Broken in Canada

We are having a lovely time in Toronto, our son is well and happy, the leaves are beautiful, all is good. Yesterday the Creativ Festival was fun.....haven't gone overboard with spending.......but I have some nice momentoes and souvenirs.

Except one. Last Thursday I took a tumble and broke my left arm. Bugger, double bugger and triple bugger. It will be a long flight home next week with my arm in a cast and sling. Erk. One-handed typing is a bit slow, and Kevin is learning to braid my hair.

Have a good week.

Jennifer

Travelling WOW

A couple of years ago before our last trip to Canada we stencilled wombats on our bags....that is to say, I suggested Kevin stencil wombats on the bags, and he did. I have had the stencil for many years and it helps to identify our bags from the sea of black bags at the airport. The idea came from something I read somewhere on line....wherever it was, thank you.....that suggested painting one's initials on one's bag. But supposing that there was someone else with the initials KR or JR travelling at the same time as us? So we modified the idea and used my wombat stencil instead. Our bags were easy to spot as they were the only bags identified by wombats! I also made wide fabric ribbons to wrap around the handles, yellow on one side and green on the other, serged together with yellow and green thread. The cat hair will be brushed off before we pack, Bianca The Beautiful has been walking around the bags.
Last week Kevin and I went for a Nice Sunday Drive (on Tuesday) to Mount Tomah Botanic Garden who were having a spring display of waratahs, the state flower of New South Wales. Inside the visitor's centre there were large displays of waratahs and related plants, and the results of a children's colouring competition displayed around the walls. We took quite a lot of photos but they will have to wait for another day, however this is one of the arrangements. Walking around the gardens was just gorgeous; the speciality of this garden is cold climate plants, so there were rhododendrons, and acers (maples) in glorious colours, and lots of plants I couldn't identify. One particular area showed plants from collecting expeditions of days gone by, all from various regions of Asia - China, Japan, Tibet, the Himalayas. They will grow at Mount Tomah because it is higher than Sydney, has much colder winters and less humidity.

On the way to Mount Tomah we stopped at Richmond and Kurrajong, two towns where my family lived over 150 years ago. The towns are more modern now of course, I wonder what they were like then?

On Friday we took My Lovely New Bernina to the sewing machine spa to be serviced while we are away as of course I won't be needing it for a few weeks. While we were there I checked out overlockers (sergers for those not in Oz) as I have had mine for 17 years and it has its drawbacks and tension problems, I have been thinking for some time that a new one would be great. One of the models is on special, so guess what.......when we come back I will be the proud owner of a new Bernina overlocker! I have paid a deposit, the shop will have it waiting for me when I collect my other machine. Woo hoo!

Tomorrow morning, Tuesday, we fly out to Canada. We leave Sydney at 11.30am, arrive in Los Angeles after a 13-14 hour flight before we leave Sydney, hang around LA airport for a few hours then fly to Toronto. We're due to arrive at 5.45pm Tuesday. It's going to be a very very long Tuesday............

"Etiquette of Travelling.
There is nothing that tests the natural politeness of men and women so thoroughly as travelling. We all desire as much comfort as possible, and as a rule are selfish. In these days of railroad travel, when every railway is equipped with elegant carriages for the comfort and convenience of its passengers, and provided with conductors and servants, the longest journeys by railroad can be made with perfect safety and but little annoyance."

Now I am going to pack. Have a lovely week. You will hear all about Toronto when I am back!

Jennifer

Special People

I just love flannel flowers, they have a Latin botanical name that I don't know and probably couldn't pronounce if I did. The petals are soft and fluffy - hence 'flannel flowers' - cream with soft green tips, the leaves are grey-green. This sweet vase of flowers was sitting on the concierge's desk at the spring flower show I went to see last month. Seeing them grow wild in the bush is such a pretty sight.

We have been noticing lately that there are many Special People sharing this world with us. You may have come across a Special Person yourself? These are the folk who are so very important that they don't have to wait in a line of traffic with the rest of us, but can drive alongside and push their way into the line further along. Obviously their time is much more valuable than ours, as they are in much more of a hurry. Kevin and I have decided that we feel privileged to belong to a human race which has such Special People in it. Invariably male, frequently driving an SUV (often a large black one) or the tradesman's dreaded white van (a rusty crapheap with at least one ladder on the top and paint tins visible through the windows). The dreaded white van is prevalent in our part of Sydney, and we have yet to see one driven as though its driver knows how to safely control a motor vehicle.

I'm sure Australia doesn't have a monopoly on Special People like those?

I am heading for the sewing machine while I still have it and while it is still daylight, as I need to hem a black top which I am shortening to disguise a tiny hole just near the hem; I need it to take away. Tomorrow morning My Lovely New Bernina is going to the sewing machine spa and will stay there whilst we are in Canada.

"Offensive Behavior.
No gentleman is ever guilty of the offense of standing on street corners and the steps of hotels or other public places and boldly scrutinizing every lady who passes."

