Great Show

Well, the show is over! And a very successful weekend it was. The final total hasn't been announced yet, but we grossed around $3500. Once the expenses are taken out, we should have a tidy sum to send to Autism SA.
The setting at Victor Harbor was just superb - the only green patch for miles around. The weather was not fantastic - hot, but it didn't seem to stop the customers and we had a steady flow for the two days.
The quilts, even though I say it myself, were beautiful, and we had some terrific feedback. The company for the weekend was brilliant and the Retreating angels thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
All in all, an excellent weeeknd.

Mr Karl Zander of Autism SA opening the show on Saturday. He planned to just pop in and do the job then get away. I think he felt very out of place. However, an hour later he was still there looking at quilts and chatting to quilters. Very impressed with what he saw.









Yours truly chatting while on gate duty










Angels and assistant angels having a well earned coffee break with the winery owners Neville and Adrian Scott



Liz Needle

Heatwave

March 11th

Finally back to blogging. I hope you haven't all run away in disgust. My life has been very loaded down with things lately. First a husband who has not been well, though tests have shown so far that it is nothing life threatening and medication seems to have him under control - I wish I could. LOL.

School with the challenge of 6 delightful, but demanding Vietnamese children as well as 20 equally demanding Aussie 12/13 year olds has also proved more of a task than I expected, but we will get there, I know.

Finally, the reason why I haven't been blogging much - the Retreating Angels Quilt Show next weekend. I have been madly finishing quilts, sewing on bindings and attaching labels and hanging sleeves. Did I tell you we are in the middle of a heatwave and I am sitting under mountains of cuddly quilts doing hand sewing!! Here is another of the finished quilts. This one was a set of friendship blocks, finally put together.

The blocks were made for me by members of the Woodpatch quilting group. Many of them needed a lot of fixing, so they were put away safely and only came to light when I cleaned out my sewing room last winter.

I sent it off to Tracey Browning of Constantine Quilting, then hesitated when I realised the cost involved, especially as I wasn't all that impressed with the standard of some of the stitching in the blocks. However I am glad I went ahead because it is a pretty quilt and looks great in my blue bedroom. Check out the quilting.

I mentioned a heatwave. Adelaide has had 8 days of temperatures over 36 degrees - equalling an all time record. Yesterday we had a cool change - only 35 degrees, but today it was back up to 39.2 . And until next Wednesday every day will be over 35 degrees.

No wonder our gardens are beginning to look like waste lands with water restrictions continuing.

Bushfires today through the Adelaide Hills, supposedly started by lightning. One is within 5 kms of my daughter Jo at Williamstown. Fingers crossed they get it under control. I guess we have been lucky so far this summer, but the scrub is as dry as a tinder box and we are all fearful that if a fire takes hold it will sweep through everything.

Off to find a long cold drink.

Liz

Mandy Sue Designs

Today my second daughter, Mandy, published a blog to advertise her lovely hand made jewellery. From being a child who was totally uninterested in craft work of any kind, she has as an adult, tried all manner of crafts and is in fact far more creative in her thinking than her mother who has been a crafty since she was about 4 years old.

Now she is launching her jewellery in the hopes of making something from her hobby. Go have a look at her blog. She'd love some feedback. You'll find her blog site under "My favourite Blogs" - mainly because I haven't yet learnt how to add a link.

Have now finished the binding on my third quilt this year - a Dresden Plate friendship quilt. I've had the blocks for a number of years and finally have the quilt finished. Photo later. One more quilt to finish before the Retreating Angels Quilt exhibition in March. Watch this space for details.

Liz

Oh dear!! I have been tagged twice. Does that mean I have to find 14 weird things about myself. I'm not actually that weird - rather mundane in fact, so I'll just stick with the 7 facts,

Here are the rules:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

I bet everyone has been taken by now!!

My 7 weird facts

1. I have no desire to retire. I love working. (People tell me that is really weird)
2. My best party trick is standing on my head.
3. I like to take a long hot bath with a glass of wine and a book very late at night.
4. I always tear off a 3 piece length of toilet paper and very neatly fold it into 3.
5. I rarely leave the house without applying my mascara.
6. I have a thing about pens. I only ever use one type - a uniball micro tip.
7. My husband couldn't think of a single weird thing about me.

