The Seamstress

We had our first sewing session today, my granddaughter and I.  And of course, it was no simple beginner project such as a pencil case or a pin cushion. This one looks at the grander scheme of things - a cubby house no less.

The day had been long in the planning, ever since her mother bought her a beautiful craft book with projects ranging from simple little tasks right up to the biggies - the cubby house.  She arrived bright eyed and full of anticipation, with her trusty craft book sitting snugly in her carry bag, along with a tin of jam butter biscuits she had made earlier.

We had such fun choosing oilcloth and fabric from my stash, and after much measuring and cutting out, it was time to get started on the machine.  (Special insert for her mother.  Please note the machine is turned OFF.)

In no time she had mastered the art of threading the machine and bobbin case, which after an initial demonstration she insisted on managing on her own. After a morning tea break of coffee (for the Fudges Senior), orange juice for the Seamstress and jam butter biscuits all round (yum), I was hurried back to the sewing room to work on the curtains for the house front windows.  We did manage to take a lunch break before working on the top and back of the house.

All too soon our daughter arrived to claim her own daughter.  I marvelled at her will power at not counting the Seamstress's fingers in front of us.

The work in progress now awaits her next visit.  She is six and full of enthusiasm.  Can it be that the tailor gene which runs through my family but skipped a generation is coming out in the next one?  I live in hope.

Ah, Spring

I had forgotten the joys of Spring in Sydney - warm one day, freezing, windy and wet the next.

Yesterday proved to be the latter.  However, in the city the crowds gravitated to the new Westfield Centre for comfort.  

One of the joys of returning to the city of our birth is re-discovering what had once been familiar ground.  My, how some things have changed.  Mr Fudge usually has the direction sense of a homing pigeon, but even he was defeated in this incredible maze with escalators shooting off in all directions.

So many shops to inspect.

So many eating places to sit and forget about the weather outside.

Our neighbourhood King Parrot would have felt right at home.

Mr Fudge's navigation system switched on after a delicious lunch and he steered us towards one of our favourite window shopping spots; David Jones Food Hall.  It's three months to Christmas, so we should have been prepared.

We decided to give the figs a miss.

Our main purpose for being in the city on such a miserable day was to take in a live show.  In the Mood was in town and it was a sell-out season.  Our daughter and son-in-law had bought tickets months back, but due to commitments they couldn't attend.  Would we be interested?  Oooo ... yes please!

It was a knock-out show, full of the music of our childhood, performed by a brilliant band and six incredible singers and dancers.  It was something of a novelty to look around and discover we were among the youngest in the audience.  And that's quite an achievement for us these days!

The day was not finished for us yet, as our son-in-law was celebrating his fortieth birthday at  the iconic Watson's Bay Hotel.  It was the perfect ending to the day, with both sides of the family there to help ease him into the new decade.  We discovered that his parents were also at the In the Mood matinee session - they have great taste.

Party Time

Sydney has turned on some spectacular early spring weather over the past couple of days, which brings the promise of a warm summer ahead.  With that in mind, I was inspired by a new shipment of fabric to make a party dress for the upcoming season.

Empire waist tiered dress available here or here

We are blessed with four gorgeous (of course!) granddaughters ranging in ages from three to six who possess magical twirling capabilities, and this dress fits the bill perfectly.

Lots of twirling possibilities

The one thing I was lamenting in our recent interstate move was the lack of bird life at my window. Yesterday I glanced up from my sewing machine and there on the balcony just a couple of feet away was this delightful lorikeet.

Who's a pretty boy?

Cute at any angle

I do hope he visits again and brings his friends with him.

Neighbours

We have been in our new home for a little while now, so we thought it was time to call in on the next-door neighbour.

It soon became obvious that we were not alone - the glorious Spring weather drew the crowds outdoors.















They even parked on the athletics field.  How rude.

Our next-door neighbour is the local girls' high school and they picked the most brilliant day to hold their annual fair.

There was a carnival atmosphere, with market stalls,




garden stalls,

lots of food to keep the hungry crowds satisfied,

and cool jazz.

We even bumped into the grandchildren.

The students' art exhibition was wonderful.

It's amazing what some people consider worth putting out with the trash.  I'm sure this adorable little fellow hasn't passed his use-by date.

The shade was appreciated by the visitors.

But the young folk preferred the rides.

All in all, not bad neighbours.

Girls' Night Out

Last night my daughter and I left her three young children in the care of their father and grandfather while we headed out for a Girls' Night Out at St Ives Shopping Centre.  There was champagne and nibblies on arrival before we settled into our excellent second row seats to watch the fashion show.

I was muttering low curses that I had left my camera at home, as one of the tiny models in the children's section was an eighteen months old little boy who was carried on by one of the models.  It was obvious that the catwalk was not his choice of location.  The look he gave to the audience when the model put him down to strut his stuff was worth the price of the ticket alone.  I wonder if they have counsellors for baby models?  They have them for most situations, so one can only hope.

We had such fun at interval, doing a little shopping, sampling more champagne and delicious friands before strolling back to our seats for the rest of the parade.  The whole show was choreographed by one of the male models who starred in Dancing With The Stars.

Were we thinking of our men back home gallantly holding the fort?  Not for a nanosecond.



I received a new shipment of fabric during the week and immediately fell in love with this wild design.  It screams Seventies (I have a vague feeling that I actually wore something like this way back then) and I couldn't resist turning it into a jumpsuit.

Pity I didn't think to make it in my size instead of Size 6.  Imagine what fun it would be to have been to have worn it last night and startled the grand-kiddies.

Woo-hoo!

At last we have an Aussie Grand Slam Champ.

I guess like the rest of the country, we sat glued in front of the TV this morning watching, hardly daring to hope that it may actually happen.

But it did and I was so proud of Samantha's composure and humility.  You'll have to excuse the euphoria - the last Australian to win the US Open was Wendy Turnbull way back in 1980.  It's been a long time between drinks.

One big disadvantage of living in an apartment is a lack of flowers to pick.  So we were delighted yesterday when some dear friends came to lunch bearing gifts from their garden.

It really stuck home a couple of days ago that I had forgotten how stunningly beautiful Sydney is in Spring.  It almost takes your breath away.

 

If only there was a way of bringing down Brisbane family, friends and weather, Sydney would be heaven on earth.