On the Road

The party was really good. Trev met us at the door dressed as Elvis. There were lots of pink ladies and blokes with greasy slicked back hair. Took a couple of photos of Lyn and I with Trev and the quilt and would put them up here but at the moment my laptop isn't recognising the new dvd/cd writer that I bought before we left home. Once I get that fixed I will be putting the photos up here and he absolutely loved his quilt, in his speech he said that he felt 'very humble' that his "sisters" would go to so much trouble for him.

We finally hit the road on Sunday morning around 11.30 and didn't stop until we were in NSW. The coast road south is very different to 20 years ago and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip around the coastline. Some very beautiful spots.

The first night we camped in a rest area (the name of which escapes me) where we shared the area with 7 roosters. What with the trucks passing by our door and the roosters crowing we didn't get a good nights sleep. The second night was much better, again in a roadside rest area but a little further off the road and no roosters.

Sydney was a nightmare of the first order. Richard our Tom Tom navigator died 4 days before we left home and no matter how I tried I couldn't fathom out what I had done wrong. Consequently we had nothing on the navigator and no help with Sydney. Armed only with Camps3 and the Sydney throughroads (not comprehensive) we tackled the traffic and slowly but surely headed southwards through what we believe was an unbelievable amount of cars, trucks and everything that has 2 wheels or more.

We finally arrived in Wollongong late on Wednesday afternoon, set the van up and collapsed.

Marg and Hans arrived at our van park (Shellharbour Beachside Tourist Park - very nice and clean) and I gave Marg her quilt. She was very emotional and totally gobsmacked. They then took us to see the sights and we went up to the lookout at Mt. Kiera and then had a lovely fish lunch at the harbour before heading back to the van.

Friday was catching up with emails in a small video shop in the village and try to make some sense out of my Tom Tom. No luck I needed a larger sd card.

Yesterday Marg and Hans took us up to Stanwell Tops lookout via the seabridge. What an achievement is that and what a wonderful view from the top, no hang gliders flying which was a bit of a disappointment but is was showery and blustery. We found an orchard that sold from the gate and bought some white peaches and nectarines. Love white peaches! before heading to Hardly Normal to buy a sd card. Now I'm back at the internet cafe and in a moment will try to download my new tomtom map for my new tomtom card.

Will post photos when I work out why my laptop is not recognising my new cd/dvd writer.

Late Again

Doesn't time fly when you're havin' fun. I can't get over how the weeks seem to be disappearing this year.

I have been chasing my tail trying to get the van packed and ready for our trip south next Saturday.

The house sitters arrive on Friday (fingers crossed) and we will sleep in the van so that they can have the house and then Saturday morning we vote and then head off.

First stop Gympie to help my Dad lift one more heavy steam train item into the container ready to be shipped off to the new owner and then to Brisbane to help DB2 Trevor celebrate his 50th birthday and finally hand over 'the' quilt. Would love to post a photo here, but after he looked at my blog last time and saw the top, I don't want to take the chance of him seeing the back, but rest assured as soon as we get back I will post a photo or two.

We haven't made any plans other than we head for Woolloongong to catch up with Marg and Hans. I have the rose trellis quilt on the long arm at the moment and will post a photo next week before we leave. I will be sewing down the binding enroute and then we're off to Victoria and Reg and Lori who have the huge american motorhome and then spend Christmas somewhere along The Great Ocean Road before heading back north from Portland through Bendigo and Ballarat or is it Ballarat and Bendigo then north to Bathurst where I'll get to drive up 'the mountain'. They say you're flat out getting around it at 60klms.

Did you see the flowers on my cactus last posting. It has now got a second lot and I have a half a dozen flowers, looks stunning. I'm not shifting the plant from where it is - ever!!

I made the fringing for my santa claus tassells, this morning I put the gold paint on the wooden tassels, tomorrow I'll start varnishing, then use the hot glue gun to attach the fringing and braid.
I've also been making tie downs, bags for new camp chairs, shorts for me to wear and having a colonoscopy this last week. The tie downs, bags and shorts all finished and they found 1 polyp which the surgeon dutifully removed. I'll find out next Monday at the drs whether it was a good or bad one.

During this last week I also pressed the wrong key on the keyboard and somehow turned the darn keyboard off, do you think I could get it to work again? In the end I have no idea what or how I did it, but as you can read it's back working again.

Ian has been busy doing the last minute things that need to be done when you're going to be away from home for a while.