Liz

Scatterday S

Scatterday S
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Oh dear!! Last minute rush. Haven't had a spare moment this week to think about Scatterdays. Thank heavens we have a garden!!

Golden - golden SQUASH. We have some growing, but we forgot to pick them in time, so they have , like Topsy, just growed.

Fruit - SWEET melon. I refuse to call them rock melon. They were sweet melon when I was a kid and my dad grew them and they are sweet melon now. Who on earth called them rock melon anyhow? They don't look like rocks! They don't grow in rocks". They are sweet, succulent, satisfying and salubrious.

Itchy stuff - SOAP makes me itch. Any sort of soap. I itched and came out in a rash as a baby and I itch now. In fact if someone could find a soap that doesn't make me itch, I would be eternally grateful!!

About 6.pm today I logged on and immediately realised that I had not done my Scatterdays. I had in fact been busy marking assignments and madly sewing down bindings on my quilts for the Retreating Angels exhibition in March. (BTW if any one wants raffle tickets for the celtic quilt, let me know). I quickly unearthed the camera and raced out into the garden - the very dry, half dead garden. Luckily there are a few things surviving in the veggie garden so I was able to get some photos.

My poor garden is suffering. We have lost our glorious Waratah, several rhododendrons, two flowering currants, a dogwood, a number of banksias and melaleucas and numerous perennials. Amazingly the roses, camellias, magnolias and hydrangeas are hanging on - but for how long, I cannot say. Surely we must get some rain soon? All I can water in the time allowed are the tree ferns and small stuff close to the house. It is indeed heartbreaking and I really feel for the oldies who only have their precious gardens to keep them going. My mother would have been devastated, but stoical.

I am praying for rain!!

Liz

Scatterday I

Scatterday I
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Had to think about this one - at the last minute as usual.

Yellow - Irises from the garden. They are actually more yellow than this photo shows.

In the air - Insect. Well it was in the air, but I had to wait until it landed before I could actually photograph it. I did try, but went dizzy trying to track it as it was flying.

Australian - Indigenous species. A baby emu chick.

Another Australian - an idiotic, impatient, impossible, impulsive, irritable, impetuous, impudent, impoverished, imperious, intelligent, illogical, immoveable, impecunious, impenitent, irrascible, impertinent, irreligious, incorrigible and quite irresistible, incomparable and irreplaceable individual

Liz


PS. Having dragged my Civil War quilt everywhere for the last week and harassed all my friends, the voting shows that the green border has the nod, much to Don's disgust as he loved the red. However, when I tried the red on all four sides, I had to admit that it did overpower the quilt. So, unless some of the original red border magically appears, it looks like it will be green. Thanks everyone for your input.

Civil War Quilt

Nearly there with this BOM that I have agonised over. A few weeks ago I was asking if anyone knew where I could get some red and beige stripe from the Nancy Kirk Civil War range. No luck with the red, but I was able to get some of the stripe in green, but somehow it lacks the zing of the red in the original.
I have found another red though and this may do instead. Have a look at the photo and tell me what you think. The quilt has a strip of the red on the left and the green on the right. Which one??? Thge colours in the photo are not as rich as they are really - had to use the flash to get a clear shot, but you get the idea.



Liz

Stars in My Garden

Stars in my garden
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Finally, the quilt is finished and I am really pleased with the result.

The pattern is a design by Lori Smith. I have hand appliqued and machine pieced the top and it has been beautifully machine quilted by Tracey Browning of Constantine Quilts.

It is huge - far longer than the height of my veranda as you can see. And who is it for, I hear you ask? Moi!! I am even going to paint my blue bedroom gold or green so that it will feel more at home.

Liz - feeling very satisfied with herself.

Scatterday Z

Scatterday Z
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Well, I nearly didn't make it this week. First week back has been hectic to say the least and late Friday night I decided that I would have to give Scatterdays a miss. Then I had second thoughts and sat down with my trusty Websters and discovered that i wouldn't even have to leave home to find any number of Zeds.

