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

it's even better to come home.

We had a lovely time at the folk festival - catching up with friends some of whom we haven't seen since last year, hearing some great music, and on my part joining in some good singing sessions.  Some of the overseas performers we saw were 'Dry Bones' from Manitoba, Canada, and Riley Baugaus and Kurt Sutphin from North Carolina, as well as local performers.  There were other great performers from overseas and within Australia too.....deciding which ones to see was a difficult decision!  Some pics were taken, but they won't be shown because I don't have the permission of the people in the pics to do so.

We enjoyed spending time with our older son, and with friends who also live in Canberra.  One of my favourite coffee roasters has a shop not far from the festival, so of course a visit there was part of the trip and some beans have come home with us.

A town where we stopped overnight is Cowra - one of its attractions is the Japanese Garden.  It was late afternoon, so shadows were getting longer.

 As you can see, it's on a hill.

 I like the juxtaposition of imported exotic plants in the foreground, and native eucalypt trees beyond.  Most of the plantings were exotics, although some natives were used.

We don't know if the smoke was from burning off surplus growth, or if it was a bushfire.  It was a long way off, but we had extensive views from that hill.

Because it's now autumn I was hoping for some colour in the garden from the many imported trees - Australian trees as a rule aren't deciduous and don't change colour - but most of the plantings are evergreens, with lots of conifers shaped to represent rocks.  However, it was still very pretty.

Having house sitters was a great success.  We came home to a home-cooked lunch, a spotlessly clean house, a tidy garden, and two very relaxed cats.  Because it was our first time using the service we were a bit apprehensive, but such a good experience has given us confidence to do it again.  It was worth it to have Binky happy - last time we went away for two weeks and had the cats in a boarding cattery, it took her a further week to adjust to being back home.  In that week she was very stressed and unhappy.  As were we.

So now we can get on with planning the trip to Canada in October!

Yesterday was raining and rather cool, so we did something we hadn't done for a long time - we went to a movie; we saw "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and really enjoyed it.  It's about a group of people from England who, after retirement, decide to move to India to live.  Because it's about older folks there are a few sad moments, but overall it's a really hopeful movie.......such a change to see a movie that doesn't depend on action and special effects, but one that has a realistic story about believable people.  And with no sex scenes.  Am I alone in thinking that sex scenes, which seem to have become more prevalent in movies, aren't really all that interesting to watch?  All that heavy breathing and slobbering in soft focus........some activities are not spectator sports, are they?

"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."

Don't you think that should apply to sex scenes in movies too?  We can only hope.......

Enjoy your days!

We're heading off again!

That's right.....day after tomorrow we are hitching up the caravan and heading off to Canberra, to visit our older son and to spend Easter weekend at the National Folk Festival.  We've been going for many years now and always enjoy it; due to a misunderstanding last year I ended up working many more volunteer hours than were required and was in two minds whether to volunteer again.  It felt as though I only had half a festival, but that won't happen this year.

So you won't hear from me for a couple of weeks, because although we will be taking our Lovely New Laptop Computer I won't be sitting around surfing the net when I could be singing, or playing music, or listening to a great concert, or having a drink with friends.

These pictures were taken about 18 months ago when we visited a beautiful garden about 40 minutes south of here.  The picture above was the view from the garden looking north (I think), and below is a corner of the garden.

Can you spot the little blue wren?  He (boys are blue, girls are brown) is much brighter than the forget-me-nots behind him.  Lately we have been visited by a family of wrens, one blue male and several brown birds......although they may not all be female, as it says here.  They are very sweet little birds.  It's difficult to imagine how tiny their little toe bones must be, isn't it?

Last Saturday night we attended the theatre, the local amateur society is performing "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie - it was very well done, and very entertaining!  However I can't tell you the ending or who the villain is, because at the conclusion of the performance one of the actors stepped forward and enlisted the audience in the conspiracy not to tell.  Apparently that has been done at every performance of the play's 60-year run.  Agatha Christie thought it would only run for a limited time so she gave the royalties to her grandson as a gift.....he has done very well from it.

