Behind the trees

Backing has been bought for Arboretum - much to my surprise I was able to find Just The Very Thing at the local quilt shop, so there was no need to take that drive north.  The batiks in the main part of the shop were all delicate tone on tone pastels in shades of pink, lavender, blue, etc.  Very pretty if that's your thing, but not at all what I wanted.

Let's have a look in the sale room, said the assistant......

.....where my eyes lit on this.  The background is a deep rich chocolate, with little yellow/gold - squiggles? commas? hooks?  

Here's a mock-up with the intended binding fabric around the edge.  Today is dull and cloudy, not ideal conditions for photography, as the colour looks more washed-out than it is in real life.

So, yes - Just The Very Thing!  I must admit I had been hoping for lighter brighter fabric but this suits the binding and the price was amazing.  If the bolt was emptied the price was even better, so there is now a leftover piece in my stash; a hanging sleeve will be needed as the plan is to enter it in both the local show in September, and our quilt group exhibition in October.

How has everyone been?  We have had a fairly quiet week.  Stitches were sewn and knitted, fabric shopping was done.  Songs were sung.  We hunted and we foraged in order that we may not starve, and that was the week.

To make up for missing out on my trip north let's go to a pub in a small - very small - village half an hour south, said I, so we did; we drove to Currabubula where we had lunch at the pub.  There has been a pub in the village for a long time.  Australian author Kate Grenville has written a book "One Life" about her mother, and her grandmother, and her great-grandmother....I came across it in the library several years ago not knowing of the local connection, and found it fascinating.  

The weather has been winter on-and-off.  Days are fairly mild but nights and mornings are cool enough that we are glad to have a fire to keep us, and the house, from cooling down too much.  We've even had some more rain - it's unbelievable how much every blade of grass has changed to bright green from the dead dry brown of just a few weeks ago; we are even seeing the occasional kangaroo on the hill behind us.

Finally the hay fever cough, the gift that keeps on giving, seems to have abated - for which I am thankful.  It still catches me unawares from time to time, but not as severely as before.  

"Ceremonials when there are no bridesmaids.

When there are no bridesmaids, the marriage ceremonials at the church are as follows:  The members of the bride's family proceed to the church before the bride, who follows with her mother.  The bridegroom awaits them at the church and gives his arm to the bride's mother.  They walk up the aisle to the altar, the mother falling back to her position on the left.  The father, or relative representing him, conducts the bride to the bridegroom, who stands at the altar with his face turned toward her as she approaches, and the father falls back to the left.  The relatives follow, taking their places standing, those of the bride to the left, those of the groom to the right.  After kneeling at the altar for a moment, the bride, standing on the left of the bridegroom, takes the glove off from her left hand, while he takes the glove off from his right hand.  The service then begins.  The father of the bride gives her away by bowing when the question is asked, which is a much simpler form than stepping forward and placing his daughter's hand in that of the clergyman.  Perfect self-control should be exhibited by all parties during the ceremony."

Today's quote is fairly long, but there isn't really a suitable place to break it into smaller bites.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

The road ahead

At Kevin's last medical appointment the doctor confirmed what we had suspected for some time - a diagnosis of dementia.  He has Alzheimer's.  It's early stages yet but given that both his parents suffered from it in their later years, it's not surprising.  I don't know if there is a hereditary component, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was.

So we don't know if the road ahead will be bumpy - I suspect at times it will be - or smooth, which it mostly is now.  It will probably be a combination of both.  

Oh, well.  We can only do what we can do, can't we.....which is to keep our sense of humour as intact as we can as much as we can, and smile when we can't.

Moving on to happier Stuff.

We both had medical appointments during the week (mine was nothing drastic, just the Olde Pharte quarterly check-up) so the knitting came along with me to pass the waiting time.  The finished back and sleeves are plain knitting but I can't resist adding a pattern panel in the centre front; it's interesting to knit, and it's interesting to wear.

This is a cable panel from one of my knitting stitch dictionaries.  I can't remember what it's called, but its basketweave effect puts me in mind of wet sand on a beach as the tide goes in and out.

The collection so far of three-inch strips for the outer border on the house quilt.  It's a large quilt so is quite a long way round.....and I haven't cut very long pieces, which was probably a bit short-sighted of me......so some longer strips, which can be mixed in with the shorter ones, will be cut.

The house quilt will have its turn back in the sun once Arboretum is off being quilted, and I am looking forward to working on it again after so long.  There are a couple of days in the coming week which don't have commitments, so that drive to the quilt shop further north looks like being a goer; it certainly has a much bigger selection of batik fabrics than the local one here.  Kevin is still able to drive, for which I am thankful (I don't like driving but I know that one day I will have to be The Driver) so it's an excuse for an outing.

