Up to three dozen trees now

Three dozen is 36, so that's several weeks' worth of trees.  A whole forest of trees.

On our visits to Vancouver Island we have been amazed by the trees - in fact, we call it "The Land of Tall Straight Trees".  If memory serves me right this print was bought on Vancouver Island, so it can be one of those tall straight trees.

Several years ago I looked at this print and thought....hmmm, I thought......there's a quilt in that.  Summertime Blues was the result, with the colours reversed; blue was the main colour - every shade of blue from pale turquoise to deep purple - with orange/gold as the contrast.  There was a piece left that was just big enough to cut one tree (fabric is cut 6-1/2in by 9in) and the contrast is also a leftover from my Canadian quilt, used to represent the ocean.  

An interesting pair of trees.  After sewing and trimming, they finish at 6in by 8-1/2in.

Spread out in all their glory.

They really are fun to make.  A group pic will be taken each time another 12 trees are added.

"The Land of Tall Straight Trees", for sure!

How have you all been this past week?  We finished off Easter, then had a few normal days before Anzac Day brought another holiday and another long weekend.  We don't do any special celebrating for Anzac Day, as most of Australia seems to do.  I have memories of that day when I was young, it was never a good day in our house; my father enlisted when he was 20 and was eventually sent overseas to New Guinea, where he served in the War Graves Unit - which would have been horrific  Like many returned servicemen he never joined in the march on Anzac Day, but he did play in a band which marched in the parade.  The march ended with an ecumenical church service at a sports ground, after which the adult band members went around town on a pub crawl.  They would set themselves up outside each pub in turn and play, drinkers would send beers out to them, they would get more and more stonkered - my father did not have a good tolerance for alcohol, it didn't take much to put him under - and eventually he would make his way home.  My mother's fuse was quite short by then (it was never a long fuse at the best of times) so of course there would be fights and arguments for the rest of the day, while my brothers and I tried to keep out from underfoot and away from arm's reach.  

So no, it was never a good day.

Words have been read, stitches have been sewn.  Sorting of the music continues. and will do for quite some time.  Some stitches were knitted; knitting is a good thing to have along when going to the doctor, as I had to a few days ago.  Nothing major or even exciting, just the medical driving check that we in New South Wales have to undertake every year from A Certain Age.  While I was there the nurse asked about having a flu shot....all right, I said, been having them for over 25 years without any problems....although I really hate, detest and loathe having injections.  (I don't like them, either.)  She must have hit a blood vessel because it bled, and we chatted about the fact that redheads - which I was, before going grey - bleed more than other folk.  It's genetic, she said.  Fancy that, I said, and we feel pain more than other people do too.  Apart from unusual tiredness for a couple of days there have, fortunately, been no ill effects from the injection so now I have a whole year to psych myself up for the next one.

A place we visited on our trip away was the Holtermann Museum at Gulgong.  Several years ago, while visiting the Big Smoke, we were lucky enough to see the exhibition which spawned the founding of this museum and found it really interesting.  Considering those photos are over 150 years old they are so clear, and paint a vivid picture of life on the goldfields of the time; women appear to be wearing their best clothes and children have been spruced up for the photographer, while men have also been fluffed and polished despite the mud and dust.  I wonder what they would think of us now, looking at them as they were back then?

It has been raining all night and most of today, gentle soaking rain.  It's been cloudy and misty, not very warm although not too cold, not quite, but an extra layer of clothing is welcome.  The thought of lighting the fire has even crossed our minds.  Quite a lot of rain fell here while we were down south but none since, so this rain will be beneficial.

"If a gentleman, when riding alone, meets a lady who is walking and wishes to enter into conversation with her, he must alight and remain on foot while talking with her."

Well yes, so he should.  The average woman - and people were generally shorter then than now - would probably develop a crick in her neck trying to converse with a gentleman seated on horseback while she was on foot.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A year in the making

A few days ago was the 12-month anniversary of the fall which resulted in a broken arm and a truly spectacular black eye, and I'm pleased to say both arm and eye are working properly, or nearly so.  There are still some wrist movements which are stiffer than they used to be and unwelcome twinges of pain from time to time but, as the orthopedic specialist pointed out, "given your age, your arm may never be what it was before".  He's right, you know.....it isn't.  However, considering the damage (and, of course, my advanced age!) it's not too bad.

