[Tamara]

May I ask you where you are uploading to so I can see your beautiful creations? I miss seeing them Sarvi!

[Sarvi]

Very kind of you! It turns out that a funny thing happened — I joined two other sites, iPernity and 500px. But since I didn’t have any friends there and the privacy controls didn’t work the way I wanted, I stopped uploading there, too. And once I stopped seeing other people’s sewing and sharing my own, and since my kid is about to start wearing a school uniform (that I have to buy) I almost totally stopped sewing. I am hoping that some Christmas sewing will get me back in gear, because I have way too big a fabric stash to quit now!

[Tamara]

Oh no! Don’t stop at all! I am looking forward to seeing your sewing again so do keep us posted as to the platform you decide on for uploading.

I have been waiting for parcels and am about to send a “not happy” letter to Australia Post! Crazy how just because we live in whoop whoop the mail has to be slower than riding a bike in peak hour traffic. We did however gain the test results of fleece samples we sent away. Our little pet lamb Missy has been poorly and quite lame and we can’t bare to give up on her (because she is just too lovely to lose). So the diagnosis is that she has lupus! So both Murray and I have been busy googling ovine lupus and hitting dead ends. He who has been born and raised on a farm and surrounded by sheep all his life has never heard of lupus in sheep!

We are giving the recommended treatment a go and THEN we will call for back up if the treatment doesn’t show some improvement. We have come to the conclusion that it could be due to heavy chemical usage on the place which confirms our conviction on the need to improve our methods drastically.

Murray has just given her a magnesium tablet (to reduce the swelling in her joints) and she spat it out! Like a child! Funny! But there is a solution to that dilemma, I will hide it and she won’t know a thing.

Tamara

[lattemama]

Have to admit I just spent 15 minutes at work (sssh) watching President Obama land in Sweden. It’s funny to watch the press being all in a frenzy over his visit. I haven’t seen this type of mad coverage since the Royal Wedding in 2010.

Pair this with the announcement that Princess Madeleine is expecting a baby and our press is going nuts. (She married a New Yorker in June this year.)

But seeing AirForce One on the tarmac at Arlanda was very cool.

So incredibly happy not to live in Stockholm though. Traffic there is bad on any given day – today it’s pure chaos.

[Tamara]

That would certainly be a sight! And another royal baby – gee whizz talk about no breather!

Busy trying to decide what format to purchase the new patterns in – here I was thinking I had to wait until Friday! So thrilled to find them up on the site now.

We have just returned from the school open night. Lots of fun. The science teacher was busy things up and the band sounded awesome. The choir was enthusiastic and Imogen forgot about her supposed stage fright! Really ready for sleep now though.

[with love Heidi]

They’re up now?! That sorts out “what am I going to sew tomorrow?” 🙂

[lattemama]

Yes they’re up. I snuck in under the radar and bought them before they went up on the front page *blush*. Let’s just say my F5 (refresh)-key have been put to good use today.

Only now the printer is broken so I can’t print them. Ah well. No sewing for me tonight then.

[Masha Richart]

Oh no, you too, lattemama? Our printer won’t be fixed or replaced any time soon so I have to order a paper copy of Playtime.

[needlewoman]

Good lord, lattemama, you are better than our super reliable ABC News service in Oz; I had no idea that Mr O was traveling at present. I thought he was busy in Washington DC trying to persuade Congress to “chastise” Syria for the poison gas business last week. What on earth is the American Pres. doing in Sweden? And I’ve never heard of P. Madelaine altho it’s one of my favourite names. If you are up to date with your Royal Family, I’d love to know the details – (ideally how she is related to Queen Victoria, but realise that may be a bit of an ask). I read a very amusing tiny piece in our local (useless newspaper/rag) today: it is expected that a phenomenal number of dogs are likely to be called “George” in the very near future as a (dubious) consequence of the birth/naming of the newest British prince. What I want to ask his parents is – do you realise that George Alexander Louis spells “GAL”? Poor kid when he goes to school.

Cheeky sods getting in under the fence re. new patterns; serves you right if your printers are on the fritz!

love, Jealous.

[Sarvi]

Don’t printers seem to have a psychic ability when it comes to timing their breakdowns? For me it was always when papers were due. I guess I could have tried printing them earlier, but that would involve writing them earlier … hm.

[needlewoman]

So true, Sarvi!! Still have nightmares about printing out essays as I was getting dressed to go to TAFE/Uni to hand in assignment. SHUDDERRRR!!!

[lattemama]

Obama is in Sweden for a quick meeting with our PM before heading to St Peterburg and the G20 meeting tomorrow.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden is the sister of our Crown Princess Victoria (They have a brother too). They are first and third child to our King Carl XVI Gustaf. (If you are really curious how they all relate to Queen Victoria – here’s a link: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120128205901AAYkcnr – for anyone who can’t be bothered to click the link but is still curious, our King’s Father and Mother were Queen Victoria’s great grandchildren through her sons Prince Arthur of Connaught and Strathearn and Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany respectively. Which makes our King the Third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II – the more you know…).

Princess Madeleine married Chris O’Neil from NYC in June this year and they are expecting their first child in March next year. They live and work in NYC.

Crown Princess Victoria gave birth to Princess Estelle (future Crown Princess) in February last year (coincidentally on my birthday) and she has been married to Daniel Westling since June 2010 which is the Royal Wedding I was referring to.

Here endeth today’s lesson on obscure Swedish Royalty.

[needlewoman]

Dear Latte, you are really sweet to give me all of above!! As you probably guessed, I’m a bit of history buff, and right now, am reading great book called “Serving Victoria”; all about “waiting” on that long-lived monarch from the servants’ point of view/letters/memoirs. Riveting! All you have described makes ‘sense’ because Prince Arthur was the 7th of V’s 9 children.

Did your kidlets begin the new school year in their Ice Cream dresses? How did they go?

Fiona

[lattemama]

You are welcome.

I ended up finishing a Roller Skate Tunic for Isabel that she wore and Sofia wanted to wear her white Pinwheel dress and tunic that I made her during the early summer so I never had to make her anything new.

I’m planning a Library Dress for Sofia for later this autumn and maybe a knit Playtime tunic and tights – but that will have to be after we get further on the attic project.

[meleliza]

Ooo, another royal baby! I’m so excited to see how they dress them. I hope your princess has a girl. 🙂 I had no idea Obama was in Sweden either, But I did know when Sweden’s King and Queen were here in Philadelphia early in the summer! Our Swedish boarder (who works for the Swedish historical museum) got to meet them at a reception. It was a big anniversary of Swedish settlement nearby in Delaware. Swedes were some of the first people to settle here.