This photo of Mum with her older brother George Doyle was the last time they were together, Mum died in March 2001 and George died on Anzac Day 2011

 

Two of George's daughters Therese on the left and Mary at Mum's place

 

 

And whilst I'm showing some family pics here's one I took of Mum and her younger sister Kathleen at the Daffodil Festival at Oberon NSW in September 1996.

Aunty Kath is the last surviving Doyle sibling and will be 88 later this month

 

 

1/02/14   Photo a Day   You

This is not a very clear photo but it is the only one in existence of me (aged about 3 in 1951) and Dad's brother Ewin and his wife Stella. They moved to Brisbane not long after this photo was taken and I didn't see them again until 1960 when I was on holidays with family friends.I never saw Uncle Ewin again and he died I think in the 70's, however Louise and I met up with Aunty Stella in Brisbane in the late 90's.

31/01/14  Photo a Day   Polka Dot

I am using these spotted fabrics in the Patchwork of the crosses project I recently started.

30/01/14 Photo a Day  Best invention ever

  

Books are the best invention ever, I couldn't live without books, these are my patchwork and quilting books and I have three other very full book cases in my small home and if you saw yesterday's photo the local Library is across the road. I think you could say I read a lot!

29/01/14  Photo a Day  Window

 

This photo was taken through my sewing room window, as you can see there is a car park and beyond that the large brick building is Bathurst Art Gallery and the Library. On the right hand side of the car park is Keppel Street a very trendy area with lots of gift shops, cafes and a French Patisserie that makes the most divine cakes and pies.

I live on a corner block and at the other end of my small street of old Victorian and Edwardian cottages is the Railway Station.

28/01/14  Photo a Day   Dinner

 

 

    I had this for dinner at the weekend, I get very sick of cooking for myself and I rarely go out for meals so I walked around to Keppel Street and bought fish and chips. Not very healthy but I enjoyed it and that is the main thing sometimes!

27/01/14  Photo a Day Something I bought

 

 

   I bough this mask in Venice in 2006 whilst travelling with my friend Sherree Kathleen

26/01/14   Photo  Day  Fun Stuff

  I made this wall hanging a couple of years ago and it is for Halloween but I think it's gorgeous (and fun) so it hangs  all year.

25/01/14  Photo a Day   A taste of summer

 

 

I can see my neighbour's trees from most windows and I just love the Crepe Myrtle in flower and although it's very tall it is dwarfed by the Liquid Amber and the Elm tree on either side.

24/01/14  Photo a Day  Your Space

This is my space, where I sit to watch TV, read and hand sew either one at a time or all together!

23/01/14  Photo a Day  Bedtime

I was left half a bed by the "bed hogs" last night

22/01/14  Photo a Day  Nice

 

 

A nice old sewing machine.

 

 

 This is one of my treadle sewing machines, I don't use them as much as I should, it is in good condition and was given to me about 20 years ago.

21/01/14  Photo a Day   Blue

 

 

 

   I made this quilt using a purchased embroidery to match my blue and white china collection , it is one of my favourites.

20/01/14   Photo a Day   To do list

 

 

This is what I will be doing tomorrow as today I received some bad news regarding my 6 month old T-box which apparently has certain physical or liquid damage not covered by warranty!!!

Considering it just stopped working while I was watching television one night I don't know how ,why and where it received said damage.

To say I am upset is an understatement.

