"an elegant tapestry of quotations, musings, aphorisms, and autobiographical reflections" (James Atlas)



Sunday, February 26, 2017

More February fun

 Last week was relatively busy. On Saturday, I headed down to Geelong to the Quilters' Guild, for sit n sew with the Gisborne (and St. Leonards) girls. That was enjoyable as always, with lots of interesting show and tell quilts, and an interesting speaker, who demonstrated her 'pixel' quilts, which were quite impressive. My friend Sue gave me a bag full of her lovely plums, which I cut up and pitted, to be frozen. I want to see if I can find an (easy) recipe for a yeast dough, to make a German-style plum cake. Yum!
On Tuesday we dropped Sherman off at Kepala, which was a new experience for him. He had a nice garden access suite (!) to lounge around in, and a couple of feline neighbours to talk to. We were certain he was in good hands.
 The photos are a bit out of order, but the next one is the Wildlife Photography of the Year Winner. We saw the exhibition in Geelong on the way home from our little excursion to the Mornington Peninsula. It's a great shot, but there were so many good ones to  choose from, the judges would have had a hard time making that decision. Well worth a visit.
We stayed in Rye for a few days, potterning around at the Tyabb Packing Shed one morning. Love that place, it has excellent antiques and other interesting bits and bobs. I even managed to find a new lens for my camera, a17-86mm one for my Canon. Very happy camper I was!
We took a few shots of the ubiquitous bathing boxes along Mornington's beaches. Always good fun. I had hoped for a reasonable sunset at the Rye back beach, but unfortunately the cloud cover was too thick. So the seagull was the most interesting thing we saw there.
Found some good eateries along the way. A fabulous Greek place in McCrae, Alatonero. Had some mezze dishes, and felt myself transported to Mykonos. And in Sorrento, we had dinner at Acquolina, a very authentic Italian restaurant, with excellent food and wine, and very welcoming staff. In Rye, we met with some friends at a Thai place (Ruby Modern Thai), where the food was scrumptious. In addition to that, we were located just across from the Gelateria in Rye, so I think it'll be Lite n Easy again next week!  



Sunday, February 12, 2017

Sunday morning happenings

Felt unaccountably energetic this morning - and no, it didn't last. But I got a few things done.
First, I checked out a few goodies I got from Lincraft yesterday. Must have been in the mood for Valentine's Day, since I treated myself to some hearts, a die and some brads. Rather liked the little cat and the stamps with sewing-related bits.
Then I got stuck into the Kitkat-Quilt, and started to sew the rows together. I try my best to get the points to match, but best not look too closely! Still, so far, so good.
And then I made a Valentine's card for my better half. Inside it says -
"...means All my Love! in Cat". Seeing that he likes his kitties.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Assorted

 A bit of a mixed bag today. Have been busy in the Owlery, mainly putting the kitty quilt together, but a lot of unsewing happening! It's those dratted angles that are hard to figure out. But I will battle on.
On Tuesday I'll be off to the Macedon Photographic Society again, they're having a little com around a "Wildlife" theme. So I got three of my photographs matted and wrapped, to show. Funnily, I think all of these were taken before I had my fancy DSLR. Goes to show, you can get a decent shot with any camera.
 Next is the stamp set I was hankering for - it's a beauty! Can't wait to use it. The tree comes up beautifully on cards, especially when it's embossed. Very excited!
Then a friend told me about her father, who will be celebrating his 94th birthday soon. I thought he might like a card all the way from Australia (to Nova Scotia), so I made him one featuring my photo of an old truck, plus some gears etc. on a background of rust. He's into trucks and cars, having been a car parts salesman for many years. I hope he enjoys it.
 The Friday ladies visited again, and one of them, Ann, makes these wonderful hardanger stitcheries. How beautiful, it looks almost like lace. A very talented lady. I shall be missing the Fridays in the Owlery, but next week it's back at Mary's for sit 'n sew.

Finally, a little more wildlife - a spider made its web on on our front porch. Very pretty, and I hope he stays outside!



Wednesday, February 1, 2017

February fun

 February arrived faster than usual, I feel. No idea where January got to! It started like proper summer, too, with temperatures in the mid 30s. Not my cup of tea, but hopefully not too many of those days ahead. Mind you, I like the garden at the moment, with beautiful aggies flowering, and my climbing Blue Moon rose smelling and looking divine. I love roses when they're just about to wilt. Lots of ducks in the yard, too, keeping our little lame duck company. And several young roos have been exercising their muscles, running around like mad things before heading back to the safety of mum's pouch.

I got a new die, a rather gorgeous peacock, and thought I'd try it out today. Used the alcohol ink & yupo paper Chris and I made when she was here. Not sure yet how I'll finish the card, will get some more inspiration on Pinterest, I'm sure.
One of our shops here in Gisborne has some Kaisercraft stuff, and I found a very nice pack of BoBunny papers (French Provincial). Will have to have a brainstorm and make something with these pretty papers.
I'm waiting for another stamp set, which I got at a spectacular price online. Been hanging out for this one for quite some time, so I'm quite excited. For those who like stamping etc., there is a Facebook group about retired Stampin' Up stamps and sets for Australian residents, which is where I found the set. You need to be quick though, the good ones go quickly. I'll post the set as soon as it arrives.