JANUARY.................................NEARLY OVER.

 My goodness!!!!!  Where has this month disappeared to & I've realised the only blog posts I've done are the Scavenger Hunt ones on Friday.  This one will be a bit long, but catching up for both myself & followers.

Early on in the month I was able to pick this little lot from the garden.......

Not much, but we have had more since, although the carrots still aren't big enough to harvest.  I just wanted to see if they were actually growing underneath.😉

As well as the above, we've picked MANY kilos of these.............................

They are frozen, distributed to neighbours & friends, bought by members of our car club, eaten on my porridge and baked into cakes or muffins.

This lot were baked late on Thursday afternoon and taken to DD's on Friday.

A few more garden photos.

The two veg beds which we were going to renew & move last year, but alas it didn't seem to happen.

I have these tomatoes ready to ripen along with tiny yellow plum ones & some cherry tomatoes.  Taking their time as the weather had been quite cool & cloudy till mid January.

I've a few bean plants that didn't get "got" by the snails & we've had a very small amount so far.

This is looking down the yard toward the olive tree.

In the back corner beside K's shed we have a New Zealand Christmas Bush & the following photos are of it in flower and then with it's seed pods forming.

The red flowered tree in the photo.

A close-up of the flowers in all their fluffy glory. These flower in late November, early December.

The rainbow Lorikeets love the nectar of these.

With its seed pods.

A closeup of them.

Just a couple more what has been happening in the garden, although I feel I've neglected it somewhat last year due to the vagaries of the weather & the virus's impact on our lives in general.

Our very wayward Banksia rose, which I will need to cut back soon.  Not today as it's way too hot.

They hydrangea hasn't done too bad with lots of flowers, though it's not one of the big blowsy variety.

Can you see the magnolia flower just peaking through the leaves.  We've had 3 flowers this month.

                                                              Why?  I suppose, just because it can!

Crafting fun...............

Hubby has been very busy, building a desktop for Master L for his new computer setup.

The top ready to go.  This is made from pallet timber & looks pretty spectacular & large.

The logo which got a great big smile of approval from the 15 year old.  It is now in place on a very fancy set of legs which go up and down, so he can stand or sit when using the computer.

And what have I been up to?  I've had some very down days lately, but finally got this quilt off the machine after loading it on 29th November & unpinning it on 20th January.  I don't think I've ever done that before and definitely won't let it slip like that again.  

Miss A's quilt called Hydrangea Galaxy & pieced some time in 2019 from FPP blocks I purchased from Alyce Blyth at Blossom Heart Quilts in Melbourne.  Made them and came up with my own setting.  Once the binding is finished I'll take some better photos.

I've also been sorting some old tubs of UFO's and other paraphernalia & found a project I was working on and hadn't enough of a couple of fabrics and gave up on it.  It was another QAL by Cheryl Brickey at Meadow Mist Design.  I'm resurrecting it into a small baby quilt for "someone"?

On the design wall so far.  A little more to unpick and resew to get it to a good "baby" size.

What it was supposed to be.  Win some, lose some.

 My messy way of working and I really need to do a rearrangement to get the best out of my space.

A couple of things on my to-do list.  

I drew this up the other day on my trusty lightbox and will be able to embroider some nights along with anything else that takes my fancy whilst watching mindless TV.

Macrame!  I've not done any of this for a "long" time so it will be a bit of an adventure for me.  I've still a hanging plant pot holder I made many moons ago and thought I'd try another one.

I'm still working on the labels and couldn't believe how many I've done over the last 9 months when I decided to get them done.  As I was working on them, I realised how many quilts I still have and some are earmarked for new homes, charity & babies.  The one below went to a neighbours daughter last week, who turned 21 on the 21st  in 2021.  How's that?  Not many of us can boast any of our birthdays having lots of numbers the same.

Mississippi Flyaway from a magazine pattern.

And this last photo is for my friend Kate at I live, I love, I craft, I am me.

Does this pattern look familiar?  It reminds me of your lovely frosty window a few posts ago.

OK.......enough waffling from me.  It's HOT💦💦 35℃ not quite what was forecast.  Thankful for that.

Thanks for reading if you've got this far.  Please take care, stay safe & either warm or cool depending on where you are.  Hugs to all.

