25th July...

Well, here we are 25th July and it was time to open our secret Christmas in July swap... I was very good and mine wasn't opened till this afternoon!
Thank you very much to my secret swap partner, Kaye.... all such lovely goodies.... here is a photo..

....Beautiful X-stitched and embroidered gifts.....

It makes one feel that Christmas is not very far away!!!

I should be back soon with more stitching and crafting happening.... till then,

Happy Stitching

Asta

The Past Two Weeks.....

It seems like such a long time since I last posted.... where to start....

Just over 2 weeks ago my two daughters lost their father in a tragic plane crash here on the south coast where we live.... though we had been divorced for a number of years we had remained on good terms and lived not too far from each other so I had lost someone whom I had known for 40 years and who should still have been a part of our lives for many years to come.

I never dreamed that I would be ringing our daughters - both overseas and one having only left a few weeks earlier on her trip of a lifetime - and breaking such news to them. They both flew back to Australia and even managed to arrive within 15 mins of each other - not bad considering one flew in from Canada the other from Germany. 

Two weeks on and the "celebration" of their dad's life is organised for this weekend, the girls have spent time sorting some things at his house.... there are murmurings from the elder daughter of returning to Canada in the next couple of weeks - the younger one will resume her travels early next year.... and so life starts to move along its merry way again... 

Needless to say I lost all interest in any sewing and had half finished Christmas in July Swap projects tucked away....... when I saw my daughter reading a book she had just bought at the local bookshop I thought to myself.....it is ok to pick myself up and do what I enjoyed doing -  so they have seen the light of day again and have been finished off over the last few days..... and after a very late night last night are all tucked up here....

..... and posted by express post this morning having been guaranteed by the lady at Australia Post that they will reach my secret swap partner by Friday 25th! 

I should be back on my blog more often again.... but, how life can change in that one moment.....

Asta