19/01/14  Photo a Day  Breakfast

As cooked and served by my daughter Trish

18/01/14   Photo a Day   Happy place

My sewing room is a happy place to be , set up at present for hand sewing hexagons and watching DVDs

17/01/14  Photo a Day   Tiny

 

 

   This is my tiny dog a Chihuahua named Millie she is only 12 inches long (not counting her tail)

Photo a Day  16/01/14   Sun

The sun is shining in my courtyard now until about 10 AM and then the shade from the tree protects my house for the rest of the day

 

 

15/01/14  Black and White

 

 

   This photo was taken in May 1949 and it is Mum and myself taken at Bradley's Head in Sydney

14/01/14  3 Things

Three of my Jim Shore Angels

13/01/14  Makes me smile

 

 

 My friends working hard at Patchwork at my place

I made this quilt for myself last year and when Tom and Jayne saw it they 'tried' to steal it so I made them one for Christmas

   mine

  theirs

12/01/14  Photo a Day   Colourful

  I have been "shopping" in my stash and I am going to start a new project with these fabrics

I have been thinking (not always a good idea!!!) that I am not using my blog as much as I should so I have decided to take the photo a day challenge starting with yesterday's clue.This will give me something else to think about and take and upload more photos.

10/01/14    Manmade

 

 

This is my new lock on the front door made by Alan Pickstock in Adelaide and fitted by Tom as part of my Christmas present.Because I live in a very old house and Bathurst has clay soil my house moves around a fair bit  and sometimes I couldn't lock my door but this lock has been made with allowances for the movement of the house.

 

 

 

11/01/14  Looking down

 

 

 

This photo is Murphy underneath my computer desk but he always sits underneath  either this desk or my sewing desk or the lounge chair.

 

 

Scatterdays

Yesterday I researched X and then when I wrote the blog I put Z, must have been having a senior moment which I do from time to time.I just tune out and listen to music instead of concentrating  on the job in hand!
Either way I did what Cinzia suggested and went with the acrostic way.

Scatterdays Z

Scatterdays Z

Well Cinzia has put the cat among the pigeons this week and I took the easy way out! I spent some time reading the dictionary and googling and decided I would go with the plan b Cinzia gave us which is to use all the letters of your Christian name so here goes.

                                          Computer

 

My desktop computer, the picture was taken not far from Nashville on the way to visit the Jack Daniels Distillery; all the shortcuts on the right of the screen are quilt related.

                                            Hommus

 

 

 

                                        Rotary cutters

 

 

 

 

Ipad

 

 

Siggie quilts

 

 

Just four of my Siggie quilts back left is Sydney  and Auckland then Canberra and Noosa retreats.

 

 

 

 

Thimbles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iview

 

 

My favourite way to watch ABC and yesterday I caught up with Would I Lie to you

 

 

 

 

Notice Board

 

Very messy but I do know where things are

 

 

 

 

Eggs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scatterdays M

I missed the last two letters because I had visitors and the computer is in the spare bedroom and I was going to try and catch up but I didn't, however you had fun with the letters that Cinzia chose and there was some good posts.
This week the letter is M and the categories are  Sport,Foreign,Animal and modern quilt.

Sport --  M

I have chosen Motor Sport and because I live in Bathurst it is Mount Panorama

Foreign  -  M

I have chosen Museum not just any Museum but the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky and I have even got a photo of myself taken in August 2010 outside the Museum.

 

 

 

Animal  -  M

This one is very easy because I live with three dogs Macy, Murphy and Millie their photos are on the side of my blog but here's one in my sewing room during the last week when it was very cold in Bathurst.

Modern quilt - M

This is still a quilt top as it belongs on my big pile of unquilted tops but it is modern in that I used bright colours and white although the design is still traditional



  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scatterdays S

I'm late with my Scatterdays today because I didn't have any ideas but I have been thinking (always a bad sign!) and I have come up with creativity and poetic license and not exactly photos of A's.