Susan.😊💗

 

WORDLESS WEEK - FRIDAY.

Cows in the bottom paddock of that farm we see on one of our local walks.

Working on the new roads for the latest stage of  Emberwod Estate.

The soil is being laid down on the other side of the hill above that shed.

Taking a cat nap on a front doorstep.

DH has finished a shadow box for Master L's collection of rocks & minerals.
We'll deliver it "one day".

A project still waiting since summer.  To be restored & painted, then the slats will be made & fixed.
Another "one day".

Take care all, stay safe & huggles.
Susan.

CRAFTY MID-WEEK CATCHUP.

Just a couple of photos from what we've been trying to keep busy with.  Seems so weird, as we are retired & have plenty of time on our hands, but are finding it hard concentrating on anything.  We've spoken to a few friends via the phone & they are the same.  Anyway, I'm sure everyone has their own thoughts on our restrictions at the moment, so my posts are going to be all sorts in an ordinary way.

A recent quilt finish.

I think I showed this on the machine last month.  Binding done & now a fancyish photo shoot.(ha,ha).  I called this Second Helping due to recolouring it from the original I designed.

The fabrics I used were sitting waiting for "something" for a long time.  I play with my fabrics & put them together in little bundles.  This one began with the floral, then I found pink on white which my mother gave me loooooooooong time ago, which had the Tour de France as its theme.  Not the best photo, as the light was bad, but you should see what I'm talking about.  The colouring works, even if it is a strange combination.

Crochet.

Working on my Dahlia rug from Lucy of Attic 24.  It is so bright & cheery, easy & therapeutic is this lockdown.

DIY woodworking by Hubby.

Made from pallets and the old sink from our Car Clubrooms, when the new kitchen was installed.  It still needs finishing, but a lovely timber top to cover the second sink is in the making & we will paint it in a nice bright colour.  Somewhere for me to work without bending & hurting my back.

A bit of both of us in the next photo.

Occasionally I've been working on the lazy daisy butterfly which I' going to put in a hoop.  Hubby made the bowl, which when you push down it lays flat.  It is fascinating & something he'd wanted to try for a while.
That is just a little wrap up of what we've done.  Been walking most days, when the weather is fine & this morning I made a Mocha Yoghurt cake & a Golden Ginger slice to keep us going for the next week or two.  The mundane side of running the home is keeping us busy too. 
Hope everyone is well & staying as sane as can be.  Take care all, stay safe & huggles.
Susan.

NOVEMBER PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT & APOLOGIES..............!!!

Linking once again for the last hunt of 2019 with Kate from I live, I love, I craft, I am me, who hosts this wonderful monthly get together.
Firstly, I would like to apologise  for being so absent & hope that I do keep at least a few followers.
This "i'net" age is doing my head in...................my old laptop (which I use all the time), has decided it no longer wants to connect to the internet & my tablet has many issues too (it's not old), the worst being deleting my emails before I even get to read them.  Hence, I need to do everything basically on the PC in the study & that cuts into my daytime chores etc.  Anyway, enough from me, except a great big SORRY!!!!!!!!!

This month's hunt..................
1.  SEASONAL VIEW.

Hay being baled & then wrapped for silage.  These photos were taken on Thursday on the way home from errands we had to do near Melbourne, so definitely "seasonal" for now.  The ranges in the background are very hazy due to smoke from NSW fires (we think).  It's been raining here overnight & is still cooler than it should be for so close to summer.  Southern Victoria is experiencing some weird weather with snow forecast "again" for our high country areas.

2.  OOPS!!!
This one has a bit of a funny story to it, so bear with me.

DH was asked by our car club to make a board to display our life members names.  Seeing a chunk at his woodworking group, he bought it.  It was about 12" wide, 36" long and 2" thick.  It then became shorter after cutting & was cut through the centre thickness to open out like the pages of a book.
He glued it through down the middles, turned it over & OOPs..... showed it to me & I just started laughing.

Can you see what we saw..........................😊.  It has now been stained & doesn't look half as funny.
We'll take it down to the club on Wednesday for the committee meeting & see what they think.

3.  SEASHORE.

                      Betka Beach on the east coast of Victoria, taken whilst on holiday in 2015.
                                   I had so many to choose from, I couldn't make up my mind.
4.  CARD.

