My Weekend.

Weekend spent catching up with friends - Saturday a movie "Last Cab to Darwin" - I really enjoyed this Australian movie - followed by dinner (no photos though).....
Sunday lunch to one of my favourite restaurants at Cupitts Winery  with a couple of other friends - the view from our table....

 .....and our desserts!

........and some outdoor entertainment.......

Some stitching also did get done, though not as much as I'd hoped - the outcome of which is that my August block for Nature's Journey quilt is not yet finished.... but -  there has been progress and  I hope to have it finished by the end of the week.....(just a note that the diamonds on the side are not sewn down yet - just been put into place so still a bit to do!)

.... And one small project finished for OPAM this month..... a fabric basket...

 Another working week underway, though, I will be on holidays the following week :) !!

Happy Stitching
Asta 

Warm sunny weather was very welcome on Saturday and I made the most of it spending time in the garden reading with a "cuppa".....

....a close-up of these lovely flowers.....

...,,, Sunday was a rather bleak day :( so it was time spent indoors ..... deciding on the next colours for my on-going crochet project...

.......and working on my Nature's Journey quilt......

....... no photo - but some indoor time was taken up de-cluttering / sorting an area of my very full garage!.... and at the front door are a number of boxes heading to the local op-shop - could have been more but you don't seem to get a lot done when you browse and reminisce on the finds you make! (The garage is one of my works in progress!) 

Happy Stitching
Asta

Catching Up!

Since I was last here I have completed the centre applique block on the Nature's Journey quilt......

... and made another "fabric" basket for a friend's birthday.....

Later in the week there was a funeral to attend for an elderly family friend - he'd had a good life reaching 101 yrs and 4 days! I detoured to Sydney via Bundanoon (Southern Highlands) from where my sister and I travelled together.
An extra day away was spent at her place..... enjoying a rather brisk Winter's day....

....but with signs of Spring in her garden.....

and alongside the road out of Bundanoon .......

On the way home a detour to Spotlight.... some of their Christmas fabrics are already in and a few balls of wool for another  crocheted project I have in mind! 

Sunday morning... and yes! It does look like a lovely day outside.....

.... will just have to sit out on the deck and finish reading this book .....

I really enjoy Kate Morton's books - have also read "The Shifting Fog" and "The Forgotten Garden" ...  I have another of her books in my "books to be read" bookcase but I think I will choose something else next.......
Later in the afternoon fabrics came out ready to cut up for the next part of the Nature's Journey quilt.....

.... I did end up changing one of the fabrics and they all did get cut.... but I didn't think to take any more photos before stacking them up ready to start sewing together during the week!









Will be back with more progress on NJ and any other creation I may be working on .....

Happy Stitching
Asta 

FNWF

Well, this month I did remember to join up with fellow sewers for our "virtual" Friday night get together...... don't know what happened last month - the days seem to fly by and it must have just "fallen in a hole"!
So what did I do? Would I dare do anything else except my Nature's Journey block for July? Of course not! So here is some further progress.......

....and it WILL  be finished over this weekend...am staying positive! Then starts the August "homework".......

Hope everyone else who joined in had an enjoyable & productive night!

happy Stitching
Asta

A Hint of Spring!

A hint of Spring in the air this weekend! ... and I was out gardening very early on Saturday morning so this (from my previous post).....

became this .......

where later in the day I enjoyed afternoon tea while reading.....

......time was also spent deciding on some of the colours for the Nature's Journey quilt...

....a walk down at one of my local beaches.... 

...and the weekend finished off with afternoon tea in the company of a good friend at our local Botanical Gardens.....

A weekend making the most of the warmer weather while it was here.... 

Happy Stitching
Asta

Weekend At Home

After the week of terrible weather and having to get myself to work each chilly morning - though luckily we don't get snow here on the coast - I decided that this weekend just gone I was going to stay at home! ..... and that's just what I did! 

So what did I do with myself? .....
..... sorting through cottons for a new project (not started yet but will update when I have)

......further crocheting on my cosy blanket...

......making a start on the applique part of my July "homework" for Nature's Journey...

.....finished reading this book which I preferred to read during daylight hours!....

..... I did look out at part of my poor forlorn garden and had a fleeting thought that maybe I should go out and do something about it

but.... I did say it was only "fleeting".... possibly next weekend?
... and a friend called in on Saturday afternoon and brought a couple of yummy cakes for afternoon tea - sorry no photo though - the cakes didn't last that long! 

So that was my weekend - hope you all had a creative weekend as well and stayed warm!!

Till next time
Happy Stitching
Asta

Snippets from the past month!!

Has it really being a whole month since I was last here!! Well, what have I been up to......

 I have been catching up with friends over dinners, lunches and coffees some of which were put on hold while I was stage managing the latest Bay Theatre Players show... now finished with a lovely flower arrangement received as a "thank you".....

Then it was off to Canberra for a "Winter" wedding at this lovely chapel......

..... Hayley and her partner Mark travelled down from Burleigh Heads where they now live and work to attend the wedding....

and here I am with Hayley.....

Canberra Winters can be a bit bleak......

....but I'm not sure what this little tree just peeking out was thinking - had it forgotten it was Winter or was it a bit of wishful thinking!

A bit of retail therapy while in Canberra....these are the important purchases! 

While Mark had to return to Burleigh, Hayley spent the following week here at home as the following weekend marked the 1st anniversary of the tragic accident that took the life of her dad and another loved father in a plane crash here on the South Coast.... the anniversary was noted by a flyover of 14 small planes, followed by a barbeque all organised by the local aero club....here's Hayley about to take off (as a passenger!) in one of the planes....

During the past few weeks Megan celebrated her birthday in Munich so I just had to "send" her a present - via Face Book - with a donut and candle for her and a donut each for Hayley - who was here then - and me....

...she told us we could eat the chocolates - she plans to be away for at least a couple of years!

A finish- this book - really enjoyed it!

By the middle of June I had my blocks for Nature's Journey finished - I'm sure they were in my previous post .... and thought - "Great! I'll get a head start on July".... did that happen? No :( so here I am with just the centre block put together....

.... am now back working on it....every spare minute - well nearly! 

Meanwhile I continued crocheting my blanket .... when little "miss" here hadn't claimed it as a really cosy spot to sleep during this cold weather!

and have finished this table runner - eventually!! 

So that's the month that was!

Am just about to head out the door on a chilly night but joining friends for a night of stitching beckons......

Will be back sooner rather than later... next time!

Happy Stitching...

Asta