Another Year Over - A New One just begun ...

Here's to the Bright New Year

And a fond farewell to the old;

Here's to the things that are yet to come

And the memories that we hold.

Happy New Year !

Scatterdays - Y

The First letter in our Scatterdays Quest was W - I had some fun with that as it is of course the first letter of my name. Coincidentally, the END letter of our Quest is Y.
So it is just as well I hung in there to be at the beginning and the end.
I did want to go out with a bang but how can I do that when our first category is:

Y - BEDROOM: all I could think of is Yawn, and the only photo I have of anyone Yawning is Spike - who loves to sleep in the middle of DS#2's bed
- whether he is there or not!

Y - WINTER: My wonderful friend from Alabama USA sent me this photograph last Year of Yellowstone National park in Winter.
I thought it an amazing shot.

Y - HOT: 
Yabbies straight off the BBQ
- Not just HOT but tasty as well - YUM




Y - Yahoo! It is done
 ... finished, over, completed.  A project I was happy to have finished? 
"Not quite Kazoo Strings"

This one was originally made for the impending birth of my first Great Nephew, from a pattern to showcase a fabric line called Kazoo Strings (not that I used that fabric of course). Adding to the pattern and tweaking it; I was ever so proud of my first attempt at a Flying Goose border (I loved the way I scooted the Geese around the corners). He never got it - it is still to be quilted - but I was very happy when the top was finished.

 Y - YELLOW SIGN - Couldn't resist it!  ;-)

It is now time to SIGN OFF on our journey through the alphabet.
My family and I have enjoyed searching for subjects and photographs that could correspond with the categories chosen to go with our assigned letter.

Some have been harder than others, but we have persevered and not one letter has been missed (albeit some have been late and all for good reasons).

Thanks go to Cinzia for launching us on this Quest and to Vireya, Cathy and Pauline for keeping me company until the end - It's been fun.

What a Roller Coaster - - The Year that was 2013

I am sure a lot of you would have times when you sit back and say ...
"If someone had told me ... I'd have laughed out loud!"
So here is a snapshot of my year.

January - Not one but TWO engagements.
DD - had her "We've set our Date" Party and
DS#1 announcing his Engagement to his lovely GF.

And I embarked on a year long Photographic trip through the Alphabet called Scatterdays.
(The final post will be this Saturday!)




February - Saw me taking leisurely strolls, camera in hand, through our local parks.

March - My Fortune Cookie said - "You should be able to undertake and complete anything."
And I thought it was timely because of the quilt I was struggling to finish.
Hmm little did I know what was ahead!






April - My Dad (Who had taken seriously ill just after Christmas) Celebrated his 90th Birthday -
complete with Cake and a letter from the Prime Minister!

May - My Wedding Anniversary is always a "Special Occasion" this one was Number 32.
DS#2 and his GF Graduated University and This month also saw lots of things happening 'behind the scenes' - the first hint was my post about making a new carry bag for my tripod.

June - Nothing much this month.  Just my Birthday and OH - I jumped on a 'plane for the very first time and flew to America.  With 2 months notice to get everything together - Passports, Tickets, Flights, Luggage ...

July - First week of July saw DD & I visiting my dear friends in Huntsville Alabama and the second week at a Chemistry conference in Traverse City Michigan.
We went so far and saw so much!

August - Another Celebration - another Cake!
This time it was my Parent's Diamond Wedding Anniversary.

September - We were rocked by the loss of a little life, before we got to say Hello. Heartbroken we laid him to rest with his Uncle Mark.

October - At this point in the year I am now in full swing making Sugar flowers for DD's Wedding Cake, when a visit to the Car Service Centre reveals that DH's car is beyond repair and start the hunt for a new car.
 (Just another 'small' item that was NOT on the budget for this year.)

November - Was pretty much jam packed through with all things Wedding, culminating with "The Big Day" on the 22nd.

(I also managed to fit in a little ME time with a 3 part course on FMQuilting with the wonderfully talented Linda Steel).

December - Back into the swing of things with another Wedding Cake to make,
DS#1 moving OUT of home prior to his January Wedding
and DD & DSIL moving IN - until their new home is built.

The shops are full of bustling people and traffic jams and strange men dressed in clothes that are way too hot for todays 41c temperature -
Really? Red Wool and Fur?
I feel that there must be something?
Have I forgotten something ... What could it be?

Well I'm ready even if you are not!

Oh that's right - CHRISTMAS!
I wonder if I could postpone it until ...next JULY!

Scatterdays - C

C - Sunday.   Sunday Church service at Wesley United in Lonsdale Street in the City of Melbourne.
(If you are ever in Melbourne - check it out, they have the First pipe organ in the colony (1842) and it is played every Sunday, Wednesdays for recital concerts and also for Weddings)
Wesley has a thriving Cross Cultural Congregation.

C - Wet.  Clare Caravan Park in the Beautiful Clare Valley Sth Aus. (one of Australia's oldest wine regions) was a stop over point in a touring holiday some years ago.  We woke the next morning to the sight of a very Wet park around us. I was very glad we were in a Cabin, yet concerned for the folk who set up a tent at the bottom of the hill...

C - Round.  Hmmm - The next thing on my list of things to do is start making another Wedding Cake (for DS#1*) ... This one is going to be a much easier ROUND Cake.
(Photo is of round Cake dummies - used to add extra tiers to Celebration Cakes without the expense of making actual cakes, that may not get eaten.)

(* yes folks ... another Wedding and in less than 6 weeks time!)

C - Colourful.  One of the things I have had to do this week is to empty the bungalow at the bottom of the garden so it can be used as an extra bedroom for the next 6 months.  This gave me the opportunity of Collating my entire Collection of Quilt fabrics into one Colourful Cache.  I now have a Conundrum - What will I use first?

Before I sign off - Just a couple of shots from my day today -

C - Cake Decorating Christmas Meeting
with a Demonstration of how to make a Cyclamen.
(These are not real ones they're made in Sugarpaste!)

C - Children confidently playing Christmas Carols in the End of year Concert.



And next is the FINAL installment in our Year long Scatterdays journey through the Alphabet - so join me on the 21st December and see what I have found for our last letter Y.