Way back in 2007 when I started blogging I would never have thought I would still be doing it 15 years later...........I would have told you you were crazy to think that............
This post might be meeting
Jude@News From Jude standard of length so get a glass of bubbles or a cuppa and settle in..........
Sometimes it feels like the years have gone in the blink of an eye.........other times it seems so long ago.....and I will never forget the first international comment I got...I was so shocked......goodness knows why I was shocked but I just lived in such a small world..........
This was the first photo I posted..... The view out my window from my desk top computer....I carried a little point and shoot camera everywhere and I download my pics to the computer...... We used Picasa web albums....... (loved Picasa it was so simple and easy to use to file and edit photos).......BUT my internet ended up being so slow it used to take about 20mins to upload one photo...... It was a huge improvement when I was told how to email photos to my blog to do a post......I could do a post SOOOOOO much quicker... Photos are essential to every blog post....... So essential that one time when the my camera broke bloggers from around the world sent me pics and I would use them in my posts...... It was actually quite fun to see what someone had sent me......
Now days I take most of my photos on my phone.........and I can even blog from my phone.......technology has changed so much over the years.......
My first blog meet up ever was at a Melbourne quilt show in 2008......
Jodie@ Ric RAC who I didn't know came with get friend Annie @ Flower Garden and Tracey @Oz Country Quilting Mum......I thought we'd meet for morning tea and then be off and doing our own thing....... So wrong.... Morning tea was taking so long we decided to start looking around and keep chatting....... We spent the whole day today we had so much fun...... I'm still in contact with Annie and Tracey, Jodie and I caught up at several shows in the following years........ There's a
post here.......
This meet set me up for the most wonderful friendships that have withstood so many years and many many more meets with bloggers..........
The pic about was taken at Sydney quilt show in 2012.......a great round up of bloggers........There's been some fun times at the quilt shows...........hopefully those days will return but not sure at present...........
I've always met up with someone there...........since we are all scattered so much it was a good meeting point.......slightly weird when someone random would ask if you were "Chookyblue" but lovely to meet people who read me blog.......
I hosted 11 Secret Santa Christmas Swap's from 2007-2017.............100's of ladies joined in from around the world.........one year there was 180 ladies...........
you still talk of gifts given in a swap and friendships made during the swap still continue...........
Jenny @ Bird on the Border even met her swap partner
Denice @ Denice's Day where she took a trip to America...........I have a wonderful collection of ornaments on my Christmas tree from this along with the beautiful gifts I received over the years..........
Sadly it stopped during the drought as I could not manage running the swap........
and now with covid the post is so unreliable and the costs have gone up so much........
Over the years I have participated in many swaps......some of the themes - pincushions, bags, nine patch blocks, tea.......
Another wonderful 10 years of blog meets was held in conjunction with Girls Day in the Country (GDITC) organised by Kerry Swain from Cottage on the Hill....2008-2017......The pic above was from the first one held in May from memory...... Such a fun night but it was so cold we had every blanket from every room in the pub on us....... After this Kerry moved it to March.....
Lots of wonderful designers........ Anni Downs From Hatched and Patched was guest designer for several years
We all travelled such long distances to spend time together.........so many laughs.......
So many fun memories....... Mr Chooky always asked how a one day workshop took 3 days......
At the first GDITC some of us were chatting and decided we would make Anni's Gardener's Journal quilt before we all come back together next GDITC............
From 2010-2017 6 SAL's were run there while many quilts were finished there are some out there still to be completed...one of those is my Natures Journey......one day it will get finished........
OMG...........the shopping trips with bloggers............always coming home with more then needed and encouraging others to also get to much........LOL
I just can't find the first pic but 4 of us had lunch in Bathurst I think in 2010........when I blogged about that some others said they would love to join if we do it again.............that just kept growing also..........from 2010-2013 we drove hundreds of KM's to meet for lunch and all travel home to various part of NSW.......goodness knows what took us so long but in 2014 we found a great venue and one lunch turned into a weekend............
I hosted from 2014-2016 when
Deb @ Frog Cottage Designs took over due to my changing commitments for education for Fairy Girl.........that and drought meant I didn't get back and then when I have thought I could covid interrupted things.........if Deb goes again I hope to get there..........
