100th Birthday Celebration

 Just over 2 weeks ago Delphiniums greeted our family as we arrived in Bundanoon to celebrate Dad's 100th birthday!!! A very special occasion and an impressive milestone!! 

This auspicious occasion gave rise to 3 days of celebrating!..... On his actual birthday (Friday 14th October) the family got together at their aged care home where the facility had set aside a beautifully decorated room for us to enjoy a special afternoon tea with Dad & Mum.....

After a couple of weeks of planning, booking a venue, organising decorations, last minute items to tick off.... Hayley putting together a photo display, my sisters doing the seating plan it was all systems go for the Saturday celebration with family and friends......

Family friends travelled from Sydney, Canberra and Cooma to join us for 

Dad's special birthday which was held at Dormie House (Moss Vale Golf Club).....

Our family....James, Megan, Linda, Vivien, Asta, Hayley with Dad & Mum

Festivities continued onto Sunday with a great "Sunday Roast" prepared by Megan & James (both chefs) for the family - held at the cottage we rented for the overflow for those that didn't fit at Vivien's place..... a great country venue..... 

Then it was Monday and as we began our own travels home we all reflected on what a wonderful 3 days of celebrating it had been .... Dad had enjoyed every day, wondered why he felt so tired, but as he said when asked how he felt to have reached 100, he enthusiastically replied..... "I've finished with this century and I'm ready for the next" !  

Happy Stitching

Asta

September Update

Mid-October almost here and must update September ........ Fathers Day and it was off to Bundanoon where daffodils were blooming in abundance..... 

By mid-September Megan and James arrived back in Australia - this time with no return ticket!! 

Quilt exhibitions are back on the agenda and the South Coast exhibition didn't disappoint...here are just a few of the ones that caught my eye.......

Some "happy" mail arrived - beautifully wrapped - to be added to my ever-growing "to do" list!

Meanwhile...... the required number of EPP stars for a quilt is very slowly growing - and I do emphasise "slowly" 

The 2nd Elizabethan era came to an end early September with the passing of Queen Elizabeth

And of course September was another wet month and, yes, Miss Dora, somewhere under all that out of control garden is the courtyard we usually sit in.... 

That brings September up to date as tomorrow I head off to Bundanoon again for a family celebration that will need a "journal" entry of its own! 

Happy Stitching

Asta

 

Very Overdue Update

Has it really been nearly 2 months since I last posted!! The days just just seem to slip away so time to do an update before we head out of August and leave Winter behind.....

Mid July and our family home finally passed onto new owners - a  family with young children ....so lovely to know that the wonderful life we had growing up in the home and in a lovely area can now be passed onto another family. My sisters and I had another week there packing up last minute things - even got the old box of wines, which dad kept reminding us about, from under the house ...not sure they were of any value though! We stayed in the house with no furniture so we "camped" indoors - luckily the gas heating and electricity was still connected !!

With Mum's birthday late July and mine early August we celebrated together in Bundanoon

and while up in Bundanoon we though we should pay a visit to Berrima Patchwork and of course some purchases were made! A few more fabrics to add to my 30's range and some....just because I loved the bundle of colours together! 

I have been collecting old doileys which maybe one day will be made into something and was fortunate enough to find this lot for $5 at a local op-shop.... I now have around 30 or so....I do at times wonder about the person who actually did the lovely embroidery on these.....

....and one of my doileys was just the right spot for this lovely posy of flowers gifted to me by a special friend..... 

Sad to say there's been no progress on any creative projects since my last post..... perhaps next time! 

Happy Stitching

Asta

A Little Reading & Stitching....

Well, it seems it takes a bit of doing nothing to get some stitching happening and that's what has happened over the past couple of weeks.....  Covid finally caught up with me and.... quite coincidently at the same time with my sister, Linda who lives way up on the mid-north coast!!  ....this of course meant a couple of weeks off work with the first week spent taking it easy and relaxing in the sun with a book and this little one not too far away.......... 

Then time to maybe start a new project that involved just some hand stitching.... so a forage through my stash of 1930s reproduction fabrics which have been multiplying over many years was made, a pattern found and a start was made.....  

Also finished off this panel - made from pre-cut hexagons purchased from the Liberty shop in London way back in 2018! Will make it into a cushion when the urge to sit at the sewing machine makes an appearance! 

That's about it for now....with health returning (including my sister's) for me it's back to work tomorrow.......a bit less stitching will be happening but will keep going as it's time to make something from these lovely fabrics.... and there are even more stashed away than what's in the photo above!!

Happy Stitching

Asta

Special times.....

Oh my goodness! Has it really been that long again since I was last here!!  Well, I think I will keep it to the main events for now...... 

Going  way back to February Mum & Dads' aged care home in Bundanoon decided to celebrate Estonian National Day as my parents are Estonian.... so... my sister and I dressed up in our national costumes - we were amazed they still fitted as it was many years since we had worn them when we did Estonian folk dancing!! It was a great day - with a morning tea and a short documentary style film on Estonia..... many of the residents were fascinated in learning about a little known country - some thought we were about to start dancing but unfortunately they were out of luck! 

In April (19th to be precise) Mum & Dad celebrated a very special occasion ....

their 70th Wedding Anniversary!! 

The staff at the home baked a cake for them and we also took in a cake and flowers - they have certainly reached a milestone.....

May then arrived and time for a Mothers' Day visit to Bundanoon.... I arrived to be greeted by colourful Autumn leaves - and surprise, surprise it wasn't raining!

Mum & Dads' aged care home put on a lovely Mothers' Day morning tea..... the room decorated with pink and purple balloons, vases of flowers and yummy cakes with cups of tea...... 

I actually had my needle and thread out before Mothers' Day making Mum a small lavender bag......

And Megan in England sent her traditional Mothers' Day message ...this year from Bristol !

As always have been reading...... over Easter and weeks on either side.....

A week ago we had great news from Megan  .....her husband James has had his Permanent Residency Visa approved!! So now they are on track to arrive home by (hopefully) September / October.... Megan left for a 3 year working holiday in 2015 - of course she met the man of her dreams and it has taken a little longer for her return - though we have had visits and I've been able to travel over to catch up with them. 

And.... today.... SOLD.... our family home of 70 years (not counting the 10 years prior when my Uncle and family lived there before leaving for Canada and selling on to Mum & Dad) ...we all have been  very fortunate that a young family has bought the house and it will be kept in its original state with only a possible extension out the back..... as my blog becomes a journal I will do a separate post about our home.... my sisters and I have spent many a week over the past months packing up the memories! 

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Meanwhile 1st June has arrived and with it very cold weather!! ..... and this little Miss always finds the sunny spots....

So that about catches you up with the latest from here..... I have started doing a bit more stitching, knitting is happening, more books are being read, enjoying working my 4 day week ...but more next time including more of our Sydney home sale..... 

Happy Stitching

Asta