quilting twin: January 2006
It's been a warm day here in tropical Queensland, but I stayed indoors in my air-conditioned sewing room for most of it. I was busy getting my fabric book up to date, so that whatever fabric I buy this year will go into my nice new book.


Mereth and I have kept fabric books for 6 years now. Every time we acquire fabric we cut off a small swatch and glue it into our books, along with details of the date and where it came from. I find I use mine constantly; to check what materials I have without pulling out every drawer in the sewing room, to see where I bought a particular fabric when I want more of it, to reminisce about the good times I had buying it all.

In 2002 I went to America to attend three major quilt shows. The highlight was going to Hancock's at Paducah, and filling up a trolley with cheap fabric. Well, two trolleys, because I went back for more.

Took some photos of DS and Squeak; she had a sophisticated name for all of two days when we got her. But everytime someone goes near her she squeaks, without fail, so she just became Squeak. She's a cat of pure instinct, the killer queen. In one afternoon she caught 7 lizards, took them into the kitchen and frightened the tail off them. I know, because I found the tails under the kitchen table, plus a few bodies. She can also swallow moths without chewing; amazing to watch.

This is Lily, a cat I bought as a kitten from a petshop, where she had been marked down to $2. With good reason. She is the witch queen, the most unreservedly bad-tempered cat we have ever owned. Even the vet is scared of her. She hates Squeak with a vengeance. She's 7 years old and not getting any nicer in her old age.

This is Bob when he arrived at our place, nearly starved to death. I can't believe how thin he was. In the 10 months since he has been here he has dedicated himself to eating. No-one can eat like Bob. There are four people in our household. Bob waylays each of us in turn, being miserably hungry. 'Good grief' we exclain, 'has nobody fed him today...!!!' So he gets quadruple rations. He is now on Chunky-Cat food, what all the big-boned cats are eating these days. He weighs 7 kilos, or 15 pounds. We love him to bits; never had a Manx cat before and he is just exceptional.
Bob is best mates with Squeak, and hates Lily beyond belief. Oh the fights they have!!
And finally Max; we adopted him when he was taken to the vet to be put down. His eyes are the same blue as the coffee cup, very intense. He has issues; we all have scars from him, but he is very affectionate. Right up to the moment he buries his teeth in whatever bit of us he can reach. We are working through it, he has hardly attacked anyone for months now.....
I'm off to watch more TV, and sew some more. It's a relaxing end to the day, and a nice way to feel that something has actually been achieved.