doesn't have a blog) gave me this row by row "West Coast View" last year when we visited, it's from Snip & Stitch Sewing Centre, Nanaimo, one of our shopping stops on a trip up island, on a freezing cold day with a howling gale blowing.  I love the colours!  It will have a border or two added and become a table centre.  Rose Marie also gave me a row by row from Ontario (which, coincidentally, uses very similar fabrics and colours) and it is next on the 'smaller projects' list, once Winding Ways is quilted; I plan to have a go at needle turn applique on that one so it may even go away with me next month.

Six days to go until the challenge quilts are revealed, mine definitely won't be finished.......but I can live with that.  The world won't stop spinning on its axis because of it.

This morning the uke group played at a Christmas fair for a local worthy cause and it was fun, as usual.  We even had people dancing when we played "Sway"!  Two more weeks until the next gig, we'll be famous yet, you know.

It hasn't been all fun and games lately, though.  Last weekend our choir director's partner died; he had been ill for some time so it was not a surprise, but was still sad.  Yesterday he was given a send-off with much love, music and friends, and a couple of songs from the choir.

Today is one year since we arrived back from our trip to Canada, and given today's heat I would gladly go back.  If only it wasn't for the long flight up there in a tin box with 300 of my new best friends and 97 crying babies........

Saw my GP earlier in the week for a check up, and pointed to a 'thing' on my right cheek.  Oh yes, he said, peering at it through that magnifier thingy doctors use, it's a sun spot.  Keep an eye on it, he said.  (pretty difficult when it's low down on my cheek south of my eyes)  Take photos on your phone looking in a mirror to track its progress, he said.  Um yes, I said but I probably won't take a skin selfie, next time I see him in a couple of months he can check it again.  You're not burning it off, I said, you can burn anywhere else but not my face.  No, he said, it will probably have to be (gulp) surgically removed eventually.  Something to look forward to, for sure.

Oh, the fun of having ancestors from northern Europe.

"Freckles.
Freckles are of two kinds.  Those occasioned by exposure to the sunshine, and consequently evanescent, are denominated "summer freckles;" those which are constitutional and permanent are called "cold freckles".  With regard to the latter, it is impossible to give any advice which will be of value.  They result from causes not to be affected by mere external applications.  Summer freckles are not so difficult to deal with, and with a little care the skin may be kept free from this cause of disfigurement.  Some skins are so delicate that they become freckled on the slightest exposure to open air in summer.  The cause assigned for this is that the iron in the blood, forming a junction with the oxygen, leaves a rusty mark where the junction takes place."

What do you know.......I have rusty skin, and here was I thinking that it was only my joints which were rusty.

Enjoy your days!

What a week

Let's not get too hung up on negatives, though......the world is still (mostly!) an amazing place.

Last week we went for a Nice Sunday Drive on Friday to a small village 40 minutes away and stopped off at a water storage lake which we last visited in mid-September, when there was much less water in it than there is now.

Water in this section of the lake was nowhere near as high as here, and the trees now in the water were still a long way from the bank a couple of months ago.

As promised (sorry, can't remember who was promised but I know I told someone there would be pics) the backing for my Winding Ways quilt.

 The backing has to be joined, so why not make a feature of the join?  The centre two stripes are four inches finished, the next two are eight inches, and I have forgotten how wide the two outside stripes are but they were duly measured and cut.  I quite like this idea and may use it again.

 Lots of circles in these prints.  The quilt is being finished - finally - for my group challenge, which this year is "Circles", hence the decision to get a move on because it fits in with the theme.

Mind you, it still may not be completely finished by the deadline which is two weeks from tomorrow.......never mind, it can still be taken along and flourished aloft, then brought home to be completed.  Quilting will follow the lines of the circles in the blocks on the front and will be done with the walking foot, using a black and white variegated thread.

And I can tell you now that Madame President won't like it.  Not enough garish colour for her taste, but it's my quilt and I do like it.  I like it a lot.  I'm thinking of calling it "The long and winding road".