Maybe one of you can help me? If where we're staying at the time has broad band and I take a laptop with me will I be able to connect into my outlook express mailbox? I really have no idea when it comes to the Internet and the knowhow of its workings and if I can't how can I?

By Myself

My DH Ian left last Wednesday afternoon to take some of Pete's welding equipment to Gladstone. While there he's trying to find a cousin of his Ken Edwards, the last address we have is Boyne Island. So far no luck, he will be home again by Wednesday, fingers xrossed.

Of course while the cat's away the mice will play.

Guess where I've spent most of my time. You guessed it! The sns shed.

I've finished the quilting on Evelyn's queen size quilt. Practise makes perfect. I've made this months, next months and December's churn dash blocks ready for Kraft Klub's swapping. I've made November's cobblestones and posted them to Stephanie in WA. I've finished zigzag-ing round the leaves and am halfway around the roses on my 'Rose Trellis' quilt. I've got to get a move on with this one as I'm giving the quilt to Marg on our travels. It's only 3 weeks until we leave and I have to quilt DSIL Lyn's quilt first. Actually I would like Lyns finished so that I can take it with me next weekend and give it to her then.

We're off to a family 3day holiday. Not Ian and I and our tribe, but my Mum and Dad and their tribe + spouses. Ian and I, DB Ken and Lyn, DB Trev and Karina and DS Jen and Steve. The only problem is that the weekend starts on Sunday and ends Tuesday. Ken and Trev are both shift workers, Ken with ACI making beer bottles and Trev with the fire service. Luckily it doesn't matter with us 'cause we're retired. But it means that Karina and Steve can't be with us. I wish it could be otherwise but that's just the way it is.

20+ yrs ago DD#2 Robyn gave me a cactus. Until 2001 it lived on the windowsill in the laundry, where it copped the western sun. Every so often I would remember to give it a drink. When we sold our house and moved across the road into the shed it came with me but for the life of me I can't remember where we put it, but put it somewhere we must have because when we moved to Gin Gin it came with us, it then sat under a tree and the main cacti nearly died until one day I was repotting (not something that I do too often, brown fingers that I have) and decided that the pups deserved a second chance. Naturally with my logical reasoning (ha ha) I reckoned it would be happier in sand not soil. Well I was cleaning the kitchen this morning and through the louvres I saw my cactus in flower and I know Ian won't believe me so I took a photo to prove it.

This Weeks Happenings

Each day I endeavour to get out to my sns shed for the afternoon and most days I'm successful.

So far I have made my blocks for October and November for my club's churn dash swap and scquilters cobblestone swap. I am thanful that there is only a couple of months to go in the year and then I can start thinking of ways to put the cobblestones together. So far I am putting them into a quilt for my grandies. Next year I've given myself a goal of making each one of them a quilt. Right now I'm wishing my girls hadn't been so prolific. 10 I will have to make the first one due in Feb - Tanee's, one in March, 2 in April and so on.

The churn dash blocks are going into a colourwash - I have never made one and years ago I saw a churndash colourwash quilt made by a Samford patchworker and have wanted to have a go at making one ever since. I will have 108 blocks to choose from.

To date I've almost finished the 'rose trellis' top and I'm in the process of appliqueing the leaves and roses on the last border. No photos yet as I keep forgetting the take the darn camera with me.

I've been busy on Tanee's first birthday quilt. Its taken from one of Lynette Anderson's patterns which is covered in appliqued butterflies. Early this year on one of my many trips up and down the Bruce Highway I called in and fell in love with the pattern so just had to have it. At the time I had no plans for the quilt just knew that I had to have the pattern. Well now it has a purpose - Tanee's quilt. I've altered it a little (of course, I hear you say) the pattern is for a square quilt and I want it to fit a single bed. After a lot of thought and trying different things I have just decided to add a couple more rows of butterflies.

On the 29th of Sept DH Ian and I headed south for DSIL's 40th birthday party. I couldn't get over that this party was is very first birthday party ever!! It went all day and he had a wonderful time and there was food everywhere. Shane and Sharyn did a wonderful job and we had a lovely time.


My Mum and Dad were there as well and Dad's eyes were like circles when he espy'd his favourite food — lollies. We had a terrible job getting the container back off him. Just like a big kid. Love him heaps.


My problem is that I try to do too many things at the same time and I want to learn every craft known to man and beyond. These little santa heads are 5" high and will eventually be tassells. They have a central hole drilled all the way through for the cord. I still have to finish the gold work, varnish, buy the tassell and trim, glue them on and then I can wrap one of them. The other one is mine, all mine.