For the first time ever we are having house sitters come in to look after the house and the cats; poor old Binky doesn't like going to a boarding kennel so they can stay in their own house with their usual routine, and we will have someone keeping an eye on our house.  There is some opportunist crime in this town (as there seems to be everywhere these days) so we feel happier that the house won't be left empty for 16 days.  If it works out well then we will look at getting in a sitter for the Big Canadian Trip later in the year.

So there has been a flurry of dusting, and cleaning, and sweeping.  Don't want the sitters thinking that a sloppy housewife lives here, do we?  Still have some cleaning to do, but that's OK, we will manage.  Important things, like putting new strings on my guitar and learning a new song, and packing my knitting and the coffee grinder, have already been taken care of.  I have my priorities.

Signs of autumn are everywhere now, trees are definitely changing colour, and we know we will see even more signs as we head south.  We will be driving over mountains so can expect some cool weather - but that's all right, we have jackets, and sleeping bags and quilts for the caravan.  Easter is earlier this year than it was last year but we still expect cool weather.

"Treatment of inferiors.
Never affect superiority.  In the company of an inferior never let him feel his inferiority.  If you invite an inferior as your guest, treat him with all the politeness and consideration you would show an equal."

Remember that, next time you invite the gardener to tea.

Enjoy your days!

A glimpse of the start of the new jacket

So far the back is finished, and one front is coming along very well.  This picture was taken yesterday when the left front had only been cast on and had one row done, since then it has grown by several inches.  It's a very quick knit; fluffy mohair blend yarn on big needles.  Hopefully the pic shows the colours, it is very autumn-y....black, gold, green, purple, yellow, even a touch of coral pink, all blend together beautifully.

Later this month we will be heading off to Canberra for our annual visit so that means more car travel, which means more knitting time.  The National Folk Festival is held in Canberra at Easter and has become a fixture on our calendar, and as our older son moved there a year ago it will be lovely to also spend a little time with him.  We have other friends living there so we can catch up with them too.  For quite a  few years Canberra was at the top of our list when we were deciding where we wanted to retire but as it grows bigger it is becoming less affordable, and it is getting more of a big city feel - we wanted to live in a country town.  If Sydney is the Big Smoke, and this town is the Small Smoke, then Canberra is the Medium Smoke becoming more smokey with every passing year.

The plans for the trip to Canada later in the year are progressing nicely.  We have our flights sorted.....my gosh it's such a long way from here, but then it's a long way from Australia to just about anywhere, really.....now we are looking at travel insurance.  Some people think it's all right to travel without it, nothing will happen to them they think, it's expensive they say, but realistically - if you can't afford travel insurance, then you can't afford to travel.  On our last visit to Canada I had the misfortune to fall and break my arm and we were not one cent out of pocket; all our expenses were covered.  Unfortunately there's no payment for pain and suffering, to say nothing of inconvenience....but all was well, in the end.  Eventually.  It was just a bit boring for a while, being unable to do much; we really need our hands, don't we?

The new skirt is finally being made.  Because it is lined that means making two skirts, the lining is done, hemmed and all, now the outer skirt is being hemmed then they can be joined at the band.  It is much easier to hem one layer at a time than wrestle with two layers.  Over the years I have made enough garments to be able to use my initiative when it comes to assembly, and just because the instructions say the hem is the final step doesn't mean that is the way it has to be.  My first garment (not counting the ones reluctantly made at school) was made when I was 18; self-taught though I was I enjoyed the process, and that was the first of goodness knows how many things I have made over the years.  I make quilts as well as garments and don't describe myself as a  "sewer" (heaven forbid) or "sewist" (which is a clumsy word), but have decided the old term "sempster" is a good one.  So I shall call myself a sempster.  One who sews seams.

The Plan is that the skirt will be worn to dinner tomorrow night, it's our anniversary.....36 years with the same bloke......if we can stick it out for another four years I can get a ruby.  Nice.  So far the odds are looking good.

"The wedding ring.
All churches at present use the ring, and vary the sentiment of its adoption to suit the customs and ideas of their own rites.  A jewelled ring has been for many years the sign and symbol of betrothal, but at present a plain gold circlet, with the date of the engagement inscribed within, is generally preferred.  The wedding ring, a plain hoop of gold, is used at the church.  A jewelled ring is placed upon her hand by the groom on the way home from the church, or as soon after the service as is convenient.  It stands guard over its precious fellow, and is a confirmation of the first promise."

