Welcome to 2026

The more often you write the date, the easier it is not to make a mistake and write last year's date instead.  We've all done that, haven't we?

We saw the new year in in bed, fast asleep - at one stage we heard fireworks which were probably being illegally set off in someone's backyard, otherwise it passed us by.  

The Boxing Day project has had its first round (can an octagon be considered round?) sewn in place, and fabrics pulled from the stash and cut into 1-1/2 in strips for a prospective second round.

There aren't enough Canadian-themed fabrics in my stash for all the required strips so fabrics from the autumn leaf and low volume stashes will be used; several of them were probably bought in Canada, anyway.  I'm trying not to be too precious as to placement, although the plan is to hopefully avoid putting similar fabrics together.  There will be trees and open spaces for dancing because those moose like to party with their headphones and flags and bottles of maple syrup.

How has everyone been this week?  We have been well, trying to keep cool - not always easy in summer - and out of trouble.  Appointments were attended, some hunting and foraging was done.  Stitches were sewn and knitted, words were read.  That voile top still isn't done but I have Hopes for it this week, as it's unable to be worn while it sits unfinished on my machine.  The decision about which song to sing at the mid-year Eisteddfod has been made; the words are firmly set in my brain but now the music needs to be learned.

Those Christmas quilt blocks which were shown here several weeks ago found a new home before Christmas.  Kate, a member of my quilt group, decided to take nine blocks to make a festive table topper, and the remaining two for a centrepiece; one block had already been snaffled by someone else, I know not who.  That's fine.  They have been moved out from my house.

Now that the holidays are over, life is getting back to what passes for normal.  On Friday we headed to an auto parts place to see if a CD player can be fitted in our car, new (even new-ish) cars don't have them, and as we are planning our annual trip down south in March we will need some music along with us.  We have....goodness knows how many, several hundred at least....CDs in our collection which we enjoy listening to; we are told that these days one is expected to download everything to one's phone or some such electronic gimcrackery, then plug it in and listen that way.  No.  Not happening.  I just cannot be bothered.  I have, I've decided, reached saturation point with all that electronic Stuff.

Speaking of electronic Stuff, what is it with blokes and remote controllers?  Why do they feel the need to hang onto it like a security blanket, and channel surf to their wife's annoyance without settling on anything to watch?  I check the online guide to see if there is something I wish to watch (we don't subscribe to any streaming service, in fact if the TV were to disappear overnight I probably wouldn't even miss it) because idly channel surfing is something I find irritating in the extreme.

Perhaps that's just me.....

"Unladylike conduct toward a suitor.

It is only the contemptible flirt that keeps an honorable man in suspense for the purpose of glorifying herself by his attentions in the eyes of friends.  Nor would any but a frivolous or vicious girl boast of the offer she had received and rejected.  Such an offer is a privileged communication.  The secret of it should be held sacred.  No true lady will ever divulge to anyone, unless it may be her mother, the fact of such an offer.  It is the severest breach of honour to do so.  A lady who has once been guilty of boasting of an offer should never have an opportunity for thus boasting."

Harsh words, but no doubt necessary. Such a lady would not be worthy of the attention of a good man.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Well, that's Christmas done and dusted!

The Chrissy earrings have been packed away for another eleven and a half months, likewise the Christmas music and songs.  Just a few more days left of this year, then we start a new one.  

I don't do resolutions.  I do, however, have hopes.

The new project was started on Boxing Day.

Isn't this fabric fun?  It came home with me from Canada (as if you couldn't guess!) and was a gift from a quilt shop in Maxwell, Ontario.  We were driving from one town to another late in October 2018, it was getting a bit snowy - more than a bit, actually; it was getting darn near to being a whiteout, something we aren't used to driving in....add that to being on an unfamiliar road, driving on the other side of the road, and you can double and triple the stress.  As we approached Maxwell....there's not much at Maxwell, let me tell you....I told Kevin we should stop as he needed a break from driving, and I wanted to call in at a quilt shop that we had driven past without stopping at three years earlier.

So we stopped.  'Threads That Bind' had a lot of fabrics and all manner of other quilting Stuff, and was just finishing up with a demonstration when I walked in.....did I mind looking around while the owner dealt with purchases from the demo, I was asked, not at all, I said......and bought some prints that have been used in my autumn quilt.  When I went to pay, the owner sussed out that I wasn't Canadian (the accent gives it away every time, doesn't it) and said she always had a gift for quilters who had come from far away.  This was my gift, a FQ of Robert Kaufman moose fabric.  Just the right pattern was waiting for it too, also purchased in Canada a few years earlier.

