Update on the pig

Well, the latest is that the pig has been claimed by its owner, so unfortunately there will be no ham or bacon for Christmas. Well not in this household anyway.
Have just been out to lunch. Our patchwork group have 2 lunches a year to celebrate members milestone birthdays, and there were 7 people with special birthdays this time. So I ordered the roast pork in memory of what might have been!

Enjoy your day,
Blessings from Jude

Spring in the garden

The bottlebrush trees are in full flower, I think i counted about 12 of these around the house. And the bees are busy doing what bees do. I sat on the seat above and just watched them being busy! Just as well I am not allergic to bees. But it was lovely to take some time out and just watch them, listening to the birds as well. Was a lovely sunny day and I had finished a couple of hectic days, tidying up, doing some paving around the edge of the shadecloth and the mowing man had been. Looked good, but the feet were sore.

These are my sweet peas coming out in flower, they struggled for awhile as they werent getting much sunlight in the winter, but now they are taller, and seem much happier! Well thats my story anyhow. Learning lots in this gardening caper.

This weekend I have guests in The Sanctuary ( I mean paying guests!!) so thats great. It has been a busy 12 months to get to this stage, and I am quite happy with the way its turned out. In a fortnight I have a Mystery quilt weekend scheduled, still a couple of spots left in this. The quilts I have seen from this pattern look really terrific, and all so different, its not obviously the same pattern.
So contact me if you would like a weekend away, time out from the usual stuff, and time just for you!
Over and out from me, time to get back to some quilting tomorrow and catch up on some of my house cleaning.

Enjoy whatever you do,
Blessings from Jude

A "visitor" at The Sanctuary

I could not believe my eyes this morning, when I saw a pig walk past my workroom. Had to look twice. It walked up the road a bit and then turned back and went across the road and into the garden at The Sanctuary. Well, I know how destructive pigs can be and I did not want it in my newly established garden! We managed to get it to go into the yard at the back of the block, where there was nothing it could wreck and she stayed there, digging holes and sleeping, until the council came this afternoon with a trailer and took her away. Not sure where she came from, so will see if someone has lost a pig, otherwise.....well, you know what happens to pigs eventually!?

Blessings, from Jude

Quilt Exhibition

Bordertown Gumtree Quilters Exhibition at Mundulla on the weekend is over for another 2 years. There were approx 190 quilts and smaller items on display. The opening on Friday afternoon was by Faye Packham, the Ambassador for Bedford, and is pictured above receiving a thankyou gift from Mignon, our President. As you can see, Faye was "pleased" with her gift. It was lovely to have you Faye, hope you had a good trip home. We look forward to having you back for our Pendleton retreat to do the Bedford Mystery again.
It was a lovely weekend with people from many parts of SA and Vic. I cant believe that I didn't take many photos, so dont have many to show you. This was taken by Jo, (thankyou), as the one I took was rather blurry.
It was a day of unpacking today and putting things back where they belong, and other things, which I will explain in another posting.
Tried to get back to some quilting, but tomorrow is another day.

Happy quilting, or whatever you are doing,
Blessings from Jude

Quilt exhibition

Well hopefully all the Bordertown Gumtree Quilters have their quilts all finished, the hanging sleeves and labels on ready for hanging up day tomorrow.  Will be a busy day tomorrow, but will be great to see them all hanging up at the end of the day. If anyone wants a nice drive to see 180plus quilts from Friday to Sunday, head to the Mundulla Hall between 10am and 5pm (4pm on Sunday). Raffle quilt, shops in attendance and good country catering. Opening is on Friday, at 1.30pm by Faye Packham, Ambassador for Bedford. There is a display of Bedford mystery quilts from 2010. Look forward to seeing you there.

Have been over at The Sanctuary today, getting things ready and finishing things off. Have some special people staying there this weekend and also next weekend. Finally we are ready to go. The garden will be an ongoing project as time allows.

Have been doing more detective work on comments not getting through, and made another change and things seem to be working now. So if you havent succeeded before, try again.

Until next time
Happy quilting
Jude

Spring at The Sanctuary

I have been reminded that I haven't put anything up for a few days,(thankyou Faye!!), so here are a few of the garden
at The Sanctuary. THe garden is still a work in progress, and I am impatient for things to grow.
But I am reminded of how far things have come since I bought the house last November and
I shall be patient. There were a few trees, and some daisy bushes and not much else.
No garden edging and the paved area in the photo below was just stones in a back verandah!
One day I shall post some before and after shots, even if its just to remind myself!
This is certainly not a "modern" garden, am planting lots of things, some will survive and others will not.
It is a real community effort, with friends bringing me bits and pieces and some even planting them too.
Thankyou girls.
I have not spent much time gardening in the last few years, (and you can see this at my house!) and am enjoying
my time, watching the growth and listening to the birds in the trees.

Well that's it for another day, its a busy week this week, set up for our quilt show is on THursday.
I still have a binding to sew on yet, for the only quilt that I have finished in 2 years since the last exhibition!!
After the renovations of the last year, I am hoping that next year will be the year of finishing off my WIP!!
Look forward to seeing some of you at the exhibition next weekend, yes this means you Faye!
Until then, happy quilting or whatever you are doing.

Blessings from Jude

Jeans Butterfly quilt

This is a photo of Jeans quilt that she picked up today. She will be busy with the binding now, we are all
finishing off things, labels, sleeves and bindings ready for the quilt show next week, 21 -23 October in the Mundulla Hall. See you there.
From Jude

Stawell Quilters visit

This is a photo of the bus that pulled up at my place on Thursday afternoon, from which 43 quilters from Stawell alighted.
They were on a Mystery trip and had left home at 6am and been via Portland, Penola, Mundulla, Bordertown and then home via Nhill.
Quite a lot to pack into their day


They came to see some quilts, and an inspection of The Sanctuary. Good to see you girls, and thanks for coming. Hope you had a good day.

Will post more another day,
Happy quilting,
Regards Jude

More long weekend photos

This blogging sure is a big learning curve, must take some lessons. These are more photos, under another heading as I dont know how to get all the photos together under the one title. Consider I still have my "L" plates on for my blogging licence!!

This is Jean and Val in deep discussion about what Val is going to make with these charm squares she had.
It is good to get another opinion sometimes. Once Val decided what to do, she whipped them into blocks quickly, then couldnt decide how to put the blocks together, so started another quilt.

This is Jocelyn, concentrating hard, trying to get a few blocks finished for her heirloom quilt, which is looking good, background fabric is cream cotton sateen.

And Helen, being an angel, sewing a binding on a quilt, for the husband of a former group member who passed away last year, and left 2 unfinished quilts. The Gumtree Quilters is having an exhibition in 2 weeks, and we are having a memorial corner with a display of quilts from 3 of our former members.

( I know that my family will find a lot more than 2 unfinished quilts in my house). And this is a good reason to let your family know just what you would like done with your "stuff". Another husband was in a quandary about what to do with what was in "that" room.
Well thats enough of that subject for this post. I have more to say, will start another heading, its been a busy time since the last time I wrote.

From Jude

Long weekend retreat

Last weekend South Australia had a long weekend, and a few of us had a lovely time at The Sanctuary.
It was the second "trial" run, which went well. I took the chance to get a bit of sewing done, which has been an infrequent occurrence this year. It was rainy and cold Friday, so got the wood heater going, and it was so cosy in the house for the weekend. Took a few photos of the girls, below is Sandy concentrating on getting her binding sewn down. This quilt is a magnificent achievement for her first ever quilt.

Below is Pats latest quilt centre, laid out on the bed to decide what she is going to do next and how much bigger it needs to be.