Goodbye winter

You could not imagine two more differing days if you tried.  Yesterday (Sunday) was a perfect late winter's day; cloudless skies, temperate weather.

Which was just as well, as we gathered for a family lunch to celebrate my brother's birthday.  

The boys amused themselves reading and drawing, waiting patiently for their favourite food ...

Dessert!

In contrast, Saturday began for us at two in the morning when loud hammering invaded our bedroom.  It transpired that our apartment neighbours had a wee problem with their plumbing which necessitated the emergency services of a plumber. With a big hammer.  You can imagine how thrilled we were to discover a few hours later that we were the recipients of their excess water.  

At least it prepared us well for the day ahead, which included joining our granddaughter's cheer squad for very soggy netball semifinals.  Thank goodness for the pop-up coffee vendors who kept us warm on the inside at least.  I felt so sorry for the poor little pets playing their hearts out in such atrocious conditions. 

Available here

 However, it was perfect weather for sewing.

And here

Spring will be arriving in a week (doing the traditional End of Winter Dance of Joy) and I will be busy between now and Christmas with new stock for the summer months ahead and for the Christmas season.

Image: Sara Sprague

Bring it on!

Begone Winter

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring.  I am doing a little dance of joy as I wish Winter a fond farewell. However, I am not foolish enough to fling my winter gear into the depths of my wardrobe and don warm weather clothes, but the sun is rising earlier and hanging around a little longer and the blossoms are exploding in the gardens.

I am not alone in the anticipation of Summer.  A few days back one of my dresses was featured in this delightful Etsy Treasury  by fellow Sydneysider Helen of Cooper Street Vintage.  As you can see by the lovely summery goodies displayed, we are completely over Winter.  Below are a few samples of my Spring/Summer collection.

Butterflies and Summer go hand in hand and a few days back I made this skirt in the hope it would hurry the season along a little.  No sooner did I list it in my Madeit shop than it was featured in their shopping guide under the heading Little Miss Sunshine.

Here's another version of the same skirt, with its sash which can be tied either at the front or the back and adjustable elastic at the waistband back to allow it to last longer than one season.

This little outfit is perfect for toddlers, because the top is completely reversible.

 So handy when you have those pesky ice cream spillages. 

I have to confess that blue is my favourite colour and I particularly love these shades of blue.  

I found these adorable buttons which are ideal for the back closure.  

And then there's Christmas.  I know it's crazy, but I have already had Christmas sales and even a bunny garland for next Easter!  There are more Summer goodies planned over the next few weeks and you can find all the items listed above (and many more) in my Etsy and Madeit shops.

It was Netball Grand Final day today and we Fudges, from the oldest to the youngest, were there to support our granddaughter.  It wasn't to be, but both teams were so good and they played their little eight year-old hearts out.  We were so proud of them, as were no doubt the parents of the winning team.

They practically ran to receive their runners-up trophies at the presentation.

As I looked at this image of my granddaughter and her bestie admiring their tropohies, it dawned on me that I had been wrong when I stated in my last blog post that there were no sporting genes in my makeup.  

How could I have ever forgotten?

Canoon Road

Probably every city in the country has its own version of Canoon Road.  Saturday mornings in the winter in our part of the world will find the streets filled with vehicles all headed in the one direction - Canoon Road.  It's our very own Field of Dreams, or more accurately, Court of Dreams.  Yes, it's Netball season and Canoon Road has literally dozens of netball courts scattered over several acres.

We have been travelling to Canoon Road ever since our daughters were in primary school and each season we have cheered them on and consoled them with the knowledge that it doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's playing and enjoying the game that counts.  Now, we Fudges lean more towards the arts than sports and we have never, ever made it to the finals in any sport, let alone won.

Until today.

Our granddaughter's team had made it to the finals, so we were up at the crack of dawn to once again take on the drive to Canoon Road.  How the memories came flooding back.  That dreaded feeling in the pit of our stomachs as we prepared to tell our granddaughter that the team had done so well to even reach the finals, bla bla bla.  On the bright side we were pleased to see that the venue had improved somewhat and now had coffee and hot snacks available for the spectators.  In our day there was nothing - only a few surly and rough looking women running the show who were to be seen later cracking open cans of beer in the bushes.  Ah, they were the days.

After a quick pep talk it was time to play.  The opposition looked really professional, right down to their hair sprayed in their team colours.

At half time out came the oranges.  What is it about oranges?  Why not grapes or slices of apple?

We were somewhat surprised to discover that our team was ahead by 3 goals at half time.  And we were gobsmacked when the final whistle blew to realise that they had indeed won!

After a quick round of handshakes it was time for the real reason all girls play netball.

 Snakes.

So now it's the steady march to the Grand Final next Saturday.  Oh my.  I may have to resort to a bonus issue of blood pressure tablets or smuggle some wine in an innocent looking thermos.  Either way I will be booking the ambulance to be on stand-by.  After all, this is uncharted waters and win or lose, it will be a whole new experience for us Fudges.  

Canoon Road, bring it on.