Love in the mountains - part three

Here it is! Same reader warning applies.

--------------------

I was very upset and shaken up by the deaths of Peter, Michelle and 8-year-old KC. They were a very loving, adventurous and happy family. They'd shared many a caving, canoeing and bushwalking adventure together and were just in the primes of their lives. The avalanche and their loss threw me (and the whole team) into a spin. We all were asked to make an individual decision as to whether to continue on or to return to Australia. I very seriously considered pulling out of the expedition, but was convinced by one of the climbers that they needed me and that I would regret it forever if I didn't continue. I decided to go to Tibet.

Eventually our decision was unanimous. We would go on and we would summit Everest in the memory of the fallen. Our expedition took on a new meaning and the climbers were all motivated to achieve their goal in memory of our friends.

After a week or so of media commitments and logistical preparations, we boarded the minibus that would take us across Nepal and into Tibet. I climbed onto the bus only to find that the only spare seat was next to Carl. Bugger, I thought. Oh well, hopefully he'll listen to his headphones the whole way there and I won't have to talk to him.

He turned out to be surprisingly chatty! We talked about this and that and discovered that we shared in common a love for the same kind of books and the same kind of music. Well, well, I thought. Maybe he's not so bad after all. Of course, I wasn't thinking romance at all. I'd had a series of failed relationships over the preceding decade and I had sworn off men - particularly army men! I just assumed (to be on the safe side) that they were all married and of no interest to me.

So I said to Carl, what does your wife think about all this gallivanting around the world? What wife, says he. Okay, your girlfriend. Nope. Boyfriend? He laughed. Oh, says me.

But I had sworn off men.

---

After a couple of days making our way slowly up through Tibet, we arrived at Everest Base Camp (5100 metres; 16,700ft). Our acclimatisation was just about complete, but I certainly felt the lack of oxygen at such a high altitude. There's about half the normal oxygen level than at sea level, so you get puffed even bending over to tie up your boots!

At Base Camp we had one large main messing tent and two-man tents for sleeping in. There were three women on the expedition - me, our cook and one of the army's top female climbers. Merran and Tanya were friends from way back, so they shared a tent. I had no tent buddy and when I mentioned it, Carl immediately jumped in and said, you can share with me!

Okayyyyy.

We had some laughs in our tent, snuggled deep into our respective down-filled sleeping bags. He turned out to be a very charming, funny guy. Boy was my first impression wrong. Put that down to experience, I told myself.

After a week of preparations and final acclimatisation, it was time to head 22kms (14 miles) up to Advance Base Camp (ABC), with an altitude of 6400m (21,000ft). This was where I was to spend the next six weeks of my life.

The climbers came into their own at this point on the expedition. They began the arduous task of ferrying equipment and food up the mountain. The aim was to establish four camps up the north-west ridge of Mt Everest and, after a small break, begin the summit push in three teams of four climbers.

During this time, however, the dreaded base camp lurgy hit our team (and others) hard. Just about everyone came down with a dreadful bronchial infection. Everyone except yours truly (for some bizarre reason). The sickies headed back down to base camp to try to get better and to have a rest at lower altitudes before their summit attempt.

Carl and his climbing partner had to head down the mountain very suddenly, as Peter had suffered a mini-stroke while we were having lunch one day. He suddenly couldn't feel his cheek or right arm and began speaking in tongues. We rang our doctor (who had become sick himself and returned to Australia) who said Peter had to get off the mountain right now and back down to as low an altitude as possible immediately. His climbing days were over. Carl rushed Peter down the mountain as fast as he could, with Peter suffering yet more attacks on the way down. It was scary. (Peter made a full recovery and waited out the rest of the expedition in Kathmandu.)

Carl eventually came back up to ABC, and, after one more attempted 'load carry' to Camp I, conceded defeat. The chest infection had knocked him hard and he declared himself incapable of climbing further up the mountain. It was not to be his expedition. (He wasn't overly worried by this, having just completed in the previous six months successful climbs on Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya in Africa, Mt Shishapangma in Tibet and various peaks in the French Alps!)

This meant that Carl spent a lot of time alone with me in ABC. We shared books, he lent me his spare walkman and homemade music tapes, and we talked and talked. We even went to a party at another team's tent one night. It was most surreal! You should see the stars up there. I've never seen anything like it - stars down to the horizon with a 360-degree view of the mountains. The moon over the summit of Mt Everest away in the distance. It was just amazing. And would have been quite romantic I suppose - if any of us had had a shower in the past six weeks!!

We worked hard supporting the climbers in their endeavours to reach the top of the world's highest mountain. In the end, only one of our climbers and two sherpas summitted. Two other climbers came tantalisingly close, but turned around when they realised they'd run out of oxygen, time and energy.

