Road Trip

When I wrote my profile for this blog, I left out an interest in family history - genealogy. I started doing it when I was about 21. It is a great hobby, as it can be picked up and put down when ever life is slow or busy. The only thing that should not be put off is interviews with elderly relatives.
Tomorrow, I'm off on a road trip with my parents. We are going to visit
Boondooma Homestead. German immigrants were keenly sort after by the Colonial Queensland Government in the 1800s. They were very hard working and didn't mind the heat. Two branches of my family ended up working on this station - Wilhelm Brill and his family and Friedrich Muller. Fred married one of Wilhelm's daughters. Wilhelm was a stonemason. He built the stone storehouse on the property. (Although our family stories have the building being used as the second homestead not the storehouse as the first homestead was eaten by termites.) The building still stands. It is built to metric measurements - very unusual in 1855. It may be the very first metric building in Australia. It may also be our family's only claim to fame. LOL.
Hopefully I'll have some good photos to show when I get back. See you then.
Kayly

Block G is finished!

I have completed Block G for the Gardener's Journal quilt. I'm part of a stitch-along working on this quilt. Use the link on the right side bar to check out all the different versions being made. I used my stash of Paris Flea Market. I have loved this range for ages. Several years ago I stashed away any pieces I could find. It is about time it saw the light of day. All its roses and flower posies make it just perfect for this quilt.
I have already traced the stitcheries for the next block. Today, though, I need to start putting together a quilt top for a special friend. It has to be finished by June. I will have to be better organised than I have been lately if I'm not to get too stressed about it.
Keep well everyone.
Kayly

A finish of sorts.

Sorry to anyone trying to read my last post. I'm still getting the hang of these layouts. The preview button is not helpful and is different to what actually appears on the screen.

The above is a finish. I love real hankies. Tissues do exist in this house, but they are relegated to back of the drawer. The reason for that is I'm sick of picking tissue fluff off clothes because I missed one when doing the wash.
I did not do the embroidery. The crochet edge pattern is my variation of one from a Myart book. Read - I made a mistake and didn't want to undo a lot of work.

My finish seems a bit insignificant. I've been blog hopping. I cannot get over the productivity of some people! Their sidebars are full of wonderful items. I need to stop procrastinating and get on with being creative.

These are my choices for the Gardener's Journal quilt. They are all ironed and ready for cutting. I hope to have my first block finished this weekend. At least 40% of the people listed on the Stitch-along site have already finished block G. I'm still not 100% happy with what I've picked. I'll see what it looks like when the block is finished.

Our Thai cooking lessons are paying off. I cooked tea tonight using one of the recipes and it was delicious, even if I do say so myself. I'm not the greatest or most enthusiastic cook. For those who commented on the possibility of DH cooking -I'm spoilt, DH does most of the weekend cooking.

It's ANZAC Day on Sunday here in Australia - a day for commemoration and remembrance of all our past and present Australian and New Zealand Armed Forces. We'll be attending our local dawn service. Attendance has been steadily building over the last few years. It is good to see we 'still remember them'.

LEST WE FORGET.

Kayly

Demise of a Green Friend

I nearly did it again. I was half way through writing this blog when I remembered.

To Everyone who has commented on my new adventure and offered words of wisdom and encouragement - THANK YOU
It has been much appreciated.

Now for what I started. DH and I moved into our house just over 23 years ago. We had a lot of fun planting out the front yard. It has grown into quite a mature garden now.
About 5 years ago, it was getting very obvious that Brisbane should have been on water restrictions. We stopped using our sprinkler and went to hand watering. Eventually, we had rainwater tanks installed. They were filled within a week thanks to a subtropical downpour.

It was some time later that the powers-to-be realised water restrictions were needed. Better late than never. I love my garden. It gives me great pleasure. With careful use of tank and grey water, I was able to keep my garden going. Many Brisbaneites were not so lucky.
We did have some casualties. One of the first trees we put in was a swamp bloodwood. Sorry I don't have its correct name at hand. Year after year it gave me big dark pink flowers and then large seed pods. It was certainly a favourite with the birds.
I thought I had lost it last year, but it came good and gave a beautiful flowering.
The drought in SE Queensland looks like it may have broken. After having dams at 17%, they are now 98%.
I thought all was good. My garden had survived, then a couple of the bloodwood's leaves went dry in a day. Then a branch and then the rest. Over the last few years, I just was not able to give it the water it needed.

We bought it down last weekend. Very sad, but not to anyone watching us. They would have had a good laugh. DH and I work well together. I have learnt to make sure myself that there is nothing blocking my path when I have to carry anything where I can't see my feet.
I had my hard hat on this time. Notice I said 'this time'. I've learnt that lesson too. We bought a new tool for the job - an electric pruner
on a 2.5m pole. It's like a little chainsaw on a stick. 2.5 m is good, but not quite long enough. So there's DH on a ladder. Me holding the base. Murderous weapon on a pole stretched out cutting that far branch. I'm sure you get the mental picture.
Anyway it's down now and we didn't kill each other.
I've put in pictures of some of the colour that is in my garden this autumn.

On a craft note - I can't show the blue baby quilt just yet. Two reasons - not quilted and there are 2 more great nieces/nephews on the way. Also I only have the water to stitch in the 'Watering the Garden' stitchery for the stitch-along, then I can finally sew block G.
Keep well everyone.
Kayly
PS I dicovered that my little point and shoot camera has a macro setting! Maybe I really should read the manual.

Birthday Present

My DH turned the big 50 on Easter Sunday. Yes yes I can hear you all doing the maths. I cradle snatched. Anyway as I was saying....I wanted to do something special.
There is a restaurant at Yandina on the Sunshine Coast that does cooking lessons.
The Spirit House has wonderful atmosphere and delicious thai food. It also has a cooking school set among the tropical gardens. That's DH standing outside the school, holding his just purchased cookbook.
Here he is stirring the wok.














The photo (above left) is the class kitchen. The photo on the left is us sitting down to a truly scrumptious meal with wine at the end of the class. We were there for about 5 hours. We got free recipes, lots of hints, met some nice people, walked around the grounds and through the restaurant. I would love to go back to the restaurant for a meal and the cooking school as there were lots of other classes on offer.
In the paper bag in the first photo is also our dessert. We sat in the car park with a tub of Spirit House ice cream and 2 spoons. It was delicious!

Hats, Hats Hats and Finishes.

This morning I went to town to the Queensland Art Gallery. They have a new show on - Hats An Anthology by Stephen Jones. It has been brilliantly curated. I recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in fashion. As usual the Gallery is encouraging children to participate with the 'Top Hat' area where they can make their own creations. Guided tours are also available. The best part is it is free.


On a craft note, I have had a few finishes. Just to prove I did finish at least one of the projects from GDITC at Nundle here is my pin cushion sitting on a small table runner made from yo-yos. I used a Clover yo yo maker. I take my hat off to the people who have made these the traditional way.

The next(read above***) photo is of the quilt I did for our new great neice. I used charm packs of 'Birdie'. I love this material. I had 2 charm packs and separated them into blue and pink piles. I made two tops because the sex was going to be a surprise. Both were done with the disappearing nine patch block, but sashed up differently. I was very pleased with the way it turned out, even my attempt at free motion quilting on the border.

***I'm new to this. I have to work out how I get the photos where I thought I put them.
I have to keep reminding myself that it's a steep learning curve, but I can do it.

See you later,
Kayly

Finally did it.

Hi, everyone. I have been threatening to do this for sometime now. I got some more encouragement from a fun group of ladies I met at 'Girls Day in the Country' at Nundle in March. So Bec, see I did it!

This is going to be a steep learning curve. I have to learn how to insert photos next, then links to other blogs and sites. I think I have a headache already!

This morning we had breakfast with my husband's family to celebrate his birthday. We also got to have more cuddles of our new great neice. I always enjoy getting together with them. The conversations are many and varied.

Tomorrow I have to decide on my fabric choices for a stitch-a-long I just joined. At Nundle, we met Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched. She showed us her wonderful quilts, bags, stitcheries, pin cushions and everything else. Three of the ladies challenged themselves to finish their quilts from Anni's book A Gardener's Journal and have them ready to show Anni at next year's GDITC. To encourage themselves along, a blog was started for show and tell. It's grown well beyond the original three and it's gone worldwide. I've committed myself now, so no dawdling.

Enough for my first post. I'm off to read how to do more than just type.

Kayly