Last weekend we had a tutor visiting from the Big Smoke, it was lovely to renew our acquaintance; many many years ago we were members of the same group.  I have long admired her work and it was interesting to have a go at machine embroidery/thread painting/whatever you like to call it.  The background is different tones of silver-grey and is more textured than it looks here, the large copper-coloured leaf will be finished once a new bobbin is wound with dark maroon thread and the remaining white spaces filled in with colour.

This technique is quite hard on one's neck, shoulders and back, and the fact that my machine was sitting on a regular table and not in my own lower sewing table with my own chair adjusted for my own short self made it even more difficult; I was quite stiff and sore by Sunday evening and haven't sewn a stitch since.  Despite that it's now number two on the list of Stuff That I Really Want To Finish, and will have its turn after Winding Ways is done.

We're having a little taste of summer now with the occasional warmer day - today isn't too hot but it is, surprisingly for here, a little humid.  Rain is forecast for tomorrow, that might explain it......for once my hair isn't dead straight!

Every now and then the thought crosses my mind to get my hair cut shorter and just as quickly my mind says "oh, don't be silly.  If you have it cut you will look the same as all the other old ladies in town."  So I don't listen to the thought and I keep my hair long, because I like to be a little different.  Perhaps when it's all grey or white might be the time to cut it shorter and have coloured streaks put in - green, of course - but, considering my somewhat advanced age (big significant birthday coming up next year, you know; I'm trying to ignore it) there is still a lot of its natural auburn colour left, so while I still have it I'm going to flaunt it.  Nothing like wearing one's hair up with a flower pinned in to make a slightly frivolous statement, is there?

The uke group has a gig next Sunday morning so yes, there will be flowers.  I'm thinking the blue orchids, because my plan is to wear bright blue clothes.

"The dress for the theatre.
The promenade dress with the addition of a handsome cloak or shawl, which may be thrown aside if it is uncomfortable, is suitable for a theatre,  The dress should be quiet and plain, without any attempt at display.  Either a bonnet or hat may be worn.  Gloves should be dark, harmonizing with the dress."

Well......we will be performing but not in a theatre, we will be outdoors in a garden at the local racecourse, and considering that it could be anything from a bit warm to stinking hot we'll give the cloak or shawl a miss.  Definitely be wearing a hat though, my wardrobe includes several Noosa hats which keep the sun off my face in, hopefully, quite a stylish way.

Enjoy your days!

Winding and winging along

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

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

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

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

 It was very peaceful.

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

No.

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

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

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

Enjoy your days!

Moving right along

Of late the black and white Winding Ways blocks for this year's challenge quilt - the theme is "Circles" - have been trotted out and are being worked on.  Lots of different fabrics - some representational, music, cats, sewing machines - some floral, and some abstract.

Isn't the music print fun?  It looks like a song might sound during some of our uke lessons, with notes everywhere.  I was wondering how to piece the back; the finished quilt will be 49 inches square so it will need more than one width of fabric, but two would be way too wide.  Now my brilliant brain has decided on two prints - one black with white, the other white with black - pieced in stripes, narrow stripes in the middle getting wider at the sides.

Our uke gig went off well last week at the annual Learners Concert, we enjoyed meeting our fellow students, even an ex-member of our group was there with her husband who is learning fiddle; she has given her uke to a grandchild and doesn't play any more.  On Saturday morning the choir sang at a local aged care home and our fearless leader Bill had asked the choir uke people to play, as several members belong to both choir and uke group.  Only one uke player was able to make it......yours truly......so I duly played and sang, and the choir joined in.  We were thanked and complimented afterwards when we joined the residents for morning tea.

One has to take fame and glory where one can, you know.

Some of the money that flew out the door in recent weeks went on having my chair re-upholstered.  A few years ago I bought a used wooden-framed chair with a high back, low legs so my feet can sit on the floor, and low arms which don't get in the way of knitting and sewing.  The upholstery was dark toned floral tapestry which looked like something that had escaped from an old peoples' home but it is soooo comfortable that I put up with it.......until earlier this year I noticed the upholstery was fraying whereupon a trip to a local upholsterer, a browse through their sample books, and a colour called Opal was chosen.  One would have to use one's imagination to see opals in it, I have some opal jewellery and this isn't opal, but it is green!  The fabric was ordered and a few weeks ago my old chair made its trip Across The River (some locals don't like crossing the river, goodness knows what they are afraid of, it's just a small river) and spent a few days in the workshop being rejuvenated.  Even the wooden legs and arms are now green.  I love it.

