Is finished!

Ta da!  Quilting is done, binding is on.  Sleeve is yet to be sewn down on the back, but I am still calling this a finish.

The hall leading to our bedroom might be just the place to hang this, there is a blank wall crying out for decoration.  The quilting will never win a prize, but as it won't ever be entered into a competition - that doesn't matter.

It was bought at the Creativ Festival in Toronto way back in October 2012, so it's about time it was finished and enjoyed.  Pattern is called 'Hanging On' by Laundry Basket Quilts.

Even made a couple of houses yesterday afternoon, once my little Featherweight machine stopped having a conniption over something, I know not what.  I stopped for a coffee and a deep breath, and it was fine and dandy after that.

These are very bright little houses; some have a beautifully manicured lawn, while others have flowers in their garden.  They will all have blue skies, because - like Camelot - it's always sunny in my town.

Bianca had her Senior Pet Check on Friday.  Each year in June her vet has 'Senior Pet Month' with a free check-up, so off she went.....we had to drive her, of course, she's not great behind the wheel of a car......and she received a good report.  Considering her advanced age of 17-1/2 years (don't forget the half) she is doing well; coat good, teeth excellent, heart strong.  She has lost a little weight as the elderly often do, but she is in very condition.  We don't know how much longer we will have her, but we'll just enjoy her company while we can.

Activities around town are starting to resume.  While there haven't been many cases of the plague in our region and none at all for over a month, many people are still careful about putting themselves out there again.  Unfortunately it looks as though choral singing is one activity which can spread droplets (infected or not) much further than talking - so that means my choir and ukulele groups are still on hold for a while longer.  I really miss my music.  Playing by one's self isn't the same as playing and harmonising in a group.

This morning we woke to very welcome rain, and it rained steadily for a few more hours before stopping.  So far we have had more rain this year than the same period last year, fingers crossed that pattern continues.

"Shaking hands.

Among friends the shaking of the hand is the most geniune and cordial expression of good-will.  It is not necessary, though in certain cases it is not forbidden upon introduction; but when acquaintanceship has reached any degree of intimacy, it is perfectly proper."

Are we allowed to shake hands yet, or is the official policy strictly "keep your hands to yourself"?

Wattle they think of next......

As well as being Father's Day (1st Sunday in September for Aussie dads) last Sunday, 1st September, was Wattle Day.  Our little wattle bush is still flowering well considering its bad start in life, and other species are in flower around town.

A bit of a difference since the photo on the last blog post!  It's a difficult plant to photograph in even the slightest breeze, those little golden fluffy balls do not stay still.

 Gorgeous wattle in the local botanic garden.

 A close up of some yellow fluffiness......I don't know how many species of wattle there are, but apparently there is wattle flowering somewhere in Australia every day of the year.

 Silly kitty Bianca......she loves to dash into that kitchen cupboard if she thinks we aren't paying attention when the door is open.  So far - so far! - nothing has been broken, despite the fact that it has glassware.

We have learned that the best defence is to ignore her, and she soon comes out with no fuss when she realises that no bribery is involved.

Nibbles have been made on the elephant, that is to say some fabrics have been cut.  As there are still many hundreds of pieces still to go it's not worth getting too excited yet, so we won't.  We'll save it for something amazing.......just what I do not yet know, but no doubt there will something.

A foretaste of summer this week - it is quite hot, and the wind is nasty.    A good day to stay inside and not breathe in the dust which is blowing around.  It's been years since I actually looked forward to summer's heat, and this year is no exception; looks like we will have another hot dry summer, just what we need in the continuing drought.

Oh my......if another chirpy young person bangs on our front door scaring the bejabbers out of Bianca and telling me I need to switch my energy plan I may just forget that I am a nice person, and whack said young twerp severely around the back of his head as I chase him down the front steps.  Judging from his English accent it seems to be a popular occupation for young folk travelling from other parts of the world.

"The love letter.
Of this it may only be said, that while it may be expressive of sincere esteem and affection, it should be of a dignified tone, and written in such a style, that if it should ever come under the eyes of others than the party to whom it was written, there may be found in it nothing of which the writer may be ashamed, either of silliness or of extravagant expression."

Indeed.

How long has it been since you received a love letter?  I don't know that I ever have ever in my life ever.

Enjoy your days!

How do you eat an elephant?

Just take it one bite at a time, and it will be done.

Yesterday the first pieces were cut for a new quilt.  Several hundred still need to be cut......but they will be, even if only a few at a time, just like eating an elephant!  Digging into my stash of autumn leaf prints, many of which were bought on trips to Canada, always makes me happy.  The pattern is from an Aussie quilt magazine from several years ago, although it won't ~quite~ be made according to the pattern; more rows will be added to the sides to make it square and balance the pattern (the magazine quilt is rectangular, I don't care for that) and the construction method for the 15 Maple Leaf blocks will be changed.