It was exhilarating when one of our climbers radioed down to us from the top of the world - we were ecstatic!

However, this ecstasy was tempered by the death a few days earlier of an Australian climber in our camp. He wasn't part of our expedition, but we'd grown close to him through social engagements in the tent city that was ABC. He was a lovely, lovely man who'd gotten himself lost on Everest after a failed summit attempt. It was dark, he was out of oxygen and at death's door when he staggered into our top camp - our climbers took him in, gave him fluids, food and some of their precious oxygen and slept with him crammed into their tent for the night. In the morning he seemed right as rain, but when he stood up to get his boots to put on he just keeled over and was dead when he hit the ground. Our boys tried to revive him, but he was dead.

The worst thing about dying on Everest is that it is actually impossible for the body to be recovered. Unless you can walk, you cannot get off that mountain. It is all anyone can do to get themselves down. It would be suicide to try to bring down another man. This is one of the sad realities of mountaineering. That's why you have to maintain rationality and realise when it's time to get off the mountain - whether you reached the summit or not.

Again, I had to deal with all of the department of foreign affairs and media enquiries over this fellow Australian's death. All through this ordeal Carl was by my side, making sure all the comms gear worked when it needed to.

Once our summit attempts concluded, it was time to pack up ABC and head back down to the base camp. I was pleased to be leaving - it is very hard going existing where no living thing can manage to survive (there are no plants or animals at that altitude - there are a couple of scavenger birds, but they don't live there - they fly up, raid the camps, and then return to their nests. Clever mother nature), but I was also sad, as I knew I'd never be anywhere like that again, and we were leaving a lovely man behind, alone on the mountain.

The trek back down to base camp was awful. After six weeks of not walking very far, I found the going very tough and it took 12 hours to walk the 22kms. I was stuffed!! We overnighted at base camp and then in the morning that too was packed up. The land rovers arrived and we all piled in. Well, all of us except Carl and I. I realised that I was waiting to see which vehicle he got into as I wanted to go in that car too.

Uh-oh! Trouble!!

I finally threw my pack into the back of one of the cars, as Carl didn't seem to making any moves in that direction. As soon as I picked a vehicle, he chucked his pack into the same car! Double trouble!!

We were literally thrown together in the front seat of the 4WD. It was really only 1 1/2 seats, so we were shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. It was tight!

It was a much quicker trip back to the border between Tibet and Nepal, as we didn't need to stop to acclimatise. On our overnight stop I had to confess to the two other girls on the trip that I thought I liked Carl as more than a friend. They were so excited! They promised to spy on him the next day, as I was so unsure of myself and my ability to read boy signals that I needed help!!

We crossed into Nepal the next day, only to find that the Nepalese royal family had been massacred by one of the sons, who had subsequently been shot down by palace guards. The place was in uproar and official mourning, which meant no one could travel into the capital. There was also a curfew in place to prevent rioting - the Nepalese take their monarchy very seriously indeed.

We were forced to stay outside the capital for the night.

Fortunately for us, this meant staying in a gorgeous hilltop resort with the Himalaya as a backdrop. The sunset views were just gorgeous. We wound down with a couple of beers each and a lovely steak dinner. Our first 'proper' meal in months. It was delicious - made even more so by the fact that Carl sat opposite me - after I'd already sat down. That night the girls confirmed my suspicions - oh he's DEFINITELY interested, they said. Big trouble!!

The next day we finally made it back to Kathmandu. We propped at a hotel in town for a few days rest and recuperation, as well as to clean and pack our several tonnes of gear for the return journey to Australia. That night, we were treated to a slap-up dinner at the hotel. Once again, Carl sat opposite me. We talked for hours until we were kicked out of the restaurant. A group of us retired to the bar.

Several drinks and several hours later, one by one people started to go back to their rooms to get some sleep. I didn't. Carl didn't. Eventually we were the only ones left in the bar. We were sitting together on a couch and neither of us wanted to move. Although we had to move our feet to let the guy finish vacuuming around us!

We sunk lower and lower on the couch and closer and closer together until finally I thought, I am going to kiss this beautiful man. So I did. At the very same moment he decided to kiss me.

Well how many cliches do you want to hear? The earth moved, my heart skipped a beat, my eyelids fluttered. It was the kiss. The Kiss. The most amazing kiss. A kiss of love. A kiss of promise. A kiss of relief!!

All this from one kiss. Boy, was I in big trouble!

---

After a couple more days in Kathmandu, it was time to leave Nepal, Tibet and Everest behind. Bittersweet memories for all of us, sweetened for Carl and I by the knowledge that we'd started something amazing.

We were married two and half years later, now are parents to a delightful 10-month-old and remain very happy with each other. I have found someone to love, and more important, someone who loves me just for me. Doesn't want me to change. Loves all my quirks. Loves me.

