oh well you just have to have the lot.............I finished the binding while in town and had to stay in for a meeting so it was getting late when I headed home.........remembering I had to take photos for the SAL girls  (AND the sun is disappearing) I was keeping an eye out for a fence without barb wire or a nice log not in burrs to take some photos............

without the commitment I made to the SAL girls and having the Stitch-a-long blog this quilt would not have happened..........

they have been a great support............some times questioning my progress too (which I needed)

I didn't think this quilt would happen in August...........

We started the SAL and all was good and then life went in a wrong direction and it took til September and Janice coming to visit to get back into it.......I had started but not progressed far.......I knew I had been pushing Janice along and I had planned to work on the SAL while she was here.......then i got right into it......addicted..........lol......so most of my quilt was done in 1 month................

a huge thanks to Betty my quilt fairy for fitting the quilt in such a short space of time..........

...I just love what she has done............

ta da

ThAnKyOu SaL gIrLs

close up in sections.........

my layout got changed a bit........

the 4th and 5th rows are swapped as I had a problem with the fabric i used in the chook shed block and I was running out of time to unpick so moved the rows around...........perfect fix..........

the colours in a couple of photos are a little off.......was getting too dark............

a wheat paddock in the distance nearly ready for harvest............

and just one more photo just because I liked it.............

If you have followed the SAL blog you will have seen some of these blocks...............

My favourite places.....

where I have been - Western Samoa, GDITC (Girls Day in the Country)

where I would like to go - Canada, NZ New Zealand, Norway

The chocolate block got adapted for flowers as I had changed that one..........

I love quilty magazines................

I love to give and receive presents.............

Never wear heals so couldn't use that................but i do love my boots............my Blundstone work boots and Baxter dress boots........

I did want a big blue dress but I had too much blue in the quilt so needed a change............

oh the sewing block............I was stressing about the tiny log cabin blocks so decided to make 2 at once..........but they both turned out fine so instead of making the other blocks I used both of them........fiddly but fun to make............

And my favourite place to hang out.................the Chook Shed of course............

anyone want to come sew with me???

the last of the chick hatchings for now............a few weeks ago we had a few try to hatch but they died..........Saturday late Fairy Girl found 2 chicks in the nests..........she got a chick and Mr Chooky got the hen (much to his disgust - he HATES touching chooks) and they put them into a cage.......

they were missing the second one but then it fell out from the hens feathers.............I checked out the 2 chickens yesterday afternoon........very cute.......went to feed them today and thought I saw three............no I am just nuts and it is the bars on the cage confusing me...........cause I could then only see 2 when I looked again...........then Fairy Girl came over and she said OMG there are three chickens.......we checked together and yes definitely three..............oh thank goodness I am not seeing things after all.............

it must have been tucked up in mother hens feathers to.........they all look the same.............who knows what they will grow up to look like as the hens have kept changing which nest they were sitting on..............

it's pretty hard to get photos in this cage as the bars are close and get in the way............here is one of the chicks poking up in mum's wing below...........

there won't be any more for now as I threw all the remaining eggs out...........some are laying fresh eggs in the nests and the hens keep moving around so now all the eggs are gone...........most left were rotten anyway................

one of the nest stank but we realised why I just thought it was broken eggs smelling but there was also a dead chicken there too...........yuck............so now any clucky chooks will be put in a cage to make them unclucky.........

these are about 5 weeks old...........all growing fast.........you can see the first post here..........

and see the green guy in the middle.......

.......it's a Mallee Ringneck............

I love being able to catch photos of the different birds in my yard........

I have some Willy Wagtail ones to share too..........

Finally after 5 years it is done.............you can read about the start here where I stuffed up the initial plan while drinking coffee with my neighbour and cutting fabric......not recommended!!!

............and then I re-found it and put the borders on...........

I got it quilted by Vicki and back into the box it went and sat for quite awhile.............it never really had an owner but now it does..........it's like a big single.......quite long..........I had it out and threw it on Bookworm and he thought it would be good so then I found the binding and got it on..........so now it belongs to be boy......he is pretty excited and loves it..........

he was snuggling under it last night.............

I put a peep into the border too.............the fabrics are Bound to the Prairie II

I just love the quilting pattern.............

not the best pic but you get the idea of the quilting - it reminds me of an old style comforter............

I have had some white plumed honeyeaters in the garden.............they are fairly common but I haven't really noticed them like I have this spring.............so while they may have visited before I think they have only moved in more this spring..................anyway I had kept seeing them in my bougainvillea ......a thicker bushy climber......but it is where I walk several times a day every day..........I kept looking to see if I could find a nest as I had a nest of willy wagtails near by............could never find anything.........the weekend before last Fairy Girl and I were out there doing things..........we both looked and looked.........Fairy Girl was cleaning out some stuff nearby and she was sure like me there must be a nest..........finally Fairy Girl spotted it..........we were looking in too far...........this little nest was hanging out on the edge of the climber under a few leaves...........anyway these are the pics we took that day........3 little babies in the nest............

when I took this one they thought I was Mum coming back with food..........

look how the nest is bound to the branches..........

These are some of the treasures I found while at the museum.............
this was all hand made and I am sorry but I don't remember anything else about it but it was stunning..........

Imagine doing all your house work in this dress..............
it is gorgeous...........

This collection was a ladies trousseau..............the work is gorgeous...........lots of crochet which looks like was done in a cotton but not 100% sure..........

just beautiful...............this is the machine she used..............
very sadly her fiancée died at war and she never married so this collection was never used..........
She worked with her brother for the rest of her life and remained single until she died............

At Cockington Green they had a shop with minatures for sale and display
This was my favourite room in the dolls house...........the sewing machine is about 5cm /2inchs high
I was thinking of Val at Ausrose as she makes miniatures.............

What a great week.............an excellent chance for some of our parents to attend a school excursion with the kids (and help supervise) to our national capital Canberra. 

I fondly remember my school excursion to Canberra so was very excited to go again.............

the last time I was in Canberra was about 20 years ago going thru to the snow...........

Canberra is so un "city" like...............it is spread out..........lots of big lawns and  open space..............suburbs spaced out............great road network from what I saw............this is what happens when a city is planned..............don't get me wrong there are high buildings...........it is beautiful.......the cooler climate helps too with the trees...............

Cockington Green a display of miniature buildings - either English or a famous building from another country.............it's been going for 33 years............this is a replica to scale of the main building.............

the gardens were at their peak....
the weather was perfect............
.....it was wonderful to see tulips as it is to warm where I live to grow them............

Black Mountain Tower.................gorgeous views of Canberra from here................

Sculptures somewhere in Canberra................

and everywhere in this park it looks like snow see all the white fluffy stuff............it was coming off some trees and it was horrible..............floaty and wafting around................up your nose and in your mouth if you weren't careful............

New Parliment House............opened in 1988............

Australian War Memorial...........up in the arch windows down both sides are walls with all the soldiers names who have died fighting in wars/conflicts for Australia..............I found my great great uncles name and placed a poppy in the wall.............

Looking from the front of the War memorial back over lake Burley Griffin (narrow light strip) then Old Parliament House (white building) up to New Parliament House (see flag just at the top of the hill)................this is a very impressive view from both New Parliament House and the War Memorial...............well planned............

We stayed for the closing ceremony..........the lone piper played and then turned and walked as he played into the tomb of the unknown soldier and then the gates on the tomb closed............