It is my turn next month to provide a block for the Tuesday group's BOM.  We have a Tuesday group and a Saturday group; some people go to both and some to only one of these.  My blocks are always pieced.....no applique for me......and have often had intricate designs, but this one is simpler.  Even the most triangularly challenged should have no trouble with it.

 Just three different fabrics, two tone on tones and a print.  Block is called "Amish Diamond" from Quilter's Cache website but I decided to call it "Autumn Diamond".  It will get acquainted with the iron before it is shown to the group as an example.

Our little wattle bush is starting to flower, another week and it should be glorious!  When it was first planted something (possibly ants) took a liking to it and chewed the tender leaves, leaving just one stalk with a few leaves at the top.  Kevin was all for pulling it out because it didn't look too flash at all, but I convinced him to let it stay because at least those remaining leaves were green and healthy.

It then shook itself, pulled up its little green socks, and decided to concentrate on recovering.  Took a couple of years but it did so, and last year flowered for the first time.  

Many Aussie native plants are slow to get established, and only live for a few years compared to hundreds of years for trees in colder climates.  We know this and accept it, and enjoy them while we can......then when it dies off we plant something else to enjoy.  Pretty sure we have a self-seeded wattle tree in our front garden thanks to a bird or the wind, when and if it flowers we will know what it is for sure.

Winter is still proceeding, nights and mornings are cold and sometimes frosty while days are mild and mostly sunny with not a cloud in the sky.  If only the drought wasn't so dire it would be lovely winter weather, but we would like clouds and rain!  For some time now we have been on Level Four restrictions which means no, absolutely no, use of water outside at all.  Dishes are rinsed in a bucket in the sink before going in the dishwasher then that water is used on plants, which is allowed.  We do, however, put clean water in our bird baths - that comes under animal welfare, which is also permitted.

Bianca is still around.  A few weeks ago she became very frail, was barely eating, and was quite listless - we expected to find her gone one morning on her bed in front of the fire.  However she rallied, is eating again, and sometimes runs around the house like a six month old kitten.  We know, though, that she probably won't be around for much longer.....but she is happy and doesn't seem in pain, so we won't make that final trip to the vet just yet.

Kevin and I have been together for 45 years; I brought my cat Smokey into our relationship (got custody of Smokey when my first marriage ended), and we have always had at least one kitty.  The house won't seem right with none.

"Dinner A La Russe.

The latest and most satisfactory plan for serving dinners is the dinner a la Russe (the Russian style) - all the food being placed upon a side table, and servants do the carving and waiting.  The style gives an opportunity for more profuse ornamentation of the table, which, as the meal progresses, does not become encumbered with partially empty dishes and platters."

I wonder how many servants one would need to serve a cut-up elephant?  Or how many would be needed for the cutting up thereof?

Enjoy your days!

Winter time

Yes, I know to some of you our winter is very mild compared to yours, but it can still be quite chilly.  Let's just say I'm glad I am not trotting around outside with bare feet and shorty shorts and leave it at that, shall we?  Cauliflower and bacon soup is simmering away in the slow cooker as we speak, and Bianca is sunning herself in front of the fire.

Elderly kitties do like their comfort.

This was taken several years ago, an hour from here.....hooo boy, that was cold.  Snow is forecast up there for the next day or two.

I think I shall take a leaf from Bianca's book and stay inside with the sun pouring through the large back windows, by the fire.

Not much of note has happened this week.  My foot is most unhappy if I ask it to do what it considers to be too much, as happened on Friday, so it is being rested.  And rested.  And rested some more......eventually it will be completely happy again.  At least the painful hip is slowly improving, so one out of two is better than none.

Meanwhile the sewing room is calling, two blocks are waiting to be made.  One is the BOM for the Tuesday group (a foundation pieced cat face), the other will be for when it's my turn for the Tuesday group in September.  I found instructions for a nice easy block with no triangles, which should make the triangle-challenged among us happy; my idea is to use autumn prints and colours.  The foot can have a couple more days of not being asked to do much, then it should be able to stand while a few fabric pieces are cut.  At least the foundation pieced cat face is several steps up from fiddly-diddly cutesy-poo applique, and embroidery for the facial features can be done by machine.

The discussion about names over the past couple of weeks has been interesting.  While volunteering at a local gallery this week I was chatting to a young teacher who works at a small out-of-town rural school, and the conversation turned to names - as it often does among those of us who spent some of our working life in schools.  We both agreed that there are certain children who leave such an impression that it puts one off that name for life.  'Troy', for instance......it was over 30 years ago, but I remember he was quite a piece of work.....for my young friend, it is 'Amelia'.  If she ever has to choose names for a child of her own I suspect 'Amelia' will be way off the bottom of her list.  Funny - this year two friends in different parts of the world have both become first-time grandparents to 'Amelia', so the name will be in classrooms for a while yet!