We're baaaack

After a lovely few days visiting with my parents, extended family and friends in Melbourne, Romily and I are back safe and sound in Canberra. Darling husband picked us up from the airport and the Romster is now asleep in her own bed. I'm exhausted, having managed to pick up a throat infection, complete with temperature, nausea and ahem runny poos. But, we had a good time.

Didn't make it to the zoo, unfortunately. It was freeeezing the whole time we were there and rained off and on to boot. Lots of soup, cake, red wine and chocolate. Romily was an angel and behaved herself beautifully. She is a wonderful little girl and a dream travel companion. Remind me of this when she's five!!

Thanks for all the comments while I was gone. I am so glad I don't have class tonight, as I have had absolutely no chance to do any sewing. Hopefully I'll get some done tomorrow. (Tonya, I have done all the blocks to date on the machine, but my next block is by hand...it will really test out my abilities!). Will post the last part of my lurve story tomorrow - promise!!

Extra long weekend

It's lucky I am typing this and not recording it - I had my final dental appointment this morning and three hours later half of my mouth is still numb! Two fillings in the same region meant she gave me a really strong anaesthetic - I wonder when I'll be able to feel my lip, cheek and tongue again?

Just a quick post to say thanks for all the lovely comments on my story and my blocks! I am off tomorrow morning for a five-day flying visit with my parents in Melbourne (650kms away from Canberra). I am taking Romily on her second plane ride and we'll be catching up with friends and family over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

In case you're wondering, the Queen of England is still the Head of State of Australia - we didn't have our war of independence - so we have a long weekend in June each year to celebrate her majesty's birthday. Of course it's not really her birthday - that was in April. But hey, why let facts get in the way of a long weekend?

So, I won't be posting until sometime mid-next week. You'll have to wait till then for the final part of my story! What a tease!

In the meantime, here are another couple of mountain shots for those who like 'em.

This is a photo of the view we had from our first night's accommodation on the trek. Unbelievable!


This was us soaking up the sun at the top of the Annapurna Sanctuary trek - only a couple of hours later we heard the news of the avalanche. That's me on the front right.

Have a great weeekend!

Hoorah!!!!

I can't believe it! By changing from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox as my browser I can suddenly load photos again!!

Woohoo.

This photo is of Annapurna Sanctuary - inside the 'bowl'.

I'll edit the below post tomorrow and replace those very small images with bigger versions (that you might actually be able to see).

Woohoo!

Love in the mountains - part two

Sorry for the delay...here's part two of my love story. Click on the photo collage for a bigger image and captions. Same reader warning applies.

-------------------------------------

All this time I had managed to avoid speaking to the angry ant major. The others were all very convivial and I enjoyed getting to know them. We spent a few days in Kathmandu getting acquainted and finalising last-minute logistics for our pre-expedition trek into the Annapurna Sanctuary. I teed up some media interviews and started preparing background information on my fellow travellers. All was going according to plan.

We headed off on the long bus trip through Pokhara to the head of the track that takes you into the sanctuary. Our large group included several of the sherpas who would accompany us into Tibet in a month's time to start the expedition proper, as well as a couple of trekkers and family members of several of the climbers. I was surprised to see one of the guys had brought his eight-year-old step-daughter along, but she was bright as a button and turned out to be more adventurous at eight than I had been my entire life.

The aim of the pre-expedition trek was to take the group into high altitudes so that we'd begin the process of acclimatising to an environment that provides much less oxygen in the air than you find at sea level. The Annapurna Sanctuary trek takes you through some spectacularly beautiful mountainous country up to an altitude of just over 4000 metres (over 13,000 feet). We set off up the path, which started with a heart-pumping staircase, for our first night's destination. I had never worked so physically hard as I did on this trek. It was exhausting and my leg muscles did not stop hurting for the entire 11 days.

Our first night was spent in a luxury 'teahouse' in Dhampus. It even had baths with hot water in the rooms - this was a much higher standard than I'd anticipated and was so glad to sink into a hot tub after a very hard day's trekking. We all had dinner together that night and then it was time to send the first of many internet updates back to our webmaster in Australia. This was my job and I felt a little bummed out that everyone else just had to walk and then rest, while I had other work to do! But I knew that once we were on Everest they'd all be doing the hard yards.

In order to send my reports back to Australia, I needed to use one of our ruggedised laptops and the satellite phone. Well, who do think was in charge of this communications equipment? The angry major I told you about earlier. So, hesitatingly, I asked him if he could show me how to set it all up. He was happy to do so and, with military precision, set it all up for me and told me he was happy for me to set it up by myself from now on. Sheesh, I couldn't even remember how to turn the laptop on, let alone set up a sat phone! But I didn't want to tell him that, so I tried very hard to commit the procedure to memory.