5 more sleeps until we fly.

Jennifer

Woolly WOW

One of my fluffy wombats, I think this one was a gift....isn't that terrible, I can't even remember from whence he came. But he's cute and fluffy.
Our pretty Callistemon along the side path has been flowering its little heart out in the last couple of weeks.....just imagine a high bush covered with these deep pink flowers, it's very pretty (and I don't even like pink very much). Unfortunately the winds of the past week have stripped some of the flowers but there are still lots left on the bush.

Sydney made international headlines last week with a red dust storm and I didn't even see it. The reddest part happened when I was still in bed. I don't get up at sunrise for anything........but I have seen photos and it looked very eerie. This time of year always seems to be windy, and wind can do a lot of damage. Yesterday my choir was singing at a charity function in a park, we managed all right because we were on a stage which was only open at the front. Had we been standing on an open stage, we would have been blown away by the wind. My eyes have been watering and stinging from the wind but anti-allergy eye drops have been helping.

On Saturday the quilt group that I used to belong to had their exhibition and I went along for a look-see. Didn't take any photos of quilts because of copyright, but even if I had I wouldn't post them on the interwebz without their maker's and/or owner's permission. It was nice to meet the women again and catch up with their lives - a few asked if I would join again. No, I won't. The pressure to keep producing items for show and tell and for the exhibition held every two years, and the noisy monthly meetings, got to me after several years. At the time I was working in a very noisy environment and found the meetings too much to cope with after spending all week surrounded by noise. I'm not a prolific quilter (and was even less so then when I was working), so I decided it was all a bit much for me. I'm happy pottering along on my own, at my own pace, in my own time, without anyone pushing me to do things I don't want to do. When we move to Tamworth next year I will check the quilt group out and see if I think I will enjoy it; if I think I will then I will join, otherwise I will just keep pottering along alone.

The quilt group also had its own little cliques within the group, which several people complained about....I was one (there were a few of us) who tried sitting with different groups from time to time to get to know some of the other women a bit better, but it was usually made clear that the individual cliques didn't welcome 'outsiders' and wanted to keep their exclusivity, so I gave up.

Ah well. That's human nature, I suppose.

The knitting is coming along in leaps and bounds, the back is now finished and I am charging through the first sleeve. The top I was sewing last week is finished and it fits, although it's a bit big. Next time I use that pattern I shall make a smaller size. But it is certainly wearable, and doesn't even look too bad. Might even take a photo and show the world......don't know if the world is ready for that, however......

From the 1885 etiquette book, a quote from the chapter entitled 'Harmony of colors in dress'. Interesting that they use the spelling 'color' not' colour', which I would have expected.
"Size in relation to dress and colors.
A small person may dress in light colors which would be simply ridiculous on a person of larger proportions. So a lady of majestic appearance should never wear white, but will be seen to the best advantage in black or dark tints. A lady of diminutive stature is dressed in bad taste when she appears in a garment with large figures, plaids or stripes. Neither should a lady of large proportions be seen in similar garments, because, united with her size, they give her a "loud" appearance. Indeed, pronounced figures and broad stripes and plaids are never in perfect taste.
Heavy, rich materials suit a tall figure, while light, full draperies should only be worn by those of slender proportions and not too short. The very short and stout must be content with meagre drapery and quiet colors.
Tall and slim persons should avoid stripes; short, chunky ones, flounces, or any horizontal trimming of the dress which, by breaking the outline from the waist to the feet, produces an effect of shortening."

So there you have it.

Only eight days until we fly to Canada. Last week we picked up our plane tickets - makes it seem more real now.

Have a lovely week.

Jennifer

Cloudy day WOW

Another little wombat probably designed to perch in a pot with a plant and look cute.
And some more of the Botanic Gardens....this isn't the photo I wanted to post but by gosh those thumbnails are tiny, aren't they? Never mind, it's pretty anyway. One garden was planted with yellow, white and blue/mauve flowers which combined with the dull green foliage to make a lovely display. The foliage of Australian native plants is often a soft dull green rather than a bright knock-your-socks-off green. The early European settlers didn't like it, they were used to the bright greens and deciduous trees of their homeland.....but Australia isn't like that.

Aren't you pleased with me, only a few more rows and I can cast off for the shoulders on the back of the re-knitted cardy; that means both fronts and back will be done. Only the sleeves and collar to go. I am surprising myself by the speed of this but somehow I don't think it will all be done before we jet off. That's okay, it will get finished when we come home.

Yesterday I managed to unpick the neck of the top I am sewing and steam press it back to shape, then pin and sew it again; thank goodness it sat properly that time. I don't know the composition of this fabric (a drawback when purchasing at op shops rather than off the bolt at fabric shops) but it is quite stretchy and slightly heavy so I wouldn't be surprised if it's something like a polyester/viscose/lycra blend. Colour is a soft lime green with a dull brown/olive floral design - when I cut it out I tried to carefully pin the front piece so I wouldn't have a daisy centered on my bazoom, let's hope I placed it right. The pattern is Jalie 2005, it's my first time sewing a Jalie pattern but so far so good.

