It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Launceston's Christmas parade was on Saturday, I had to work at The Quilt Patch, but as the parade goes right past our door, it wasn't hard work. I did the important job of being Great Auntie Fran by holding Ruby, while Mum (Graeme's), Lucy (his niece) and Ada (his/our Great Niece) sat in the gutter and waited.
Across the road, on the shady side, were cousin Libby, her daughter Nicole and grandson. Also had 3 other grandchildren seated in front.

Santa was a great disappointment, being up too high and in a red firetruck he was almost invisible to the little people in the street! Bring back to sleigh on a trailer behind a car I say!

Scatterday T

T on purple

T Shirts - being brave and taking pictures outside shop doors, this time I was glared at by young whippersnapper!

T with purple labels

Hot T pot (love my CWA knitted beehive cosy)

What I have been doing

This is new fabric line in the shop called "Fresh Air" by Moda- it spoke to me when we ordered it, so I was bound to make "something" with it upon it's arrival in store.

I took a photo of it so I could see if it's working- not really, but I'm committed.

I'm sure once the blocks are all sewn together and it's not sitting on top of several other quilts on the "design bed" it will look a bit more "together".

I was planning on doing this design in black and whites but I needed a simple pattern for this fabric.

No doubt this will also remain a top until a cause comes along. It would be a good quilt for a younger person.

Great News!!!!

We have just received good news - Banjo is to have a baby brother or sister next year.
Now when it came to naming Banjo, I was pretty spot on calling him Indiana Frances - he ended up being Banjo Indiana. Now this one was conceived in Sweden so I am now thinking and looking at the atlas!

Scatterday H

Scatterday H, originally uploaded by FranW.

Once again the wooden rulers come in handy!
Human - most days- Hairy, Handsome Husband.
Soft - my Hands, I'd just had a massage.
Toy - Hounds, somehow I've accumulated these.

Happy Birthday Graeme

IMG_1279, originally uploaded by FranW.

It's his birthday today - 61 years young!
Family tea at a local pub - wonderful meal.

This is the view from The Riverview towards "home". We're to the far right, maybe not quite in the picture, it was getting dark.

We're normally on the hill looking towards town.

Scatterday O

I'm early, work and LPQ's tomorrow and a good night on TV tonight!

The "O" block is from my LPQ ABC quilt. None of the items featured could be used this week!

Breakfast - "oeufs crus" raw eggs looking a bit sad before brekky

Shiny - my dad's head is pretty shiny but it's actually the "ore" in the rock that's shining. This is an 86 year old man mad with gold fever and he hopes to strike lots more before his "time's up".

Little things - Oat from my muesli.

The Bridport Garden

My friend Pennie Darling often blogs photos of colour in her garden. Well I was at Bridport this weekend and the colour in our garden there is absolutely beautiful,especially if you don't get too close to be overwhelmed by the weeds!
I don't think I will get back down there until Christmas and in 6-7 weeks it will be all looking tidy and clean but I know that a lot of the flowers will have been finished, so I'm glad I saw it now.

I had a chap in today who is going to perform miracles - I hope!
The garden used to be an exciting place when Mum was able to do it all. She's been dead for 3 years now and 10 years before that was unable to get into the garden because of the dreadful stroke she suffered. It has languished now for 13 years and anything that is surviving deserves to be there. The daisies and wallflowers are only a few years old, planted by me. They are great survivors! Watering over summer is restricted so we have mulched a lot over the years, seaweed, poppy waste (great weeds in that), barley and pea straw (ditto), newspapers and woodchips. The weeds come out really easily but I am sick of having it bothering me while I am trying to relax, so I am handing over to Bob who assures me I will have a lovely summer without any guilt.

Mum's ashes are scattered in the garden, it's what she wanted but I do feel guilty when her area is messy - I get over it easily, but I do have a few momentary twinges when I first arrive. :-)

Mum loved her garden, plant 2 and move 6 was her general objective and make a new garden bed often, which is fairly easy at Bridport because it's lovely sandy grey soil. Sadly, most of the treasures have disappeared - they were the ones that needed TLC and the family couldn't keep up. It's a hard job being a gardener!

Scatterday A

Scatterdays is bought to you by the letter A this week. It’s a long weekend here and we’re off to Bridport tonight and I’ll be on dial-up so I’m posting early! Maybe I’ll have time to read everyone’s Saturday this week!
I thought I would be inventive with my letter this time as I pinched the “Round thing” off the web.
An “A” is easy, especially if you have long rulers within reaching distance.

“Round things” stumped me, mind you I have been a bit brain dead and of course as soon as I look at everyone else’s photo’s I will wonder why I didn’t think of that, so “Arctic Circle” it is. Did you know there was also an Antarctic Circle? I didn't! But it didn't have a sign, so north it is!
“Vegetables” left me with Asparagus or Artichokes and I don’t like the latter. I didn't have my camera at the supermarket so I bought a bunch.
“Things you like the smell of” - I was introduced to Amarula in South Africa last year, it’s very drinkable, akin to Kahlua and Cream :-) with more of a caramel smell. Bother, I should have bought another bottle coming through Customs last month!

A bit of info re. Amarula here. http://home.vicnet.net.au/~neils/africa/amarula.htm
During February, at the height of the African summer, the olive green fruit of the Marula tree ripens to a golden yellow and its intense tropical fragrance floats on the warm summer breeze, luring various species of wild animals from miles around. In particular, herds of trumpeting elephant walk for days to gorge themselves on the fruit; and for this reason, the Marula tree has come to be known as "The Elephant Tree".
Only the female tree bears fruit succulent, tart, with an exotic flavour containing four times as much vitamin C as an average orange
Held to be a strong aphrodisiac, the Marula tree features prominently in many tribal fertility rites. So much so, that in ancient folklore it was known as "The Marriage Tree", and even today many rural people still conduct wedding ceremonies under its fertile branches.
I really should have bought more!