I shouldn't have worried, as Carl set the whole lot up for me every night. Thank goodness! I was so buggered from walking eight hours each day that my brain was in shutdown mode by nighttime.

We continued our ascent into the sanctuary through some of the most jaw-dropping scenery anywhere on the planet. One night it even started to snow lightly on us just as we were coming into the chosen village for a night's rest. In the morning, everything looked like a picture straight out of a fairytale - a light dusting of snow had transformed the landscape. I was so happy. So glad I'd made the decision to come on the expedition. A once-in-a-lifetime-trip kind of happy.

We eventually made it up into the sanctuary proper. It's called the Annapurna Sanctuary, as it's a natural amphitheatre, surrounded by a circle of mountains, with just a narrow gully that permits trekkers and climbers to enter. I could not believe how beautiful the snow-filled bowl and sky-high mountains were. I suddenly appreciated why mountaineers climb dangerous mountains.

And we were soon to find out just how dangerous they can be. The family of three (the one with the eight year old girl) decided to head out of the sanctuary one day ahead of the rest of the party. They wanted to take it slow and make sure their daughter wasn't too tired by the faster 'downhill' trek. We all thought this was a good idea and bade our farewells as we headed off for the day and they packed up, making ready to leave. Carl and one of the other expeditioners decided not come further up into the sanctuary, but to stay at the teahouse and try to recharge the sat phone batteries.

The rest of us headed up the track to its finish to bask in the sun and enjoy a coke and a bowl of something hot at 4000 metres. It was like being at a chalet in the European alps, only better, as there were only about 50 people in the whole area that day. We had a magnificent day in the cool, crisp air, trudging through virgin snow and taking in our surrounds. All that joy evaporated immediately when we returned to the teahouse and heard there'd been an avalanche down the track.

Some of the group immediately began worrying about our companions, but I thought they were over-reacting, as the avalanche had occurred around midday and the threesome should have been well clear of the avalanche site, as they were leaving quite early that morning. To my horror, Carl advised that the family group had been delayed in their departure because their daughter's boots had frozen up overnight.

Our expedition leader despatched our head sherpa down the trail to see if he could find out anything. By this time it was getting dark. What seemed like an eternity later, he returned. Ashen-faced. He had Peter's pack. With a ripped shoulder strap. I could not bring myself to think the worst. I hoped that Peter had dumped his pack and run safely out of the path of the avalanche and that he, Michelle and KC had continued down the track. They would be safe and well, I convinced myself.

Our team sprang into action. We made plans and lists of equipment we'd need to take with us to search the debris at sun-up the next day. We worked quickly and calmly before hitting the sack for the night. I don't think any of us got much sleep. We headed off down the track at daybreak and before long happened across the most god-awful, huge avalanche detritus. I'd seen avalanches on TV - you know the kind that start off with a snowball and cascade into a slippage of an entire snowfield. I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. This was a different kind of avalanche - it was all ice, boulders and hard-packed snow. The locals on the scene believed it was the result of an ice-cliff (serac) falling away off the side of one of the 7000m mountains that lined the trail.

It would have hit them like a freight train. I felt sick to the stomach as I walked past the avalanche debris. I knew that if they had been in the path of it they were dead for sure. We still held out faint hope that they'd made it out the other side. Our fastest trekker rushed down the trail to the next village, and the next in search of anyone who might have sighted the family. He came back empty-handed.

The group split into two - most of the team stayed at the site and started to dig. I went down the track with our deputy expedition leader, another trekker who was in shock and unable to function mentally or physically, and with Carl, our comms guy. We had to get far enough down the track to plug our phone and laptop into mains power to report the incident back to our headquarters in Australia. I went into hyperdrive at this point, helping our 2IC to prepare a situation report and media talking points. It's all now a bit of a blur.

Many hours later the rescue team arrived, looking very glum and mostly unable to speak. They had found nothing except Peter's very distinctive camera. They had had to leave the site as the sun hit it, making it dangerously unstable. They were worried that if they continued to dig they'd risk their own lives. They performed a brief ceremony at the site of the avalanche, with the help of our Buddhist sherpas, before they said their goodbyes to our companions.

We were contacted by the Australian Ambassador to Nepal and advised that he would be arriving on location the next day. We had a very quiet, sombre night before we headed back to Pokhara and into a media frenzy.

Picasa works

I noticed that some of my blogging buddies use Picasa to load their photos onto Blogger. I thought I'd give it a whirl - the result is below!

At least there's now a way I can post photos. Hoorah!

Will post part two of the love story tomorrow. With photos :)

Test image

Here are the blocks I finished on the weekend. As you can see, the one on the bottom's lefthand side is a little wonky - I bet than can be 'fixed' by slightly stretching when I join that block to the sashing!