I'm exhausted!

It's midnight and I should have been in bed hours ago, but I sat up watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Quite a good movie, a little far fetched but good to watch while I got my vliesofixed leaves for my 'Rose Trellis' quilt cut out and then did a little more crocheting on my zigzag quilt.

I have finished 'Trev's Quilt' even down to the label. Just have to sew the eyes back on and it is ready to be wrapped. Would show a photo but you know what happened when I put a photo of the top here. He hasn't looked at this site since, I scared him that much. lol. Must get onto DSIL to see if she would like to get the card.

DH Ian has been terribly sick for the past 4 weeks, starting with a head cold that of course went to the chest. After xrays it was found that the chest was infected so onto antibiotics he went. He spent the whole of last weekend in bed just coming out to watch the start and end of Bathurst. Now for him that's sick!!!

I have my first outside quilt on the longarm. Thankfully EJ doesn't mind how I quilt it, she will be happy with anything. The quilt is beautiful a single irish chain with a (sort of) log cabin border all done in pinks and burgundys with green and brown as highlighters. It took my about 4 hours to load it onto the machine. I think it is queen sized. Boy is she trusting. We're talking learner here with a capital L.

Retired????

Whoever said that when you're retired you'll have the time to do what you want is obviously still working full time. I feel like I'm being pulled in six different directions and feel really uptight.

DD1 Sharyn arrived this morning with 4 of her 6 littlies in tow and will be here until Friday. Now I know what you're all thinking and saying and yes I do love having my grandies here, but what a full week I had planned. Plus DD3 Katie has now got a date for her gall bladder operation — Wednesday. Now on Wed I'm supposed to be going on a shopping excursion with my craft group and I have a list a mile long (of course) but I shall do the mother thing and be good (can't you see my halo).

No, I'm really just joking, I remember when I had my first operation, my DH Ian had to leave me and milk the cows so I had to head to theatre by myself and back then it was the full cut from neck to knee, no such thing as keyhole surgery and I remember that I was totally terrified, so I will be there if Katie needs me and even if she doesn't.

Marg and Hans are still in Gatton after seeing her doctor and when I spoke to her last week she is trying to contact the PA in Brisbane for an appointment to a vascular surgeon.

Ian is sanding off the stairs in preparation for painting. We tried to buy the rods for the hand rails but I think we bought out Bunnings last time and they still haven't replaced their stock.

This morning Ian headed off the Gladstone with Pete DH of Katie to help with the welding of pipes. They were going to be away for tonight, coming back for Katie's operation and then heading back up for 2 weeks. The company they will be working for hasn't even started drilling yet, let alone be ready for them. Oh well, as Pete said that little trip cost them $1000.

We also picked up our new caravan today. We have gone back to single wheels and a pop-top and we both agreed that it towed a lot smoother than the Roadstar. Next month we hopefully head south taking a boat and trailer on the ute and towing the van. We will visit Marg and Hans and then head to Melbourne and spend a week with the owners of the boat. Then we are heading along the Great Ocean Road, a trip that we have been wanting to do for ages. We will be gone for roughly 2 months and will be spending Christmas on the road. I got onto the website for house sitters and one couple are free for this time and we will be meeting them next Monday. Hopefully we both suit each other.

Where did September go?

I can't believe the month has gone so quickly. Here we are the 22nd already.

I have been busy sewing and practising on the quilting machine. Have another piece of calico quilted ready to sew up as pillow protectors or some such item that takes my fancy. Also quilted a cot panel that has been hanging around for years. It has clowns on the front and I first thought I would get it done for my DD#2 Robyn's DD Skyelah who turned 7 earlier this year, but nope didn't get it done in time in fact didn't get it done period. But now its quilted and bound, just waiting to get back into the SnS shed to machine a label. Usually I embroider my labels by hand but seeing this isn't a proper quilt I'm taking a shortcut and then the quilt can go in my cot that is here for my visiting littlies. I've also made my Churn Dash for my clubs monthly swap and yesterday I posted away my cobblestones for scquilters swap.

I've also started on the vliesofixing of the butterflies for DGD Tahnee's first birthday quilt. Hopefully will have them all stuck down by Tuesday so that I can machine blanket stitch them at Kraft.

