Back Over The Hill

Yup. I've been out walking again. A storm is predicted overnight (thats not good news if you want to go cherry picking - which is what I was hoping to do tomorrow -not going to happen) Anyway the change in weather is beginning to show in the evening sky tonight although it remains very mild in temperature. I started my walk at 8.15pm this evening. Still enough light to take a few photos and the light is interesting as it throws a glow over the hill face.

Now I apologise for the number of sky shots tonight but every time I turned a corner the light had changed with the landscape.

A warm glow throwing orange light onto drying seed heads

A succession of shots and drawing in focus

And back to visit the thistles. Dont they look different in the softened lights of the evening sky, a little more orange with the purple. Already the heads have changed

This one is a favourite.. I love the veil of browny pink of the grasses and the iridescent purple in this light

fuzzy seed heads

All of that in half an hour

Still time to join in the GIVEAWAY closes 10th December comment  HERE

Wildflowers

I was reminded recently whilst driving to get my car repaired that the thistles were in bloom soon  . I could see them on the distant hillside as I drove past and I was determined this year not to miss their flowering. Normally by the time I get round to walking around to see them the have metamorphosed from vibrant purple to a dried but still beautiful dried golden flower head.

So this morning I trotted off over the hill to see what i could see.

There have been some pretty decent rains lately so the hillside (or at least one side of it) was in full bloom with weedy growth. I say one side of the hill because there must have been some recent burnoffs to rid the hill face of feral fennel bushes which are taking over the landscape from the natural scrub. One side black and tarry, the other teaming with weedy floral beauty.

Happily I traipsed along picking  flower heads to make a wild bouquet 

Over this hill is where the thistles normally grow. i was suitably disappointed when confronted with yet another brown landscape, this time the area where the expressway had been developed and half the hillside used as a dumping ground. This area (commendably) has been cleaned up but in the process they have bulldozed all the thistle plants that were to be my photographic opportunity. Disappointment to miss yet another display of beauty. A little further along the path I found one hidden beauty, just for me and you, a little show of glory to take your breath away.

My favourite

And the bunch of flowers I picked I ended up giving to mum when I went and had a cup of coffee with her, directly after the walk.

A little light on the subject

 Daylight hours and better light! But the wind is blowing and it is making it impossible to capture a shot without the quilt top blowing upwards when on the clothes line or is partially in shadow when hung on the pergola.

But you do see how much brighter the blue fabric is in the light! Far more appealing and not so dull looking.

Last night shot looks grey compared to the one taken this morning.

Baby Blues Quilt

 Yet another colleague and friend has fallen to the lifetime commitment of parenthood and is preparing to give birth any day now to a baby boy. This lovely lady is a joy to work with and so I said I would to love to make her baby a quilt. I had already made up a quilt top of crosses (look here) for her upon hearing of her pregnancy but later found out that she was having a boy, so I deemed it not suitable.

 Her theme to be for the baby room is Jungle and I had thought of doing a quilt with animals in bright primaries (which is probably what I should have done). But not having made a start on the quilt other than drawing the design (mainly due to illness and work) I have opted to utilise what I have.

Hand printed fabric ..hand carved lino print monkey

I've dragged out my hand printed fabrics with the view to utilising grey and blue colour scheme and the monkey print. I had thought of making chevrons in grey and blue interspersed with a monkey print here and there but gave up on that idea fairly quickly - another day when I have more time.
So a simple square framed by a border is an easy and quicker quilt to make.

The thistle print actually looks really effective cut up  in the quilt

Some left over lotus flower print

A naturally dyed square of grey material from eucalyptus leaves and iron

 Lotus flower print

So it is a little darker than I would have envisioned for a baby but I think  it would be utilised more of a lap quilt.

It certainly is unique and a one of a kind quilt.
I will grab a better photo  tomorrow in the daylight hours, once again doing my photography at night!