Curtains and blinds

I have gone to ground in this heat.  We have been having one of the biggest heat waves that I can remember and so I have given up trying to be outside.   So I have turned to the windows which are currently devoid of any curtains and blinds and I have got cracking and started to make them.

Here is a picture of the curtains I had made for the lounge

Here is the fabric up close...I have to make three roman blinds in this fabric  .... and pattern match at the fabric ends!!!!

I have also started to make the two roman blinds to go in my little girls room.

I have also been making the 4 roman blinds for the bathroom, toilet and laundry.

I am up to sewing the rings on now and trying to get my hands on some more of the pull cord - to no avail...I tell you... that "S" shop!!!!

 

I have also managed to make  my little girl a dress.  She hates it as it is too itchy (around the chest)

And new library bags for the boys.  I had previously made them library bags for school and now I can't find either of them...in the shift we have lost them

Back to sewing

There has been so much happening here that I have really struggled to do any sewing.  However over the Christmas break in amongst bush fires, visitors, cooking, day trips etc I made some curtains.

There is however some additional information required before the curtains can be appreciated.  My BAM has been trying for a very long time to convince me to let him by a camper.  As a result we have a running joke about it.  I suggest that he might like to buy one which is really code for "over my dead body will I let you".  Well it back fired on me.  I often send my BAM emails at work of campers that I see for sale in my travels for work or though the community bulletins/classifieds and always ask if he is tempted or interested ...knowing that he has no chance of ever getting one.  Well this time I sent him an email of this kind and he rang the guy and bought it.....that will teach me!!!. 

Meet Esmeralda the camper - there she goes on her inaugural outing with the family - minus Mummy who stayed home with Auntie Kate.

Well Esmeralda was in need of soft furnishings.

So I picked the fabric and off I went. 

New curtains and pillow covers (yellow and blue caravan pillow covers) were made and gingham bed linen was procured.  I decided that since the camper was circa 1985 that I need to go retro. (sorry for the strobe effects - camera didn't like all the checks!!!)

...And what did my BAM say......."great!!!! how is this going to look when I turn up to the boys weekend with my strawberry curtain fabric camper ?......"   oh and "...you really have put the definition of camp into camper!!!"  

to which I said....."be careful or I will staple to the camper's ceiling the red and blue bunting that I have made"

Now I know what they mean't when they said..."well there goes any summer holidays away from home"

Do you remember this green view?

Well it now looks like this.

400 hectare grass fire right at our front gate.  (58 fire trucks, two water bombers (there names are Eric - what happened to Elvis)  3 planes......). 

I thought we were fire ready.  Now I know that we weren't quite as ready as I thought.   I also now know that when you see the flames coming down the hill you really should go into the house - not drive out the gate like I did.  So much learned on the day...so much more to learn. 

So moving forward...We are getting fences for livestock (we are just arguing over sheep vs cows) and a water bore (just need to find someone who can do it...not that easy).  We are putting a water ring around the house and we have installed fire hose stations all around the place.  We take our phones everywhere with us and constantly watch for the wind change.  And last but not least are now members of the CFA (however I am not the one learning to drive the tankers!!!).

And yes we love living here....the fire hasn't changed that!

My first posy in our new home

I have flowers again.....we are back on track and things are good in the world again (and this is in January...wait till next spring!!!)

Look whose come to stay for at least 6 weeks.

.....and today I had to have a cortisone injection in my heal.  When I walked in the clinic they said that they would first start with the nerve blocker.....and I said "I am not having a baby"......but I had to have the nerve blocker anyway...for which I am eternally grateful for.  Ever felt like you had one big major fat foot?

Christmas - we went spanish

So thought that we would try something a little different. This year Christmas was in Melbourne so we celebrated Christmas Eve and I made Spanish paella

 

 

And in the morning we had Spanish omelette.....

In addition lots of Harcourts pear cider was consumed. (of special note I can happily say that there was no gastro to speak of this year so we all enjoyed our food.)

........and the annual Gingerbread house competition between the boys and girls was on again.


The first exhibit was the boys entry......structurally sound, yet chaotic - and featuring for the first time in 2014 the liquorice robot on the right hand side of the house - with a Jaffa on it's head. ( I suspect he is still in the house somewhere hidden from the clean-up campaign manager - Mummy)

 

 and next we have the girls entry.  This year, in recognition of the cold weather we had for Mummy's birthday, we had snow.....ascetically very pleasing with great colour coordination and patterns...of particular note on the side of the house this year we have a blue M&M lap pool.... just like Paul Bangays!)

I did try to blog in December

So much has been happening....I don't know where to start.

November was a big month. We built 4 massive garden beds. My BAM was brilliant...though he was not always happy about it. At the end of the first solid weekend of working he was teetering on the edge of fatigue and he didn't know weather he wanted to laugh or cry....so he started with what we call the Dad jokes...always a good diffuser.

The best two were:
1)"Hey Love I have an idea of a name for our place...'EMOR'..."Emor? I say" ..."Yes it's Rome spelt backward....as in - you think Rome WAS built in a day."

.....and to understand the second you have to understand just how much I love Paul Bangay and his Gardens....anyhow
2) "Love we have just done 'Bangay in a day!!!'"

Personally I think Paul Bangay is every husband nightmare...but that doesn't change how much I love him.

And speaking of which I got to go to Stonefields on my birthday.  Stonefields is Paul Bangays home and garden.  And look what happened while I was there:

and also

and look no pool fence to speak off....

(just how does he get away with it...he obviously doesn't live in the City of Greater Bendigo.)

By the way...it was 11 degrees and raining on that day (my birthday...and I have never had a birthday that was so cold....and I write this today 6 weeks later and it was 44 degrees today...and they say there is no climate change!!!)

December came and I was busy with the finishing the planting of the garden beds, trips to Melbourne (and we saw the Myer windows), christmas trees, making crochet star cushions for the boys Prep teacher (oops forgot to take a picture).  I used Doren's pattern from Just Do ,

twins 6th birthday,

 

 

and awards ceremonies at work  (Yes there are two different ones!!!! and it was a really big deal to get the Vice Chancellors award!!! the first picture)

 

 

For my Birthday and Christmas I was a very lucky girl and got two new fantastic lenses for my camera so I will be taking lots of photo's this year (and blogging more now that I think we have the internet back).

Now remember I was telling you about visiting Stonefields......here's something to refresh your memory

so now you need to project into the future in a water rich world...