Weekend of Responsibility

Meet Fred and Butter. Family are away on a touring holiday and I have been left to babysit grandson A's two budgies for two weeks. It's a big responsibility but Charlotte and Emily aren't very interested and at times Emily looks annoyed when too much chirping interupts her daytime sleeps. Charlotte had a little look at the birds then wandered off, but I am being very careful never to leave cats and birds alone together. Mother duck and five little ducklings swam past my house on Saturday morning, have not seen them since but am still watching and hoping.
My weekend reading: A new biography about Pearl Buck and her life in China. Born 1892 D1973 Pearl grew up and lived most of her life in China. Her most famous book 'The Good Earth' won her The Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938 and was made into a movie. I think all her books are equally interesting though some are now out of print and harder to find.
Please Note; no chocolates or wine consumed during the reading of this book.....

This was taken at my local Woolworths supermarket on Saturday. Not a good pic but I felt like a spy and only had one chance at a photo while no one was looking. The FIRST Christmas decorations on the shelves NOW Sat. 25 Sept. I am going to my local Westfield Mall later and I'm sure the decorations will be hanging up, having been dusted off from last year. I am almost afraid to go and look.
Sunday I went to a friend's house for a barbecue, always a fun day with lots of laughs.

This blue tongue lizard wandered around friend's garden. A common lizard in bushy gardens and harmless his blue tongue was flicking in and out but never at the moment my camera clicked.
Weather was perfect all weekend with warm sunny days.

Im joining Gattina at Writers' Cramps for "What Did You Do This Weekend?"

Spring Teddy Bear Picnic

Perfect spring weather today so the bears decided to get together and have a picnic. The Royal bears came too and here they all are posing for a picnic pic.

My best mini teasets were borrowed and the bears promised to take good care of The Golden Jubilee Teaset. I made them a tablecloth from my Guardsman fabric. Emily dropped in to say a gentle hello.

Then disaster! Charlotte wanted to join in too but then she saw that the Queen Mother was wearing THAT HAT that she just cannot leave alone and always wants to get her teeth into the veiling.You win Charlotte, the hat has been put away and I think the picnic is over. Perhaps tomorrow we will have a picnic for Cats then you won't have to gatecrash the next bears picnic.

Weekend of Much Ado About Nothing

The first mangos of the season are now in the shops, here is my first one and it was delicious. Best eaten when alone, sleeves rolled up and lean over the kitchen sink as mangos are so juicy. I will most likely look like a mango at the end of summer. My mother always said mango skin is good for the complexion and would sometimes put the skin on her face, haven't tried that yet.As this was a weekend of nothing much happening I read a very interesting book and ate chocolate.
Watched sunset over the Lake with glass of wine on Saturday night.On Sunday I cleaned out the shed and took a load of rubbish to the local council tip. Doesn't take much rubbish to fill up my little car but the shed now looks tidier.

After the trip to the tip had lunch then spent the afternoon watching mindless T.V and working on my latest cross stitch project. And it's not even ROYAL but a design I love called THE KISS it has some sparkly threads and will have pearls sewn on the hat at the finish.

Charlotte and Emily had a quiet weekend too, here they are catching the first of the Sunday sun.

That was my weekend and tonight I will go to bed early and finish that book.



I'm joining Gattina again at Writer's Cramps for "What Did You Do This Weekend?"

My Weekend of Variety

My busy weekend started on Friday with a visit to the local Embroiderers Guild Exhibition. A very impressive display of needlework and the morning tea served is worth a visit for that alone. The cakes are all homemade and we were served by a volunteer wearing a vintage apron embroidered with a teapot and teacups. I bought the pretty pincushion, made to look like a cupcake the top is all hand embroidered and the base is one of those plastic mini muffin cases that can be put in the oven. It's a sort of rubbery stuff I can't remember the name of but what a good idea for a pin cushion.Also bought this denim bag for a friend whose birthday is next month, the handmade card and a scissor holder. Then it was off to the op shops and I found this old chenille bedspread for only $6. Made by Supertex Australia so in its day a very good spread. Now for anyone wondering why I would want such a thing let me explain that there are chenille collectors out there and also chenille squares have become popular in patchwork and are expensive to buy. I might share my find and add some to my fabric stash for that wonderful quilt I will make oneday.

Saturday was Doll Club day and I won First prize for my Royal nesting dolls. Bear dressed for winter was another section, sorry you didn't win Ted even with that smart jacket I bought for you at the op shop. I really don't like to mention this Ted but you DO have fat thigh syndrome and couldn't wear the pants to match the jacket and had to make do with your old skirt, but thank you for being such a willing participant in your section. My mulga wood napkin rings did not win either but as always it's fun to enter and see what other club members have.
The theme for show and tell was tea cozies as fancy knitted ones have become so popular, I took my GeorgeVI cutwork embroidered one along to display and talk about.

Sunday I went to a local cat show, the variety of cats on show and being judged was amazing and my favoutrite judge was there. He is very flambouyant and a lot of fun to watch, cats seem to like him too.

It was an All Breeds cat show and here is one beauty waiting to be judged.

And then we have Emily. Does not want to hear about cat shows, will never enter a cat show and is looking annoyed because she wonders why I want to look at other cats when I have her and why don't I stay home and watch her have another long sleep.

I'm linking to Gattina at Writer's Cramps for "What Did You Do This Weekend?"

Flag Day

Today is Australian National Flag Day. I am a proud Aussie as well as being such an Anglophile and lover of all things British, Australian flags can be seen in my sidebar pics. so I am showing my Royal flags. The flags are all 1953 coronation flags bought at different markets, all large and difficult to get decent photos as they are all hung up near the ceiling and I am having severe Ladder Issues just now, but that's a story/post for another day. The flag below is my favourite as it shows the Royal Family at the time of the Coronation.

The three flags are shown in the Robert Opie 'Royal Scrapbook' I have. The book contains some souvenirs I have, some I am forever hunting for and some I know will be forever unattainable by me but I do have fun looking.

This flag below is from the Coronation of EdwardVIII in 1937 that never took place. Still looking for that elusive and affordable GeorgeVI coronation flag.

Here is my lovely guardsman doll, found one day at a local market I found a job for him holding smaller royal flags. Any more flags I collect will have to be on the ceiling, not just up near it as the ceiling is the only clear space not yet used. Charlotte and Emily will need to be fitted with tiny crash helmets to be ready for Things falling off the ceiling........