The last section from "Naming the child".

"The plan of reviving the old Saxon names has been adopted by some, and it has been claimed that the names of Edgar, Edwin, Arthur, Alfred, Ethel, Maud, Edith, Theresa, and many others of the Saxon names are pleasant sounding and strong, and a desirable contrast to the Fannies, Mamies, Minnies, Lizzies, Sadies and other petty diminutives which have taken the place of better sounding and stronger names."

This book was published in 1882, and my maternal grandmother Edith was born in 1887.  She had a sister Ethel and brother Alfred (both of whom died as children), as well as sisters Emily and Laura, and brother Percy......all of which would probably be approved by the writer of this chapter.  I thought the custom of giving a child a shortened form of a name was a modern trend - Kate instead of Catherine/Kathleen, Zac instead of Zachary -  but it seems not to be.

I wonder why so many parents name their child after a state in the U.S.A. when they don't live there. I also wonder why they feel the need to get creative with the spelling of the child's name, thereby condemning said child to a lifetime of having to spell out their name.

Enjoy your days!

Another week in which not much happens

It's amazing how restrictive one's life becomes when one can't stand for long, or walk far, without pain.  Too much sitting, we are told, is not good for us either, but sometimes one just doesn't have much choice.

Never mind.  This too shall pass, as I keep reminding myself.

At least my foot hasn't fallen off yet.

As a blog post isn't complete without pictures and nothing worthy of being pictured has occurred this week, let's trawl back through the vaults and see what we can find.

Taken just a couple of months after we moved here from the Big Smoke.  No cats were harmed in the taking of this picture.

Bianca had never seen a fire until living in this house, and immediately after the fire was lit she jumped on top.  She didn't stay long, though - we didn't have to coax or lift her down, she jumped off very smartly!

Bianca is still with us, she is now 16-1/2 years old - don't forget the half - and is doing well for such an elderly puss.  Each year her vet has "Senior Pet Month" in June with a free check-up, so off she went early in the week to be checked.  Apart from a low growl when vet Robyn touched a sore spot on her back hips she behaved quite well, and received a good health report.  She has lost some weight and is looking a little scrawny and unkempt as old cats do, but she runs around like a cat half her age and is quite happy with her life.

This was our view on a couple of mornings his week......not much at all.  Last year was so dry we had no fog as there was no moisture around to create any; it's still very dry but an occasional shower lately has left enough moisture for our world to sometimes disappear in the mornings.

One of the reasons we chose this house (apart from the view across the valley) was the lack of steps to make life difficult as we grew older.  It's single storey with one step at the back and just four at the front but those four are a bit tricky when one is unable to bend one's ankle (I'm not kidding when I say the boot is rigid), so we have ordered a railing for the front steps.  We like the open look of the house with no railings and it's not high enough off the ground to make safety railings mandatory, but out of curiosity we had a low rail included in the first quote......however, the amount was enough to make our eyes water.

As a result the verandah will stay un-railed, but there will be a basic rail to the left of the four steps which will make my life slightly easier.

My visit to the book sale last weekend to top up my Sue Grafton book collection yielded - nothing.  There were several of her books on the shelf, but all were books I already have!  Never mind......I shall visit every few weeks or so and have high hopes of completing my collection.  I did, however, find a couple of music books (one I already have, but the new one is in much better condition than my much-used copy), a couple of CDs and a DVD.

Following on from last week's quote:

"The mother has it in her power to make such books the companions and friends of her children as her good judgement may select, and to impress upon them their truths, by conversing with them about the moral lessons or the intellectual instructions they contain.  A taste may be easily cultivated for books on natural science and for history, as well as for those that teach important and wholesome lessons for the young."

My parents let me read whatever I wanted.  I was a precocious reader, reading whatever I could get my hands on even if I didn't always understand it, and had a reading age older than my actual age.  For them it was just an opportunity to boast about their clever daughter which they felt reflected glory on them......what wonderful parents they must be to produce such an amazing child!......but we had few books at home, and I never saw either of my parents read.  Books were my escape from a not always kind world.

Enough of that.

Enjoy your days!

Step into my sewing room

The grandkid's project is proceeding.

 Since this was taken all the machine stitching has been done, and now it needs to be stuffed.

Way back when I was a teenager a very very long time ago when life was just crawling out of the primeval ooze I bought a second-hand sewing machine, a pattern for a top and some fabric (it was called 'material' in those days), followed the instructions, cut out the fabric and made myself a top.  I was so thrilled with myself!  It was probably very imperfect, but it was an achievement that started me on a journey which is still continuing to this day.  In all that time I have made countless garments, quilts and other projects for myself and for other people, for friends and family.......and I don't think in that time I have ever come across instructions like those for the grandkid's project.  That is not a compliment, you know.