I'm pretty happy with how these turned out. All the colours are working really well together so far! 

Grrr to Blogger

Well this is now getting ridiculous! I still can't load any photos to my blog. I've finished my two blocks for tonight's class and they're looking really good. Not that you can see them. Grrr.

I hope they sort this problem out soon, or I may have to consider changing to another blog provider. Argh, just what I need!

Anyway, all is well here. Romily is a little trooper. Despite obvious discomfort with the descending teeth (some of which are agonisingly close to coming through), she is a happy little soul, bopping around the place and...pulling up on everything (from sitting!). She thinks she's very clever indeedy.

No one told me 10 month olds are so much fun! She 'sings' to me in the tuneless wail of a pre-toddler, she plays the blow nose game - I have somehow taught her to blow her nose on an exhale! She 'chats' non-stop and is as cute as pie.

Awwww!

New toothipeg

Bloody Blogger isn't playing fair at the moment - can't load any photos with my posts. Can empathise with Judy more now!

I've been busy this weekend, but have managed to cut and mark up all of my bits and pieces for the next two blocks for the sampler quilt I am doing as part of my beginner's patchwork course. My darling husband has taken Romily out for the afternoon, so, as soon as I post this, I'll get the machine out and stitch it all together. Of course I won't be able to post a photo (grrrr Blogger), but will as soon as I can.

I also wanted to report that Romily cut her third tooth the other day. She has at least four teeth coming through in the top gum. The first top tooth through is the right incisor (the one between where the front tooth and the canine will go). The front teeth and the left incisor are also showing white through the gum. They'll be through by Wednesday I reckon - hopefully sooner for the poor little mite. She had a terrible night's sleep last night. We ended up having her in bed with us from about 12.30am because she just kept crying out in her sleep. She had several feeds during the night, which were for comfort more than anything. I don't mind a bit. Her gum looks sooooo sore. Poor little bubby.

Well, better not procrastinate any longer! Must get this sewing done :)

(I will post part two of my love story as soon as the photo situation is rectified. It's no good without the pictures!)

Love in the mountains - part one

Brought to you by request, my little love story.

Reader warning: this is my version of a 2001 expedition to Mt Everest. It contains descrptions of several tragic events and photographs of several of our now-departed friends. This version is not a complete history of the expedition, nor is it intended to be. It is the story of a very old-fashioned courtship and a very modern romance. You have been warned!!

I first laid eyes on my future husband in very early 2001. It was a pleasant day in Australia's capital city of Canberra, where I had travelled to attend a pre-expedition meeting for Exercise Everest 2001. I was the newly appointed expedition public relations officer of the Army Alpine Association's second Mt Everest expedition. We had been called together to go through the details required to finalise planning.

I was a little nervous, as I had met only one of the other 20 expedition members before this meeting and I didn't really know what to expect from a bunch of hardened army mountaineers. Well, of course, my fears evaporated once I met my fellow expeditioners. They were a lovely group and very interested in me and what I'd bring to the expedition. They'd never had an army PR officer along on a trip before, but they'd all done their fair share of public relations, so were pleased I'd be there to do it all for them. It'd make life on the mountain a lot less stressful, knowing their promotional engagements would be managed by someone else – namely me.

Half way through the meeting, an angry looking man strode in, sat down, and, when it was his turn to speak, issued a series of statements that sounded more like orders than requests. There went the convivial nature of the meeting - this guy was serious! I soon worked out he was the major in charge of communications. He was so annoyed as no one had put in their orders for batteries. Big deal, I thought. How big a deal could that possibly be? Having given everyone an ultimatum (put in your orders by next week or else), he left as abruptly as he'd arrived. I planned to give him a wide berth on the expedition!!

Fast forward a couple of months and we all gathered at Sydney Airport. We had oodles of gear - hundreds of items that all had to be accounted for when we arrived into Kathmandu in Nepal, via Bangkok. On the plane I was warned about the mayhem that is Kathmandu international airport - everyone was prepared to sit on our luggage to prevent it being pilfered by the many crooks waiting at the other end to 'assist' us with our gear. I was ready to poke someone's eye out if necessary! Of course it wasn't as bad as I was led to expect and I actually thought our disembarkation and departure from the airport went quite smoothly...

-------

Stay tuned for part two (of three)!

(Updated 4 June: Grrrrr Blogger is still having problems loading photos.)

I'm an Aussie and I'm okay

Romily's second sandwich. A vegemite sandwich at that. She only choked once. That's pretty good going for her. She certainly is a fine exponent of that expresssion 'to bite off more than one can chew'! She'll learn one day to chew and to take small bites :)

(Note the cardigan - lovingly knitted for her only granddaughter by my clever mum!)