How has everyone been this week?  We spent time at appointments, and foraged enough to avert starvation.  Stitches were knitted, and also sewn by hand; the pile of diamonds waiting to be sewn together is getting smaller, then the three-diamond hexagons will be sewn in rows, or perhaps in blocks of three or four.  Yet to be decided....songs were sung and plinked, but there will be no uke group tomorrow as it's a public holiday for the monarch's birthday.  Most of my life it was the queen's birthday, it's been a few years but I'm still not used to saying 'king'!  There was a king when I was born, but I was quite young when he was replaced by a queen.

It's now June, so winter is well and truly here.  This morning was cold enough for a frost and quite frosty it was too, we are enjoying having a fire.  There is chicken simmering away in the slow cooker which, I suspect, will be welcome in a few hours; chicken thigh fillets cooked with Dijon mustard and maple syrup which we will have with rice and vegies to soak up the sauce.  On the kitchen bench is a butternut squash waiting to be turned into soup tomorrow as it's definitely soup weather now, and I haven't made any yet.  My version of pumpkin soup is cooked with green Thai curry paste, chopped onion and chicken or vegie stock, and some coconut milk stirred through once the squash is soft enough to be blended.  Depending on how heavy-handed one is with the curry paste it can be a good way of clearing out one's sinuses, too.

Neither of us like very spicy foods so there will be enough curry paste to an interesting bite, but not enough to take our breaths away.  We prefer flavour to heat - they aren't necessarily the same thing, you know.

"Presents of the bride and bridegroom.

Where the bride makes presents to the bridesmaids on her wedding day, they generally consist of some articles of jewellery, not costly, and given more as a memento of the occasion than for their own intrinsic worth.  The bridegroom sometimes gives the groomsmen a scarf pin of some quaint device, or some other slight memento of the day, as a slight acknowledgement of their services."

Pictures are appearing online of the wedding of a minor member of the British royal family, a second wedding for both bride and groom.  The bride went for the full white regalia, even a veil over the face when entering the church (an anachronism if ever there was one, I reckon; these days a groom is quite familiar with his bride's face before they meet at the altar) and the teenage daughters of both bride and groom had to wrangle a long train and veil while walking into the church in the rain.  I don't know what, if any, gifts were given.  Those girls certainly deserve a diamond or two each, for sure.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Only twelve months to go

My performance this afternoon went well considering I was feeling slightly less than fabulous, thanks to the hay fever which has turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving.  Never mind; I made it through both a poem and a song without disgracing myself, and had fun.

Now to think of next year's pieces....there is still twelve months, that should be enough time to decide....

Not much has happened on the sewing front so there are no pics to share, but let's see what's lurking in the photo vault.

Oh my, here's an oldie!  The doll is one I have had since childhood, a hard plastic doll with "Patsy" moulded onto the back of her neck - so, of course, she is called Patsy.

The little bed was bought from a now-defunct chain which sold all manner of  'decorator' items.  They sold a line of dressed dolls (nothing like Patsy, though, she is much older) and this little metal bed fitted her nicely.

This was one of the first quilts I made, machine pieced but - gasp - hand quilted!

I don't usually go for the pink and blue colour scheme but, as Patsy is a 1950s doll, she needed a colour scheme from that era.

Sadly I had no daughters, and no granddaughters.  I have a couple of other dolls, so perhaps I'll just sell them or even give them away.  Do children even play with dolls these days?  I used to enjoy making clothes for mine, rather than playing "mummy" with them.

How has everyone been this week?  We have had a fairly quiet week; words have been read, stitches have been sewn but not knitted.  The coming week, though, sees various appointments for both of us so knitting is a good way to spend waiting time, particularly as I now have to go along with Kevin to his various appointments.  Songs were sung (croaked would perhaps be a better word) and played.  We hunted and we foraged.

Fortunately next week doesn't look like being so busy, so a trip to a town an hour away for Arboretum's backing fabric is on the cards.

Best of all, we have had a lot of rain!  Not enough to break the drought which some say is already upon us, but good rain nevertheless.  It's amazing how little rain it takes for gardens and grass to suddenly look healthy and green, instead of dry and brown.  It's been chilly enough that the fire has, at times, been welcome, in fact there is one burning as we speak.

"Costumes of the bridegroom and groomsman.

The bridegroom and groomsman, at a morning wedding, wear full morning dress, dark blue or black frock coats, or cut-aways, light neckties, and light trousers.  The bridegroom wears white gloves.  The groomsmen wear gloves of some delicate colour."

