Garden WOW

Another of my garden wombats that lives in the house, not outside in the garden, although it did go out to have its photo taken. Wombats get tired and need a lie-down.....

It's been a productive week! Last week I made cumquat marmalade, something I had never made before; I have made marmalade years ago but it was regular orange marmalade. It's not bad if I do say so myself (she says, modestly patting self on back). Yesterday I made a very yummy chicken stew in the big slow cooker we bought not long ago. We have sorted out all our CDs and stowed then in their proper places, we didn't realise we had so many. And the binding is more than half sewn down on the Maple Leaf runner so it will be on the table the day after tomorrow.

This morning I was reading an article on the 'gossip' (their word) or 'rubbish' (my word) that passes for entertainment in womens' magazines today. Does the average person really care who is keeping company with whom, or what some actrine looks like without make-up? Are we all supposed to live our lives vicariously through the so-called rich and famous? The article went on to say how much of the stuff published in these magazines is some journalist's idea of what might happen given a certain set of circumstances, which themselves probably don't even exist.

Each to her/his own, but give me a good book any day.

In two weeks we will be heading off in our little caravan for the holiday we didn't have after Easter, and we are looking forward to it. Even though it would seem that life is one permament holiday now we are retired, it's not the same as heading off on a journey. First we will stay a couple of days at Nundle to get over any stress in our lives - if you are still stressed after visiting Nundle then you are in a bad way - my family has a connection with Nundle. My grandfather's birth in 1885, and the births of several of his siblings, was registered at the Nundle courthouse; the building still stands but is now a local history museum. There is a wonderful woollen mill in the village which sells its own knitting yarns, and a patchwork shop on a farm just out of town, the pub does wonderful burgers, and elsewhere in the district some gold mines are still working.

But until then it's business as usual here, housework, sewing, music, reading....not necessarily in that order.

Have a wonderful week!

Jennifer

Coffee break

Some pretty summer blooms for a grey winter day. These are from the frangipani bush in our back yard, they have the most heavenly smell....needless to say they aren't in flower now! It's a dull gloomy day and every time I look out the window I expect to see rain, but none so far.

I am having a coffee break from quilting. All the quilting on the Maple Leaf runner is done - not perfect, far from it, I am not good at free-motion quilting, but it is done - just need to finish off some thread ends, then bind it. But first..........coffee. And chocolate.

We will sleep well tonight. Last night we were roused from sleep by a strange noise which at first sounded like an alarm, then I realised it was my mobile phone playing its merry tune; when I answered it a bloke's voice muttered something so I asked "who are you" - "I'm Brad" he said" - I do not know anyone called Brad. We established that he had woken me up, he started to apologise profusely, I ended the call and looked at the clock, 2.17am. I don't think anyone I know is even awake at 2.17am, let alone making phone calls........if he had an almighty hangover this morning it serves him right.

While I am having coffee I will check out a few blogs on the Quilting Bloggers site, every time I look there are random bloggers selected. The other day I found Deb's blog this way, she has a beautiful quilt on her header that is being donated to the breast cancer quilt project. It looks like a fun quilt to make.

Enjoy your weekend.

Jennifer

Sunny day WOW

A wombat suncatcher with amethyst chips, pewter beads and clear crystals, this one hangs in my sewing room for sparkle - I have other suncatchers with different coloured gems and glass, but only one wombat. Taking a photo of something small while it is swaying gently in the breeze is a bit tricky, but I managed. The quilts in the background are on an old towel rail that I use to drape smaller quilts on, it needs a small repair and I have hinted that a re-painting job wouldn't go stray either. I could do it myself, but as it came from my mother-in-law I figure Kevin would love to do it for me. Keep it in the family, so to speak.

Considering it's winter today is a lovely day, warm and sunny. We have been for a 'Sunday drive' although it's Monday, to look at some hi-fi gear. And guess what.... there is a quilt shop downstairs from the hi-fi shop! How fortuitous! I found just the right fabric for one of my "Pay It Forward" surprises but I won't show it yet because it might give the game away. Speaking of which, I have had only two folk sign up to join in the fun, so there is still a vacancy if anyone is interested.

The pieced back is done for the Maple Leaf runner and when I finish my coffee (which is very nice) I shall dive into my Big Box Of Batting Pieces to see how much pellon is in there, I'm sure there will be enough even if it means piecing some together.

Have a lovely week, may your bobbins always be full and your threads never tangle.

Jennifer

Winter Solstice

Today is winter solstice, the shortest day....now winter starts in earnest. Winter in Sydney is nothing compared to winter in other parts of the world, but we are a bunch of wussies who complain if the temperature goes below 17 degrees - that is to say, some people complain - but moi? Maybe just a little.....the last few days have been damp and cloudy, good weather for staying inside.

The Maple Leaf table runner has the top done, and the back was about to be cut when a little light went "doing!" in my brain. So now, instead of being plain, the back will have one Maple Leaf block in the middle. And of course I measured twice, and cut once, and still cut slightly wrong, but it's nothing that can't be fixed.

Don't you love lime green flowers? The picture is of some chrysanthemums I bought recently, all finished now but very pretty for a while.

And you will all be pleased to know that The Dreaded Lurgy is leaving me slowly but surely, I am feeling way heaps better although the singing voice still hasn't come back. Not sure if I will make choir tomorrow night. We have a gig on Thursday evening, nothing major, just one we do from time to time, but yours truly is the main female soloist. Not because I have the best voice, I'm not sure that I do, just because no one else is game enough (or silly enough) to have a go at a solo. But if the voice hasn't returned by then and I can't do it - then I can't do it.

