In the run up to Christmas

 What a morning I had this morning! My plan was to go food shopping at 7am when the green grocer opens and have my cleaner bring her keys to start at 8am. This afternoon I would drive down to Underhill to pick fruit. Up until today life has been a bit hectic but last night I thought to myself that I did not actually want to add a 4-5 hour drive before visiting Mum on Saturday and following that with 3 more choir commitments so I cancelled the Underhill drive.

Then this morning I woke up to find I'd had a blackout overnight and after checking all my circuits on my Solar Analytics app I realised it was only one circuit that was down, not the whole street or even the whole house. This was my fridge and freezer circuit! I boiled some water on the gas stove for a coffee and ate my breakfast before I did anything. Then rather than call an electrician I decided to go out to the switch box and see if I could fix it. Sure enough, one of the circuit switches was off. However, what had caused it? After a prayer and crossing my fingers I turned it back on. So far there has not been any big bangs and the house has not burnt down. Who knows what caused it?

I then drove to the shop but the lift to the parking lot was out of order so I walked through the shopping centre and eventually got to the green grocer. There were only 2 customers in the shop!!! Hooray. Then a long walk back to a working lift and home. I actually arrived before my cleaner so all ended up well and now my house is nice and clean for Christmas and I don't have a long drive ahead of me.

Yesterday I had an unexpected playdate with my grandgirls and we did lots of things that included delivering a hamper to Aunty Joy, walking up to 'Ma's Park' which looked 'boring' but in fact kept them entertained for a while.

A game of o's and x's

One elephant balancing

Scissor Jumps on the beam

Back home for curry for lunch (with beans which is always a hit).

We finished off some other hampers together and delivered one to new neighbours over the road.

We watched Klaus and did some jigsaw puzzles too. In all a long and happy day together. We even put up the play tent too.

Harvest, Holidays and Happy Times

 The last few weeks have flown past. I am being kept from starvation with lots of produce from my garden (and my spinach is not contaminated).

I had help putting up and decorating the Christmas tree and now have tinsel pieces all over the house. What fun!

We enjoyed a family holiday staying at Gerringong and swimming at Gerroa. We had the whole place to ourselves. The first few days were warm, fun surfing and cold water.

Then as the weather turned nasty, windy and cold we walked along fossil shores and found lots of interesting bits and pieces.

There was lots of drift wood on all the beaches too.

Then I returned early to Sydney to lots of singing...

First was the premiere of the ABC Classic Choir song for this year.

Click HERE to hear our song and see all the choristers.

Then there were two performances of Handel's Messiah in the Sydney Town Hall.

Photo from Sherie Barton - I sit in the RH gallery

Of course we also had our Lessons and Carols service at St Stephen's and that was really magnificent too.

I'm filling this week with catching up on emails, present wrapping and watching some Christmas movies.

There is still lots of singing with two services on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day. Then a quiet time until the end of January.

So Merry Christmas to you all. I hope the weather where you are is just as you'd like it and that 2023 is not quite so crazy as 2022.

Visitors and Harvest

 This week has been a busy round of visitors and a lot of hard work in the garden.

I had a surprise visit on Tuesday morning from Leigha, Arianne and Josh who had done an airport drop-off and were on their way home. What a lovely surprise to get an early morning call to ask if I would like a hug!

That evening Garry and Helen arrived to stay from Brisbane and on Wednesday we visited Mum and then Desley to catch up on family chat. Geoff and family came for dinner Tuesday to join the gathering.

Mum is looking well considering her recent medical traumas and was able to enjoy the family catchup.

This morning after Garry and Helen left at about 6am, Cathy came and we worked flat out in the garden. We harvested lots of spinach and beans and were even able to prepare and freeze all the spinach, keeping some fresh for dinners tonight.

Now it is time for me to have some lunch then sit in front of TV while I prepare the beans for freezing too. Space in the freezer is at a premium but I'll find a little corner somewhere.

Mum is home again

 After 3 weeks of visiting Mum in various hospitals she is home again and will be able to enjoy her own space again. Thanks to all those who sent their best wishes. I did pass them on to her. Thank you also for coping with me dropping in and out of various activities. I'll now be able to get back to it all.

Lots of Christmas music to invite you all to...

• Big services at St Stephens on December 4, 18, 24 and 25.
• Handel's Messiah in the Town Hall on December 17 and 18.

I've got a special quilting day on December 3 and also look forward to other quilting friends visiting at odd times over December and January.

Lots of fun and busy times coming up.

I Believe

 This is a quilt to illustrate a song I learned for an audition when I was about 16. I had to sing two songs but after the first one I was so nervous I did not sing this one.

Since then I have loved it but could never remember the lines in the order they came in.

When I was asked to sing it in Norway and failed yet again to remember the order of the lines I decided that, as a visual learner, I should create a quilt so sketched it on a serviette so that I would remember to do it.

The final result was nothing like this sketch but the idea was there.

I Believe - to listen to the song click here

I had most of the fabrics in my stash from various trips and gifts from friends. Some of them Surrey bought for me too.

I bought the rainy sky fabric in Vermont, USA and the flowers in Kendal, UK

Surrey bought the grass on a dark night fabric.

I bought the forests in Canada and the New England District of USA for a 'fall' quilt I was making at a retreat in Massachusetts with Marion, the footstep fabric is from Stephanie.

The ocean and sky fabrics were left overs from another project and were probably from Stephanie.

The aboriginal print was created by an artist in the NT and I bought it in Darwin. The choir fabric was given to me by Nola who sang with me each year in Chorus Oz (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs).

The doileys came from Carolyn and Graham and the lace from Cathy when I was making my Doiley Quilts. The wall fabric I bought in Vermont at a sale of fabrics damaged by a flood.

The screen print fabric was created by a first nations lady who I met in Ngukurr east of Kathrine in the Northern Territory. She even showed me the tree she drew.

The Northern Lights were inspired by my trip to Norway.

The background fabric for this block was given to me by Stephanie.

Such a lot of beautiful fabrics and wonderful memories are stitched into this wall hanging. Now I just need somewhere to hang it.

My first visit in 8 months

 With interruptions from other holiday trips,  eye ops and attendant lockdowns I went with Elaine to Underhill for the first time in 8 months this week.

We drove down on Thursday afternoon and visited Cal on the way who warned us of soggy roads and drives. However, with only a few slips at the low point of the Underhill drive we were able to settle in for the evening and experiment with cooking some prepared Madame Foodie meals over a wood stove. Hmm! It seems steaming them in some sort of double boiler affair works best.

On Friday morning after our coffee and breakfast Geoff and Ponyo arrived and we set to viewing the very green vegetation. Quite a change from the 'concrete' ground cover of 2019. 

                                   

The comfrey is fantastic and will make great compost

The household seedlings are doing well

The medlar is covered in flowers

Elaine had the duty of using our super magnet to find nails etc in the wood ash of the open fire then scattering the ash in areas where we do not drive.

Geoff tested his archery skills.

Greg and Ev arrived with Coco mid morning and Terry and Ellie not long after.

We enjoyed lunch together then headed off to inspect fruit trees and collect fire wood.

Geoff left soon after lunch and on watching him negotiate the very muddy, slippery drive now chewed up by three other cars coming since Elaine and I drove in we discussed the many options for everyone else getting out.

It was decided that as mine was the only 2-wheel drive I should go first and just park up the top for the night. This resulted in me getting bogged of course. The car just kept slipping downhill to the left.

Finding the towing point in my car

Then it was decided that Terry should drive past mine to get in front and pull me out. But in doing so his rear wheels kept slipping towards mine.

It was then a matter of digging mine out and just gunning it before Terry could get his out. 

After that debacle was over Greg was able to drive his All-Wheel-Drive out like a pro.

Needless to say, after Terry and Ellie had left Greg and I parked up on the road and I eventually backed mine a short way back down the drive for the night.

Smiles after the ordeal was over - just a little muddy

Before they left for home Greg, Ev, Coco and Elaine walked to the far dam while I had another experiment with Madame Foodie meals and a wood stove. Overflowing dams seemed the order of the day.

The oaks planted by Greg and Ev are doing well on the top dam wall

Back to wait for dinner then a short walk for Greg to look at the 'waterfall' before they went back to the big smoke.

After Greg and Ev had left for home Elaine and I walked some of our things to the car and just as we were walking back to camp huge drops of rain and then a cloudburst arrived. We got back to shelter just as the first few drops started.

Then the fun with the phone and caravan power started. It turned out the phone would no longer charge from the caravan batteries so I turned it off to conserve power in case of emergency. 

Another restless night for Elaine and I with a very strong gusty wind blowing. This morning we walked all our belongs over the swampy ground between us and the car. It only took two trips each.

I tried to charge the phone in the car and it would not charge there so I started to get a bit concerned. When I got home I plugged it into 240V and hooray! it started charging. Then I remembered I had had an auxiliary phone power pack in me handbag with me all along and could probably have used that. I must check it on this new phone.

We then headed for home after a very muddy, soggy adventure.