Spring is well and truly sprung.........

........and the rainbow lorikeets have arrived. Although this picture wasn't taken in our garden this is what we are seeing now - rainbow parrots visiting our Aussie native flowers. We have Grevilleas but not this one - ours are red, and pale creamy gold rather than this lovely bright yellow. (have I mentioned that I really like yellow.......) The lorikeets have been visiting our bright pink Callistemon flowers, chirping away while they extract the nectar. These birds can be untidy little buggers, they chew off the flower heads and leave them strewn on the ground but so far the pink flowers are intact. Di's blog has some wonderful pics of the flower display that I saw last week. I really love our native flowers, they are part of what makes Australia unique. That, and wombats. Tomorrow we are having lunch with friends at a restaurant in Mount Annan Botanic Gardens.

I had planned to head out for a walk later this afternoon but I don't think I will....it's quite warm and still, but somewhere there are bushfire hazard reduction burnings taking place and the air is quite smokey. It's starting to affect my sinuses and developing into a headache. I think I shall stay inside for the rest of the afternoon.

The Secret Project mentioned once or twice is proceeding well, I have stopped for a coffee break. The re-knitted cardy is also coming along nicely. And I am starting to get really excited about our trip next month.

Folk club last night went off well I think, but a bloke who thinks it is hilarious to interject when I am singing did it once too often. I told him later that I wasn't amused and had never tried to sabotage his performance. Will it make any difference? We'll see. Being interrupted just because someone else thinks it funny is cruel and unnecessary. Even though I have been singing in a small way in public for years I still have to pluck up my courage every time, it can be quite nervewracking.

"Gentleman passing before ladies:
Gentlemen having occasion to pass before ladies who are already seated in lecture and concert rooms, theatres and other public places, should beg pardon for disturbing them; passing with their faces and never with their backs toward them."

Enjoy your weekend.

Jennifer

Kitchen helper WOW

A matching apron and tea towel that obviously haven't been near the ironing board....never mind, they're clean. I think the apron is made from a tea towel with shapes cut out at the top for armholes, but it works.

The sweet beef curry on Saturday was indeed sweet and not very curried, but perhaps the flavour will improve after it has matured in the fridge for a few days. It was nice, just not very spicy. I don't like hot hot hot curries but I do like a bit of flavour.

Both fronts are now finished on the re-knitted cardy and I need to pull the rest of the original undone so I can continue. I had no idea I could knit so quickly. Re the $7 button that folks have commented on....it is truly gorgeous, vintage 60s or 70s, silver metal in a woven design. The cardy is knitted in basketweave stitch so I am hoping it will be complimented by the button. Have you noticed how difficult it can be to find buttons that match knits? That's why I went for a metal button......doesn't match, doesn't matter.

The other day I went into the city to the Quilter's Guild and also to check out the annual spring flower display at a large city retail store (which I won't name, because they aren't paying me to advertise them). The flower display had an Australian theme and was truly amazing; huge massed groupings, large vases full of just one variety - kangaroo paws in some, banksias in a few, a vase of flannel flowers on the concierge's desk. The grand piano player was tinkling out Aussie tunes and asking for requests, but didn't know any of the songs I mentioned. I took several pics, so the occasional one may pop up on the blog from time to time. Many people were wandering around taking photos of themselves and each other with a floral background. It all must have cost a squillion dollars but was really beautiful.

Father's Day yesterday was nice, lunch was late and became afternoon tea instead. But we all enjoyed the time spent together.

Now I am off to unravel more of the knitting so it can be re-knitted.

"Kissing in public:
The custom which has become quite prevalent of women kissing each other whenever they meet in public is regarded as vulgar, and by ladies of delicacy and refinement is entirely avoided."

Four weeks tomorrow until we flap our arms and head for Canada.

Have a fantastic week.

Jennifer

All Clear

Yesterday I received the "all is well" letter from the breast screen people......I hadn't heard anything ominous so I had already assumed that everything was OK. But it's always good to have it confirmed, isn't it? So that's that for another two years, thank goodness.

The re-knitted cardy is proceeding along quicker than I could have hoped, I didn't know I could knit so fast. It probably helps that every time I have a spare moment I try to knit a row or two.......left front is finished, right front is up to the neck shaping and nearly up to the armholes. And this time I put in a larger buttonhole because the wibby little one in the instructions wasn't wide enough for the gorgeous vintage button I bought. ($7 for one button!!! geez!!!!) My lovely new Addi needle is helping it go so speedily I'm sure. Good tools make any job easier.

And would you believe......not only are those lovely Canadians holding their craft festival just for me, a folk club near where we will be staying is having their monthly concert night while we will be there. Aren't they wonderful people!

A lovely smell is wafting through the house, beef curry is simmering away in the slow cooker. Haven't tried the recipe before; the other day I bought a book of slow cooker recipes and plan to make something from the book at least once a week. Yes, I know there are heaps of free recipes on the net but this is an Aussie book, so I know I will be able to get the ingredients easily - not always the case with recipes from other countries.

Father's Day tomorrow, our son and his girl are taking us out to lunch....I know it's Kevin's day but if it wasn't for me he probably wouldn't be a father, would he? So I get to go along too.

"Obedience"
If you would not have all your instructions and counsels ineffectual, teach your children to obey. Government in a family is the great safeguard of religion and morals, the support of order and the source of prosperity. Nothing has a greater tendency to bring a curse upon a family than the insubordination and disobedience of children, and there is no more painful and disgusting sight than an ungoverned child."

Have a wonderful weekend.