How very friendly

Talk about cutting it fine (to use a pun)! I finally found some time last night and today to work on my friendship stars for tonight's patchwork class. I am really happy with them! I did a practice set in calico at last week's class and they didn't work out very well.

However, I learnt a lot through that exercise, and got everything right this time around. The sparkly fabric works really well with the background fabric (in my humble opinion), which is a relief, as it's pretty busy fabric!! And it's not even my feature fabric :)

Thanks ladies for your kind words of encouragement to a complete newbie!

10 things I love about my Romy bear

I haven't written about Romily for a little while. She is just so gorgeous at nearly 10 months that I just have to share with you 10 things that make my heart go pitter pat.

1. When she says Mumumumum Mum Mum!
2. When she gives me those huge opened mouth sloppy baby kisses. I just love 'em.
3. The way she bop bop bops along on her bum. No crawling for this little go go go girl. Why be on your belly when you can reach everything you need and almost pull up onto your feet from sitting?
4. The peaceful expression on her little face when she's sound asleep.
5. The way she strokes my nipple mid-feed. (Okay so this is pretty funny. She is just fascinated by where the milk comes from LOL)
6. The way she 'sings' back to me when I hit a high note.
7. The way she sits under her highchair and wheels it back and forth, back and forth.
8. The way she bops up and down up and down when you hold her standing on your lap.
9. The way she smiles at me when I'm pulling silly faces.
10. The sound of her laughter when she is being tickled (she's not very ticklish so it's rare and all the more precious for it.)

I'm smitten and totally in love with my crazy little Romy bear. She has brought a lot of joy into our lives.

Slack poster

Wow I can't believe it's Saturday night already and I haven't posted since Wednesday. I have just been so busy. I haven't been able to get any cutting or sewing done, so it's tomorrow or bust. In the meantime, I thought I'd share with you my plan for the sampler quilt we're doing as part of my beginner's patchwork course. (Bear in mind this is just for the blocks - sashing and borders will be up for discussion later!)

Okay, okay, so I'm hardly what you'd call Maverick! But, it is my first one, it's for Romily, and I am using some pretty out there colour combinations in my fabrics, so I wanted to make sure it would all 'work' before I started cutting. So I made a key! Very anal retentive of me, but I enjoyed doing it and it gave me a greater appreciation for what I'm going to be doing to what fabric!

I possibly shouldn't show this, as you'll be able to compare the end product with this diagram. Oh well, it's a creative process, so it shouldn't turn out exactly like this!!

The courtyard is finished!!

Hooray! Our courtyard is finally finished. Just in time for winter, which starts next week :)

No seriously, it looks fantastic. I am so happy with it. It's come together beautifully. I have been planning and imagining the courtyard for three years now, so it's just so exciting to have it done. The boys did such a good job on it and took great care to ensure it was finished to a very high standard. And so it should be considering the cost. My goodness it's expensive to have landscaping done. But, we now have a garden room on the house and it will be lovely in summer and also on sunny winter days. Can't wait to get out there with a gin and tonic in hand.

Here are some before and after photos:

Bob's on top of the world

A big congratulations to Bob who this week made it to the top of Mt Everest! Bob was a member of our successful expedition to Everest in 2001. He didn't make it then (due to a combination of bad weather and bad health on the mountain), but he is a determined bugger and has now set foot on top of the world's largest mountain.

He has some frostbite to his toes, but it doesn't sound too serious. If you want to read about it, go here.

Well done Bob!

(and I haven't forgotten Laura's request to tell the story about how I met my darling husband on that expedition!)

Drum roll please

I did some cutting and sewing today and made my first blocks! Hoorah!

Well, I did a lot of cutting and sewing - on advice from our teacher, I decided to do the blocks in calico first, before cutting into my 'good' fabric. I am soooo glad I did. I am hopeless at measuring multiples. And as for the rotary cutter...hmmm...I definitely need more practice! So I cut my good fabric with scissors after marking it up with a mechanical pencil. Thank goodness I did, as I nearly cut sixteen squares instead of the four I needed. I go so confused trying to follow the pattern!

However, I hung in there and finally worked it all out. I also worked out that my Janome 1/4" foot is not actually 1/4". What the? It measured wider than 1/4". So I took Judy's suggestion and put tape on my machine - works much better and my blocks actually measure the size they're supposed to!

I played around with the fabric a bit before I committed to cutting. I ended up changing some of the feature fabric around to match the four-patch and nine-patch fabrics (ah, the jargon, I am sounding like a pro already!!). With a little help from DH. He has a very good eye for colour.

Here are a couple of photos of the blocks. I'm not very good at photographing them yet. Rest assured, they are pretty much square! They just don't look it in these photos. There is one wonky point, which I tried to fix, to no avail, but I'm not going to worry about it. Once the quilt top is finished you won't even be able to notice it (I hope!).