I must admit I did get a bit carried away with my own cleverness, but just had to include these piccies. I did leave some obvious ones out though - like zucchinis of which we have an overabumdance at the moment.

Zebra that I saw at the Zoo when I patted the cheetah.

DH Don - a Zamindar (owner of an agricultural estate) and his brother who sports a Ziff (beard)

Zilch - a photo of nothing and a Zero

insect Zapper and of course a Zipper

Zits - a comic strip I just love and Zodiac sign

Zecchinos (sequins) that I Zoomed in on and Zinc cream, beloved of our cricket teams.

I thought about Zabaglione, but I had no Marsala left and a Zig Zag stitch and orange Zest and Zinnias and a Zebra crossing, but figured i had done enough showing off for the day.

Now back to school work - the Zenith of my priorities at the moment.

Liz

Scatterday N

Scatterday N
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Easier letter, but I had to think a bit about what to put in. Finally...........

South American - Pablo Neruda, the Chilean Poet.

Orange - what easier than Navel oranges - note the naughty little navels.

Good for me but disliked - my Nose. The bane of my life!! Now reconciled to it, but boy did it cause me some angst in my youth as I watched it grow bigger and bigger!

Pablo Neruda. I had heard of him, but never read any of his poetry, so I looked for it and was quite taken with what I read. Found a series of odes that I really enjoyed. This website has some Elementary Odes - not too complicated for my elementary brain to understand and enjoy. Hope this works. haven't learnt how to add links to my blog yet.

http://sunsite.dcc.uchile.cl/chile/misc/odas.html

Liz

Scatterday U

Scatterday U
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Running late this week- only just got the last few photos late this afternoon. Had fun playing with Photoshop trying to create a collage.
So, here are my offerings.

Things people pay a lot for - Urban sprawl in the country. Some of our state's best farmland is being eaten up by this urban sprawl. People who want an Unpolluted, Unspoilt, Uncluttered, Undeveloped environment are paying big bucks to live in the country - in a crowded sUbUrb. And we are paying for it by the loss of productive farmland and natural scrub!!

Streets - had to find these in a street directory - and one of them was actually in Lobethal and I didn't realise it. Duh!! It's not like Lobethal is a big place!!!

Cartoon character - Uncle Scrooge of course.

What are we being hit with next week I wonder?

Liz

Fun Day

Saturday Jan 12th

I had fun today. Played with some more ATCs. Heavens, they are addictive. If I am not making them, I am thinking about them.
This time I cut up a block I received in a Jan Mullins swap. I added a photo image of a sun, machined around it, did some quilting and voila! some more little cuties. Such fun to do and the beauty is if you muck up, its only a few square inches to throw out. LOL.



I made four like this for the SCQ ATC Swap.

This week I got back 3 quilts that had gone to Tracey Browning of Constantine Quilts for quilting. They are wonderful. She is such a talented machine quilter. I really should be binding them as I speak, for the Retreating Angels upcoming show in March. Trouble is I am hooked on these darn ATCs. When I do get the binding done I will show you what a marvellous job Tracey has done for me.


Sitting watching The Da Vinci Code - for the 3rd time, when a strange noise was heard coming from my computer. Totally puzzled I sat down at the desk to discover that it was a Skype call from Ireland - the mother-in-law of DD2. A wonderful lady and a good friend. Trouble is I could hear and see her, but she could only see me!! My microphone isn't functioning. Very disappointing. So I rang her instead and we had a chat. Have to get that mike fixed though - Skype is so much cheaper than international phone calls. LOL!!!

Liz

ATCs

Friday Jan 11th.

Today I received my first swap ATC. A gorgeous little card from Jenni Strachan. So bright and cheery, so colourful and so many new ideas on one small piece. I just love this ATC. Thanks Jenni.

Liz

Lights

Lights
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Scatterdays inspired me to take photos of some of the lights in the house. There are a couple more, but that would have involved waking up the boss and he might not have been impressed.

Liz

Scatterday E

Scatterday E
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Had to really think about this letter. E would seem easy, but I found it otherwise.

White - Electric lights. In fact I became quite taken with this topic and photographed a number of lights in the house.

Plant life - nothing looking really nice in the garden at the moment, so I took a photo of an Evergreen tree - this one is a macadamia.

