Sunday, 8 July 2018

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

First of all, I'd like to send a big "THANK YOU" to all, for the  lovely comments on my last post of the Photo Scavenger Hunt.  I had no internet connection at the caravan park on our weekend away in Bordertown and have been ever so busy catching up with washing & mundane stuff.  It's also been Car Club committee meeting week, with the newsletter to be distributed too and the weather has been atrocious as well.  Next week we are off to DD's for a spot of child minding 😏, as in DD herself, who has had an operation on her foot and can't drive for six weeks.  OK, her hubby is going back to work & what with school holidays at the moment, it should be a lovely catch up time with her & our grandies, who are growing up way to fast.

Now to the other 'thank you' to Judy from News from Jude blog, who hosted a Mystery Case Weekend Retreat.   I attended at the last moment to catch up with my friend Joy who lives between Dubai & Ballarat, due to her hubby's work.  I did take a few photos, but they were few and far between.  The ladies all pick a case after a bit of lottery-type fun, sometimes loving what they pick & sometimes doing a quick swap.  After all that they started madly sewing on the Friday night.  As I was trying to get to grips with something I was doing, I took it along instead of starting something that may end up as a UFO.  Last time I went, I'll admit to finishing the quilt & giving it as a gift.😌
The following photos are some of what were finished as tops or in progress by the ladies.





And the last photo of the lovely group of ladies showing off their quilts together, along with Judy, our hostess & her trusty offisder Pat.
I was plodding away on this, just to show I wasn't idle.
Playing with my blocks on Judy's floor.
On our way to and from Bordertown, we did have a "few" photo stops.
Pink Lake.
Green Lake with the Grampians in the background.

Similar to above, 

There were a few pelicans on the water.
This beautiful old building has intrigued us each time we pass & Pat informed me that it was the old Post Office in the little hamlet of Lillimur.  Another one of my strange foibles, is photographing abandoned buildings.
After having a lovely time with the wonderful ladies, I felt quite flat when we got back, thinking about the talented lot I'd spent time with.  There was our hostess, who is an extraordinary long-arm quilter as well as a pattern designer & retreat organiser, Pat who helps with the nuts & bolts parts of the pattern process too.  Then there are the retreaters who again, consisted of another talented long-arm quilter & many other quilt designers, along with chatter about uni days, careers, living in foreign countries, entering State Quilt shows, winning ribbons, promoting their blogs and all manner of other titbits that I can't even join in with.  I left school at 15 & although I worked, I definitely didn't have a career, but I am who I am, & enjoy finding out about how & what makes other people who they are.  Talk about a fish out of water, but I enjoy the company & puttering away like the slow tortoise I am, with my hands & mind busy.

AFTER THE HOLIDAY.
This weekend the weather has been very, very miserable, but I've made  the most of it by staying indoors doing this.................
Making a mess in the kitchen.  Notice the rainspots on the window.
Which finished up as some choc/mint pinwheels, though they aren't very round, and a slice, to take over to DDs.
And this.......................
A little sewing on those blocks from last weekend.  My design wall isn't big enough and there is one block hanging off each side, so once it's put together, I'll show a better photo.

Not been the best week for photography, but I did snap this one below, after I'd heard the Corellas milling overhead and captured them on these roofs across the way.  They do "fly overs" nearly everyday & it is noisy & quite spectacular.
Click to view larger.
That's about my lot for now and again I may be absent till next weekend, due to our commitments, but I'll try and catch up over the next month with some of our lovely outings before the weather turned into winter.
OOOH!!!  I do have something else to share...........................................................................................
I don't want anyone to think I'm, uh...................................boasting, especially after feeling so flat (above), but I've a quilt in this magazine......
Yes, me!!!!!!!!!  This is a digital magazine run by three lovely Australian ladies, and although nobody knows, I actually have a few goals to hit before I reach 70, and one was to have a pattern published in a magazine.  I finally took the plunge late last year and  it happened.  I'm still pinching myself. 
OK, that is my lot this time and once I get myself organised, I will do some posts of our out and abouts.  Take care all and lots of huggles from down under.
Susan.


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16 comments:

  1. Bag End Gardener8 July 2018 at 18:21

    You mustn't "do yourself down", dear friend. You say all the other ladies at the retreat are so clever, but look at you - fabulous piecing, a published quilt, great photographs - and you are a wonderful friend as well. So there :-)

    I know what you mean about feeling very flat when you got back from your quilting weekend. How about you carry on planning next year's "big trip" in your head - would that cheer you up?

    Make the most of your 'miserable weather'. We are now into the third month without rain - nothing forecast except a small shower overnight on the 20th July (which probably won't happen). There has been rain in other parts of the country, and even in some parts of Cumbria but Bag End is parched. "Be careful what you wish for" - I wanted good weather but I have had quite enough for now, thank you!

