Friday 29 April 2022

Weekly Wonders at the Wooden House

The Eastern Phoebes are nest building on the back of the house. I'd cleared out last years nests and two pairs are using the exact spots again. Location, location, location, I guess. LOL

It was Anzac Day, April 25, recently. Newfoundlanders were the only North Americans to fight along side the Australian and New Zealand forces at Gallipoli in World War I. This event is marked by the Royal Newfoundland Regiment each year. In 2021, the bands of both forces, while continents apart, linked up to make this video.  The piece is called Invercargill, named after a city in New Zealand. How important these connections are!  Now more than any time in my life maybe.
I cooked a roast pork dinner for us and have leftovers today.  The sides were cheesy cauliflower, peas and carrots. The pork was cooked in the slow cooker and turned out very tender. It made a great gravy too. I must remember this when our heat ramps up and I get reluctant to turn on the oven. 

Speaking of heat...don't have much yet. Still have freezing overnight temperatures and high winds too which is not usual but becoming more common here it seems. My morning walk is a chilly one.  As always I find the cold invigorating so I'm not complaining. 

One of Daughter's cakes to us recently was this Maple Pecan Carrot Cake with buttercream  frosting. Delicious as always. Hubby is so spoiled with these wonderful desserts. Maple Pecan Carrot Cake recipe at Rock Recipes.

I got my Elm Street Quilts OMG for April partially finished.
 I did work out a little motif for that missing spot on the Angie's Pots piece above.
Thank you all for the great suggestions and the idea of a small vase with small flower made sense so I went with that. I think it fits in well. There was a surprising amount of decision making for such a tiny thing.
I chose a neutral colour for the vase and picked up on the blue of the water pitcher for the petals. The black with red center is like the flowers beside it and the green; oh my, I had the hardest time choosing the green. It is a difficult colour with the brown greens, blue greens, bright greens, yellow greens, etc. In the end I picked what looked like it matched the other stems. 

Now my OMG for May will be to add some embroidery and get this one quilted and finished completely. 

I also finished this little piece for a mug rug. I had the idea of joining the fun at The Joyful Quilter's Table Scrap Challenge. These tiny 4 pink and blue square blocks were orphans from the Kathleen Tracy SAL I took part in several years ago. This link will take you to her site and the free pattern for the foundation pieced tree pattern I am using for that project. Thank you Kathleen!

From my scrap bags, I picked out spring like florals and colours for the backing. 
And enjoyed embroidering a very tiny Spring '22 on it too. 
I hope your week has been great and your weekend even better!









30 comments :

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I wasn't aware the our Newfoundlanders fought alongside the Aussies and NZers so I learned something just now.
Still cool here too. We went for a short walk alongside the river yesterday and it was quite nippy in the wind.
And....I think your added vase is perfect for that design. Well done!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I love carrot cake but do not make many sweets now days as hubby has a weight problem. I always wonder why all of Canada didn't fight alongside Australia and New Zealand at Gallipoli in WWI and must admit I do not know near about WWI as I do of WWII. I know I have seen several movies about it though but it has been awhile.

Nancy J said...

From you to me, the Anzac celebration like no other, and what a wonderful performance from the bands.I watched some of the scenes from Gallipoli, on Instagram, and our TV, with our foreign correspondent Daniel Faitaua documenting the event. here, there were the usual morning fly overs, and dawn services . I wonder if there were any of your or our relatives who would have met on those distant shores all those years ago?

Nancy said...

Nice choice to fill in the empty spot on your flowers piece. It looks great! I looked for the pattern at the link you shared but couldn't find it. Perhaps she discontinued it, or maybe my eyes aren't working well! Haha.

piecefulwendy said...

Phoebes have such a unique song, and I'm sure they are delighted you have their home all clean and ready for a new nest! Oh my, that cake looks delicious! That little spring block is sure a happy one!

Jenny said...

I'm a Kiwi, as you know, but had no idea about the Newfoundland Anzac connection.
And talking about Newfoundland we have been watching "Griff's Canadian Adventure" with Griff Rhys Jones. The first episode was set in Newfoundland and he attended a Kitchen Party, seems they are a big deal over there, taking food and being able to sing a song or perform in some way! Looked like a lot of fun.

Rosemary Dickinson said...

Your daughter's cake looks delicious! I love your festive Spring mug rug. Your applique is beautiful. I love the vase you designed. It fits perfectly!

Brian's Home Blog said...