Terrifying things - Effigy. Not terrifying to us, perhaps, but certainly culturally effigies are objects of terror in many places.

Doing my thing

Monday Jan 7th

Since the family left on New Year's Eve, I have been puddling along doing my own thing - catching up on reading, gardening (when the hot weather allows) and quilting. I have been able to put together the first five rounds of a Block of the Month and am really pleased with it so far.

Not so pleasing is the fact that the shop has run out of the border fabric for the last round, so if anyone out there knows where I can get it, please let me know. I am looking for a red and beige regency style stripe from Nacy Kirk's Civil War 1 range. It's by Benartex and is now a discontinued line, though may still be available in shops or in stashes!! It also comes in green, blue and brown, but I desperately need 1.5 metres of the red. Happy to purchase any amount.

Here is the quilt with 5 rounds done - 2 to go. The quilt is called 'Civil War' and was designed using the Nancy Kirk range for The Patchwork Apple in Woodside, South Australia.

The other things I have been playing with are a set of ATCs. These are the first ones I have tried and I am finding them challenging and intriguing. Way out of my comfort zone here. I am NOT an art quilter - very traditional and non-experimental, so this is all new to me. What do you think?

Have to admit I didn't start from scratch with the ATCs. The embroidery was an experimental piece I did at a workshop, so I cut it up and put it to some useful purpose. The photo doesn't really do them justice. The embroidery is in red and then a silver/gold variegated thread which doesn't show up here.

Now I have to design some more for a swap. Something bright and cheery.

Liz Needle

Scatterday V

Scatterday V
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I found this one even harder than 'Y' and needed help from the main man. Finally had several suggestions to choose from, so here is my offering for this week

Kitchen - Vinegar and Virgin olive oil - pretty standard choices I would imagine
Motor parts - V number plate. Also took a photo of a tyre valve, but like this one better
Office items - Venetians in our school office and more important Vital Victuals found in the secretary's top drawer - items she cannot do without.

Scatterday Y

Scatterday Y
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

This was a very difficult one - not helped by Christmas, grand kids etc. Thought of lots of yellow things like school signs, school buses, but I would have had to get into a hot car in 40 degrees and drive 10 kms to photograph them, so took the easy way out and used stuff I had at home.

Final choices:

Green - Yarrow, growing in my garden
School-days - the 2007 School Year Book
Animal - Year 7s, Young animals, Youth of an animal species. You can take it any way you like.

Raffle Quilt

December 27th

My quilting group The Retreating Angels, holds a show every two years. In 2008 we will be holding our show in March at winery at Victor harbor. More details later. I thought you might like to see the raffle quilt we have made - proceeds going to Autism SA. We are really pleased with the quilt, although the photos don't really do it justice.





Liz Needle

Christmas

December 27th

Well the flurry of Christmas is over - and what a Christmas it was. For the first time in 3 years we had the whole family here - 9 sleeping in our house - only 2 bedrooms, so we had them camped everywhere, including a tent on the front lawn, which the grand kids loved.

We had a mountain of presents to unwrap, toys everywhere, great food, wine and lots of laughter. On boxing day we added more family in the way of cousins, uncles aunts etc and another great day.

Playing Pick Up Sticks

Now the Sydney lot are having a couple of days sleepover at our eldest daughter's house and we have the place to ourselves for a few peaceful days. Very pleasant watching the cricket today without a 7 and 3 year old wanting to watch 'Bambi'!

Liz Needle

Mark's Room

Mark's Room
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Building happening at home. And it's almost there. For the last 18 months we have been working to get a granny flat built at the back of our house for our son Mark.
Mark is a chef, unmarried and currently living at home with us. He has been sleeping on a sofa bed in the lounge, but it's not the best arrangement for any of us.
We live on a 10 acre farmlet and I have a 2-3 acre garden which is getting a bit much for me to keep in order and teach full time as well. We love having Mark at home with us as he can help with the heavier tasks around the place. We think his being home extends by 10 years the time we have here. We don't want to move, but without help it is going to get too big for us.
This being so, we decided to build a room for him - which also adds a bedroom to the house which makes it more saleable eventually. I won't bore you with the traumas we have gone through to get a builder to do the job - too small for most of them. After 18 months it is almost ready - in fact we can use it over Christmas which will be a blessing as we have an influx of family. Here are a few of the stages of growth.

