A great day in Canberra

I can't wait to show you my photos from my trip to Canberra so you are getting an extra post this week.  The purpose of my trip was to take the Soldier On Quilt to Canberra and hand it over.  I made quick detour on my way down to stop in on Lynn so that she could see the finished quilt.    Lynn has made over 200 quilt tops for Aussie Heroes and rarely, if ever, gets to see more than a photo of the finished product.  

In spite of the engine warning light coming on on the way down I made it to Canberra safe and sound.  Warning light was checked out and seems to be a fairly useless indication of fairly minor issues believe it or not!  Thursday night was spent writing the blog post for Friday and also a very special one for Monday night - make sure you don't miss that one!  No hints but it is another story that I have had to wait a long time to tell.

Friday morning started early and briskly with ice on the car window.  Those plastic hotel room keys come in handy, and after living in Connecticut for three years with the snow, Canberra's ice was nothing!   LOL On to my first appointment.  

I had intended to be early but I forgot that every good servicemen is taught that being on time somewhere means being there 15 minutes early so I was beaten to the venue which was just as well as he was able to help me find the place by phone! LOL

I can't tell you who this handsome gent is but he is not a recipient........ yet.  He was deployed with a small group of Aussies in an area where Aussie Heroes relies very heavily on information being passed from one rotation to the next. He did not hear about Aussie Heroes until he arrived in Dubai on his way home and that is when he made contact. He will be receiving a quilt in good time, but as he knows that we are madly stitching to look after those who are currently overseas, he is in no hurry. Aside from that, he is a big supporter of Aussie Heroes and has kept in touch with me since finding out about us. You could not hope to meet a lovelier gentleman and I look forward to catching up with him next time I am in town.

While he was waiting for me to find a parking spot he bumped into a colleague he had worked with in the past and lo and behold, a recipient.  Lucky for me.  Some of you will remember working on the Engineer Jokes Quilt.  This was one where I had to get my husband to find me some one liners and then he had to make sure they were funny because I didn't understand most of them!  LOL Engineers!  They are a special breed!  I can say that, I married one!  Michele then embroidered the jokes on to calico squares for us and they were sent all over the countryside, turned into these fabulous blocks, which in turn were put together into this awesome quilt.

Don't we just love to see the face behind the requests.  It is not always possible but we love it when it happens.  

No photos from my next appointment - because I forgot.  Doh!  A quick catch up over a coffee (well hot chocolate for me) with Katrina and I handed over the Soldier On Quilt, complete with laundering instructions, a packet of Colour Catchers (all that red in the quilt can be deadly) and a rod to hang it with.  

I was lucky enough to have a little spare time so what is a girl to do but fill in the time at the shops, and thankfully I know Canberra well enough to have a couple of favourite places!  :-D  They did not disappoint me!     

On to lunch with the ladies.  I had expected to see two ladies, Carol, in the green on the left and Steph, in the purple on the right.  I met Steph first.  She had had to prevail upon her husband to drive her as she had hurt her hand the night before so that is John sitting next to her.    Another surprise was the ever cheeky and sneaky Rita, aka Granny Apples or Granny Smith. 

Rita and her equally devious husband Bob, shown in this photo had told me that they could not make it to Canberra,  though they had badly wanted to come and be there for their grandson's 21 st which would have also made it possible for them to catch up with me as well.  I last saw Rita and Bob in Adelaide earlier this year and was so floored when she attempted to sneak up on me that I didn't recognise her.  Obviously the two of them thought they were so clever for catching me off guard.  Bob had surprised Rita by suggesting the trip at very short notice THE DAY BEFORE so Rita found herself in a the car for a long trip and no quilts to bind! LOL  She will have to catch up on her sewing next week!

Big thanks to Carol who gave me a Cole Myer Voucher to spend on goodies to go in all the boxes that I send off.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that! Thanks Carol.

Casandra is another Canberra quilter and quite new to AHQ and she was also able to drop in unexpectedly which was also a lovely surprise.  We did take a group shot with all of us in it but the pic was atrocious so I have cropped it.  

Of course, we had to support local business and spent a little time (and a bit more than a little $$$$) in the quilt shop next to the cafe! 

Bonus find for the trip was 1kg packets of Minutes for $10 at a petrol station along the way.  Wish I could get these nearer to home.  There were also 1kg packs of Fantails but I decided my will power was only that strong and thought the Fantails would melt while sitting in the car.

It was beautiful weather for the drive down and back, but I was very glad that my husband flew in from Melbourne on Friday morning for a meeting and a lunch and then was able to join me for the drive (he drove YAY) home last night.  

It is lovely to get out of the city for a while!

Make sure you check out our blog post on Monday night and read about one of the fellows who unwittingly inspired me to start Aussie Heroes.  

Till next time...................keep spreading the word and happy stitching!  JMxx