Summer...

Beach time these holidays has been great, we made the most of Mum camping down the beach by sleeping at her house and utilizing her caravan campsite 20 metres from the ocean during the days...the perfect setup as far as I am concerned...proper beds and showers! Stole nearly 2 weeks of beach time that way, without having to leave Dh at home by himself for longer than a night a time. (January is NOT a cropper's holiday time, so we have learnt to make the best of what we can get!)

The closest beach was struggling to cope with the aftermath of the floods, the ocean looked like coke (but we still swam!) and the foam was amazing...

This is at the breakwater, all foam!

Foam or no foam, the local racehorses still had to be exercised, this is a great way to fill in an hour or two at the Warrnambool foreshore. (why has this just underlined itself??)

My sister decided that seeing I had taken in excess of 1000 photos of the kids at the beach there had better at least 2 to prove I was there!

I had a delivery to make as well, my sister enlisted my quilting knowledge and asked for a baby blanket for her new nephew. Another paid job that financed some more Hancock's purchases! Her kids just hand me everything that needs a stitch or button, funny!

So, signing off for the night, Dh has had a header breakdown and shown up prior to midnight...better talk to him! Cheers

One of the many things I have in my boot!

In Australia we have a "boot' in our car, think this is the trunk in the US. I keep a lot of stuff in my boot, never know what you will need on the road, DH calls it my mobile office!. This is just one of the reasons my DH has his own pristine car and I have my 'far-less-that-pristine' vehicle.

This was proven just recently when I was putting stuff in the boot and I spotted a little grey thing crawling, presumed it was a mouse who was a good climber, but turned out to be this little darling!

Now, don't you think this little bat is cute! Only mouse sized, i caught him in this coffee cup and took him around for show and tell, note to self...bats can climb and push coffee cup lids off in cars! Lucky I love creepy crawlies! He was very happy to be free an hour later and hung around on the lawn with me for half an hour for old time's sake!

Now, vote, cute or not cute...any ideas for a card caption for the coffee cup one appreciated too, it's got to lend itself to something!! back very soon...beach and injured kid is distracting me!

Of water and sea...

Back from the beach, haven't felt much in the holiday mood these past few days, the floods and devastation in Queensland are enough to get the toughest of us to shed a tear. It's awful. We are comparitively fine. Three inches in last couple of days with another 3 or 4 expected. It's hopeless for trying to get crop off, so far the only thing harvested is the canola. But, like I said, comparitively to Queensland we are fine!

On a bookwork note....Some winners for my card caption-

Chook, for "faith, hope and love" on card1.

Ozjane for "it'll be ok, mate" on card 2

Needled Mom for "Bon Voyage" on Card3

kerry for "give Thanks"

These girls will all score 10 cards of their choice, with a special extra pack going to Margaret. Drop me a line girls. Took a few photos at the beach, had fun playing with my sister's youngest on the beach here...

All the cousins had fun burying each other!And on one day the wind made the entire bay flat and all the sailboats came in and treated it like a lake, uncommon in Warrnambool.

Am off to take my girl to see tangled...am sick of looking at and hearing the rain...as half of this country is!!

Sewing and some book purchases next time, Cheers and stay safe, Tracey

Quilt for leukeumia progress

The strings are all sewn and attached, so thought the quilt needed a freepieced name. I have it all done as above, but can't decided whether to just have it all white like above and maybe applique a few stars in the space next to the A, or to attach a sashing like below.

I would imagine I'm only going to attach a red binding to it for the last step, so any ideas are welcome.

Also, well done on the prayers!! They are pretty sure Kael has not relapsed, just a problem due to an infection, and he was to be realeased from hospital yesterday!!!

Off to the beach for a few days, so you actually have time to think of a caption for me for the photo comp. So far it is far too easy to judge, so go back a post or two and give it a whirl!!
.I'll leave you with some linseed pics....it flowers with beautiful blue flowers. It has been looking like a wavy ocean in the breeze. We are a bit worried about that breeze though, it is predicted to come from the North today, strongly, and the north has a terrible locust plague, they would love this crop and our late (still green) barley. All the other ripe and dry stuff should be fine. The joys of farming!! If it isn't rain and drought, it's locusts! Wouldn't be anywhere else, though!