Rings have great symbolism, don't they?  Apparently the circle signifies something unending, which is why a ring has become such an important part of the wedding ceremony.

Enjoy your days!

Been and gone and come home again

We had an uneventful trip away, and were very pleased to be home again.  Sydney turned on one of its downpours to remind us what it used to be like.....we don't get rain depressions like that here, thank goodness.  According to the financial bloke we can continue living for a while longer, and our visit with the travel agent was enlightening.  We're just finalising dates now, and later in the year will definitely be visiting Canada.

One of the places I wanted to visit was a shop which sold CDs and DVDs of classical music; having bought from them in the past I knew they had a great selection.  Kevin duly followed me where I led because I knew where it was.....but it had closed, gone forever it seems, and in its place was a women's clothing shop.  Oh dear, we said, never mind, we'll go to the map shop.  Guess what.  The map shop has moved........eventually we found our way to another shop (which I had been to previously, but had forgotten about) which specialises in classical music, and I was as happy as a pig in mud.  Bought the CD I wanted.  Much as I like living in the Small Smoke, unfortunately there is no shop here selling music written in 1610 by Claudio Monteverdi.  Plenty of the latest hits.  Plenty of country music and truckin' songs.  But no Monteverdi, for those of us who enjoy a good Vespers.

We took the opportunity to catch up with friends and spent a lovely evening in their company.  A surprise was bumping into one of Kevin's cousins in the shopping mall across the road from our hotel, so we were brought up-to-date with the latest family news.  

It was nice to go away, but much nicer to come home.  But the hours spent in the car weren't wasted, because the new knitted jacket is progressing very well.

It wouldn't be a post without a picture or two, so here is a pic taken late last year when we visited the coast.  This is an Aussie native, we think it's a Melaleuca - the flowers were very fluffy, it was quite pretty.  It was in someone's yard and I couldn't get a better picture without climbing the fence.

 This handsome bird is a pheasant.

There is a very funny song about pheasants......if you can sing it without getting the words mixed, you are doing very well.  Here it is.

My goodness, sewing black fabric can be hard on one's elderly eyes, can't it?  The top recently cut out is now being made and I am having a coffee break before sewing on the neckband.  I've sewn black in the past, but not black knit - it seems to be blacker than woven fabric, if that's possible.

In our travels we noticed that autumn is definitely on the way.  Some trees are starting to get the faded look that comes before the leaves turn, and many have already started changing colour.  A large tree that we pass on our way to town, which I mentioned previously, is becoming very bronze.  Why just that one tree, I don't know - it's not the only one of its species in town, in fact there are several in our street alone, but it's the only one whose leaves are changing.

"Certain local rules have been recognised in society at Sydney from the fact that a gentleman's social position is acquired by virtue of certain offices which he holds, and the social status of woman is also in a less degree determined by the official rank of her husband."

Supposing one's husband is an ordinary gentleman holding no particular office......does that mean one holds no social status whatsoever?  Ah well......I know my place.

Enjoy your days!

Off to the Big Smoke for a few days

Next week we will be leaving our peaceful house on the hill and heading off to the Big Smoke to take care of some business and to catch up with a friend.  It will be nice to visit the city again, but somehow I suspect we will be thankful to leave the traffic and noise behind when we come home.

 Here is a corner of our local botanic garden, with a little waterfall trickling over the garden.

And here is a Hardenbergia (Aussie native plant) growing in the same garden, just in front of the pond.

The flowers match the bruise on one of my toes, done a couple of days ago when I kicked the leg of a small stool while walking barefoot - as we do here most of the time in summer.  The toe is very swollen and sore, which makes wearing anything on that foot difficult.  But never mind, soon it will be all better again and I will be back to jumping out of my skin.  Just as well we won't be going for our long walk on Tuesday, because the new walking shoes might give that poor toe trouble - although they were worn successfully last Tuesday and will be worn again once the swelling and soreness goes down.  We will already be on our way south when the walking group steps out.