Now I am going to cut the remaining pieces for the back of the Maple Leaf runner. Have a good solstice....don't go running around the bonfire naked in this cold weather, you will freeze......keep your fig leaf on.

Jennifer

Snuffling WOW

This bag using hand-dyed fabrics was made for me as a gift several years ago. At the time a Brisbane-based Aussie business of fabric dyers and printers had some great designs featuring Aussie icons, the yellow print has wombats dancing along to the words 'snuffle....snuffle....snuffle.....' as they look for grassy shoots to eat. With a wombat applique, and a wooden wombat button, it's a useful bag.

Despite being well and truly out of action over the past week due to a rather nasty respiratory infection I managed to get to the big quilt and craft show yesterday for a few hours. Was able to look at most of the quilts briefly, and to do a very little bit of shopping, before I ran out of steam. With nearly 400 quilts to look at it does take quite a while to get around and to do it justice. I got around, but I'm not sure that I managed to do it justice this year! The winners are here if you would like to feast your eyes.

I have been feeling crook as Rookwood this week but am starting to feel a little better now, thank goodness. Haven't done much by way of sewing or knitting, just a little hand-piecing when my nose wasn't running and my eyes weren't watering. Much of the time I just reclined feeling delicate and fragile. For the non-Aussies among us, "to feel crook" is to feel unwell, and to be "crook as Rookwood" is to feel very unwell indeed. I think the implication may have something to do with being at death's door, Rookwood being a very large cemetery, plus of course the rhyme - some of Aussie slang is rhyming slang.

So as I was feeling very crook I haven't started sewing Maple Leaf blocks. But today I have the strength and energy to thread the machine with red thread, so that's a start isn't it?

Have a lovely week.

Jennifer

Windy day WOW

This is my very distinctive key ring! The fluffy wombat came Port Macquarie on the NSW north coast, courtesy of our older son when he visited there some years ago; and the green enamel wombat is from Canberra, I bought it few years ago. The choice was blue, green or purple - no wombat-coloured wombats! And a Maple Leaf key fob made specially for me by Kiera-Oona.
What do you reckon about the Bearly Autumn Bears Paw blocks? I'm quite pleased how they turned out. The start of another quilt....as if I didn't already have enough to do......sigh. Never mind, some of these fabrics have been sitting in my stash for ages so it will be good to see them in the open. This will have its turn in the sun, but not for a wee while yet. Yesterday I cut the pieces for the Maple Leaf runner, today I had intended to make a start on sewing it, but I have come down with The Dreaded Lurgy and feel rather second-hand. Painful experience in the past has taught me not to sew when I am not well, or Dreadful Mistakes can get made. Kevin is enjoying the peace because if I talk I get a tickle in my throat, which makes me cough heavily, which makes my throat sore, which tickles it, which makes me cough......etc. Just as well that, being a public holiday today, there is no choir practice tonight. One of the sopranos croaking the frog chorus in every song is not pretty.

But I will be jumping out of my skin in a few days.

Y'all be good now, ya hear?

Jennifer

Do you know, if I had half a brain.........

.................I would be dangerous. Last weekend I finished knitting the second sleeve of my cardigan that I wrote about here and cast on stitches for one side of the collar. Knitted about 10 rows and realised it wasn't right. Pulled it all out. Cast on again. Knit one row....and realised it was wrong again, because I had been reading instructions for the wrong size......as I said, if I had half a brain I would be dangerous.......it's right now, I am reading the correct size instructions and all is going along well. You don't have to lock me away just yet.

It wouldn't be a weekend post without a picture. We spent several days in Wagga Wagga over new year staying in the caravan park by the Murrumbidgee River, this was taken late in the day when it was very peaceful.

The lovely red and white fabric for the Maple Leaf runner has been treated to stop the colours running (she says with fingers firmly crossed) and is now drying in the breezy sunshine as we speak. And I am about to leave the computer and head for My Lovely New Bernina, to sew together Bears Paw blocks from lovely autumn prints.

Enjoy your weekend.

Jennifer

First WOW for June

A garden wombat, so I thought it should be photographed outside! Bought this little feller a few years ago at the local hardware/garden shop and photographed it this morning between rain showers. None of my garden wombats live outside....yet......

Yesterday a friend asked me how many wombats I had, and to be truthful I have no idea. Since I have been selecting one each week to have its turn in the spotlight, I am beginning to realise I have many more than I thought I had. A couple of people have suggested contacted the ABC TV show "Collectors". One day perhaps, when I have a clean tidy house with my collection beautifully featured instead of jumbled everywhere.

Over the last few days I have been cutting into some of my lovely autumn prints to make "Bears Paw" blocks. Some of the prints were bought in autumn 2007 in Canada, so they are ridgy-didge fall fabrics! Much as I love autumn leaf design quilts I didn't want to be obvious and use my autumn prints for one, so I am going to make an autumn Bears Paw quilt instead. I have been playing around with EQ6 for layout ideas but haven't settled on one in particular, so it's time to make a few blocks and see where they lead.

Today is a cold, cloudy, showery grey day and would be a good night to hunker down indoors with my knitting or sewing. But it's Monday, which is choir practice night, so the hunkering will have to wait until I get come at 9.30pm.

While waiting in line at the supermarket the other day I picked up a magazine to leaf through..... makes me glad I don't spend good money on these. They are full of stories on people who are supposedly rich, famous and fabulous although quite a few pics were of the less fabulous variety, such as a well-known actrine caught in public in her daggy casual clothes. As for the outfits - let's just say, definitely proof that having money doesn't guarantee having good taste. And I have never heard of many of these "well-known" people, have you?

I bet they've never heard of me, either.

Jennifer