We'll be back in late November!

Our house sitter problem has been solved but something else has reared its head......airport security workers have been striking at international airports.  Not all day, just at busy times like 7 am to 9 am......guess when we will be going through the airport.......the day we fly, Wednesday, is supposed to be the last day of the strike.

When I am finally sitting up there in the flying tin box I am going to have a glass of wine, because my nerves will be so shot from dealing with problems and dramas and getting through the airport and onto the plane that I will probably need it, even though all sage advice says not to drink wine in a plane because it's dehydrating.  By then I will be so relieved to finally be airborne that I won't care.

Recently we had a visitor who sat on our back yard washing line and posed for us.

Kookaburras are quite handsome birds, aren't they?  This was taken from inside our house; he/she would probably have flown off had we gone outside with camera in hand.  We've been hearing them quite a lot lately - many local birds have been active, they are probably nesting.

Earlier today my two guitars and three ukes were packed in their cases and are now safely stowed until we come home.  The room looks very bare without them......my music books are packed away too, and my fingers are already itching to plink a note or two.

Sadly, I have come to realise that my Flower Basket blocks won't be making the trip with me!  When those six inch blocks were being assembled they were small enough to take anywhere, but now they are being joined into nine-patch blocks they are not so portable.  If I were to take just six of those with me that would be 54 small blocks so, reluctantly, they will have to stay home.  A mystery book will go in their place, but I shall keep an eye out in my travels for a small hand-work project.  Those blocks have kept me company through many long dreary hours of waiting in airports; when that project was started early in 2006 its purpose was to keep me company while we travelled, and it has been overseas four times.

Ah well.  Those blocks will still be waiting for me when we return.

"Never allow the servant, or the one who pours, to fill your glass with wine that you do not wish to drink.  You can check him by touching the rim of your glass."

I won't be checking anyone who is prepared to pour me my glass of wine on the flight, I will smile sweetly and say "thank you".

Enjoy your days!

We can all breathe a sigh of relief

We have a house sitter!  On Sunday a friend told me about a different web site which lists sitters and home owners, so I joined......and within half an hour had a reply from a local woman.  We met up with her the following day for coffee, we all liked each other, so we brought her here to meet Bianca and it was love at first sight on both sides.  Her references checked out, so next week she will be moving in to sit for us.

We are very relieved, because now we can enjoy our holiday without being so anxious that our house (and Bianca, of course!) will be looked after......which is good, because in just eight days we will be driving to the Big Smoke then, the following day, flying to Canada.

On our last trip I took what seemed to be a thousand million pics of autumn leaves.

 Just a few of many I took the day we visited Bayfield.

 We don't get glorious reds and golds like these!

My photograph-taking finger is already itchy......

Over the next week there will be washing to be done, the house to be cleaned, packing to be organised and a thousand and one things to be remembered.  If we forget something we will be able to buy it in Canada, it's not an isolated far-flung outpost of the empire, but there are a few special gifts that we don't want to forget.  By this time next week I hope to be pretty much organised, but if I'm not......why then, I'm not.

However next weekend I will be taking some time out from organising to attend my quilt group meeting, some relaxing sewing may be just what the doctor ordered.  There is also a quilt show on so a couple of hours on Sunday will be spent there......then back to packing.  This year I have no finished quilts to be exhibited but recently went through my stash of patterns and kits, resulting in many being donated.  The quilt show is an annual one run by a organisation supporting local folk who have cancer, so it's a worthy cause - my patterns and kits should bring in some money for them.  While I was sorting them out I decided that it was time to let them go even though I still liked them, because if I had really wanted to make them up I would have done so ages ago.  Some of the patterns have never been used, a few have been made but I don't need to keep them just in case I want to make them again.  It's time to be ruthless.

"Discretion in forming acquaintances.
While an acquaintance formed in a railway carriage or on a steamboat continues only during the trip, discretion should be used in making acquaintances.  Ladies may, as has been stated, accept small courtesies and favors from strangers, but must check at once any attempt at familiarity.  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 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 one another."