Jennifer

Embroidered WOW

Aren't people lovely? Recently after I posted something to my online quilt group one of the members contacted me and offered to embroider me a wombat on her whoop-de-doo embroidery machine. When it arrived there were two wombats, as she had embroidered a towel too. When I offered something tangible as a thank you, she said I had already thanked her by passing on details of quilt shops and places of interest for her Alaskan cruise not long after we did the same cruise ourselves. That was very sweet of her. The wombat on the cream background will become the centre of a crazy-pieced cushion in Aussie fabrics.

Since I posted a few days ago I have been knitting up a storm on the revised cardy and should have a new left front finished soon for size comparison. I have even shouted* myself a lovely new circular needle to make it easier. There were a couple of things I wasn't happy with anyway, so knitting it again will give me the chance to rectify these. (trying to be positive here)
*For those not fortunate enough to live in Aussieland, to 'shout' is to 'treat' - it's an expression that has been noted since the mid-1800s, as in 'he shouted me lunch', i.e. "he took me to a restaurant and treated me to lunch, for which he paid'.

Piecing my flower basket blocks is on the back burner at present. I am working on a Secret Project that I can't talk about, so I won't. And of course knitting is the priority at present

Five weeks tomorrow until we go to Canada........woo hoo.......while I don't particularly like flying I am prepared to get in a plane to go to the other side of the world, as the alternative is a very long swim. I'm not one of those folk who has a flying phobia, I just feel uneasy when I'm in a metal shell way way up there (points to sky), it's not my natural habitat. I'm Taurus, I like my feet firmly on the ground.

"Keeping Engagements.
Nothing is more rude than to make an engagement, be it of business or pleasure, and break it. If your memory is not sufficiently retentive to keep all the engagements you make, carry a little memorandum book and enter them there."

Have a lovely week.

Jennifer

Long sigh.........

Last night I finished knitting my blue cardigan which has been on the needles for quite a long time......had a few health issues last year, and a sprained wrist which kept me from knitting for quite a while. But last night I finally cast off the last piece. One back, two fronts, two sleeves, and a deep sailor-style collar.

It's not going to be big enough. Bugger. Double bugger and triple bugger.

So this morning I heaved a big sigh, picked up a needle in the next size, and cast on for a new left front. I will knit that and see how much difference in size it makes. The pattern is from England for English yarn, and I am knitting it in Aussie yarn. When I measured a 10cm square and counted the stitches there was a slight difference, I didn't think it would be enough to matter......but it does. I will hold off un-knitting the whole thing again until I see how much size difference there is between a left front knitted on 4mm needles and one knitted on 4.5mm. But somehow I suspect the whole thing will have to be un-knitted and re-knitted.

Oh well, it keeps me off the streets I suppose.

"Display of Emotions.
Avoid all exhibitions of temper before others, if you find it impossible to suppress them entirely. All emotions, whether of grief or joy, should be subdued in public, and only allow full play in the privacy of your own apartments."

So I shall go now, and say naughty words and throw pillows in private.

Jennifer

Household help WOW

The wombat collection includes some household linen, I bought this tea towel in Canberra a few years ago (should have ironed it shouldn't I, now you can all see what a slack housewife I am) and the oven mitt was bought in Tamworth, several hundred kilometres away....but they match.

Many thanks for the concern after my mammogram test last week, the bewbies have recovered from their pummeling. When the next test is due I shall practice first by slamming them in the fridge door a few times, then getting Kevin to drive over them on the cold hard garage floor.

On Friday night our folk club theme is Woodstock.....songs sung there, or other songs sung by the performers. Appropriate clothing is optional. Now I didn't get to Woodstock as I was on the other side of the world but I have seen pics, and it seems to me that a lot of long-haired young hippy folk were prancing round nekkid. Somehow I can't see myself doing that, the world isn't ready. But I have long hair, do you reckon that will do?

Today it's raining lightly, it is very welcome, gardens are looking a bit dry and would welcome a drink. Sydney had water restrictions for several years until recently, so hosing gardens was pretty much a no-no except for a few hours a week. We never water our garden (only plants in pots get watered here) but despite that it seems to thrive, probably because most of our plants are Aussie natives which can cope with dry conditions.

Today's etiquette quote:
"Jewellery for Gentlemen.
It is not considered in good taste for men to wear much jewellery. They may with propriety wear one gold ring, studs and cuff-buttons, and a watch-chain, not too massive, with a modest pendant, or none at all. Anything more looks like a superabundance of ornament."

Have a lovely week.

Jennifer

Ouch ouch ouch..........

The three quilt tops I have been working on for the bushfire victims are being handed over tomorrow to be quilted and distributed, so here are a few pics. These star blocks were made by Sherry, who did a terrific job with them! I used a Robyn Pandolph blue fabric (it's more smokey turquoise if we are to be precise) with an inner border of deep burnt orange to pick up the colours in Sherry's blocks.
Eight of these blocks were made by Ariane and were set with blue sashing strips and border. The blue sashing fabric shades from a deep cobalt to a paler sky blue and the border fabric has dragonflies with gold highlights on a blue background. The centre block was made by Kiera Oona.
Kiera also made these blocks - as you can see she used lovely vibrant greens in some of her stars (I just lurve green!) so this one has green sashing with a slightly funky print for the border.

The ouch in the title of this post is because today was mammogram day, I know it's a necessary procedure but it is ever so slightly undignified, isn't it? Having one's girl bits laid one at a time (by a complete stranger) on a cold slab with a heavy weight pressing down on them is not my idea of fun. The machine was probably invented by someone with a deep-seated hatred of women. At least that's over for another two years.

Here's another quote from my etiquette book of 1885 -

"Vulgar Exclamations: No lady should make use of any feminine substitute for profanity. The woman who exclaims "The Dickens!" or "Mercy!" or "Goodness!" when she is annoyed or astonished, is as vulgar in spirit, though perhaps not quite so regarded by society, as though she had used expressions which it would require but little stretch of the imagination to be regarded as profane."

Jennifer