Finally the new skirt and top are cut out, and now I can get to work making them.  I made the decision to line the skirt - it's a soft floppy woven polyester fabric, so it will be less clingy with a lining.  The fabric is also slightly see-through with the light behind it, and I am past the age of showing my all to the world.  Our wedding anniversary is later this month and we usually celebrate by going out to dinner, so I will have a new outfit to wear.  The wardrobe has been increased by some new skirts and tops in the fast few months, and they should be photographed so you can see them.  I am quite pleased with them.

Oh dear, a thought has just hit me.....the sore toe is on my sewing machine pedal foot!  Bummer!!

Last year I bought some very gorgeous knitting yarn, a mohair blend in golden autumn tones, and a pattern to make a jacket.  As we are several hours' drive from the Big Smoke and I have no trouble knitting in the car, it just might get cast on tonight.......just think how much could be done by the time we come home again!  The cardigan started last year has been languishing because I am not feeling the love for it.  While I do love the yarn, a gorgeous deep teal with a fleck running through, the pattern isn't exciting me - so it's time to re-think the design, and today while browsing Ravelry a lovely cardigan pattern sprang out and tapped me on the shoulder.  That yarn has already made three false starts, so this had better be the last as it will be needed in winter.

One thing we will be doing while in the city will be visiting the helpful travel agent we have used in the past - because later this year we are off to Canada again!  Yay!  Dates and details to be confirmed, but definitely October - autumn in Canada is so beautiful.  Two autumns in one year, how lucky are we!  Have I ever mentioned that autumn is my very favourite season?

"Carrying packages.
A gentleman will never permit a lady with whom he is walking to carry a package of any kind, but will insist on relieving her of it.  He may even accost a lady when he sees her overburdened and offer his assistance, if their ways lie in the same direction."

Fortunately my husband will carry shopping for me - but unfortunately I cannot say the same for all men.

Enjoy your days!

If a tree falls.....

.....and no one hears it, does it really fall?

A couple of months after we moved here this pic was taken from the hill behind our house.  That's our house with its red roof - the pointed steeple you can see belongs to a large nursing home complex lower down the hill, behind the houses across from us.  You can see the small group of trees which give us wonderful summer shade, just uphill from our back fence.

 But on Monday afternoon we had a storm, and this very large section of tree came down.  It's from the tree on the extreme right, fortunately it fell sideways and not towards us.

The trees are a hangout for many birds, so I hope none of them went for a ride when it came down.  The rain was so heavy and the storm so fierce that Kevin didn't hear it fall.  Perhaps, in that case, it didn't fall at all and this is an illusion we see every time we look out our back window?  I was out at the time and had a most exciting drive home through pouring rain.......talk about cats and dogs.  Fortunately it had almost stopped a few hours later when it was time to drive to choir practice, that was a much more sedate drive.

A less exciting happening during the week was, we have joined a walking group which meets on Tuesday mornings at 8.30am.  That's very early, to me....I am not a morning person by nature, getting up early all those years I was working was a real effort but I managed, and when I retired and could get up whenever I wanted not when the alarm said to it was wonderful, so I love being retired for that reason alone......but we went, and while I didn't manage the distance of those who have been walking for several months I hope to improve with time.  I have even swallowed my pride and bought new walking shoes which are glowing shining shimmering......white.  What is it about white shoes that makes one's feet look absolutely enormous?  And why are most women's walking shoes white?  They are comfortable, and I will wear them, but I do not like them.  They make my feet look like Minnie Mouse's feet.  I don't enjoy walking either, in fact even as a child I was never ever one who liked exercise or sport, but for my health's sake I felt I should do something more than sitting and sewing, or sitting and reading.  So there it is.

Blogger has done the dirty on us with its double word verification, hasn't it?  We weren't asked if we wanted it.  However I am reluctant to turn mine off as I have had a problem in the past with nuisance spam comments, so my apologies if it bothers you but it is staying.  I have noticed, though, that if you click on the question mark ? beside the window where the words are to be typed, up comes a page which has a "contact us" message at the bottom.  Click on that and you get a list of five options, one of which is "words are too hard to read".  I have been clicking that and sending it off - if enough people do it, the message may get through.  Perhaps it's my imagination, but over the past couple of days the verification words have seemed easier to read - so possibly the message is getting through.

