Today was a typical wet winter day, and we decided a trip out in the country would be the ideal way to pass the time. We packed a thermos of coffee and some dark chocolate for a picnic, and set off eastwards over the hills. The sky was full of racing clouds, with the wind pushing them along. I adore the clouds here, they are like another world. I seldom see clouds like this in Queensland.


We were headed to a neighbouring town where there is a secondhand bookstore. We spent a while in there, combing through the stacks of books. I was particularly taken with the magazine series, in 75 parts, called SuperWife. It showed The Little Woman how to do everything, from finding a surveyor to wiring her own electrical equipment. Install a Stove? No worries. Wallpaper the guestroom? Here's how. Change the oil in the car? Simple!

What intrigued me was, where is SuperWife's husband while she is doing all this? If she is capable of these amazing feats, what is left for FeebleHusband to do? Why should she even need him? Is there a similar series showing him how to change a nappy and colour co-ordinate his socks and hanky? I think not.


From there we bumped down a dirt track in the country to a huddle of sheds, housing a huge collection of antiques and pure junk, all jumbled together and draped in cobwebs. It's not a place for the faint of heart, those afraid of dirt or anyone with white clothing. It's a place to ferret for treasure and worry about scrubbing your hands later. I personally liked this cupboard that Mereth is standing in front of, but it would need a special room, one with 16' ceilings for a start. What a great quilt cupboard!

Where to start?

I took a lot of photos of the decoration on iron fireplaces, bits of wrought iron lace, carved furniture, book covers, picture frames, anything that caught my eye. Often times I just held the camera up to the gloom and took the picture. There was always something interesting in shot.


The rusted machine is a press used to make corrugated iron for roofing and fences; it was a massive lump of metal. Even supposing I had several hundred dollars to buy it, how on earth could it be moved?


It was so cold I ended up dancing around on the spot trying to keep some feeling in my feet. It was bliss to get in the car and go off to have our picnic in a nice spot by the road. Coffee Good!

Seeing we were only 35k away from a patchwork shop we detoured for a visit, and a few pieces had to come home with me. We drove through a tremendous rainstorm, with practically zero visibility. It was all very exciting.

I have begun to make quilt blocks like the quilt that was on my bed at Kaye's. They are so much fun to piece, and don't take very long. I am thinking of making an applique block for the centre, and maybe some applique on the border. I will decide as I go along.

I didn't really buy much.......