Your art is very pretty and that carrot cake looks so yummy!

PaintedThread said...

How are you not round with all those delicious looking cakes your daughter makes?!?! The phoebes are so pretty sounding but such messy nest-makers. I like all your quilted flowers.

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

I have seen several posts recently regarding Anzac Day. The phoebes are so cute. I had a little bird which had a red head. It wasn't a red poll, I kept looking and it appears to be just a common house house Finch. You have so many awesome projects going. I saw a recipe recently for a sheet pan dinner using a cut up pork roast, cauliflower and broccoli. I love my slow cooker, and my insta pot they help keep the heat down in the kitchen during hot days, if they ever show up.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Excellent use of some orphan bits, Jocelyn! Smart way to add you word, too. Thanks for joining the April 2022 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge!!

Lin said...

What a beautiful little bird. Not one we have here. Lovely row of flowers and vases and cute little mug rug. xx

Marly said...

Your little vase is the perfect filler for the space you described last week. Well done! Enjoy the embroidery and quilting to finish the runner.
I never realised that Newfoundlanders fought at Gallipoli. Thank you for that historical note.

Michele McLaughlin said...

Love your Phoebe bird photo! We don't have them here. Thank you for sharing the video, so timely and important. Great idea to put the little vase on your piece! Wishing you a safe and happy day!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

So wonderful to find the birds nesting, even when it's still cold and windy! I enjoyed your video - what a great way to commemorate Anzac Day. Your daughter's cake sounds yummy, as does your pork roast dinner. I still use the slow cooker a lot, too. Love your flower pot applique, too, Jocelyn! The little pot you added in to the extra space you had is perfect!

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Nice that all remember Anzac. The added flower fills in the table runner quite nicely. I see where Canada still has cold fronts coming down, but will not make it here. There were tornados in Kansas last night. It will be a volatile Spring. We have had so many days of high winds and of course we have had little rain. The other day we did get 1.5" and that always helps. Now it is just hot and humid - UGH! Hugs and save me a piece of that cake and other great cakes your daughter makes. LOL

Linda said...

I wish I could take history and geography classes grade, because now I would love to actually listen to my teachers. I'm always interested to learn something about Newfoundland. Delicious looking cake! I recently made a carrot cake and loved it, but I always like to try a different recipe for it - the maple addition sounds wonderful. Love your mug rug with the wonderful hand stitching.

grammajudyb said...

A wonderful birdwatcher you are. I like seeing all your photos and learning which birds are which. I'm not very good at bird identification. The cake looks yummy. What a good daughter! I like your solution to the flower dilema. Happy 1st Day of May!

Karrin Hurd said...

Great projects, love your bird pictures. I can't get that close, but of course I am using my phone for pictures. That cake looks delicious! Hope you have a great week!

Melisa- pinkernpunkinquilting said...

Such a yummy looking cake that your daughter made. Your applique project is looking fabulous and such a sweet mug rug. Have a very lovely day and happy quilting.

The Cozy Quilter said...

The little vase with the blue flower is perfect for that empty spot in your row of posies! Cute mug rug too. The cake looks good. Thanks for the history lesson!

CathieJ said...

What a pretty bird. Carrot cake is a favorite of mine, but I rarely make it any more. My son had it for one of the layers of his wedding cake last weekend. I like the little vase you added.

Robin said...

I enjoyed watching and listening to the video. There's nothing like military music to make your heart beat proudly. The addition of the little blue flower is "just right". Nice work.

Angie said...

Jocelyn - we have been in the UK for a large chunk of April, but my dear neighbor tells me it was the coldest April on record in this part of Montana. That explains why my garden had not changed much when I returned! Come on summer!

Radka said...

I am loving your applique! What a wonderful carrot cake, looks delicious .

Home Sewn By Us said...

Jocelyn - I hope all is well with you two. Happy Mother's Day. Enjoy the weekend. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

Angie said...

Jocelyn - you are so lucky to have the phoebes nesting with you again. And that cake looks delicious!

Yvonne said...

That carrot cake looks delicious, together with a cup of coffee or tea on one of those cute mug rugs sounds perfect to me. Happy Mother's Day!

LA Paylor said...

oh my you have so many comments and readers! I like your stitching but most of all your good heart.

Jackie said...

While I knew some of our forces fought beside the Aussies, I did not realize it was only the regiment from Newfoundland. Thank you so much for that piece of information.

Love the tiny vase, it fits in perfectly.

God bless.