Just as I chose not to wear a traditional white wedding dress, Kevin chose not to dress formally for our wedding.  His shirt was gold-coloured and he wore brown trousers....well, it was the 1970s, the decade of brown, brown and more brown.  His necktie and gloves were non-existent.

We were both happy with that.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A bit of a "ta-da" moment

Arboretum is now a finished top.

It was a bit too big for my regular holder-upper's help, so yesterday it came along to quilt group with me where some obliging arms helped hold it.  It was even a bit large for those arms, but never mind.  It's done.....and I am thrilled with it!

Now to join some wadding pieces together, and go shopping for backing fabric, and have it quilted.  And of course, not to forget to make a label.

The thought has even occurred to me that four more trees could be made and turned into a seasonal hanging....now, that would be fun.....

How has everyone been?  The Hay Fever from Hades is (mostly) moving back to from whence it came, thank goodness, although every now and then it makes an unwelcome return to tap me on the shoulder as a reminder of its presence.  We had some rain earlier in the week and more is forecast for the coming week, so perhaps that will wash away some dust.  The hill behind us was dry, dead and brown, but now it has a little coating of green.

Words have been read.  Stitches have been sewn, but not knitted.  Much practicing of next Sunday's poem and song competition pieces have been taking place, and those errant chords are now firmly fixed in my brain along with the words; a little fine tuning, and it will be even better.  I made it to choir on Thursday afternoon after two weeks' absence and managed most of the notes, although there were a few which defeated me.  We hunted and foraged, our regular social activity - there's usually someone we know to chat to as we wend our way around the shops, so it's quite a sociable pastime for a couple of Olde Phartes.

There are still trees with autumn colour, but those leaves are rapidly dropping; a tree not far from our place will soon have bare branches as its glorious red/bronze leaves will be a thing of the past - but also of the future, because next year it will happen all over again. 

"The bridal costume.

The most approved bridal costume for young brides is of white silk, high corsage, a long wide veil of white tulle, reaching to the feet, and a wreath of maiden-blush roses with orange blossoms.  The roses she can continue to wear, but the orange blossoms are only suitable for the ceremony."  

I am assuming that the maiden-blush roses are artificial, as real roses could be used for one occasion only.  The "white wedding dress" with its accompaniments is a relative modern idea, started by Queen Victoria back in 1840; before then a wedding dress was not necessarily new (a bride would probably wear her best dress, no matter what the colour) or even white.  A white dress was not a practical idea in those days before modern washing machines, so only wealthy families could afford such an unsuitable dress for a daughter's wedding.  The 'virginal purity' symbolism of a white dress is, likewise, not such a very old idea either, just something which has become attached to the colour white over the years.

Besides which, white doesn't suit everyone, does it?

When Kevin and I married, my dress was a very 1970s long floral dress with a deep double frill around the hem, much in style for the time.  It was certainly not white.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

A bit of a fizzer

Is what my birthday was.  

The Hay Fever from Hades had moved in earlier in the week, and from then on it has been cough-cough-cough and more cough.  Sadly the anticipated birthday lunch had to be postponed, but it went ahead yesterday and was all the more appreciated for being delayed.

I can understand why sleep deprivation is used as an instrument of torture, sleeping is so difficult when one is continually cough-cough-coughing.  However the cough is more settled now and I have managed a few nights of nearly uninterrupted sleep, which certainly makes me feel better.  The rib muscles which had been so painful (because: cough) and made machine sewing difficult as a result, are also easing.

Consequently, much as I had hoped it would be, the top of Arboretum is not quite finished.

The section on the bottom right needs to be joined to the section above it - you can see my yellow pin marker top centre on the blue peacock tree - then that whole section will be joined to the much larger section to the left.

Then - it will be done!

I could manage an occasional stitch by hand or by knitting needle in between coughing, but much of my spare time was spent reading because it doesn't require much physical effort.  This was on the "take one, leave one" table when I went to the physio recently; I have read another of Jane Harper's books so this one came home with me.

I enjoyed it, although it's by no means a light-hearted read.  It centres around an annual memorial for Sam, a man who disappeared on his 21st birthday five years earlier, and we find out relationships are falling apart....buildings are falling apart....the town itself is falling apart as a nearby mine encroaches closer and closer.  Despite that it's not all gloom and doom, and there is much positivity.  The book has now gone back to whence it came, for someone else's enjoyment.