Such a mix of people at times but we have always had such fun..........
Friendships i've made over the years means that when I travel somewhere I try and catch up with blog friends.............
This one was particularly special as I met up with the Brisssy Bloggers when
Holly came to visit Australia from Canada............
Besides the great feeling of finishing a quilt the other wonderful part is taking it for a photo shoot............my assistant Fairy Girl loved this also.........
Speaking of Fairy Girl shes turned into a beautiful young lady now.........and I am so pleased that she also has a love of quilting and assures me when I die she can take care of the stash........and will treasure my quilts..........Mind you Book Worm has also turned into a wonderful young man loves the quilts I make for him also...........even if he thinks i'm crazy.......
In the first few years I spent many days on the road droving ( feeding cattle along a roadside)
While I was clean in the mornings I would stitch in the car.........
Years ago I picked up Curly Pops half dead.............she became such a special calf and an even more special cows........she was so quiet.........she featured on the blog for years along with her babies......
Carol and I even took a trip to Melbourne for an amazing quilt show of antique quilts..............
meeting up with bloggers there also........
A random lady emailed me about Girls Day in the Country........ After I confirmed she was genuine I replied and we meet - still friends to this day...... Helped her start up a blog...... Encouraged strongly for her to follow her dreams.......
Shiralee Stitches was born....... Sandy quit her teaching and runs the business now...... She's even built a workshop/shop on her property........
From little things big things grow......
Through your support and connections 350 quilts were collected and distributed to those affected by the Warrumbungles fire in 2013...... The remaining kids quilts ended up at a preschool in the Blue Mountains later in the year....... The remain kids there had been evacuated in a fire truck when a bushfire hit......
Crazy fun party times......
Meeting up to farewell a friend......
When Girls Day in the Country ended I was trying to work out how we could continue to meet.........I had this venue in mind for years and finally a plan came into play..........Scrub Stitchin' was born..........a mixture of bloggers, bloggers friends and other sewing friends I have.........
many bloggers don't blog now but we still keep in touch.....
we also have so many different styles and skills but it is wonderful to share with everyone...........
they even trusted me when I took them on a mystery bus tour.........this one ended up in a tour of the Sculptures in the Pilliga.........
I even branched out and designed a project for the first year with
Sonia 10 years ago Mr Chooky pulled a shed down at his brothers, packed it up on the back of a truck and brought it home..... Just like a "Meccano set" we put it back together..... Every year I celebrate......I never ever thought I would be so fortunate to have the space....... And friends invite themselves to come and stay with me for the weekend.........
Floods and dust storms you've been on the journey with me............
you've help keep my sanity over the years...........
celebrating the highs and supporting the lows.........
I've driven you nuts with all kinds of nature pics over the years.......
you just never know what I will share...........
And quite a few sunsets/ sunrises have been posted here also.....
You have copped whatever has been happening on the farm..............
The sheep, the cows, the crops............
I've taken you to the paddocks many times...........
Sharing my farm life mixed in the the sewing............
These cuties are always popular........kept extra warm by the random readers of this blog who made and sent some lamb jumpers................
Sadly Covid hit the world early 2020....... It's still controlling out lives with some patches way worse then others...... It's stopped some parts of the world altogether in lockdowns.......
The upside of Covid is I thought to zoom......
Firstly it was for the girls who were supposed to be attending Scrub Stitchin' as it had to be cancelled due to Covid.....
After that I started having open ones on my blog.......20 months later we are still meeting........
Building friendships..........see and talking to blog friends that I have been reading blogs for years.........some as long as I have been blogging..........also making new friendships....
Hand projects are the easiest for me to work on while chatting away on zoom.........
Many hours have been spent on Blue Lanterns and now Lucy...............
I want to thank you all for the wonderful friendships you have given over the years..........
I want to thank you for the inspirations, advice, motivation and support............without your interaction this would not be as much fun..........
it's taken ages to get this post written but it has been so much fun going back thru photos and refreshing the memory........I will be pulling my blog books out this week and flicking thru the pages........
As I have too much on this weekend in the next week or two I will be hosting a zoom to celebrate the milestone.............you can all join the party..........
But for today I will sit back and enjoy a wine and I will be thankful for what you and blogging has given me...........
Catch you later...........
Chookyblue.........
