Instagram

I'm posting quite a bit to Instagram these days - it's so quick and easy, whereas the blog is a bit more effort. I like recording snippets of my day by photos - I think it's a nice gallery to reflect on. My life revolves around flowers, my dog, baking, reading, crochet, if you take a look at it.  Some may think my interests are very basic...each to their own.

Some of my activities since I last wrote.

I've been to a play - this is not a love song - brilliant
Out for a couple of yummy meals - Bivouac in Northbridge top of the list.
I've nearly finished my v-stitch crochet rug.  So a picture will follow.
After living her for 20+ years I finally visited Araluen - it was fabulous.  The colours of the tulips were awesome.
Baked and cooked a bit
I finished 'Still Alice"- an easy read and I really enjoyed it.
I went to see the film "The 100 foot journey" and LOVED it.
Out for breakfast with friends
Out for lunch with friends
Gone on lots of walks
Patted Tilly a fair bit
A little bit of quilting, but not enough!

#theyearinbooks

#theyearinbooks

My current reading...I like Jennifer's quilting stories.  This is only my second one.  It's an easy read.  The 2 novels together cross over quite a bit, but I don't mind the weaving together of stories.

The Year in books

I have just finished this book. I really enjoyed it. I found it so thought provoking. Fleeting moments in our lives can completely change its direction. Since finishing I have found myself reflecting on all the possibilities life has to offer and being excited by that. I'm conscious of being hungry for as many life experiences as possible. I'm not thinking in outcomes other than at the end of my life I hope to be truly grateful for a wonderful life full of rich experiences and wonderful friendships and relationships. I hope I'm blessed with a long and healthy life to see my children grow and live their lives and be a part of that.
Life has its rough times, but luckily ageing has allowed me to see that time really is an amazing healer and you can move beyond (or is it through?) sorrow and pain. The book describes the horrific destruction of war. Unbelievable what humanity endured.
Completely mind boggling.
#theyearinbooks

Easter Parade

My very special Easter gift from my Mum.  It's a Blue Bunny needle case.  I LOVE it.  It is so so special to me.

My darling Easter Bunnies



The Easter Table



The Easter Table



Greek honey and pine nut cake with cinnamon orange glaze



Little stitches



Hand quilting....



Finished this book

I caught 'the movie Ëaster Parade on tv this weekend. I'd never seen it before.  It was lovely to sit stitching away at my hexie quilt listening to the songs and watching Fred Astaire dance. Judy Garland really had the most amazing voice!

So in homage to the film, here's my pictorial Easter Parade for you. Just a few snippets of what we got up do over the lovely, lovely break. 

Absent from photos...my weekend also included, walking Tilly, kayaking on the Swan River, a movie outing to "The Other Woman", lunch with friends, a whole day at home and working on my hexie quilt, dvds with my girls, coffee and chocolate - I love the little Turkish delight eggs.

and for fun....yours truly having a go at the piñata.....

Book Review

I have just finished Anh Do's (pronounced Dough) book The Happiest Refugee for my book club.  Simply put, I enjoyed it.  It's a light hearted read, covering some not so light-hearted times in his life.  He thinks himself so lucky and blessed - which I think he is - totally, blessed with a great disposition and outlook on life.

As he has a profile in the Australian media arena, it was interesting to know more about him and his background.  Also, reading the book in today's current political climate, where the media have a field day with the term Boat People, which I abhor. These people are not viewed as refugee's fleeing terrible war-torn countries or human rights atrocities, but as queue jumpers.  I cringe as an Australian, on our treatment of refugees. Every Australian would benefit from reading and knowing one refugee's story.

Strippy Liberty quilt finish

 

Quilt No 13!  Finito!  My Liberty Strippy quilt is done.  I finished binding it last night.

 

The top is all strips of Liberty Tana Lawn in varying shades of blue.  I think I will call it my Blue Lagoon quilt.  I do rather want to dive in it or under it and float around daydreaming with it.  It is divinely soft and has a lovely drape.  I think that's the combination of the tana lawn, and the hand quilting which I've kept to a minimum of just one row of stitching per row of fabric. I thought about quilting it more, but it didn't need it as it sticks well to the wadding, and I want the fabrics to speak for themselves - they have such a lot to say, can't you just hear them from where you are?  

 

I can't believe in my 35-40 years of collecting and loving Liberty, this is my first all Liberty quilt!  That's it now though...the lid is well and truly off my stash box and my mind is whizzing with ideas for more Liberty quilts.  Often, I've included bits of Liberty tana lawn in my quilts, but I've never devoted a whole quilt to Liberty...well I've broken through that little barrier, and the stand off is OVER.   

 

 

 

the binding

The rest of my weekend was lovely.  I saw a great film at Somerville - "Short Term 12". It's an American film about a home for children awaiting foster care or unable to live at home.  Some people do such good work in their lives - they give so much to those in need.  Watching the film, made me think about that.  I am in total admiration for people that have the capacity to work with fragile beings and work to empower them when they have suffered so much. Carers are incredible.

I had a lovely catch up with a few girlfriends for lunch on Saturday.  Lots of laughs. And yesterday a friend and I went to Homecraft Textiles as they have a gigantic sale on for the month of March.  I picked up the backing fabric for another quilt.  I've blogged about this shop before - you enter another world when you step inside.  You could be in Turkey, or a souk or market in some faraway dreamy place.  I love it. They are stocking a lot more 100% cottons - the minimum cut is 1 metre though, but for the month of March, they are 1/2 price at $7.50 per metre!!

And I started my next book for book club...'the autobiographical "The Happiest Refugee" by Anh Do. Very easy read by the looks of it.  More about that when I've read more.

Happy Monday to you all! :)

The Year in Books

I have joined up to The Year in Books.  I stumbled over it via Millefeuilles. 

I'm in a book club, but I'm always looking out for more books to read, and to diversify my reading.  I am only too conscious of how my little world is only a micro dot in the greater world, and I yearn for knowledge of the greater world, new surroundings and to open my mind to all the different lifestyles and worlds out ''there''.  I worry that in my comfortable western life, I will become too narrow in my thinking.  My upbringing was conservative, middle class (I am totally blessed for this and so thankful for it - please don't think for a minute I'm disappointed by it). I lead a comfortable life is suburban Perth, a very isolated city.  It's not easy to leave Perth and experience lots of varied cultures. Everywhere is a flight of several hours away and with only 4 weeks leave a year, not readily accessible, so I fuel my senses by reading.  It's the only way of immersing myself in other's stories and lives in my day-to-day world.

So I'm excited to hear of lots more books, that I may not ordinarily stumble across and add to my reading list.  Thank you!

Here's what I'm currently reading and enjoying. 

It is perhaps particularly relevant as we read of the theories currently surrounding the missing Malaysian airline.

and here's what I've been doing in my craft world this weekend

putting the binding on my retro squares quilt.  I'm nearly done.  It will be my first FINISHED quilt this year.  Hooray!