Quilts progress and speeding journeys

It seems I shouldn't upload photos then wait a week to add the text, two of the photos are visiable and two have reverted to the little "X" thingy! I'll try again!

There were to be the next two stages of Jess's Japanese Quilt. I now suspect it is going to be very "busy" I found I didn't have enough material to make 25 x 7" blocks for the 50 half triangles, so I used two fabrics, I don't have high hopes for this quilt, it's kept me guessing right from the start.

This week I finished making the Dresden plates for Mum's quilt and I now have about 3 weeks to get it all together and hand quilt it - I doubt that will happen but I will have something for her.

there should also be two photos of the anthills! Darn - I just deleted the one that was visable, while trying to delete the others - oh well back to my other computer - which is dialup - ok new thought maybe I should do the transfer to memory stick and up load using my laptops broadband. I'm slowly getting the hang of switching information from one computer to another when they hold different programs.

These anthills are taken 20km east of Mt Isa - I know the exact location because after getting a speeding ticket, I sat on the speed limit and the journey was sooooo long I was loosing concentration so I pulled up and decided that taking a few photos would re-centre me.

I love the colours.

April already!

April Already.

My weeks continue to race by, although I seem to have slowed down, my days are fully booked and there's always work for tomorrow. This last week I travelled to Julia Creek and Richmond.

and I thought I'd add a map but technology has me defeated today. I made a great map using Google Maps but it won't let me copy it!

So here is someone else's map that shows the shire boundaries. Mt isa to Richmond is about 600km and around the halfway to Townsville point. The blue bit at the top is the gulf and the line on the left is the Northern territory border.

This weekend is the Julia Creek "Dirt and Dust" Festival, they expected around 3,000 visitors and with the usual population around 600 people on a day when the station people are in town this is a huge difference.

http://www.dirtndust.com/index.htm

Even at the beginning of the week, there were cars parked in the mainstreet and no bread or milk available, I think the locals were stocking up. On Friday as I came back from Richmond I stopped in at the hospital at Julia Creek to see a client and as I headed out of town about 20 kms out I saw a police car coming towards me, I wasn't at all worried I was sitting on around 110, then darn - he flashed his lights and pulled me over. I always sit on 110 ok, maybe 115km, between Cloncurry and Richmond the roads are straight and the view is endless. it's a 6hr drive and I'm heading home. I admitted to 110, which is the speed limit for most of the way - but darn I was in a 100km zone and doing 112. So annoyed - it feels such a waste of $100. I'm sure they were revenue raising with the crowds expected in Julia Creek, as they were from the Cloncurry traffic section and a long way from home. Usually I hardly see another vehicle let alone a police car.

But I did see some beautiful eagles, a whole mob of emus with the little ones trying hard to keep up and the grasses have red seed heads so as far as the eye can see is this mass of deep oche grasslands.

The size of these eagles is amazing - I used this photo to show the size they are. I had an encounter with two on a dirt road going out to a station. the road is one lane width, and there was a road kill the eagles thought belonged to them and they weren't going to give it up despite my need to pass. I revved the engine, having had to come to a stop, tooted and all they deigned was to regally look along the bonnet at me and continue with their dinner. It was me who gave up and took to the scrub to get round them.

What's in a name?

One of my tasks for Easter was to do some scrapbooking, as I want to record the stories that go with the photos of my kids growing up. I began to think of how we came up with their names and the following was the result.

What’s in a Name?
Carmen Jessica Olver
Jess was called Carmen Jessica because Jessica Carmen didn’t sound right.

Jessie because I really liked it
and then we found that her paternal Grandmother was Kathleen Marguerite Jessie Olver (6/8/1921 – 17/12/1974) and great-grandmother was Jessie Clegg.
Also her maternal great-grandmother was Euthemia Jessica Wilson. ( 7/5/1898-30/8/1982).

I chose Carmen in memory of my friend Carmen Veldsman who died in a car accident (1981) when returning from Victoria Falls to renew my visa.

What’s in a name?

Daniel Lanyon Olver.

Andrew and I chose Daniel while working in a polling booth at the Zimbabwe elections in 1982. Andrew claimed his son had to have a strong name and we agreed on Daniel, but he could have been a Mathew or a Charles.

Dan was always going to be a “Lanyon Olver”
His dad is Andrew Lanyon Olver (7/5/1952)
His grandfather was Sydney Obed Lanyon Olver (13/04/1920-17/05/1978)
His great-grandfather was Obed Lanyon Olver
(9/5/1897-27/12/1973)
His great-great-grandfather was Henry Lanyon Olver (b.1859)
His great-great-great-grandfather was Henry Olver (b. 1829) and he married Maud Lanyon (b. 1831) in 1853.
They emigrated to South Africa from Cornwall UK, around 1868 with six children.

Easter Saturday

I hope you're all having a relaxed, safe and enjoyable Easter. So far I've managed to achieve - or at least progress most of my goals.

My bookcase arrived on Thursday, and the books are being sorted. I've had fun decorating the top, I decided that the basics would be glass, with the odd piece of crystal, and have collected from through the house. My only complaint is that it only takes "standard" small books and a lot of my books seem too tall. I'll have to mix the themes but it's lovely to have the space to sort.

I gave in this morning and decided Easter = chocolate, I only have one piece of the orange and dark choc Jess gave me for Christmas left, so I went to Kmart. Then decided I'd rather have a Madagasca palm - like a pineapple on steroids, and is supposed to grow to 3m and have long spikes of white flowers. and I did get a mars bar!

Mum's quilt is progressing, and I've cut out the first stage of Jess' Japanese quilt, This is the first bit, I was suppossed to make 49 and somehow I made 100 - duh - two fabrics = half the number of squares! I'll show each stage so it's like a mystery quilt - except for cathy, who knows what it will look like. We made this quilt in a class with Trudi way back in the early 90's

I've even done a page or two of scrapbooking from 1983 and weeded half the Canna bed that runs along the ramp to my back door. So I'm feeling productive and relaxed. I even managed to work out how to use Facebook, and got a reply from MD. I think she thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth.

Happy Easter wishes

As you can see I've finally finished Ben's quilt. the colour isn't true, the brown is coppery with gold and the Chinese dragons are a strong bright red, purple, yellow and blue. My camera is usually good with colour so it must be the photographer!

This quilt was made for Ben for Christmas so he could learn about quilts, how they hold value on so many levels and how each stitch is made with the person in mind.

I'm looking forward to a quiet and hopefully, work free, easter break of 5 days. I actually hope to be extremely reclusive and not see a soul.

I plan to fill my days with reading, sewing, favourite DVD's, hot cross buns, maybe some gardening, and filling my new bookcase, due to be delivered tomorrow.
You'd think buying a bookcase would be easy? Ah -I forgot this is the Isa. But I did locate one, out of a choice of four, over 3 locations, that will fit the bill - I hope. I think the wood is darker than my others but it's a bookvcase and the right shape and could be delivered tomorrow. I plan to sort all my work related books so I have some hope of finding that reference I'm looking for. Most of these books are currently in a small book case and piled on the dining room floor.

My co-tennant (the mouse- I'm not naming him because he already thinks he belongs here!) is not very co-operative. I got an environmentally, and mouse, friendly trap, so I could drive him out 60km and let him fend for himself, and do you think he'll go near it? Not likely!

This is me at the Cloncurry Community Day last Sunday. I've discovered temporary tattoos don't come off in a hurry! My guardian angel was working when I got distracted by another kid wanting a tattoo, just when a kid was going to put one on my face. The one on my arm has started many conversations, in shops and at work - hhhmmm maybe I've found a good way to start conversations!

catching up

Driving home on friday I noticed the clouds were low and very grey bottomed, what ever that means we didn't get rain. For a wet season it is still so very dry here. The trees are green but the spinefix and grasses are all drying. I hope we get some rain soon my lawn is looking very patchy. I bought a gardenia to put in the pot by my front door- the so called hardy plant in it died while I was away - I doubt much lasts for long with no water for weeks and 40 deg temps! I realise a gardenia is ambitious but it smelled so lovely and I have visions of toparying it - so far it's co-operative but not flowering on water once a week.

I also have a new co-tennant. A small grey mouse has moved in and made himself quite at home - he seems put out that I'm around, and doesn't seem at all intimidated when I bang things and yell shooo! Tomorrow I'll go to the hardware store and by a mouse trap - I think I'm more afraid of a dead mouse than a live one!

I think my house is in general revolt, today I heard a loud bang in my bedroom and when I went in one of the wardrobe doors was on the floor- no warning, just fell out! Two front steps have collapsed and I'm struggleing to find someone to replace them - the joys of home ownership.

I'm catching up with my quilting swaps - I've finished the Elegant Elves swap and I'm waiting for mine to come home. I completed the Row X Row doing a row of Sunbonnet Sues in 1930's fabrics - I didn't think I liked these fabrics but.... more ideas and plans for future quilts. Mine should be on the way home too.

Life can be hectic!

I can't believe it's a month since I wrote - despite my New Year Resolution to slow down it's been a hectic and tough month work wise. There's been births, my 13 yo had her baby boy, deaths, sudden and tragicly a young Dad, with all sorts of legal complications - this is an indigenous family, he had a heart attack while taking a nap after lunch. The family called me (it was Sunday) and it meant dealing with police, forensics, child safety, finding family members to support his current partner and new baby and just the shock and grief involved. I was very honoured to be asked to speak at his funeral. And court cases that keep going pear shaped, kids running, back to court, more interviews, more afadavits, back to court and on it cycles. The only ones gaining from this seem to be the lawyers who make heaps of money. For the families involved its heartache and frustration.

I've been working long hours and trying to fit in some sleep and the occassional meal. My Team leader was in town last week and came to my house for dinner, we only manage to get together about 5 times a year as she is based in Normanton, we had planned for me to drive up there last week - the rivers were up so it wasn't safe to travel, and my work load just didn't allow any space. Barb bought me a bunch of beautiful Lillies - it did make such a difference, my whole house smelled wonderful and they were so beautiful - I have a photo and will add it when i'm home again. I was tempted to bring them out with me this week, it seemed a shame to just leave them, but a day in the car, even though our temperatures have dropped to the mid 30's, wouldn't have done them any good at all.

And I'm definately having quilting withdrawal, but I'm hopeing this week will give me some space.

I have Ben's quilt (his xmas present) with me and just need to stitch down the binding. I also have the last row x row for Trish L, and I've discovered 1930's/vintage fabrics - just what I needed - more inspiration! As I left town yesterday I picked up Terri's row for the new row X row swap - this has a Christmas theme, and i know I'm going to enjoy this.

Despite sketching, and playing with techniques I didn't get to finish the Choosedaychallange this month which was Acid, - it will now be added to the ever growing pile of UFO's! today we get the new theme for the month.

Last week really was awful and though I'm hoping for just some quiet suicidal and domestic violence stuff this week - it's already spilled over! But one of my little people had made me a bright red macaronni necklace yesterday, I wore it all afternoon and it lifted my day. I also called in to see my new Mum - she's 13 yo- and she's doing so well and baby Kobi is lovely - he managed to spew all down my skirt. So I spent the day smelling of baby puke and wearing macaronni necklaces - a good day!
There was also the 8am visit to the solicitor to sign my latest afadavit, and a visit till 7pm with the family involved in the court case - but a good day.

I'm hopeing for a less hectic and more peaceful week.