Sunday, March 27, 2011

Day 369: Up the garden path

Commentary on house progress has been fairly light on over the last couple of weeks but lots of work has been done and we are sooooo close to stopping the formal countdown.  Electrical work is finished and we have been able to remove the nasty black cable connecting the television in the lounge room to the aerial in the kitchen that I was convinced I would fall over.  Wessie has finished the external tiling and we now have a path down the side of the house instead of slush.  All we need now is for the painters to come in and finish off the final coat in the garage, the external render and some bumps and dents.  Stos spent a couple of days clearing the garage and digging the mulch out from the external render.  So while there is a tiny bit to go, the improvements to date have been huge.  The garden is still a project in itself but we feel that we can take our time with that and now that our non-existent summer is officially over, that will be our next job.

Today was spend with a lovely bunch of girls that I know from the day job.  We drank bubbles and nice wine, indulged in some gossip and had a lot of fun.  A fabway to spend a sunny Autumn afternoon.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Day 366: My Creative Space

It's all about the MMQG "Oh Beehave" blocks again this week.  March is Rachel's month and she wants us to produce wonky stars.  I like the idea of wonk but making stars is a more precise exercise than the wonky log cabins made in earlier rounds.  Fortunately we have been provided with a very easy to follow tutorial, but even so, matching up seams is tricky.  The real thing will be two blocks;  a ruby star on a sand background and a sand star on ruby background as the quilt will be reversible.  The blocks are also to be different sizes and I'm curious to see how it will be constructed. The intended recipient should be very happy with this as it will be a striking piece.  I haven't finished the actual blocks, but have made a practice block to see if I could do it.  It's not bad but one of the seams isn't lined up properly. 

For more creative capers, have a look here.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Day 362: That's what friends are for

The blog has been a bit neglected lately as the STLT team have been very busy - the Day Jobs have been hectic, Stos has been spending time in Canberra and we headed up to Sydney last weekend for some culture; the magnificent Entombed Warriors exhibition and the Annie Leibowitz photographic display.  And the baby elephants at Tooronga Park Zoo; touristy but very fabulous.  Sadly we were not able to see Auntie Jean but it was a great break overall.

Last night we had a dinner party here with some 6 old friends, most of their partners and a couple of the kids.  Nothing out of the ordinary about this but it has made me think about how lucky I am.  I have known all of these girls since at least my late teens and one has been a friend since I was 13.  We met playing hockey and even though I have not played for years, I still consider this group (aka "The Originals") some of my closest friends.  I don't see a lot of them, but when we do catch up, we just pick up where we left off and I know if I had a problem, I could turn to any of them at any time. I know people who have a lot more friends than I do and they seem to go through phases and culls of the people they hang around with.  But I like to think that each and every friend I have made over the years will be around for life, and to date, this has largely been true.  But of all the people in my life, I do consider this group of girls as very, very special.  These are the sort of people who you ask to dinner then bring everything, know which of their culinary repertoire you love the most and make it just for you, get one of their kids to make you another version of something that you admired in their home and leave you with delicious leftovers .  My kind of friends.

The picture above is of a dragon that Veteran's daughter made for me after I saw and loved one that she had created for her mother.  We have received some and thoughtful gifts on moving back to STLT HQ, but nothing bespoke, so this is very special.  Spookily, it is also the red of the front door, one of the sails and the fabulous chairs

As I was writing this, I was scoffing a large piece of custard cake that the Scone Queen made.  Just for me.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Day 347: Saturday Night

I looked at Kirty's post on "Snooping" and love the concept.  I think we all like to let our inner voyeur come come out to play from time to time.  It's like those articles that detail the contents of other people's handbags - utterly compelling.  In the same vein, here are the details of my Saturday night at home.  I have been sitting in my lovely new chair with matching ottoman and the following:

1/.  Armistead Maupin's latest installment in the "Tales of The City" series of novels;  "Mary Ann in Autumn".  I picked this up from the library today and am motoring through it.
2/.  A plate of buttermilk and blueberry pancakes courtesy of Stos.
3/.  A glass of Pino Grigio.
4/.  Two Dalmatians.  I am not flattering myself that they love me best because they are up in the living room with me rather than with Stos downstairs watching "Mission Impossible"; it is because their cushion and blanket haven't been moved.

It's lovely to have night in.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Day 345: My Creative Space

Lately, all my creative efforts have been aimed at keeping up with the "Oh Beehave" quilt block swap timetable.  Now that I am up to date, I'm determined not to get behind again, particularly heading into the first of the two busy periods with the Day Job.  So the most recent creation has been for Alissa.  I know that she has received it and loves it.  That makes me very happy.  Stos's only comment was "It's very bright."  It is and I can't wait to see the assembled quilt top.  I've also made progress on picking out my fabrics and design for my May blocks and have thought of a nifty way to keep wayward brooches in place, but will update next week.


To see what other creative types have been up to, have a look here.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Day 334: Secondhand Rose

I love the idea of finding treasure in Op Shops, but I've decided that this will never happen to me as I don't have the patience to spend long periods of time rummaging throught piles of stuff.  If something doesn't jump out and bite me in the first 10 minutes, it's not happening.  However when something this gorgeous is in the window of the local Oppie, one just has to seize the moment.  In this case it involved calling out to the volunteer on duty to put it aside for me as I had two dogs with me and no money.  Fortunately these ladies are very understanding.  This is a summer fashion catalogue from 1958/9, showcasing Home Journal patterns and were available from Buckley & Nunn.  So maybe it's not treasure but it is beautiful:


There has been more progress around the place this week, but not much to show in the way of photos at this stage.  Wessie is laying the tiles outside and Sparkie Dave looks to be finished. So getting closer to the end of the works.