Last Seam

This afternoon I went to a quilting bee, (or more accurately, a piecing bee) and I had the fun of sewing the last seam to turn all the blocks into one big piece.

A border will be added later, but it was great to get all the blocks and bits together.

Heading Home

Here come the dogs!

All clean and beautiful after their stay at the kennels.

Last Day in Tassie

In Oatlands, we found the cold weather we had been lucky to miss all week.

Grey skies, rain, and an icy wind; the stone buildings look far from cosy, they just look cold.

The sign on the gateway informs us that this was the gate to the Oatlands gaol, erected in 1834. In 1939, someone thought it appropriate to re-erect it as the gate to the school.



Elm cottage looks surprised to see any tourists.

Cruise

Took a boat like this for a cruise off Bruny Island.


Saw seals, albatross and gannets in a feeding frenzy.


Saw amazing rock formations.


And visited some Australian fur seals.

Fantastic day!

Around Hobart Town

Do some shopping at Salamanca market, look at Mt Wellington in the distance.


Follow the sculpture trail around Battery Point.

This is called "Gift from the Earth", by Keizo Ushio of Japan. In fact it is not one of the sculptures which make up the trail. The trail is more informative than artistic.

Check out an antique shop or two.


Finish the day with chips from one of Hobart's floating fish'n'chip shops.

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens in Hobart are superb, even in the middle of winter. Just about every plant is labelled, and there are many special sections to keep you interested. Here are a few highlights.

The wonderful conservatory.


In the rhododendron garden, a fantastic vireya from New Guinea, Rhododendron tuba, was covered in flowers.

By the lily pond, another flowering shrub caught my eye — and my nose! The perfume from this Luculia pinceana from Nepal is lovely, and the flowers are delicate beauties.

Now I want to find one for my own garden.

Hobart's botanical gardens are brilliant!

If the Sun is Shining

Sundial made of farm equipment in Valentine Park at Campbell Town.


It works but has a problem at this time of year. To read the correct time, you sit in the seat, and turn a dial to position a shadow cast on the disk by the cog at the very top. However, this week the sun was so low that when you sit in the seat, your own shadow covers the disk.

It makes an interesting piece of sculpture, anyway.

Launceston

Visit to Franklin House, built by convicts in 1838. This view is from the back garden.

Inside I liked the old sewing machines:

After I had taken this photo I noticed a sign saying that it is National Trust policy not to allow photographs inside their properties. Oops...

Craft - Wonderful and Wacky

Visited Home Hill, the home of the Lyons family; former Premier and Prime Minister Joseph , the first woman elected to the House of Representatives Dame Enid , and their 12 children. The house is still full of the family's belongings. I loved this gorgeous table that is made of various Queensland timbers.


Later a stop at Railton, town of topiary.

Not all the topiary is as cute as the elephant. For example, the Tassie Devil has a little way to go:

Bon Voyage!

Off to Tassie for a week.

Sweet Violet

This tiny violet (Viola odorata) grows as a ground cover through much of my flower garden, at least in winter.

In summer it shrivels up, but it survives in shaded areas to spread again in autumn.

Trip to Sunbury

Went with a friend to the Sunbury Quilters' Exhibition. As well as the quilts to look at, there are always plenty of ways to spend your money at a quilt show.

It was a lovely day for a trip out of town.

Camellia

My sasanqua camellia "Showa No Sakae" which started blooming back in March is still going strong.

It seems to have contracted a virus this year, which causes those pale patches on some of the leaves. I've noticed a lot of camellias in the area with the same condition.

White Correa

Correa alba has been flowering for a while. I hadn't noticed how hairy the leaves and stems are until I saw this photo.

I suppose that's because I don't wear my reading glasses in the garden.

Blocks Assembled

While outside it was cold and windy, inside I sewed the rest of the blocks together.

I was very happy those swirleys met each other at the corner! It is not hanging quite straight here; the sashing in the bottom left is straight really. Next come the borders — first a grey one the same as the internal sashing, then something else I haven't chosen yet.

Assembly

Spent a bit of time today assembling my Red Delicious.

There are four more pieces to join in at the bottom left and centre. Maybe tomorrow I'll get them done.

Queen's Birthday

I'm not a monarchist, but that doesn't stop me enjoying the public holiday. My quilting group got together for afternoon tea, and a bit of stitching.

Trees Leave

Today the trees were loaded into the car,

taken on a trip to the hills past some rather larger trees,


then dropped off at another tree-grower's house. From there they will taken to the property where they will be planted out. It is nice when the growers are involved with planting the trees they have grown, but that isn't happening this time.

Farewell, trees.

Lunch in the Hills

To celebrate my sister's birthday, we had lunch at this cafe.

It was cold and wintry outside, but inside we enjoyed warmth and good company.

Winter Cheer

My nerines are just opening. I'm happy to see them because I thought they had all been pulled up accidentally during a vigorous weeding session last year.

I think these ones are a variety called "Winter Cheer". They definitely are cheerful, whatever their name.

Block 11 Done

A little more appliqué, and a touch of stem-stitch embroidery, and the last block is done.


Now I must decide if I am going to quilt it in sections, or put it all together first. Quilting in sections would be easier, but I'm impatient to see how the whole thing looks in one piece. What would you do?

Appliqué

Almost the last of the appliqué for Red Delicious.

The end (of the blocks) is in sight!

Not Quite Gold

The leaves on my tiny Ginkgo biloba are almost starting to turn gold.


On my way home from work today I walked past this slightly larger (approx 10 metres) ginkgo, which was glowing in the sun.

Not Convinced by Spray Basting

At a friend's home this morning I tried basting this small piece of patchwork with a spray product. It's a piece I made in a workshop a number of years ago, which seemed ideal for practising quilting techniques.


The basting process was very quick, and the piece was impressively smooth. Spray basting seemed to have some things in its favour.

However, after quilting the piece just a little, I noticed that the layers were shifting as it was manipulated through the machine. Around the edges the layers were separating. Here's a corner that is looking far from smooth:


I think future basting will be done using the more time-consuming methods.

It's Always Cold in Ballarat.

On my way to visit my mother, who is in hospital, a stop-off at the Mill Markets antique centre.

At one end of the shed, to keep customers from turning into blocks of ice, there is a huge crackling fire.

Trees are Ready

The manna gums (Eucalyptus viminalis) which were planted, then germinated, then grew, and some which were also transplanted,


are ready for their new home.

Max Hasn't Heard...

...that you should never eat anything bigger than your head.

Morning

Slight fog on my way to work.

Touch of Sunshine

The days are getting short, and today I was inside marking assignments for nearly all the daylight hours. I did see a little sunshine, though.

Soon it will be fresh orange juice time.

Hello Winter, Goodbye Facebook

Yesterday was "Quit Facebook" day, but I got in early and deleted my account on 20th May.

Since then, the facebook favicon in my bookmarks has changed:

Coincidence?