Lockdown Six

As Melbourne is now two weeks into lockdown number six I am trying to stay busy.  But I think, like a lot of people, I am feeling a little gloomy.  Having the curfew brought back, and playgrounds shut makes it very real.

I took this photo on the way to the post office to send two parcels of completed quilts home.  I will get stopped at the railway crossing at least once each trip, and frequently both ways.  I find funny the picture of our premier Dan Andrews drawn on the wall of the liquor shop with his iconic phrase of last year's press conferences.

In the ten days of limited freedom between lockdown five and lockdown six I did manage to get a walk with my brother along the bay.

As for this lockdown I am trying to keep busy.  My injured foot continues to play up.  Scans have revealed that I have torn the muscle in the ball of my foot.  I am diligently doing the exercises the podiatrist has given me, but it seems to be two steps forward and one step back.  So I have been working on completing my Aberfeldie Flowers quilt.

Regent Theatre

It seems to be becoming a habit that I am posting photos of ceilings……

Sunday night we saw Love Never Dies - Andrew Lloyd Webber sequel to Phantom of the Opera.  It was very good, and the sets and costumes were fantastic.

But I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the ceiling of the Regent Theatre.

Binding done on Autumn Flowers

I have shown plenty of close ups of the quilting on this quilt, when I first quilted it. (for more pictures click here).  It was a while ago, and I have finally finished the binding.

A blog that I follow regularly is Kathy’s – TamarackShack.  Kathy lives in Canada beside a lake.  One of the things I like about Kathy’s blog (besides the beautiful quilts), is that she takes stunning photos of the quilts outdoors, showcasing the quilt’s beauty along with the beauty of nature.

I live in Melbourne, and I don’t live in such beautiful surrounds.  My house is on a smallish block of land, on a quiet suburban street with lots of houses all around me.  But inspired by Kathy I decided to take a photo of Autumn Flowers a little differently than my usual “flat on the floor” pictures.

As it was raining, I couldn’t go outside.  I took this photo looking out of my front window.  You can see my elm tree, a small part of my magnolia tree, the street and the house across the road.

Melbourne weather has become very cold over the last couple of weeks even though it is still autumn.  I took this photo a couple of weeks ago walking through the Carlton gardens next to the Exhibition Building.

Three Days in Perth

I have just returned to freezing cold Melbourne from beautifully warm Western Australia.  I flew back on the overnight flight, so am taking today to recover from lack of sleep and the time difference.  Then it will be back to work on the quilting machine tomorrow.

A break like this always invigorates me, and I know once I start quilting again tomorrow, it will be with renewed enthusiasm and energy.

I was very pleased to be able to catch up with Joan - Joan at Leschenault  while I was in WA.  Paul and I were staying in Rockingham, so we took the short hour’s drive to beautiful Leschenault where Joan lives.  She has an amazing studio with gorgeous views from her window.  It was great to see her beautiful work first hand. (And she makes an impressive pineapple fruit cake too).

After a delicious lunch (thanks Joan, Andrea and Emily) , we went to Gnomesville which was amazing.  Tens of thousands of gnomes from all over the world have been left at the corner of two country roads.

They just go on and on, seemingly forever down the path.

Anzac Day

Yesterday was Anzac Day, which is a public holiday here in Australia and my beautiful new niece was born at 9.47am.  My brother and his partner haven’t decided on a name for her yet, and are calling her their ‘Little Anzac Cookie’ for the time being.  I think the name Cookie might stick.  I can’t wait to hold her for the first time.

In the afternoon we went to see the Collingwood-Essendon football match at the MCG.  It was a sell out game and we were in the third from last row, right up in the nose-bleed section - but the view was still good.  The weather was perfect for it, and I am glad we were in the shade as it got quite warm in the middle of the day.

My sister brought my nephew Xavier with her but he didn’t have a seat of his own so the four of us shared caring for him during the game.  But as Paul is the current favourite, Xavier sat on his lap for three quarters.  I am sure Paul didn’t mind, but there were times when the game was getting tense and Xavier was making it just a little difficult for him to see what was going on.   

There were a couple of men behind us who were extremely loud and Xavier found their yelling very fascinating. He spent most of the first quarter just watching them.

Footy

Paul and I went to the Collingwood v Port Adelaide game today at Etihad Stadium. Paul being a Collingwood supporter was happy with their win, and it was an enjoyable game.

Last year Paul and I went to the first grand final which was only two weeks before our wedding.  When it was a draw, Paul was lucky enough to get a ticket to the second grand final the week before our wedding.  Of course he was over the moon about the result – even to the point of mentioning Collingwood in his wedding speech (and publicly thanking my dad for getting him the tickets).

This is a photo of me with the little league games in the background at half time.