Hello! I hope you enjoyed your December and are ready to welcome a new month and a new year. The summer solstice has passed but I know the hottest months of our Australian summer are yet to come, though we have already had a couple of scorching days. My hydrangeas did not enjoy those days!
I’ve changed my newsletter to a new platform and given it a fresh look to welcome the new year. Nothing like a change! I’ll still be writing about the same subjects – gardening, reading, writing, quilt making and creativity – as well anything else that attracts my attention. You can subscribe in the box on this page if you would like future newsletters delivered to your inbox.
Gardens
As promised last month, I have written more about my epiphyllum plants. You can read my story here. My dahlias are starting to form flower buds and I am excited to watch them open. I divided and moved many of my tubers in December. This is later than I would like but I think their new locations will work better in my garden. It will be a tantalising mystery until they bloom because the writing on all the plant labels has worn off so I don’t know what’s what. I’ll do new labels once the flowers reveal themselves.
Reading and writing
We held the first session of our local writers’ group this month. I was anxious that no one would come but nine writers were at the session. It was a comfortable number because we could each share a little about ourselves before we started work on our individual projects. We decided to call ourselves the Writers’ Circle. I was pleased to write several hundred words at our first session.
I’ve been exploring some of the writing on Substack. Here are some I’m enjoying:
Rick Morton from Nervous Laughter. My fave of all. Australian journalist who writes serious investigative articles, interspersed with hilarious observations about his country life.
Meredith Jaffe from A Cuppa with Meredith. Australian author who writes about bookish things. Meredith also writes about new Australian authors and their books at New Voices Down Under.
Florence Knapp from Off Topic. Quilter, reader and writer. Quilters may know her as Flossie Teacakes.
Susan Wittig Albert from Thyme, Place & Story. Author of one of my favourite series of novels, the China Bayles series. She’s just written a post about China’s backstory which made me want to read the series from the beginning again.Jane Brocket from Yarnstorm. You never know what Jane will write about next. She’s a quilter, knitter, bookbinder, reader, and author of a number of books.
Quilts
I’ve been hand quilting this month. I’m so slow! I’m quilting a smallish piece for the wall above our couch and I discovered some old quilting thread in my collection. It’s a brand that’s no longer available and I was thrilled to come across it. I have two spools – one white and one cream.
They are the most beautiful glazed cotton quilting threads. They are smooth and do not tangle or shred – the perfect threads, really. I can’t find much information about them online, just that they were made by a company renowned for its silk threads. It’s always a thrill to find you already have exactly what you need, isn’t it?
Are you making progress with your unfinished quilt projects? Even a few stitches a day helps.
What are you enjoying? Are you making quilts, nurturing your garden or reading good stories? Let me know!
