Christmas came Early

Christmas when we were kids was easy -

You woke up unwrapped Presents, 

Had a very big Lunch

Went to Grandmas via Uncle's Place

and were back home in time for Dinner.

(photo typical of Aussie Christmas c 1965)

Then you got Married. 

In-laws did Boxing Day

You wanted Christmas Day

Your Family wanted....

Then your Kids got Married and ....

Its all very complicated!

So THIS year we decided to Have Christmas Early - Very Early.  

No one else wanted December 8th !

The Table was set 

and the Meal Prepared - 

Allowing for 6 different dietary requirements

and 4 Toddlers

The Christmas Biscuits were NOT deemed too Pretty to eat.

And as far as Little Miss P was concerned 

"If I eat it with my cutlery then it IS my Main Course"

After Lunch -

Gifts were exchanged

And the Children begged to be allowed to "Go to the Park".

Before all clearing off and leaving Us to the Washing Up...

And That is the Way it Should be.

Merry Christmas Everyone !

Happy Leap Day

 

Stowaway Frog would like to wish Everyone 

a Very Happy LEAP DAY

(and let you know that he is too little for his own Blog but you can follow his adventures on Instagram )

Argggh - It's December already

I do this every year - 

Every year December comes around EXACTLY when it should, 

so why does it 'sneak up' on us?

I can't get into the swing of the Festive Season until the last Birthday of the year is Past.
THAT happens on the 3rd December.
I spent all day Monday making Black Forest Birthday Cake - and when I was  finished I was too tired to cook Dinner....

Why? they ask, does She wait until the last minute to bake a Cake?

Unlike these Two who decided to watch Spring turn to Searing Summer through the back door - I had other things to do.

There was Christmas Break-up Lunch and Demonstration at Cake Decorators to attend.

I didn't feel like going but then I never do and once I am there I am glad I went.

It was a fun demonstration. Instructing us on making adorable figures for a Christmas Cake topper.

And then we had some Transport problems which started off with a Fire, which closed Sydney Road and the 19 Tram line for almost 24 hrs.

There was also an issue in the City Loop which stopped all trains going through at the same time a Sell-out Bon Jovi Concert finished.

Trams were packed and sometimes held up. (Note: If you are going to get yourself arrested - It would be greatly appreciated if you don't do it on the tram line!)

So why was it a problem for Us?

We were waiting up for that "Pick us up at the . . ." Call from DS#2 and his GF who were in the City on a Special Date.

Dinner, MSO Concert, Romantic walk along the River, Ice Cream and - a Proposal!

It was a VERY late night!

* * *

Ah Yes - It Is December already!

A long time ago

We were given this card

35 years later we are still happily paddling together

(and in the same direction!)

My Beautiful Rose

Shakespeare wrote in Romeo & Juliet

 "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

It has long lost it's label so I can't tell you what it is

It grows on the fence beside the garage -

Never watered or fertilized.

Yet I wake some mornings with the heady fragrance 

of this beautiful bloom

on my pillow.

Everyday is Valentine's Day.

Easter Sunday

God sent HIS Son - They called him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove 
My Saviour Lives.

Because He lives - I can face tomorrow

Because He lives - all fear is gone

Because I Know - He holds the future

and Life is worth the living -

Just because HE LIVES!

In all the Festivities, Chocolate and Family get togethers -
Let us not forget the reason for the "HOLY-Day"

Because He Lives

by Gloria & William Gaither

Happy Anniversary

That makes 32 !

I just love being taken out for a special occasion and have the Restaurant do something nice and unexpected like this.   

Graduation -

Monash University 2nd May 2013
Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems

DS#2 with his lovely GF 

(who graduated DUX - she's pretty pleased about that).

After the ceremony 

Big Sister made sure he was perfectly presented for his photos.  

DS#2 stated "At least I graduated in a decent colour ..... Circuit Board Green!"

Happy 90th Birthday Dad.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words ....

I think he liked his cake

They tell me it's Autumn...

Autumn in Melbourne is a beautiful time of year.
The weather does what it wants, often giving us warm to hot days and cool evenings.

And trees are getting the idea that their shade is no longer needed and it is time to rest.


So what I have been up to this week?

LEAVES! - remember these?  They are the sentinels that make up border no 1 of Hearts Desire.
There are 4 sides to the quilt
12 'Trees' per side
3 Leaves per tree = 144  leaves. (5.5 cm long and needle-turned)
93 down - 51 to go!


With so many leaves to do at once - a production line seemed to be the way to go.

I found the easiest method was to dampen a small sponge with water and a good spray of Starch, and just moisten my fingers with the mix whilst turning the edge over my freezer paper templates with the detail iron.

It was definitely a lot quicker than painting the liquid starch on with a brush.

Well, there is my tip for today
- now I had better get back to stitching them all on!

The Party's Over....

I have been a wee bit quiet lately and that is due partly to the fact that I needed to get the house and garden ready for our DD's Engagement Party.
There was plenty to do in the Back Garden.
DS#2 came out of his computer and up the trees - pruning saw in hand to open up the canopy and let some light onto the struggling plants underneath.

DD helped with the weeding, while DH swept and shredded and shifted 'stuff' that was way overdue for a trip to the tip -
When it was finished the garden looked a treat and ready for anything! (Considering it is still recovering from years of drought and water restrictions.)

- And, I got a LOT of maintenance done too.  ;-)

The Party was a hit and the next day I woke to 60 Helium Balloons hanging beautifully in the back room - looking somewhat like a giant Galileo's Thermometer.

And to try and work out what to do with the left over food - some of our guests didn't understand that "Bring a Plate" meant just that - to bring one plate of finger food to share.  So I ended up with enough food for THREE times the number of invited guests!

Then there was the traditional after party task of turning that beautiful fruit that had been the base of my Grandmother's Punch recipe......






....into
MARMALADE!

I really have been spoilt this week

Sunday was Mother's Day and whereas my 3 are not usually known for co-operating with each other they seem to have coordinated my Mother's day gifts rather well.

Apparently they had no idea what each other had chosen until they got home from their shopping.  To make things even more intriguing --2 of my gifts actually came from the same shop!   Well, maybe that bit may have been orchestrated.
Either way  I have a gorgeous Glass Teapot to show off the lovely Tea Balls which open up in the hot water into an awesome flower that spins inside the bowl of the Pot while it infuses.  And then a sweet Tea Cup and Saucer to set off the theme.

And.. today was our 31st Wedding Anniversary.
My wonderful DH presented me with this beautiful shawl pin from his new "Favourite" Shop.

It is based on a Spiral Shaped Bronze Age Armband c. 1500 BC and sits rather comfortably on my red Pashmina.

What's news.......

I have been a bit distracted lately with a whole heap of things happening on the "Home Front".
Easter has come and gone - with us attending 2 very different Church Services.  A modern Pantomime style remembrance on Good Friday in a renovated  'Warehouse Church' where DS#1 attends, and to the other extreme a very formal Celebration with my parents on Easter Sunday, at one of Melbourne's oldest Churches in the City .

At the same time I have been helping DS#1 get ready for a 3 week trip overseas with a Music performance group.
I will be glad when he is back and he only left Wednesday night!

And... also been busy making a quilt for my Challenge Group.  This month the challenge was to make a quilt with a WORD on it - and quilt labels didn't count ;-)
Having 'come on board' with the Aussie Hero Quilts program for the Guy's and Gal's overseas (see link to their Blog on my sidebar).  I decided to make my challenge piece the recommended size for a Hero Quilt.  It was almost finished when we got an email asking for any "Quilts with a VERY Aussie theme" for an extra special  recipient.  So, my quilt is one of the first 3 that are going to very special unknown members of our Armed Forces who have been injured and are in Hospital.


The design is based on an enlarged version of Helen Godden's  'Four in the Raw' tutorial featured in Australian Quilters Companion No 46 (Dec 2010)

Matthew 28:6

He is not here......

He is Risen!

Hallelujah... 

God sent His Son, They called Him Jesus,

He came to die, heal and forgive

He lived and died, to buy my pardon

An empty grave is there to prove, My Saviour Lives!

Because HE lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives - all fear is gone.

Because I know He holds my future

and life is worth the living, just BECAUSE HE LIVES!

Hymn by Bill & Gloria Gaither

Oh Look - It's my Anniversary.....

This time last year I sat at my laptop in fear and trepidation and wrote my first Blog Post.  And I worried about what would happen when I pressed that POST button on the bottom of the page.

12 months later and I have shared much more than a tip or two.  I have let you look through a small window into my life here in the place I call home - Melbourne, Australia.

So, Thanks for dropping in on my ramblings over the past year.  Some of you have become faithful 'followers' some have grown to be friends, some just lurk in the background and enjoy what ever it is that brings you back.  I certainly hope it is my quirky sense of humour or is it that you just don't quite know what I will come up with next!!!

'Til next time, keep smiling. Cheers Wendy

Happy New Year

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

Give me a light that I might tread safely into the unknown.

And he replied – 

Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.

That shall be to thee – better than a light and safer than a known way.

                                                      M. Louise Haskins

A delightful evening

You walk into a beautiful venue with perfect acoustics, you sit and listen

 - eyes closed to a string Orchestra playing

 Transylvanian Tango by Zac Wallmark and

William Hofeldt's Soaring Spirit.  

It is only when you open your eyes you remember that the piece was being played ....by children. The youngest just 5 or 6 years old.

It is followed by the older group - The Youth Orchestra - playing Robert W. Smith's Into the Storm and Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain.

I decided to concentrate my lens on the hands of these talented musicians - - 

Every hour of practice, every minute of rehearsal is worth every second.............

Happy Thanksgiving

A long time ago, before I knew that quilting was the enjoyable past-time that it is, I was drawn to the beautiful fabrics that make up the pallets we work with.

This print - believe it or not- was the first piece of Quilting Fabric I ever bought.  I didn't know what to do with it.  I just had to have some.

That year we had an exchange teacher at my Children's School.

Her name was Susan and she was from Colorado.

Realising that she was a very long way from home and her traditions, and that she would be away on school camp on Thanksgiving I knew what to make with this beautiful fabric.

I made her an apron - and she took it to camp and wore it on Thanksgiving Day.

When I look at this remaining piece I am thankful that it took me into a Fellowship that spans the Globe.  One that cuts through the barriers of Race and Colour and Language of Age and Experience.  And I am thankful for the friends I have made.

So to all those who are celebrating today - Happy Thanksgiving.

30 Years - That's Pearl.

Our 30th Wedding Anniversary. 
And what better way to Celebrate it than a night out - Without the Kids!

The Langham Hotel

Southbank - Melbourne

View from the 17th Floor

Towards Princes Bridge

Early Evening.

Across the Yarra River

Towards Flinders Street Railway Station.

Cake

Compliments of the Management!

(It's always worth mentioning 

if it is a 'Special Occasion')

A Wonderful Night Out.

The Mikado

Opera Australia

State Theatre, Art Centre

Melbourne

So Much Fun!

(No Photos allowed so this is from 

Opera Australia Website)

The City Lights.

Reflected in the water.

Sunrise over the Yarra.

The Skies Awake - 

Hot air Balloons greet the Dawn

...and so does the River.

Rowers out in the Cool of the morning.

Just a Portion of the Beautiful Breakfast

The View from the Melba Restaurant

at The Langham.

(I could get VERY used to this!)

Being TOTALLY Spoilt...

Complimentary Lunchtime desert from

ALLEGRO RESTAURANT AT WESTIN HOTEL MELBOURNE

We had a Wonderful Time

and 

"Here's to the Next 30!"