Only 15 more days to fly day. Are you ready, Canada?

"The Street Manners of a Lady (contd)
A lady walks quietly through the streets, seeing and hearing nothing that she ought not to see and hear, recognizing acquaintances with a courteous bow, and friends with words of greeting. She is always unobtrusive, never talks loudly, or laughs boisterously, or does anything to attract the attention of the passers-by. She walks along in her own quiet, lady-like way, and by her pre-occupation is secure from any annoyance to which a person of less perfect breeding might be subjected."

It's not quite like that now, is it?

Have a wonderful week.

Jennifer

It's only words.........

............and words are all I have, so the song goes.

Powerful things, words.

Today when listening to a radio concert I heard the announcer say "and here comes Soloist onto the platform with her shoulder-length greying hair"........her hair is going to affect how she plays piano?

Each Monday evening my journey to and from choir practice takes me past a salon with these words on the awning outside - "International Eyebrow Shaping Champion". Huh? Now I know there are some pretty whacky awards out there in this weird world of ours, but you must admit that's a doozy.

This post is decorated with a few more scenes of our trip to the Botanic Gardens last weekend; red kangaroo paws, yellow paper daisies (the petals crackle like paper and are quite sharp and spiky, although they don't look it) and a view of part of the gardens in the late afternoon with the sun shifting behind the hill. It's a lovely place.

One of my Pay It Forward gifts is finished but I won't show it yet, it will be delivered in person when we get to Canada. Only 16 days to go now, it will be wonderful to see our son again. We miss him heaps but we are glad he's happy.....even if he is finding happiness on the other side of the known universe.

Sydney today is very smokey and hazy from the burnoffs an hour or more away, I keep feeling as though I'm choking. I feel sorry for those folk who have breathing conditions like asthma. I'm staying indoors although the windows are open for fresh air - may have to close them soon as black clouds are building up, it's getting towards thunderstorm season.

The other day I cut out fabric to make a top for me but have run into a snag sewing the neck binding down, it has stretched to billy-oh and I am having fun unpicking (I refuse to say frogging, it irritates me) close twin needle stitching. However I shall persist as I want to try the pattern for fit. The fabric cost me $2 for three metres earlier this year, if the pattern works I have a top I can wear......if not, it hasn't cost much to find out. There are two tops plus leftovers in that piece of fabric, which makes it a good buy in my book.

The quotes from the etiquette book are exactly as written, punctuation and all. The writers were very fond of the comma.

"The Street Manners of a Lady.
The true lady walks the street, wrapped in a mantle of proper reserve, so impenetrable that insult and coarse familiarity shrink from her, while she, at the same time, carries with her a congenial atmosphere which attracts all, and puts all at their ease."

Yep......sounds just like me.......

Jennifer

Happy WOW

Is this snow? not at all.....it was taken yesterday on our lunch trip to Mount Annan Botanical Gardens on a warm sunny day. Different botanic gardens specialise in specific plantings and this one's speciality is Australian plants. I can't remember the name of this interesting plant but it looks like some sort of snowy pine tree. The thin leaves hang vertically like those on many Aussie plants to minimise heat loss (a smaller surface presented to the sun means the plant doesn't overheat) and it has little white flowers that grow along the branches. So, no snow.
We saw this large goanna sunning itself by a pool, it was well over two feet (60cm) long - that's a lot of lizard, although they can grow much bigger. It let us get fairly close and I took a few pics, then it disappeared in a flash over the side.
Today's wombat spends all day lying around munching leaves. What a life! I bought him (my wombats are hers or hims, not its) about 12 years ago in Victoria, it's probably painted plaster designed to recline in a pot plant and look cute.

I am making good progress on the cardy, everytime we go out it comes with me, I knit in the car. Even if I only have time to knit two rows, that's two rows that wouldn't have been done if I had left it at home. I am determined to have this finished to wear as soon as I can. Many years ago I used to knit a lot more than I do now - that was before I took up quilting - when our sons were younger I would knit at band practices, and gymnastic practice, and all day at band or gymnastic competitions. All the mummies used to take their knitting in those days.

Here is the etiquette for travelling by public transport in 1885.

"Etiquette For Public Conveyances.
In street trams, omnibuses and other public street conveyances, it should be the endeavour of each passenger to make room for all persons entering, and no gentleman will retain his seat when there are ladies standing. When a lady accepts a seat from a gentleman, she expresses her thanks in a kind and pleasant manner.
A lady may, with perfect propriety, accept the offer of services from a stranger in alighting from, or entering a tram, omnibus or public conveyance, and should always acknowledge the courtesy with a pleasant "Thank you, sir" or a bow.
Never talk politics or religion in a public conveyance.
Gentlemen should not cross their legs, nor stretch their feet out into the passage-way of a public conveyance."

How times have changed.......

Three weeks tomorrow until we fly.

Jennifer