Although I don't specially follow these things, I believe some award is happening this week in Hollywood.  Checking out the outfits worn can be interesting, can't it?  Some are beautiful, and some are a real train wreck.  We very seldom go to the movies, so winners and losers make little difference to us.

"After you have visited a friend at her country seat, or after receiving an invitation to visit her, a call is due her upon her return to her town residence.  This is one of the occasions when a call should be made promptly and in person, unless you have a reason for wishing to discontinue the acquaintance; even then it would be more civil to take another opportunity for dropping a friend who wished to show a civility, unless her character has been irretrievably lost in the meantime."

We live in a country town.....does that mean we have a country seat, or a town residence?  I can assure you, you will find no lost characters here.

Enjoy your days!

Just so you can see.....

.......how far we can see from our front verandah, on a clear day.  Judging by the weather radar when it's raining and how far away the showers are, we estimate that those hills in the far distance would be somewhere between 20 and 30 kilometres away.  That's approximately 12 to 18 miles, but it could be further.  Last week's rainy day pic is what we can see during heavy rain........not much really, except a white mist over the top of Rose-the-neighbour's house with its green striped blinds.

My parents' house here had a lovely view across the town to the hills in the south-east, and when we were looking for a house to buy the requirement at the top of my list was "a view of hills"......and I have it, even though this is looking south-west-ish rather than south-east.  And as we live part-way up a hill there is more hill behind us, so lots of hills here.  That makes me happy, because I need hills in my life.

Did you all have a lovely Valentine's Day?  We took ourselves out to dinner and had a fabulous meal because 14th February is my husband's birthday - yes, he's a Valentine's Day baby.  But his name is not Valentine, it's Kevin.  There was once a Saint Kevin, it seems, and his feast day is 3rd June.  Perhaps we should celebrate then, too.  I always enjoy a meal I haven't had to cook.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind cooking.......but after more than 40 years of being a domestic goddess in one form or another, the novelty has worn off.

You should all be proud of me, because this week I put up my hand to be newsletter editor for the craft group at our local craft centre.    It will be a bit of a learning curve, but after having a blog for a few years hopefully it won't be too difficult.  As I said at the meeting, I can do a good line in bull dust.  Except I didn't say dust.  I said the other word that starts with sh and ends with it.

According to this morning's local paper we are having the coolest mildest summer since records began, over 100 years ago.  Today is warmer than it has been for a couple of weeks, but it's still not as hot as last summer was.  There is a large deciduous tree which we drive past on our way into town - and during the week I noticed that it's changing into its autumn clothes!  So is the it's-either-Virgina-creeper-or-ornamental-grape growing on the wire fence of the local football ground, and so is the we-think-it's-an-apricot-tree in our backyard.  Perhaps it's because we are in for an early autumn - it's certainly not for lack of rain.  Considering we should still have at least 6-8 weeks of summer left, those leaves are changing quite early.

Today is a day for cutting out fabric, there are a couple of monthly block obligations to be done and there are more Bears Paw blocks being cut out.  There's no scheme in mind for them so far, it's just the fun of playing with lovely leafy prints and my favourite autumn colours.  When that's done, the skirt from the fabric shown in the last post will be cut out.  I don't know about the rest of you but I find cutting out very tedious, wonder why that is?  I start with good intentions then drift off into doing something else.......meanwhile the fabric is still sitting partly cut.......my neck, shoulders and upper back give me problems sometimes, standing with bent head for long periods of time does them no favours so I keep having breaks.  Like this present blogging and coffee break.  Then I don't always get back to cutting.  But I have promised myself that I will, because I want to make that skirt.

"Trifling with a lady.
A man should never make a declaration in a jesting manner.  It is most unfair to a lady.  He has no right to trifle with her feelings for mere sport, nor has he a right to hide his own meaning under the guise of a jest."

Something to ponder on for Valentine's Day next year while accompanied by beautiful red roses such as those in my blog header, cut in our garden one day last summer when their flowers were bowed down by rain.

Enjoy your days!