One day closer to autumn!

The heatwave continues.

We have had friends of a musical friend staying for a few days while the big country music festival took over the town.  They are very nice people and we all enjoyed ourselves, saw some great concerts with them and without them.......and now it's just the two of us again.

The whole town is starting to empty as the music-loving tourists leave.  Yesterday morning Kevin and I were chatting to two interstate visitors at a concert and, when they found out that we were locals, the bloke said "you don't look like locals".  What does a local look like, we wondered?  Did he expect us to have straw between our teeth, wear boots with spurs, and say "yee har" with every sentence?  Perhaps he didn't expect two neatly dressed Olde Phartes; many of the tourists don't know the meaning of the words "neatly dressed".

Enough of that.  It is a very entertaining time, and people watching is a good part of the entertainment.

During our Toronto visit our lovely Canadian DIL and I attended a quilt show in Ajax, east of Toronto, and one of the things purchased was a kit to make a small bag using only one side of a zipper.  A strip of the unused portion becomes a loop at the side of the bag.  The idea has been around for a while but I hadn't tried it before - and it works!

 Interesting fabric, isn't it?  Not what I would normally choose, but it came in a kit with a lime zip and gold-speckled-lime lining and that was enough for me.  Everything was supplied, outer and lining fabrics, zip and fusible lightweight batting.  After ironing it to the outer fabric I quilted it in a wide two inch grid in case the adhesive ever fails.  I didn't get around to boxing the bottom corners but that won't stop the world from turning, will it.

This bag requires you to (gulp) cut off the zipper end pull which is eventually restored to the folded-around zipper tape; instructions say "this may require some swearing and a glass of wine, but it can be done"!  How could you not try it?  Kit was from Sew Have Fun in Oshawa, also east of Toronto.  An odd thing about this fabric:  to look at it you would think the colours are blue, grey, pink and lime on a purplish background, yes?  Wrong.  There is no pink......it's a trick of the light, those flowers have only white and blue petals.

Currently partly made on the sewing table is a large pincushion, a door prize won at a large meeting a couple of years ago.  Next step is to press a whole heap of 2-1/2 in squares into prairie points, but it has been a bit hot for ironing.  So it waits......

There is also a song to arrange.  The uke group will be playing for a 90th birthday early in March (the lovely mum of one of our members is having a Big 0 day) and I have re-written words to a celebratory song to reflect her and her family's names, for a bit of fun.  Because I didn't want to cause hurt or offence it was first run by the uke playing daughter for approval, she said "Mum will love it!" so now it needs chords.  Easy peasy.

Life will gradually get back to its normal busy routine, U3A launch day on Wednesday - that's when we put our names down for courses which appeal, mine of course is ukulele - and the choir is singing at a funeral on Tuesday afternoon for one of our members who recently passed away.  There is a reason the choir was awarded Senior Citizens Group of the year last year.......we're getting old.  We also lost another member while I was away, both of these people were in their 80s.

"The saddest of all ceremonies is that attendant upon the death of relatives and friends and it becomes us to show, in every possible way, the utmost consideration for the feelings of the bereaved, and the deepest respect for the melancholy occasion.  Of late the forms of ostentation at funerals are gradually diminishing, and by some people of intelligence even mourning habiliments are rejected in whole or in part."

When our choir performs in public we wear black bottoms - skirts or pants - and a bright shirt or top in a single colour; with over 30 members of different ages and body types we can each choose something flattering.  This also applies when we sing at funerals, so my outfit on Tuesday will probably be a flared black cotton skirt and turquoise top, and I will sing my heart out for Tony.

Enjoy your days!

Stitchings

Hoo boy, it's hot.  We're still in a heatwave; the past few days have been really nasty hot and the next few will be the same.  It's not just here, it's a lot of Australia, so we can't escape.  I'm ready for autumn now.......I'm over summer.

Sadly I lack the influence to end it, but you never know, one day.......

This is the quilt top finished last week.......it's bright!  The pattern is fun and easy to make; however, if you are bothered by having points cut off then this isn't the quilt for you.  It happens because of the method of assembly.  I personally myself couldn't care less, the world won't stop spinning on its axis because of this, you know.

