Sleeping in one's own bed again......

One is quite pleased about this; even though the caravan beds have innerspring mattresses and are very comfortable, there is nothing quite like one's own regular bed, is there?

As promised, a few pictorial highlights:

We spent a week near Yamba and did a little local exploring while there, Angourie is a five minute drive south:

These fellers are called water dragons.  Their back claws look quite vicious so I was not getting any closer than this - one of many who call the river bank home:

 The stones deposited along the bank of the Clarence River make an ideal home if you are a water dragon, this is where we stayed for a week......talk about relaxing:

 After a week on Palmers Island we drove south to Urunga, which itself is a short drive from Nambucca Heads - this is near where the Nambucca River empties into the ocean:

 Urunga caravan park has bunnies!!  Cute little grey and white baby bunnies hopping around!!!!

 There were grey and white adult bunnies too, but they can't compete in the cute stakes so they weren't photographed.

The boardwalk goes for a kilometre, should you feel energetic on a late afternoon as the tide is going out to sea......or any other time, for that matter.

It was also a very musical holiday.  I was welcomed by the Yamba Ukes for their regular Wednesday session in a local café and can't have disgraced myself totally, because they asked me to join them playing in a street festival a few days later......how nice is that!

Last weekend at the Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival a scratch band called "The Sinners"(sounds like me, doesn't it?) was formed on Saturday morning; an hour on Saturday and another short practice immediately before going on stage on Sunday morning, and we opened the bluegrass gospel concert - yee har for us!  Folk festivals in Australia often have a scratch choir - so-called because people are scratched up from anywhere - which has a short practice each morning of the festival then performs at the final Big Concert (there is always a Big Concert to finish a festival); "The Sinners" was the bluegrass band equivalent.  I'm pleased to report that I wasn't the only ukulele, we had a couple more.  It was somewhat crowded up there on stage, but really great to feel part of the festival.  Now we can sit back and bask in our glory while waiting for the phones to ring......somehow I think we'll be waiting for a while......

Mostly the weather was kind to us, a few showers of rain didn't spoil things but the wind did.  It was often windy at Palmers Island, very windy the day we arrived at Urunga, and we also had some wind at Dorrigo.  Wind is horrible.  As someone said to us after coming home, wind serves no useful purpose that she can see; perhaps it does have a purpose, but it certainly makes people irritable.

Now we are picking up where we left off.  Our next trip away will be just before Christmas heading south to see the family and taking in another small folk festival on the way home.

Meanwhile, things have been progressing on the sewing front.  The backing for my Winding Ways quilt is done but as something has happened to my back (I seem to have popped a rib or strained a muscle, possibly while sneezing; the pain is somewhat agonising at times and breathing can be a bit tricky too) it will have to wait a wee while before being pinned and quilted.

Unfortunately we came home to a sad note, one of our choir members lost his life a couple of weeks ago in a very nasty car accident.  He leaves a young family, and I was sorry I wasn't well enough to get to his funeral on Friday to pay my respects with other choir members.

Yesterday, though, was happier; a former member who moved interstate is back in town for a short holiday, and a mutual friend and choir member had a lovely afternoon tea at her place for friends to meet up again.  We had yummy things to eat served on pretty plates, with old-fashioned tea cups making us all feel like Real Ladies.  Which, of course, we are.

"Whom to invite.
Those invited should be of the same standing in society.  They need not necessarily be friends, nor even acquaintances, but, at dinner, as people come into closer contact than at a dance, or any other kind of a party, those only should be invited to meet one another who move in the same class of circles."

Yep......sounds like yesterday afternoon.

Enjoy your days!

We're back!

Still need to upload photos from my camera, and then I can tell you all about our holiday.

Two more sleeps until our holiday

We will be leaving on Saturday morning so there will be a blogging break for a couple of weeks.

Still have to pack, but one important thing is done......my uke is packed!  Next Wednesday morning I will be meeting up with a ukulele group not far from where we will be staying (we will be out of town) which should be fun.  Kevin plays lawn bowls and he is also looking forward to meeting local bowlers for a game or two.  While he is doing that I may, just may, not definite mind you, but perhaps I just might check out the local op shops, or thrift stores if you don't live in Australia.......I like a good op shop crawl.

On Sunday afternoon we will be arriving on Palmers Island for a week, then heading south to visit Urunga before turning back inland.  Our last few days will be spent in Dorrigo - such a nice town, there is a great quilt shop and several excellent cafes - because the folk festival is on.  We missed it last year, we were in Canada instead!