For the quilters among us, have you ever heard of "tossing the cat"?  It is an old quilting custom whereby a group of young women would take a newly finished quilt, place a poor unsuspecting cat on it, and toss the quilt in the air until puss decided that enough was more than enough, thank you, jumped off the quilt and ran away.  The woman who was closest to where the kitty landed as it took off for places unknown was supposed to be the next to be married.  Last year I found this plate in a junque shop and couldn't resist buying it - you can see poor Felix in the centre of the quilt.  It hangs on my sewing room wall.

One of my music books, Jean Ritchie's "Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians", has a photograph of the same custom!  I emailed her to ask about it and she replied that it was done in the 1940s when the photograph was taken, she was one of the women in the picture......and she married the photographer.  My friend Cathy Miller has even written a song called "Toss the cat".

I don't think throwing Bianca up in the air would impress her.

She is back to her usual self again, for which we are all relieved.  For a couple of days she was licking her front leg (it had to be shaved to take blood for testing) until it looked a bit raw, and we were concerned that she would need to go back to the vet  for more treatment and perhaps wear the Cone of Shame to stop her licking it, but it is healing very well now.

Today is not nice, the wind chill factor is taking the temperature down to low single figures.  Very low.  We even had a welcome shower at lunchtime and because of the wind, the rain was almost falling horizontally.  Up in the hills less than an hour south-east of here it has been snowing.  Did I mention that it's not a nice day at all?

"Results of good-breeding in the home circle.
The laws of good breeding in no place bear more gratifying results than in the home circle.  Here, tempered with love, and nurtured by all kindly impulses, they bear the choicest fruit.  A true lady will show as much courtesy, and observe the duties of politeness as unfailingly, toward every member of her family as toward her most distinguished guest.  A true gentleman will feel bound to exercise courtesy and kindness in his intercourse with those who depend upon him for protection and example.  Children influenced by such examples at home will never fail to show to their elders the respect due them, to their young companions the same consideration for their feelings which they expect to meet with in return, nor to servants that patience which even the best too often require.  In such a home peace and good-will are the household gods."

I hope you all show patience with your servants, because it seems that even the good ones need it.

Enjoy your days!

Much happier news!

After the recent sadness we are ready for something happier, and now it's been officially announced so we can tell, too......we are having a grandkid!  Due in early January.  Never thought we would see the day, you know......we will be somewhat elderly first-time grandparents so I, for one, will not be getting down on the floor giving horsey rides or tossing said kid up in the air.  Not with my crook shoulder.

Fabric has been both purchased and sourced from the stash for a 'welcome to the world' present, pattern has been traced and pinned onto the fabric, and while I'm fairly sure the parents-to-be never read my blog (I doubt they even know I have one, if the truth be known) you will have to wait to see what is being made......but I'm fairly sure you can guess.

The star print fabric is for body, head and legs, the sharp green (which has been in my stash since forever ago and is rather gorgeous) is for ears and snout, while the felt is for claws and the nose which is appliquéd on with the matching thread.  At this stage the kid's gender is not known but trust me - even if they have a girl there won't be much pink coming from this quarter.

I believe grandmothers are usually known by warm fuzzy names like Nanna, Nanny, Grandma, Granny (heaven forbid), or Grammy.......I'm afraid that's not me.  A cultured person like what I am would much prefer to be known by a more elegant title - Grandmama, or perhaps Grandmère.  Much more my style, don't you think?

Both my grandmothers were known as Nanna - Nanna Davis and Nanna Eldridge - my maternal grandfather was Pop Davis, while my paternal grandfather was called that - Grandfather Eldridge.  He had migrated from England as a young bloke and was always quite formal, there was not much warm and fuzzy about him.

Poor Bianca The White Cat hasn't been herself lately, over the weekend she couldn't even keep down water so first thing Monday morning off to the vet she went, where she stayed until late Tuesday afternoon.  They managed to get her hydrated (she had lost a lot of body fluid), and she has eaten some food and keep most of it down.  Blood tests showed no apparent cause, but she is slowly recovering.  She was not a good cat at the vet's, had to be completely sedated to get blood for testing, and managed to pull out her drip.  She is usually not that badly behaved, but I suppose that's what happens when you don't feel well and are a bit scared.  I wouldn't be on my best behaviour in similar circumstances either, let me tell you.