 It was going to be pinned yesterday at sewing group but my quilting pins didn't like going through the fleecy backing, so shall have to think of a Plan B - perhaps spray adhesive, although I'm not a fan of using chemicals on my fabrics.

A project as yet not shown.  Made this as a gift for Rose Marie, and it wasn't finished until after we arrived in Toronto; the binding was still being hand sewn to the back.  However, here it is finally done and hanging in Rose Marie's dining room.

 The flowers are all stitched using one strand of DMC floss, and it was machine quilted.  Even tried piping as an inner border, something I haven't done before; it was slightly fiddly but not difficult, even though all four corners aren't as beautifully equal as I had hoped they would be.

 The golden yellow border and dark green binding were chosen to represent Australia's golden wattle, our national floral emblem.  The pattern is by Oz Dye-Art who are no longer in business.

Place mats for our friends on Vancouver Island, some of the fabrics are by Australian Aboriginal designers.  The colours were chosen in the hope that they would suit their new home - and they couldn't be better.

That home is decorated with teal and with dark colours, so once again the golden wattle yellow and pale green for foliage add a little touch of Australia to their home.

Some uke playing has been happening, practice for the gig on Sunday.  We will have fun even if we play the odd bum note......and some of them are pretty odd, believe me.

During the current heatwave we are making sure that the bird baths in out back yard are kept topped up.  A week ago I had been out splashing water around for the birdies and was walking back to the door when.....splat, the toe of my sandal caught on a loop of the hose (which we had gotten out of the habit of rolling up on the holder thingy on the wall) and down I went.  Ouch, double ouch and triple ouch.....bruised and badly skinned right knee, skinned left knee, bruised left foot and specially left big toe, hurting left hand/wrist, smarting palms.  Other bruises in unmentionable places.  I didn't realise that so much of me had come in contact with the ground.

However all is healing well, nothing has fallen off, everything is still attached where it should be, even if I couldn't lift a cup of coffee in my left hand for several days.  Hand piecing and reading are still possible, though, so all has not been lost!

"Speaking one's mind.
Certain honest but unthinking people often commit the grievous mistake of "speaking their mind" on all occasions and under all circumstances, and oftentimes to the great mortification of their hearers.  And especially do they take credit to themselves for their courage, if their freedom of speech happens to give offence to any of them.  A little reflection ought to show how cruel and unjust this is.  The law restrains us from inflicting bodily injury upon those with whom we disagree, yet there is no legal preventive against this wounding of the feeling of others."

This is true, but if you should happen to point out the chopped-off points on my quilt I would not be hurt or offended.  I already know about it.

Enjoy your days!

We're pretty much over summer

We had a late start to summer this year because we weren't here, but it is making up for our lost time now.  According to the weather people we are having a "low intensity heatwave" and have been since Christmas Eve......well, fancy that.  I would much prefer no heatwave at all.

Unfortunately I don't have the power to do anything about it, so we just have to suffer.

It was cooler in Canada.  This is the view looking west from our apartment window - see the bus stop around the corner?  We used it several times, but not on the day this was taken.

 Looking straight across the road.

I know that's not much snow compared to what some of you see every winter, but it's a big deal for us!

The day we drove from Midland to Goderich was quite snowy and very beautiful, if a little exciting for people not used to snow driving.  Maxwell is quite a small town with a diner where one can get excellent coffee; an agricultural machinery place - not quite what we needed - an Amish furniture store, and a really good quilt store, Threads That Bind.  On the premise of  'pics or it didn't happen' here is some of the snow that day......but this is nothing like we had driven through already, almost a whiteout in places.

Some fabric came home with me from Maxwell.  When the owner realised that I had come from a long way away she reached onto a shelf and gave me a fat quarter of fabric, saying she likes to give a gift to customers who have come a long way - how nice is that?  It's a fun piece with moose in checked jackets, and will become the feature fabric on a table centre because it's too good to cut into teeny pieces.

Stitches have been happening, an entire whole quilt top has been completed!  Not yet photographed, but that will be rectified in the next day or two or three.  The challenge quilt top is done.  I wouldn't like to have to count the number of orange spots in that fabric......it will be pinned to its fleecy backing next week and will have straight line quilting, then bound by machine, and it will be called "Quits".