Have a great day, Tracey

Quilts for Leukeumia sewing

Clare at Quilts for leukeumia is in need of a quilt for this side of the world, so i worked today on a red and white string. This is the progress so far, it will get bigger than this, my friend Robyn is making me blocks as well as the ones I have to finish. of course, like all the quilts I make for others..I'd like to keep it!!

I showed you a few months ago the one I made for a little boy called Kael.I used my version of Tonya's letters in this, Tonya and friends do them SO much better...and now you can purchase her book! Word play Quilts, by Tonya Ricucci
I have orderd it already and can't wait for it to come, I have been following Tonya's blog since I started on blogs, well over 4 years ago, and it's great.

I have been very fortunate to keep track on Kael and his family and their cancer battle via facebook. This can be a bittersweet joy, I have loved seeing the pictures of him comforted by his quilt, but I have found the medical logistics of even a remission patient to be heartrending. Today there is news of a chance of relapse, I would ask any of the pray-ers amongst you to join me in praying that his wednesday blood tests will only indicate infection, not a relapse...and for his family to keep strong.

Cuddle your babies... Tracey

ps Oh, think my competition may be too hard, lots of visitors, few comments. Come on, give it a shot...you have until friday!

Photo competition

PHOTO 1. CHICK KIT

PHOTO 2. CONFUSED DOG

PHOTO 3. TASK WEARY DOG

PHOTO 4 BEGGING DOG

To celebrate my return to blogging, plus a belated 4 year (!!) blogiversary, I have a little bit of fun for you.....

I have chosen 4 photos, and your job is to come up with a suitable caption. (A caption that would lend itself to a card would be especially useful!) You don't have to do all four, just whatever jumps out at you. I have been uploading some of my latest cards to my Tracey's country cards site tonight, a few more to go on there tomorrow. Winners, for each photo, will be chosen on what my judging family think... and emails are welcome if you are blog free. Winners will get to choose 10 of their own favourite cards from the 175 + now on offer and may get a few other surprises as well. I have new gift card packs, and some other lucky enterers, will be chosen randomly for these!! if you send anyone over here, tell them to mention it in their comments and you'll get another entry in the random draw.

You have until Friday to think of something and enter it in the comments under the appropriate number/title (so i don't get confused)!...have fun!

Competition tomorrow...

New year's day for a competition was a good thought, but I need a little while on the computer to get it organized and that aint happening, harvest (finally!) waits for no man..or woman!

A few swan shots is the best that i can offer you today....a couple more recent prize winners. The recent late rains fortunately came after all the nests hatched, so their flooding wasn't a big drama, just meant a few babies slept on the shore.

'Tis hot, darn hot!!!

Must not stay here long...20 due here for new year's eve pool party in 2 hours and I'm just home from the beach, got to above 38 degrees here with shocking winds.

Thought I'd quickly share some onset of summer pics from my garden, can't decide which butterfly one I like best, can you??

What about my dragonfly, thought he was cute!

The quilt went to my boy's retiring school teacher/ head teacher. My daughter had her last year and adored her, so we felt she was quilt worthy!!! Not everyone is...as you quilt makers know!!

Hope your New year's eve is wonderful...and safe!!

Tune in tomorrow for a little competittion to celebrate the new year and the fact I'm back to blogging...think there was a 4 year blogiversary I missed as well!!! Cheers, tracey!!

And out with the camera....

Just a note to start... WOW! I am amazed how many people have kept popping in while I have been gone! I was thinking that noone would notice if I disappeared, but I managed to reaccess my statcounter account today after the loss of my main computer, and all I can say is "Thank you!!" Also, with the loss of my main computer I have lost all my favourites that I had set up when bloglines was going/gone. I have noone's address unless I crawl and scroll and search and visit, so if you are a friend of mine from lots of years of blogging, a comment or email would save a lot of time and would be great to get you on this computer. Inoticed some addresses I did have on here are gone and that makes me sad....you're lost!! I'll see who's still out there! Also, Chookyblue did her annual Christmas swap, she has posted the near 100 ornaments so far and the gift photos are still coming, well worth a look!