Our winter weather has been very wintry, and Sunday and Monday were extremely cold.  On Monday afternoon I saw what I thought was rain falling in front of some of the distant trees on the hill behind us and a few drops  fell in our back yard, but something about the way they were dancing and swirling in the air made me check......and I'm pretty sure it was snow, or at least sleet.   It certainly wasn't rain.  Yesterday and this morning it was cold and frosty enough that water in the bird baths froze.  One of the yellow-beaked little black bastard birds that continually dig up our garden tried to get a drink this morning and couldn't get its beak through the ice.  Serves it right.

"Home Training.
Our earliest and best recollections are associated with home.  There the first lessons of infancy are learned.  The mother's heart is the child's first school-room.  The parent's examples are first imitated by the child, whose earliest impressions are gained from them.  In no way are evil habits more effectually propagated than by example, and therefore parents should be what they wish their children to be."

Nothing about grandparents setting a good example, you notice.

Enjoy your days!

The brain is back in gear now

Our three weeks away flew by, it only seemed that we were away for half that time!  Although we have been to Canberra many time before we still found new - to us - places to visit.  We spent some time with our son and his wife before and after they headed off on their delayed honeymoon, and they are so happy together.  The folk festival was excellent, catching up with friends we see only once or twice a year was great fun, and there were lots of singing and uke playing to make me happy too.

One day I read online about a local garden which was open for a weekend, so we followed directions (it was 40 minutes or so away) and found "Woowoolahra" in all its autumn glory.

First, some glorious orange dahlias in the 'cafe' area - one could (and we did) buy coffee and/or lunch.

 The owners have border collie dogs, these plants are along one side of their kennel enclosure.

 The owners have built a long trellis along one side of the dam, and the entire length is planted with Nahema roses - pretty to look at, with the most heavenly scent.

 The dam - you can tell by the lack of shadows that it was not a sunny day, in fact it was quite cool, but all the better for taking photos.

 Under some trees was a grove of mushrooms, including some startling orange/red ones.

We have had an early taste of winter here, although it's still only autumn!  The weekend just past was very very cold, in fact snow fell just an hour away, and although today is sunnier it is still quite cool.  Last night was only a few degrees above freezing.

We are slowly getting used to the fact that Binky has gone.  When we first adopted her she had a little kitten mew - she was only eight weeks old, after all - as she grew older the miaow grew louder, and she was a very vocal cat for 17 years, so the silence is quite deafening.  A blood test showed that she had advanced kidney disease, she had been off her food for a while and was losing weight, so we made the sad decision that it was time for her to go.  Bianca has very quickly adjusted to life as The Only Cat In The Household.

"Funerals.
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."   

Thank you to those who wrote when Binky died, your kind words made a very sad occasion a little more bearable.  Losing a loved pet who has been part of the family for a long time is very difficult.

Enjoy your days!

And another week passes.......

........with not much happening here at La Chateau des Wombats.  Binky is not only back to her normal self, she has been behaving like a much younger kitty again.  Bianca, meanwhile, just sits back and watches.

 Her right eye is blue, her left eye is green - the blue eye sometimes shows up as the evil eye, and she is  definitely not human.

This is just to make us feel a little cooler as summer is now well and truly here, it was much cooler in rainy and misty Temiskaming.  There is nothing quite like wearing a black synthetic fabric sling close to one's body on a hot day, you know.

The shoulder has its good days and its not so good days, and occasionally it has a bad day, but no doubt it's progressing.  I don't have a little window in my skin to be able to see what's happening in there.  Tomorrow the shoulder will be taken to see the specialist, so we'll see what he says.  Hopefully the sling can come off in a couple of weeks and that will be a great relief, because it presses on a rib and causes discomfort bordering on pain.

The daily walk has been suspended for the interim on the orders of the specialist, the GP, the physiotherapist and the chiropractor, because it would not be a good idea to trip and fall.  The walk back up the hill had become very slightly easier so some of that progress will be lost when it resumes.  It's never been my favourite part of the day anyway, and it would be so easy to just not start again.......but one mustn't think like that, should one.......one should jump out of bed at the crack of dawn to greet the new day while pulling on one's walking shoes, shouldn't one......even if one has never in one's life been a morning person.

Did you know that there is a Colour Of The Year?  It is announced annually (now there's a surprise), and the colour for 2013 was Emerald, my birthstone and a very nice colour.  (Have I ever mentioned that I am quite fond of green?)  However, you will need your sunnies on for the 2014 colour, Radiant Orchid.  Not being a pink or purple person and definitely not being a fuschia person I will pass on that, thank you very much.  Hopefully the following year will be less in-your-face.

"Harmony of colors in dress.
The various shades of purple and lilac, dark blues and dark greens, lose much of their brilliancy by gaslight, while orange, scarlet, crimson, the light browns and light greens, gain brilliancy by a strong artificial light."

While bright colours were popular in Victorian times, particularly after aniline dyes were discovered, I wonder what our foremothers would have thought of Radiant Orchid?

Enjoy your days!

We are both doing well

That is, Binky and I are both doing well.  Since starting on antibiotics for her infection she has become a new cat:  back to her old self, talking our heads off and bouncing round again like a much younger kitty.  We are quite relieved, as we were starting to imagine a sadder scenario.

Here she is in her younger days, when we lived in the Big Smoke:

This jacaranda tree was in our back yard, and Binky really liked climbing it - probably to keep an eye out for neighbourhood mice, because she was a very good mouser in her youth.

Apparently my shoulder is progressing as it should be, according to the physiotherapist on our weekly visit on Friday.  Thank goodness Anna will be back from her honeymoon and I can see her this Friday instead.  I don't like being patronised by younger blokes, and being called "lass" by someone young enough to be my child sets my teeth on edge.  I don't expect "madam", but Mrs Last Name or Jennifer would be much better.  No doubt he's a good physiotherapist, but he doesn't have a good manner when one is a female Olde Pharte - or perhaps some old dears don't mind.  I do.

One thing he told me was that these operations aren't always successful and the stitched-together tear can come apart fairly soon.  I don't recall the specialist saying this, or perhaps he did and I have forgotten.  It has made me ultra-cautious about doing anything at all with that arm now.  At least the physiotherapist did say that this particular specialist has a very high success rate, something to be thankful for - because I don't think I could do it again.  Yesterday the arm and shoulder were so sore and aching that I don't know how I made it through the day, while today there is almost no pain and I don't know why!  Even the swelling in my upper arm seems to have gone down.  I am hoping that is a good sign and not an indication of something more ominous.  Ah well, it will either get better or fall off, won't it?

I can say, though, that I will pleased when the sling no longer has to worn in bed, because I have never slept well on my back.

On to happier things.

Had a fun time last week at the Thursday night choir Christmas party......held, strangely enough, on Thursday night!  We are looking forward to resuming after our December/January break.  Tomorrow night is the annual meeting of the Monday night choir, I will attend but have pretty much decided that I won't be back next year.  I have realised I don't fit into their mould; I don't attend church, and singing religious songs isn't the be all and end all in my life, as it for the director.  While I don't dislike her I don't think I can cope with her choice of music for much longer, and she seems to have the final say (the only say, from what I have gathered) in the choice of choir material.  I told a couple of members that I may not be back next year and they were quite concerned.  We shall see what tomorrow night brings; I won't burn any bridges, but there's no point in flogging a dead horse, is there?  Nothing like a good cliché!

"Education of girls too superficial.
The school instruction of our girls is too superficial.  There is a smattering of too many branches, where two or three, systematically studied and thoroughly mastered, would accomplish much more for them in the way of a sound mental training, which is the real object of education."

I wish my parents had felt that way.  Perhaps I would have gone on to finish high school, if they had.

Enjoy your days!

Thank you from Binky!

I would like to thank you all for your good wishes, and to let you know that the vet has given me some medication for (ahem) a urinary tract infection, a matter which we won't mention in polite company, which means I will soon be jumping out of my skin and chasing a ball round the house again!  I may be old, but I'm not yet ready for that walk across the Rainbow Bridge.

And from me:  thank you, friends, for your concern about Binky.  Give her a couple of days, and she will be fine again.

Progress

Slowly making progress!  My shoulder is being very good about doing its daily exercises, and although it is a little stiff (as one would expect after not being used for nearly two weeks, and having surgery into the bargain) it's not doing too badly.  The surgical stockings are a thing of the past, the sore throat has healed and proper food is very enjoyable again after a diet of soup and yoghurt.

Here's something much nicer to contemplate, the Clarence River - we stayed here for a couple of nights on our recent holiday.  The wharf would have been a pleasant place to sit and ponder on the state of the world, but while we were staying here a storm blew up with strong wind and heavy rain.....so we stayed in our little van, which you can't see here.

 The Clarence River is very wide towards its mouth - it's known locally as "the big river".

It has been known to flood, and must be an awesome sight when it does.

The one-handed life doesn't have a lot to recommend it, so thank goodness it's only temporary.  Everyday living is slightly more difficult than usual, but the hardest thing is to towel oneself dry after the morning shower; the left arm keeps wanting to join in, even though it shouldn't.  The dressings are off the holes on my shoulder, in fact the hole on my back has already healed.  Not so many years ago, before keyhole surgery became the thing, an operation such as this would have meant an incision in the shoulder as well as the internal work - and that would have meant a longer period of healing.  Now, although some fairly major work was apparently done in there, my shoulder only has four holes and one of them is healed.  Isn't medical science amazing?

