Happy mother’s day

 

I’m pretty sure I made my Ma feel like this when I was younger. Sorry Mum.

(You got yours though, now I have one just like me.)

Neglected

Poor neglected blog.  No time at the moment.  Tomorrow’s Mother’s Day. Back on Monday ~ with pictures.

This week’s youtube is Linda and Vika Bull.  Love them. If you look closely you’ll see Frank Woodley (of Lano and Woodley fame) is the rather nerdy object of their desire.

Friday!

It’s Friday, so I get to crack open the youtube site and offer you this week’s “thang”.  Today it’s Harley and Rose by The Black Sorrows (1990).  How I love this song.

I haven’t posted all week, sick then busy.  The kind of busy you are when you’re trying to catch up from being sick.  Nothing seems to be done.

I have done you the favour of skipping the 1980’s ~ only because I can’t quite remember what I was listening to back then, but it will come to me.   LOL

In any case, if you choose to watch the this clip I hope you enjoy it.  Next week I think I will do Chained to the Wheel by the same band, because the Bull sisters get to let loose instead of standing in back playing tambourines.  They are truly amazing.

Noodling around

I love noodling around the internet.  I love the crafty blogs (though my subscriptions are getting way out of hand), the quilt groups I lurk on, Ravelry for my knitting and yarn fix. I even read the newspapers on line. Generally, I spend way too many hours in front of a screen.

But for just sheer stupidity and fun, I like these:

I can has cheezburger?

The FAIL Blog

and I love PostSecret for it’s poignancy, and of course YouTube where I get the inspiration to inflict my questionable sense of humour and musical taste ~ or sometimes a combination of the two ~ on those of you who dare to read.

ANZAC Day ~ Lest we forget

For my Pop, who was always too “puffed” or “knocked out” to play with us when we were small and was dead from chronic respiratory problems before I started school.  For my uncle, who spent a long time recovering and being treated as though it never happened.  For friends and relatives who have had and in same cases, still have, careers in the armed forces.  For friends of my children who are currently serving overseas.  And for children of my friends who are serving or considering serving.

 

My mother’s father at age 18, just before he was shipped out to Europe during WWI.  Proudly Australian.  He was gassed in the trenches in France, but considered himself lucky as he made it home.  I never knew him as a handsome man, I always thought he was ancient, even though he was only in his 60’s when he died.  My youngest brother looks just like him.

 

My Uncle Bruce, Vietnam vet, at his 60th/retirement party ~ again lucky to have made it (his son, my cousin Jamie, behind him).  Proudly Australian.  Took a long time to get back to being Bruce.  Sent to war on a lottery ~ if your birthday came out of the barrel, off you went.  Not a war, a “police action”.  Think it seemed like war to him.

I remember as a schoolgirl being involved in ANZAC marches.  We were allowed to start at age 8.  I got into trouble for swinging my arms too enthusiastically (a bit too reminiscent of other armies perhaps); Maryanne fainting in the sun on an unseasonably hot April day (we all had to be in winter uniform); the lemonade and Street’s ice cream buckets with the little wooden paddles to eat them with we were given after the march; the two-up outside the club; old men, who probably weren’t that old at all (but were to me) who spent the day drinking beer and sharing memories and ended up crying; Reveille being played by a friend of my cousin’s who I didn’t even know had gone to Vietnam ~ I was only vaguely aware my (distant) cousin had.  I could never understand why my mother got so excited about word from her brother.  In a small country town, in the 70’s, living life as a 10-ish year old it all seemed rather fun except for the marching bit but the lemonade and ice cream made that worthwhile.

This page, gives a lovely personal view of ANZAC Day plus a recipe for the eponymous biscuit.  I wish I could say it so well.

 

More mail

More squishy… I ordered fabrics from fatquartershop to go with these fabrics (border and backing for the charm square packs) and had them shipped to my friend Pam, who is kind enough to accumulate stuff and then on-send when the shipping cost is worth it (my kids love eBay, what can I say?).

I am still in love with this range ~ Allspice Tapestry from Moda ~ just love that pomegranate colour that is almost but not quite red.

Pam added in the gift Mary Engelbreit note cards and magnet as a lovely surprise.  She also sends me a subscription of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion every year.  I am so lucky to have good friends.  Thanks, Pam!

You need to check this out

Sorry, for US residents only.

WOWIO - free books, free minds.

It’s legal, but of course there are conditions ~ and limits.

It seems to me to be a wonderful resource.

No unmarked notes or brown paper bags involved.

Squishy mail

I love squishy mail, it’s so much warmer and fuzzier than the window-faced kind.

Bonijo sent me this.  A fat quarter, a pretty card and a couple of gadgets.  I have been wanting to try a chaco liner and the thread heaven sounds handy, too.  Thank you so much, Bonijo!

I got other squishy mail yesterday, but haven’t had a chance to take a picture.  I shall be like Lissa and stalk the postman at this rate.  ROTFL

Afternoon drive

On Saturday I went for a drive to this shop at Breakfast Point and I fell in love with the cityscape.  Here is the view:

All it needed were some strong graphic fabrics.  I added these:

Some from the same range, some from a couple of others that just took my fancy.

Perhaps it was the Steve Harley thing tht set me off on a bit of a retro jag?

I have plans.  I have half the blocks made.  I’ve saved the selvages for Erica.  I feel quite chuffed.  LOL

Because I can

The year I started high school. I would like to say it wasn’t long ago, but really it was 1975. The year my sister and I first got really interested in being glued to the television on Sunday nights so we could watch Countdown. We loved this song. Mum laughed at it ~ well she laughed at Steve Harley’s lack of shirt anway. Cheryl and I would too, these days.

 

 

I will contain my “youtubing” to Fridays now.