I love the Spring.....soon I even hope it may change to summer (38 degrees expected here for New year/s a shock after highs of very low 20's all month!)

Lots of new babies and life in the last few months here

I'm a little proud of this one, it won best farm animal shot at our photography show, against tricky opposition!

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We have had some crazy phenomenons(to do with the crazy weather, I think) including these spider webs that appeared all around the local lake, very eerie!

More kittens as well!!! we will have to do something about the promiscuity of Magnum, she is lowering the farm's tone!This is one of her latest babies preparing to wine and dine a chicken!

Archie is asking people to join him in calling for the sterilisation of one whose children are disturbing his previously peaceful life!

And, why did the echidna cross the road?? So I could take his photo of course!! How cute is this fellow!
Last but not least, a gift idea for you... A good friend has kids my age and is spending ages every night at sports. The worst is the swmming training, the main seats are concrete bleachers, she was telling me this the other week so i made her a discreet quilted cushion/bag. Noone really wants to cart a cushion everywhere, but this is magazine carrying size, then if she just takes her stuff out it's comfy cushion. I lined it with chenille and it's fully reversible so if she doesn't want to sit on the outer she can just turn it inside out. She loved them and wants me to make more. The basic bag is my quited tutorial one in the sidebar links. I gave it a side handle here, up to you on the handles.

Have a great day, Tracey

Not dead!

How does it get to be 10 weeks from my last post? Lots of ways...my desktop hard drive died, most of the country got washed away in floods, including lots of our crops, so then they all had to get sown again, (and the water just keeps coming...where was it the last few years when we needed it!) time spent off the computer meant that another 6 kgs disappeared, getting me down to my lowest weight in the last 4 or 5 years, eldest daughter graduated primary school, boy took up proper cricket, with 5 associated hours of watching accompanying it...school swimming program came my way to run as did local photo competition and animal nursery, husband went away up north trying to harvest the almost unharvestable, did what feels like the whole district's photo taking, Sunday school nativity as well...and suddenly today is the day I finally have "nothing " to do!! So, hi!!

There has also been some sewing, this was made for my friend's daughter's wedding. It was all gift cards and money suggestions, and i am afraid that didn't excite me. i knew from watching her mother make the wedding cake that the whole theme was peaches and cream, so i managed to find some peaches and cream in my stash and make her this.

It is about a metre and half square, hanging on the oldest moreton bay fig in Adelaide, where we stayed to go to the wedding. The funny thing is, that about 4 days before, it looked like this...

-just a whole pile of layer cakes

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-And 3 and a half days before the wedding it looked like this.

i got it together enough to hand quilt, yes, that's correct, hand quilt the butterfly/love hearts at wednesday night's cricket match...I was not letting 3 hours of enforced stillness go to waste, much to the other mother's amusement! And on the 5 hour trip to Adelaide On the Friday i completely hand stitched the binding and finished the last butterflies.

The bride loved it, especially(of course) because she had a whole house of money and gift cards...all very fine, but all very cold to cuddle up with new husband under!! (That's really a life lesson isn't it, money's all very good, but very cold to sleep with...)

These have been this week's projects...delivered Christmas Eve by the skin of their teeth! They are quilted santa sacks..and santa could almost fit in them, ok, well, a small child could use them as a sleeping bag. They were a paid job that has covered nearly a year's worth of hancock's purchases in one lot of sewing! They're also fun, i love the idea that these little children will drag them out every year, fo maybe the next 70 years, to celebrate Christmas.

Hope you all had a very Merry christmas with family and friends, hope you aren't all freezing in the Northern winter, that looks major!! It's not freezing here, you just need to be able to swim..over roads!

I'll leave you with some of my newest babies, and promise to be back again much sooner...cheers, Tracey