June 5, 2011

Thinking straight at last!

I want to say a sincere thank you to all my lovely blog friends who contacted me after our campervan accident.  It was just so beautiful to see your love and concern.  I know you will understand that I wasn't able to reply personally this week, but be assured that I REALLY appreciated your comments.

I feel as if I am thinking straight at last!  We were walking around in a daze for a few days, especially during the four days it took for us to get ourselves and our goods home.  We are thankful for family members who did the thinking for us when we were incapable of it!

The week has been spent:
  • thinking things through.  We have come to the decision that our camping days are over.  We're not getting any younger and there are ways of fulfilling our passion for bushwalking and bird spotting without all that is involved in driving, maintaining, insuring and registering a motorhome. It looks as though the van will be written off, but in the unlikely event that it is repaired, we will sell it.


  • finding a place to put another houseful of gear (... well, a mini house).  I guess having two toasters in the cupboard will be useful when we have family with us at Christmas and two electric jugs will be good when we have lots of people for supper.  The crockery and cutlery have gone into the picnic port* and I'm very happy to throw out the old plastic gear that has been in there for years.
  • filling in forms (and all that is involved in gathering all the necessary information).
  • answering the phone.  You realise what wonderful friends you have in times like this.
  • sending this little project off to a magazine.
  • cleaning up the garden, revelling in being in short sleeves in the warm sun in the first week of winter.  It's exactly how I remembered it (and hoped it would still be) from 34 years ago when we last had a winter in Queensland.
By the end of the week, the house was clean and I even polished a lot of the furniture!  Accidents have a strange effect on people evidently!  I was almost ready to get the sewing machine out to work on a design that has all the embroidery done and now needs to be sewn together when one of the magazine editors contacted me asking for small projects with embroidery. Of course that is what I just love to do, so it was out with the pencil and paper and the last couple of nights have been spent happily using some gorgeous Cosmo variegated threads.


I also made time to get out some fabric for my next "Thread Saver" project. (See here for the original post).  I hope to cut out lots of squares and draw the diagonal lines so these are sitting on the machine ready to make more Half Square Triangles. This thread saving idea is becoming addictive and I'm so glad I'm actually planning projects to sew this way.


Now for a little bit of Oz education for you!

I thought you might be interested in my "Queenslandism".  We have always called suitcases "ports" in Queensland and it is interesting the reactions you get when you use that word in the other two States of Australia in which we have lived - usually a look of "whatever is she talking about?" and "ports are what large ships go to".  I haven't found anyone other than a Queenslander who calls them "ports".  It's not as silly as it sounds either, as it comes from the French word "portmanteau" and in typical Oz fashion, we abbreviate just about anything that has more than one syllable!  There are a number of instances when each Australian State has its own word for an item. You can tell where people come from when they start talking about the apparel you wear when you are swimming: it could be swimmers, bathers, cozzies, or togs, depending where you live! I'm very happy to be living back in Queensland where they can understand my lingo!!!!
 
Have a great week.
 
Blessings
Val
 
 

10 comments:

Allie said...

Not quite the way you had in mind to end your camping career, I'm sure - I'm just thankful you're both ok! You have wonderful friends and family to take care of you. Your projects look charming, Val, can't wait to see them in print! Too funny about the "port" - I immediately thought of a usb port for the computer!

Jess @ Scrappy n Happy said...

I am glad you're okay, I suppose there are lots of other types of accomodation for your trips now.
We always called our school bags ports, these days we just call them school bags. I think with technology making the world smaller we are losing our individuality.

Quiltin' Sandy said...

Hi Val, I am a bit behind with reading the blogs I follow, and I have just got such a shock to read about your accident! Yes, your Guardian Angels were with you for sure, it is so good to know you weren't injured. :)
Being a Queenslander ( we left when I was 10, but my relatives still live there), I still call a " port a port" lol, I also remember that the cocktail frankfurts here, were called cheerios, and devon had a different name - luncheon sausage, perhaps?
Your new designs look gorgeous as usual, I managed to get some Rue Saint Germain in a "twice the charm" pack on ebay. Musn't start the BOM until I finish handquilting my Xmas quilt- (handpieced about 4 years ago- naughty me) All good wishes to you and your DH. Hugs, Sandy.

Jeanette said...

Glad to see your blog post Val. I've been wondering how you both are. As to calling suitcases ports i'm a born & bred New South Welshperson & i always took a port to school & i still call them ports despite now living in Qld. Didn't know it was a Qld peculiararity

Quilt Kitty said...

No wonder it has taken awhile to feel back to normal Val. I'm so glad you & hubby were not physically hurt. I admit I am one of the people that has said to a Qlder "A what" when they mentioned a port. I was born in NZ & came here at 20 so had lots of Aussie & WA lingo to learn. Now I have been an Aussie longer than a Kiwi & I go back to NZ and can't understand half the conversation. It does make me laugh. I hope things continue to get sorted out quickly for you both. Tracee xx

Quilt Kitty said...

Forgot to tell you Val, spent a few hours today working on All My Lovely Sewing Things. Front done, ready to applique tonight. Lovely! xx

Melody said...

I've been thinking of you and wondering how you were so its good to hear all is well.

KaHolly said...

Glad you are 'back in the groove' after your harrowing experience.

StitchinByTheLake said...

Val I'm so sorry about the accident but glad you are okay and even looking on toward other/better things. I love the small project you showed with the scissors in it - beautiful roses. blessings, marlene

Kris Meares - Tag Along Teddies said...

Hey Val! I knew there was a good reason for me not being a camping gal! :0) Glad you're both OK. We lived in NSW for 7 years and they constantly poked fun at my "QLDerisms" ... like port, togs and ending senctences with "hey" ... though that may be a north QLD thing I got from my Grandma! :0) I've always gone with your explanation of port and reckon we're more upper-crust than those 'suitcase' people! Tee! Hee! Hee! Happy stitching! Bear Hugs! KRIS (who is shivering in a Toowoomba winter!!!)