The selvedge is pretty, with colourful maple leaves.

While I was happily browsing and shopping and chatting Kevin drove to the diner further down the road for coffee, and he was also chatting to some locals while he waited for me.  After my stroll from the quilt shop to meet him at the diner I enjoyed my coffee too, and as it was just a couple of days before Halloween the diner's front steps were decorated.....even the fallen snow looked like part of the decor.

A couple of strips have been sewn around the outside, and more are waiting to be sewn.  That pine cone print might not be used, though, as it's a bit too yellow compared to the other strips.  The print with tiny leaves has been in my stash for *ahem* quite some time, it's a Debbie Mumm fabric that has been waiting for the right project.

No strips were sewn yesterday as I took the opportunity to give my Singer Featherweight machine a grease and oil change; it was a bit sluggish when sewing those first strips, but now it is purring along beautifully.

This is what it will become.  The 'Sweet Treasures' pattern and the fabrics were bought as a kit from a quilt store on Vancouver Island....my friend took me to so many stores that I can't remember where it was bought.

We had a very quiet Christmas, a phone call from our son in Canberra was a highlight of our day.  We don't bother with presents any more, but there are a couple of items that we want so we will check them out while the sales are still on.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn and knitted.  My fingers and the ukulele have been resting, but we'll get back together this week.  Plan B for fixing my voile top has been thought out in my head so will now be carried out - fingers crossed that it works - some hunting and foraging early in the week before the shops became too hectic with Christmas shoppers, and that was us done.

We are still learning how to treat a refusal of a proposal of marriage.

"In refusing, the lady ought to convey her full sense of the high honor intended her by the gentleman, and to add, seriously but not offensively, that it is not in accordance with her inclination, or that circumstances compel her to give an unfavorable answer."

It is good to be serious without being offensive, yes?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

The day before the day before the day before the day before.....

....the fat bloke in the red suit comes to call!

But only if you have been very, very good.

Because we are currently suffering in a heatwave there hasn't been much action in the sewing room, but temperatures are expected to drop somewhat after today (although it will still be a long way from what could be considered 'cool') so more green fabrics will be cut.  My brain doesn't cope well with extreme heat, and I can't settle to doing much at all.

As a result, we will be trawling in the photo vault today.

Another view of Butchart Garden, mostly green with just one red tree for contrast.

It shows how successful a monochromatic colour scheme can be, doesn't it?  The garden beds are planted with flowers that aren't yet flowering, just the young green leaves are visible.

More Aussie natives from the big store display, taken in our last year living in the Big Smoke.

There are those who decry our native flowers...."oh, they're not as beautiful as roses or pansies" they say.... but all have a place in this wonderful world of ours, don't they?  This selection is bright and vibrant, and has some of my favourite colours.

Different doesn't have to mean worse or better, does it.  It just means - different.

That applies to people, too.  Just because someone looks different to us, or thinks differently, or worships a different deity or indeed doesn't worship anything at all, doesn't make them worse than us.  

We have had a fairly quiet week, a couple of appointments to liven things up, lunch on Monday with my ukulele playing friend Clare, some suitably seasonal hunting and foraging.  Stitches were sewn and knitted; the jumper (the second sleeve of which is proceeding well) came with me to a medical appointment as there is always waiting time which can be put to creative use.  Repairs to the summer top have been started but didn't go well, so Plan B will have to come into play.

Problem is, there doesn't seem to be a Plan B yet......

Tomorrow is the summer solstice, which will happen at 2.02 a.m.  I don't plan to be nekkid dancing around the bonfire at the time.  I have other plans, chief of which is being deep asleep in the arms of Morpheus.

I wonder if our ancestors really did dance nekkid around the bonfire at solstice time, as they are reputed to have done?  It mightn't be too bad in summer, but winter would be a different story.  In any case, given our current heatwave and fire danger conditions, a bonfire would be out of the question.  Perhaps the crafty ones could improvise with some strips of red cellophane and a fan set to 'high'.

