Best wishes to you all!

Wherever you are and whatever you celebrate - or even if you don't celebrate at all - best wishes for a season of peace, love and lots of dark chocolate.

Green too!

Not all the leaves we saw were traditional autumn colours.....Vancouver Island is very green.

Mossy trees.....

 ......more mossy trees, aren't they interesting shapes?

 Moss on a fallen tree.

 Not a wonderfully fabulous shot of the sign, however it was taken to remind us where we were.

I suspect if you stayed in the forest too long you would grow mossy arms and legs too.

Sadly our trip is receding in our memories as we have been really busy since returning, but we have souvenirs, photos and memories to remind us.

We have been so busy that one decoration, not one bauble, not one strand of tinsel, has been put out to decorate for Christmas!  Oh well, there's always later today or perhaps tomorrow morning.  Probably should make the effort to glitz the place up a bit.

Now my thoughts are turning to the quilt group challenge due at the end of February, to make a quilt for donation to the local Ronald McDonald House out of fabric we were given.  My fabric is random orange spots on white, very bright and cheerful; when we first drew our wrapped fabrics out of the bag I scored a piece with pretty pink flowers and green leaves and bits of blue.  Oh so pretty, and oh so not me.  Margaret sitting next to me drew the orange spots and shuddered......I was shuddering at my draw......so we swapped.  Found this pattern which will do nicely; the diagonals will be made in yellow-gold solid so when the large pieces are sliced and diced it will have gold setting triangles.  I worked it out carefully.  I am such a freakin' genius, am I not?

Meanwhile, the tumbler quilt is coming along nicely.  To start with they are being joined in pairs, one darker (or one lighter, depending on where you stand with such things) than the other.  No colour matching, nothing, just totally random.  Then they will be joined in fours, once again randomly.  Quite a lot was sewn in Canada so that will also be a souvenir when it's finished; even the quilting thread was bought in Toronto.

It's warming up here in the Small Smoke, and I am not enjoying it.  Because we're inland we don't usually have to suffer much humidity, but it's the stormy season which has raised humidity levels.  Last night's storm was a doozy.  When one is at home one sheds layers, but there are limits to what one removes in public when one is no longer young and slender. 

Ah well.  One suffers in silence, or tries to.

All the music gigs are done for the year, the only commitment remaining is a two-hour stint at the historical museum tomorrow afternoon with my 87 year old friend Bonnie who grew up with my aunt in a town a couple of hours north of here.  We always have quite a laugh, even if we are laughing at something we laughed at last time we were on duty together.

"Deference to elderly people.
A young lady should show the same deference to an elderly lady that a gentleman does to a lady.  It may also be said that a young man should show proper deference to elderly gentlemen."

Yes, that sounds like Bonnie and me.

Enjoy your days!

Leaves, leaves and more leaves

My photos have been loaded onto the computer but they aren't yet captioned; if it's not done soon we might forget where they were taken.  After tomorrow's gig there will be more time.

Isn't this an amazing colour?  It's called Burning Bush.

 Some golden goodness across the river.  This pic and the one above were taken in Parry Sound, Ontario, on a cold slightly snowy day.

 Fallen maple leaves in the rain, in Goderich.

 More fallen leaves on a damp day in Bayfield.

So many colours - the reason why our trips to Canada have been in autumn, it's such a beautiful season.

We are settling back into our usual routine although I did hit the ground running, as two days after we arriveded home the uke group had a gig at a small church just out of town; it was a 'thank you' early Christmas lunch for church helpers, and as we have played at their monthly markets during the year we were included.  We were the entertainment, and we were also recipients of a very nice lunch.

Tomorrow's U3A Christmas lunch will be more Christmas songs which we are now getting good at playing.  By next November we will have forgotten them all again, you know.

We had a great time in Canada.  Our boy is doing well and we really enjoyed our time with him and his lovely partner; she and I had a few 'girls days out' together, to a craft festival, a quilt show and a textile museum.  I think of her as the daughter I didn't give birth to and wish we could see more of each other - but it is such a long way!

Honestly, I don't think I can do that long flight again.  Plane seats have become thinner and more uncomfortable (probably keeping the weight down) and 20 hours spent in one of those seats when one has a sore neck anyway is hard work.  We can't afford the expensive seats up the front, and in any case would rather have the money to spend at our destinations than in getting there.  Add to that humping one's bags around airports, lots of self-service stuff - checking in and going through customs and security is all about 'do it yourself' these days but of course we don't get a discount for that - it's not fun any more, if indeed it ever was.

Ah well.  Our boy said they would come and see us in a few years, his first visit back since leaving in February 2005 - that will be wonderful.

"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-traveller."

These days, sadly, it's everyone for his or her own self, and be darned to anyone else.

Enjoy your days!

We're back home!

We have returned from the land of maple syrup, bacon and snow.  Pictures have not yet been uploaded from my camera, but will be in due course.  Right now I'm trying to stay awake......we only arrived home yesterday afternoon.

I'm getting a bit old for this, you know.

Au revoir!

We will be leaving in barely two days, and there is so much to be done between now and then that I won't have a chance to write anything more until we return in a couple of months.

You will hear all about our holiday, until you are probably bored senseless.

Enjoy your days!

Meet the newest member of the Thursday night choir

This is Reggie.

 He's only a little feller, just a few months old, and his hopping skills aren't very well developed yet.

His mum was in a traffic accident and didn't survive, but Reggie was rescued and now lives with a member of the choir and her husband.  When he is bigger - another eight months or so - he will go a local marsupial park to be with other kangaroos.

The countdown is now on - just nine days until we drive to the Big Smoke, and ten days until we fly!  Now that the week is finally over (one of the busiest weeks we have had for a long time) we can concentrate on packing Stuff which has to be taken and Stuff which, if it's forgotten, won't stop the world turning.

