May days

May is a misty, smoky, melancholy month. I love these mild days on the edge of the wintry cold.

This is good sewing weather. I am ready to start quilting the new quilt. 

It's good walking weather too. I'm walking down to Main Road tomorrow to have a second look at Maria Cook's excellent quilts.

Heritage weekend

The steam trains were back at Ballarat station for two days.

You could hear the whistles all through the city.

Careful

Last Saturday and Sunday the city held its Heritage Weekend. I was particularly touched by the young people I saw in the New Ballarat Cemetery (1860s new cemetery). 

They have undertaken to maintain the inscriptions on the oldest Chinese graves, the the graves of people with no families here to look after them.

Samhain offering

For Ceres and Proserpina, for Demeter and Persephone.

Yes, I am mixing my seasons and myths, but  the year is turning to winter, here in the south of the world, and violets are flowering - my mother's favourite flowers.

A sewing seizure

I was sorting out some material on Wednesday evening.  Then I began to play, cutting bits up and stitching other bits together.

It all began to work well .

 More selecting.

 Some rejections.

A lot more stitching. I've been sewing away for two days now.

  Paddy lurks under the table, popping out now and again to see if I am ready to go for a walk.

The elusive saffron milkcap

Off to Creswick, an old forestry town with lots of pine trees, hoping for saffron milkcaps at 7 am this morning.

Lots of lovely poisonous funghi. These usually grow alongside the delicious saffron milkcaps, but not this year.

Of course, just because people can't eat these it doesn't mean they don't provide food for other creatures.

We did find ONE saffron milkcap, and it was being eaten as we watched.

Next week, after the rain that's being forecast, we shall go west of Ballarat, to less peopled parts, and search for our favourite mushie again.

Autumn geometry

(Click on these - they look best big)

Angles and planes

  Curves