Hot, hot, hot!!

We are going for the records here in WA around the Perth area. We are actually in Pinjarra, about 100km south of Perth, but get similar weather. I heard thismorning that we have had 29 days of over 30 deg., and 19 nights over 20. Cant remember how far off the record of over 30 we are - think it's about 35, but the record for nights over 20 is 21, so that will be smashed in a couple of nights. Forecast is for another week of days over 35 degrees. And also high humidity. I'm over it. The poor garden is suffering, even tho we water 3 times a week (our quota). It's been over 37 for the last 4 or 5 days (at least) and they are telling us there is still another week of it yet. The killer is that the nights dont cool enough, so the house doesnt cool down. Anyone got any rain and cool weather they can send my way :-)

I'm off to get an iced drink.

Cheers,

Faye.

Morning Vista

As I was sitting having my breakfast thismorning I thought what a beautiful outlook. No wonder I love living here and dont really want to move. Almost every morning we eat out here, on the back porch. It faces East but because of the big trees you can see in the first photo, we dont get sun until mid morning. Most times I just take it for granted, but occasionally, like today, I do take time to "smell the roses" so to speak. The 3 photo's could be "stitched" to get an all round vista, but I dont know how to do that, so here they are, separate.

Hubby does most of the gardening. When he retired we had different ideas about what to grow, and where, so I said to him - you do the gardening and I'll be the helper. It has worked well, although I wish he would put in a retic system so when we go away someone only has to turn on the tap, or even just keep an eye on it. The watering takes at least an hour if done properly.

I'm working on my Bargello quilt top (from a previous post) and will take another photo of that when I get the borders done. Have also been making lots of 9-patches as the starters-&-enders, so that's another quilt or 2 almost done. Think I'll make them into baby quilts.

Sunday doings.

I've had a lovely day. Hubby has been helping a mate fix his car, so I've had the day to myself - a rare event. I finished off the quilt top above - well the centre of it anyhow. I still want to add a narrow black border and then a Braid border. I'm loving it so far. It's one of Bonnie Hunter's designs - Scrappy Bargello, and very easy to do and uses up heaps of scraps.

And this is what I've just bought in from the garden. Well, actually the rockmelon we picked yesterday and had half of it for tea last night - so lovely and juicy, right to the skin. The vine grew from a seed. I buried scraps in the canoe for a while and I had a heap of rockmelon vines emerge. We have picked about 4 so far and there are still 5 or 6 to come. The silverbeet I'm going to cook tonight and we'll have ginger & soy glazed salmon on spinach, probably with some rice and maybe pumpkin. The grapes have just started to ripen, and the figs I'm fighting the birds for. The parrots and wood chucks are having a feast, so I'm not getting as many as I usually do. I think I'll save these and see if I can get a few more tomorrow night - enough to make a small batch of jam. I made some a few days ago and it's very nice - especially on fresh bread with lots of butter :-) Am I too fat ..... too bad!

Till next time.

Cheers,

Faye.

I've done it!

Yep. I'm in my new room. My machine is now in the centre of the room, so I'll be able to quilt large quilts easier. Before, I was up against a window. Hubby bought me a new shelving unit and I've managed to fill it, and there are no books in it! He has allowed me to keep my bookcases in the other room, which will now be a store room. I've been "told" that I have to keep the 2 spare rooms as "bedrooms" now - which is all well and good, but I still need a place to lay out stuff and a bed is the best place. And if no-one is staying, I can leave it on the bed, - cant I?

This is looking from my sewing machine to my stash cupboard. I'm considering getting a ceiling fan, but for the moment this one does OK. The drawers behind the fan hold my "Bonnie Hunter" style scraps (1.5",2" & 2.5" strips: 2", 2.5",3.5" & 4.5" squares; etc). I use the trestle table as a desk to design, write notes and "play".
This one is looking in from the door. The trestle table is about half an inch higher than the Horn cabinet, but I'll put a bit of plastic or something there eventually, so the quilts glide over. A Piecemakers calendar hangs from the curtain behind the ironing board. I'm still fiddling with the shelving unit. It looks a little messy at the moment.
And this shot shows my cutting table (which is a bit higher than a regular table) and my new shelving unit. My cutting table is an old door on a couple of leg stands that we got from Bunnings quite a few years ago. HE told me I could have a new table, but this one does me fine.

I'm still changing things, but I think it's about right now. I'm so glad He agreed that my books could stay in the other room. One day I might take a couple of shots of my book/magazine collection. I've culled it quite a lot lately, but there's still way too many. So many things I'd like to make - too little time left to make them. The trouble is, the older I get, the more I find that I'd like to make. It just never gets any less - know what I mean?

Anyhow, I'm loving my "sea-change" :-)

Till next time,

Cheers,

Faye.