A picture says a thousand words...............

I was late coming home today............lucky I had my baby camera with me.......

Fairy girl found this little grass hopper on the road when i stopped to take some pics..........

yes another one for today.........

Hi All..........me again......2 posts in one day.........well remember Blueberry Lane was here flogging me along..........aka very kindly cutting borders...........here is another top finished..............the red quilt.....needs a name don't you think - do you have a suggestion............ it will be for my Mum I think..........shhhhhhhhh don't tell her....I did start this about 4-5 years ago..........

now it just needs to be quilted..........

and here is one of the presents I received today.................Thanks so much Blueberry and yes that is chooks you see here girls..........just perfect......

And as I have had my first taste of nasty blogland I would like to say THANKYOU to all the wonderful kind people out there I have met thru my blog............I appreciate every minute of this in my busy life............

Sewing day.........

I had a visitor today...........I had plans to work on a new quilt but once we started going thru all the things I had we just kept pulling things out and after a couple of "this is the border for this and that is the border for that" my day changed..........here is a quilt - I got the plain and nine patch blocks from ebay (not sure how many years ago)........someone had given up on them......

after 2 borders were sewn on it is now a finsihed top.........so my good friend took it home with her and she will quilt it...........now what did Blueberry Lane do while she was at my place..........well she cut the borders while I sewed them on (yes I know with that absolutely awful tiny rotary cutter - sorry)........she can come back anytime

oh and I forgot..........I got a goodies bag from Blueberry lots of bits and pieces in it..........thanks so much and thanks for coming out for a very enjoyable day...........hope we can do this again real soon...........even if you flogged me along to get some projects done..............I needed it!!!

The boys had a good time in the pool and both got our cameras and took lots of pics of nothing much and foul ones of us...........it's okay i am not going to post them..........but "bookworm" did take a pic of this long stitch that I did quite a few years ago...........

And I have found another new blogger - this was a girl in the SSCS and she only had webshots (bit hard to navigate for me) but now she has a blog so head along and welcome Lynda........it was quite by accident I found her blog and then it only when she replied to my comment I found out it was the same person.............welcome Lynda..........

til next post - I have so much to report I don't know what to do next.........I have a bit over a week remaining to enjoy the school holidays..........yippee no bus run yet.........

Italian post...........

Ciao ragazze italianevi comunico che ho avuto molte visite dall'Italia e sono sicura che non sono solo Teodo, Grazia e SimonettaNon è possibile che loro ieri abbiano visitato il mio blog 40 volte (più delle visite ragazze USA) fantastico.........Grazie per le visite mi piacerebbe scrivere anche in italiano ma a volte il traduttore funziona a volte no..........sono veramente dispiaciuta di non poter parlare nessun altro linguaggio che non sia Inglese.grazie a tutte le ragazze che scrivono in entrambe le lingue.apprezzo la vostra visita ma mi piacerebbe se mi poteste lasciare in commento così posso ritornare a trovare alcuni dei vostri blog.

Grazie

Chookyblue

PS grazie a Teodo per la traduzione in italiano.

Added - My good friend Teodo assisted with the translation...........sorry to confuse some of my Australian friends that were wondering where I learnt Italain..........lol........

Happy Australia Day

so what are you doing today - we are celebrating being Australian -

do something aussie - eat something aussie, read a book, wear some cloths, listen to Aussie music - sew from Aussie designers.........have a BBQ throw some lamb chops on the BBQ..........more info about the history of the day here

...........get out there and have a wonderful day...........

here is one of my favourite pieces of peotry

enjoy

My Country - Dorothea MacKellar
The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know, but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.
Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.
Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze…
An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand
though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!!

Addition.........................................

here is a link to Leanne's blog with my other very favourite poem and a wonderful Aussie post by another Leanne..........

look what came in the mail today

I ordered some cards and they turned up in the mail today...........several orders and they all came together...........soooooo exciting.........

some of my favourite pics........

I just LOVE flowers if you haven't worked that out yet...........

off to order some more...........I am so happy with these..........

Here is my centre block for the Roosting Robin I have joined up with thru QDU.......you can see the blog here that the other girls are posting to.........centre is free choice.......get the next step at the start of the month - can't wait

Take Care..............absolutely beautiful day here today...........

Meeting up............

Well we had chatted online for ages and to finally meet was so exciting........Jodie is so nice..........taking fairy girl with me worked so well the girls got on really well which made it easier for us to chat and chat and enjoy a champagne.........here is a photo of Jodie..........we swapped cameras and took a photo of each other......lol........

she made delicious food look here - gosh it was so yummy.............

We got started on Bea's stitchery BOM..........read each others sewing books

Some shopping mainly for Fairy girl believe it or not they have some winter clothes in the shops already.........Jodie took us back to Mt Tambourine Botanic Gardens where she had been the weekend before - beautiful........

it started to rain just as we got there and stopped and started a couple of times.........

Such a pretty place.........next post will be some pics from driving...............take care........

Capricorn Quilts BOM Stitchery

Hi blogland..........

getting back into the swing of things........just a quick post until I get things organised from my trip........don't feel quite so exhausted today thank goodness.........and I get to stay home ALL day....and clean (boring)

......this is a stitchery that Jodie and I started while I was at her place............we both decided to do Capricorn Quilts BOM stitchery........I helped Jodie get started and guess what she has a light box - yippee.........Jodie did hers in a pink colour and I chose dark green..........I may do some dark green and some blue and use blue and green to put it together..........

Thanks so much Bea for doing this - there are lots of girls doing this BOM stitchery - it is free and each month Bea will put up the new stitchery pattern so if you want to do this hurry over and get this pattern before it comes down and the new one goes up.........it is quite small and quick to stitch............there are about 40 pics on her blog and lots or German girls so if you want to find some new blogs it is a good spot to visit........often you can translate the blogs to English but sometimes I just cruise thru and enjoy there pics..........

Thanks for all the comments on my 200th post...........obviously lots do READ my blog as I didn't do the big grand heading and thought it would be interesting to see who commented..............but yes I do have a winner............Chookasmum.............you better email me your details very quick as you are a no reply blogger so I cannot contact you............and Solvi and Nicolette I have not forgotten your packages but I am waiting to receive something to include.........

Home again..........

Thanks for all the comments while away........I won't get to reply to them all so please accept this as thanks for stopping by and taking the time.............

I am home 8.5 hours driving ..........I did have a break over night..........did 5 1/2 hours today.................had plenty of breaks...........driving the last 150kms I only passed about 10 cars........got some goodies.........more about them later.........

Here is a photo from Mount Tambourine Botanic Gardens

The three muskateers ...........they got on fabulously ...........and loved the Botanic Gardens

The backyard view at Jodie's beautiful...........thanks so much for having us to stay

I promise I will write more soon but I am just exhausted.....

.....so if you have stuck with me so far this is my 200th post and i will have a little draw so you know what to do leave a comment and when i get the energy to do my next post I will do the draw so if that is tomorrow or next week who knows.............til next time take care...........

Living in paradise oh well holidaying close enough

so did you work out my grand adventure................well after driving in the rain for 4 hours and a stop over in a motel -fairy girl LOVES motels and driving for 4 hours again I finally stopped in Paradise.........well that is what Jodie calls it..........but man I would keep my dirt road one lane (both ways) as opposed to the 4 lanes of traffic and that is just one way...........but I got here and didn't get lost so that is pretty good.................and didn't cause any accidents in the traffic............

but yes it is so pretty here and she backs onto a waterway and the teps are cooler so yes it could be paradise............lol

we have chatted on the phone and online but now we finally get to meet...........

Fairy girl is having heaps of fun with the girls.....

Jodie and I chatted and chatted and chatted and did some hand sewing..........drank some champs and chatted some more but we run on different time our states and I am an hour later then Jodie and I was so tired I went to bed at 8.30 on her - I felt bad but she kept saying you have had a big drive and it is 9.30 normally for you..............anyway I am now up very early for her so jumped on the computer and did this post.............

Catch you all later............

Pooh's grand adventure.......

We have a story book by that name and that is what I feel like at the moment.........I am off on a grand adventure - well it is grand to me.......... and it will be for fairy girl who is coming with me and knows nothing of what we are about to do...............I will see how long it takes for her to work it out...........more news in a few days or sooner who knows..........I am so excited............must go and pack..........

as I can't post without a photo here is a rose I took a few weeks ago..........don't know what it is called sorry............it will brighten up those snowy days for my friends in the cold parts of the world ...............
---------------take care------------

You Make My Day

Hi all
well I have given up on trying to join in with May Britt's WISP completions for January........I have one skirt complete which I gave to a friend....
.......I have managed to start several other projects (totally against the idea of May Britt's challenge) and participate in a few new projects - more about them in a later post............
My time is rapidly getting filled for the next few weeks so who knows what will happen and when........
I have been honoured to receive the You Make My Day award from 4 amazing blogland friends...........Aunties Quaint Quilts, Gudrun, Butterfly and Happy In Quilting.......thank you so much........

There are so many bloggers out there that MAKE MY DAY........put a smile to my face when I rise early in the morning that I cannot single out 10 so if you read my blog consider yourself tagged and continue on with the award..............

PS I have had the Christmas blog cleanup and gone back to the blue that i love and changed my header...........hope you like yesterdays sunset as much as I do.........

PSS I wished blogger would bring out a couple of new templates even if just in colour and layout..........

SSCS Prezzies Final Post...........Farewell til 2008 swap

YES you read it right.......unless something drastic happens I will run another swap for Christmas 2008..........the Santa's have been so wonderful and kind and so appreciative of my organising the swap - that is enough motivation for me to go again (some of you will be very happy to hear that)

............all but 2 presents have been delivered (hopefully still in transpost) and only one bad person who didn't send - Maya. (I did say you would be named in the rules)

If you have been away and you missed the last 10 posts I did about the swap head back to between Christmas and New Year. There are only a couple of presents I didn't get pics of, so most of them are in the previous posts and here...............

USA Raesha was Santa for Netherlands Nicolette

USA San was Santa for Aus Gillian

USA Toni was Santa for UK Jo

Aus Gillian was Santa for Italy Teodo

Aus Kerry was Santa for USA Caryn

Aus Lynda H sent a extra special package to Canada CJ who was the poor Santa that was going to miss out...........I also posted a small parcel off to CJ......Thanks Lynda H

Aus Tatania was Santa for USA Jessica

Canada CJ was Santa for USA Tracey B

USA Carole P was Santa for UK Claudia

USA Linda R was Santa for AUS Carey

USA Linda R was Santa for Aus Dale

USA Meaghan was Santa for UK Anne

USA Jessica was Santa for Netherlands Judith

Thankyou Santa's for making this such a successful swap.........you made my job fun and a pleasure to do..........see you in SSCS 2008...............

------------take care----------

PS I forgot to mention some of the girls in the swap have made wonderful new blog friends and I have received some amazing stories in emails from swappers and I am so happy some girls have got so much more out of this swap...........world wide friendship..........

Fairy Girls Quilt Project..........

Technically this is a short term WISP Dec 2007.........Fairy girl stole some materials I had brought a few months ago.........we decided to make this pattern - we had her other quilt on the floor and laid the peices out on it (different pattern though) for size............problem - not enough materials wanted it a bit bigger.........

Problem solved I went shopping on the dining table to Sarah's Quilt Fabric Delights ........finished my order and this is what I ordered..............I think they will look great in the quilt..........more from Heather Bailey Freshcuts range - super efficient service I got it in town this morning.....

while I was there I found this great pattern from Thimble Blossoms........I only just found her blog in the last month or so and Sarah has the patterns so just HAD to get this one.........."sitting pretty"

Thanks for all the help on the last post..........I will continue and make the disappearing nine patch and now I will try and find some more materials on the internet........and thanks for all the great comments on the vegie patch...........

------------take care----------