Perhaps I could have done it myself.......it would certainly have been cheaper......but it wouldn't have been done anywhere near as well as it has been.  Greg The Upholsterer said that style of chair (which he called a TV chair) was one of the best ever made, and he also said that if he decided on a change of career he would go into business building chairs just like it and make his fortune.

This weekend we have a craft show circus here in town. My cunning plan is to go along tomorrow with a small amount of money in my purse and, if I see something I love enough to buy, it may come home with me.  If not - I will come home empty handed, it won't be the first time.  The last craft show I attended was in Canada, the Creativ Festival in Toronto, and I must admit to a certain amount of spending at that one.......but that doesn't count as craft spending, that counts as holiday souvenirs.

"Baldness.
Gentlemen are more liable to baldness than ladies, owing, no doubt, to the use of the close hat, which confines and overheats the head.  If the hair is found to be falling out, the first thing to do is to look to the hat and see that it is light and thoroughly ventilated.  There is no greater enemy to the hair than the silk dress-hat.  It is best to lay this hat aside altogether, and adopt a light felt or straw in its place."

I wonder if gentlemen these days wear silk dress-hats?  Somehow I doubt it, although if silk hats were to be made in the style of baseball caps they just might.

Enjoy your days!

A foggy day.....in the Small Smoke......

Not quite as good as the original song!  The Small Smoke was enveloped, as they say (love those media clichés, don't you?) in heavy fog this morning, and it didn't lift until midday or so.  Usually fog burns off as the sun rises, but not today.  Our view up the hill looking slightly right:

 Looking left:

 Getting artistic here, taking in some of our garden as well as the hill:

Shame about the unlovely wire fence, but as the view is focused on it disappears from one's vision.

Out the front we could see the houses across the road - just - but nothing beyond them.  No glorious view of the valley, no distant hills, nothing.  Just wet misty whiteness.

One pink wall has gone gone gone!  The wall behind the computer desk, the largest of the pink walls, is now buttery cream......and it looks good enough to eat.  The entrance hall is now being done (Kevin is wielding roller and applying undercoat as we speak) and, with the removal of so much pink, the whole colour of the house is changing.  With the exception of doors and windows every wall in the almost-square entrance hall was pink, so as one entered the house one felt as though one was being gobbled up by a rose.  At night with the lights on it was even more noticeable.  Once the hall is done there is only one small pink wall remaining; once that is repainted all other walls, currently a darker cream than our chosen colour, will be painted to match.

I, for one, am looking forward to that!

Because life has been somewhat hectic lately the gorgeous autumn-toned variegated thread bought to quilt the maple leaf table runner hasn't even been wound onto a bobbin.  There might be a chance tomorrow......there's a possible small window of opportunity which is looking hopeful......all has not been completely untouched in the sewing room, however, as the ten black and white Winding Ways blocks which were cut out have been made up.  They, together with the 23 previously made, are reposing on the design wall, i.e. the spare bed.  It is looking good so far, she says modestly.  That quilt was to have 49 blocks set seven across by seven down and no borders, but now my mind is leaning towards a light (black on white) inner border then a dark (white on black) outer border.  It would mean purchasing fabric though and I am trying to just use what is in my stash apart from buying backing so we shall see........decisions, decisions......at least the binding fabric has been selected, an uneven black and white plaid which will be cut on the bias.

Making a completely colourless quilt is a departure from my usual cheerful choices.  It has been said that "value does the work but colour gets the credit" so here is my chance to prove it.  Some of my fabrics are dark when paired with lighter fabrics but lighter when paired with something darker so the interlocking circles of the design keep changing direction or disappearing, only to re-emerge somewhere else on the quilt.

That sounds as though I know what I'm talking about, doesn't it?

Don't be fooled.  I really haven't a clue.

