Yes, we have no pyjamas

We've all been tempted but who has dared cross that line and wear pyjamas in public? Some might stray towards staying in our p.j.s all day when we're working at home, or are a little under the weather, but, according to an article I read in Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald it seems that others just can't resist the impulse to stay nice and cosy in their jim-jams even when leaving the privacy of the loungeroom.


Mothers of children at a school in Dublin have received a letter from the headmaster requesting they cease and desist in this matter and stop sending their kids to class in their jammies. Wearing pyjamas in public is considered an indicator of prosperity in China, where the authorities signalled a "no pyjamas in public" policy prior to the Beijing Olympics.


A very chic friend of mine confided that when she was recovering from glandular fever a few years back, she was so exhausted that she wore her pyjamas to the supermarket. Nevertheless I don't think the world is ready for me to venture out in my daggy tracky dacks and stretched tee-shirt as I pick up the fruit and vege.

Memories of Chicken Scratch

I see that the last post I wrote here before my break, was a reminiscence piece, stimulated by Sharonb's TIF challenge. Well, here I go again. Sharonb's 2009 challenge, Stitch Explorer, began with Chicken Scratch. That made me smile and brought back memories of Mum and my aunties decorating gingham aprons with this stitch back in the 50s. I loved the optical illusions this simple stitch created as it combined with the gingham. The next time I saw this stitch was many years later in 2007, in the arts and crafts section at Windsor agricultural show.

Anyway to get back to the point, this got me thinking about aprons and the central role they used to play in our lives. Mums, grandmas, kids, we all wore them. And we had aprons for all sorts of occassions: utilitarian every day aprons for cooking and housework, glamourous cocktail aprons for entertaining, and for the men--barbecue aprons! On tele recently we've seen some examples of aprons on Mad Men [a must see if you love retro fashion--if not the lifestyle--go here for a look].

When I was growing up, at some schools girls wore pinnies as part of their school uniforms.
One of the first things we made in sewing classes, when we were about 8 years old, after the pinwheel, needlecase and cotton bag, was an embroidered apron. I made one for my stepdaughter when she was that age in the 70s out of red gingham with little lazy daisy stitches sitting in the checks!

Some people love them so much they dedicate blogs to them. Checkout this site for some fabulous embroidered vintage, or antique aprons.

I'm back again

After a longtime away from posting here while I spent some time trying to sort out how to live with CFS, I'm back. The first change I made in my life was to return to university and so I am now studying in a masters program--online. So that's a lot of fun, AND work, but mainly fun. During the rush of work last semester I vowed that I'd get back to tapping away on the keyboard and resurrect Cymbellene's Fancywork. And my stitching which hasn't been touched for quite a while.


As you may be aware this blog is named after my Mum so it was most poignant that today as I begin posting here again, I read that Sharonb from Pin Tangle has lost her mother. My heartfelt condolences go out to her at this sad time.

I remember when...........Take it Further Challenge February

I remember getting a new hat every year to wear to Sunday School with my gloves. These gloves were always pretty and white, sometimes a bit lacey, sometimes slightly sheer, othertimes plainer.

I remember trying to decide whether to get normal lace up shoes, or gilly ties for school.

I remember the liberation of being allowed to wear our sports uniform and sandshoes (trainers)to school for sport on Fridays.

I remember Mum going down to the bush near where we lived in suburban Sydney and coming back with a dead branch from a gum (eucalypt) tree which she would paint and decorate for our Christmas tree. And I remember how beautiful it looked.

I remember the beautiful and extensive wardrobe of clothes Mum made for my favourite doll.

I remember sputnik and the icecream/iceblock with the same name that was launched to commemorate the occasion.

I remember the man with the horse and cart who delivered our bread and left it in a tin on the post at the end of our drive. I also remember that it was my brother John's job to put the tin on the post on his way to school. His mind was always somewhere else, which meant that sometimes the bread tin would get taken to school, unless Mum checked and ran after him to retrieve it.

I remember that we weren't allowed to get our little fingers into the nice soft fresh bread and pull out the centre.

I remember going shopping for sewing patterns and fabric, Mum getting "the machine" out and making me lots of new clothes for our annual holiday to Currumbin in Queensland.

I remember the Sanctuary at Currumbin when it was a little old house where an old man fed rainbow lorrikeets.

I remember spending hours lying on my back in the garden watching the clouds.

I remember one summer holidays, the boy next door and I having a competition to see who could eat the most apples in a day.

I remember being allowed to stay out playing on the street til dark.

I remember being 10 years old and listening to my leather covered transistor radio in my bedroom one Saturday morning. Then having to tell my parents that John Kennedy had been killed.

These are some memories from my childhood up until the age of ten. It seems that Mum, sewing, creativity and domestic life feature heavily..... and simple childhood pleasures.

As you can see my "I remember when" thoughts go back to my personal experiences as a young girl growing up in 50s and 60s Australia, albeit with an increasing awareness of events in the wider world.

Waning Energy

Alas, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), which I've had for a number of years has struck, and my body is telling me to take a break. So, unfortunately I won't be able to finish the January TIF Challenge. I will be back for the TIF Challenge February.

Leaves

Someone very kindly collected these leaves from Australian native plants for me this morning. They are mainly eucalypts but there is also a piece of banksia. The banksia is at the top left of the "landscape" photo below.

These form the basis of my contribution to this months TIF. I chose them because of the mauve hue they give off when viewed en masse from a distance. The mauve factor is absent close up. Pity.

I did a whip around the blogs of others in the Challenge this morning and people have been working very hard on this task. The results are fascinating and inspiring. I say they are fascinating because of the diversity of responses people have had to the Challenge and inspiring because....well, you know why they are inspiring....

And everyone is much further advanced than I am.

So that must mean that it's time for me to get back to work.

Better Late than Never....Take It Further Challenge For January: Step One

Gee, did I get a surprise (shock?) when I read Sharon's post for our first TIF Challenge. I was expecting something quite different. Where were the shapes? No shapes to deal with, instead she gave us a concept to work with: someone we admire. I could think of everybody and nobody....Panic struck... What am I doing? I'm out of my depth....won't be able to keep up.....

A few days later I was sitting by Narrabeen Lake, a beautiful summer's afternoon, a gentle seabreeze....the sound of seagulls and children's laughter.....Yes, it does sound like a relaxation tape doesn't it. Well, I think that setting had the same effect on me as a relaxation tape. It seemed to free my mind and open up my thinking. My thoughts returned to the Challenge. I started thinking about the alternative that Sharon had set: the colour challenge. Those colours triggered thoughts of the natural environment. My first response evoked memories of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, carpeted with the grey green of eucalypts and which from a distance give off a mauve-ish hue.

I began to sketch.
The mauve then set off thoughts of wisteria. I sketched some more.
These are my first offerings.