Can't see the wood for the trees

I'm taking a very short break from the sewing machine, as I am going a little stir crazy.  My Christmas Tree garlands have proved to be a tad more popular than I had anticipated and I am filling in orders and hoping that there will be time left to have some ready for sale at my stall at the Sacred Heart Pymble Moonlight Market on Saturday.

If you are in Sydney, please come by and say hello.  

Apart from the Christmas Tree garlands, I will have lots of children's clothing, cushions, bunting, etc.

Hope to see you there.

Joe Btfsplk lives

To know who Joe Btfsplk is, you would have to be a child of the Forties or Fifties.  He was a character in the comic strip  Li'l Abner who walked around with a dark cloud perpetually over his head.  Disaster followed him wherever he went and as a child I loved him.

  

I am now wondering if we should change our names by deed poll to Mr & Mrs Joe Btfsplk because I suspect we are closely following in his wake. 

Take yesterday for instance.  Late afternoon a helicopter flew over our apartment block and hovered for about 30 minutes.  Always quick on the uptake, we gathered that something was amiss.  We soon discovered that a poor old 95 year-old man had crashed nearby down an embankment onto the rail line.  Thankfully his injuries were not too serious, but with peak hour traffic about to start, life became chaotic for commuters, both of the rail and road variety.

Less than twelve months ago we were isolated for three days during the Brisbane floods - thank goodness for twilight market lighting!

About three years before that, a light plane crashed into a house a couple of hundred yards away from our home - again thankfully the pilot escaped serious injury and the house owners were out at the time.  My, what a surprise that was for them when they came home.


When our children were young, we ran from a bushfire which swept through the suburb where we had built our new home.  Yes, it did raise the heart rate and yes, we did later sell that house.  Our home came through unscathed, apart from the interior ending up full of ash, as the windows were left open in our haste to leave.  Silly us.


Can you see a pattern developing here?  Disaster magnets?  You bet. 


Addendum, Friday:  To hammer the point home, the whole of Pymble has lost its water service for the rest of the day.  Say no more.

Deck the halls and trim the trees

My Christmas tree garlands are flying out the door faster than I can make them.

If you would like some of your own, you can find them in my Etsy store, or for Australian residents in my MadeIt store.  

They will also be available at the Moonlight Market at Sacred Heart Primary School, Pymble, on Saturday 26 November.  Once the final market for the year is behind us, Mr Fudge and I will bravely search through all the boxes in our storage locker for our Christmas decorations.

This was our tree last year, and in fact for many years before that.  It has been a good tree and many happy Christmases have been spent gathered around it.  However, this year we will be investing in a much slimmer tree, a necessity if we wish to have any sort of human movement in the living room during the festive season.  It will be our first Christmas in an apartment and although the living room is not large, the ceiling is quite high, so we will be on the lookout for a tall, thin tree.

Maybe something like this ...

  Oooo ... yes, this is more like it.

Concert season - can Christmas be far away?

It's getting close to the end of the year and that can only mean one thing ... it's dancing school concert time.  

Yesterday was our first experience as grandparents at a dancing school concert, which meant that we could sit back and thoroughly enjoy the whole process without all those parental butterflies and anxieties.  Much better.

The girls were eagerly anticipating their first routine before an audience of family and friends which included at least one marvellous set of grandparents who flew in from Melbourne especially for the occasion.  We all absolutely fell under the charm of the young performers.  However, the music was a little loud for some.  I mean REALLY loud.

Time to go home folks.

There are zebras at Bondi Beach

It's true - I saw them myself today.  Aren't they adorable?  They can be yours for $8,450 each.  Now there's a Christmas gift idea for the child who has everything.

We had a family outing to Bondi Beach to view Sculpture by the Sea, now in its 15th year.  But first there were snacks to be had to give us strength for the long walk ahead.

Wearing Hot Fudge, of course 

When you are four, Grandma's leg is a perfect safe haven when the cafe proprietor's dog eyes off your delicious muffin.

The temperature quickly rose to around 30 degrees Celsius, but the ocean breeze kept the crowds reasonably cool.

Ammonite

The Yearning

Domestic Bliss

Windswept

Heavenly Kiss

Predators in the Park (check out the cheeky cap)

The boys discovered a cool piece of art which was child friendly.

Hey, let's make it our own.

Do you think those other children want to play in our special place?

OK, OK, we're going.

A little further along we came across something that we thought may have startled the children.

But they loved it.

Meeting 1

These folk seemed to have the right idea - time to sit down for a little while.

And time to share a secret.

Psst ... would you like an ice cream?

Sculpture by the Sea continues until 20 November.  It has the Fudge Family Seal of Approval, so make haste to Bondi Beach and spend a few hours taking in the wonderful works of art.  As a bonus, you get in a week's worth of exercise to boot.

Moonlighting

Since moving to Sydney I have missed the friendly buzz of the BrisStyle markets.  However, all is not lost, as there's a market on the horizon.  On Saturday 26 November (a little more than three weeks away - eek!) I will be setting up my stall at the Sacred Heart Pymble Moonlight Markets.

This highly successful annual event is organised by the Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's Parents & Friends Association and will be held at the school grounds, Cnr Bobbin Head Road and Pacific Highway, Pymble between 5.30 and 9.30 pm.

  Bermuda shorts are currently being constructed

with cute back pockets

There will be lots of dresses ...

... some fully reversible.

These Christmas Tree garlands sold out very quickly last season, but there will be plenty of fresh stock ready for the Moonlight Market.  

So book the date in your diaries now and do come and say hello.  You will find a wonderful variety of stalls full of quality handmade goodies to choose from - perfect timing for Christmas shopping!