Apparently

It's Friday today.  Not quite sure where that week went - My Best Friend comes back from Mackay, in Queensland, (pronounced mah-kai) tomorrow, They've had rain in Mackay but no flooding, thank the Goddess.  I've been popping by her house to collect mail, real and junk, from her mailbox, and I think part of my malaise this week has been because I've really missed her company - being on your own all day is no fun, really, even surrounded by boxes of fabric and great music.  


I've been distracted by the stories from the floods in Queensland - my heart just goes out to those poor people.  Such devastation - like Italy or Germany immediately after the end of the World War II - and because we've been asked not to send stuff, I have decided that any money I make from the shop during January and February will go to the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal, so now would be a good time to buy lavender bags, doorstops and Froggies, Gentle Readers, or anything else you want.


In other, more cheery, news, my lovely friend Auds, who is from Mumbai, has asked me to think about joining her on a trip to a wedding in Mumbai in mid-February, as she's not taking Mr Dingers or any of the (not-so) little Dingers'.  I must admit that I've been a bit inspired by the very lovely Flickety-Splits' photographs of India, and think that it's the opportunity of a lifetime, to go to India with somebody who was born there, knows it and loves it - much more interesting than a group tour, or wandering aimlessly with Mr Golightly, each saying "where do you want to go", and "I don't know, where do you want to go", as so often happens on our holidays...


Anyway, I can get a return fare to Mumbai for about $1300, and given that it appears I will be returning to the August Institution in March, I think I'll take advantage of the opportunity and go.  More info will be gathered tonight at dinner with the Dingers family... so stay tuned.


In crafty news, I have finished both pillow cases.  I got off my lardy-arse yesterday & whipped up the second one in about 10 minutes flat; isn't it strange how the first one of anything takes so long, but the second and subsequent items, exactly the same pattern, take a fraction of the time?


Anyway, here:

I was very happy with the way the zip flap turned out, next time I make a dress I'm going to use the sandwich method - very neat & tidy, no effort at all, but I did think afterwards that I probably should have put these in the back of the pillowcase, but I don't think anybody is going to poke their eyes out on this:

French seams throughout the pillowcase, no raw edges of any kind.  Nice job, Mrs G.


And for today, I think I'm going to indulge myself and make that Owl.  What a hoot!  (Ouch.)  


Ciao!

More Urban Jungle... (it's a spider, so look away now)

This morning we had a visitor:

That's Mr G's hand, right there (safely on the other side of the screen).  She was pretty big, I have to say...

but she looked to me like she'd just shed her skin & was still hardening up... 

In other nature related news, the sole remaining palm in our back garden does what it does so well, which is self-clean, bringing down a few plants, tealight holders and pots in the process with a huge crash in the night... we think the possums were actually to blame, because they've been going nuts in our backyard over the Lillipillies, which are seriously in fruit, and I think they got a bit carried away & pushed this out of the tree:

The tree is at least 10 metres high.  No wonder the crash got us out of bed!

And the fruiting Lillipillies, I hear you say?

Apparently the early settlers used these to make Jam & they are quite safe for humans to eat... if you can beat the possums to it!

That's it f53kHVmCYQDDc2lMaX_zKCQMVjMxJHN8O6amp; have breakfast (it's 11.38am), iron that beautiful red French fabric and make pillow cases.  More, later.  Enjoy your day!

Ciao!

In the Urban Jungle..

Sometimes, Gentle Readers, it's hard to believe we only 31kms/19 miles from the city - this is why:

What can you see amongst the palm fronds at the front of our house?  Look closely now:

A not-so nervous ring-tail possum, out and about quite a bit earlier than normal.  These little guys are nocturnal, and don't usually appear much before dusk.  This was taken at 6.45pm yesterday, well before dusk (it's 8.19pm now & the sun is just starting to set).

Very cute, but altogether undesirable in your roof - they love to nest, which means if you've got anything soft up there, they're into it.  So far, touch wood, we have no evidence that this little critter is in our roof.  We're also not sure if the sticky-outy white bits at the bottom of this picture are testicles or something in the pouch - more evidence of nesting, if it's a pouchling....


Today I made a pillowcase, first one ever.  Why on earth would you make pillowcases when you can buy them from Target or BigW for $4.50 or so?  Well... of course there's a story to that - but the evening meal has arrived (Pizza!) so I'll have to come back to this after food!


Right, back now after watching 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' on DVD - I bought Mr G the full set on video for his birthday - lots of fun, especially after seeing the latest one at the movies myself, and tying lots of things together - **spoiler alert** bits in the first film that make an appearance in the last one...


Anyway, here's a pic of some of the pillowcase:

Made from an oldie but a real goodie - Heather Bailey's Fresh Cut Fabric Finery, in the 'Vanilla' colourway, with an extremely pale yellow stripe through it.  French seams everywhere, and not a raw edge in sight.  Why, I hear you ask again, are you making a pillow case?  Well, MGF Kaz has some beautiful material from the 'Les Indiennes Des Provence' shop in the Hunter, which closed down recently, and she's asked me to make her some pillowcases.  Well, not ever having made one before (but don't tell her that), I thought the safest way to not screw up her beautiful fabric was to do a practice run on something I liked, had a fair bit of & didn't mind cutting up.


Hers looks a bit lot like this:


but it's Red, not orange.  It's beautiful stuff, and will be gorgeous to sew with, I think, once I get it back from the Golightly Chinese Laundry outside.  Progress update tomorrow!  


And now, because it's a good deal later than 8.19pm, it's time Little Golightly's were in bed.  Can't be wandering the halls of Hogwarts at night, now can we?  


Ciao!