I got to spend four days last week with my youngest son, Nicholas.  We attended his March Out parade at Singleton.  He is now a part of the Australian Infantry and as such was presented with his "Skippy" badge (pictured above).  There is some significance to this badge - the Kangaroo symbolises always going forward, never going backwards and the Boomerang is symbolic for every soldier to return home.  It was a great day and I am a very proud mother.  We got to spend the weekend with him in Sydney, before he started the next phase of his training on Tuesday.

Here he is with his grandfather and myself.  I think they are feeding him ok.  I feel like a dwarf standing beside him!

Nicholas and his friends on the ferry at Circular Quay.

Sunday was spent at Freshwater beach before leaving to come home.  I am starting to fall in love with Sydney.  It is a beautiful city and that's saying something from someone who was born and bred in Melbourne.

I have had a finish on the sewing front.  This is what I made out of the little four patches I showed in my last post.  It is a quilt from the book, Jingle All The Way by Renee Plains of Liberty Star.

A couple more circles have been made for Irish Circles.

We are well and truly into Spring here in the southern hemisphere and I couldn't help admiring my roses late yesterday afternoon.  They are all starting to bloom.

This is the Clematis that grows beside my front door.  The flowers are beautiful this year.  It's amazing what some decent rain does for the garden.

Have a lovely week everyone.

Sue-Anne xxx

Melancholy

It has been very strange, these last few weeks.  We are all feeling the effects of Nicholas not being here - poor Buddy is lying on his bed  feeling sad that his "Big Bro" isn't home and I have decided (shock horror) that I don't like having an Empty Nest.

And after waving the newlyweds off on their honeymoon, things have been very quiet.  They are having the time of their lives travelling through Europe and as they visit each new country, I think of all you wonderful bloggers I have become friends with over the past year. 

I been distracting myself with some sewing.  This quilt top is from the latest book by Kathleen Tracy and is called "The Soldier's Cot Quilt" .  How appropriate for my soldier boy.  I will give this quilt to him at his March Out parade next month, to keep him warm and remind him of home.

And speaking of Civil War quilts and soldiers, this is a quilt I made a long time ago for Christopher's 21st.  It is called Civil War 2 and is designed by Susan Smith.  I finally grabbed it back before they left for their honeymoon so I could get a couple of photos of it.  Oh my goodness, there was a LOT of sewing in this quilt!

I haven't spoken about Browne Sisters Sampler for a while but I have been putting a few stitches in every now and then.

And these two album blocks (one from Jan and one from me) are on their way to Linda from Quilts in the Barn.   They are going to be part of the raffle quilt for this year's Quilts in the Barn exhibition.  The guest artist is Jo Morton and every block will be made from Jo Morton fabrics.  Can't wait till September!!!!

The weather was beautiful over Easter but it has finally turned.  It is snowing at Falls Creek and I can feel the icy chill in the air.  I think I will go sit in front of the tv with a quilt over my lap and sew a few stitches into my clamshells.

Sue-Anne xxx

There Has Been Some Changes In The Wind

What a month I have had!  This is my beautiful boy Nic.  Last year he applied to join the ADF as a soldier.  It has been a very long process but he got a phone call and 13 days later, on Tuesday, we had to say goodbye to him for a while.  Our home feels very empty, as he is the last child to leave but we are very proud and happy for him. 

Another change that is going to take me a while to get used to is the closing down of Patchwork on Stonleigh.  This shop has played such a huge role in my quilting life over the last twelve years and I will miss popping in there each week.

We were lucky enough to get in one last Irish Circles class before the shop closed and this is my latest block.

Here she is!  All quilted and all I have to do now is hand stitch the binding down and attach a label.  This is the biggest quilt I have ever made and even with the clothesline wound all the way up, the quilt is still dragging on the ground.

It has been a while since I have mentioned clamshells (sorry Jossie) but I have been adding to them.

I went to my friend Jackie's open garden today.  This is a view from one section of her garden through to the next.   She does a lot of companion planting and her garden is functional, as well as beautiful, with all the produce that she grows.

This beautiful blue flower is "Morning Glory" and is growing all over her archway.

We are on the home run now to the wedding - only two more weeks.  So much for me finally getting a photo of all of us together, with Nicholas being unable to attend.

Well that's about it from me today.  I have been enjoying all the "Red & White Quilt Show" photos that have been displayed in blogland.  What a magnificent exhibition and now I really want to make a red and white quilt!!!

Sue-Anne xxx

Boys - why do they have to fiddle with things!

This is Nic, my "middle" child.  12 months ago, against all advice given freely by us, his parents, he purchased a beautiful blue sports car (Nissan 350Z).  He bought it over the internet, much to my horror, and then two weeks before Christmas we had to drive all the way to Sydney to pick it up. 

Now that he was a "car enthusiast" he then decided that he wanted to add twin turbos (as if it didn't have enough power).  Another two trips to Sydney and a lot of money later, he owned the fastest and best car in the street.

He was very happy with it for a little while, only driving it after work and using his good old VS Holden commodore for things like going to work and shopping centres etc.

Moving on to two weeks before this Christmas.  He discovered "drifting".  Back on to the internet he went, and found a suitable Nissan 180SX in Melbourne this time.  He sold his commodore and off he went with a mate to pick up his new car. 

IT IS A BEAST!!!!!!

It cost him heaps to get it up to roadworthy standard and got it registered on Christmas Eve.  4 days later, he damaged the bar that goes between the front wheels practising his "drifting" and had to get it towed and fixed.  Then the radiator has packed it in because this car has been modified by somebody that isn't a decent motor mechanic, and he has to fix that.  Of course he has run out of money now and has had to use the Z while this one waits to be fixed.

This morning I was woken up at 4.30am by him.  He left for work and heard a strange noise, then discovered the Z was leaking petrol all down the street!  Now we have two cars in our driveway, both of them not working!

My husband says if he had of just kept the commodore, he could have had enough money for a deposit on a house by now and we wouldn't have a heap of cars sitting out the front!

I am still appliqueing Rosebud but thought I would show this pic for a bit of quilting news.  Can't remember the name of the quilt but it is a Robyn Pandolph design and remember that beautiful Folk Art Wedding range of hers? That's the pink strip I used.  Another one I want to handquilt one day.

Sue-Anne xxx