My quilt pieces only weigh a smidgeon over 620 grams which is less than 23 ounces in old money, so they will be on the trip with me for sure!  When I quoted 840 pieces that was a miscount because I forgot to allow for the 48 half pieces for the sides.......so, 888 pieces.  Apparently the Chinese regard 8 as a lucky number so three eights must be extra extra extra lucky, yes?

Working on a project in the sewing room was very frustrating today, the top thread broke while free motion quilting; the assumption was that there was a bit of thread somewhere in the bobbin assembly, so it was duly taken apart, cleaned and put back together.  Snap - thread broke again.  Take bobbin apart again, clean again, put back together again.  Naughty words were on the brink of being said by this stage.  The top thread was removed because when all else fails you re-thread the machine - right?  This enabled the sewing genius here (hah) to see that the top thread was catching in the bottom of the spool and also wrapping around the base of the spool pin, thereby causing said thread to snap.  A naughty word was duly said......the thread spool was turned the other way, the machine re-threaded and quilting resumed.  It went like a dream, just the way it should.  Lesson learned.

At sewing guild on Wednesday I took along some yoga pants to shorten, plus my machine and overlocker (serger) to do it with.  Another member measured me for length, one leg was pinned up and they were tried on - perfect length.  The overlocker was used to trim off the excess before folding up a hem for sewing......but sewing genius here overlocked along the fold line, cutting off the entire hem, instead of a couple of cms down to allow for the fold......so now those pants have 1/4in hem which of course flares and frills out like you wouldn't believe.  Just as well they only cost $5 on sale, I would be spitting chips if I had paid real money for them and then buggered them.

I told you it was a busy week, goodness knows where my brain went.

This morning's gig went off well, a fun way to finish up before our holiday!  The uke group has been asked to do two definite and one possible gigs while I am away, shame to miss out but there will be others in future.

"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." 

Indeed.  These words of wisdom from 1885 could apply equally to flying today, couldn't they?

Enjoy your days!

Our tickets are here!

This morning the paper work for our trip arrived from our travel agent down in the Big Smoke, so now we know for sure that we are going......it has all seemed a bit unreal, to now.  However in less than three weeks we will be walking down the bridge and onto the plane for the long flight over shark infested waters, up there in the tin box with several hundred of our new best friends and 97 crying babies.

It will be worth it when we arrive.

Just a few minutes ago the last of those 840 tumblers was cut - feast your little peepers on this box of repro goodies!

 Forgive the slightly shaky picture, I was probably so overcome with excitement as I pressed the little button that I couldn't control my finger.  There aren't quite 840 in this box, some are in the sewing bag by my TV chair, but take it from me.....all are done.  Some of the reproduction fabrics date from the mid-1990s when repros were first hitting the market in a big way, while some are more modern.  You can see by the tumblers already joined on the right-hand side of the box that there is no careful laying-out of pieces, just a lighter fabric being joined to a darker one; colours are immaterial, but two similar tones and colours aren't being paired.  The plan is (provided, of course, that they don't weigh too much)  that they will be coming to Canada with me ("what, all of them?" asked Kevin, "yes indeedy" said I) to occupy time spent in airports, and perhaps while watching TV in the evenings - we aren't the types to go out hitting the high spots and night clubs after dark, you know.

This gorgeous picture taken at Mount Tomah Botanic Garden some years ago when we visited in spring, and it popped up again on our computer this morning so I thought I would share.  The Waratah is the floral emblem of New South Wales, and is spectacular when in flower; sadly they don't grow here, so I will have to be content with admiring them on the screen.  Some of those flower heads are as big as a closed fist - some, even bigger.

We really like living here and have settled in well - it's been over eight years now since we moved here - and certainly don't miss much about the Big Smoke.  We used to be just an hour's drive from places like Mount Tomah which were lovely to visit, and I do occasionally miss that, but the slower pace of life and lack of busy traffic here more than make up for it.

The Parkinsons support group had fun singing along with us last week, one song they really enjoyed was "Mocking Bird Hill".  One of our members was all for taking it off the list but others prevailed, and we were glad we left it in because our audience enjoyed it so much.  Now we are practising for our bi-monthly gig at a local Sunday market in another week and a half.

Now that the tumblers are all cut it's time to move onto something else.  The next quilt group BOM is.....guess what......more fiddly-diddly cutesy-poo applique, but I shall be a good person and at least complete the lick-and-stick applique of two penguins.  They won't be sewn down as I shall run out of time - gosh darn, how about that eh - but I shall pass it back for stitching, and feel as though I have fulfilled most of my side of the BOM bargain.

My Lovely New Bernina machine (19 years old and still going strong) and my Bernina overlocker (only nine years old) will be going in for a service while we are away.  The dust and dirt from two flood renovations last year probably didn't do them much good, so a deep cleaning and service will make them happy again.

This week we are having a little taste of the coming summer.  It's not unusual to have a spell of quite warm weather as spring makes its presence felt, then temperatures settle down somewhat and we enjoy mild days once more.  For a while......it will be cooler in Canada, but such a shock to arrive back to full-blown summer.

"Morning dress for gentlemen.
The morning dress for gentlemen is a black frock-coat, or a black cut-away, white or black vest, according to the season, gay or colored pants, plaid or stripes, according to the fashion, a black silk hat, and a black scarf or necktie.  A black frock coat with black trousers is not considered essential, nor is a dress coat and colored or light trousers,  The morning dress is suitable for garden parties, Sundays social teas, informal calls, morning calls and receptions."

I can just see Kevin getting out of his beloved trakkie daks and into gay coloured plaid pants with a cut-away coat.......not going to happen......

Enjoy your days!