"The importance of trifles"
Some people are wont to depreciate kind and tender qualities as trifles; but trifles, it must be remembered, make up the aggregate of human life.  The petty incivilities, slight rudenesses and neglects of which men are guilty, without thought, or from lack of foresight or sympathy, are often remembered, while the great acts performed by the same person are often forgotten."

Sadly, that is true.  How often we fasten on the negative, to the detriment of something more joyful and positive.

Enjoy your days!

Circles

Recently our quilt group was given this year's non-compulsory challenge......and the theme is "Circles".  Long and loud were the groans from a very small number of people, but not this little black duck!  It will finally give the impetus to dig out a long-languishing UFO, the black and white Winding Ways blocks.  They were mentioned in a post way back when I was quite a new blogger, so to save you (and me) looking back that far here they are again.

 Several years ago I attended a workshop to make Winding Ways because it was a block I wanted to try, and going to a class means there is more chance of that.  I really like the graphic look of just black and white, and managed to make nine blocks during and just after the workshop.

 Some more fabrics......since this was taken a few fabrics have been removed from the pile because they weren't black or white enough.

We had the option of purchasing acrylic templates for rotary cutting, and when it makes construction so much easier - why wouldn't you?  Once the pieces are cut, they are swapped round so each block had both lighter and darker fabrics.  I kept cutting for a while, then those blocks were made up.  Now there are 23 completed blocks and I would like to make seven rows of seven blocks, so another 26 are needed (how's that for mathematical genius, eh?)......four of which have already been cut.

I am thinking about a 2in solid black border around the blocks, then a row of half-blocks for a pieced border to finish the quilt.  Possibly.  Eventually.

The fiddly-diddly applique block has been glued down using fusible web and still needs to be stitched.  I usually use matching thread and machine buttonhole stitch, but for this I decided to use poly thread so the whole thing can be stitched without having to constantly change colours.  Every time I go into my sewing room it's there looking at me, I just want to get it done so I can go onto my own much more interesting projects but really don't feel enthused about it, and the heat has fried my brain anyway which makes it difficult to concentrate on anything.

Ah well.  The quicker I get to it, the quicker it will be finished.

Last Wednesday I took my not-very-lovely aging skin to the doctor and pointed to a few blemishes.  No worries, he says, they are just freckles (I have so many freckles I couldn't begin to count them) but the ones on the back of your right hand and the outside of your left elbow are sun spots.  We can leave them or I can burn them off, says he.  Get rid of them, says I.  So he did.  Geez, that hurts.  I'm sure giving birth wasn't that painful.  Now they are blistered and the blisters keep leaking......sorry about that, it's gross I know, but that's what is happening.....but once they are healed they will be gone forever.  The back of my hand isn't too bad although it does get bumped occasionally (and leaks again), but the one just above the pointy bit of my left elbow is not in a good place.  You don't realise how much you lean on your elbow until you can't.

February is nearly over, and it has been the hottest driest February ever for the Small Smoke.  Our maximum temperature has been three degrees hotter than average and our monthly rainfall total is way out of reach - only about six drops have fallen this month.  Surprisingly, though, the minimum temperature has been a degree cooler than the long term February average!  We're hoping for better weather in March and maybe, just possibly, perhaps even some rain.

"To remove freckles.
A good freckle lotion is made of honey, one ounce, mixed with one pint of luke-warm water.  Apply when cold."

Sounds easy, doesn't it?  I am assuming that one is meant to apply the lotion once it has cooled down, not in winter time only.

Enjoy your days!

Yummy WOW

This won't last long I'm sure. Cadbury's have a range of small chocky bars with Aussie animals on the wrappers. I could have bought the koala, or the kangaroo.......but no.......
Finished the table runner, what do you reckon? The border and binding are from a range of fabrics released by Thimbleberries way back in 2008 called "Greetings from Canada", the cream squares from my stash, and the other fabrics were some of the lovely goodies I received in Tammy's giveaway earlier this year. The pattern was included in the giveaway and was easy to use, it was well written with diagrams and easy instructions to follow. It's one of Anka's Treasures line of patterns, Little Charmers 5. I bought a pale gold Thimbleberries print for the backing which, although it's not one of the fabrics on the top, matches very well - Thimbleberries prints do that, don't they? Fabrics from their different ranges go together without jarring. The quilting is done with a variegated gold cotton thread by Signature, haven't used their threads before but My Lovely New Bernina and I both liked it. Took the pic today in the beer garden after the rain stopped and the sun came out, we had quite heavy rain last night and this morning........then suddenly it was all gone, the wind was blowing strongly and the sky was bright blue.