'Trev's Quilt' is being put onto the quilting machine tomorrow. I have been procrastinating (what's new I hear you ask), but I'm a little hesitant as my quilting is not the best, though I have also been told to stop being a perfectionist, you can only get that with practice.

Ian and Hans have outdone themselves this time.

Now for those of you who think they have left a gap in each panel. No - those 3 rods are painted green to match our gutters and they go down to the flooring.

Next job — the step railings which Ian will have to do by himself.

Marg and Hans head back south tomorrow. First stop Margie's doctor in Gatton where she will hopefully get a referral to a vascular surgeon in Woolloongong where their kids and families live. Her test results showed the femural artery in both legs above the knee were totally blocked. Not good news for Marg, her father died from this, so she is understandably a little nervous, but I kept her spirits up by telling her that she will be fine - only the good die young.

Our new van arrived in Bundy last Thursday. I emailed the company with the van name which is going to be printed and stuck on before we pick it up sometime next week. Our van is called "Day by Day" - how original and apt is that?

DD Katie's DH Pete is due home on Tuesday, he has been away for 5 weeks. At first Katie was fine and phoning each day but this last week and a bit she has been coming over for some adult contact. I wish that somehow she and the littlies could travel with Pete, it would be so much better for all of them. Each time Dylan (2) hears or sees a truck, tractor, motorbike or mower he immediately says what the vehicle is and then says Daddy. He misses him terribly and I know Pete is the same. Dylan is terribly sick with a cold at the moment, he sounds like a little old man when he coughs. Seeing his Daddy on Tuesday will make him feel a lot better and as usual once his Daddy is home he's not allowed out of his sight.

Next Sewing Session & More Renovations Started

We couldn't get together and continue on our Rose Trellis' quilts until I had caught up. Being away for a week put me a little behind, so once I was caught up we organised another sewing session. Yesterday we all met again in the SnS Shed for a day of sewing, laughter and talk, hopefully more sewing than the other two.

This is Evelyn's on the design wall before sewing

and the top ready for the first border and embroidery

and mine on the design wall

and the top ready for the first border and embroidery

Sue and Rhonda are making theirs Queen size so have a lot more cutting, sewing, everything to do. This is Sue's up on the wall. Before Sue left yesterday she had 3 rows sewn together and at craft this morning a lot more.

Rhonda is still fussy cutting her hydrangea blocks, but at the moment she is up to her neck in clothes sewing for an upcoming wedding she and hubby Kev will be attending in a couple of weeks. So once that is out of the road it will be upward and onward with her quilt.

Now while us ladies were busy sewing Ian and Hans were also busy building handrails. I can't believe it these are the last things that have to be finished for the final house inspection. If we were able to have got them done earlier they would have been inspected at the same time as the sheds, but Ian wasn't sure on tackling them at that stage.

Here Ian is busy at work drilling the holes in the top and bottom rails.


and here is Hans busy painting the rods.

The finished project, well 2 of the bays, only another 7 to go. I must admit they do look stunning.


one very pleased and proud hubby.


Today at craft I started sewing my September's Churn dash. I had to leave early because we celebrated Margie's 66th birthday at the local with a $7 pub lunch. Marg informs me that its her 12th birthday 6+6+12. So if thats right I'm only 10 - good for another 80yrs or so. Ha Ha!

After coming home I finished sewing them and now they are ready for swapping in a fortnight. I also got my cobblestone material out ready for cutting and sewing tomorrow. I also put some practice calico on the quilting machine and this afternoon after a lot of broken top threads - Grrr, I finally gave in and changed the needle and away we went. Tomorrow I will put a cot panel on the machine and see how I go. If successful the next top to go on the quilting machine is Trev's Quilt. I want it completely finished by the end of the month. His birthday is the 19th November but I don't want to be sewing the binding down on the way to the party.

A Weeks R&R

We finally left home on Sunday morning around 10am and arrived at Peach Trees around 3pm, which was just late enough in the afternoon to work out which way the sun was going to set so that we got the most out of the solar panel. Sunday night there were 3 camps set up in the grounds, no noise and the stars looked like you just had to reach out to touch them.

Monday morning DB Ken and DSIL Lyn arrived early-ish 9.30am with Ian and I greeting them in our pj's. We were sitting in the sun getting warm - it was very chilly up there. The night before we kept stealing each others blankets to keep warm, well that's my story. Ian probably would tell you something totally different - like I always steal the blankets.