During our autumn trip to Canberra last year I visited a fabric store, and bought a few batik fabrics for the trees which I hoped to make one day.  The day has, of course, arrived, and now those trees are being made.  First a smokey blue, with a pale contrast whose design makes me think of mysterious hieroglyphics from an ancient civilisation.....

....then a brownish-greenish-khaki with touches of red.  The red fabric used for trunk and branches were already in my stash, but the others were bought on that trip.

Not a bad effort for the week.

During last month's trip there was, of course, another visit to the same fabric store for a few more batik fabrics.

This was before we departed on our recent holiday, all the thread which was left on the spool after making that week's two trees - certainly not enough to make another tree.

Talk about cutting it fine!  I find this Guttermann colour to be a Very Useful Colour for piecing.

During the week my autumn quilt was laid out once more, this time to have its hanging sleeve added.  That wasn't done in time to enter it in the show a couple of months ago, so it will certainly be done for next year.  I have found a good spot to photograph it, once the sleeve is on.

Yesterday we picked up our hot cross bun order from the bakery on the other side of the river, and jolly nice they are too.  Kevin doesn't eat fruit buns - although he really like date scones - so I will have to eat them all myself.  To make them last longer all six buns were cut across into two halves and placed in the freezer, so my daily treat isn't too huge.  Even though I could quite happily eat a whole bun by myself....those buns are my consolation prize for not being at the folk festival this year.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, and fabric cut.  Sorting of music has commenced, and I am being quite ruthless culling anything which I don't want to keep.  We hunted and we gathered, and went here and there, and that was another week done.

During our trip away we took the opportunity to try a couple of different - to us - roads, and we drove through Binda.  Thirty years ago I heard (and have been singing ever since) a song called 'Binda Ball', about a trio of bushrangers crashing the 1864 Boxing Day ball held in the small town of Binda.  The Binda police were away at the time escorting prisoners to Goulburn, so Ben Hall and his gang took advantage of that to kick up their heels for a few hours.  The storekeeper Morris, a former policeman, tried to get some of the local men to rush the bushrangers during the dancing and capture them, but the plan was overheard and foiled.  In revenge, they burned down Morris's store; he lost all his stock and his account books, without which he couldn't continue trading.  The girls who had such fun dancing with their 'bushranger sweethearts' were arrested; there are accounts published in newspapers at the time which can be read online.  All three - Ben Hall, John Gilbert, and Jack Dunn - died the following May.  Many bushrangers were descended from convict parents or grandparents; as such, most had scant respect for authority.

We all make choices in our lives, and these three men made unwise choices.  Others, in the same circumstances, made different choices and consequently lived (mostly) blameless, if less adventurous, lives - and longer ones.  Jack Dunn was still a teenager when he was hung for bushranging and murder.

Last week's etiquette post was about assisting a lady to mount a horse, using a side saddle.  One of the items held in the historical museum here is a side saddle belonging to Esther Stace - Mrs Arthur Stace, because women were known by their husband's name in those days - who held a side saddle jumping record which stood for nearly 100 years, only being broken in 2013.  Side saddle always looks awkward to me, but perhaps it's really quite comfortable.....who knows?

"Riding with ladies.

In riding with one lady, a gentleman takes his position to the right of her.  When riding with two or more, his position is still to the right unless one of them needs his assistance or requests his presence near her.  He must offer all the courtesies of the road, and yield the best and shadiest side to the ladies.  The lady must always decide upon the pace at which to ride.  It is ungenerous to urge her or incite her horse to a faster gait than she feels competent to undertake."

It is indeed.  Not every side saddle rider has Esther's skills.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Nearly half way through April!

How can this be?  I'm sure it was January just the other day.....

Easter is coming up next weekend, and we won't be at the folk festival.  Oh well, we shall just have to play some of our CDs bought at festivals in the past, and pretend that we are.  Perhaps I could plink a note or two, and maybe burst into song very late at night, as one has been known to do at folk festivals.

This week's trees.

The palm tree fabric has been in my stash for quite some time.  Our town has a lot of palm trees.

A bright fabric, a gift from a friend several years ago, some of which has also been used in another quilt.  Not sure what the leaves and fruit are - olives, perhaps?  The contrast fabric looks solid but has different colours, almost too pale to show up in this pic.

A twin portrait.

We get to enjoy this gorgeous hibiscus which is in our neighbour's front garden.  The flowers are quite large and frilly; fortunately this one was low enough that I could photograph it easily, which is not always the case.