Many many years ago - before we bought our caravan - we were travelling in Victoria, and I had addresses of quilt shops to check out; in those days one had to peruse the ads in quilt magazines to find shops, as the internet was in its infancy.  One shop was half post office/half quilt shop, the post office's owner was a quilter.  (I looked it up, and it's no longer operating....it was nearly 30 years ago, after all!)  While paying for my purchases the owner and I were chatting, and she told me that she always started a new project on Boxing Day which had been not long beforehand, it was her reward to herself for her hectic Christmas each year.  That seems like a good idea to me although I have seldom followed through with it, but I plan to this year.

So - come Friday, who wants to join me?  Pick a project, no matter how large or small, and start it. I've picked mine, and it is small.

My Canadian tree featuring decorations we bought in Canada, or were gifted by Canadian friends.

In parting - no matter what you celebrate, or even if you don't celebrate anything at all, best wishes for a season of peace, happiness and love.

And chocolate.  Good quality dark chocolate.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Green, green, it's green they say....

....on the far side of the hill.....

Anyone else remember that song?  It seems appropriate, considering that I've been cutting green fabrics for the outer border of the neighbourhood.  This is what's been cut so far.

But - there is still lots to go, because in my wisdom (not sure that it was very wise, but there you are) I have been cutting short pieces, and it's a fairly big quilt.  It might be a good idea to get cracking and cut some longer strips, those shorter pieces can be used between the longer ones.

This is Butchart Garden on Vancouver Island, Canada, in autumn.  That garden is famed world-wide for it's wonderful floral displays but when it's not flower season all the tones of green are highlighted, as they were back in November 2012 when this was taken.

Speaking of colour - no doubt you may have already heard that the Pantone colour of the year for 2026 has been released, and after so many colourful years it seems like a cop-out that white has been chosen.  It's been gussied up with a fancy name.....'Cloud Dancer'.....but white is still white.  I always thought that white was the absence of colour - yes?  If that's so, how can it be chosen as colour of the year?  I must admit to being somewhat....underwhelmed.

Here's a site I found which shows the colours of the year going back to 2000.  While I don't care for them all (although I do quite like 2017's colour) each and every one of them is more inspiring than boring white.

For many years now home renno shows have been showing white kitchens, which remind me of hospital laboratories.  Give me some colour any day.  Our kitchen (which came with the house but we like it, so it's been left) is light creamy-beige; it's not brown, it has warm yellow undertones with enough colour not to be boring but is still light enough to be practical.  There is also a fad on those shows to have dark kitchens with dark floors, dark cabinets, dark bench tops.....why, fergawdssake?  You would have to have the lights on all day, and even then you would need a magnifying glass to chop vegies so you didn't chop your fingers instead.

We have had more storms, and a few more small branches have fallen from our front yard tree.  They seem to recover, though, so we won't panic just yet.  Don't want to waste a good panic, do we.

The festive season is getting closer.  On Wednesday my sewing group had our Christmas lunch and jolly nice it was too, while the ukulele group finished for the year on Monday.  One of the members, Chris, gave me a jar of sweet onion chutney that she made herself (which is very nice too, it's already been opened and tried) together with a card, the hand-written message inside thanking me for, as Chris put it, "sharing your love of music with us".....isn't that sweet?  So, that's the end of music groups for the year...but I can always plink and sing away to myself, can't I.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been knitted and sewn but that summer top isn't yet repaired, as time just ran away from me; while the coming week also has some appointments, I live in hope that the top will be done by next weekend.  We hunted and foraged and will do some more this week because, even though there will just be the two of us for Christmas, we can still enjoy some festive foods.  The idea of going out to a restaurant for an indulgent Christmas lunch has been left in the dirt as these days it's way out of our budget, so we will just have to indulge at home.

When you are the person responsible for meal planning, and shopping, and preparation, though, Christmas is just like any other day.  Compared to a meal which someone else has prepared, served and cleaned up here's nothing special about a meal you have had to make yourself, is there?

The One And Only Grandkid has an upcoming birthday.  He will turn eleven next Friday.  We have deposited some money in his father's account so he can be taken shopping and choose what he would like; there is an excellent children's book shop in Canberra, and we are told there are also good toy shops.  We don't see him enough to know what he would like (although you can bet that fantasy/superheroes would feature somewhere, just like his father at that age) so it's better that he makes his own choice and has something he would like.

"How to treat a refusal.

