Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away

Another fairly random update, including a little sewing and a lot of sunshine.

Last-minute Christmas gift sewing for two nephews. (I eeked out these lion/tiger pants and Clem's, almost identical, from just one metre of fabric. How satisfying.)
 The junior albino Ugandan soccer team. The shirts were Christmas gifts from Andy's sister Sharon who lives in Uganda. Cousin Ori, far left, was recipient of the lion/tiger pants.
That, friends, would be a grass-seed caterpillar. You might have believed me if I'd said it was a real live haggis or something, mightn't you? It was a gift to Clem from my sister, and is the wonky-cute combo of grass seeds and potting soil in a piece of pantyhose, with a face. Clem added gravel and dirt embellishment in its water, to help it feel at home.
 Boxing Day at the Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens with friends.


 Much, much swimming in my parents' pool. Clem is becoming very confident without floaties.
 Apricot and peach.
 Proof I was there, pool-hair and all.
This dinner-plate size sunflower is growing in my parents' garden. They gave us seedlings from the same batch and ours grew about 30cm high with flowers about the size of the palm of my hand. The unintentional bonsai garden strikes again.

 Summer freckles.
Sibling relations have been mostly positive but school holidays bring our fair share of frustrations and squabbles. It's not all pretty pictures around here. But this is still a really beautiful and mostly relaxing time of year.
This is my last sewing project of 2012, a scrap-tastic quilted cushion cover. Even the batting was pieced from scraps. I've never quilted a cushion cover before but it was rather satisfying, like a really useful mini-quilt. I know my fabric combinations are a bit odd. I don't always have the best eye for these things but I don't like to over-think them. As with all cushions around here it was unceremoniously slumped on the floor within about fifteen minutes of hitting the couch.
It's a pity you can't see the bug better but on Clem's hand is a Christmas Beetle, on Christmas day. Andy and I call them 'the ubiquitous' because many years back we looked up the meaning of 'ubiquitous' and in the definition was the example 'the ubiquitous Christmas Beetle'. Really? Are they everywhere, or seeming to be? Do tell, people, please! Do you have Christmas Beetles and do they - like these - only appear around Christmas?

Happy new year! (Charlie and Jasper just saw in their first ever midnight turn-of-the-year!)

- Jane x

11 comments:

  1. Random sewing and sunshine - a good combination. Happy days.

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  2. Oh my whole garden is covered in frost this morning. How I wish for swimming weather! The peach picture is just too much, love it!

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    1. I hesitated over posting the peach pic so I'm glad it's getting a positive response :D
      Our weather is becoming just a little too sunny over the next week and Andy is off to the US for 10 days to experience your flipside of it all!

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  3. What a fine way to start the new year! I also love the peach picture--a close up of Michelangelo's David, isn't it?

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    1. Yes I believe David enjoyed a good apricot.

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  4. Ah. Summer. This looks so lovely to those of us in the depths of winter and darkness! I love the shorts, and the pool hair, and bugs (Christmas beetle? Not ubiquitous around here - I don't think!).

    You have a great eye for eccentric but nonetheless cohesive fabric combinations, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

    By the way, your new bathroom is gorgeous (look at me, commenting on two posts at once!).

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  5. Happy New Year - yes we have Christmas beetles and yes they seem only to appear around Christmas time . I think you have matched your scrappy cushion well and love the quirky rooster.

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    1. They're rather lovely, the Christmas beetles, aren't they? But I don't know about ubiquitous. Thanks for the scrappy cushion validation, I guess scrappy can afford to be a bit odd, can't it?

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  6. All those boys in their matching soccer jerseys are too cute!
    And your pictures have just been amazing lately!

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  7. We used to have the golden Christmas beetles when I was young, but I haven't seen them for years - I did find a multicoloured shiny purple stink bug the other day though, does that count?

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  8. Yes, we had Christmas beetles at Christmas! My kids were a bit scared of them but we explained that they were just a friendly kind of beetle that's always (or nearly always) around ar Christmas time... And my partner reckons there are about 30 different varieties, which might explain how the same beetle could live in different climes around Australia. Is it the heat that makes them hatch?

    PS I've just discovered your blog and am reading my way back through your posts :-)

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Hey, I would really love to know what you think. Go on!

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