Thursday 31 August 2017

HOW'S SCHOOL GOING?



Hello my lovelies

Well, how did you both get on yesterday?  Did the school have regular classes or was the day a bit 'irregular'?  I'm looking forward to hearing how it all went.  Unfortunately, Papa and I won't be here this weekend as we are heading south to Coff's Harbour where Jemma and Jimmy are to be married.

I will remember to take my camera and get some lovely shots for you.

The photograph above was taken at church on Sunday.

xxxNan


Wednesday 30 August 2017

FELIX AND MOLLY HAVE A NEW PUPPY


Hello my lovelies.

Is this not the most adorable puppy?  One of my favourite blogs can be found at Pleasant View Schoolhouse and a recent post that the writer, Anna put up is of a new puppy that has come to live at her son and his wife's house.

You can see some more photographs here.

And the puppy's name?  It's Lily.

Love Nanxxx

Sunday 27 August 2017

SUNDAY AFTERNOON 2.32PM

Hello my lovelies


Do you like this quilt Robyn has been working on?  She has used lots of different Japanese fabrics.  When you think of Japanese fabrics, these are the colours that come to mind.  Robyn has been making it for her daughter Kylie who lives in Brisbane.  Kylie used to live in Tokyo, so the quilt will bring back lots of memories for her.

Here's a close-up of some of Robyn's quilting.


Lynne has been working on a cross stitch.


And Kerrie has been continuing quilting quite a large quilt.


Today Papa and I went up the road to church.  We received an email from Simone, the minister's wife through the week in which she encouraged folk to stay for morning tea and lunch.  We haven't done the 'lunch' thing before and decided we would stay today.  It worked out really well and gave us a chance to get to know lots more people.  

I'm now about to start clearing my desk.  I've got a couple of bills to pay and after that I will probably try a bit more quilting.  My arm is still very sore and I now have a cut on the top of my thumb which is taking a while to heal.  Every time I try to quilt, it starts to bleed and I have to put my quilting aside.

Tomorrow I'm heading down to Brisbane.  I'm catching the 5.00pm bus back on Tuesday so I won't be away from Papa too long.  

We will be heading back down to Brisbane on Friday to leave the dogs with Auntie Emma while Papa and I head south to northern New South Wales, where Gemma and Jimmy are getting married.  The wedding isn't until the afternoon on Saturday, so we are planning to leave Auntie Emma's really early.
We'll head back to Brisbane the next day.

Love Nanxxx


Saturday 26 August 2017

SATURDAY AFTERNOON 12.25PM



Hello my lovelies!

Your teacher and her husband looked lovely Liliane.  And you looked gorgeous in your patchwork skirt.  You must print the photograph off and put it in a frame.  A photograph to treasure.

It's a beautiful day here today, a bit warmer than yesterday which saw me in my Ugg boots.  I spent the day with Robyn yesterday.  It was our monthly get-together and it was a quiet one with only one other lady there - Bonnie.  We moved from the table to comfy chairs and had a very relaxing day chatting and sewing.  

On Wednesday Robyn helped me baste my Hebridean quilt and yesterday I began quilting it.  I started with the big boat in the centre and have quilted all around it.  It's a fun quilt to quilt as it's not too big and heavy to keep turning.  I'll probably pack up my sewing things later and take off into the garden for some more quilting on it.



Oh dear, I can't find the Hebridean quilt in my 'Pictures', so I've put up a bit of my chair quilt for you.  Did you know Auntie Emma drew the chair for me and I had it enlarged so that I could trace my materials over it in order to make it?  I just love this quilt.

And a doggy picture for you both...


I'm not sure who's holding Molly here.  Perhaps your Mumma?  


And another lovely photograph of both of you having afternoon tea in Summerfield.  And...



walking with Mumma and me when you were younger.

Love Nanxxx

Thursday 24 August 2017

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN, CLIPPITY CLOP!


Woo hoo!  Mummy sent me this photograph.  There is nothing stopping you both now!  I can see a lot of sewing of all sorts of things will be done on this machine.


And what could be better that to do some repairs on faithful 'blue sheet'?  You look a natural at the machine Liliane.  

And Freya!  This look absolutely fantastic.  What era is this village set in?  What fiddly work but so well done.  



I can see the little wheelbarrow and the 'market cross'.  

I'm so looking forward to talking with you both today but you must talk first Freya.  We don't want you running out of time like last time.

I've been very busy today.  Did a huge washing, sheets, towels, dark wash, light wash;  you name it and I washed it.  It has been windy and quite warm, so everything has dried beautifully.

I also brought up the ladders to bring down my 'summer' clothes which were up high in my wardrobe.  I told Papa when he came back from U3A this morning that there's quite a bit of ironing to be done.  I've hung all my stuff from the baskets on to hangers and have hung them in the laundry for Papa.

While I was bringing down all the summer clothes and packing away all the winter woolies, I decided to give our bedroom a good cleanout too.  So all those dust bunnies have been shaken out the window and perhaps some of the birds that are flying around the place will pick up some of the little balls and feathers and use them to make their nests.  I love recycling dust bunnies!

Love Nanxxx

Saturday 19 August 2017

IT'S SO COLD HERE!

Hello my lovelies

The wind is howling outside which isn't unusual for August.  It seems to be a month where the westerlies batter us and make the ground even dryer than it already is.  Papa has been moving some plants around the garden for me and while he was giving them lots of water to help them settle into the ground, he decided it would probably be better to water the whole garden while he was at it.  That was last week and by the look of the weather forecast he will have to get the hoses out again real soon.

I'm sitting here with four layers on plus my Ugg boots and I still feel cold.  My office isn't the best place to be on a cold day.  The heating is on in the kitchen and I've succumbed to putting on the gas fire in the lounge.  Tomorrow the wind is supposed to die down and the days to follow are warming up again.

I arrived back home from Brisbane on Thursday evening.  Papa came down to pick me up so we travelled home together.    Here are a couple of photographs from my Brisbane sojourn.


As you can see, Fergus loves using the IPad.  He came to me and whispered "Can I have the IPad?" as he knows he's not allowed the IPad willy nilly.  "Pardon?" I said.  And again he whispered....  He's allowed it for a treat after lunch so I said to him, "You can have the IPad after lunch Fergus."  He then asked for a sandwich which I made for him not realizing that he thought if he ate his sandwich that would be lunch and he could have the IPad.  The wee man ate his sandwich and then asked for the IPad again and I pointed to my watch and said, "It's not lunchtime yet!"  Life can be very confusing when you are four.


Here he is playing with his Lego.  Can you see his 'cones' for when he makes his building sites.  I imagine Auntie Emma took him for his favourite shopping expedition at Bunnings to buy them.

Well my dears I'm heading into the lounge and some heat to do some more sewing on my log cabin blocks.  Looking forward to hearing how you are both going and how the vacation classes have been going.

Love Nanxxx

Monday 14 August 2017

A WINTER HEATWAVE AND WONDERING WHERE YOU ALL ARE

Hello my lovelies


As you can see from the title of this post, we are going to have a very hot week for this time of the year.  If you click here you will see some more information for the week ahead.  Because of all this hot and very dry weather, the forecasters are getting a bit worried about the fire season ahead.  Added to the fire season concerns is the fact that some of the results of Cyclone Debbie a while back has created a lot of undergrowth which will, as you can imagine make the fire season even worse.

It feel like ages and ages since we have spoken on the telephone.  I'm thinking that you all must be making the most of the holidays before school begins again.  Write and let me know what you have been up to.

Off to have my shower and get ready for this day.  Bible Study up the hill and then perhaps I'll do a few more blocks for my Log Cabin quilt.  I'm just loving doing a bit of machine work as my hand and arm are still quite sore from all that quilting on the Christmas quilt.

Love Nanxxx


Sunday 13 August 2017

SUNDAY MORNING

Hello my lovelies


Do you like this photograph?  It was taken some time ago when Papa and I were in Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.  There are a lots of things I love about this photograph; the expertise and labour that has gone into the building of the wall, the wildflowers in the field, the houses on the horizon line and of course the donkey's ears!   The sky is what our sky looks like here today.  It is to be a beautiful warm day today.

We have Roger and Anne coming for lunch so we think we will set up outside on the back deck.  Papa is going to make his lovely chicken dish with parma ham and I'm going to make an apple crumble.  Thought I'd do something different for a change!

Today is also Auntie Margaret's birthday.  It's a special birthday with a zero on the end.  Perhaps you would like to design a wee card, take a photograph of it and send to her.  Papa will ring his big sister tonight which will be Sunday morning in Scotland.

Off to have my breakfast.

Love Nanxxx

Saturday 12 August 2017

THINKING ABOUT LIVING WATER ON SATURDAY MORNING 9.34AM

Hello my lovelies


I've been sitting here doing my Bible Study for Monday.  One of the questions was to do with 'living water.'  

Here's the verse to do with the question.  It's from John 7: 37-38.

"On the final climatic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand.  He cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says..."

Well, I had to put my pen down and have a think.  What could he mean 'rivers of living water'?  Think Connie, think, I said to myself.  I took my pen and started writing different words to bring more meaning to the verse.  Rivers, flowing, full of life, thirst quenching, life giving, cleansing...

After giving this some thought, I looked at my notes and was amazed to read that when Jesus stood up and said these words, it was the eighth day of a festival called The Feast of the Tabernacles.  On that day, the people prayed for God to send the first rains of the new season.  

Imagine that!  And Jesus standing up and saying to everyone, "Come to Me and you will never thirst".

Amazing!  So, every time you have a drink of water, remember what Jesus said on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Love Nanxxx

Friday 11 August 2017

LEMONS OR FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT 2.29PM



Hello my lovelies

Yesterday, after lunch, Papa and I decided it was time to take all the lemons off the lemon tree and tidy the tree itself.  Well actually, it was me who decided.  Papa was reading and after I washed the lunch dishes, I went into the garage and hauled out the stepladder.

Papa soon joined me.  "Oh! my goodness Connie!" he said.  "I wondered where you had got to."

So Papa got one of his strange tools that is designed to cut very high branches that you can't reach.

While he was doing that, I was using the secateurs to cut off the lemons.  The reason for cutting the lemons off the tree is that the tree is starting to blossom in readiness for next year's fruit and 'the book' says that now is the time to take off the lemons.  I just hate doing this as, as you can see, there are trillions of them and in a few weeks, we'll be having to buy them from the supermarket.


I've filled a glass bowl with them and this is sitting next to my kitchen sink.  Each time I fill the sink up to do a washing up, I slice up a lemon and squeeze the juice in and then throw the lemon in too.  This makes the washing up smell lovely and any grease just falls off the plates.



Some lemons for the neighbourhood.  The bucket's half empty today.



A few gin and tonics in this lot.

Love Nanxxx

Thursday 10 August 2017

LOG CABIN OR THURSDAY MORNING 9.31AM


Hello my lovelies!

I thought I would show you a couple of quilts off the Internet featuring the Log Cabin block.  Can you see how dark and light fabrics have been used here?  If you look back at my post from yesterday, you will see that I have done the same with my block.  When you see blocks put together, you can see the different effects they can make.

The amazing thing about this block, especially when dark and light fabrics are used is that you can make all sorts of designs.  Here's a different design using the same block.


and...


and again...


If you let your eyes drift on this last photograph, can you see the imperfect circle?

When next we meet, we are going to have fun when we pull out the cutting mat, the cutting wheel, the materials and the sewing machine.  Woo! hoo!

I took my first block to show the ladies at quilting yesterday.  They just loved it, especially Carol who loves all things blue.  I think my block has got her all inspired to make a Log Cabin quilt for herself.  She has suggested we get together and spend the day making Log Cabin blocks.  Another Woo! hoo!

Love Nanxx  PS  Auntie Emma and Fergus have been most unwell.  I spoke to Auntie Emma this morning and she has just about lost her voice.  She and Fergus are going to the Doctor today and will perhaps catch the bus up the hill and spend some time sitting in the sun on our side verandah.  Sounds like a good plan.

Wednesday 9 August 2017

CLEANING AND QUILTING OR WEDNESDAY MORNING 10.55AM



Hello my lovelies

Well, yesterday was the day!  What day you may ask?  The day to CLEAN THE OVEN, my most dreaded task in the house.

This is the first time I have cleaned it since we moved here three and a half years ago, so well overdue.  

First of all, I went on to the Internet to see what I needed to do to clean the inside of the oven door.  Lots of information using bi-carbonate of soda which sounds quite scientific but ultimately proved to be quite pantryish and saw me finally grabbing the Brillo pad and getting into it regardless of whether I would scratch the glass or not.  So long as it's clean, I'm happy.

Anyway scrubbing away, I noticed that some of the gunk wasn't coming off and after calling for Papa's help discovered that the door consisted of three, yes THREE panes of glass.  As if one pane wasn't bad enough.  Papa took the door to bits and I carefully got stuck into each pane one by one.



Then it was taking the inside apart and spraying the shelves in the garage just in case the dogs decided to roll all over them once they were sprayed with the ACID.

After the acid stage, I decided it was time for a cuppa and a wee read of my book.  I went out to the side verandah and promptly fell asleep, waking up with a start and wondering where I was!

After lunch, I brought the rails up into the laundry, grabbed a new Brillo pad and scrubbed the rails until they were dazzlingly shiny.  

It is now a new day and I haven't had the strength or the burning desire to put the lot all back together again.  Papa very half-heartedly picked up one of the side pieces this morning and then put it back down and said, "I'll look at it all when I get back from U3A."



I have quilting today up at Kerrie's.  After breakfast I decided to cut up some more strips for my NEW project. 



 I've decided to make my first ever log cabin quilt which is a very old quilting design.  The centre piece is usually red and is supposed to represent the fireplace in the log cabin and the pieces of material that go around the red piece represent the walls of the log cabin.  

I now have two baskets filled with strips.  One with blue strips and the other with lighter strips.



And here is the first block.  I'm really quite pleased with myself.  I think this may be something I'm quite good at.


I think my fire has gone oot!

Love Nanxxx


Monday 7 August 2017

ASSEMBLED FOR A WEDDING


What a gorgeous photograph!  And...the dresses!  What can I say!  They are all just stunning.  

I've been enlarging the photograph as large as I can make it and have been carefully examining every bit of the dresses. I love the tulle on Mummy's dress.  

Freya, Papa said that your dress was one of Mummy's.  Can't believe it!  It seems only yesterday you were a wee bubba.

And you Liliane!  What a gorgeous dress!  I just love all the pin-tucking in the bodice.  And the socks and shoes just set the whole thing off.  

The four of you all look wonderful and just looking closely, I realize that you are all matched up colour-wise.

Would love to see a couple of photographs of the wedding.  I remember you did the bride-to-be's hair one afternoon in her garden and covered it all in daisies.

Love Nanxxx

Friday 4 August 2017

THE SNOW GOOSE



I forgot to mention this book which has the Dunkirk emergency happening in the background of the story.  It's a beautiful book and tells the story of Fritha who finds an injured snow goose.

It was also made into a film.  


Here's Fritha showing the injured snow goose to Philip who lives alone in an abandoned lighthouse.

When your Mummy was a little girl and getting restless in church, I would take a pen and notebook out of my bag and write the story of the Snow Goose as she watched.  But I would change Fritha's name to Greer as I wrote.

Love Nanxxx



Thursday 3 August 2017

DUNKIRK

Hello my lovelies


Well, Papa went off to see Dunkirk, along with Andrew from church, Bob Birks, Andrew Kuchel and some other men.  He said it was a very good film, showing what it must have been like for over 400,000 men to be trapped on a beach.  Four  hundred thousand!  That's twice the population of Canberra.

Here is what happened.

It was May 1940 and the enemy was so rapidly advancing and encircling the allied troops that a decision was made to evacuate the forces from France.  However, the only port from which to evacuate was Dunkirk and that was already being seriously threatened by the enemy.


Mr Churchill, the Prime Minister later said that "...the whole root and core and brain of the British army...seemed about to perish upon the field, or to be led into ignominious and starving captivity...)


It was a dreadful situation.  However, the Queen's father George V1 requested that Sunday 26 May should be observed as a National Day of Prayer.  In a sirring radio broadcast, he called the people of Britain and the Empire to commit their cause to God.  Together with members of the Cabinet, the King attended Westminster Abbey, whilst millions of his subjects in all parts of the Commonwealth and Empire flocked to the churches to join in prayer.

Very soon, three miracles happened.

The first miracle was that for some reason - which has never been fully explained, Hitler overruled his generals and halted the advance of his armoured columns at the very point when they could have proceeded to the British army's annihilation.  They were only 10 miles away!

Winston Churchill later wrote that he felt this was because Hitler believed "...that his air superiority would be sufficient to prevent a large-scale evacuation by sea."

The second miracle occurred when a storm of unprecedented fury broke over northern Belgium on Tuesday, 28 May.  This storm grounded the German aeroplanes and enabled the British army, now eight to twelve miles from Dunkirk, to move up on foot to the coast in the darkness of the storm and the violence of the rain, with scarcely any interruption from aircraft above.




The third miracle - despite the storm in northern Belgium, a great calm such as has rarely been experienced, settled over the English Channel during the days which followed, and its waters became as still as a mill pond.  This extraordinary calm enabled a vast armada of little ships, big ships, warships, privately owned motor-cruisers from British rivers and estuaries - in fact, almost anything that would float, to ply back and forth in a desperate bid to rescue as many of the men as possible.

Here are a couple of photographs of boats heading towards the English Channel.





Photograph of troops waiting to be rescued.


And here are a couple of photographs taken in Greenwich in May this year to remember the great rescue.





Love Nanxxx




TUESDAY MORNING AT 9.42AM

Hello my lovelies! Here are Wayne and Papa leaving for Geham to put the cross up.  Can you see wee Molly and Spotty Boy looking u...