My Available Spots
Nov. 20th, 2010 06:46 pmIt is a good year for nasturtiums. They are taking over the garden, all shades of orange. Also, there is a strawberry on my strawberry plant! I have protected the plant with a tulle curtain so the blackbird can't get it. This year, I will actually get to eat one. Fingers crossed.
In retirement, my mother has turned to a life of crime. Well... I am not sure if it is a crime or not. She has been to a quilting fair in Melbourne with her friends Jo and Sue, and I met them at the station this afternoon. Her friends' husbands and I had a short wait while they collected their cases from the luggage carriage, and an even longer wait while they found a quiet place in the platform behind a rubbish skip where they opened a case and brought out enormous packages of quilting supplies that they divided up between them. Why they couldn't do that on the three-hour trip home is anyone's guess.
It turns out the quilting fair they went to was for retailers and professional quilters only. They could only get in by showing an ABN (a registered business number) and business cards. Happily for them, Jo's husband is an architect, so he has an ABN and business cards with a suitably vague name ([Surname] Designs). So they gained entry to this fair under false pretences and bought in bulk at wholesale prices. 'Look at this!' said Sue, waving a large tube at me. 'A five-pack of Moda jelly rolls wholesales for ninety dollars! Buying one jelly roll in a shop costs sixty!' So now they have enough Moda fabrics to last them the rest of their lives.
They were also gratified to discover that there were plenty of free samples to be had too. My mother showed me her free embroidery pattern and free finger presser (I have no idea). 'I was so pleased with them,' she said sadly, 'until I met up with Sue and found she'd been to a booth that gave away a whole *bag* of free things.' My heart bleeds for her.
In retirement, my mother has turned to a life of crime. Well... I am not sure if it is a crime or not. She has been to a quilting fair in Melbourne with her friends Jo and Sue, and I met them at the station this afternoon. Her friends' husbands and I had a short wait while they collected their cases from the luggage carriage, and an even longer wait while they found a quiet place in the platform behind a rubbish skip where they opened a case and brought out enormous packages of quilting supplies that they divided up between them. Why they couldn't do that on the three-hour trip home is anyone's guess.
It turns out the quilting fair they went to was for retailers and professional quilters only. They could only get in by showing an ABN (a registered business number) and business cards. Happily for them, Jo's husband is an architect, so he has an ABN and business cards with a suitably vague name ([Surname] Designs). So they gained entry to this fair under false pretences and bought in bulk at wholesale prices. 'Look at this!' said Sue, waving a large tube at me. 'A five-pack of Moda jelly rolls wholesales for ninety dollars! Buying one jelly roll in a shop costs sixty!' So now they have enough Moda fabrics to last them the rest of their lives.
They were also gratified to discover that there were plenty of free samples to be had too. My mother showed me her free embroidery pattern and free finger presser (I have no idea). 'I was so pleased with them,' she said sadly, 'until I met up with Sue and found she'd been to a booth that gave away a whole *bag* of free things.' My heart bleeds for her.