Liz

Scatterday S

Scatterday S
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Hey, back at last. School is done for the year and I have had a few days to get Christmas more or less organised and get onto the important things like Scatterdays.

I have really missed this fun activity and am glad that at last i have the time to do what I want to do and not what I am expected (paid) to do.

So on with Scatterday S

Beverage - Here a Sparkling wine especially bottled for our school (can I never escape it) 150 birthday.

Christmas - Star - part of the world (LOL) famous Lobethal lights.

Medical - a Slipper bed pan. Found in my great aunt's home when she passed away. Must be pretty ancient because she died 20 or so years ago and was 99 when she died. I think it was used for her older sister whom she nursed for 20 years after she retired to her chaise longue in her 70s. I had it in my bathroom with a pot plant in it.

Scatterday H

Scatterday H
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I struggled with this one. Couldn't think of many alternatives. Everything I though of, I thought everyone would also have. Finally at 11.45pm I came up with my selection.

Toy - cute little rocking Horse that sits on my window sill.
Human - homo sapiens himself.
Soft - my Husband's Hugs.

I wanted to do a whole lot of hugs and I found a number of them, but I know my family would murder me if I put them on my blog, so just this one will have to do.

Liz

Scatterday O

Scatterday O
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Saturday is here again and so is Scatterdays. It's amazing how I look forward to this every week. Thanks Michelle and Dy for creating this time-wasting activity.

Small things - olives from my fridge and my small bonsai Olive tree, that does not get the attention and care it deserves, but still survives.

Breakfast - oats to make the porridge that I love in winter.

Shiny - opal. One of the few pieces of jewellery I own and probably the only piece Don has ever given me apart from my engagement ring. And I only ever got that because he had a winning bet on a horse!!!!

Liz

Scatterday A

Scatterday A
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Had to think for a while about the letter 'A'. Here are my final selections

Vegetable - Artichokes growing in the garden last year. This year's crop are not looking at all healthy - Don accidentally sprayed them with glyphosate. Needless to say, they are looking a little sick!!

Something I like to smell - allspice or pimentos

round things - an astronomy dome,housing a very large telescope. This was also used as a tracking station for enemy satellites, rockets etc , hence the disguise. In fact a spy tracking station.
- and a rather cheeky 'round' thing. When I asked Don what round thing he could think of starting with 'a', he immediately came up with ' arse'. I think though he was thinking of a cute young 18 year old female one in a g-string. LOL.

Liz Needle

Happy Birthday Lobethal

My school - Lobethal Primary School has just celebrated its 150th birthday this last weekend. We have been planning this since late last year and working flat out to get the weekend organised. Now we can all breathe a sigh of relief. It was a great weekend and many memories were revived by many people.
Friday was an Open Day for the school. We teachers conducted classes in the 3Rs and other activities from a bygone era. You may remember things like Friday tests - Spelling and Dictation, Mental and Arithmetic. We had handwriting lessons - copperplate if you don't mind. I really had to brush up on that - geography mapping, handcrafts like potato printing, finger painting, cross stitch on gingham, games like marbles, Ludo, draughts, Chinese Checkers, Snakes and Ladders, Hopscotch and of course Jump Rope. Great fun and the old scholars who visited enjoyed their day back at school. Some of them had attended 70 years ago.



Jump Rope Exhibition Team






On Saturday there was a supper dance for the younger ones. Wonderful supper, just like the old barn dance suppers in the 50s and 60s - plates of sandwiches, pickled onions and gherkins on toothpicks, party pies and pasties, baby frankfurts - little boys - asparagus rolls, fairy cakes, cream puffs, meringues, brandy snaps, lamingtons and so on.

Then on Sunday the Family Picnic and Roll Call. And the oldies turned up in droves with their photos, memorabilia and stories - so many happy memories. A wonderful day and well worth the hours and hours we put into the organisation - but I am glad its over and won't have to be repeated for at least 25 years - and it won't be me doing it then!!

