Scatterdays Postscript

For those that have followed my blog over the past 12 months you will have come on a journey with me that spanned the alphabet and 117 photographs.
It saw me blogging from Melbourne to Michigan and back again.


Of all the folk that started - Just 4 finished all 26 letters.  Coincidentally 2 of us live in Victoria Australia and the other in Victoria BC - (Canada)
Today I had the opportunity to meet and catch up with Vireya (Aus) and Cathy (CA). Our 4th member Pauline, unfortunately for us, lives in Sydney.

It was a wonderful afternoon of song, laughter (and yes, some tears) with Cathy Miller (AKA  The Singing Quilter) and her DH John at the AIDS Memorial Quilt Making Weekend at Altona.

Cathy showed off some of her wonderful quilts and
regaled us with her stories.
It was good to get together before the show and discover that each one of us have had an intense year and Scatterdays was a welcome distraction.

We will miss the fortnightly posts.
But - you never know - maybe one of us will come up with something else to chase with our cameras for 2014 !

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This one was originally made for the impending birth of my first Great Nephew, from a pattern to showcase a fabric line called Kazoo Strings (not that I used that fabric of course).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.

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.

Scatterday - G (The Wedding Issue)

G - Today's letter Is for Gold Wedding Bands, 

Glorious Weather, Gleeful Guests, Grinning Groom and a Gorgeous Girl! - 

But those are MY Categories that can easily fit this weeks Scatterdays post.

But our Official Categories are:-

G - Body: A lot of Brides (and their Mothers) worry about how their Body will look on the day.
But no worries here -
Our GORGEOUS GIRL looked GLAMOROUS in her GOWN.
And the 2 Ring-bearers (my Great Nephews) didn't look too bad either!

G - Hobby:
As you all know one of my Hobbies is Cake Decorating and my GRAND IDEA was to make her Wedding Cake and to decorate it with GARLANDS of Handmade Sugar Flowers to match her bouquet.
And I can now reveal that the Blue Flowers were actually the colours of the Other GIRLS - our Beautiful Bridesmaids!

G - Lunch: 
Ahh! Lunch... I don't think I had any, BUT our Beautiful DD did manage a GLASS of Milk.
And that other meal - Not Lunch but actually Dinner yet called Breakfast (Go Figure!)

G - Green: 
A GASTRONOMIC delight awaited the GUESTS at the wonderful
Sails by the Bay at Elwood.
And I was delighted to see that the Vegetarian Option was several glorious shades of GREEN!

Now for those few extra G photos ...

G - GOLD Wedding Rings








G - Grinning Groom and a Gorgeous Girl

G - Gleeful Guests..

Our friend Dave managed to 'photo-bomb' every camera in the house!
He had a ball!

and  last but not least...
The Good Lord gave us
a Glorious Day
and Blessed Us with
a Perfect Sunset,
complete with 'God-rays'.



and coincidentally sailing off into the Sunset - The Spirit of Tasmania...
But that is another story and not mine to tell!

Scatterdays - K

Oh my goodness - What happened here?
I must be a total Scatter-brain for forgetting Scatterdays this week!
In my defense - It wasn't on the calendar.

K - IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD: KODAK Factory - This place where dreams were developed has been a part of my neighbourhood for 50 years.  My Parents watched it rise from the ground and return to the dust again.

Now, with the advent of the digital age of Photography the factory is no more and this valuable land, so close to the City of Melbourne is providing a new generation a place where new dreams are once again being made.  I miss it's big chimney, for as it loomed into view - I always knew I was almost home.

K - EDIBLE:  KEWPIE Mayonnaise - It is the consensus of opinion from some members of my household that this may not actually be edible. But here it is... in my pantry, bought solely to compliment the Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes) I (try to) make occasionally.


K - CONTAINER: KLIP IT Containers - A New Zealand product that has certainly cornered the market for storage.  I pick these up whenever they are on half-price special and have many now scattered across my various hobbies.  I am sure there is not one room in my home that does not have at least one of these containers in it - I even have one with my (meagre supply) of makeup in it in the bedroom!


K - KING SIZE in the SEWING ROOM:

Hmmmm does a King Size Mess count? or perhaps a King Size Headache? What about a King Size project for next year?
TWO Wedding Quilts, already booked in to be custom quilted by Christmas 2014 and I haven't even started yet!  At least I know what DD wants, and DS#1 - well I think maybe he will get whatever it is I feel like making...

Well, that it it from me for this week, it has been a fairly long post.
Next Scatterday, brought to you by the letter G, may be late as well as it is due the day after my DD's Wedding.
Can I work up these Categories along with Wedding Themed Photos?

Scatterdays - P

When I think of the letter P- I think of Pirates,
the ones that come from Penzance of course.
But todays categories are not from a
Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta.








Today I had to locate a Piece of FURNITURE . The photo that I have chosen is of  a PICNIC Table. Hmm The PERFECT PLACE to boil the billy while keeping an eye out for Pirates.... ?

I also had to find a BOOK the title of which started with the letter P - What better choice could I make but J M Barrie's PETER PAN?
If ever you have the opportunity of reading an ORIGINAL copy of this wonderful novel - you will certainly find the description of the notorious Pirate Captain Hook one of the most eloquent pieces of literature ever written.

I was going to post a photo of a Porcupine Quill for the next category which is ANIMAL, but I can sense a theme going on here ...
so I thought another sea themed photo of these PELICANS that we met at the Pivot Point of our adventure holiday at a town on the South Australian Coast called Streaky Bay.
(I'd like to see a Pirate with one of these guys balanced on his shoulder!)


And that just leaves me with a P category from my sewing room that is P for P.I.G.S no, it is not another animal but the Quilting term for Project in Grocery Sack...

A collection of fabrics or kit that is still in the bag it was brought home in - no matter how long ago that may be!

I don't have any Pirate Themed fabric (I do have a lot of Nautical fabric ... somewhere) But I will leave you with the very beautiful PINCUSHION kit (by Helen Dafter) that I couldn't resist - yet here it lies like buried treasure, in the bottom of my PIGS drawer.


Join me in a fortnight ...
... What can I come up with for the letter K ?

Scatterdays "F" - the 'real one'

A few months ago I posted my very own (unofficial) F Category as I was (officially) happy to have finished a long term Quilt I had been working on.
But now the alphabet has finally caught up with me and it is time to hunt for the chosen F categories!

INSECT - 
Fireflies: I had the opportunity of watching these beautifully fascinating insects on a warm July evening in Alabama, but try as we might we just couldn't get one to sit still long enough to get a photo.

COUNTRY - One of the things that intrigue me about blogging is all the countries that my readers come from. And, believe it or not, I keep a list of these countries (at last count 82) but only two start with the letter F.  So a big HELLO to FRANCE and FINLAND!

SHOP - 
Freedom: It certainly wasn't deliberate - but I found myself at Freedom Furniture this week and discovered this awesome spare bed that folds inside a Footstool (well OK it's an Ottoman... but that doesn't start with F).

FUTURE PROJECT - 
Felting:  The thing about having a long haired Cat is that he needs a lot of grooming. The resulting tufts of ever so soft fur that collect in his brush has had me contemplating using it for a felting project in the future.
(Maybe when he is old and grey(er) I can make him a coat ........ ?

Well, that's it for today's Letter. Be sure to check back next time to find out what I come up with for the letter P.

Scatterdays - O

Ooooooooh can stand for so many things.
O is the circle that never ends.
O can express so many different emotions depending on how you say it...
But today O stands for....

DISCARDED:- 

OFFCUTS!
Secret Bridesmaids business....
Making the Wedding invitations
has resulted in many offcuts being discarded.

WORKPLACE:- 

People ask "What do you do?"
"Where do you work?"
This one is always a hard one for me to answer.
Stay at home Mum?
Domestic Goddess?
Desperate Housewife?

I have been known to call myself a PA - that's Personal Assistant to 4, (five if you count the cat).
So in my workplace I have an OVEN which I have photographed for you containing an OVAL cake tin full of ORANGES!

ARTS:- How timely it was to get the new OPERA AUSTRALIA 2014 Season program in the mail this last week.
Eugene Onegin is the journey from what could be to what might have been. In between lies the tragedy.
Playing Melbourne April/May 2014.

OLD:- I don't have anything starting with O that is terribly Old - so I have settled for sharing a photograph of the OLDEST thing I possess.




It is very worn so not at all valuable to any collectors out there.
But it was my Grandfather's so it is priceless to me.
It is indeed a George 3rd Penny dated circa 1797.



Just 6 more letters to go.
Will I be able to stick with it and get a complete set of Scatterdays posts?

You will just have to keep checking back to see!
12th October will be brought to you by the letter F.

Scatterday - J

What delights can the letter J conjure up for us today?

J can indicate a JOURNEY - and our first category is HOLIDAY.
We haven't been on a family holiday for quite some time, in fact it was way back in 2008 when we took off with the 3 young folk in the back of the Station Wagon and headed WEST - or was that South? - Well, we got as far as Streaky Bay SA before having to turn back and head home.

Along the way we stopped at Cape JERVIS where we discovered it was way too expensive to JUMP on board the ferry to Kangaroo Island - so settled for hamming it up and pushing over the lighthouse!

Built in 1881 and a length of 1680 meters, the Port Germein JETTY was the longest Jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.
We walked the remaining 1532 meters to find this bloke and his mate, taking time off work to go fishing for Blue Swimmer Crabs. (They were supposed to be painting the school hall.)
They said they were just staying until the beer ran out!

J - DANCING:  All right the obvious photo for this post would be Jitterbug dancing BUT as I prefer to use my own images...
I came up with a just awful snap of a lot of JUNIORS JOYFULLY Jumping into the Macarena at my Brothers 50th Birthday bash.

J - TOY: Oh this one was easy!

Meet JUNE - she was my 6th Birthday gift from my Mum and Dad.
(Guess which month my birthday is?)
Her dress was made from fabric left over from a favourite dress my Mother wore.
Poor June has never had a new outfit. I have never gotten around to making her a one.

J - Japanese:
OK - confession time... the reason why my post this week was late... I was off being indulged!

This Gift Certificate for a beautiful afternoon of Japanese Massage and pampering, was my Christmas present from my DD and I have been saving it for the right occasion.

I trust you are all sufficiently Jealous!
...and yes! It was JUST what we needed!!!



What letter is next?
I haven't looked!
We are running out of them...
See you in a fortnight's time to find out!

Scatterdays - E

E is for:- I can't believe it was so difficult to find ENOUGH pictures for this category! But here is what I have eventually found.

Pantry - EMPTY Pantry, that still had to have everything shoved into it.  It looked so enormous when I saw one in a display home, and much more of an improvement on the erroneous design I had in my old kitchen.
(amazing what you can do with an old photo and a camera!)

Frightening - Spike - OK, Spike doesn't start with an E and he is certainly not frightening - but he is afraid of EVERYTHING. Who would blame him for being frightened of Electrical Storms? But even a gentle breeze or soft rain will mean we have to evict him from under the bed or behind the X-box.

Flower - Eucalyptus Blossom,  
Awe what more can I say -
It IS after all
the First day of Spring.

EXCITING EQUIPMENT -  This is a photo of what has been nicknamed the 'Everything-ometer'.  I am reliably told that this is a VERY exciting piece of new equipment for the Chem Lab.
It measures luminescence which requires you to energetically EXCITE molecules to an excited state - which has DD rather excited about her new piece of equipment.


Catch you in a fortnight for Scatterdays
which will be brought to you by the letter J.

Scatterdays - H

I am quite sure that H really should stand for ...
HOW the HECK did Scatterdays come around so Quickly?

But today's letter the HUMBLE H - has the honour of hosting the following categories:-

H - Sticky. My post this week is a bit late and it is due to this Heavenly Sticky mess! - It doesn't look much here but it is in fact a double quantity of my Homemade Wedding Cake mix.
I am very HAPPY that the cake is finally in the oven which is Humming away and filling the House with the fragrance of warm spices and baking.

For those who would like to see what this mix looks like once it is cooked you can  Click here to 'share a cuppa tea and a piece of cake'!

H - Wearable. 
Ok - this is my HAT and I am pleased to say it is STILL WEARABLE after it's trip to the US (on my head) and back again (shoved in the suitcase).

I actually had it made for me, years ago by a Millinery Company that sold to the public.  We have been through a lot together so it was only fair that I took it along with me.

H - Breakfast. 
Ahh - Brekkie! Those of you who have visited my other blog
(Myrtle & Me) will know that I prefer my Poached Eggs for Breakfast with a light coating of HOLLANDAISE Sauce.

H - Hiding Place. 
When I saw this category my mind went straight to a book I was given as a Sunday School Prize.
It is the Story of Corrie ten Boom a watchmaker from Haarlem, Sth. Holland who found herself working with the underground during WW2 and the Hiding Place they made in their shop.

I think I will read it again before it goes back to it's Hiding Place in the bookshelf.



Scatterdays will be back on the 31st August - with the letter E.