6 June - Ella's Pink Lady

Early Morning at Mooloolaba

It was a picture perfect weekend when we headed down to the Spit for our early morning walk on the first weekend of June. Although it was now officially winter, the sea was calm and the sky a deep blue.
We walked a few kilometers along the foreshore, sidestepping quite a few bush turkeys that were strutting out and about. Deciding not to return home for breakfast, we stopped off at the Surf Club for a hearty breakfast - not originally on our agenda but the tempting smell of bacon and sausages as we walked past proved too difficult to resist!

Realising that today was the homecoming of Ella's Pink Lady and her young Skipper, Jessica Watson, we decided to head up the coast a little towards Caloundra and find a shady spot and wait for the little flotilla to sail past. There were quite a few spectators and well wishes all along the beach as far as the eye could see, and even more closer to Mooloolaba.


The closer she sailed to Mooloolaba the larger the flotilla surrounding the little yacht. It must have been a thrill for Jessica to see the well wishers and I'm sure she would have heard to beach goers cheering her on as she sailed past!


Standing at the end of the Spit we were able to join the throngs of people, many dressed in pink and waving pink streamers, as they cheered and waved to Jessica and her little pink boat as she motored past us into the marina



The apartments at the rear of the photo seem to have an abundance of pink bed sheets draped over the veranda rails!!!

The weather has become a bit unpredictable and on this day in early June we had plenty of rain during the night. I just the love these early morning vistas and the variety of effects the weather has on the views from our balcony

It was a coolish day and what better way to spend it than at home with a good book - NOT!!!
After procrastinating about the state of the cupboards I had no choice but to get stuck into the kitchen pantry after that dear man that lives here too decided that he would help!!!

I must admit that it is a thing of great beauty and worthy of inclusion in this weeks blog! Probable by next week the doors will be nailed shut because even a thing of beauty takes a bit of wear and tear!!

The fifth Wednesday of the month has rolled around again, and the girls decided that we were overdue for some retail therapy. Once again we piled into four cars and headed off for a delightful hour or so with Sandy at the 'Crafty Lady'!

Get into it, Girls!

Sandy was happy to be included in the photo, as she measured and cut and chatted away with us. We all enjoyed a delicious morning tea in the sewing room and then cleared out and off to Everton Park and then lunch at the tea rooms next door. On the way home we managed to squeeze in one more shop, before then arriving home a little the worse for wear and more than ready for that welcome cup of tea

The following weekend found me wandering around the Quilt and Craft Fair at Gympie. This time Norm had a newspaper to read in the car, so I didn't feel so guilty about leaving him out there! Saw a few familiar faces - Ann Ferguson from Quiltopia buried amongst a throng of eager ladies, Margaret from the Gympie Patchwork Factory, working away at a huge pin cushion, and Edna & Julie from Nimble Stitches here on Buderim.

MAHJONG LADIES DAY OUT AT FLAXTON GARDENS

Twice a year the Mahjong Ladies head out to lunch. This time we went up
the range and had a lovely meal at the Flaxton Gardens Restuarant

Come on girls! Looks like quite a lean on there. Are you sure it was water in that there bottle!!!!

The food was delicious -
I think that this was Barbara's dessert -
looks good enough to eat!!

On our return from a day trip to Noosa and surrounds, we captured this view of the magnificent beaches that we are so fortunate to enjoy on any day that we choose. This view is from around Peregian Springs and not too far away from home!

More of the same beach - looking down from the cliffs!

Another Skinnicinno production!

The month of May has been and gone, but that doesn't mean that we haven't been busy little bees! Here we can see Sandy giving Lyn a helping hand to show the beautifully embroidered 'Girl on a Swing' quilt that has kept Lyn off the streets for the past few months. It will be a gift for her gorgeous granddaughter, Skye, who has recently relocated with her family from Canada to Paris.

A close up of one of the blocks - Skye will just love it!

We never quite know how we manage to fit everything into the day, but rest assured we are not just sitting around looking busy! Whilst our fingers might be busily stitching away as we work on our Phd's, our conversations are quite interesting and soooooooooo informative too (bet some of our husbands would just love to be a fly on the wall)!!

Generally referred to as 'the committee' if an issue arises, a discussion usually ensues and someone from within will provide some words of wisdom and may be a solution as well! We consider ourselves to be rather remarkable and just love to have an opinion on everything!!