Back then - early fifties











And now














Liz Needle

Scatterday J

Scatterday J
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Finally catching up after my computer disaster. Except for the blown up printer, all seems to be going smoothly - though I know it's tempting fate to make comments like that.

'J' - hmmm. I found this difficult. I knew what I wanted to photograph, but couldn't find the opportunity to take the photos. I'll show you what I did get .

Sport - Jump Rope for Heart jump-offs - just one of the many things I have had to cram into the last 2 weeks. And also James jumping in the Long Jump. I had wanted to photograph the javelin being thrown!

Pointed things - Hmm. Tricky. Hope this passes the Scatterday Police. A very sharp lady - full of angles and pointed comments. Our Minister for Education, Jane Lomax-Smith.

Restaurants - there are only 2 'J' restaurants in Adelaide - 35 kms away. Here is the only photo (a very poor one) I could find - Jolley's Boathouse Restaurant. The other one is Jasmin Indian Restaurant.

Scatterday P

Scatterday P
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Finally back online after a monster computer crash. Missed the "P", and as I didn't want to miss out, I am doing it today - only 6 days late.

Sweet things - primroses in my garden. Just the most beautiful perfume and such sweet little flowers.

Red things - post box - very red

Metal - Pauland Pils in a metal can and a very old metal pump both of which I found in a pioneer village we visited.

We have had a very hectic first week back at school - more next time, but it was capped off by the crashing of the computer. We decided that there was so much hidden stuff buzzing away after 10 years that we(my computer geek and I) decided that a total cleanout was in order. Sounded good. Get rid of the junk, save and re-install my documents , favourites, address book etc - all the things I really need. Of course I would have to re-install all the software and printers etc, he told me. No problems, says I. Done it before, says I.

Computer came back yesterday - everything working so much better. But, couldn't get online. Had to re-install something or other. Could I find the CD ? Yes!! Three hours later!!!

Then the printer - wouldn't plug and play. No way. Had to be done another much more complicated way!! And when I finally got it ready to go, tried to print and the b....y printer blew up!!!

OK - now for the scanner!! For some reason it would not install. Needs new driver or some such!! All sorts of weird messages. Computer man out for the night!! I gave up. Who needs a scanner right now anyway.

So far all the other stuff seems OK. But I didn't need all that last night when I had 6 dozen biscuits to make for morning tea at school and a whole day of special lessons to plan for our 150th birthday Open day. But, I survived, the biscuits were a hit and the kids and the old scholars enjoyed the day
Liz

Scatterday F

Scatterday F
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Early this week, but we have a busy day tomorrow.

Cold things - Frozen Frosty Fruits from Foodland - how's that for alliteration?

Signs - a couple of local ones. Fairyland - yes there really is a Fairyland, Virginia. Mosaic maker didn't like the F.
And of course Foodland - chosen more for the Mighty South Aussie bit than for anything else.

Elements - Frost in our garden.

Had a lovely surprise today. One of my ex-students from 35 years ago rang last night to say she was in Lobethal and could she come and visit. She was one of my favourite students ever and as she was a very good athlete and sports mad, I was her favourite teacher.
That was back when I was a young Phys Ed teacher and coached Athletics, Hockey and Softball as well as teaching Phys Ed and running vacation swimming. Val was a top athlete and a very good hockey player.
Nice when kids - well, she's nearly 50 now - remember you and make contact. Makes teaching very worthwhile.

Liz

Scatterday C

Scatterday C
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Finally have myself back on task with the last Scatterday photos. Could have done several sets for C, but here are my final selections.

Hobby - Crime fiction. If I'd had more time I might have looked for C authors, but these will do.

Pizza Topping - couldn't resist these colourful capsicums

Furniture - a funky chair made from parts of an old carriage and a couch containing a couch potato (also a chef) who wished to be anonymous.

Now for F.

Sideny

Hi All,

I'm having a lovely time in Sideny (apologies girls from Sydney. I can't resist. I once taught a kid (a girl called Sideny Fridd - as true as my name is Liz) who was so called because her mother loved to holiday in Sideny. I hope she doesn't have access to the internet!!) Any way I am thoroughly enjoying my holidays with the grand daughters. Wish I could send photos, but DD has a thing about her kids appearing on the internet - and fair enough. I will post some photos to the cows when I get back. I think that will be OK.