I am so pleased I finished my 'homework' in time for Tuesday night's class. Top of the class for me!

Good day sunshine

We are having some gorgeous mornings in Canberra. Mist in the valley, the sun a golden orb in the sky and the bluest of blues above the distant hills. It makes getting up at 6.30am almost worth it. Almost!

I am planning on doing a bit of practice cutting and piecing today on some calico to get me in the mood for cutting into my fabric for the sampler quilt. I'm a bit nervous about that, as I have been known to accidentally cut off the line. We are supposed to do a couple of four-patch blocks for next week's class. I'm going to be very careful, cross my fingers (metaphorically of course) and hope for the best :)

9-patch block

Woohoo. Machine piecing. Chain piecing. Woohoo.

Okay, so it's a lot faster!! And not a little scary. I am not very good at sewing slowly on my machine. Maybe it's not me - maybe my machine just likes going fast :)

As you can see from the photo - not too bad. One point is a little wonky, but our instructor said we can blame that on the cutter (her), as she couldn't guarantee our squares were perfectly square! I thought that was very generous of her. But seriously, it was a good lesson in how important it is to make sure your seams are lined up exactly when you're piecing and to ensure you stick to your 1/4" seam. Especially when you're planning to join your 9-patch block to another one! I don't think I'll go for a geometric quilt just yet!

Also last night we starting collecting fabrics for our quilts. I'm going for an oriental theme and picked some luscious fabrics. I got home last night and looked at them and realised I had too many patterns and not enough 'plains' for the contrast needed to make this quilt look good. So I headed back to the shop today and bought some more! The fabrics I picked last night are in the photo - the cream fabric is backing for some of the blocks, including the applique blocks. I like them, but it's going to be interesting to see how it turns out!! I'll post regular updates on how it's coming along. I hope that the top will be finished by the end of the course. I don't know how much time I'll have once I go back to work (oh my god that's coming up too quickly). Hopefully I'll be able to find a little bit of time for all the projects I have in mind...

In fact, my next project after I finish the sampler quilt for our couse is going to be Tonya's lettered quilt. I'm thinking of doing a quilt big enough to fit a single bed, for when Romily graduates to a 'big girl's bed' some time in the future (no doubt sooner than we think!).

To brighten up your day

Not feeling much like posting today. So here's a photo of one of the lillies on my kitchen counter to brighten up your day. My husband bought them for me for mother's day. They are a lovely lemon colour and just opening up. This is the first one to open fully.

Courting the idea of a yard

We have progress on our courtyard, albeit slow. The landscapers are here one day and not the next and I never know when they'll be back! Ah, but I'm not complaining, as a) they are doing a fantastic job and b) we were lucky to get anyone to do our courtyard, as there is a shortage of quality landscapers in Canberra and they have more work than they can poke a stick at, so to speak! Our courtyard is really starting to shape up and it's just lovely to have the water feature in and working. I can't wait for it to be finished, as we will be spending lots of time out there - even if it is cold! It will be wonderful in summer to be sure.

How's this for inspiration?

I bought another quilting magazine today (my mother's day treat - well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!), and in it is another stunning quilt by Canberra couple Beth & Trevor Reid. They were my original inspiration for wanting to quilt. You just cannot go past their amazing contemporary quilts if you want to see craft (or art, as I prefer) that says 'Australia'.

You can see some of Beth & Trevor's work here. I recommend you click on this link - they are just gorgeous. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any other online photos of their work. You'll just have to trust me when I say how amazing they are!

Happy Mothers' Day!

To all the mums out there a Happy Mothers' Day to each and every one of you. We're spending the day together after a cooked breakfast made by my darling husband. It's another beautiful day in Canberra and we'll head out for a mooch about later on. Romily's asleep in bed (snoring her way through a head cold) and life is good.

I hope you all are treated by your children today. Happy Mothers' Day!

Here's a photo of me with my little cherub.

Life does not get better than this...

Today was a perfect autumn's day in Canberra. At times like this I just love living here and never want to leave. We had a beautiful walk around the lake today in the sunshine, which made it feel warmer out than it actually was. Just a gorgeous, gorgeous day.

Little wriggler makes the news!

Thanks to Jan at Be*mused for the idea (after Loobylu)!

Can a voice glow?

My friend Steph is a singer. Well she's a whole lot of things, but one of them is a singer (she sings with the South Australian State Opera). I had never heard Steph sing (we used to work very closely and it just wasn't that kind of work where you could break out in song!). Steph is moving to Dubai soon, so she plucked up the courage to put on two concerts, called Another Sad Song. Unfortunately they were in Adelaide (half-way across the country) so I couldn't make it. However, she did have the first night recorded and has made the recording available via her blog.