One can't help wondering what the author of this advice, given in 1885, would have thought of plane travel.

Enjoy your days!

In which we are feeling very stressed

A few days ago our house sitter, who was booked in early May, told us she was unable to sit for us due to a death in her family and associated dramas.  While I am sorry for her, she had already known for six weeks - six weeks! - when she finally deigned to inform us, and then only in reply to an email from us about the garden.  If we hadn't written to her first we are wondering when we would have been told......the day before she was due to arrive, perhaps?  Because of the late notice we hold out no hopes at all of getting a house sitter, so Bianca has been booked into Deb's cat holiday shack (she has holidayed at Deb's before and has coped well) and we are arranging for someone to mow the lawn and tidy up the garden.  Nearly eight weeks is a long time to leave the house unoccupied.

This has taken some of the pleasure out of our holiday, let me tell you.  We aren't fabulously wealthy and our home is our greatest asset, so we would like it to still be here when we return.  Added to that is the expense of Bianca's being boarded and garden maintenance (all of which would have been done by our sitter for free) and our holiday has just become a little more expensive.  Yesterday we were told about a local woman who house sits, we contacted her and she told us that she charges $35 a day - that's nearly three times what it will cost for Bianca's holiday!  Needless to say, we declined.

Is it any wonder I am feeling somewhat stressed?

Perhaps I should just take some of those amazing tablets the doctor prescribed for the flight, and just sleep away the time until we leave......they work really well, as I found out earlier in the week......

On a much happier note, last week my new jumper was finished.

In real life it's a little less blue and a little more purple than this.  Yarn is 100% alpaca from Bendigo Woollen Mills, bought many many years ago on our so far one-and-only trip to Bendigo, and is equivalent to Aussie 8 ply or DK.  Pattern is from an old Patons Classics book, a raglan sleeved jumper with a diagonal rib stitch on the bottom, neckband and cuffs instead of the plain K1 P1 rib as in the pattern.  Alpaca is reputed to be very warm, so that should keep me cosy should it be cold in Canada.

Only 16 days to go........it's been so busy lately that my ukes and guitar have barely been touched.....only one more lesson and the current term will be done, I won't be back until a few weeks before the end of the lesson year.

Recently we went to the movies to see a documentary, "The Women He's Undressed" - sounds quite salacious, doesn't it? - but it wasn't.  It was about a Hollywood costume designer whose career spanned over three decades, Orry-Kelly, and who was born in the small Aussie seaside town of Kiama, something not widely known until recently.  Non-movie buffs would enjoy it, and anyone interested in sewing, costume design, or history of fashion will find it fascinating.  Apparently dressing Bette Davis' bosom was quite difficult.....poor Bette!

This morning our local historical society held its Spring Fair, and a lovely early spring day it was too.  Lady members were dressed in long black skirts and old-fashioned white blouses, topped with white aprons......all quite Edwardian.  I was selling ice creams for a couple of hours, they were very popular!  Came home with a few books, one of which may accompany me on the plane.  I have a tablet with a Kindle app for reading but I'm a quick reader and would read so much that the battery would die long before the flight ended, so I thought a paper book (actually, two books in one) may be a better choice.

"A home.
After marriage one of the first requirements for happiness is a home.  It will best be found in a house or even a cottage apart from the immediate association of relatives or friends, acquaintances or strangers, and here husband and wife may begin in reality that new life of which they have had fond dreams, and upon their own actions must depend their future welfare."

Home is a very important place for any of us, and we hope ours is still standing when we return.

Enjoy your days!

Spring is thinking about springing!

Today is sunny and nearly warm, very nice if one can find a sheltered sunny spot, but in the shade it's cool enough to remind us that winter hasn't left yet.

Here are some Aussie spring flowers to help spring along.

A large department store in the centre of The Big Smoke has floral displays with a different theme each spring, and they are truly wondrous.  The year before we moved here to the Small Smoke I went along, gaped along with the large crowd and took some photos, as that year's theme was Australian native plants.

The red beauties below are Gymea lilies - they are spectacular growing in the wild, as the flower heads can be 15 feet or more above the ground.