Today we did the swimming bit - a regular daily thing during the school hols. The instructor did threaten to kick my youngest grand daughter out of the class if she didn't stand still and listen!! For heavens sake!! The child is only 3!! I taught swimming and ran a pool with 600 children for more years than the instructor has lived and if she can't cope with one lively, intelligent and totally bored child, then she shouldn't be teaching. She's lucky I didn't leap into the pool and biff her. I have watched the classes and honestly I think they are the most uninterested, bored lot of teachers (no, instructors) I have ever seen!! If they had been working for me - they wouldn't have a job by now!!) You have to make lessons interesting and fascinating for kids (yes, even swimming) and these young instructors missed the boat entirely.

Off my hobby horse. I have very definite ideas on teaching and think I know what I am talking about. I am still teaching after 45 years and the kids still enjoy it - even Maths!!!! Shut up, Liz!!

We went to Fox Studios and spent time painting plaster models - even me, riding the Merry go Round, jumping in the bouncing castle, exploring toy shops, buying Christmas decorations, going to the movies, cleaning bedrooms, reading stories, dressing up, making gingerbread men - all the Nanna sort of stuff I have to catch up on. Just delightful!! Home again tomorrow with lots of lovely memories and the knowledge that they will all be in Adelaide in December, sleeping in my sewing room, hogging the TV, terrorising the dogs, cooking gingerbread houses in the kitchen, decorating the Chrissie tree, wrecking the garden, trashing the house and twisting Don and I around their little pinkies!! Lovely!!

Catch you all when I get back home.

Liz

Scatterdays

May be a bit late this week with my scatterdays. I am flying off to Sydney tomorrow - Saturday - to see my little darlings. Sorry guys, but my time in Sydney is all too infrequent and very precious. 3 or 4 days twice a year and every minute spent in catching up with my grand daughters - and that time not nearly long enough. I never thought I would become so totally hooked on little kids, but there you are.
One day I promise I will make time to catch up on Sydney friends, but not this time, alas. Only 4 days. Not enough time to even find out how much improved is the reading, how kinder is going, how far we can now swim, what we have learned in ballet and gymnastics, how many tricks the dog has learned, who loves who and who has kissed who, what new clothes we have and who are now the best friends and who is no longer on the friends list.

Back in 4 days. Catch up with everyone then.

Liz

Check out my Slide Show!

My friend Pennie posted some lovely photos of her garden, so I thought I would show you what my garden looks like in Spring.

Liz

Scatterday W

Scatterday W
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Lovely surprise for me this week.

1. Black things - our wellies - a dirty black, but still black
2. Toys - Boys toys - weights
2. Tools - Whippersnipper. But look what I found in the shed. A nest built on the whippersnipper. And in the nest - a cute little mother blackbird. Such a brave little mum. Not in the least fazed by a clumsy, nosey human with a flash!!

HOLIDAYS!!! I am on holidays as of now. Time to sew, I hope. Have some quilt tops to get ready for quilting, so hopefully that is how I will be able to spend a few days. But, already DH is saying - "two weeks together. Now what shall we do? " Grrrr!!!!

Liz



Oops!!! Just realised that the topic is "games", not "toys". How did I get that wrong. Will have to think about that. Lucky I did it on Friday so I have a day to correct it.

She's "hot"!

Had a giggle the other day. I was doing an activity with my class of 12 year olds where they had to look at a series of photos of people and think about what the people might be like - personalities, talents, occupations etc. This was part of a unit about first impressions and not judging people by their looks etc.

The photos included several politicians, a couple of dictators, some serial killers, scientists, artists, musicians and a couple of ordinary people. Interesting that a number of the kids picked that Lizzie Borden and Ted Bundy looked very similar (and scary) around the eyes.

Anyway, I held up one photo of a girl in her twenties or so and asked them what they had to say about her. One of my boys commented "Wow! She's hot!!" and the others agreed. I asked them if they knew who it was. "No, probably a TV person?" Held the photo up alongside my face and said, "Now does she ring a bell?"