We are concerned about our old puss, Binky is going on for 17 and of late has been very quiet, she's been off her food, and isn't her usual bright happy self.  We will take her to the vet this week, but are steeling ourselves for the fact that most of her nine lives may by used up.  She has always been a talkative cat but she is not even talking much now.  We know she won't live forever, but she will be missed.....of all the cats we have had in our lives for the past nearly 40 years, she has been "Miss Personality".

No sewing to report, no knitting, nothing.  Not one note plinked on uke or guitar.  Some books read, none of them memorable but just the same, it's an easy way to pass the time.  A few crossword puzzles have been done.  Christmas parties will soon be starting up (last weekend the quilt group party had to be missed because I felt so blah, and because I couldn't eat anyway) so they will be something to look forward to.  Might start putting up decorations soon, although it will be a two-person job this year.  Isn't is usually the woman who gets to do these things in most households?  Ours is no different, you know.

"Preserving a youthful complexion.
The following rules may be given for the preservation of a youthful complexion.  Rise early and go to bed early.  Take plenty of exercise.  Use plenty of cold water and good soap frequently.  Be moderate in eating and drinking.  Do not lace.  Avoid as much as possible the vitiated atmosphere of crowded assemblies.  Shun cosmetics and washes for the skin.  The latter dry the skin, and only defeat the end they are supposed to have in view."

Probably as good advice now, as when it was given in 1885.....although I do not know any woman these days who wears a tightly laced corset.

Enjoy your days!

K-niddling

When my nieces were little sprogs and saw my mother knitting (their mother didn't knit) they called it "k-niddling".  So here is my current k-niddling project, a cardigan in 'Highlands' woollen yarn from Bendigo.  The colour is a deep peacock/teal called Ness and I fell in love with it when it appeared a couple of years ago.  This is the umpteenth time I have started a project with this yarn, and even this project had its shaky moments when I mucked up the lace pattern at first, but it is coming along beautifully now.  I have been knitting for very very many years and done all manner of patterns in that time, so I don't know why this one gave so much trouble.  Perhaps it's the pattern writing style?  It has changed since I first started knitting.

 It will be a thankful day when the cardy is finally wearable.  Design is"Peasy" by Heidi Kirrmaier and was bought as a download on Ravelry.  Heidi's pattern has 3/4 sleeves but as I have plenty of yarn I am thinking long sleeves might be more practical.

The challenge quilt is finally layered and pinned, and quilting of it will be started this week.

It's been a long time since we had a wombat on the blog, hasn't it?  So here is the latest addition to the collection, a little clay wombat recently bought from a local garden centre.

The little wombat is very useful for holding open the pages of the book I am currently reading, "Bad behaviour" by Liz Byrski.  I have enjoyed other books by her and this one is good too......it says so much about what growing up and coming of age in the late 60s was like and how those events shaped what some people became.  That and "Last chance cafe" were borrowed from the library during the week - I'm looking forward to reading it too.  They are a change from my usual book diet of murder books.  Yes, folks, I am a great fan of murder mystery stories.  And you all thought I was gentle and sweet.

When we watch TV it is with a finger poised on the mute button to block out ads, we don't have one of those fancy-nancy (and hugely expensive) gadgets that let you fast forward through ads or record something to watch later with ads edited out.  Have you ever noticed how humorous some ads are without sound?  Especially the ones with a nicely dressed young woman gazing ecstatically at a basket of clean washing.  My heavens, if that is all it takes to make her happy she has a good life, doesn't she?

So far nothing has been heard from the radio station, the application form was duly filled out and lodged with them, and a small sum of money paid - as it's a community station it runs on subscriptions and volunteers - but no doubt it won't be long.  Perhaps there aren't enough volunteers to write letters of approval.  Never mind, no doubt they will contact me in due course.

The house is smelling good at present, the slow cooker is full of vegetable soup spiced up a bit with chicken and bacon, and some chocolate slice is setting in the fridge.  The nice young couple next door have been very good to us lately so some of the chocolate, and a jar of marmalade from last year's huge batch, is destined to go to them to say 'thank you'.  Their 3YO daughter has been in here a couple of times to visit our cats, they have two dogs but no cats and Emily likes kitties.  I'm not so sure that our kitties like Emily in return, but so far they have been tolerant of her pats.

"An absurd idea is held by some that intelligence and domestic virtues cannot go together; that an intellectual woman will never be content to stay at home to look after the interests of her household and children.  A more unreasonable idea has never been suggested, for as the intellect is strengthened and cultured, it has a greater capacity of affection, of domesticity and of self-sacrifice for others."

The nice young woman in the TV ads is definitely a picture of domestic virtue,......although we know she is only being paid to look adoringly at that basket of washing.

Enjoy your days!

Still being organised....