As a woman is not bound to accept the first offer that is made to her, so no sensible man will think the worse of her, nor feel himself personally injured by a refusal.  That it will give him pain is most probable.  A scornful "no" or a simpering promise to "think about it" is the reverse of generous."

We certainly don't wish to be ungenerous, do we?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Moving along.....

Now that the trees are made, it's time to take another look at the Neighbourhood.  It was coming along really well but last year's broken arm pushed it to the back burner where it has stayed and stayed - but now it's time to make a start on the borders.

The inner borders have been cut....black cat prints on a white background....the outer borders will be a mix of random green prints cut three inches wide.  First, though, the edges need to be trimmed because, as you can see, they are far from even.  The Cunning Plan is to get this out of the sewing room and off to the long armer early next year.

Don't worry, though, those trees haven't been forgotten.  They are percolating away in the back of my brain as we speak.

There is also a top which needs fixing, the elastic in the neckline and sleeves has to be replaced with the casing re-sewn in some places.  That won't take long but now that the warmer weather is well and truly upon us it is needed as it's light cotton voile, in a favourite red/brown colour. 

This is our poor tree which didn't fare too well in storms two weeks ago.  See the gaps on the right?  That's where some very large branches broke off, and spoiled its lovely shape.  Another large piece broke off in the storm a couple of hours ago after this pic was taken.

Social media posts indicate that most damage has occurred on the south side of town; we're on the north, so although there was wind and rain it wasn't as bad as in the previous storm.  It has cooled down by nearly 15 degrees in a few hours, too.

Once again it's mango time of year!  Our young neighbour, the youngest of three children, is still in primary school so we joined in their mango fundraiser again, a whole box of delicious mango-y goodness, all of which is now sliced, diced and packed in the freezer.  She still has a few years to go before she is off to high school, so the annual mango box will continue for a while yet.

Many schools hold fundraisers which are a long way from the lamington drives of my children's primary school days - 'primary school' is called 'elementary school' in some countries - thank goodness the fancy doughnut drives passed us by.  Fresh mangos are so much better than fried cakes laden with cream and sugar and all that unhealthy Stuff, aren't they.

Not that I'm averse to the occasional creamy treat, you know.....

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn and a small amount of knitting done, too, although it's not quite cool knitting weather.  Songs have been plinked and sung; choir is on its annual break until the first week of February, so there hasn't been as much singing as there would normally be.  We hunted, gathered and foraged.  The physio tells me that my sore foot is doing well, it certainly hasn't fallen off and is less painful than it was, so we are thankful for that.

"A doubtful answer.

Nothing can be more unfair or more unjustifiable than a doubtful answer given under the plea of sparing the suitor's feelings.  It raises false hopes.  It renders a man restless and unsettled.  It may cause him to express himself or to shape his conduct in such a manner as he would not dream of doing were his suit utterly helpless."

Indeed.  One should be decisive in one's answer.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

97......98......99!

Done done done!!!

97 is bright orange, purple and green, a very cheerful tree....

98 is another Aussie print, pale creamy yellow eucalypt blossoms with an interesting contrast....

....and 99, last last lucky last, is blue and green.

Here they are together, in all their glory.

What a great feeling it is to have those trees finished!  Now they can be laid out, and shuffled around, and shuffled again....and again....and, eventually, sewn together to make a top.

To show you that eucalypt blossoms come in many colours, here is a scrumptious orange one I photographed several years ago.

A large department store in the Big Smoke has an annual spring display of flowers which I kept meaning to visit but never did, something always seemed to intervene - until the year before we moved away.  That year's display focussed on Aussie native plants and was very colourful indeed; I had only ever seen this variety in photos until I saw it featured in that display.  The foliage is more grey than green (eucalypt foliage often has a grey tinge) which sets off the bright blossoms very well.

It's been stormy again, and we even had a blackout early in the week; not the wibby little 90-second blackout of last weekend but one which lasted four hours almost to the minute, from 4.30 until 8.30 p.m.  At first it wasn't a problem, we were able to grill our sausages on the BBQ outside so we didn't starve but as daylight faded some candles were lit, torches were placed where they could easily be reached, and we settled in to read by the light on our tablets; fortunately we both had books downloaded, because with no internet that couldn't be done either.  It was with great relief that we greeted the resumption of power once more before our batteries ran down too far.

Never a dull moment here in the Small Smoke, folks....

