Yet another Sewing Room makeover

It all started with a simple text message from DS#1...
"Hey Mum.  Did you have a use for my old table I made in High School?

I don't want to see it go but have no use for it."

Oh bother! I didn't want to "see it go" either - So many memories Good and Bad are tied up in that beautiful Timber and Metal table.

Considering He'd also recently returned 'Nemesis' - my Desktop Computer - and DS#2 has once again, updated for me.

(I am not sure how much of the original build is still left!)

It seemed fitting that I put the two together and at last give myself a computer area.

The only problem with that was - it didn't fit in the Sewing Room.

Or rather - it didn't fit the way things were!

Time to get rid of the "Make Do"
I have had for the past 5 years or more and make something permanent!

First Stop - Officeworks, to get a table.

Hmmm, the Top was perfect but the (optional - choose your own) legs made the whole table so unstable they had to go back!

Then to Ikea.
Which is nowhere near where I live!

Their Desk tops were Hollow-core so no good for what I wanted to do - which was, of course....

Cut a whopping big hole in the top of it!

Which wasn't as easy as it looks.
But we got there.

Then it was some more aerobics to fit a shelf underneath the hole (with the aid of some curtain track brackets form Ikea).

The table top is now secure, sitting on 2 Ikea drawer units (which are way more useful than wobbly legs any day) and fixed to my Cutting/Work table with a set of these nifty "attach table to bookcase" brackets.

So here it is ... the latest incarnation in the quest to find the perfect spot to sew.

It is NOT going anywhere any time soon and I defy it to wobble!


Now, Where did I leave my Quilt binding?

Well, Hello There . . .

I would like to introduce you to Bessie.

She is my new ride
She came with a LOT of Whistles and Bells for me to learn


And a Big Red Ribbon!

She came with just 16 km
on the clock

I plan to change that!

She has her own new Log Book - ready to record all those adventures DH and I plan to have in his Retirement.

With her Built in talking Street Directory, Access to Google Maps via my phone AND Old faithful Myrtle as a back up we shouldn't get too lost!

"Live Now; 

Make Now the most Precious Time.

Now will Never Come Again." *

                             

Jean-Luc Picard - StarTrek Next Generation

Twenty-two Years of Adventures..

Where have you been?
        "There and Back Again"

Why?
        "... to see how far it is"

How long did it take?
       22 Years.

It was July 25th 1997 when I drove my first ever brand new car Home for the Very First time.

And looking through the Albums for that First Photograph of my new car has definitely been a Trip down Memory Lane!

She has faithfully and Safely taken us to Adelaide and Yarra Glen.

From Limestone Caves at Buchan to Pelicans at Streaky Bay.

And the most Southerly part of Mainland Australia at Wilsons Prom to Deniliquin in NSW!

We have driven along the Coast and through Majestic Trees of the National Forests.

Down many "Rabbit-holes" seeing what is around that corner or where the road will take us.

On Bitumen and Dirt and sometimes Sand.

With Three at once on Learner Plates.  Now THAT was an Adventure!

Each time we climbed aboard we trusted her to bring us home safely.

And sometimes - just sometimes we were reassured that we would be kept Safe.

Only ONCE in 22 years did she ever leave us "High and Dry" but even then we were but a few Kilometres from where she was built and Help was at hand.

10 years later that Muffler repair was still going strong!

22 years of Hey Mum can you....

Pick me up at the Train
Come get me I have the 'Barry Sax'
I need a Freezer - can you help
We just bought two 12 foot trees.......

22 years of Recording
Every trip to the Petrol Station
Every Odometer reading
Every Price per Litre for every fill

All - 850 times
34,529 Litres
260,648 km
How much? - I could but I didn't!

Today with more than a few tears
I said Goodbye to my Old Girl.
As she "Sailed off into the Sunset" without Us.
Our journeys together are now over and She has been donated to
"Kids Under Cover"

Perhaps she will find someone to take her on more adventures.

I will miss her greatly.

Temperature Quilt Update

My opening line for this post was to be
"My Temperature Quilt is Plodding along - slowly..."

But then I realised how daft that sounded for, by it's very nature, this is actually a Mystery Quilt that will take all year to complete!

And this project is to be a Quilt for the bed - my walls are warm enough!

I am faithfully recording the Top and Overnight Low temperatures each day and making up my blocks when I get a chance to - usually each week/fortnight....month...
OK well, I have done a month and a half!


The weather has been Beautiful - which means there is not a lot of variation in my blocks and I Have been praying for rain.  Not just for the Water Catchments, or the Bushfires, or even my own Garden..

I am also including an "Atmospheric" component as my background fabric and unless we get 92 days of rain (defined as "Did I get wet today?") I am going to run out of my "Dry Day" background fabric!

I do have a backup plan of "Dreich" a Scottish term for Dull and Miserable for those truly terrible days.
This fabric could add a Windswept element  to the quilt.

It is looking interesting so far - but I am debating with myself...

Should I sew them together in long strips of 22 patches - OR perhaps make up Blocks of 9 patches and sew these together in big chunks?

Decisions...decisions!

For Christchurch ....

My heart aches for this Beautiful City and Her People 

that have endured so much.

Backyard Garden Update

Things have been a bit out of kilter for me since DH retired - Everyday feels like Saturday and then I realise it is actually Thursday and I have missed Wednesday completely!  .... now where was I?

The last report on my Back Garden Project was Christmas Eve and it was looking like there was something happening...

- It was finished enough for the immediate family and Christmas.

But there was little time to rest as it had to be presentable for DS#2s Engagement Party on the 16th February.

At this point I wasn't sure what to put where and I didn't want to plant-up large plants until I had a better idea of what I wanted the garden to look like.

It needed Flowers 

- Lots of Flowers! 

Some Mega-Punnets of Marigold seedlings from Bunnings was the cheapest option.

And DH was happy to help with measuring out how far apart I should plant them - as well as 'expertly' distributing the mulch.

Then all we need to do was give them a GOOD Watering -

Which was provided by the Lord Above...

Maybe we didn't need QUITE so much,
but when you are actually in a drought ...
every bit helps!

(It rained like this for 10 minutes and we have not had a drop for a month.)

Now all we had to do was
Watch and Wait...
Each morning the plants were a little bigger and each morning a few more flowers were blooming.

And by the time the Party Day arrived there was an acceptable display of colour.

And now....

The Pollinator Garden is in Full Bloom.

The Marigold Border is a picture (and happily providing free seedlings).
Pink and White Cosmos sway in the breeze, intermingling with Lavender and Strawberries.

I even have a Rosella bush blooming in the background.

That will be interesting to see how the fruit turns out!

Maybe not enough for Rosella Jam but maybe I will be able to preserve a few of the Calyx/Fruit.

And -
I have Happy Bees
(and other insects)
enjoying the flowers.

I sit on the deck with my DH and a Cup of Tea and we say...

Why haven't we done this before?

Getting Back into Quilting - ALMOST. . .

The Garden Reno is as finished as it can be for the moment, and it was way too hot to be out there anyway - so I thought it would be an idea to get started on my New Quilting Adventure for 2019.

I have resisted Quilt Fads (Like Jelly Roll Quilts etc) but the Temperature Quilt has sparked my Interest and I thought I would give it a go.  So from January One I have been taking note of the High and Low Daily Temperatures -

I have collected a range of fabrics from my Stash which I think will be appropriate. And I have worked out a pattern - as none that I have seen online have been suitable.
So with all my things around me I settled down at my work table . . .

Oooooh! (Says newly retired DH) seeing you have your machine up - Would you take up my new trousers.  And while you are at it . . .

 ...could you do something with my Pockets?

How many Trousers are there?
One needing Hems and Three that need Pocket repairs.
(8 pockets in total)
You are Kidding? 
No?

How does this happen?

Well - patching was not an option - And my valuable Quilting time went 'out the window' when I picked up the seam-ripper.

As I handed them back to him I only had TWO things to say...

1. You owe me BIG time.

and - 

2. You are VERY lucky I did not use "Itty Bitty Kitty" Fabric in there!