Mum's Birthday High Tea 2019

Above- Mum, me and Cathy at the photo booth at the High Tea.

Hello Dear Readers

After lots of planning we have had my mothers birthday weekend in Sydney.

(its her 80th, not allowed to advertise that).

It started with a family dinner on Saturday night at the Fourmo Restaurant.

And now you are cordially invited to the main event!

As mentioned numerous times already, this was a High Tea for 50 of Mum's friends and relatives.

Downton Abbey style.

As my sister and I are busy people, we had it catered. They supplied all the food and pretty china.

Lovely food!

 

 The cake was made by Mum & Dad's next door neighbour.

And we had a photo booth, so we could all dress up silly and get our photos taken!

Above- Surely Edie's not rolling her eyes at me?! Hummmmm.

And as thank you gifts for the guests

'Have another cuppa on us'

Three teabags in pretty packaging assembled by me!

Very successful day, well so everyone keeps tells me!

Thanks Cathy, for all your work.

And now Graham and I are off on a holiday!...

A car for the wolves in my life.....

Hi again, My Dear Readers.

Its my new car!

Now, I don't buy a new car very often, the last one was 2008, which was pre-blog. 

So excuse me for bragging.

(I started this blog in 2010, the blog it will be 10 years old in January)

 So I have bought a very sensible Volkswagen Golf, wagon, in Port Macquarie.

 

This is so I can transport the wolves (doggies) more safely, in the back, in crates.

I should blog about the antics of these doggies in the car, I'll put that on the to do list.

 Huh! Says Miss Lizzie.

 

 

Great car buying experience.

Very happy and excited about my new car.

And, when we picked it up it was beautifully clean and serviced with 37km on the clock.

After the big drive home it has 301km on it and it is very, very, dirty. Bugs and dust. 

Can't wash it due to water restrictions.

(It STILL, hasn't RAINED)!!!!

Still need to swap the plates to my KIM plates.

Does anyone have a Mondeo shaped hole in their life? 

I've got one that could fill it! One owner since new, 2007 model, only 63000 on the ODO.

I should blog about all the cars I have owned and known.... I'll also put that on the to-do list.

Do you name your cars?

All my cars have had a name, Graham thinks I'm a bit odd. 

(Can't say bonkers, nuts or crazy here, as its not appropriate mental health language).

This one will be The Wolf Wagon!

Das Wolf Wagon or Der Wolf Wagon? I'll have to ask Andrew. 

Wolfie! 

 

No Rain - Just Snow

 Here are Sean and my snow photos. Edie and our backyard above.

The dam ducks are very confused. (And hungry).

 

From our house to Sean and Rose's.

Here are Sean's drone photos.

 

 And Edie discovered that snow is cold! I know how she feels!

Glencoe and Petrol Pump Collection

 

Yes well! Hello Dear Readers!

Oh dear, we do some strange and interesting things with the car club.

This trip was north to the sleepy little backwater of Glencoe, to visit the most amazing collection of vintage petrol pumps. He has 100's of them.

I'll say it again....The things people do!

Who'd thought that there would be so much variety?

This collection is from all over the world.

I can remember  those ones above.

But not the ones below! Aren't they wonderful. 

Those were the days when you would get driveway service.

This was my favourite below - the Polly Gas Pump. (full pic at top of post).

 

Still no rain....

Things are getting really desperate.

We have a nasty drought...

The above photo is from this week.

All the grass is dead.. 

(and just look at those cute terriers doing the fence patrol)..

 The below photo is from 2016...

 

 I've never seen the dam so low. 

The cattle can wade in now and that's the first time I've seen that.

Dear Readers, Armidale is on level four water restrictions for the first time.. ever.

So we are saving the washing machine water for the garden. 

I think I've lost the roses in the front garden.

 

Personally, I blame the Guyra tomato farm... It's because they are paying LOTs for that water, and now the towns folk have to suffer....

So, I hope all you city folks are enjoying your tomatoes?

 

 

Businesses in town are really struggling and lots are closing. 

This is because people on farming properties don't have extra money to spend on luxuries, like hairdressers, beauticians and gift shops. Also produce stores are struggling.

It just flows on and on, the lack of money.

And the poor plant nurseries, I wonder if they will survive.

 

I'm lucky, because I'm a public servant... 

My work won't dry up, it will increase, with suicidal farmers etc. 

 

And all those people on tank water (like Sean & others I know) are really struggling.

It must rain again, won't it?

 

 

Sesame Street Quilt - "Sunny Day"

Here are some photos of the quilt I made for baby Florence.

I bought a pre-printed Sesame street panel about five years ago because it was on special.

And I thought "why not use it up" for the new grand baby!

So lots of maths to get the panel blocks to match up with the 2" squares.

The Grover panel got chewed by Miss Lizzy so missed the final cut.... (tasted good Mum!)

(Look how dry it is, we have no grass. Its so sad...

I think I'll do a post on the drought next).

 

Above- Teddy, quilt quality controller, supervising the photo process.

It has lots of bright flannels and velvets. I wanted it to be tactile. 

Quilted in a pattern called 'Furry red guy" which is basically a way of it being an Elmo pattern without breaching the copyright..

When it was nearly finished I realised that all the characters are male!

Although, I am informed by a reliable source on these matters, (Mary-Anne)  that Big Bird is gender neutral..... and sits on a nest so could swing any which way.

Any of the other monsters could be any gender as well, who knows?

And we've all heard the rumours about Bert and Ernie......

This the first quilt I have finished for nearly 2 years. 

I have lots of nearly finished projects, so I am hoping to make some progress on those this year.

There's a second Sesame street quilt to come which is about 1/2 pieced.

Oh dear, and here Edie is again, under her sisters quilt.

I may have to make her a cushion with the leftover fabric.