Some people prefer tame confined garden flowers that grow all over the world, but I love our unique flora.

A few stitches have been taken in the sewing room, isn't this floral the most ghastly fabric you have ever seen?

I'm not even sure how it came to be in my stash, I'm sure I wouldn't have bought it specially so perhaps it came in a bag of scraps......but the large-scale print is just right for a shadow box block.

The second shadow box block was made of four different bright prints from my stash, and I quite like it.

This month it's my turn to provide the monthly block and its instructions for my local group.  I much prefer more intricate piecing but this time thought of doing something different; they are so quick and easy to make that I am suggesting one of each block be made.

There will probably still be complaining though, because the block has two triangles......some group members will do anything to avoid cutting and/or sewing even one triangle, so I feel it my bounden duty to provide them.

It's been a busy couple of weeks!  This week we went to the theatre on Wednesday night to see a comedy performed by an excellent local amateur group, while the following night the uke group performed in a concert at our music school to celebrate Adult Learners' Week.  Judging by the rest of the program - a flute piece by Mozart, violin piece by J.S. Bach, etc. - I reckon we were there as comic relief.  We even had two kazoos playing in one song, one of them played by me......now that's really highbrow, folks.  The sound of a bright green plastic kazoo is really something, you know.

Also on Wednesday I saw my doctor and asked for something I have never ever asked for before - I asked for something to knock me out for at least part of the long 16 hour flight back from Canada, as the plane leaves Vancouver at midnight.  He prescribed something which hopefully should help, but suggested I try it out at home beforehand in case of an adverse reaction.  What a good idea.......

He is also trying to get me to consent to a couple of tests which I don't want to have done, because having to remove clothing and have strange people touch, prod or attach things to bits of my person is such an ordeal that I will not do it.  Having my shoulder operation the year before last was difficult enough.  There is a chance that the test may show something which needs to be medicated or checked or treated, but I don't care.  If I can't keep all my clothes on, I am not having any tests done.  That's it.  End of story.

It will not be referred to again.

Only 24 days until our holiday starts, that's a much more cheerful thought!  Even though it means such long flights, floating around Up There with 300 of our new best friends.......

"The comfort of others.

In seeking his own comfort, no passenger has a right to overlook or disregard that of others.  If for his own comfort, he wishes to raise or lower a window, he should consult the wishes of passengers immediately around him before doing so.  The discomforts of travelling should be borne cheerfully, for what may enhance your own comfort may endanger the health of some fellow-traveler."

Do people still feel this way, I wonder?  We can but hope........

Enjoy your days!

Workshop results

The weekend workshop has come and gone.  Four large centre blocks of a quilt were started, and while they are a long way from being finished they have been put aside in favour of sewing which needs to be completed before we head off overseas.

The square in the middle will become a circle, and the whole large piece will be appliqued onto the background fabric.  My colour choices turned out rather dull when made up but hopefully the bright pink/purple centre and background save it, because I am not making it again.

 My favourite next, this one uses some of my Holy Fabric stash - we all have some, the fabric that is so beautiful and precious to own that you can't bring yourself to cut into it; the centre circle will be the multi-coloured spot and the whole circle will be appliqued onto the blue speckled background.

These two pieced circles can be appliqued onto the background using wide ric-rac braid, but mine will have bias strips instead.  

Another three of these shapes below to be made and joined together, then a nine-patch is appliqued over the centre, mine will be yellow, blue and lime green..

 Not much done yet on the fourth block.  The centre pieced circle has another smaller circle appliqued on top, while the odd-shaped piece on the left will be trimmed into a triangle and another three made.  These are actually pieced - not appliqued - into the background, in this case a yellow daisy print.  The beautifully matching points in the centre of my green and purple pieced circle were noted and complimented by the teacher......as they should be, this year it's 50 years since I sewed my first ever item of clothing so I've had a lot of practice in matching seams.

Would I take another workshop with this teacher?  Doubtful......she's not a bad teacher but her method wastes a lot of fabric, and every time I cut off yet another piece and dropped it into the bin I thought to myself "geez......I paid money for that!"

