G+ Leap Year Day Project

Today I participated in a Photography project where we had to show our little corner of the world on the 29th February 2012 . They aren't the most amazing photos I have ever taken but they do show snapshots of my day in my small corner.  Did you Leap into something you have never done before?  https://plus.google.com/u/0/s/%23G+LeapYearDayProject

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My Place and Yours-Your favourite cup

Once again I am joining in with My Place and Yours which is now residing with the lovely Deb at Works in Progress.  Deb asks what is our favourite cup and I recently did a post about something similar for another Meme JaM but not to worry because yesterday I was reminded of what really is my favourite cup!

Yesterday I headed off to the Tallangatta Festival to sell my wares at their Market. It is about an hour away from where I live and also the place where my wonderful friend Lindy lives. A quick email during the week got her looking in her shed for a table, some sort of shade and chairs which saved me trying to work out how I was going to fit that sort of thing in my car and also saved me from going through my shed. A bit of a hiccup was getting her out of bed early on a Saturday morning but she loves me so was reluctantly willing to do that too. Once I got to her house at just a bit after 8am it was definitely cuppa time and a quick chat before heading to the centre of town and setting up. Her lovely husband and eldest son turned up to give us a bit of a hand too which was a bonus.

It wasn't a very busy day and I didn't make my fortune but I had one of the best days I've had for a long time, sitting and chatting  and drinking tea and coffee. No matter how long between visits we easily pick up where we left off last time and fall into the familiar pattern of a friendship that started about 35 years ago.

So what is my favourite cup? It is the one that I share with my very best friend. It may be in one of our homes drinking from china cups or sitting in a park sipping from a plastic Take Away cup. It doesn't matter what the cup is like but the person you are sharing the moment with.

JaM-What's on the Mannequin

Or what have you been Sewing, Making, Baking, Thrifting this week?  I've just had four days at home alone, just me and the animals so there has been a little bit of everything happening here.

The cupboard cleaning has continued  and more forgotten treasures have been found. A rabbit skin coat which is quite tattered that I was going to recycle but now will have go to someone who will actually do something with it

 and this Chenille Bedspread that was going to be used as well but has sat there for so long I think it will have to move on as well

                                         

I took three huge bags of stuff to the Op Shop on Friday and as usual I didn't leave there empty handed. I came away with a pile of Vintage Doileys for a couple of dollars

                                   

 And in the midst of all the cleaning I have managed to start another Quilt. It is so much quicker when all the squares have been pre cut (even if it did take me days to cut them all!!)

Last night an easy dinner as I had my Indoor Bowls AGM to get to. Ben was most impressed to come home from holidays to one of his favourites...Egg and Bacon Pie.  And I was happy to come home from the AGM    without the job of Secretary which I have done for 11 years!!!  

So there you go, no clothes on a mannequin like Jody but a little sewing, making, baking and thrifting happening around here.  For more of Jam this week why don't you visit Jody and see who else is joining in!

Nostalgia

So I have decided that it is time for a big clean up. There is stuff shoved into cupboards that I really need to get rid of  and today seemed like a good day to start.  During a quick phone call with my friend Chris (we managed to keep it under 3 hours which is pretty good for us) we were discussing letting go of all the things we have that we really don't want or need anymore and I remembered this when I got to the very back of the cupboard.

In a box of all sorts of things like my Fonzie scrap book and all my Primary school report cards, I found these.........

I am pretty sure that when I finally forced myself to part with my massive stack of Dolly Magazines I decided to keep these three just for pulling out and remembering.  But it got worse the deeper into the cupboard I went because I found these......

My felt posters that adorned my walls, ooh about 35years ago.  I couldn't believe that I still had them! Of course as soon as I had taken this photograph I did the obvious thing with them. Yep that's right.....I rolled them up and put them back in the cupboard!!!!!

And the last thing I pulled out of the cupboard was this.

My husband bought it for me for my 17th Birthday I think. Well sometime around then anyway. It was mainly because of the pekingese because they have always been my favourite dog even though we haven't had one since I was little.
There were other things but I think you get the idea of what I have in my cupboards. I have got two garbage bags to go to the tip and two more to be sold or sent to the Op Shop so I think I did really well, and there are spare shelves in the cupboard now!!!!!

JaM - What's your favourite Blog Post from the Past?!

image from http://www.stadiastudio.com/blog

This week Jody asks us to share a favourite post, either one of our own or someone else's. A moment that stopped you, made you think or coloured your world differently.
This post immediately came to mind. Maybe because it's Valentines Day today and definitely  because they made such an impression on my life.
http://the-backshed.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/love.html  
I caught up with him just before Christmas and sadly his wife had gotten to the point where she had to go into the Hostel as he could no longer look after her properly. She had stopped eating and had very few lucid days. It absolutely tore him apart having to part from her but he visits her every day and helps the staff care for her. I was relieved to hear that he had joined a couple of things in town and was heading off to one of his daughters for Christmas. His son in law had arranged for him to go on a helicopter ride while he was there. I can't wait to see him again and find out how that went. I can see that wonderful twinkle in his eye already as he tells me of his adventures.

