First day of Summer

Our local village Christmas Fair falls on the first Sunday in December which this year also happened to be the first day of summer.

By tradition, the day begins with the pipe band from the local grammar school.

It made my Scottish heritage heart swell when I heard these young men play so professionally.

I love the swagger which comes miraculously as soon as a kilt is donned.

The dogs certainly loved it.

Time to check out the stalls.

They even took over the parking lot.

There were delicious edibles for the adults ...

... balloons for the children ...

... and a bandanna for the dog.  

Here are a few things which took my fancy, in no particular order:

 We Fudges have the uncanny knack of seeking each other out in crowds of thousands and somehow our granddaughter spied us from the distance.

The boys were fresh from breakfast with Santa, so we were pretty tame in comparison.

Ah, summer.  Got to love it.

Busy times

It's the first week of October and already the busy season is beginning.  Tonight we Fudges are off to the big city for the opening of our daughter's exhibition.

The gallery is in the The Rocks district, an historic part of the city and a great tourist attraction.  So if you are venturing to Sydney this month, put this exhibition at the top of your must-see list.

However, if you are in Brisbane tomorrow, do yourself a favour and visit the BrisStyle Mother and Child Market.

I have participated in previous Mother and Child markets and can vouch that it's a day full of fun, activities and stacks of beautiful handmade goodies to tempt you.

With Christmas not far away, both these venues will provide you with plenty of gift opportunities.

Eight

Eight is my number.  Somehow it manages to make an appearance in just about every aspect of my life.  My father, brother and I were all born on the 18th day of the month.  My birth date adds up to 8.  Telephone numbers, post codes, street numbers - the odds are they all reduce to the number 8.

So when I received a custom order to make some reversible aprons, it came as no surprise that eight were required.

 

I had such fun co-ordinating the fabrics...

... and adding the finishing touches, such as decorative buttons ...

... and flouncy frills.

I finished the last apron today, St Patrick's Day.  That would be 17 March.  1 plus 7 equals 8.  Of course. 

I will have similar aprons for sale at the BrisStyle Twilight Market on 29 April, if I have time to come up for breath!

Perfect ending

I don't know about Miracle on 34th Street, but there was sure a miracle on King George Square on Friday evening.  Somehow, in the midst of the most appalling weather, a little window of calm descended on us as we set up for our final BrisStyle market for the year.

Mind you, the day wasn't without its traumas.  We had picked up our daughter and granddaughter from the airport and deposited them at their city hotel and were driving home to pack the car with Hot Fudge merchandise, clothes racks, lighting, etc, when the car threw a hissy half way home and had to be towed to the nearest repair shop.

Naturally, there was not a rental car to be found within coo-ee.  With a couple of hours to go to set-up time, panic didn't nearly describe it.  To cut a long and painful story short, our daughter came to the rescue with a hired car from the city - what an angel.

Even before the BrisStyle stalls were set up, the crowds started to gather.

Then the fun began.  Who could not love the roller-skating Christmas Tree decorations?  I believe that later in the evening the blue bauble was knocked off its feet and was seen rolling slowly down the square. 

In no time the serious shoppers dropped by and so the beautiful evening rolled on.  There was one slight hitch when some gusty wind blew in, but it didn't last for long.

The atmosphere was brilliant as happy shoppers mingled with the wandering musicians,

decorations (bauble back on its feet),

and the giant Christmas Angel, who held the children in awe.

My five and a half year old granddaughter strutted her stuff around the markets wearing her Hot Fudge Christmas knot dress, drumming up business.  What a trouper.  Together with her mother, they did some serious shopping and just about completed their Christmas list, as well as buying the odd adornment for themselves. 

So all's well that ends well.  We had another two wonderful days with our interstate visitors, but that's another story.

... Perfect the Next

True to its word, Brisbane turned on the most beautiful Spring morning on Saturday.  The birds were singing, the sun was shining and the crowds came out for a day of fun at the BrisStyle Indie Designers' Market.

There was music ...

wood-fired pizzas...

... and lots of lovely people out to enjoy the early Spring weather.

Inside the hall we set up our stalls full of tempting goodies.

My next-door neighbour was Catherine of Made by Maisie.

Opposite me was Holly of Pannikin with her delightful badges, cards, etc.

The crowds obviously liked what they saw.

Outside the sun kept shining and the people kept coming.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
These gorgeous bracelets by Sophie of Strat Designs were good enough to eat.
 

The canopy of Sophie's stall threw this dainty shadow of the Poinciana tree overhead.  What a beautiful day it was.

 
 

However, another day, another story.  Sunday the rains came and we battled the elements to get the Hot Fudge clothing into the exhibition hall at Schoolhouse Quilters.

 

 

The wild weather was soon forgotten once we stepped inside historic Brookfield Hall.  The quilts were absolutely stunning.

 

This masterpiece by Glenys Cheng took four years to complete and the hand quilting was breathtaking.

 
 

It was time to visit the refreshments room to sit quietly and contemplate the beautiful works of art before us.

Then a visit to the sales room to get started on some early Christmas shopping.
 
 

What a weekend.  It was, of course, Father's Day on Sunday, so we had a late celebration before promptly falling asleep in front of the television.

Ah Brisbane.  Beautiful one day, perfect the next, then a lot of rain.