This morning we had insulation installed in the roof of our house.  It's colder than it should be in winter considering we don't live in the deepest Arctic depths, so recently we had it checked and found out there is no insulation at all up there.  Three blokes, one truck and a couple of hours later we have insulation!  Just in time for the rain forecast early next week and the cooler weather which will follow.  Australia's climate is fairly mild compared to other parts of the world but our houses are not built for the cold, which is a bit silly when one thinks of it.  People from colder countries overseas complain about how cold Australian winters are; they aren't really, they just seem like it because of how our houses are made.

From other things we have noted (and in some cases corrected) our house was probably a budget build.  Short cuts seem to have been taken which probably saved money at the time of building, but one ends up paying more for them further down the track.  The walk-in wardrobe (closet) in our bedroom is icy-cold in winter and unbearably hot in summer, the door is kept shut and it's not affected by temperatures in other parts of the house - hopefully that will change now.  It's not a basic house, so we don't know why the build wasn't a better quality.

Recently I joined the local historical society, so no doubt my social life will improve even more!  Last night I attended their monthly meeting and found out that I knew many members already; as a new member I was welcomed, the guest speaker was very interesting, and supper served after the meeting was scrumptious indeed.  I was born in this town (although I did live in the Big Smoke for 40 years before moving back five years ago), my mother was born and spent all her life here, her father was born in the district and lived here all his life, while his parents moved to the area in the 1870s......so my roots are well and truly here.

"Society is divided into sets, according to their breeding.  One set may be said to have no breeding at all, another to have a little, another more, and another enough; and between the first and last of these there are more shades than in the rainbow.  Good manners are the same in essence everywhere - at courts, in fashionable society, in literary circles, in domestic life - they never change, but social observances, customs and points of etiquette, vary with the age and with the people."

Wonder which set I belong to?

Enjoy your days!

The measure of a wombat

The newest wombat in the house thanks all those who commented on its beauty, and was flattered that some asked for another view.

It's not as menacing as it looks here, and is the right size for nestling in a hand.

It checked out my sewing room today while I am having a break from cutting fabrics for this weekend's workshop.  According to my massage therapist this morning I have overdone the cutting and strained some muscles on my right side, arm and shoulder, so no cutting today......it might be finished tomorrow.  My cutting table is a good height for cutting with scissors but a bit high for rotary cutting because of the different action required, and my being short compounds that even more.

Ah well......it probably doesn't matter if not all the fabrics are cut, because I suspect we will not get four large foundation-pieced blocks finished in two days anyway.

To tell the truth I am not feeling very enthusiastic about this weekend.  The teacher has been hard to pin down if we have any questions, the only contact on her website is an email address - no phone number - and she doesn't answer emails.  One member of our group has previously attended workshops with her and says she is a very good teacher......she might be absolutely fantastic, but she doesn't seem to be a good business person.

End of moan, thank you for listening.  Returning you to your regular station now.

Last night the last stitches were knitted on the second sleeve of my alpaca jumper, and now it is being sewn together ready for the neckband to be knitted on.  Hope it fits; it may be a bit big, but that makes it all the warmer because I can wear another layer underneath if I need to.

Only 47 days until our holiday starts!  Our first day will be en route to the Big Smoke, we fly out the following day, but as far as I am concerned - once we leave our driveway, we will be on holidays.  We bought ourselves some noise-reducing earphones for the journey, because the noise of the plane engines, while not deafeningly loud, is relentless......to say nothing of the crying children, and there are always a few of them.  Our last trip home across the Pacific Ocean was accompanied by the Symphony for Plane Noise and at least 97 wailing infants.  I don't mind flying, I'm not phobic or paranoid about it, but the thought of floating around Up There surrounded by 300 or so of my new best friends gives me the heeby jeebies.  It's a personal space thing, and my space is pretty wide.

If we could afford to fly in the rarefied atmosphere of first-class, or if it were possible to cross the Pacific Ocean by ship then cross two-thirds of Canada by chauffeur-driven limousine without using up every cent we own, I would........but that would take more money than there is in the whole universe, so sadly we won't be able to do it.

