My how the weather has changed! - blogtober

The coldest day ever!

You know I'm struggling for blog fodder when I start talking about the weather, right? Well, I have done some sewing today, but there are no photos! So perhaps I am struggling for images. Today was warm. My Davis weather station told me it got to 30 degrees celcius in my backyard today. Our first really warm day for the season here in Melbourne. The photo above was taken in August when our grandson came to visit us for a little holiday. It was soooo cold that day at the playground that immediately after this photo was taken he agreed to put a jumper on! (Something that has only happened a couple of times this year.) Well, two months later and he is visiting again and it is hot! He has had to eat several ice blocks today to keep cool. In fact, we all have!

I managed to sew a little of a dress for granddaughter two today. This morning we had a friend come by to learn to sew. She is determined to sew clothes for her daughter. She started by learning to thread the machine and do a little sewing. Then she traced a pattern and cut it out. I think if she enjoys the sewing she will actually do it because she is very determined. Next week she will come back to learn how to put the shorts together. I have decided to sew one day a week and invite others to come sew with me. I so miss my sewing groups that I sewed with last year that I decided I should make my own happen. I'll let you know if anyone turns up next week!

Warm day here

It feels now like maybe summer is on it's way. It was hot today and our air conditioning got a good workout. At the end of the working day we sat around outside under our pergola and talked about the possibilty of going to the beach. It's just a five minute drive away, but somehow that just seemed too much like hard work tonight. Lazy summer days are here!

I went to Hettie's Patch this morning and bought some cotton batting for that darn table runner. It is now together and I have started the quilting. I think I will finish it tomorrow. I have also been thinking a bit more about my handmade Christmas. I won't be pedantic about the whole handmade thing, but will try to incorporate handmade items as much as possible. I am watching Kirstie Allsopp's "Handmade Home" on Foxtel at the moment. I really enjoyed the first series and this second series is as good as the first. Whatever you think of Ms Allsopp or her show it is sometimes quite unbelievable to me that society in general now "thinks" about doing things the handmade way. It's kind of nice! So for me it will be a "handmade Christmas"ish!

Building this week

I have been sewing this week, but don't really have anything to show for it. I am sewing a formal dress for a friend and have spent most of the week making alterations to the pattern and getting the pattern right. I think I'm almost there with the dress now and have just cut out the dress. These photos show some of the building my boys have done this week. Mr 15 is the creator of the duplo guy above.

The wooden train tracks are Mr 9's creation. For some reason blogger thinks the photo should be this way (sideways), but it makes the face hard to see.

Tonight Mr 15 built his very own dog. It was just so cute. Grandson was visiting today (to escape the hot weather we are having and having and having) and he loved the dog so much that he destroyed it! (I think that was Mr 15's plan once it had been photographed)

Hopefully I will be back soon with photos of my completed sewing. Lots of it. And hopefully the temperature will go down here too. (Really sick of the continual 39 degree C days the weather bureau keep predicting. C'mon guys, you're getting predictable and boring!)

Still Hot!

My Bradley sells weather stations, so we have one set up at our house. Today when I walked past the inside display I noticed something I have never noticed before. In the space where it says, "raining cats and dogs" when it rains hard it said, "high heat index advisory". Now, you can tell I don't sell them, I'm really not sure what that means. I think though if you read the temperature as being 43, you would know that it's hot. We did the whole sit around and appreciate your air conditioner thing today. (Marvellous how a little blackout can make you appreciate your cooling systems!) We also did the swim in the pool thing. I think I'm getting used to it. Never say never!

Still Hot!

Just heard the 7 day forecast. About 40 degrees for the next 7 days. Okay. I'm done. When does winter start? Oh! And to make it worse we had no electricity from 12 noon till 9pm today. I don't like blackouts on a 44 degree day! (Picky, aren't I?)

It's HHHHOTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it's hot. We had the hottest day for 70 years today. Yesterday was 43 degrees. Tomorrow is forecast for 42, Friday 41, Saturday 40 and Sunday 40. It was still 45 degrees at 6pm. In fact, at 9pm it was 38 degrees! We went for a swim at 9pm, which was lovely. On days like today I am so grateful that we have a swimming pool! Last night's minimum was 30 degrees. Bring on winter! We're kind of over summer. The whole of the southeast of Australia is suffering from this heatwave, so it's hot in lots of places. Hope you can keep cool if it's hot for you. And if it's cold where you are - I'm sooooooooooo jealous!!!

More Tops!

I did it! This afternoon I started unpicking the mistakes of yesterday and finished the tops. Today was 41 degrees, but there is meant to be a change tomorrow. Can't wait. Miss 11 is very happy with her tops and is now wanting new shorts! I was hoping to be sewing winter clothes at this stage of the year, but it's still hot! Tomorrow I cut out shorts!

One of those Days...

I have a basket of goodies which I am working my way through. Here it is on Saturday. I really dislike cutting out clothing, which is kind of sad when you consider how much I like to sew it! My loved ones quite often take pity on me and help me out by cutting out for me. (I have taught most of the kids and the husband to "cut out".) In the basket I had the shirt that Mrs 23 cut out, pajamas that my Mum had cut out, skirts that Misses 15 and 17 cut out together, Nighties I cut out (yeah, wonders will never cease), and tops that Mrs 23 cut out. The basket is part of my new getting organised strategy, sometimes I "misplace" things that have been cut out, but no more!

Today I finished a pair of pajamas for Mr 7. They are a second pair of zebra summer pajamas that I started, but didn't finish at the beginning of summer. I think I had mentally given up on them because it's no longer summer. Of course our 200 days over 35 changed my mind! (Okay, maybe it's not 200, but I am so over this heatwave it certainly feels like 2oo!) Today was another 40 degree day. (104 F) Back to the sewing! After the pajamas I started on another top for Miss 11. I made one last week, but today I just couldn't get it right! After unpicking for the fifth time I gave up. I think I'm tired. I guess I will sew another day!

Playdough

We are a much older household than we used to be. I miss little kid things. Sometimes we have an "athon" of little kidsness. You know, a duploathon, a legoathon, a playdoughathon. Everyone gets involved and plays together. Mr 19 had a yearning for playdough so he made some and played with it. As part of the playdoughathon Miss 11 and Mr 7 became playdough bakers. They made pasties, sausage rolls and pies and photographed them! It was a very quiet day today. It was 39 degrees and I think we are all really sick of the heat. We seem to be getting slower and slower. Today, rather than sew, I spent time cleaning and sorting my sewing space. Mrs 23 came over and cut out a pinafore for her and two tops for Miss 11, so I have things to sew for this week. Tomorrow we are supposed to get a cool change but the forecast maximum is anything but cool. I think we have a slow week coming up!

Inspiration Board

This is the sample board at my friend's house. I find it very inspirational! These are some of the things they have been trying. I love all the texture! I fixed the unfitting nightie today, but instead of taking a photo of it I put it on. Today was 41 degrees and I didn't do much beyond trying to keep cool.

30 Days of the Everyday : No. 2

I've been looking at fans a lot lately. Yesterday was 43 degrees celcius at my house. Too hot. I went in the pool twice in an effort to keep cool. Our pool was 34 degrees at 9:30pm last night. The whole family went in which thrilled my younger kids. They declared it was a "family activity" (meaning you have to participate) and we should do it every night. Some of us didn't get out until after 11pm.

It's a new day & a new year!

Last night as Bradley and I floated around in the pool somewhere around midnight, I began pondering the interest we humans have for the "New Year". Is it just another excuse for a party, or do we all really like the idea of ruling off one year and beginning another fresh? Exit 2007, enter 2008 with a whole new set of plans and little remembrance of past mistakes.

All the symbolism that the New Year has attatched to it is interesting too. Lots of new beginnings. New life. Diving right in. OK. Enough of the philosophical stuff. I think I only brought it up to distract you from the cold hard fact that I didn't really do any sewing yesterday (but that was last year, this year will be different!).

Okay, let's dive right in! Mr 7 had a tummy bug yesterday. He was most miserable. I don't think he remembers ever having one before. He asked me if I had ever had a tummy bug. I assured him that I had. In fact everyone has at some time. Then he said, "Then you know how much I hurt!". (He is male, afterall.) I spent the day ministering to his needs.

Mostly that meant sitting with him, looking at him. That was the only thing that made him feel better. I did manage to dip in the pool a couple of times because there were lots of other people here to "look" at him. The best at "looking" (apart from me, of course) is Mrs 23. She is such a good woman, she sat with this vomiting child for me even though she felt like vomiting herself! In the end it became too much for her, but I had managed to cool off a little in the pool. Yesterday was very hot. It was 42 degrees again. Apparently overnight we have had a weak change and the B.O.M. is only expecting a top of 38 degrees today. I'm not sure that they've got it right because it is already 38 degrees here! Anyway, enough of this. Back to the sewing!

It's HOT!!! (listen to me whinge)

At the moment this is my favourite photo. It's the slushie/icee stand at our local 24 hour servo. (What's with all this 24 hour stuff? Now Maccas is open 24/7 too! Go to bed people! No wonder we're all so tired.)

I love the whole "chill" concept. We are still having temperatures over 30 degrees celcius (36 today) and I'm done. It's not even summer yet! Talk about global warming! My teenagers were busily engaged in a conversation today discussing the natural consequences of hot weather and how it forces you to slow down. Slow down? I've come to a stop. Hopefully I will make something tomorrow!