The town is starting to fill with visitors who come for the annual country music festival.  It doesn't officially start until late next week but people arrive early to get a good camping spot, some even camping illegally until the camp grounds are officially open.  These are possibly the same folk who expect locals to step aside for them; while most visitors are reasonable we do get some 'special' people who think the world revolves around them and their demands.

Locals like to play "spot the visitor", and while it's as easy as shooting fish in a barrel it can be fun.  When we were doing some shopping in the main drag yesterday we saw some wondrous sights; I felt like tapping a couple of women on the shoulder and whispering to them that the bra was invented for a reason.  But being the nice person as what I am, I didn't.

Never mind, the money they leave behind them is as good as anyone else's, and the town does quite well out of it.

"Limit of a prolonged visit.
If no exact length of time is specified, it is well for visitors to limit a visit to three days or a week, according to the degree of intimacy they may have with the family, or the distance they have come to pay the visit, announcing this limitation soon after arrival, so that the host and the hostess may invite a prolongation of the stay if they desire it, or so that they can make their arrangements in accordance.  One never likes to ask of a guest, "How long do you intend to remain?" yet it is often most desirable to know."

We know that nearly all of these visitors will be gone by the end of the month as the festival finishes on 27th January, so that spares both parties the embarrassment of needing to ask.

Enjoy your days!

It's 2019 - Happy New Year!

We made it to midnight last night, wished each other happy new year, then went to bed.  Not bad for two Olde Phartes who don't usually keep late hours.

Let's hope it's a good year full of great stuff like love and happiness and some excellent coffee and chocolate, because the world turns more smoothly when it's lubricated with chocolate.

Day one of the year, and I am looking at a quilt I designed 18 months ago (after the Lesser Flood, before the Great Flood) and which has now been changed slightly, being inspired by a quilt seen in Canada.  While I didn't go overboard with the fabric purchases on our travels a judicious amount was bought, some of it black and white with this quilt in mind.  Now the design has been refined on EQ7 and printed out, and I am gobsmacked by its amazingness.  Because it's foundation pieced it won't be a quick make, but it will be worked on from time to time during the year......and before we know, it will be finished.

Meanwhile, the charity challenge quilt mentioned last week will get done.  Pieces are all cut out, the gold/orange solid idea has been dropped in favour of the random orange spot, and it will be quite bright when complete. 

How about a chuckle from Canada.

 The slightly indistinct hand-written sign (it was a drizzly day) says "local squirrel carver"; it was a few days before Halloween, so houses and shops were decorated with pumpkins.  A local squirrel obviously thought it could do a better carving job than a human could, what do you think?

Here's Captain Harry.......

 ......and here's Captain Harry's sign.

 Here's Captain Harry in 2012.  He looks much happier in his new incarnation, but he was wonderfully weathered and lugubrious in those days.  I'm not so sure that I like his sanitised spick-and-span look as much as the old style!

He's not even hanging onto his wheel in the same way.....his new boat must steer differently to the old one.  I reckon Captain Harry has been slurping from the fountain of youth.

When the bloke who shares one's life likes to watch summer sports - mostly cricket and tennis - one realises just how much sport is shown on TV.  Far too much, in one's humble but very honest opinion.  It all becomes interminable, and it goes on forever too.  However one has an agreement with said bloke whereby he watches TV with the sound off, and I listen to a classical music station instead of the inane commentary and drivel which usually accompanies these sports, and we are both happy. 

Now that the rush and bustle of Christmas and new year is over it's time to knuckle down to some uke practice.  It's nearly three weeks until our gospel gig and, while the songs are all familiar, a little playing beforehand is probably a good idea.

"Requisites for a good talker.
To be a good talker then, one should be possessed of much general information, acquired by keen observation, attentive listening, a good memory, extensive reading and study, logical habits of thought, and have a correct knowledge of the use of language.  He should also aim at a clear intonation, well-chosen phraseology and correct accent.  These acquirements are within the reach of every person of ordinary ability, who has a determination to possess them, and the energy and perseverance to carry out that determination."

This is indeed so, and something that I wish the weekday morning announcer on the classical music station would take note.  I don't mind that he has an accent - Scottish, not too broad - I do mind that he mumbles, stumbles and fumbles every morning.  If I wasn't such a nice person I would reach into the radio and give him a severe whack around the back of his mumbling head.

Enjoy your days!

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!