The first year we were living here we visited a couple of open gardens, and at one I bought a potted kalanchoe with an interesting name - "Dusky Bells".   It spent a few years hanging around in its pot on the edge of our fairly sheltered back verandah doing very little; not dying, but certainly not thriving.  A couple of years ago we had a short-but-sharp storm which, as well as breaking off a 30 ft high tree in our front yard, toppled the stand holding some hanging plants including Dusky Bells.  The stand was duly moved into a more sheltered corner, and Dusky Bells was re-potted.  It promptly picked itself up, shook itself, looked around, decided that the new corner was The Place To Be and has been going great guns ever since.  I'm curious, though......it's hanging and trailing, whereas I thought kalanchoes had their flowers at the top of an erect stem.  Perhaps it needs a few of those little blue pills that one hears about?

 The pot holding most of the kalanchoe sits above this orange pot.

Definitely trailing - nothing upright about it, but its leaves are nice and glossy and the flowers are interesting.

We don't have television in our little caravan and I for one won't miss it.  I certainly won't miss the ads for cars, aren't they silly?  Really, what can be said about cars that hasn't already been said over and over again?  A wheel at each corner and one to hang onto.  That's about it.  Cars these days all seem interchangeable to me anyway, but then - what do I know about such things?

One of us hits the mute button when ads come on air.  Watching ads with the sound turned off is quite funny, we can recommend it!  If it were up to me the TV would stay off for 99% of the time, but the bloke who shares my bed likes to watch it.

Not in bed, though.  We have one not-very-big TV (no huge screens and surround sound for us) and it lives in the living room just off the kitchen.  I can't imagine having a TV in my bedroom, even though Kevin does watch through his eyelids.

We've been checking out the weather forecast for next week to see what clothes to pack and the days look like being a few degrees warmer than here which is quite bearable, but nights will be several degrees warmer than what we are currently enjoying.  Still, we will be near the Pacific Ocean so hopefully there will be a sea breeze to keep bugs away and to stop nights being too hot for sleeping.  This week I have worn sandals twice, my bare toes have been hanging out in the fresh air for the first time in several months, and next week they may not be covered much at all.  Even the bare arms and legs may have a turn at fresh air.

But that's all.  There are limits to what I bare in public, folks.

"In assisting a lady to enter a carriage, a gentleman will take care that the skirt of her dress is not allowed to hang outside.  A carriage robe should be provided to protect her dress from the mud and dirt of the road.  The gentleman should provide the lady with her parasol, fan and shawl, and see that she is comfortable in every way, before he seats himself."

Modern cars mean that the skirts of our dresses stay inside, don't they?  We don't need carriage rugs or parasols to keep us sheltered on a ride either, thank goodness for modern comforts

We'll be back in a few weeks, meanwhile......

Enjoy your days!

We're nearly being blown away here

Considering it's now spring today is not very spring-like......sunny at times but with threatening clouds, and very strong winds.  We aren't being blown as much as some districts are, but even so it's quite unpleasant.  It's also very very cold.

Ah well.  Not much we can do about that, is there?

Some more pieces were joined on the blue and orange batik quilt, it's going to be somewhat bright......even brighter than I had hoped.

 One print has words, many are abstract, there are leaves, flowers, and one has butterfly wings.  No bodies, just detached wings.  Poor butterflies......does this mean that, if they can't fly, they are just butter?

My favourite of all the black and white fabrics currently being joined is this café print with curly chairs, cakes and candlesticks.  I have no memory of when or where it was bought, there were probably other prints in the same range which might have been just as much fun - but we will never know now, will we?

Hard to believe that just one year ago today we were winging our way, as they say in travel brochures, over shark-infested waters on our way to Vancouver.  That long flight was followed by a (fortunately) shorter flight over bear-infested forests to Toronto, and it was with much relief that we laid our weary heads down that night having flown half-way round the world and been up for nigh on two days.  Next weekend we will be heading off again; we will be driving the long way to the coast and, while we will enjoy a nice break from our humdrum daily routine, an Australian beach in spring won't have the gloriousness of Ontario in Autumn.

Sigh......in several months it will be autumn again here, but first we have to survive summer again.

Over the past week or so we have started seeing local folk in summer clothes, I'm not that brave yet (certainly not today, that's for sure......I'm not hanging my bare arms or legs out in that freezing cold wind) but recently my wardrobe has increased by new black sandals, a black and white top and new capri pants in both royal blue and teal ready for warmer weather.  The sandals are pretty, I couldn't decide between black or brown, perhaps after we come home I shall buy the brown ones too.  One needs to keep up appearances even when one is a retired Olde Pharte, you know; those new clothes may even come to the coast with me, because one likes to make a good impression when travelling.