I don't know what this blue flower is!  It pops up in the garden every year, although it's not one that we planted; it was already here when we came.  The flowers are quite a bright electric blue (not as light as they appear here), and the leaves take on a beautiful rusty-red colour in autumn and winter, so it's not an Ozzie native.

A sign in the Canadian pub in Canberra, which made me chuckle.

How has everyone been this week?  We have hunted and gathered, and gone out for various purposes, and come home again.  Words have been read, stitches have been sewn.  Notes have been plinked and sung; no choir this week because of Easter, so we have a week off.  U3A ukulele group is now on holidays as we go by NSW school terms; several of the members have grandparent duty in the holidays, or are away, so we don't meet for those weeks.  We will back playing together next month.

A project which will be done during the cooler months will be sorting out music.  Some weeks ago I bought a two-drawer filing cabinet, and during the week bought a box of hanging folders and tags to use with it.  There is so much music spread around our living/dining room that the table is unusable, so that will be taken care of....some will be filed, some will be culled, but a decision will be made on each and every piece of paper as it is picked up.  Once that is done, it will be the turn of quilting, sewing and craft paperwork to be sorted.  A big job - but eventually it needs to be done.

"Assisting a lady to mount.

The lady will place herself on the left side of the horse, standing as close to it as possible, with her skirts gathered in her left hand, her right hand upon the pommel, and her face toward the horse's head.  The gentleman should stand at the horse's shoulder, facing the lady, and stooping, hold his hand so that she may place her foot in it.  This she does, when the foot is lifted as she springs, so as to gently aid her in gaining the saddle.  The gentleman must then put her foot in the stirrup, smooth the skirt of her riding habit, and five her the reins and her riding whip."

I wonder what those women back in 1885, with their riding habits and side saddles, would make of how women dress to ride now?  They might be aghast at the current skin-tight riding clothing....but on the other hand, they may envy the freedom it gives.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Two contrasting trees to welcome us home.

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

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

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

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

"The gentleman's duty as an escort.

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

Probably very good advice.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

The bear went over the mountain

On Thursday we will be heading south, this time sans caravan.  After so many years it's going to seem a bit strange not to take our home with us.....but never mind; we will still have fun.

Because we had a busy day yesterday, this week's post is a little late.

Before I retired a work colleague and her husband enjoyed a cruise to Alaska, and she very kindly brought me (and another colleague who was also a quilter) some Alaskan fabric with bears and moose.  Some of mine has already been used in one autumn quilt, but there was still a big enough piece to make a tree.

The bear is nearly disguised among the branches, ready to pounce on an unwary passer-by.  The choice had to be made between using the bears, or the moose.  As moose don't climb trees and bears do, it just had to be the bear - yes?  Unfortunately the remaining fabric isn't long enough to cut another tree, so those errant moose will be used for something else.

Another peacock, this time featuring more peacock-like colours than the last one.

The bear and the peacock.  

Part of the fun of making these blocks is making fabric decisions.  Sometimes a contrast is the right choice - as in this peacock block - and sometimes a co-ordinating fabric, as with the bear and its tree, is better.  Fabrics for the next two blocks have been chosen, and they will be made after we return.

How has everyone been?  We've had a busy few days; on Saturday we took ourselves for our annual drive to Armidale for a quilt show.  As usual there were some very interesting quilts; each year they have a theme for their 'entrance quilts' - small quilts hung immediately in front of the door, the first to be seen on entering the hall - this year's theme was birds, and they ranged from very realistic birds to funny cartoon birds.  

The elevation of our town is about 400 metres above sea level, and Armidale is over 1,000, so there is usually quite a difference in climate....as there was on Saturday, but that, of course, means a downhill run home; unfortunately it took my ears a painfully long time to 'pop' afterward.

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed a visit to the theatre to see the play written and directed by our choir leader, the second time we had seen it (although last time was several years ago).  The story:  the idea of reviving the fortunes of a very small outback town by growing.....ahem......illegal leafy plants in derelict mining tunnels was the brainchild of a few of the local blokes, but of course it's difficult to keep a secret in such a small place!  The usual Sunday night zoom trivia quiz with The One And Only Grandkid, his mother and her parents (his Other Grandparents), our usual Sunday evening activity, finished off our busy weekend.