Paint colour "cards" being made into quaint bookmarks & maybe popped into Christmas cards as a tiny gift.  These are fun to make if you have any bits'n'bobs leftover from scrapbooking or cardmaking.
You can even decorate bought tags for pressies.
 
5.  STRIPE/D.

I have a very large stash!!!!!!  Sorted into colours, novelties, animals, large florals etc., there is even one for all sorts of "stripes".  It's not surprising that I love fabric & am a FABRIHOLIC, as a small child I loved collecting all my Mum's sewing scraps & hoarding them away until she found them again and were tossed into the bin.

6.  MY OWN CHOICE.

I took this photo whilst away in September on a trip to Canberra to see our son & grandchildren, then on to Orange to see my oldest friend.  On a day tripping around the Orange area, I spotted this gate & as I got out of the car to take the photo, this horse came trotting over to the fence for a pat.  I obliged by rubbing his nose & I'm sure he wanted me to stay longer. 
OK, I've done it and hope to be back in blogland a bit more, as I miss the comraderie & seeing what everyone has been up to.  I'll make time to hop on the PC & maybe try & sort the laptop & tablet to working order somehow.(ha,ha). 
As well as all the hoo-ha above, we've also been busy with other things.  I spent a lovely day at AQM (Australian Quilt Market), then a scrollsaw demonstration with DH on the Sunday and last weekend saw us take the caravan away & spend 4 days in Geelong with a quilt techniques class in Torquay with Emma Jean Jansen for me.  Fun times.
Take care all, have a great weekend & huggles from Susan.

WHATS ON............................

The design wall.............

The flower fairy panels that I showed on a Photo Scavenger Hunt have now become a baby quilt, yet to be quilted & bound.  I don't know any baby girls, but it will be there when I need one.

The big machine...............

Well this was, when I decided to do this post a couple of days ago.  It's now off along with the smaller one & await their bindings.

The craft table........

A doily DD gave me one day when she was having a cleanup.  I embroidered, then did a crochet edging & will give it to Missy Moo next time I see her.  Hope she likes it.

The floor...................

A Rainbows pack (aka jelly roll), I opened & have decided to do another 2 quilts from the one pack.  In other words watch this space to see what I've designed & do with it.

On the washing line........

Two backing fabrics awaiting their turn for the machine.

DH's work bench......................

A very old Singer sewing machine we found for $25 at an antique place, lying on the ground, covered in soil, rust & dust, which hubby is cleaning up for me to use as a prop in quilt photos.  It doesn't have the usual bobbin, but a shuttle & I've looked up the approximate date from the serial number plate & as far as I can tell, it is around circa 1874.

The rug.................

A little basket hubby has made & which is now being stained.  Isn't it cute?

We had a little jaunt out yesterday, as it was warm & sunny.  We knew the weather today was going to be overcast, cooler & maybe miserable.  I got to have a water fix!  To Coronet Bay on Westernport.
Continuing with the ON theme.

The way...............

Looking across the hills, you'll notice that it still quite dry with patches of green.

The roadside................

A lovely old timber cattle ramp.  Could be worth remembering for those quilt photo shoots.

The water...............

Many black swans, which I'm not sure I've seen on Westernport Bay in the past.  Maybe we've not been at the right time, but there must have been hundreds scattered around on the water.

The sand.................

Many shells crunching under our feet.  You couldn't really avoid them, but they were so pretty.

The beach.................

Some small sailing dinghies.

A stone.......................

A large green grasshopper.  He did hop back to the grass that runs alongside the top of the beach.

A bench.................

This is a depiction of a Tasmanian Tiger & was part of a small sculpture trail with some information about Coronet Bay & it's surrounds by a local sculptor & also a few made by school children too-
A rock.................

One by the children.  I found it hard to take a photo so you could see it properly, but it depicted a birthday party with cake & presents.

A sign........................

Not much to say here, as the words say it all.

Enough of my nonsense today. 
I've been lagging behind on so much & I really must stop procrastinating & just do, not worry about what other people might think or not think and get on with life.
I've had a bit of fun with this post and am also trying to think outside the box for our April Scavenger Hunt, so spent a bit of time browsing my photo archives.  Best now get our tea on & publish this.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, take care all & huggles.
Susan.