Calves update.........

Hungry calves ready for milk.......

they suck and slobber on everything.............

Boris munching away on some grass... He has grown so much.......

a random flower in my walk around.......

Boris, Hetty and Big Love.....

Feeding left to right in each section..... 

Boris, grey boy, jo the jersey,  jersey girl 

FJ, Big Love (heart on her forehead), Spot, Fred 

Hetty, Black Boy,  No Love (probably needs a better name but she came the same time as Big Love and she doesn't have a heart on her forehead) 

Whitey wasn't on the feeder then but he is now........no pic of him..

 a sea of daisies............

 so pretty...........

the poddies found the oats......... 

 Goatie aka Black Betty climbing all over Fred.........

she jumps up on everything.........she can jump very high and she is tiny..........

look at those little horns.......

Wow where did August go????

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue.....

'Keeping the love of blogging alive'

Lucy progress and a cracked thumb again......

I didn't want to share this until I showed Sandy last weekend..... 

It is very exciting to be starting to join things together.......still got filler blocks to make BUT this is a great incentive to keep going........
5/42 joined...
I'll join sections like this then put them together.......

Mind you once you start to join things it gets harder moving it all around to stitch....... Pulled a pile of papers out today...... Most i can reuse.....

Found a solution for my cracked thumb...... The last 2 cracks took quite some time to heal.... Kept taking the bandaids off of a day as I couldn't stitch but then I would keep hurting them and slowing the healing...... then I couldn't stitch for a week or more...........

the crack is right on the point of my thumb right angles to my nail........I went looking for a steri-strip to try but then I thought of this stuff....called Hypafix......... It is something I got from the skin specialist one time to go over stitches (in skin)........it is so soft and pliable nothing pulls and it stays on pretty well considering you use your hands so much but I just run it over the top of my thumb and it holds the crack together and the best part I can still stitch..... 

probably won't worry about the strip running around to hold the ends down.........they stayed very well.........

Catch you later....... 

Chookyblue......

'Keeping the love of blogging alive'

Shopping......

I saw this kit at Stitching Between the Bridges in Tamworth and it made its way to the Chookshed...... It's the latest Tilda fabrics..... So soft and pretty...... 

I got this great tin at a shop in Goondiwindi.....  

They have some lovely shops in Gundy......

These are the best scissors and Sandy @ Shiralee Stitches had a cover with a chain...even better... This little cover is a little easy to lose but not now it is attached..... 

I've had my eye on the quick curve ruler (QCR) since it came out but finally saw it in the flesh so had to buy it.......

I didn't really want to make this pattern with it until I saw Sandy's that she is working on and I decided I needed it..... 

the rest of the shopping.............my kit and Fairy Girls kit..........some fabrics.......the spool holder and a roll of the light brown thread........

I only use Bottomline Thread for my EPP...........it is just the best...........and I rarely use more then 2 colours of thread............

Chinty Tree of Life is a present for me from me.........

Have a great weekend........

very quiet here which will be perfect...........

Catch you later......

Chookyblue.....

'Keeping the love of blogging alive'

Weekend with friends...........

Wow what a great weekend.............

the purpose of my trip was to attend a Shiralee Stitches Workshop...........

Sandy @ Shiralee Stitches runs a great workshop.........

i thought I would have got here to post this sooner but a little tied up.........

these are the projects some of the girls worked on.........

the workshop was on English Paper Piecing.........

I chose the work cushion top right..........

2 of my favourite girls..............

the shop.........

this was way to tempting.........

plenty of room to spread out...........

Sandy's latest design "Norfolk"

"Shiralee Elegance".........I have plans to make this one........

"Chintzy Tree of Life".......this one just had to hop into my bag..........

Looks very fancy but the centre is a panel.......I held off very well when she first brought it out............

Kerry's great shed/studio.........

plenty of space for everyone........

perfect location for a sewing workshop..........

Sandy @ Shiralee Stitches, me, Kerry, Jenny @ Bird on the Border..........

thanks heaps Kerry for letting us use your wonderful space..........

talk about organised.........each little tutorial was so well presented by Sandy............she fitted them in through out the day........

Woops Jenny.....you weren't supposed to make little boats by sewing too may sides together...........

Kerry's house is right on the river and it is stunning........

my progress.............

Jenny had stitched hard and had enough by now..........

an amazing dinner by Mr Bird on the Border............

scallops on the BBQ for entree and then pork and beef ribs...........