Yesterday's choir concert went well, audience members said nice things to us and about us, and hopefully we raised a goodly amount of money for the charity that we support.  CanAssist gives people  practical assistance in covering transport costs, etc., and the best part is that money raised locally stays local.  Some years ago our musical director was diagnosed with cancer and almost before he could turn around and scratch himself (his words) he had been contacted by a member of the local committee who asked simply "what do you need?"  While he didn't need practical help the emotional support was gratefully received and, as several choir members are also on the fund raising committee, we like to support them with our music.

Apart from a blackout and a concert it's been a fairly normal week.  The odd appointment (some of them are a bit odd, but there you go), notes being plinked and sung, a stitch or two being knitted and sewn, the usual foraging and gathering, and so ended another seven days.

"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."

No indeed, that would be very cruel.  A trifle is not just something yummy to eat, it can also mean to play fast and loose with another's feelings.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

More storms, and more trees

The weather radar was checked a few minutes ago and there are storms popping up here, there and everywhere around us.....not quite over us yet, but that may happen soon.  Or soon-ish.

That makes this week's trees storm-ish, too.

A green tree, because it doesn't matter how many green trees are in the Arboretum.

Green trees always look good. 

Ozzies will recognise this flower as Grevillea, a favourite native plant.  We haven't had much luck growing them here, but they did grow for us in the Big Smoke......different climate, different soil.

The largest Grevillea is Grevillea Robusta - the name says it all, doesn't it?  Known as Silky Oak - it isn't an oak, it isn't even related to oak, but the cut timber has a beautifully silky lace pattern - its deep gold flowers are brightening up our skies right now.  Many many years ago the decision was made that our town would benefit from using Silky Oak trees as street trees, and there have been Silky Oaks here ever since; some of the tallest - and they are very tall indeed - may have been around when I was a child, albeit much smaller trees than now.

This week's trees, a green and purple, and a red/orange with blue and brown.  Or perhaps it's orange/red.  Numbers 95 and 96, only three to go!

Thoughts are being thought about a name for my Arboretum.  While I don't mind 'Arboretum' as a name something more personal would be good.....Jardin de Jennifer?  Garden of Grace?  Grace is my middle name, after all.....the idea of alliteration appeals.

A silhouette known all over the world is the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and its official opening ceremony in 1932 was interrupted by an Irish soldier, Francis de Groot, cutting the official ribbon before the state governor could do so.  What does Francis de Groot have to do with my trees, you ask?  When he wasn't charging around on a horse while brandishing a sabre and cutting ribbons he made very fine furniture using Australian timbers - one of which was Silky Oak - and quite a lot of those pieces of furniture are still around today.

A few days ago Fiona at Bubz Rugz showed her Hardanger embroidery samples.  Back in the 1980s-1990s I was a member of the state Embroiderers Guild and have pieces made during that time, one of which is this Hardanger cushion - no fancy cutwork, but there is pulled work; I used two shades of thread darker than the background rather than the matching threads traditionally used, backed it with deep gold Dupioni silk and piped the edge with matching cord.

I don't know what the mark is, hopefully it will wash out.  Hardanger embroidery originated in Norway - and did you know there is also a Hardanger fiddle?  I have seen and heard them being played at folk festivals, usually accompanying traditional dances.  If you want to see some spectacular scenery, look up 'Hardanger fjord'.

Storms are still hanging around, we were interrupted by a blackout an hour ago but we're back online now.  Earlier there were a few rumbles then an almighty clap of thunder - lights went out, computer went out - a few other things turned themselves off including the radio, but all is back up and running and we have music again.  Monsieur le Frog is happily croaking away, that loud bang hasn't put him off his game.

How has everyone been?  We are still upright, still on the right side of the grass.  My sore foot hasn't fallen off, for which we are thankful.  Stitches have been sewn but not knitted; a medical appointment for a regular check-up tomorrow will probably yield time for some knitting.  Songs have been plinked and sung, next weekend's charity concert songs are sounding good.

"A lady's positive refusal.

A lady who really means "no" should be able to so say it as to make her meaning unmistakeable.  For her own sake and that of her suitor, if she really desires the suit ended, her denial should be positive, yet kind and dignified, and of a character to let no doubt remain of its being final."

Somehow I don't think "get lost, you creep" would be counted as kind and dignified, do you?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer