Monday 18 July 2022

CATCHING UP WITH A BIT OF THIS'N'THAT

 I'm really struggling with so much uncertainty and dear old Oz in the grips of another wave of Covid.    We are staying home a lot with little snips of time spent with a local trip in the car, pick up a takeaway coffee and finding somewhere scenic to drink it.  I've picked up a free ticket for the quilt show in Melbourne, but so unsure whether to go or not.  Other people are not quite as anxious as I am and we have had our 4 jabs, plus the flu vaccination.  Will I on won't I?  

Anyway, let's see what we've been up to anyway with a few photos of local countryside & crafty bits.

Looking out over Bass Strait from Kilcunda on very windy day.
I nearly got blown over trying to take this photo.

Another day saw us go slightly further afield for me to try and pick up some fabric I needed to finish a quilt and as we were coming home, we decided to take a detour to somewhere we'd not been before.  We had noticed the signpost to Yaringa Boat Harbour often, which turned out to be a small marina on Westernport Bay.  We may go again in summer to take a better look, as it was a cold overcast day threatening to rain, but we did enjoy the extra jaunt.


Another day when we realised that we'd have a little sunny break so we headed out to take a small walk on the Two Towns Trail which connects our town to the nearest to the west of us.
And what did we discover in the park in front of Council Chambers but a new to us sculpture.

A beautiful gum blossom planted in the middle of pond, where I have taken quilt photos just recently near the small waterfall behind this.  It certainly makes a statement.

Now for some crafty bits we've been up to.
This the start of what I have on the go at the moment, after buying very pretty acrylic yarn that was on sale at Lincraft for an absolute bargain,.  I don't really need another, but I loved the colour.
I finally finished the blue and white jumper which has been on the go for a few years due to not being able to get the stripes to match up on the sleeves as I don't need them as long as the pattern, but it took some working out and I've worn it recently.

Hubby remembered a broken toy that we had squirreled away and decided to play at Repair Shop tactics and mend it.
My mother had given us this when she worked in the office of a large company that imported these big dumpers, I think, and our boys played with it when young.  Somewhere along the line it had broken, but with a lot of effort all these years later, we have......................
                                                                         Now mended.
Can you see the Butcher Bird sitting on my hanging basket?
Well, one morning I looked through the kitchen window to be taken aback by him sitting on the edge of the combie planter that I'd put on the new plant stand out of the weather right in front of the window.  By the time I'd got the camera out he'd flown down the length of the verandah, hence the above photo.

QUILTING.
This very old pieced top went onto the machine last week and is now awaiting binding.  Turns out I made it in 2001.  Oh dear, shameful.  I'll possibly donate it to the foundation my brother attends for their Christmas raffle.

 Two works in progress.  The top one is from a book and the lower one, a design of my own.  More to come about these two soon.

                                            

                                                                         WEATHER.
Yesterday saw more rain and even a thunderstorm and this what the sky looked like as it came across Middle Farm.  We've certainly had our fair share of inclement weather so far this winter.
The gutters in our street were awash.
OK, that is my lot for today and this post has been a real hassle with blogger not playing along nicely.
Hope all my lovely blogpals are either staying cool or warm depending on where you live.
I'll try hard not to be so wayward with posting.
Take care all and big hugs from down under.
Susan.  xox

20 comments:

  1. A lovely selection of photos and glad you have been able to get out and about and finish some projects. You've done a good job on mending the dumper truck, it looks as good as new now. Your sky looks very dark and here we are suffering an unprecedented heatwave.

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    1. Thanks Eileen. Weather crazy here too with Melbourne having a few of its coldest days for July on record, though we experienced very cold in Tasmania and on south west slopes of the mountains in N.S.W., but we are burning a lot of firewood. Stay cool.

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  2. Is the covid wave really bad out there? We've pretty much forgotten all about it but know cases are rising everywhere. It will probably be really bad in the winter again. As long as we each stay as safe as we can we should all be ok. I love the sculpture photo and wouldn't mind a tall eye catching sculpture in my garden.

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    1. Yes it is bad and it scares me considerably, though we are having an extra cold winter this year. Gum blossom is pretty.

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  3. What a lovely post, I've enjoyed all your photos especially of your local trips out and about. We tend to do the same sort of thing. Out and about early, a walk, a coffee and home:)

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    1. Thanks Rosie. It is so cold this year, it is good to get out as we seem to be so housebound these days due to the pandemic & weather.

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  4. I like that sculpture in the pond and its location looks really nice :)

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    1. Thanks Eunice and the sculpture is gorgeous.

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  5. A lovely catch-up post. Glad you've managed to get out and about a bit. People are so complacent about Covid here now but it's on the rise again, 1 in 19 people had it last week and we're at the height of summer, I dread to think what it's going to be like once winter arrives and there's no restrictions in place. I'm also starting to worry a bit about Eleanor's wedding in October, I'm hoping that it can go ahead.

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    1. Thanks Jo. Sounds like you are having it bad too and hopefully Eleanor's wedding can go ahead. I think the complacency is partly because people are tired of being restricted with life in general.

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  6. It is 'African warm' here at the moment, we could do with some rain and although there is some forecast for Wednesday, I doubt if it will be in the quantities that we need.
    Lovely quilts :) xx

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    1. Thanks Kate. Certainly sounds like things are very hot, but at least know you what it's like and how to cope with it. Hope the rain helps.

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  7. I was going to call you and suggest we meet at the show, but with all the rising cases decided not to... nice that you've been out and about and doing some craft and quilting xx

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    1. Thanks Joy. I was going to ask you as well, but thought a free ticket if I don't use it, it's cost me nothing and numbers are also being capped, so the decision will be made tomorrow.

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  8. I enjoyed your catch-up post.
    Here in the UK our Covid numbers are on the rise too, it is concerning.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks Jan & numbers rising is definitely a worry for all of us at the moment. Hope your heat has abated & you enjoy some cooler summer days.

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  9. Good to hear from you when you post, nice to have some little outings, I enjoy your photos

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  10. My you have been busy. Covid seems to be on the up here too at the moment and lots of friends and family that had avoided it have caught it this time round. We are still managing to stay free of it, but not sure for how long :)

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  11. Oh ... meant to say ... it's been scorchio here over the last week ... hitting 42 degrees, which is about 20 degrees too many for me :)

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    1. Thanks Carol. This Covid thing is definitely a worry & I can't imagine what you've all been through in the heat as we do get it here some years, but it is part of the varied climate in Oz. I've never liked the extreme heat, but getting older seems to make it worse and now I'm feeling the cold more too, though we are having an exceptionally strange winter as well.

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