You would have laughed today. Bianca The Beautiful But Not Very Brave disappears when anyone comes to the house, as soon as she hears strange footsteps or a knock on the door she hides somewhere and doesn't come out until she thinks it is safe again. Today we had a locksmith come to check out the locks on doors and windows (we have many different locks with many many different keys to keep track of and would like it simplified) so she "hid" on my sewing desk, behind the machine, under the curtain. That is to say - her head was under the white lace curtain and she was peering through the lace at us, but the rest of her was on the desk in full view. But in her little furry mind she was hiding.......we had to chuckle.......

Both my new quilt groups are keeping me busy, today I made a block for a lucky draw BOM for one group, and I have a stitchery in progress for the other. I have also decided to have a go at an annual challenge, the quilt for which is to be finished by November. It's a 'theme' challenge and I have chosen to use the maritime prints I have collected over the years with the aim of one day making Kevin a quilt. His grandfather worked on proper sailing ships in the late 19th-early 20th centuries and he has always liked ships. The challenge is to use different sized blocks joined together by nine patches, and these prints will lend themselves to being cut in large pieces. We have ships, lighthouses, flags, seagulls and beach scenes in shades of blue, gold and red so it should be a cheerful bright quilt.

I enjoy browsing some of the blogs on Quilting Bloggers - my goodness, there are a lot of us aren't there! - but I do wish folks wouldn't use a black background. It looks very stylish, can be rather arty, and is well nigh impossible to read. So I don't.

Went for A Nice Sunday Drive yesterday (yes, I know it was Tuesday) to Armidale, just over an hour from here - it was a glorious sunny morning, in fact it was quite warm considering we are in the middle of winter, but by the time we left the sun had gone behind clouds and a cool breeze was picking up. We haven't explored much of the area around our new town and I think we should. I have a couple more excursions in mind. We parked near a local quilt shop and a small piece of a black and white print came home with me, it will do nicely for the Winding Ways quilt which is one of my many WISPs.

"A gentleman should avoid talking about his business or profession, unless such matters are drawn from him by the person with whom he is conversing. It is in bad taste, particularly, to employ technical or professional terms in general conversation."

Now it is bedtime so sweet dreams to me, and to you all as well.

Jennifer

Black and white and white and black

Last year I took a class to learn how to make the Winding Ways quilt block. I made nine. They are not yet sewn together.
Several more blocks have been cut out, waiting to be assembled.
And of course there is more fabric still to be cut......!

What a day. I noticed this morning that the not-quite-healed wound on my chest was red around the surgical tape. Now I always thought that red colour around a break in the skin = infection but not always, it seems. After a hasty trip back to the doctor to have it checked, apparently all is OK.

Off to Canberra tomorrow for a 60th birthday party, two friends (a married couple) are celebrating. It will be good to catch up with Canberra friends as we haven't seen them since Easter, over six months ago. Have just tried on the skirt I intended to wear, it's tight in the waist but wearable. So long as I don't pop a button on the waistband all will be well. Might take along a couple of safety pins to be sure!

Which makes the need for losing weight more pressing. I never thought I would be this huge and this unhealthy. I know I'm not "fat" - even the doctor says I'm not - but the blood pressure problems make losing some weight imperative. So........walking in the evenings after the sting has gone out of the sun (it won't be possible tonight). What a waste of 30 minutes. If only there was a way to lose weight by swallowing a magic pill. Let's see if there are any changes by Christmas, I'm told it takes three months to notice any difference but with a bit of luck it might be a little less.

Now I am going to have a coffee and practice my songs to sing at the music club tonight.

Bianca's rain forecast hasn't happened yet. We are still waiting..........and waiting.........