Scatterdays A

 and the catagories are house;bird;junk;art from /in your sewing room

A house

HISTORIC BLACKDOWN ESTATE

Blackdown is one of New South Wales most significant properties and one of the finest examples of Australian Heritage Architecture. The residence is an exceptional single storey home surrounded by 17 acres approx. of established and manicured lawns and shrub gardens. The estate was designed as a self-sufficient village complex with farrier, gardeners, groomsmen and domestic servants.
* 139 Acres (56.47ha) approx. of outstanding balanced country with high performance perennial pastures, exceptional Lucerne, flat and beautiful undulating country.
* Excellent location only 2 1/2 hours from Sydney and 4km from Bathurst CBD, the oldest and the first established inland city.
* 7 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 cottages, drawing room, library, guest accommodation, 2 study's, veranda's open plan kitchen with marble island bench top, stainless steel appliances adjoin large family and dining area. Ducted gas heating under floor and hydronic heating.
* External Groundsman's office
* Magnificent established gardens, some with original plantings.
* Stable complex, stallion boxes with bunk house over
* Underground parking for 8 vehicles
* Extensive outbuildings and work areas
* Recently constructed Art studio with full amenities
* Swimming pool, Tennis court & dressage arena
* Excellent water - 3 licenced bores, 2 wells and large dams
* Olive grove
* Orchard with a variety of species
* Green house, vegie garden and potager
In April 1822, Thomas Fitzherbert Hawkins, Naval officer and pioneer settler, was appointed commissarial store keeper at Bathurst.
With his wife, mother in-law, 7 children and nine convicts, Hawkins travelled from Sydney to Bathurst a journey of 18 days.
On arrival in Bathurst Hawkins selected 2000 acres on the Macquarie River and and named it "Blackdown". He built a fine brick house, cleared and fenced the land, formed gardens, built a Mill and planted crops.
Hawkins went on to be a foundation member of Trinity Church Kelso, a member of the legislative assembly and a founding trustee of All Saints College Bathurst.

Features

• Swimming Pool
• External Groundsman's office
• Magnificent established gardens
• some with original
• Stable complex
• stallion boxes with bunk house over
• Underground parking for 8 vehicles
• Extensive outbuildings and work areas
• Recently constructed Art studio with full amenities
• Tennis court & Dressage Arena
• Excellent water - 3 licenced bores
• 2 wells and lar
• Olive grove
• Orchard with a variety of species
• Green house
• vegie garden and potager
• Domestic vineyard  

   Just in case you have lots of money and would like to move to Bathurst there are three historic homes for sales within  the area the other two are Restdown and Blair Athol , just google them to see the homes on Domain.The Vendor of this house is the artist Tim Storrier who won the Archibald Art Prize in 2012.



Bird

This is  Ailuroedus Melanotis  or a spotted cat bird a bird from the Bowerbird species from North Queensland (therefore only likes tropical which is why he doesn't live in Bathurst!)


A box of Junk

One man's junk is another's treasure, this box is sitting in my garage waiting for me to drop it over to Vinnies or the Salvos.


Art

 

This hangs on my sewing room door and has done for well over 20years

 

2 quilts finished and another on the way

I have recently finished two quilts from my pile of UFO's , one I pieced at least 15 years ago but sadly there are some that have been there longer.

 

This quilt is made using a Moda charm pack and a little extra fabric from the same range very simply sewn together with a heart quilted in each square.

 

 

This design was in a book I had borrowed from the NSW Quilters Guild library years ago ;I loved the way the log cabins were made then chopped in half diagonally.

 

 

 

I am calling this one William Morris goes to the Blue Gum Pennie and Ruth issued a challenge and I decided I would take it on;mind you I did have some doubts! My challenge to myself was to use my collection of William Morris fabrics that were accumulating in my stash.It is getting rather large so I might have to double up some rounds and put two months into one, I'll decide when the next clue is revealed.

Orca Bay

I started this Bonnie Hunter designed mystery quilt in December 2011 and in January following year I packed it up and put the whole project in cold storage until 25th March this year.Yesterday I finished "IT" except for the borders and I don't think I'll do pieced ones (even though I have all the pieces) as the quilt is already too busy.

I laid it on the lounge room floor to photograph and one by one the dogs walked across it and in the end I had to take a photo with a dog or I would have been standing there all day.So Millie gets to star with this quilt.