The Legend of Hobo

This is Hobo, my Dad's childhood dog, we grew up hearing stories about Hobo, he became this sort of mythical super hero-dog to me. My Dad would tell tales of him hiding behind walls waiting for the biggest meanest cats in the neighbourhood, then leaping out and scaring them, or of Hobo running off down the road with the butchers sausages in his mouth, Hobo was a free wheelin' kind of dog, with a penchant for finding trouble and making friends!

You can kind of see the cheekyness that he had in this photo, I would have liked him I'm sure.

Flashback Friday - The Family Pet

This photo was taken in around 1971, and although you can barley see her, we are walking with our much loved German Shepard, Rinny. The bush looks so arid and inhospitable, and no one is looking at the camera, but I love this photo. (I'm in the navy blue dress, holding my Mum's hand).

Rockin

Thanks to the lovely Ingrid from lottielulu for nominating me as a Rockin Girl Blogger - I'm chuffed! The exciting part is nominating 5 other rockin girls, and they are (in no particular order) EVERYONE on my side bar, and these amazingly crafty women:

VicotriaE from Dear Meagan I can't tell you how beautiful Victoria's art work is, you'll have to have a look yourself. This girl has heart and sole and a way of using very few words to hit the nail on the head, her writing is often prose-like, just beautiful and thought provoking to read, I always leave her blog with something to ponder. I love her appreciation of old textiles and the fun art she makes with her 5 (yes 5) kids! Her trips to the Oppy always have me green with envy!

Linda from Pottering My blogland doppleganger I think - we share so many likes (loves!) West German pottery being one them. Linda has an amazing vintage eye and a way of putting things together with all the flair of a stylist, but without the pretension's. I love reading Linda's blog and pouring over her photos of her many collections, new finds and the adorable stuff she makes. She takes a great photo - more envy here from me!

Emma from Lovely Button Sweet and inspiring quilts (thanks Emma for getting me started on Parker's quilt!) Always a joy to pop over to this blog and see what Emma has been making, buying, doing. I love Emma's flashback Friday posts, the pics are always amazing - anyone who loves puffs as much as Emma is OK by me!

Angela from Three Buttons The Flashback Friday Ringleader!! I love Angela's blog - so full of fun and good humour! Have a look at her little shop (Sew Your Own) I've just bought a doll pattern to make - so simple and cute. I always leave this blog with a head FULL of ideas, a really inspirational Craft Blog.

Cosy from Comfy & Cosy Another textile/vintage lover! Cosy has a great eye for quality and it shows, gorgeous fabrics are always a regular theme on her blog - pure eye candy for the rest of us. I fell in love with a little needle holder that Cosy made by hand, no machine - a lovely piece of craftwomanship. Always a good recipe here BTW!

I agree with Ingrid, blog-land is a really kind and generous place, I love reading Craft blogs, and had no idea that starting one would generate any interest at all, I'm so pleased that I have at least one reader, and love to read the comments I get, not that I'm looking for any kind of approval, I just love the communication that comes with sharing your emotions!

Flashback Friday - Bad Hair

So... as the theme is 'bad hair' I thought I would out the bad hairdresser herself, as proof that not only did she attack our hair, but her own as well. Thanks Mum - love ya!

Coincidence Story

I'm inspired by lovely button to share a coincidence story, I'll try and keep it short. 1985: When I first came to Sydney I lived in a little worker's cottage in Redfern with my dear friend Brad. We had some friends living in a large share house in Surry Hills, Brad befriended a girl who had just moved in, and we both got to know her, I'll call her D for the purpose of this story. D came with a harrowing story, she had fled a house in Blank St Chippendale that she was sharing with a girlfriend, they had been badly bashed and raped by a group of rampaging men, the men had terrorised the whole st, starting at one end and just working their way down, they cut all the power and phone lines. Some people kind of doubted the severity of the story, but I knew she had been deeply traumatised, I just couldn't imagine the terror. We lost touch after a couple of years, her story had a profound effect on me and I never forgot it. 2000: I was working for a CIO of a large IT Dept in a big organisation, a bossy little man with a passion for property developing. One day we were driving out to Parramatta to over see things out there, I was staring out the window, wondering what to have for lunch, when he said "Did I ever tell you about my first investment property Claire" "I don't think you have" I said "it was in 1985, in Blank St Chippendale, and I rented it out at first unrenovated, one day I got a call from the Real Estate Agent to go down and meet the tenants as they wanted to end the lease. When I got there, the place had been ransacked, a total mess, no power, even the light globes were smashed, the 2 girls who had leased it were there, and they were all bruised up - awful, turns out the night before a gang of islanders had rampaged down the street, unbelievably they managed to ransack the place and cause so much havoc before the police had a chance to stop them". He had just told me D's story, and she was his tenant. I stared out he window, and thought, how bizarre to hear the story from the victim 15 years earlier, and to be hearing again from a Landlord's perspective, it gave me chills.

