I love that word.
It so beautifully describes the butterfly motion of darting from one thing to another. Which is what I’ve been doing the last week or so, only less beautifully and gracefully 🙂
We’ve been spending some fun time with ST motorbike-owners-club friends from south east Queensland, who are passing through Mackay with their caravan and their Honda ST1300 on the back of the ute. Now that’s a sweet setup! Deep envy, to have both their big motorbike and their caravan along! We’ve done a couple of half day rides with them around the local sights, which has reassured me that I can cope and my back won’t fall apart under the strain when our own time comes to do the big ride south for the bike rally later this year in October. No lavish Miz Lizzie caravan comfort on this trip, it’ll be Rolling Thunder towed behind the Scarlett Thunderbolt, and a tent for a few nights.
We had part of the back yard landscaped and a hard surface put down. We can now get Miz Lizzie under cover without the need for 25-point reversing to get her between the posts of the patio roof. Straight in, bish-bosh, no messing about. Bliss! We can use our new turning circle to get the car in and out in similar style. I have a hard, dry surface to stand on when I hang out the laundry instead of being ankle deep in wet grass and green ants. It will not turn back into a swamp the next time we get a serious amount of rain. Oh my word yes, I love that new surface! And the Husband, let’s face it, is not heartbroken about having less grass to cut…
A few days before the work commenced, Sir Horace and Lady Laetitia Bush Stone-Curlew went off somewhere for several days. We rejoiced in a slightly guilty fashion, but it was very pleasant to have quiet nights, unbroken by their harsh screams. We thought they’d moved on, finding the modest bustle of our back yard insufficiently tranquil for raising this year’s family. Regrettably, they have now returned from their vacation and are back in their original spot, glaring at me every time I set foot outside the back door, and in full song at night. Oh well. At least we didn’t drive them off with the landscaping work…
I’ve been doing some secret sewing for a friend who is visiting from the States. As it’s a secret, I won’t be posting photos till she has it, around the end of the month, but it’s fun, pretty and useful, so I hope she likes it. I’m sure if she doesn’t, she won’t feel compelled to tell me so!
And finally, I’ve got the Blue Hour quilt two thirds assembled, just one big seam and the binding to go, so I’ll be able to do my ‘tah-dah’ post for that soon. And yes, start thinking about my own! I haven’t forgotten that I also have the Sea Glass quilt to sandwich and start quilting, but it’s a big job and as usual, I’m procrastinating furiously…
So while there’s been scant news from Chiconia recently, as you can see, I have not been idle!
Your comment about a 25 point turn made me smile, I had a small caravan years ago, I kept it at a farm nearby. I had to reverse it round a tight 90′ corner (a barn) and then about 100m along a track into it’s spot. The farmer would watch me for so long and then say ‘Just leave it there luv, I’ll sort it!’
That doesn’t sound like much fun! We have to get the caravan between two heavy steel posts with only 6 inches to spare on either side. Getting it in at the angle we used to have took FOREVER even with me behind the van on the two-way to guide it in, but now we can just back it straight in. So much better.
What great photos of you Kate – you look gorgeous! You are one of those women I hate with no wrinkles 😉 Now you tell me your reversing is good too. Pah!
No, no, I make no claims for my reversing, the Husband does all that. After all, if he can reverse a 26 metre double trailer fuel tanker truck, the caravan should be a piece of cake. And thank you so much for the kind words: there has to be an upside to carrying excess avoirdupois, and I do have some pretty noticeable smile lines!
Smile lines?? I don’t know what has happened in my life that was quite so funny but there were obviously many hilarious moments.. I have a friend in her early 70s – not a wrinkle! She’s on steroids though which I wouldn’t wish on anybody so maybe I’ll just try putting on some weight.
I wouldn’t recommend steroids as a way to lose your wrinkles. I took them when I was on chemo. No lines, but also no neck, no waist, no ankles… I looked like a seal! How I envy you the need to put ON some weight 🙂
Nothing wrong with a bit of flitting. I do realise, however, that in the chaos that was last week (including a rather difficult visit from some friends) I missed all the scrap happy-ing. I shall go and look at your post and possibly write my own, albeit a week late.