Words, as you can see, have been read.  Stitches have occasionally been sewn or knitted.  Not one word has been sung or plinked; I haven't been to choir because it's difficult to sing when one is coughing, but that also means that no practice has been done for the Eisteddfod competition in just two weeks (eek!).  Appointments were kept, something which seems to be happening more and more these days.  We managed to go out for food to keep starvation at bay, and that was our week.

When one is spending more time at home because one isn't well one's world shrinks, doesn't it?  Not sick enough to need medical attention or to take to one's bed like the heroine of a Victorian novel, just unwell enough to feel tired and listless and to occasionally spend time in one's comfy chair wrapped in a quilt.  Which, of course, one made some years ago.

For many years it was my caravan quilt, and now it's my comfy chair quilt because it matches my comfy green chair and because it's warm.

Early last week we had a small rain shower which was very welcome, and more is forecast over the next few days.....which will be even more welcome.  Our drive on Saturday for lunch was to Bendemeer and we drove through very dry brown country, so that rain is needed.

Here we are back at the altar.

"The bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Only relatives and the most intimate friends are asked to be bridesmaids - the sisters of the bride and of the bridegroom, where it is possible.  The bridegroom chooses his best man and the groomsmen from his circle of relatives and friends of his own age, and from the relatives of his fiancee of a suitable age.  The dresses of the bridesmaids are not given, unless their circumstances are such as to make it necessary."

You notice that small children are not mentioned.  For many years now small children - some quite small - have been part of a wedding party, and I must admit to not being a fan.  A retinue of cutesy-poo kiddie-widdies seems to de rigeur at royal weddings; I remember reading many years ago it started with Princess Margaret of the British Royal Family as she and her groom were short and didn't wish to have bridesmaids towering over them, so her attendants were all or nearly all pre-teens.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer

Happy birthday to me....

....Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday, happy birthday,

Happy birthday to meee!

Jennifer

The story so far

Arboretum's top is more than two-thirds done.

The resident holder-upper doesn't have a wide wingspan, hence the bottom is touching the ground.....but I love the stained glass effect looking out from our back verandah, don't you?  The remaining section will be done this week; it's a busy week with appointments, choir, quilt group, U3A ukulele starting back tomorrow, but somehow during those days I will find time to make three blocks each with nine trees in them, sew them together and join it to the right of this piece - then the top will be finished.

Getting this far is a good feeling.  Knowing how close the top is to being done is even better.

Thoughts have also been thought about a label for Arboretum.  One of the batik fabrics from the Big Basket is a pale yellow leafy print which will make a good label background while also looking suitably....leafy, and the details will be embroidered by hand.

When I retrieved the quilt from holder-upper Kevin's embrace a visitor fluttered in for a drink, a rainbow lorikeet, a species we often see hanging around this area.  

They are noisy chattering birds, and their bright plumage is very colourful.  When we moved to our last house in the Big Smoke back in 1987 we never saw them, but as the two Callistemon trees on the front footpath grew larger and produced more flowers - and more nectar - they were more frequent (and noisier!) visitors; by the time we moved out 23 years later their numbers had grown considerably.

Several years ago rainbow lorikeets were the inspiration for an art quilt challenge, with fun results.

Next Thursday, 7th May, will be the 16th anniversary of our moving out of the Big Smoke, and into this house.  It's been a good move, and we both know it's a better place for us to spend our declining years than in a huge metropolis with too much traffic, too many people, and construction everywhere you turn.  I used to like spending time in Parramatta which wasn't far away and which has some interesting old buildings to explore from colonial days, but these days it's just another huge city....and those attractive historic buildings are now dwarfed by their taller neighbours, something I'm glad not to see.  Some have even been deemed surplus to requirements and removed, knocked down, which I find a shame.

How has everyone been this week?  We have had the usual running around with appointments and shopping.  Words have been read, stitches have been sewn and knitted.  Songs have been sung.  Some practice went into refining the song for the Eisteddfod concert at the end of this month (so close!), and it's coming along well.

No rain fell this week, not one dribble or drip.  It has now been over five weeks since the last shower of rain, but we have hopes that the next day or two may bring a little drizzle.  Temperatures are still mild but next Friday is forecast to be an early taste of winter, so the winter woolies had better be checked to make sure they are fit to be seen in public.

Continuing on with Etiquette of Weddings:

"After the marriage invitations are issued, the fiancee does not appear in public.  It is also de rigeur at morning weddings that she does not see the bridegroom on the wedding-day, until they meet at the altar."

I find it strange that a newly-engaged woman has to hide herself away from public gaze until she becomes Mrs Someone Else.  Perhaps the idea is to stop her finding a bloke she prefers to the one who finally plucked up enough courage to pop the question?

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer