Happiness Is.....

1. Finishing the BAS this morning.....because.....

2. I can now start stitching again.

3. Mick got the old BMW bike to start which makes him very happy (but he still has to do a fair bit of work on it before we can take it for a ride).....but.....

4. That means we are one step closer to starting my sewing shed.

Happy dance!!!

Guess what? We stayed at home today!! We haven't had a day at home for weeks and weeks.

It was a good catch up day. My friend Cath always has a go about my overflowing ironing baskets and gave me this plaque for my birthday a few days ago. Well, my ironing will never be up to date, but it is very much under control for a change and the washing was completely up to date until Mick added his dirty work clothes from today.

Did you notice my little quilting sculpture peeking out from behind the plaque. Mick gave it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I love it.

I didn't get any of Mick's bookwork done, so therefore got no stitching done either, but that is OK as I was doing other more pressing things.

Yesterday we went to the Oberon Steam and Vintage Festival which is run in conjunction with the local Show. They had a street parade and then lots to do at the show. We ran into lots of people we knew for a chat which was nice. By adding the Steam Festival to the show it has been invigorated, as like many small shows it has been struggling in recent years.

On Saturday night we attended the welcome dinner for the event which had Pat Drummond as the entertainer. It was a really good night and a couple of our Club members received awards which was great for them.

Bountiful Harvest

We are now starting to get a good crop from our vege garden and orchard. Today we picked our first corn, apples and plums. So, for dinner tonight we had our own corn, beans, spinach and overgrown zuchinni. This was followed by stewed plums and icecream. Everything tastes so much better when it was only picked a few minutes before eating.

Yesterday, I ducked up to Orange and collected my sewing machines. They are all serviced and ready to go.

Now, the only hold up is me! I have decided that I am not to do any more sewing until I get Mick's work paperwork up to date. Since Christmas I have paid the bills but that is about it. I need to get everything entered and the BAS (quarterly taxation reporting) done by the end of next week. The joys of being self employed.

Then I'll be back into the sewing.

I have finally finished the second block of Verandah Views and I'm now looking forward to the next installment.

Our trip with the Historic Car Club to the Gelato factory on Sunday was well worth the drive. They gave us a guided tour of the plant and then we all enjoyed taste testing the product. If anyone is in the Molong area, make sure you make a detour to the Gelato factory. They have a nice little coffee shop with good coffee and a great selection of gelato and sorbet. They also sell macadamia paste (like peanut butter) that they grind on the premises. Delicious.

We were lucky with the weather after all. It was cool but dry, so we all were able to enjoy a picnic lunch. I was slack and forgot to take any photos of the gelato - too busy eating it!!

A Saturday Together

What crazy weather!! Today was 30 degrees C cooler than last Saturday. We went to Orange today and the temperature only reached 12 degrees C and there has been gentle soaking rain all day - bliss.

We delivered my sewing machines to the sewing machine magician and they should be all serviced by mid week, when I'll have to make another quick trip up to collect them.

While we were in Orange, we decided to do a bit of tyre kicking. We have been talking about upgrading our car, as it has done just over 200,000 kms. We were offered double what we expected on the trade-in on our old car, so we think we will be making the change over sooner rather than later. They say it is the buyer's market. It will be exciting getting a new car. I've only ever had 3 cars.

We enjoyed a nice lunch on the way home and then went to the movies to see Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. Well worth seeing.

When we finally got home, we had 22mm of rain in the guage. Perfect.

We are supposed to be going to Molong to the new Gelato factory with the Historic Car Club tomorrow as it is HOT in the middle of February. So much for that. We'll see who turns up to the start in the morning. It may be called off.

A Pleasant Evening

We've just spent a nice quiet evening at home.

We've been sitting in the office with the fan heater on. Yes, that's right, it is cold enough to have a heater on low! They expect it to be very hot again next week, so we are enjoying this.

I have been stitching away at Verandah Views and reading blogs, while Mick has been on Youtube checking out what crazy things blokes get up to with motorcycles and snowmobiles in the snow - he now wants to take the bike to the Snowys next winter!

I'm enjoying doing these stitcheries.

Meet Stella and a USO

Meet Stella. She has been with me since I was 16. She ran out of warranty in 2006 – yes, she had a 25 year warranty!! She is the best little machine, fits nicely in the linen cupboard, sews beautifully. I’ll never part with her.

I have since bought my Janome 6500. I love the way this machine has all the bells and whistles for doing patchwork and appliqué etc. However, she has been giving me some grief. She gets all rattly in the bobbin housing area. It was fixed twelve months ago, but when I was doing the machine appliqué on Red Delicious Block 2 it started again.

Last year, at the Swap Meet, I bought a little Singer Featherweight 222. It goes fine, but I don’t want to use it until I get it properly serviced (I know it is twelve months ago, but you can’t rush into these things).

Anyway, the three machines are going to visit the sewing machine repair man in Orange next Saturday. He does a great job. I will be machineless for about 4 days, so will have to plan around that. It will be good to have them all going well.

On another note, here is a pic from the party on the weekend. Mick is on the right with the birthday girl and Mick’s brother. It was good for them to catch up.

Now for the Once Project a Month Challenge. This has been a USO for some time. “USO” stands for “Un-Started Project”. I have more of these than UFO’s or WIP’s. Most are not listed in my side bar.

Anyway, Mick’s mum gave me the fabric when she downsized to a unit – that was about 13 years ago – I’m not really a satin person, so it sat in a box. (Zoom in on the photo to see the pretty pattern in more detail.) About 3 years ago I bought the pattern to make some pyjama pants from it…….but didn’t get started……so, last night I got in and made a start and finished them today. A very simple pattern, not even a side seam. They wouldn’t have taken long at all if my machine was not playing up. There was just enough fabric- just as well I’m short.

However, when I put them on they are HUGE!! Yes, I made the correct size. Mick assures me they will be comfy, but I think I will run them in an inch and a half on the legs and the crutch and they will be much better. Mick couldn’t believe that I wanted a photo for my blog, but as I told him, I have to have photographic evidence. They’re good for a laugh at the moment, anyway.

Bushfires

So much for my comment on Saturday morning hoping for no bushfires. Victoria has experienced Australia's worst loss of life from bushfires. So far 108 have been confirmed dead and it sounds like that number will increase quite a bit yet as they check burnt out homes. It sounds like nearly 1,000 homes have been lost as well.
Our thoughts and prayers go to all affected.
We have been lucky with no fires in our area. A "cool" change came through last night. It is only expected to get to about 32 degrees C today. It was over 40 degrees C here for the last two days. There is a pleasant cool breeze here at present.
On a personal and lighter note, it was a great party on Saturday night. Where the birthday girl lives they get a sea breeze in the evening, so it was a very pleasant temperature. The party was a very casual affair in their yard on a rural property. There was a band who were family friends playing, so that set a great backdrop.
We got home just after lunch yesterday to enjoy the heat (not!). We stopped at the little antique shot at Taralga again. This time I bought a child's ironing board. It is covered with what appears to be 70's floral sheeting. It is really cute.

Despite the heat, I was determined to actually do some sewing. Firstly, I traced the second block of Verandah Views ready to start stitching. Then I made another bib.

Next I thought, as the Complete a Project a Month is all about WISPs, I'd better do one rather than start something new. I started the project last night, did some more this morning in the cool, and after a visit to Spotlight to buy some elastic, it will be finished tonight. I'll tell all about it then.

All The King's Horses and All the King's Men....

Our little flowerpot and straw lady met with an accident. Her beautiful face is unmarked, but she has broken feet and body. She has sat in the laundry for about the last 15 years and was made by a girl I used to work with. I will try to find replacement pots, and mend her as it would be a pity to not try and save her. She just wouln't have a painted body.

We are in for another scorcher this weekend with the temperature expected to be about 40 degrees C.

We are going to a 50th birthday at Nowra tonight. Nowra is about 4 hours away and is expected to be even hotter than here. The original plan was to take the bike, but Mick has decided it is just too hot. I must say I'm very pleased with that decision. It will be much more pleasant in the air conditioned car.

We are camping overnight and coming home tomorrow. Tomorrow is expected to be really hot again, but windy before a cool change on Monday. Let's hope there are no major bushfires with the wind.

I'm currently roasting pumpkin pieces (before it gets too hot in the kitchen) for the yummy pumpkin and chickpea salad for tonight.

Red In the Morning Shepherds Warning

This is the lovely sunrise we woke to this morning. Some storms were predicted and we hoped we might get some rain to cool things down and give everything a much needed drink. In the late afternoon we received just on an inch of rain in a storm. We were lucky, as the storms are very isolated. The rain was beautiful. It is much cooler tonight. We have to make the most of it however, as it is forecast to be very hot again for the rest of the week.

Also, I have finally finished the first block of Verandah Views. I just varied mine a little, in that I used stem stitch for the main part of the tree. I'm happy with how it has turned out, as I don't generally do much hand embroidery. The silly thing is that once I start I really enjoy it. I'm very bad at finishing things and embroidery takes too long. This year is going to be different!

Now I have to get the second block ready to start. I also have to get going on the third block of Red Delicious. I'm already starting to run behind. Hopefully we'll actually have a day at home in the near future so I can just sit and sew.

Have You Ever Seen One of These?

This was a new one to me. The mystery will be revealed......

I have finally found time to sit down and update my blog.



This weekend our Historic Car Club hosted the Bathurst Swap Meet (similar to an Auto Jumble). It is primarily for car and bike related "stuff", but there is also lots of general bric-a-brac. We always seem to bring home some treasures.
As we are on the organising committee, Mick and I have been doing lots of running around in the last week and were down there all weekend. There would have been about 3,000 people come through the gates. This keeps the Club going through the year and we make a substantial donation to local charities. It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.
We had a little stall and sold a bit of excess "stuff". Funny though, there doesn't seem to be much more space in the shed. Our best seller was doilies at 20c each. I had a big tub full of them. I bought a bag full at a garage sale a while ago and had selected the ones I wanted to keep and these were what was left. I also sold some fabric I'll never use. (Now I can fit some more in.)



We didn't bring home too many treasures. I found a needle book with racing cars on it, a few old quilting magazine and a quilting book.

And the mystery object..... It is an "Evans Rapid Tru-Line Hemliner". I've never seen one before, so it had to come home with me. Who knows where I'll put it.

As promised, here are our treasures from our trip to Kiama. The local church had a book and garage sale. Mick found the Birthday Candle Train. Each carriage has a different circus animal in it. The little boat is a nice reminder of our visit to the coast and I found a Margaret Rolfe patchwork book. We also found a few other old books.

In Robertson I found this tea strainer. (I don't collect tea strainers either - I just have quite a few.) I had to bring this one home as it has the old insignia of "Municipality of Bathurst". I know, I'm hopeless!!

The most interesting shop we visited was in tiny Taralga, between Goulburn and Oberon. We could have brought many things home from there. We treated ourselves to this 50's toy typewriter. The keys are just printed on it. You turn the daisy wheel to the letter you want, press the big button and it types that letter. Very labourious. It is in wonderful condition and even comes with its box.

They also had this very kitch table cloth that has never been used. I think it will be ideal for our picnic table on Historic Car Club outings.

On the home front, I have been doing a few stitches of the first block of Verandah Views. I hope to finish it tomorrow night so that I can start the second block with the bird bath.

Australia Day Weekend at Kiama

We had a great weekend away. We travelled to Kiama on Friday evening via Wombeyan Caves. We knew this had some narrow, twisty, dirt road, but didn't expect it to last for 40kms!! Therefore, we didn't get to Kiama until nearly 10 o'clock! The bonus was encountering this tunnel on the way.

On Saturday morning we visited the monthly produce markets which had some lovely stuff.

We then went for a stroll along the sea front.



We had a look at the rockpool on our way to the famous blow hole, which wasn't blowing all that much.



We had a scrummy morning tea and then went for a swim in the surf beach. We worked out that it is 7 years since we swam at the beach. It was lovely. The water was so clear...........I got sunburnt.............oops!!


In the afternoon we visited the local show. It was terrific. There was such a big craft section. It put our local show to shame.


There was also a big spinning, weaving and felting section. There are some very creative people down the south coast. Don't you just love this hat with frogs.

And of course, there is the colour and excitement of side show alley.

It had been a stinking hot day, but in the afternoon a strong southerly blew up, so we went back up to the blow hole and it was blowing a bit more.

The lighthouse looked stunning with the clouds behind it.

Yesterday we started out by having a delicious breakfast of bircher muslei (me) and eggs benedict with smoked salmon (Mick). I wanted to take a photo, but thought I'd better not.

We then went for a drive into the hinterland visiting the Jambaroo Markets and the the new Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk. There is 500m of tree top walkways. The weather was a bit hazy, but it was still a great experience.

I'm not the greatest on heights, but I actually climbed to the top of the tower. The views were fantastic.

We had a "famous Robertson Pie" for lunch (all the pie shops we saw down that way seemed to be "famous") before visiting a mate with a sidecar on a bike like ours.

Then it was back to Kiama visiting a couple of more beaches along the way.

We treated ourselves to a "cold seafood platter for two" at the local seafood restaurant last night to cap off a great couple of days.

Today we came home through Berry, Goulburn and Taralga (where we visited a beaut little Old Wares Shop).

We didn't get to participate in any Australia Day events but were amazed at how many cars, businesses and houses were decorated with the Aussie flag. It was great to see.

We did make a couple of interesting purchases while away. I'll show them later.

I Have a Dream

Despite there just being the two of us rattling around in our house, I don't have a designated sewing area. The "Orifice" is set up as the office & has a big bank of cupboards full of my stuff. The spare bedroom is set up to be just that. I have always just sewn in the lounge room or dining room and tend to have power cords all over the place and a general mess.

In the back yard we have a series of sheds Mick built about 10 years ago.

From the left there is the blacksmith's shop, the wood yard, the garden shed and behind the tank at the end is the chook shed opening into the orchard.

Mick had good intentions of doing some blacksmithing after attending a course some years ago. The blacksmith's shop has the forge and anvil, charcoal and tools (and other stuff), but no blacksmithing has taken place.

The sheds are built out of recycled materials, have sloping dirt floors and are very rustic. The blacksmith's shop is intentionally dark so that you can see the glow of the hot iron. (The flash makes it look much lighter than it is.)

My Dream?

Mick is going to turn the blacksmith's shop into a SEWING SHED!!!

It will be left just the same out the front, except the verandah will be paved and there will be a paved path from the house.

Inside will be fully timber lined. We have enough floorboards left over from building the house to do a lovely timber floor. There will be a skylight and all will be painted nice and light. It will be fully insulated.

The best bit is that it is the next project after the old BMW outfit is finished. Hopefully that will be done in a bit over a month.

I'm excited!

View from my Verandah

We had some storms in our area this evening (we were on the very edge and only got a spit) and then the sun came out. The colours were spectacular. This is the view looking east from our verandah. The photo doesn't do it justice.

The sun was streaming into our lounge room and the glass in my "grown up cabinet" (no toys, cars, sewing bits and pieces in here - only grown up collectables like glassware and china) was just sparkling.

By the way, I don't collect amber glass!


A little bit later the sun wasn't as bright, but a double rainbow appeared. Beautiful.

On another note, tonight I made a call to the Isle of Man and confirmed our accommodation in Castletown. All is finalised now except the hire car. I'll look into that fairly soon. It's only 4 months till we go. I can't wait.

A January Finish and a Sad Machine

I finally have something finished! This was May Britt's Christmas pattern.

I did the stitching on a white background, but in the end thought it was too stark, so tea dyed it. I just made a little hanging, now I have to find a nice hanger for it. As I really wanted to finish the project last night I cheated and didn't bind it but just turned it through and then top stitched around the edge. Naughty me, but I felt I could get away with it on this one. The fabrics are scraps from a table runner I made a couple of years ago and were also used in a Christmas cushion.

My machine started getting rattly in the bobbin housing last night (it had done it a little while I was doing the Red Delicious Blocks as well). I gave it good clean and checked what I could, but it is not better. It got very rattly just over a year ago and I had to have it repaired. There is a great repair man in Orange, so it looks like I might have to make the time to go up there and have it looked at again. Unfortunately, that won't be possible for a about a month.

I got the Verandah View block traced last night, so I should be able to start that in my lunch break today.

Fun Weekend - But no Stitching

Another busy but lovely weekend. Yesterday after doing the domestics I headed to town to collect my niece who starts school in two weeks and we went shopping for her first school shoes. She was all dressed up and carrying the cute little handbag I made her for her 3rd birthday (a great way to make aunty feel good). After we bought her shoes we went to Annie's Ice Cream Parlour and had icecream (bright blue bubblegum flavour for niece....uggg... and boring vanilla for aunty) followed by time at the great playground in the riverside park. I don't normally have an excuse to play in a playground and climb on things. We had a ball.

Last night some friends from Sydney came for dinner and to stay over. It was great to catch up as we didn't see them over Christmas and New Year. Some friends from in town came out as well. So, it was a late night, followed by a very leisurely breakfast this morning.

Then, this afternoon we attended our first run of the year with the Historic Car Club. We took the sidecar. We just went for a 100km drive, stopping half way at a country pub for a cool drink, and then back to town for a picnic tea in the park by the river. This run is always really popular - there were fifty seven people there for the picnic. Everyone was just happy to sit in the cool of the evening and chat.

I had plans of doing a bit of stitching after our guests left and before the afternoon's run, but by the time everyone left there was no time. Oh, well, through the week I'll do some.

It's Been Hot!

I have been reading blogs - Canada -50 degrees C, Minnesota -20 degrees C.

Here, today it was +40 degrees C!! For this part of Australia that is HOT. Mind you, we do get a few days like this every year.

A change with some storms came through late this afternoon and it has now cooled down to the mid 20's. Much better. This is what the sky was like when I was driving home this evening.

The only plus is that being so hot I took my lunch to work and also my Christmas Heart stitchery from May Britt's blog (no photo yet). I have completed the stitching but am still undecided whether to do an applique heart in the middle or just stitch it. Also, I've no idea what I am going to do with it as yet. I'm sure I'll finally make a decision. Anyway, I'm happy with how it is turning out.

Thrifiting Again

I called in at an op shop yesterday (as you do) and came out with this little haul. I was most excited when I found the little house Christmas decoration. It matches another one I found at a church white elephant stall a couple of years ago.... and it was for the right price too..... "Oh, you can have that one, it's not worth anything".

The sweet little stoneware bowl will only hold about a cup - I've never come across one so small. It was a whole 50c.

The books are fascinating. "Standard Craft Ideas for Girls" was published in 1959 and has lots of sock toys and "kitch" is the only way to describe lots of the other projects. The children's sewing book is just giving tips and techniques, there are no patterns, but will be handy to have on the book shelf. The bottom three are just for fun. The centre book "Ribbon Straw" was published in 1967. I wonder how many things made in that style still remain. The other 2 are Japanese (but in English) and are for the plastic canvas that was so popular in the early 70's. If I went looking, I would be able to find the tissue box cover I made when I was about 8 using this technique.

Then, when we went to the Car Club meeting last night, one of the fellows gave me this. It was lovely of him to think of me. Now this is a UFO that has been around for a while. It was in a deceased estate he has been going through. There is a "Woman's Day" magazine from 1980 with a crocheted bedspread pattern, four completed blocks and 33 balls of Patons Gem 4-ply cotton to complete it. It is a lovely sage green. I don't know if I would want that colour for a bedspread, but it would be nice as a throw rug. I'll have a look at how involved the pattern is....one day..... I don't think it will get finished for the challenge this year. There was also another vintage crochet pattern book to add to the collection.

A Busy Weekend

We've had a great weekend. Mick has been wanting to go for a ride on the bike as we haven't been on it since the beginning of November. We decided to go to the "Bronze Thong" bush races at Wattle Flat. We've heard they are good, but have never been before. There were some stalls, but nothing grabbed my attention (or money). There was the good old wood chop, and what better setting than in the bush.

This was then followed by the foot races - very comical. There were sprints (if you could call it that), piggy back races, wheelbarrow races, backwards races. All very good for a laugh. No, I did not have a go!

Then there were the horse races. As you can see, it is a really rough bush racetrack, but they gave it their all.

It was a nice day, not too hot, pleasant breeze, not too dusty. We had a nice picnic salad (we picked at it with our fingers as yours truly forgot the cutlery - but not the hand wipes) and then it was just nice to sit in the dappled shade (with the eyes shut).

We didn't stay for the end of the races, but went up some very narrow, rough, stoney, corrugated roads/tracks and ended up in Sofala for a milkshake. Then we high tailed it home as we could see storms brewing. We got home and the washing in just before a downpour with a bit of small hail. Good timing.

Also, I tried out my new summer bike jacket and it is perfect.

Yesterday our patchwork group started back after Christmas. It was nice to catch up with the girls after the break. While I was there I did the hand sewing on Red Delicious, so now Blocks 1 and 2 are completely finished. Bring on the 15th.

I then started the embroidery on May Britt's Christmas Heart. I don't know what I'll do with it, but at least it is started.

When I was finishing off all the ends on Red Delicious I was quite taken with the back of the blocks, with the outline in blanket stitch. It would look lovely in redwork.

The finished blocks don't look much different to my previous post, but here they are anyway.





Yesterday afternoon I finally treated myself to a friand baking tin and had my first go at making raspberry friands. I was very happy with the result. Now I have a good use of the eggwhites when I make lemon butter.