This cheeky threesome are planning a kaleidoscope quilt.
Even moving them away from the main table didn't seem to slow the chatter

ANOTHER HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This month we celebrated another birthday - Well, it was the month of May so who better than to party! Our May of course! She was tickled pink when Jayne presented her with the presents from her secret friend!

Sadly, the excitement was too much for the camera, which went flat at the sight of the cake! Rest assured, the cake did not suffer the same fate, although there was a minimal amount left over at the end of the day!

The camera made a full recovery following a re-charge that evening

Mothers Day Magic

How quickly the week has gone and now the cooler weather is beginning to make itself felt. Noticeably, the afternoons are getting shorter whilst the beautiful mornings have a touch of chill in the air. We just love this time of the year and we set off for walks in jeans and t shirt and a jacket, just in case.... Thunderstorms were about today, but oddly they bypassed us whilst the rain hammered down only a few kilometers away!

Kite surfers enjoying water and waves at Caloundra

Mothers Day was glorious - definitely a day to be out and about, as we were! Firstly down to the Caloundra Markets where I sampled a long spirally deep fried potato - not too good. Then down to the beach to watch the kite surfers, waves and families enjoying good food and sunshine

It was our turn for food a little later when we wandered down to Mooloolaba for coffee and cake!

Truly, this was the largest bread and butter pudding/cake that I have ever, ever tried to consume!!!! I manfully did my duty as best as possible but I have to confess that it was next to impossible to eat it all! It was most delicious!!!!

Once again the beaches were packed and the BBQ's were operating in full swing. The yachties were flying along as I snapped away on a picture perfect day. The building on the foreshore is commonly known as 'The Loo With A View! Decking on top allows for visitors and party goers alike to sit on the benches to enjoy the view. The you know whats are located underneath and presumably don't have such a wonderful vista! When it was first built the Council came in for much disapproval for it cost a packet, but actually at the time it helped to put Mooloolaba on the map!

Another photo of the ocean at Mooloolaba.
In the background is the Spit, one of our
favourite destinations for walking. This
day was an exception as the bread and
butter pudding cake was sitting somewhat heavily within my interior! We sat and watched and enjoyed the view and eventually headed home

Very little sewing achieved this week but did manage an afternoon working on the next few inklingo blocks - am getting used to the method now that I have worked out the order of preparation. Tilly was on hand to ensure that I didn't get any fabric jams in the printer although a little confused as to where it was going!

Tilly on duty

On Wednesday, Margret arrived at patchwork with her newly quilted french braid quilt - she had chosen really bright bali fabrics and the results were stunning. We all gathered around and ooohed and ahhhed and admired the quilting also, which looked as great on the back as the front!
I should think that by now she will have the binding compelted and it will be hanging near the front door of her new home!

It's beautiful, Margret!

Maleny Craft and Quilt Fair

From our deck on the weekend

Spent a pleasant Sunday out and about in the hinterland. We had lunch at a little bakery in Maleny and then wandered down to the Quilt and Craft Fair. Husband declined invitation to come in - said he would wait and read his book! When I emerged I found him fast asleep as he had left his book at home!!

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Caught up with Ann Fergusion of Quiltopia Designs and met her mum, Joyce. Couldn't avoid her really - she snagged the best spot in the hall - right at the entrance! I enjoyed getting my hands on some of her 'stuff' as she kept busy with other customers


Just loved this quilt - obligingly Joyce got roped in to take the photo as Ann and Annie enjoyed showing it off! I'm seriously contemplating making this one with Ann possibly later in the year. It's hexagon circles and I can just see it in some Kaffe Fassett fabrics!





So - with hubby napping in the car I made the most of my free time. It was nice to wander around without huge crowds and I spent some time admiring the quilts. Spent a few moments chatting with Margaret from Gympie Patchwork and then after one last wander and a cheerio to Ann & Joyce, headed back out to the car and home for a nice cuppa!

View from our verandah at sun up

I'm always surprised at the changing view from the deck overlooking the valley! On this particular day there had been a marked change in the weather, with cooler nights and beautiful crispy early mornings. The low cloud gives an impression of a lake but underneath are the old canefields, unplanted now with the demise of the Nambour Cane Mill.