More cheerfully, last Sunday afternoon the uke group played at a concert put on by the music school which runs our classes, and it went well.  We performed two songs by the Beatles and came on after a young soprano singing Mozart, and a group of 4-to-5 year olds doing cute things with a song and some bells, so I suspect we were there as comic relief.

"Writing as an aid to correct talking.
To converse correctly - to use correct language in conversation - is also a matter of importance, and while this can be acquired by a strict attention to grammatical rules, it can be greatly facilitated by the habit of writing down one's thoughts.  In writing, strict regard is, or should be, paid to the correct use of language, and when a person, from constant writing, acquires the habit of using correct language, this habit will follow him in talking.  A person who is accustomed to much writing, will always be found to use language correctly in speaking."

I would say so.

Enjoy your days!

Blue moon.......

.......you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart,
Without a love of my own........

Blue moon tonight, the second full moon this month!  Probably a good idea to keep an eye on the neighbours for any craziness, you never know what the moon might bring out in otherwise dull people.

Reporting a finish, two pair of jammies.

They aren't quite the same - one set has black pants with a mostly blue top, the other has blue pants with a mostly black top.  Finished, but not pressed.......they are, after all, jammies for wearing to bed, not haute couture.  Fabric is all from my stash.

On our recent holiday we visited the wood gallery at Bungendore, a short drive east of Canberra, and a sweet little wombat jumped into my hand.  What else could I do but bring it home?  It's made of recycled river red gum, a gorgeous Australian tree.  This pic shows the lovely colour and grain of the timber.

While at the gallery we were gobsmacked by the Hannah Cabinet, it's amazing.  It's not something that would fit in our home either in size or decorative style but the workmanship is incredible, and in any case we didn't have the $1.5 million dollars that was being asked. Several years ago we were lucky enough to see another cabinet by the same craftsman, the Yarralumla Cabinet, which is part of the Australiana collection in the official residence of the Australian Governor-General, and although it's not quite as large or elaborate as the Hannah Cabinet I think it liked it better.  On this video you can hear his answer to the question "are there any more hidden drawers?"

Work on the new jumper is progressing like you wouldn't believe, the back, front and one sleeve are finished, while the second sleeve is coming along nicely.  Looks like it will be done to take to Canada after all!  Only 60 days to go.........

Recently we have been watching a program about social changes brought about in England by the coming of railways - sounds dull, but is very interesting!  Trains were an invention which changed the face of several countries and brought about many changes in how people lived as well as how they travelled.  The first murder on a train in England happened in 1864 and was mentioned in the program, the author of a book about the case was interviewed, and I thought to myself, I thought "that sounds like an interesting read" I thought, so reserved it at the library.  A few days ago I started reading it and have just come to the end of the section set in England, the detective is now on the high seas in pursuit of the alleged murderer who had fled to America, and although I know the ending - it's set out in history, as here - I am enjoying reading about the investigation of the case.  Mystery stories are probably my favourite genre, and true mysteries can be intriguing.  The book is called "Mr Briggs' hat: a sensational account of Britain's first railway murder" and was written by Kate Colquhoun.

We have a radio playing all the time on a classical music station and recently there have been problems with the reception; turns out to be damage caused by ice and snow on the transmitter tower a couple of hours north-west of here.  Repairs are supposed to be finished today, let's hope so.  Kevin and I have a deal - he can watch all the sport he likes on TV so long as I don't have to listen to it.  Football is definitely improved by classical music, and cricket is almost possibly just about bearable.

"As culture is the first requirement of good society, so self-improvement should be the aim of each and all of its members.  Manners will improve with the cultivation of the mind, until the pleasure and harmony of social intercourse are no longer marred by the introduction of discordant elements, and they only will be excluded from the best society whose lack of education and whose rude manners will totally unfit them for its enjoyments and appreciation.  Good manners are even more essential to harmony in society than a good education, and may be considered as valuable an acquisition as knowledge in any form."

That's what I think, too.

Enjoy your days!