Being on a camping holiday is great, no pressure, no having to do anything, no having to be anywhere at a certain time so Ian started in on decorating Ken and Lyn's van. This is what their back tow bar looked like after a few days of relaxing -

... and this was our campsite. As you can see we were definitely crowded in by nature.

Each afternoon the local inhabitants would come around the camp to nibble on the short green grass, though one little one was still drinking on Mum, he/she must have been very thirsty cause he/she was suckling for close on a ½hour. During the day the wallabies would be closer to the entrance of the grounds and at noon would be sunning or sleeping under one of the many trees that are through the parkgrounds.

If you're into camping and in the SE corner of Qld this is one of the most delightful spots. On Wednesday we went for a drive and went down the mountain via Sunday Creek Road to Kenilworth through Charlie Moreland campgrounds. This is a photo of the view halfway down the mountain. The forestry rangers had not long planted the mountainside, the pine trees were about 3' high. I wonder if they plant them all by hand, it seems to steep for machinery to me.

We also had a good look through the binoculars and there were little farmsteads in the distance. People trying to get away from the rat race. I can understand that!

On Tuesday night we started watching the eclipse, but decided to go to bed instead. Seen one you've seen them all. Plus too, you've got to remember we had been hard at work resting all day - we were buggered. So this photo is the only one I got to take.

On Saturday Ken and Lyn's two daughters Lisa and Belinda with David my other brother's youngest son came up to visit us. Now does that explanation have you scratching your head? How's this then - the quilt for Trev's 50th birthday? Trevor is my younger brother well his youngest son, who just coincidentally has found out that he has a daughter. He was told when the baby was 6weeks old. Chelsea is her name and David was slapping himself because he left the photos home on the kitchen table. Anyway back to the original story, Belinda is pregnant with Ken and Lyn's very first grandchild who everyone is calling Charlie until he is born. Yep it's a boy, apparently the scan shows him in all his glory. That's the pround grandfather in the background. He's already trying to work out how he can alter the van so that he can take Charlie away on holidays.

and of course DH Ian couldn't let Belinda be the only pregnant one there!!! He's due as soon as I belt him - just kidding!!! Maybe??

did I tell you guys how gorgeous the camping grounds were - well here's proof. That's us on the right.
and looking to our left -

and that's not all of it. Follow the road up over the hill and there's more camping sites to the right on the bank of the creek, which I might add was up over the entrance bridge the week before we were there and now the rain has started again, we have had two lovely days of it so far.

Now congratulations if you have persevered this far, there is only one more thing I would like to add to this posting. I finished the binding, embroidering the label and sewing it onto my 'Round the World with Diamonds' quilt so it is well and truly finished.

A Dream Come True

..... and I have my darling hubby to thank for it.

Yesterday I had 3 friends over and we spent the day working in the s'n's shed.

We have all started making our 'Rose Trellis' quilts and very different they are going to look too.

Rhonda's

Evelyn's

Sue's

and mine.

We all worked hard as quilters do, working the mouths as hard as the machines with lots of laughter and talking. Evelyn and I are making the quilt as per the instructions, while Rhonda and Sue are making their quilts Queen size, so have a lot more sewing to do, so by the end of Friday -

Evelyn's quilt

and mine. I would have got a lot more done but I had to fussy cut the large and small roses and dang it all even though I bought an extra 30cm I now have to buy enough material to cut another 8 large bouquets. Luckily Wendy from Iddybiddy Designs has been able to help me again and the extra material should arrive here Monday or Tuesday. At first I thought the rose bouquets were a bit wishy washy in colour but putting the two greens with them has really bought it too life.

We put off going to Peach Trees this morning until tomorrow. As most of you would know we have had a lot of rain in the SE corner of Qld and Ian didn't feel like packing the caravan in the rain. Luckily we didn't go cause when we arrived home from having lunch with Kate and Pete our dear friends Kym and Phil had unexpectedly arrived to spend the night. So in between talking, laughing and having a drink or two I have got most of the stuff ready to put into the van in the morning and then we'll be off and will be returning Monday week. So will update you all on the roads and our camping trip then.

Now I have just found out that two of my darling grandies read this blog with their mum every week so here's a special hello to Skyelah and Jai. Love you all heaps.

Lots Accomplished - Yeah!!!

Great things have been accomplished since the s'n's shed was finished.

DH Ian made the extension sewing table yesterday. Its the same height as the Horn sewing cabinet and it gives me plenty of room behind the sewing machine to spread out those quilts that I'm going to be making at great rates of knots. It also allows friends to bring over their machines and we'll be able to have lovely days sewing and talking and laughing as quilters do.