Did I Mention I Quite like Yellow?

Oh, and green, I like green! A couple of summer skirts for My Little P. I've been trying to work out the underskirt/band thing shown here in the green, and after unpicking a Pumpkin Patch Skirt that was bought for Miss P, I finally cracked it!

A bit of a breakthrough today regarding sewing, it's raining here in Sydney today, and I usually only sew when P is asleep, it's been a nightmare telling her not to touch, blah blah, today though she understood that I had work to be done, and she watched a DVD. There was still some noisy shout-outs of "Muuuuuuuu-uuuum" but on the whole it wasn't that horrendous. Um, she still won't let me sing though, I get cries of "Stop singing Mum- I don't like it", I'll have to work on this, cause I reckon I sound pretty good, I think it's more the song choice though, perhaps I should switch from P J Harvey to Justine Clarke!

ebay fabric

I'm stalking the postman at the moment, I've bought this fabric on ebay, it's 3 meters, which goes a long way in this house, making kiddies clothes is great in that respect! I'm always anxious with ebay till I actually get the fabric - I bought a pink print once that turned out to be fluro!

WAIT, is that a scooter I hear?

One good reason not to buy Wiggles band aids

Tools, I Need Tools!

From hotch-potch applique to hotch-potch quilting! I can see now why quilters have so many tools of the trade, things that I look at and think - yuech, maths, that's no fun! Armed with one of Little P's Richard Scarry books (template), and a pair of sharp scissors, I set myself the task of making a summer quilt for P's bed.

Here it is so far, in all it's unfinished glory. It's quite big, as I want it to go over her pillow, or not, depending on the day (I'm very fickle - so I need options). Made with oblongs of left over fabric sewn into strips, and as I suspected I've gone wonky in parts, but I quite like the over all look. I just have to put wadding in and back it now - still tossing up what to do as far as binding? It's a bit big, so I guess I'll just sew it straight onto the backing. It's been fun, and I'll be doing this again, but maybe with a few more tools and allot more patience!

Linen finds

Objects of desire (ie. 60's tat!) at the oppy have been a bit thin on the ground these past few weeks, I'm happy with my little linen haul today though - love the orange seersucker table cloth, and the tea towels are Irish Linen and have never been used, we shall rectify that!

Flashback - Dad in his Sunday Best

I love this photo of my Dad and his cousin Lynn, taken in Whitby, in North Yorkshire, on what appears to be a really windy day. Taken around 1949.

It's appropriate that I post this photo, as my Dad has just spent a week in Sydney, after travelling out here from Holland where he lives now. He is in a wheelchair these days and has had major heart surgery, this hasn't curbed his drinking or smoking habits, nor his belligerent attitude! The day after he got off the plane he was taken to RPA Hospital, where he spent the next 3 days. Dad is now up in Nam-bore with my brother, who is threatening not to let him drink or smoke, it's bloody hard telling a dying man 'no' I've got to say, and I let him do whatever he likes, cause he really doesn't have long to go, and there's no telling him! Live and let live I say. I can't say that we have or ever had a close relationship, but you know he's my Dad, and he's lived his life according to his own set of rules - for better or worse.

Flashback Friday - Sunday Best

This photo of my big Sis and I taken around 1979 over at Our Gran's House. Not long after this photo was taken my Mum divorced my Dad and brought the 3 of us out to Australia, that all happened in 1980. I'm not making any excuses for the clothes, I can however blame my Mum for the hair cut - it is shocking - and to this day I look awful with a fringe, I gave up flirting with them years ago, but I always wanted that jagged 'Sydney Theatre Company Fringe'.