....as you can see.  Here are the little pinwheel blocks joined into rows, laid out ready for the rows to be joined.  It's more pastel than the colours I usually use, but sometimes a change is good - yes?  After these blocks are joined the first border will be white - this will make the blocks appear to float - then a narrow blue border, with a yellow and blue floral print for the outer border.  Binding will be the same blue as the inner border, and backing is a yellow and white check.

This is the quilt top from which those little pinwheels started life, they are the leftovers from the flying geese units on the star blocks.  All fabrics are yellow and blue with touches of green.

 The pic above has made the colours look slightly faded....they aren't, as you can see below.

 In the stash cupboard there are several metres of a pretty blue, yellow and green floral print for the backing, and when it is eventually quilted it will be bound in deep mossy green.  Even though these two quilts use the same colours and some of the same fabrics, I think  - I hope - they will be very different.  When I get over being The World's Most Unconfident Machine Quilter this will get done.  I'm practising on smaller quilts first.

Bianca thinks she should have equal time with Binky, who was featured in my last blog post.  She decided the black chair was a perfect foil for her white outfit.  Yes, she does have odd eyes, one blue, one green.....but unlike many odd-eyed white cats she is not deaf.  She is a big girl and is now nine years old.  For many years now our cats have all been rescues; Binky came from the RSPCA, while Bianca was a private adoption from a friend.

This week I had Plans to accomplish Great Things and they have flown out the window, because the Dreaded Lurgy has me in its grip (perhaps that should be grippe) so not much has been accomplished at all.  When I can say more than two words without dissolving into a fit of coughing, and when my ribs and back and stomach stop hurting from coughing, and when I get some decent sleep without coughing myself awake, all will be well in the wombat household again.

Fortunately both choirs are in recess until next week, because at present the singing voice sounds like a demented frog.

"Keep an account of calls.
A person should keep a strict account of ceremonial calls, and take note of how soon calls are returned.  By doing so, an opinion can be formed as to how frequently visits are desired.  Instances may occur, when, in consequence of age or ill health, calls should be made without any reference to their being returned.  It must be remembered that nothing must interrupt the discharge of this duty."

Please don't think me impolite, but it might be best if calls at present were kept to a minimum because I don't wish to infect any of you.

Enjoy your days!

How's this for being organised?

It's only the middle of January, and this year's challenge quilt is already being made!  That's pretty good going for me, also known as The Queen of Procrastination.  The quilting on last year's was only started a week or two before it was due to be unveiled.  

Here's the first block completed and another being made - somehow my Singer Featherweight seems the right machine to make these little blocks.

 These nine-patch blocks measure 6-3/4in finished and form a chain of pinwheels across the quilt; the size is because the pinwheel blocks are leftovers from another quilt and are 2-1/4in square.

This is what the pile of blocks looked like yesterday.....but today, they are all done!  Yay for me!

Here is a picture of Binky, just because we haven't had one for a while.  Does that look say "go away and leave me alone", do you reckon?  Binky has several hidey-holes for when she doesn't want to be disturbed, but on this occasion she was checking out our bed while it was being made.  She is a sweet old puss and we reckon that in the middle of next month she will turn 15.

The huge country music festival held each year here in the Small Smoke will be starting soon and some of the thousands of people who attend have already started arriving.  The usual population more than doubles; last year because of interstate flooding numbers were down, so we didn't really see how much it changes the town.  Although I was born here and lived here until the age of 23 when the lure of the Big Smoke proved attractive (that wasn't the only reason I moved, but it's a long story and believe me you don't need to hear it) last year's festival was the first I had attended, and even then we didn't go to many concerts and managed to completely avoid any line dances.  Line dancers never look as though it's an enjoyable activity, do they?  I have seen chooks in a farm yard have more fun.  All together now......hook your thumbs into the belt of your tight black jeans, tuck in your fringed satin shirt which emphasises every teeny bulge and wrinkle, cram a hat - good idea in the middle of summer to have a hot felt hat - on your head, kick out with one leg and repeat after me, "yee har".

"Balls.
The requisites for a successful ball are good music and plenty of people to dance.  An English writer says, "The advantage of the ball is, that it brings young people together for a sensible and innocent recreation, and takes them away from silly, if not from bad ones; that it gives them exercise, and that the general effect of the beauty, elegance and brilliancy of a ball is to elevate rather than to deprave the mind."  It may be that the round dance is monopolizing the ball-room to a too great extent, and it is possible that these may be so frequent as to mar the pleasure of some persons who do not care to participate in them, to the exclusion of other dances.  There should be an equal number of waltzes and quadrilles, with one or two other dances, which would give an opportunity to those who object (or whose parents object) to too many of one sort."

You notice that nothing is said about line dancing?  I enjoy waltzing and like nothing better than a quadrille......yes, I can dance any number of quadrilles......so let's hope my mind is well elevated.  Wouldn't want to have a depraved mind, would we?

Enjoy your days!