When I go into Bundy on Thursday I'll buy some cheap vinyl at 'The Warehouse' and I'll glue it onto the top. That will make a durable covering for it.

Don't faint, but my ufo pile is getting smaller. I am sewing the binding down as I type on my 'Around the world with Diamonds', well I started doing that this morning at craft and will finish it next week while we're camping at Peach Trees.

I started this quilt in 1999 at a class run by Dawn who used to own The Patchwork Tree at Alderley in Bris. My DF Leonie quilted it for me about 2yrs ago (I think). Will take the label with me, embroider it and sew it on too and it will be FINISHED!!!!! That's me peeking over the top of the quilt.


In the year 2001 also in Brissie, I belonged to a group of ladies that met through scq and got together once a month. We called ourselves 'The Old Chooks' or something to that effect and what better block could we swap. So finally here is my 'Chook Quilt' complements of 12 old boilers. Now ladies don't get upset you know I only mean it in jest. LOL

It will now reside in the 'to quilt' pile which is growing very quickly. At last count there are 9 tops to be quilted. I'm procrastinating again.

You will also be pleased to hear that 'trev's quilt' is now ready for the quilting machine too. I would put a photo up here (an I have one too), but the one and only time he looked at my blog was when I put up the photo of the front of his quilt. Who would believe it!! so I'm not taking the chance of him seeing the back until I'm good and ready. Plus too I can't wait to see his face when he gets to see it. We could almost use it for the front.

My cobblestones arrived in the mail today. They are very well put together, which is lovely to see. When you don't know the sewers sometimes you are a little disappointed in the workmanship, but these blocks are just lovely.

I knew it!!!!!

they were definitely tooooo greedy. They came home with nothing, except empty pockets cause they were at the pub too long. 3 hours in total and no seafood, no case of beer, no bottle of spirits.

I did get flirted with, but I spose you can't really count that cause he (George) was a lot under the weather, he blew Marg a kiss when we left, so maybe he was really after her. Oh well I was awful glad DH Ian was there anyway. Still we had a beautiful fish and chips meal and a few laughs and a couple of drinks, for me that's a recipe for a good night out.

Last Friday a bunch of us girls (4 in total) headed down to Hervey Bay to buy the rest of the makings for our "Rose Trellis" quilt that we are all going to do together. I bought a lovely pastel rose from the 'quest for a cure' range from Wendy at Iddybiddy Cottage. DF Evelyn found a lovely bright yellow iris for her roses and will use cream not green for her trellis. DF Sue bought a beautiful Marcus Bros floral for her roses - red on black and she will use black instead of cream for her last border. DF Rhonda had a lovely hydrangea fabric in her stash and she has bought two beautiful greens and will use yellow for her border. Four completely different quilts are going to be made. But I do wonder what the heck I have for brains in my head, cause I organised for the girls to come over next Sat to start cutting out the quilts. Next Sat I will be sitting under the stars at 'Peach Trees' Jimna. Have to change that date, I won' t be missing out on those stars.

Today I finished the heart hug for Leanne and will post it off probably Tues. Have already posted the one for Alyssa. Moved my cobblestone pieces from the cutting table to the sewing machine ready for sewing together tomorrow and have put the backing of 'trev's quilt' on the cutting table ready for measuring and cutting the final border, have three sides left to do. Then it's off to the quilting machine. No more procrastinating.

I know - only 2 days since my last posting

... and only 1 more sleep until we have fish and chips. This is how DF Hans and DH Ian put it at happy hour tonight.

Each Thursday evening the local Tirroan pub has battered red emperor with chips and home made coleslaw for $8pp. I must admit whatever the fish is, and I don't know one from another, it is the most yummiest and huge.

There is also a lucky door prize. A seafood tray. We have been there about 10 times and have come away with the door prize on 8 of those visits. There is enough oysters, crab and prawns for the four of us to have for lunch on Friday. Well three of us, seeing Ian only eats fish. Poor him!!

The local pony club also holds two raffles on Thurs night as well and the prize is usually a bottle of spirits. One week we took home the seafood tray and a carton of beer (in lieu of the spirits).

The fellas are now getting greedy. Each week we head off to the pub at 6pm just in time to buy tickets in the last raffle, tomorrow night I have instructions to drive them down there at 5pm, then Margie and I can arrive for tea at 6, supposedly by then they will have already won the both raffles. Personally I think they are going to get us kicked out.