It has been a quiet week for me with very little sewing done! Did get to the Wednesday patchwork group and was able to offload a tub of 1" hexagons that were surplus to my requirements! Part of my downsizing. Some of the girls have caught the hexagon bug with about four or five quilts in the pipeline! I must confess I was very happy to visualise their quilts with a little bit of me included and it gives me an opportunity to move along with my many other bits and pieces! My diamond hexagon quilt is patiently awaiting another burst of activity, and when the cream muslin arrives it will be full speed ahead to prepare and add the surrounding pieces. Well, perhaps not to much of the full speed ..........

Some of the hexagon diamonds ready to be joined. The table is not big enough to lay all of them out - in the process of negotiating with MDH for a design wall but it's a bit tricky with our downsizing plans!

Thursday was Mahjong Day! Held weekly at the groups' homes it is obvious that socialising is as important as the game itself! This week we were at Barbara's place on the river and I must confess it was difficult to pull up from the afternoon tea table and get back to the game. Food, company and view made for a relaxing interlude and the half hour break whizzed by!

It's always difficult to tear ourselves away from the game when afternoon tea time rolls around. Thank you Joan, I'll have just a small piece .....

Would you ever get tired of sitting on the deck with the river about two meters away?

19 April - We're another year older!

GUESS WHO'S HAVING A BIRTHDAY!

There are not many of us that have a photo taken and we can take our pick on which twin is which! I've never been able to decide whether Catherine is on the left and Annie on the right, or is it the other way round? Regardless, we've had another birthday, although technically Catherine's fell 10 minutes before mine! I remember our mother sewing these dresses - blue with white stripes and little red dogs - I just loved mine with the thin red belt! The photo's were taken when we were about 10 or 11 and still living in Southwold, a little English village on the sea-side and prior to our immigration to Oz

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Our patchwork group always celebrate birthdays and Christmas. We have a secret friend, picked in a draw at our Christmas party, and we usually manage to surprise them every Christmas with a handmade gift. Birthdays are ALWAYS celebrated with a cake and a surprise of one kind or
another

The girls in the group have become close friends and
we know and understand each other so well! My
Secret Friend found these beautiful gifts for me

We did find time for some of the serious business of the day! Judy D from Furball Farm Quilting popped in and delighted Lyn with her Star Quilt. It looks just gorgeous and of course, Lyn was delighted with it! Lyn used mostly reproduction fabrics and the dark chocolate border set it off magnificently!

Margret's Japanese print quilt was returned also. The photo here does not do it justice! It is very beautiful in olive greens/gold/brown The quilting design reflects the designs in the Japanese fabrics! Another very happy quilter!

My birthday concluded with dinner at the local Tavern with husband and son, who made a surprise visit down to the coast to help me celebrate! All in all, it was a lovely day!

My Candied Hexagons

Guess how I spend my evenings? Have been doing a couple a night and all of a sudden there were too many to keep under the rug! The fabrics are reproduction and randomly selected from my stash. I made a conscious decision to try and make a quilt without the need to go near a patchwork shop! That was difficult! A couple of the hexagons are not pieced - the fabric was too beautiful to ruin with scissors!

Am making progress with Inklingo as I get more organised with my choice of fabrics and design. Am enjoying the process and am amazed that I have had absolutely NO fabric jams in the printer - probably because I pop the piece into the printer the second after I lift the iron off. I am finding that this way there is no time for the paper to curl and the roller doesn't seem to mind having that warm feeling and probably will enjoy it even more as the weather cools!!

7 April 2010

It has been a quiet week with the weather showing signs of cooler days ahead! Thank goodness! This morning I wandered out onto the verandah as daylight was beginning to show and caught this rainbow on my new Sony camera.

The camera is an early birthday present from MDH with a HUGE LSD screen and all sorts of nick nacks that I'll probably never use. Best of all, it is small and narrow and weighs next to nothing - and it comes in a bright pink zip bag that even I should find difficult to lose!




I've spent a few days mastering the Inklingo technique of printing onto fabric. Beginning to get the hang of it now but find that it still taking me quite a long time and much messing around. It's obvious that organisation is the key and I need to plan a bit before I just jump in ....



Another day spent with the girls! It was Dimitri's day to bring morning tea and as usual it was treat and a half! Although our patchwork is top of the agenda, I have suggested that we are becoming somewhat fixated on food and all agreed that we are becoming spoilt baggages!!!

Jayne taste checking morning tea! Go to it girls!