Axe Murderers

Edna The Axe Murderer was an American quilter who found me last year on Facebook, when she and her DH were living in Germany.
She is now a member of QDU and Scquilters and settling in well with the Canberra Quilters, etc.

Her DH is with the American Embassy and was transferred to Canberra in June. And this was their furtherest trip from their new home (450 miles according to their GPS machinery)! Smellie 3 stayed with them for a few days when he was in Germany earlier in the year and they treated him to every tourist trek they could and looked after him so well.

They drove for 11 hours on Friday (the 13th) stopping at every quilt shop, and a few wineries (Brown Bros tho missed June Brown by a few minutes but got to see her quilts in the winery) and craft shops along the journey. It has been appallingly hot weather, was 40* again on Saturday when we took them to a barbeque and Naming Ceremony for my friend's little boy Oliver who was born 13 weeks prem in Aug last year. This is when he should have been one year old!
A lovely party at the Dad's parents place here in Newstead apart from the appalling heat. Oliver's Mummy had very cleverly thought of buying a GREAT many cheap water pistols from the $2 shop and handed them out to all the kids (even the old kids!). Fabulous idea in that heat.
A lovely meaningful ceremony with Gifts of laughter, music, light, faith, friendship, family bestowed upon the dear little man.

I made one of those desserts with 2 packets each of chocolate ripple and ginger snap biscuits (cookies) dipped in coffee and then sandwiched together with 1.2L of whipped cream, then smothered in more cream, sprinkled with cocoa, grated chocolate and peppermint choc bar crumbled. All served on a great oval silver tray. It vanished in one minute.
The other desert I made was 1 litre of pomegranate juice and cranberry juiced with some rose water set with gelatine and then cut into cubes, and served on bought meringue cases filled with more whipped cream and served with lots of sliced mixed berries and strawberries. (We had more last night but with added icecream mushed in too,. Perfect!!!!!)

Yesterday we went to Bendigo to the Swap Meet which was rather disappointing as most of the stands were already packing up at noon. However - not too many of the 25,000 visitors who usually turn up! I bought the Axe Murderer a very old Grimm Fairy Tales book (her surname is Grimm), and a little old Corgi Matchbox metal Porsche for The Sweetheart as it is our anniversary today. I also tried on a diamond ring and walked over to the next stand to show The Sweetheart - it was worth (the stall holder said...) $26,000. It was pretty garish actually...

We went to the quilt shop in Maldon where Edna scared her plastic a fair bit. They all got to talk to the alpacas and emu at our neighbours; and pat the Clydesdales around the corner who are on R&R from Ballarat's Sovereign Hill (historic village) - their 14 yo boy hadn't ever touched a horse before!

Lots of 'chantelle' this morning (show and tell), and in between we had a lovely lovely visit with her, her DH, and their boy. They set off at 11 this morning to head back via Threadbear quilt shop in Castlemaine...

I am just putting this up quickly before I fall sidewys in to bed - check back tomorrow for the photos and the links!