Wendy from Iddybiddy Cottage emailed me last night and said that she had 1metre of the Versatile fabric that I needed. When I spoke to Wendy this morning she was mailing it out this afternoon. Thank you so much Wendy. When it arrives I will cut out the border and the chook quilt will be ready for photographing.

Today I had to go over to a friends home (Evelyn) and give her a hand, but I was hoping to get back around 3pm to spend the rest of the afternoon in the 'sns shed'. No luck, I arrived home just after 5pm, cause that had nothing to do with both of us spending time internet window shopping.

Evelyn also gave me her pink and green top to quilt. I am a little bit nervous quilting for other people. I personally don't think I have had enough practice on the quilting machine, but both DSIL Lyn and Evelyn say 'just for practicing'. I really am procrastinating with this machine. I have 7 of my own tops to do plus 'Trev's Quilt' before I start on theirs, but they both say 'no hurry next month will do'.

Up to date

Well, late this afternoon, or early evening to be precise I finally finished putting the chook quilt together and decided that to finish the top off completely I would put a 2" unfinished border round the quilt. Guess how much material I have left.

Not enough!!!

I need 30cm minimum of this material. It's called Versatiles by Jane Edwards and made for Sullivan Intl. 2004. If anyone can help me I would be grateful.

I had to take a photo of our fogged in view. This photo was taken through my front window at 8am this morning. We couldn't even clearly make out the cane trucks going past, they were like ghosts.

Forgot!

Next door started burning the cane tonight and DH Ian was asked to help.

The fire is so fierce and so quick by the time I got the camera out it was nearly all over. I shall try and get a better photo next time.

Busy, busy, busy!!!

Don't ya just love life. Ours is certainly an adventure.

Since I last posted we had an impromptu trip to Townsville and back in an imported US motorhome which now belongs to dear friends of ours Reg and Lori. Our place was the first stop on their way back north to collect their belongings before heading to Victoria and parents who are not too good. They want to spend quality time with them before its too late.

You are looking at 37' of luxury


The interior is all stained wood, the finish is just lovely. It just needs some TLC to get it back to perfect again.

The lounge on the left of the photo also folds down to a double bed and that's where DH Ian and I slept. It certainly was a fun 5 days.

I and Rhonda J. from Krazy Krafters have put the finishing touches on the cat quilt to be donated to Kolan Gardens next month. One of the moggies now has a collar and bell and the label has been embroidered and sewn onto the back of the quilt. Voila one finished quilt.

I've also been tearing my hair out trying to put together my chook quilt. In 2001 in my before life I was in a group of ladies who met on scquilters and we met monthly in each others homes. We had a swap as quilters usually do and we each made 9 chooks any shape on any size block. Well what a dilemma, but one I'm sure the other 8 quilters have beaten. I'm probably the last one to put mine together and of course none of them would go where I wanted to put them, but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel and after making and discarding several blocks have finally started to get the quilt to look like one. Shall put up photos when I get a little further advanced.

This was my youngest GD after her birth last February

This is her now - 6 months later and with 2 and ¾ teeth, being held by a very proud mother.

Have been having a ball out in the sns shed. I get out there and forget the world, except that I have a tv which I listen to.

Tomorrow we go and put our signatures on a contract for a new caravan. This time a Jayco poptop. We are trading in the Roadstar Trackvan, Ian found it just too heavy to tow and I found it just a little too high to get in and out with my gummy hip and leg. This should be more to our liking — fingers xrossed. We have to wait until the new one arrives sometime towards the end of Sept. So our last trip in the Roadstar will be in a couple of weeks when we head off to Peach Trees State Forest for a week, with my DB Ken and DSIL Lyn. Peach Trees is at Jimna near Kilcoy in Qld, a lovely little park where in winter you freeze your b....s off. One time we were camping there, in a tent I might add, and my DB Trevor's car was white with frost, we couldn't see the red paint underneath.

Since our friends Hans and Marg have been staying with us, a total of 8-9weeks now but who's counting, the fellas have been very productive, we now have 2 more outside walls of the house painted, one more to go, but that won't be for a while. We have to source some second hand weatherboards, we're not paying $5.65 a linear metre for them. That's just highway robbery.

My latest Decorative Painting

This afternoon I didn't go over to the sns shed. Horror I hear you say!

