Wild weather

The winds have built up to gusts of over 100 kilo metres per hours and everywhere people are battening down the hatches. That is everyone except the wind surfers and those mad board surfers down the coast.

It really looks like great fun. They beat their way out against the wind and then scream on in. Lining their boards up with the breakwater and then swinging away at the last moment to turn around and do it all again.

I have been working on the layout for a new quilt and designing some embroideries for my friend Di Mill. Di is a freelance textile rep and one of her accounts is Clover who have a new embroidery thread called 'leto'. It is 100% polyester yet feels like a soft cotton. I shall post some of the designs as I get them finished.

For my buddy in my patchwork group we had to make an apron as our Xmas present. I adapted a design I had seen in a museum. It was a mass produced design that was on offer through a woman's magazine in the 1920's. You see those blue birds on all kinds of textile pieces and as my grandmother had a tray cloth with them on they held a special appeal for me. I hope June likes the apron.

The day after Xmas

My husband and I headed to Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, about a one and a half hour drive north of Brisbane, to stay with friends for a Xmas recovery session. This time of year is normally hot and everyone heads for the beach. Families fill the camping areas. Most of the camp sites are passed down through families. They are prime real estate, right on the edge of the beach and run, in many cases by the local councils.

This year the families have all come but the weather is very dirty. There is a cyclone forming up north making the surf dangerous, so everyone is in the mall for the post Xmas sales and to catch a movie. You can't move in there.

Still there are some formalities that have to be upheld. Like the game of beach cricket. I'm sure this is more
entertaining than the test against India. The Australian team need to be beaten to liven up the game.

And then there is flying that kite that Santa gave you in a 25 knot breeze.

And hoping that it doesn't end up in the trees like that one over there.

Still the pelicans have seen it all before.

And the seagulls just stand around.

The call has gone out for all the campers on the beach at Fraser Island to leave or move inland as weather becomes more violent. Next will be the closing of the beaches. Still I don't suppose that will stop those mad surfers at Snapper Rocks

The end of the year

I have been home for just over a month now and it its time to prepare for a new year's resolution. But what is it to be? Will it be a list of things or only one? Decisions, decisions.

What have I been doing over the last month?

Well you may ask. At first I was getting over a dose of viral pneumonia, that I thought was just an allergy. Helping my friend Di Mill with her trade open day. And the big one, deciding to return to work. I have been off work for a year with post traumatic stress brought on after being attacked by an intruder in my workplace. There have been many times this past year when I thought that I would never be able to go back into a school again but I love teaching. I have put in 20 years, during which time I have had taught the most wonderful young people. Teaching is my passion.

I worked three day weeks for the last three weeks of term. The first week I was euphoric, I did it and didn't fall to pieces! The next two weeks there were some cracks appearing. I still do not like to be in a crowd and almost panic when I think that I might have to move into a managerial role again. Still I know what makes me feel uncomfortable and I can be prepared.

After the end of term it was time to prepare for the Xmas Eve Dinner Party. Last year my daughter took on this task as I just wasn't up to it. This year I took it over again. We started with 30 guests but ended up with 25. A four course meal, of which the desserts were prepared by Karl, my daughters partner and the other three courses by myself. The theme this year was white and glass and my children, headed by my daughter Laura did the set up and service.

The weather was not as hot as usual and this made the evening very pleasant. Good food and wonderful company made this a great Xmas. These parties started about 20 years ago and Xmas wouldn't be the same without them. (Chopper ran himself ragged.)