Not to worry, there’s no requirement to be all creative with scraps every month! I shall look forward to seeing what you make if you get round to it.
Idle is not a word I would associate with anyone from the Kingdom of Chiconia. Glad you’re taking time out to socialise 🙂
I’m like a swan, all calm and quiet on the surface and feet paddling furiously under the water. Or perhaps in my case, that should be a goose…. It was a load of fun roaring around the countryside in a slightly less sedate way than usual, and good to see friends we don’t see nearly often enough!
for a moment there, I thought you were flirting, but flitting is good too ^^
I think the Husband would have something to say about the former… 😉
To flit in my part of the world means to move house. So I had a bit of adjusting of thoughts at the start of this post! Hurrah for new landscaping. We have had a caravan in the past and so know how hard turnng can be.
I’ve heard that meaning used by Scottish friends too! Here, we’d talk about shifting…
Traveling in the fall is one of the best times of year to do so…cooler days, even cooler nights full of color and friends. That is ever so much fun! Too bad the loud night birds didn’t leave…sigh!
It was lovely – perfect temperatures too, so we didn’t cook inside our riding gear!
So many good things packed into one post. Hurrah for new sights, hard surfaces, and a brief respite from bird screams!
Yes, I did think afterwards that I’d rolled at least three posts into one! Never mind, I’ll try and be a bit more conscientious about posting for a bit.
I’d been wondering what you were up to when your blog was quiet for so long. Glad it was all good times and good things! I’m so pleased for you that your back didn’t suffer from the riding, and can fully appreciate the new flat, hard surface in the backyard. 🙂
I kept meaning to put up a post and then just not getting round to it. I was quite shocked when I realised how long it had been since the last one!
I completely understand how that happens!!!
It has been a great week for being on the road hasn’t it? Glad you could enjoy friends and lovely weather with the added bonus of a new slab for Miz Lizzie.
… and of course, some time for sewing! I should be able to post about the finished Blue Hour quilt in the next day or so 🙂
A nice bit of flitting about indeed.
Wasn’t it? But now, it’s time to buckle down and get a few things finished (and if we’re honest, started!), so I can start posting properly again 🙂
What incredible photographs of you Kate – you look gorgeous..A pleasant piece of fluttering about undoubtedly…
Thank you, that’s very kind. Our friends have left now, so it’s time to get back to normal and stop the butterfly action!
You look like you are having such a good time! Between biking and camping I’m surprised you have had time to do anything else:)!!! Life is good:)
Life is very good, especially when you can share it with friends 🙂
You always have so much fun and I love that you share it with us. You live in such beautiful country!
I do indeed, and know myself to be very fortunate!
So much good news! Enjoy, enjoy.
It is, isn’t it? And in just a few days, we’re hitching up Miz Lizzie and heading north to Airlie Beach for a few days, where we’ll be taking the ferry over to Hamilton Island to meet an Aussie friend on holiday there, who now lives in Portland, Oregon. I’m SO excited about that!
I live in Portland, Oregon! Do I know this person as a blogger?
The lovely Cath from Wombat Quilts. Her button is in my left hand column, above the bright blue daisy avatar.
I’ll go have a look! Thank you. Portland is a rather large city and I don’t drive very much anymore but I’ll pop over to her site and have a look.
She makes beautiful colourful quilts, designs paper pieced blocks and does a fantastic amount of work for charity. Worth a visit!
I left a comment. She does make colorful quilts. Way out of my skill level. 🙂
Many of them are quite simple blocks, but she has a real talent for colour. I’m really looking forward to catching up with her this week 🙂
I wondered what you were up to when you blog went quiet, had and lurk around the comments, saw I wasn’t alone in wondering and that you’ve been happily very busy offline ♡
That was a very busy few days. It occurred to me that I should say something about going off the grid, but then another fun thing would come up and I forgot about it. But as you can see, I’m back with a vengeance!
I know how to track you down…. if I hadn’t seen the comment, I would’ve made further enquiries ♡
🙂