I spent it at my painting desk trying to finish off the lid to my special memories box. When I first saw this special box in a painting book I knew that I had to do it. When our son died I kept one tiny outfit and I have a couple of small items from my granmother who has now been gone for 5 years and this month I received a very special letter from my DS Jen and its going to be put into this box along with the others and any more that I collect along the pathway of my life

... and I hope its a lot more even than the step at my back patio, which is all of 3" high and I fell over it this afternoon on my way back from shutting my girls in and landed heavily on my right knee. I was carrying some twigs and dead leaves to put into the fireplace to give the fire a good start, well they went flying everywhere and you will all be proud of me I didn't say any bad four letter words. I hope 'frig' isn't one, cause I said that many, many times.

It is now 2½ hours later, the fire is burning merrily and the darn knee is still hurting, it's not swollen or anything and I can put my considerable weight on it, but boy I don't think its going to be a good night.

Anyway that's enough whinging from me. Here's the lid of my special box, its probably going to take me another few weeks or so to get the rest of the box finished.

I'm still there

... in the sns shed of course. I thank my DH every time I open the door.

This is the cat panel that my craft group did together. I sewed the buttons on today and one of our talented ladies is embroidering the label and should be finished by next Tuesday ready for attaching to the back. We don't plan to present it to Kolan Gardens until September when all our ladies will be back home from holidays. This afternoon when I closed up the shed I meant to bring over all the relevant data out of the magazine to tell you guys. I forgot!! Nothing new there!

Thought you might like to see a sunset from my front door.

I've almost finished sewing the backing together for 'Trev's Quilt', but even though DSIL bought all that was on the roll, 1m, we have run out so if anyone knows where we can get .75m of a Michael Miller Fabric Pattern C - 2592 Gear Up we would be eternally grateful. Right now I need a 24½"x 2½" strip to join the last 2 blocks. I can join up all my scraps but will only do that as a last resort, but then we will have to look for something to border the blocks.

DH left home yesterday for Murarrie, Brisbane where he picked up Phil and then leaving Ian's ute they travelled in Phil's Land Rover to Samford to Ed's home at Highvale where they spent the night leaving this morning for Biloela where they are having -0°C temperatures. There is a national antique machinery show on there this weekend and they are staying there until Sunday when they head for Gracemere and a antique machinery auction on Monday. If there's nothing there they will head for home that afternoon. So at the moment I'm HOME ALONE — the silence — the simple meals, spaghetti on toast, boiled egg with salad, BLISS — the time in the sns shed!!!!!

Wonderful Time

I just love it to pieces. My s'n's shed of course. I spend most afternoons and sometimes even get to spend most of the day in there.

At the moment it is blowing a gale in Gin Gin and has been for 3 days, usually on the third day it has blown itself out but not this time. The weather report says it will be blowing all week. It was blowing so hard today that I dried my washing in the drier and I just remembered the last load is still in there. Darn it!!

Today I finished quilting the Kraft Klub of Gin Gin's donation to the local nursing home — a wallhanging of cats, then I sewed the binding on ready for the next person to sew down. I also worked on the backing of Trev's Quilt, you wait till you see it, I think it is quite appropriate for a 50 yr old fireman. My DSIL Lyn found some more fireman material on the Sunshine Coast, this time it is clothing and gear and I have put it to good use. He He!!

I've also finished (including the label) my parents hanging that they will now donate to their church. I am quite pleased with it and will take another photo to upload here and also to put into my quilters diary - which I must start. I have a photo album in which I have a few photos of stuff I have done but not too many. I must rectify that. Mum and Dad are staying with us until Friday and were really thrilled with the hanging. I photographed them all snuggly in their pjs.

I've also been working madly on my ¼" hexagons and I find that they go together fairly quickly, I mean how slow can you go when they are only that big?

We have friends staying with us at the moment. Hans and Marg - he is Dutch and she is English and they are wonderful. Hans has been helping Ian do a few odd jobs, like put the end wall in the caravan shed, paint the front wall of Ian's shed green, restore a couple of huge kegs that was Ian's one day job. Here they are ready to start the shed wall.

.... and here they are celebrating the restoration of one of the kegs.

We also celebrated Dylan's second birthday last Friday and Saturday we had a small party for him where he got to blow out more candles. Luckily Katie made Dylan a special patty cake especially for him to blow out his candles ..... and he did, several times, each time spraying the little cake with spit, he hasn't quite learned to blow without spitting yet. We got to eat a piece of the cake in the foreground of the photo.