OMG to die for............

finished off with a fire...........

thanks so much for organising the workshop and inviting me along Jenny.......

Was great to enjoy a few days at your place......

Very relaxing and you are the perfect host.......

Sunday I went for a walk along the river...........the tree over the river was full of white birds.........not sure if they were Corellas but I know they were not cockatoos....

I saw brumbies (wild horses) on the way home.........

I had to wait for this echidna to get off my bridge before I could cross it........

the trip home ended late due to an accident along the way and I had to take a detour............

what a wonderful time with friends...........

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue.........

'Keeping the love of blogging alive'

Fun.....

Yummy lunch.....

Setup for tomorrow......

If only they would get off the darkside we could go out to dinner.....

Catch you later......

Chookyblue.......

'Keeping the love of blogging alive'

Caught up......

Been sitting around sick...... 

Caught up on Sandy@ Shiralee Stitches Lucy Boston BOM....... 

Feeling much better tonight so hope I am over it..... 

I set myself a goal.... I wouldn't order the lastest block until I was caught up...... Now I can get it.... Blocks 19, 20, 21 done...... 

Off to a workshop with Sandy this weekend...... Can't wait..... 

Catch you later...... 

Chookyblue...... 

'Keeping the love of blogging alive '

Stunning country......

With all the rain and a few warmer sunny days the countryside is looking amazing....... We had a couple of inchs again this week....... It's so very wet.... 

The dirt roads are so bad..... Cut up....Boggy.... Washouts....... 

The feed is growing for cattle and sheep.... 

It is so pretty driving around...... 

It's even green up onto the hills......just stunning....... 

A few clouds floating around yesterday made the sky spectacular too......I snapped  these pics while out and about...... 

Glorious day watching Saturday sports........

Catch you later....... 

Chookyblue......

'Keeping the love of blogging alive'

a very long retreat post..............

I feel like I have been around the world lately......

close to 5000kms in less then 3 weeks will do that to you though.......

Prepare yourself...........this is one long post.........

Kris @ Tag Along Teddies you better grab a cuppa........

Anyway long story short I ended up going to Nundle with Jenny @ Bird on the Border.............

We had a little stop over in Tamworth........

Stitches between the Bridges is definitely worth a stop............

Quilts hanging around.............fell in love with this one.........

fabric is Black Tie Affair.......

Shopping for supplies...........perfect bottle for me..........wished I got more.............

Then it was off to Nundle to meet with the girls..............last post I shared some pics from Friday........

Sat I went for a bright and early walk................OMG it was white everywhere............

even dead thistles look great in frost.........

fence post.........

Barb wire...........

Usually we pick out quilts on Friday afternoon............

I was so not focused and could not decide between 3 options........

So I decided on Saturday morning........Anna Griffin won out...........gorgeous soft florals to sew with............brain dead sewing as Kerry cuts everything and I just kept joining 2 different squares.............

Everyone busy.........

Sonya and I made the same wuilt but they look so different...........

Saturday nights progress...........

Sunday morning I walked out to the Cottage on the Hill............

it is so pretty.........there were some rams laying on the dam bank......

Jennys "Left of Centre" I think this quilt is called.........with a slight variation...........

Georginas Version of the same quilt.......they even used some of the same fabrics but they look so different..........again with a slight variation in the strip thru........

Miss Jules made many drunkards path blocks with Kaffe fabrics.............

Bronwyn made the same quilt as me and Sonya but so different once again............

Jenny was so fast she even had time to whip up a pillow case to match her quilt...........

Bronwyn had a bag I was admiring...........lol..........so very funny I made this for her about 8 years ago..............no wonder it seems a little familiar.............

think it was a Sally Giblin stitchery.............

here we are....remembered to get a group pic............

Ronnies boats look great..........

Nearly finished Sunday time to go home.........one border to go............

Sonya nearly had her top together...........

Loved this one of Sues too.............

Mr Chooky had an altercation with a kangaroo or 2 so no car for a month or so til it is fixed.............

Got the borders on yesterday afternoon late.............

love it...........4 fabrics thats all...........and I have enough of them for the backing also............

love the big floral border print..........

thanks girls for a fabulous weekend..............just what I needed..........

thanks Kerry @ Cottage on the Hill for having the retreats.....it is wonderful to sew mindlessly.............and not cut anything.............

extra bonus...........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.........