Well, you should have seen the looks on the faces of the boys. And the girls just howled with laughter at them. The boys still maintain that their frumpy old teacher used to look "Hot".

The photo in question - taken about 35 years ago. I think it was the blonde hair they liked.

Liz

Scatterday B

Scatterday B
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I actually found this one more difficult than Q for some reason.

1. B is for bee
2. Favourite things - some of my bears. Grew up during the war years so never had any of these as a child.
2. Big things - and what could be bigger than Brad?
4. Shop - did you ever play that game as a child - "I went shopping and I bought..........". Here is a selection of 'Bs' from my shopping at the supermarket - baked beans, borlotti beans, battery, bread mix, butter, bread, baking powder, Brasso, beer, a bottle of Bird in Hand wine, biscuits, basil etc.

Liz

This Week!

This has been a hectic week - 2 weeks in fact. So much has been happening that my class is having a ball. We have been too busy to do any real schoolwork. Roll on next week. They are in for a real shock!! Liz the slave drive will be back on form!!

We had our school concert on Tuesday - the reason for the lack of work. For the last few years the concert has been very low key, but with a new principal things have changed a bit. Still, it went off very well and there were lots of favourable comments - all good for the school. Here are a few photos.

Some of the little Vietnamese kids joining in the fun.


Kindies playing the merimba. This is an instrument similar to a xylophone and the kids just love it!


The senior schoolchoir performing.

Scatterday Q

Scatterday Q
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

My choices for this week.

1. Clothing - quilted jacket. Not very original
2. Music - musical Quartets - The Beatles, ABBA, The Highwaymen, The Four Tenors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Mamas and the Papas - Ooops! I forgot the Platters
3. Square things - A square 'Q'. I think I deserve 10 for this one. LOL.

Liz

Scatterday R

mosaic3397610L
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

It's not actually Saturday yet, but I am not sure what time I'll have tomorrow. I hope you approve my choices.

1. Plants - Rhododendrons (though strictly speaking they are called azaleas now)
2. Childhood - Rabbits were always a very important part of my kids' lives - along with practically every other pet you can think of.
3. The Arts - this had me stumped for ages. Finally settled on "Ruddigore" - a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Coincidentally I am reading a Kerry Greenwood book called "Ruddy Gore", where detective Phryne Fisher solves a murder in a theatre where Ruddigore is being performed.

Have a good weekend, all.

Liz

Zoooom!

Zoooom!
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Played with my camera last night while Don watched the football. This is the result of playing with the zoom feature. The photo was on the window sill on the other side of the room - about 15 feet away.

1. Ordinary zoom - 1X12
2. Extra zoom - 1X18
3. Digital zoom - 1X72

When I turned on the digital zoom, I felt like I had too much to drink. The picture wobbled all over the place. Will have to use a tripod if I ever use this one.

Don was suitably impressed with my new purchase, being no photographer himself and a complete techno dummy.

Liz

Scatterday G

Scatterday G
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

Well, it's almost Saturday. In fact it is in the eastern states, so here is my Scatterday selection for this week

Vehicle - one for David Griffiths - an old Garford bus
Household utensils - a vintage trio form my collection - a grater, a meat grinder and a coffee grinder.
Colour- green chestnuts growing in my garden .

The vehicle caused me some grief. Eventually I visited the Birdwood Motor Museum and found this beauty, along with a Gogomobile and a Greeves motor cycle. Then on the way home I spied a garbage truck and a grader - all that on the last day, after I had fretted all week.

I wonder what the others came up with?

Liz

More practice

More practice
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I do love this new camera. I have decided to spend time practising a particular thing with it until I am reasonably proficient. Every other time I have bought a new camera I have done little more than glance at the manual so that I know how to point and shoot.
I suspect that my garden is going to get a going over while I am in the close-up mood/mode.

Liz

New camera shots

New camera shots
Originally uploaded by lulubelleliz

I have just taken possession of a new camera - a Panasonic Lumix SZ8. Somewhat more advanced than my little old Canon Ixus. Whether it takes better pictures remains to be seen. Today I experimented with some closeups. I rather like the magnolia close-up.

Liz