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    1. Susan Smith8 July 2018 at 18:42

      Thanks Jayne, if anyone was going to understand, I knew it would be you, though I often wonder how other people cope with anxiety. Next years trip is in my thoughts a lot. Hope you get some rain soon, as we know all too well what drought is like. I'll do a rain dance for you (lol). Take care & huggles.

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    2. Susan Smith8 July 2018 at 18:47

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  2. Fil8 July 2018 at 19:35

    Many congratulations on getting your pattern published - that is wonderful:) It's great to have goals accomplished - it's something I'm trying to do more of.
    I always love your photos Susan and seeing another part of the world - the birds are great.
    There is always an anticlimax after doing a group thing - no matter what the discipline but one thing I've learned, although I'm not always good at paying attention to it, is that comparison is the killer of joy and of creativity ... everyone has their own path and it's the right one for them.
    By the way, I also love photographing abandoned buildings - there's something special about them isn't there and I loved the ones we spotted when we were in Australia. Have a good week.

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    1. Susan Smith13 July 2018 at 19:03

      Thanks Fil for the lovely comment. If only old or abandoned buildings could talk, I'm sure there stories would be fascinating.

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  3. kjsutcliffe8 July 2018 at 21:18

    How lovely to hear about your quilting retreat - I quite understand that flat feeling you get once you return to normality - it only helps to spur me on to plan the next adventure!
    You clever thing being published in the magazine - well done - proud of you :)
    Like Jayne says - no rain for quite some time but for me - it feels a little like being in Africa, the saving water for the plants mentality kicked in!
    PS a little dog is on her way xxxx

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    1. Susan Smith13 July 2018 at 19:07

      Thanks Kate & yes you are right about it spurring me on to keep designing, stitching & learning new things. Saving water is nearly always a part of life here in Oz & in really bad years. I even save the washing machine water to do the shrubs & trees, though not the veg beds. Not here yet, but thanks for letting me know it's on its way. Take care.

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  4. Joanna9 July 2018 at 07:38

    I have never met you, but just from your blog posts I've always considered you intelligent, accomplished and well-traveled. And your quilting and designing always inspire me. Congrats on your magazine debut. That is a wonderful achievement. I hope you show it to us. I was wondering if the quilt on your design wall is your design; it must be. I like it.
    Susan, I've worked all of my life in offices, but my personal goal was to return to college and get my degree. I did that in my late 30's early 40's, and enjoyed the hard work very much. A highlight of my life. For me, nothing changed afterwards; I still work in an office and struggle with my quilting, wondering if I'll ever be good at it. It's just nice to know that if I work hard I'll probably get what I want. I hope you have more quilts published and achieve any other goals you have set for yourself. It's a wonderful thing.

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    1. Susan Smith13 July 2018 at 19:10

      Thank you Joanna. The quilt on the design board is one of my own, to use some of my stash. I worked in the banking system for most of mine, with a few other odd jobs at different times, but wow, now of been published, it seems like that for me, is a big achievement. Take care.

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  5. jude's page9 July 2018 at 09:56

    Thanks for that post Susan, but please don't compare yourselves to others. You, being a published quilter, and designing your own quilts, and a computerized longarmer as well!! Just enjoy being yourself, and who you are. Sometimes what you see on the outside of people, is not always as it really is, and we don't know what is happening on the inside.

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    1. Susan Smith13 July 2018 at 19:15

      Thanks to you Judy for being a wonderful hostess & I do enjoy being myself, but think I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole weekend & wrote that bit when I got back & then finished the post later. Others may feel the same at times & it's all OK a few days later. It was a great weekend. Take care.

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  6. Onceuponathimble9 July 2018 at 20:28

    Well done on getting a pattern published. Love the photo of the Corellas. It is hot here and no rain for at least five weeks so the grass is brown and some plants in my garden are struggling, but I prefer heat to cold.

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    1. Susan Smith13 July 2018 at 19:20

      Thanks Carol. I do hope you soon get some rain. Your grass should green up with first rains, but I save water from my washing machine to do shrubs & trees, so they survive. Don't put it on veg though. Take care & stay cool.

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  7. Rosie10 July 2018 at 19:45

    It sounds like you had a wonderful time. The quilts are all wonderful - I like the yellow and grey one. There are some wonderful designs and colours. Congratultions on getting one of your patterns published:)

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    1. Susan Smith13 July 2018 at 19:21

      Thanks Rosie. I still have to pinch myself to believe I've done it in the quilting world. Take care.

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  8. Joy from Days Filled With Joy15 July 2018 at 13:19

    It was such a wonderful retreat, we had a lot of fun, didn't we?! And you got more done than last year :) So excited for your pattern being published as well!! xx

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