Begonia Festival

The Ballarat begonia festival was on over the long weekend, but I didn't attend it. However, the day after is a great day to be able to look at the begonia display in the greenhouse without all the crowds.

The floral display is amazing:

 This one in a hanging basket was probably my favourite:

But it is not just about the flowers, and there was a large section showing the range of different foliage begonias can have:

I have one like one of these, which I purchased at a market stall last spring. I wonder if mine will ever be as lush as these ones?

More Construction

I came home this afternoon planning to spend some quiet time relaxing after a stressful morning. But I was surprised to find this happening:

Builders at work!

They had lined the previously seen framework, and were adding the gold-coloured insulating layer. That will at some point be covered in colourbond steel to match the rest of the house. Also note the concrete base for the walls is in place. That was done earlier in the week but I forgot to photograph it in progress.

Belladonna

The first belladonna lilies (Amaryllis belladonna) are opening:

There are many more that are just starting to come out of the ground. They are later than they ever were in the city, which is not surprising, but are also later than other gardens in this area, which is surprising.

Unusual House and Garden

Last night we had the opportunity to tour a rather amazing place.

"The Old Curiosity Shop", built by James and Caroline Warwick in 1855, and decorated with "stuff" for the next 40 years.

The view of the outside today:

The oldest part of the building is covered in mosaics of shells, glass, and broken crockery. The temporary fencing in front is for safety reasons. The actual fence is a bit fragile at the moment.

This is part of the inside of that fragile fence:

Bizarre!

I've turned up the contrast on this shot, so you might just be able to make out "1855 WARWICK" in light stones in this corner of the garden:

The original shell mosaics are looking a bit sad, with many lost and broken shells, and all looking rather grey:

But the glass mosaics have kept their colour:

Some fascinating pictures taken in 1913 when everything was much newer can be seen here: State Library


This plate advertising the Coles Book Arcade caught my eye:

The Book Arcade closed in 1929. You can read about it here: The incredible Coles Book Arcade. Don't you wish you could visit a book shop with "a menagerie featuring a monkey house, a fernery, a toyland, a stationery department, a second-hand book department, a glass and china department, a refreshment room, and a confectionery department." Plus comfy chairs and a sign saying, "Read As Long As You Like – Nobody Asked To Buy."

The current owner of the house has added lots of her own whimsical touches to the garden:

One of several places to sit and enjoy the atmosphere:

Note the quinces ripening on the tree visible at the top left. That is one of two giant quince trees in the garden.


Another shady spot to sit and relax:

We went through the house as well, but I didn't feel comfortable taking photos because the owner actually lives there. But there is a newspaper article which includes better pictures than mine, and some inside the house, here: Warwicks Old Curiosity Shop.

It is an amazing place, and I'm very glad I got to see it!

Under Construction

Building work commenced today on turning this verandah-like area into my screened outdoor living room:

Meet the Makers Quilt-In

Fortunately the hall where the Lions Club Quilters held their Quilt-In today was air-conditioned:

Otherwise there may not have been nearly 90 attendees. I wouldn't have been there, anyway! It was a hot day outside. I was happy to sit and stitch in the aircon, and finish the binding on my Good Fortune quilt. That's it on the chair at the bottom right of the photo.

In stitching down the binding I managed to empty another spool of thread (Hooray), but I won a door prize which added 4 more spools to my stash (Oops)!

The main event of the day was a talk by Susan Mathews, about her artistic journey. I love her work, particularly those based on Australian native plants. I've shown one piece of her Banksia series on my blog previously, at the Golden Textures exhibition 2 years ago.

Today this piece, Ode to Banksias 7, was unveiled as the latest acquisition for the Quilt and Textile Collection the Lions Quilters are putting together:

This quilt has been awarded Highly Commended, Art Quilt Australia 2017, and Best Use of Colour (Innovative), World Quilt Competition 2018.

Susan used lino printing and screen printing to create the design, then added amazing quilting. A couple of close-ups to show how her quilting adds to the depth of the design:

Unfortunately I didn't catch the name of the thread she uses for her quilting, but its beautiful sheen adds to the sense of light in her quilts.

All in all it was a great day out, with good company, yummy morning and afternoon teas, refreshing aircon, and a finished quilt to show for it.

Bloom Five and Six

I've decided to make two blocks a fortnight, so that I can get this quilt finished in time for the Ballaarat Quilters exhibition later this year, which has a garden theme.

So here I am making pieces for blocks five and six:

And here is block five:

 And block six:

Since our last Bloomers Party I have finalised my sashing plan for my quilt. Here's the first row completed:

And the first half of the second row:

Which may look a bit weird so far, but I hope will start making sense once I have a bit more of the quilt made.

Linked to Cheryll's BLooMeRS PaRTy #4