The other post isn't that old but it brought memories and emotions flooding to the surface.
http://punkysmamma.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/emotional-eating.html  My Dad passed away over 20 years ago but sometimes it seems like only yesterday. Even as I type this my eyes are filling.  It isn't just food that brings him back to me for just a moment, there is a song, a waltz, going fishing and a lot of other little things that we shared along the way.

We have so many people and their words at our fingertips nowadays . Some share their innermost thoughts and others just share their day. Some make us cry, laugh, think and even make changes to our lives. Have you got a special Blog post to share? Join  us here and share some words.

On My Wall

My Place and Yours this week is 'On My Wall'. Vic asks us to 'Show us what's on your wall! Your kitchen wall, your bedroom wall, both or neither. let us have a sticky beak!'
Most of the rooms in my house have Quilts hanging on them. Pieced, appliqued and stitched.
There is an Elephant plate from my childhood and a gorgeous old sitting room pic that Mum had forever and is now mine. 
The vine welcome sign is slowly accumulating all manner of bits and pieces, on some walls there are vintage bits and another has Cross stitches from the days before my eyes wore out. 
  For more 'On Your Wall' go here

Voyeurism

If you are not comfortable with sex talk or actual photos of that subject run away now.............

Last night I went out to feed the dog and found this business happening on the wall above his bed. I have only seen this once before and that pair were hanging from a branch of a tree.  I think the most fascinating bit is that the genitalia comes out of the side of their heads, very very strange!

I'll let Wiki give you a proper explanation of what is going on here!!

'Slugs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive organs.

Once a slug has located a mate, they encircle each other and sperm is exchanged through their protruded genitalia. A few days later the slugs lay around 30 eggs in a hole in the ground, or beneath the cover of an object such as a fallen log.

Apophallation is a commonly seen practice among many slugs. In apophallating species, the penis curls like a corkscrew and during mating often becomes entangled in the mate's genitalia. Apophallation allows the slugs to separate themselves by one or both of the slugs chewing off the other's penis. Once its penis has been removed, the slug is still able to mate using only the female parts of its reproductive system.' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug

Quilt

I finally finished this quilt and sent it off to it's new home yesterday.  

I only used fabrics that I already had in the cupboard and when all  256  5 ½ "squares were cut I could barely see where they had come from which was sad because I really didn't think I had very much fabric in there.   I used Bamboo batting which the more I use the more I like. It is the softest batting I have ever used and very easy to quilt whether by hand or machine. Now that little job is out of the way it is time to get stuck into some new goodies for the website and maybe a couple more smaller Quilts for Tallangatta at the end of the month.

JaM - A is for Announcements, Adventures And A giveAway

JaM this week is sharing your announcements and Adventures. Been anywhere we haven't, seen stuff outside of your everyday, heard something we need to know.
Jody's very exciting news is that she has had a shop refit and filled her shop with exciting sewing opportunities. To celebrate she is having a Give Away. Follow the JaM link to find out more, put your name down for the Give Away and join in with JaM this week.

So I haven't really been anywhere lately unless you count my Brothers 50th last week that ended up as his and his partner Steph's surprise Wedding. A very lovely surprise, there has been nothing that I have seen that is outside my everyday but I do have an announcement. I am participating in the Tallangatta Open Day at the end of the month by having a stall with all my Prim Dolls and maybe a Quilt or two for sale.

TALLANGATTA OPEN DAY

On Saturday the 25th February Towong Shire Council will Host a special Tallangatta Open Day-a community event to celebrate the final stage of the Tallangatta Tomorrow Project, 'Let's Make it Happen"
From 9am to 4pm the town will come alive with traditional fete activities including a special program for the kids.
The heart of the town will be transformed into a traditional market place showcasing talented designers, craftspeople, food producers and artists from Tallangatta and the wider Towong Shire region.
In the evening, father and daughter sports journalists/commentating team Tim and Samantha Lane will host a special sports trivia night in the memorial Hall from 7.30pm. A limited number of tickets are available from the Tallangatta newsagency so be quick.
For more information and/or if you would like to discuss having a stall at the event please contact

Frances haysey
fh@smalltalkpr.com
0438725251

Cherry Collins
contact.cherry.collins@gmail.com
0400586105


So if you live in the District or will be travelling our way that day, pop in and say hello.

In my garden today

I hesitate every time I need to bath her because I know how much she hates getting wet

 But her pure joy after the bath makes me smile.

And while I was watching her run around the yard rolling in everything and just having fun, I found this tucked up in the weeping elm. A beautifully constructed nest of moss, twigs, leaves and anything else that could be found wrapped around several small branches on the tree.

My Place and Yours; Outside.

Vic has asked us to show you Outside out homes this week so I've wandered around and tried to photograph things that haven't been on the Blog too often. I had to put my Rusty fence in although it has starred here a few times before. The lawns and gardens are lovely and green even though it is February, there are Frogs on the walls at night and lots of lovely old bits and pieces scattered around the yard. The old windows at the top are supposedly going in the rusty fence one day but I'm not holding my breathe on that one.
Pop on over to Punky and Me for more Outside pics

Sunset

 It looked like the sky was on fire, much too hard to resist!