I would highly recommend you download and listen to the two files. The music is a mix of 'big' numbers, jazzy songs, Jewish schtik and a bit of opera thrown in. I'm not an opera fan, but I got shivers down my spine when I listened. Steph has the most amazing voice - it just glows. So please listen to my incandescent friend.

You can find part one here. And part two here.

Patchwork practice

The first class of my beginner patchwork course was last night and it was definitely for beginners! The teacher, a former US citizen and now long-time resident of Australia, took things very slowly, which was good. But I just wanted to get to the stitching!

Eventually we did. Our first class focused on handstitching, so we pieced four patches together. I'm so glad we did, as Sue paid particular attention to how to stitch the 'points', which was something I was not clear on.

You can see from the photos that we didn't press the seams and I haven't bothered either! This was just a sample after all.

Next week is machine piecing - I think we are piecing nine patches to add to the level of difficulty! I found this week a doddle, so I hope I get a bit more out of next week's class.

I am sure I will - some of our teacher's quilts were on display and were just amazing!

Who you callin a dummy?

Sorry! For those of you in the US, in Australia we call a pacifier a dummy. Don't ask me why! Perhaps the name is derived from the fact that the babies often go 'dumb' when it's in :)

Not this bubba - she still manages to talk and squeal around it.

Here's a photo - she was around 3 months old here and was still being wrapped for sleep. Hmm, maybe I should try that now since she's entered a phase where she just won't go down to sleep without a real fight...

What's up doc?

Romily has had a dummy since she was three days old. This is despite me being brought up to believe that dummies weren't a good idea! However, we bought a dummy for Romily on the advice of one of the midwives at the hospital where Romily was born. Romy was having trouble working out how to 'attach' and, as a first-time mum, I had no idea how to help her! Anyway the midwife suggested a dummy, as the right shaped dummy (cherry pip) can help them work out where to put their tongue when trying to latch onto the boob.

It worked and it also worked a treat as a pacifier. She was and still is a very sucky baby. However, lately Romily has been turfing the dummy out of her cot and going off to sleep without it. She won't take one during the day anymore, but she is still having trouble getting off to sleep. So I decided that she might need something special to cuddle to help send her off to the land of nod.

You can buy snuglies, but they cost a lot and I thought it might be nice if I made one. I bought a pattern for a soft toy rabbit and with a few alterations (a really long overskirt), have hand-stitched a bunny snugly. I hope that we'll be able to introduce the bunny (as yet unnamed) soon and then get rid of the dummies. We are also hoping to get rid of the pillows we've had in her cot as bolsters - she went through a phase of continually rolling onto her tummy and then not being able to get back so the pillows were used to stop her from rolling. Of course now she can't seem to do without the pillows - she loves snuggling into them before she goes to sleep. I hope the bunny provides a similar snugly place for her and that we can take the pillows out of the cot too.

So I'm pleased - I have finished all of the sewing projects I had planned to do before starting my beginner's patchwork course on Tuesday night. I've ironed out all of my sewing bugs and am raring to go. I'll post regular updates on the sampler quilt I'll be making as the course progresses. I just can't wait!

In the meantime, check out Jan's March project all in pinks and reds. It's just beautiful and I love the way the blocks all work together. I hope I can make something like this too one day!

Happy 9 months to Romily

I know it's my computer-free day, but I couldn't let today pass without wishing my darling daughter happy nine months!

She's been out as long as she was 'in'. It's hard to believe that nearly a whole year has passed since she entered our lives. She's an angel (most of the time) and we are enjoying being her parents very much.

I love you Romily
xxxxxxxxxxx

Romily's room

A few other blogsters (Claire, Fiona) have been doing their babies' and kids' rooms. I thought I'd show you Romily's room. My husband and I painted it when I was five months pregnant, not knowing whether we were having a boy or a girl.

We went for a lemon tang, which turned out beautifully (after we toned down our original choice on the advice of my expert painter and decorator father!) and now provides a nice, bright sunny haven for Romily, even on those wintery days.

We chose a bear theme, which you can see in decals on the walls and it's also on the change mat on top of the chest of drawers, which cleverly doubles as a change table. Once we no longer need the change table, it's a simple matter of taking out the drawers, inverting the unit, and replacing the drawers - hey presto, a chest of drawers! No wonder it's called the Houdini!

I love Romily's room and it's hard to recall that it used to be our office!

Fogbound

Wow you know winter's coming when you wake up to this

And this

And it's cooooold today. Of course we have the landscapers here, so the front and back doors are wide open. Romy and I are rugged up but my hands are still freezing. Poor Romy when I change her nappy - my fingers against her very warm little body. Brrr!