This week will be appointments, and clothes washing, and lunch on Wednesday, before starting our drive on Thursday.  Even though it will be a short week, it will be somewhat busy.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, and more diamonds cut.  Songs were plinked and sung by the hummers and strummers of the ukulele group, and now they will have to do without me for three days.  I'm sure they will cope.  Our neighbour Yvonne has friends who were interested in buying our caravan but they have decided against it, so after we come home we are expecting a woman to come from interstate to check it out; she seems quite keen.  While we will miss it, we know we have made the right decision.

Last weekend's rain was a bit of a non-event.  For quite some time forecasters had been saying our region would get a lot of rain, but no.  We had "some" rain.  We did not get "a lot" of rain.  What we received was very welcome but summer has been quite hot and dry, so while we fared better than the folk further north who suffered floods and associated damage even more would have been appreciated.  

Never mind.  Thursday is the autumn equinox and autumn can be rainy, so we are still cautiously optimistic.

"Learning to ride.

The first thing to do is to learn to ride, and no one should attempt to appear in public until a few preliminary lessons in riding are taken.  Until a person has learned to appear at ease on horseback, he or she should not appear in public.  The advice given in the old rhyme should be kept in mind, viz:

        Keep up your head and your heart,

            Your hands and your heels keep down;

        Press your knees close to your horse's sides,

            And your elbows close to your own."

As I have no intention whatsoever of learning to ride, I can probably safely disregard that sage advice.

Back in a few weeks, but until then - 

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Things which grow on trees

This week's trees has some...interesting...things growing on, or in, them.

Does this remind you of fireworks - or 'crackers', as we used to call them?  Because it certainly reminds me of those bursts of colour when they explode in the sky and everyone looks up and says "....aaaahhhh....."

Or perhaps they are spiky plant seeds which catch in clothing and irritate one's skin.  Nasty things they are, too.

On second thoughts, I prefer fireworks.

Some large flowers growing in this tree.  The bright lemon/lime at the top appeals to me, it certainly contrasts with the rest of the fabrics.

They look quite good together, but I prefer the fireworks tree.

Back in my childhood we used to have an annual "cracker night"; we would save our pennies and buy ourselves some crackers which we would light - under parental supervision, of course.  In those far-off days 'Empire Day' was celebrated on 24th May, Queen Victoria's birthday, and we had a half-day off from school.  Since then the sale of crackers for home consumption has been banned, the half-holiday is no more, and we're apparently all about the Commonwealth rather than the Empire.

How has everyone been this week?  We have drifted along on our merry way; a visit to the hairdresser on Monday for me....there are few things worse than having to look at one's reflection for what seems like far too long, in my book.  A mirrorless trim would be ideal.  Still, it won't need trimming again for several months, so that's something, I suppose.  My hair was long for many years and I still miss it - mainly because it meant fewer meetings with that dreaded mirror.  It's shorter now because the eye surgery of a few years ago - good heavens, it will be five years in August - means that my vision is now so big and broad that my eyes need protection from the sun making a hat necessary, and shorter hair is easier for wearing a hat.

Words were read.  Stitches were sewn, and more diamonds to add to the travelling stash were cut.  Songs were plinked and sung, choir is still in recess but the ukulele group warbles along.  We hunted and we gathered, and that was about it.  No more nibbles from anyone interested in buying our caravan, but we are forever hopeful.

Next weekend looks like being a bit busy:  a trip for a quilt show an hour north on Saturday, and a visit to the theatre on Sunday to attend the play written and directed by our choir leader.  The following week will be short as we head off for our trip south on Thursday 20th March, and a day before that we will take ourselves out for a (hopefully) nice lunch to celebrate our 49th anniversary. 

Best of all, it is starting to lightly rain!  Our forecast indicates that we should get more worthwhile rain in the next two days that we have had for several months.  The tropical cyclone which was hanging around before being downgraded is responsible for that, even though we are further inland and further south from the main areas of rain and damage.  I, for one, would not have liked to have been in one of those high (very high) rise buildings when the storm was raging, I reckon it would have been swaying enough to cause sea sickness.

We have now moved on from travel in railway carriages, tram cars and steamers.

"Riding and driving.

One of the most exhilarating and enjoyable amusements that can be indulged in by either ladies or gentlemen is that of riding on horseback, and it is participated to a very great extent in Australia.  The etiquette of riding, though meagre, is exact and important."

Well, yes - it probably is. Don't want to frighten the horse by inexact etiquette, do we?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Well, golly gosh!

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

Two more trees done this week.

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

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

They hold hands nicely together, don't they?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Continuing on from last week's etiquette post:

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

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

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer