daisies........

I used to make daisy chains with these ones when I was in primary school............we used to have heaps on our oval..........

the little bees were so loaded with pollen.... see the orange on the legs......

these are all out in my outer front yard...............

wild and beautiful..........

paper daisies..........

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

Chookyblue

Boxing Kangaroos..........

The last few mornings the same mob of kangaroos have been hanging around the front of the house...............

they have been sparring and boxing with each other.......mucking around.........yesterday morning this guy caught my eye and I couldn't work out what he was doing...............his actions were aggressive but I couldn't see anyone he was fighting with............(warning heaps of pics)..........

but then I saw the 2 guys on the left......

they hold there heads back well

then they have a break..........

back into it.........

another rest........

then the other guy hops into the action.......pushing off his tail to hit with his legs here.........

then the other one decides to jump into the action...........

pushing off his tail again..........they are so strong

they make an awful deep grunting sound when fighting.........

the rest of the mob just sat around munching......the big guy on the right behind the tree sat up like this the whole time I was outside watching them.............keeping guard........

I took all these on my zoom lens and then cropped most of the pics so you could see them up close.............

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

Chookyblue

Le jardin tah dah..........

This quilt has been finished for several months now...........but it got rushed off for a display and then I just haven't got around to showing you it finished...........snapping the pics it is either raining or I have hung the washing out on the line...........so with a shove from Maree I got it done this morning..............

TAH DAH

Le Jardin is the pattern, made it at Nundle at one of my retreat weekends............

it is so soft and pretty............

love the quilting..............this one was quilting beautifully by Christine - Once upon a Quilt.............I just love the pattern she used in the quilting.............

and back a few posts I had a photo of Fairy Girls iris............well it just keeps popping up more and more flowers...... 

one of my wattles is flowering madly..............more photos later i hope - it is humming with bees........I snapped quite a few photos I just need to go through them.....

hope your having a beautiful Sunday it is glorious here.......

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

Chookyblue

PS Peg and Kris finally a OPAM finish yeh

4 months til xmas..........

The radio is always on at work and the lovely man said

"I don't want to worry anyone but did you know today it is 4 months til Christmas".......

.......can you believe that............so for everyone in the secret santa christmas swap (SSCS) there is 4 months to wait to open your SSCS present and 3 months to have it finished and sent.............I am sure in no time it will be here so I had better get busy.......

.......I have another swap parcel to make for ######## for christmas too with out any other presents...........

.........take care til next time.....Chookyblue.........

presents and a book.........

couple of extra treats for my birthday......................Anita sent me this sunglasses/rotary cutter case..........

Peg made me this cover for my 6.5 inch ruler..........perfect...it is the one I take most places with me..........

and while ordering some books for "Bookworm" I ordered this one for myself.......

looks good so far...........have a couple marked I would like to make already..........

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

Chookyblue

fat 1/4 swap........

Remember all the envelopes here...........well here are all the fat 1/4's I received in the Fat Quarter Friends birthday swap......heaps of reproductions..........yummo..........thanks girls I love all the fabrics you have sent............oh it was so much fun opening all the parcels...........I am such a kid......thanks for making my birthday special girls............

Alison, Dawnie, Kylie and Kerry

Gaizie, Anita, Dale and Bec

Helen, Lea, Peg and Jenny

Fiona and Bronwyn (Bronwyn sent me fat 1/8)

sorry i have your's too Lynda but maybe they got left on the desk at work.........but I do have them.......

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

Chookyblue
PS last call for the SSCS too.............so hurry up if you interested in joining..........

woops...........

Don't do what I just did............I was checking out the new comments tab on my blog and accidently deleted some of the comments on the last post................sorry..............and I can't get them back.............I was looking thru for spam but I was on the wrong tab  Comments - published and selected some to remove and realise too late if you deleted them from this page you deleted them from your blog too.................but for those getting quite a few spam comments at the moment this may help..............might I add there have been 11523 comments left on my blog...........mind blowing....thanks everyone................but be careful if you delete the wrong thing..............more here on blogger buzz

.........take care til next time.....Chookyblue.........

anticipated...........

anticipated - due, expected, scheduled, awaited, hoped for, 
to look forward to - especially with pleasure


CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED




I know this is what several of you have all been waiting for.......but I just had to find a slightly quieter time to post it........but I can't find any so lets just wing it and if you're patient well get thru it all...........

You know it is time to put the SSCS post up when the emails asking
about the SSCS go from weekly to daily...........
2007 - 82
2008 - 156
2009 - 118
100% success 2009

If you want to see what happened over the last years go to my labels and choose Secret
Santa Christmas S w a p or Secret Santa Christmas S w a p, SSCS09 (just after xmas there are a pile of posts of presents)

The rules are simple and clear

• Make a beautiful gift (love, time and effort required) - you can make whatever you want eg, bag, wall hanging, stitchery, table runner, Christmas theme (optional)  - whatever it is you love to make...send something you would love to receive... (not something you whip up in a couple of hours)
• Make a small decoration that can be hung on a Christmas tree (simple or fiddly up to you)
• Don't tell anyone who your SSCS partner is please. This is a secret shhhhhhhhh!!!!!! A different person will be sending to you....
• You need to have an active blog .....posting a couple of times a month.... this is so your partner can sneak a peek and get ideas of what to make for you and they know you are active.....therefore existing
• International posting essential. (AIRMAIL ONLY)
• Sending (not before 19th November) deadline is 25th November to ensure your partner gets their present before Christmas (reason for swap)

%%%%%

• Make sure you "thank" your Santa - very important and post about your present when you receive it...
• If you are difficult to contact you may be dropped from the SSCS.....several times between now and the deadline I email out and you MUST reply...so if you are going away for a week or 2 just let me know
• If everyone can follow the above it will make for another very successful SSCS..... less headaches for me.........
• Any problems make sure you contact me sooner rather then later

        Please DON'T sign up

• if you are not prepared to send (non-senders are named & shamed) 
• if you’re too busy
• if you’re not committed to making and sending quality handmade gifts
• your blog is "no reply"

CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED CLOSED

If you want to join email me ( chookybluesscs@gmail.com ) (NOT MY NORMAL EMAIL ADDRESS) 
I need your Name, Address (including country), 
email and blog address eg http://chookyblue.blogspot.com/

eg.

Joe Blogs

54 Blogs Lane

Blog City 2781

AUSTRALIA

joeblogs@gmail.com

http://joequilts.blogspot.com

 (no titles – easier for me to cut and paste in that exact order)

PLEASE DON'T BLOG ABOUT THE S W A P ON YOUR BLOGS TIL IT IS CLOSED....

...more fun for my regular visitors....

&&&

if you have only come here to join the swap & never visited before this isn’t the swap for you......sorry.....

Ho Ho Ho ..............
Chookyblue

PS Swap partners emailed when I can get it done 

fire alert.........

Fairy girl got a little carried away with the candles............pleased don't count them but I was waiting for the smoke alarms to go off when we blew out the candles.............lol..........

these are the fabrics I received from my online group birthday swap...............Friends in Stitching............thanks Razzy I love the fabrics.........6 fat 1/8's and we have to make a small quilt from them........

my sister is a gem and she gave me this Material Obsession book..........

and the super treasures at my house gave me this mixmaster...............yippee..............my old one is about 50 years old and I have had and used it (and loved it) for about 15 years..............think it is running out of life though struggling a little............wonder if this one will last 50 years?????? 

it even has dough hooks- can't wait to give them a go...........

yep that is grey laminex on the wall and bench top..........the kitchen is from the 50's too............I do dream of a new one but the one I have is mouse proof and works well...............

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

Chookyblue

whirlwind of a week...........

Wow what a week.........it all got a bit more complicated when more rain was forecast.............sports carnivals and school camps............. it meant a couple more nights away from home then originally planned..... another 40mls (160points).....I am so sick of worrying about or planning around wet dirt roads............

it is unusually wet here for this time of the year..........kids have missed some more school.........and more rain is forecast next week...........

it has been a fun week but very tiring........

........this is what I did today............(this is Cardygirl at the retreat on the weekend - waiting for dinner)..........

and if you're waiting to see the quilt top from the weekend well it's a bit sad..........I sewed and sewed and even sewed into the wee hours but this is all I have to show.................50 blocks.........but I am very happy to have got this far..............Anita and Cardygirl have a few more pics......I hardly had my camera out....

....I had a wonderful weekend yet again and amazingly on the way home again Miss Jules and I saw 2 echidna's again.............you would be lucky if you see one a year and we saw 2 this year and last year on the way home from Nundle..........thanks again for a wonderful weekend Kerry..............big frosty mornings too...........perfect cool weather for sewing...........a few other lovely friends to spend the weekend with.........what more can I ask.........

now some of the treats from Leanne...........this gorgeous carry bag..........perfect colours..........

inside was this bag.............filled it for the weekend with my little bits and pieces............very cute.......

and if all that wasn't enough she had also popped this stitchery scissor fob with scissors attached into the above bag............it was a bit like "but wait there is more".............I also received a gorgeous quilt kit...........you should see it...........hoping to cut into it very soon.............i'll show you a pic of it then...........thanks so much Leanne I love all the goodies and you spoilt me rotten...

.....your naughty but very very nice.....

Fairy Girl snapped this iris flowering for the first time in her newish garden........

I signed up for a paper bag swap in my online Friends in Stitching group - now to make a wonderful creations with the contents.....well lets hope it is wonderful..........decorated beautifully.............

and I got my nine patch back from the quilter and she has worked her magic......

......love the pattern on it......thanks heaps.......

.....and also showing you the backing......
......now it needs binding then I will show you it all finished...........who knows how long that will take

speaking of swaps I signed up for another nine patch swap being organised by JulieQ

and this pile of parcels can only mean one thing.............Fairy Girl thinks it is very cruel to leave them sitting on the coffee table in front of me but I can wait for a little longer..........even if she can't......lol............

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

Chookyblue