"Travelling dress.
Comfort and protection from dust and dirt are the requirements of a travelling dress.  When a lady is about making an extensive journey, a travelling suit is a great convenience, but for a short journey, a large linen overdress or duster may be put on over the ordinary dress in summer, and in winter a waterproof cloak may be used in the same way.  For travelling costumes a variety of materials may be used, of soft, neutral tints, and smooth surface which does not retain the dust.  These should be made up plainly and quite short.  The underskirts should be colored, woollen in winter and linen in summer.  The hat or bonnet must be plainly trimmed and completely protected by a large veil.  Velvet is unfit for a travelling hat, as it catches and retains the dust; collars and cuffs of plain linen.  The hair should be put up in the plainest manner.  A waterproof and warm woollen shawl are indispensable, and may be rolled in a shawl-strap when not needed.  A satchel should be carried, in which may be kept a change of collars, cuffs, gloves, handkerchiefs, toilet articles, and towels.  A travelling dress should be well supplied with pockets.  The waterproof should have large pockets, and there should be one in the underskirt in which to carry such money and valuables as are not needed for immediate use."

Well, I'm not sure......I was thinking of travelling in jeans and tee shirt with my hair down, yes it's long, and definitely no neutrals.  I don't do neutral.  Neutral is so.......neutral.

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!

September in the rain

Wouldn't that make a good song title?  Oh, wait.......okay......

However it is September, and it has been raining, and many roads hereabouts are closed and the river which flows through town is flooded.  There was a flood a couple of months after we moved here, they happen every so many years; I can remember some really bad floods when I was a child.  We're surrounded by hills, so the river gets a lot of water coming down.

Meanwhile, here's some of our soggy garden.  Our lovely little plant had its name changed some years ago; it used to be called eriostemon myoporoides, but no sooner had I learned to pronounce it than some learned botanists put their heads together and decided it wasn't that at all, it was something else altogether.  It's apparently related to citrus, the leaves smell heavenly when rubbed as they have a lot of oil in them.

 Our somewhat pricey standard grevillea, which makes quite a statement in the front garden.

Hardenbergia, fortunately not the variety which takes over the universe......this one is more discreet.

 Another grevillea, 'Robyn Gordon' - birds love these flowers.

 As promised, the green chair.  It's more turquoise than green, and is so much prettier than when it was an old person's chair!

Don't worry about the mess in the background, I'm not the world's best housekeeper.  Just admire the chair.

Had a good time at the craft show last weekend, even though it was small.  I did buy some fabric for the next hand-pieced project which has started percolating in my brain; those Flower Basket blocks which have been 'on the go' for over ten years will soon be too unwieldy for a portable project, but my fingers will still need something to do.  After much deliberation and cogitation I decided to make a tumbler quilt using my stash of repro fabrics, some of which go back nigh on twenty years, but they needed more neutrals.  This morning I ordered a tumbler template online. and have been fondling my repro fabrics a few times to get acquainted with them.  At this stage I have no idea how big to make it, so I think I will just start sewing and take it from there.

The black and white blocks are coming along nicely.  The whole quilt may or may not be done for the Big Reveal at the end of November, but who's worried?  Not me......it will be done when it's done.

At the Annual General Meeting of our small but quite serious quilt group last year I put up my hand to be our Charity Quilt Co-Ordinator and so far my services haven't been needed.  Recently Madame Presidente contacted me about providing a design and block instructions, and much to my surprise she said she really liked my BOM (last month it was my turn to provide a BOM sample and instructions) so much that she would like our quilt for a Good Cause to use the same block design.  I had fun putting together a few layouts in EQ7, and the diagonal setting was a hands-down winner.  Her mantra is "it's gotta be BRIGHT......make it BRIGHT......it's not BRIGHT enough......" and, while I also like bright colours, there is a point when bright crosses over into garish.  Hopefully any somewhat quieter bright blocks will all play nicely with the louder bright blocks to make the cheerful quilt requested by a children's cancer organisation.

What is it with blokes and the TV remote?  Are they congenitally incapable of keeping their hands off the thing?  Even Euan, who won't turn two for another three months, keeps playing with theirs.  Obviously his grandfather's remote fiddling genes have passed to his father, who has passed them in turn to his son......it is so irritating when one is watching something and, as soon as an ad comes on, the household bloke starts scrolling through the alternatives.  Makes one think that the cultures who chop off a hand for certain misdeeds have the right idea, they could add TV remote fiddling to the list of crimes.

I bet the good folk of the 1880s would have had something to say in the etiquette book about fiddling with the TV remote when one's wife is watching a program.

"The true gentleman.
Politeness is benevolence in all things.  A true gentleman must regard the rights and feelings of others, even in matters the most trivial.  He respects the individuality of others, just as he wishes others to respect his own."

Doesn't that sound to you as though it means "keep your hands off the remote when your wife is watching her program"?  I don't change channels when he is watching sport, sport and more sport, much as I feel like doing so.

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!