The Last Month.....

Here we are into August already....life as we know it has still not changed and so I go between work and home.... we did have a scare of the virus here a couple of weeks ago but thankfully has now passed and this week  am looking forward to my small embroidery group getting together again .........but, to catch up since last posting.....
There have been a couple of birthdays over the last few weeks....firstly Megan's in England and as always I sent her a "virtual" birthday cake.....

.....then a few weeks later is was my mum's 91st birthday.... plans to head to Sydney were cancelled so thought it a nice idea to also send her a "virtual" birthday cake together with a cup of tea and flowers.......

 A couple more books have been read..... thoroughly enjoyed "Becoming Michelle Obama"  they were an amazing couple and very interesting reading about living in the White House! This was followed by an all time classic.... "The Hound of the Baskervilles" - bought in England in 2018 (!) 

And..... (drumroll happening here)..... I finally finished Hayley's quilt - started some time ago (!)  and has been waiting for the binding to be done since last year....

Unfortunately the true colours don't really show up as there was no white - it was all blacks, greys and beiges with a touch of "wine". I posted it to Queensland and was very pleased knowing it had arrived when she sent me a lovely thank you message! 

Also out of the basket with further progress being made is my crochet blanket started 3 Winters ago.... perhaps this year I'll get it finished?? 

While Megan was in "lock down" in England she took up embroidery and has done some beautiful work.....  here is my Mothers' Day present she sent....I think I have forgotten to "show it off" in any previous post..... 

And will finish off with photo of a double rainbow I came across on my way home from work a few weeks ago....... 

Off to find another stitching project and book to read!! 

Happy Stitching

Asta

Winter is Here!

A week into Winter..... the much cooler weather and rain showers have arrived! But each day I drive to work I pass this beautiful big tree.... still holding onto its colourful Autumn coat........just! 

Meanwhile - after much deliberation over colours another embroidery project is about to be started......

.... a bit of time has been spent reading - finishing this book bought from an op-shop as I wasn't too sure I was a Ruth Rendell fan but must admit I did enjoy this one.....

And.... some very slow progress on this crochet blanket.... perhaps ready for next Winter??

......while Megan's Moroccan travels included a camel trek to the Sahara Desert!

That's about all from here for now..... off to do some stitching before retiring with a book....ummm let's see - which book next?? 

Happy Stitching

Asta

Last Weekend....

Don't know what happened to last week but here I am a week later with an update on our Mother's Day celebrations in Sydney - postponed from the week before last weekend - due to inclement weather!!
We had  lovely day - with an "at home" high tea.... including a glass of champagne!

A secret sewing project from the past few weeks was a book bag for my mum - she is an avid reader so can store her current book in this......

(A Marg Lowe pattern)

And.... what a coincidence - the Northbridge Quilters had their exhibition the same weekend - just around the corner from Mum & Dad's...... there were some beautiful quilts - some you just wanted to wrap yourself in! The exhibition included many quilts made over the 35 years the group has been together.... here are just a few - including some from the garden.....

And a raffle quilt which - sadly - I did not come home with......

While still on the topic of this year's Mother's Day once again Megan sent me a message from overseas - as she has for the past 3 Mother's Days she hasn't been here for......

This year it was from a "Glen of Bluebells" in Canterbury, Kent.

Megan has still been busy travelling - while not working in England - wedding plans have not progressed very far.... I think she is enjoying her travels and seeing new countries too much (while James stays working back in England)....recently she added Bosnia and Serbia to her list of countries visited (I think that was country number 40 and 41?) and currently is in Morocco which will be followed by Portugal ...then back to work in England again.....

And... this week DD1 Hayley and her partner are off for a short holiday to Thailand..... My turn must be coming around again soon! 

Meanwhile..... the last week has seen me take out this project again......

....Here I am trying to work out where exactly I was up to when I put it aside over a year ago...... back on track again.... but rows seem to take forever and it's growing ever so slowly (Pattern is from Attic 24)....... also these socks were finished the other day....to be gifted soon to a friend with a Winter birthday! 

And that's about it for now from me....

Happy Stitching

Asta

Last Week.....

Last week..... came home from work to find this parcel at my front door.....

Inside......

Yes....another project!

The same time last year I started a project from Lucy at Attic 24 - it was a CAL (crochet-a-long) - the design was called "Moorland" blanket...... I was drawn to the lovely colours she chose as they depicted the heather on the English Moors....this is where it is up to at present.....

The pattern was "ripple" design....... I had ripples everywhere - not just across the width but the sides as well!! It was starting to look like another UFO in the making!! I have decided I will go back to it - as soon as the weather cools off!! Meanwhile...... she has another CAL called "Woodland" blanket based on Autumn colours with the blue sky filtering through the trees.... as I love Autumn I just HAD to order this as well...... but am thinking when I do start it may just be rows of granny squares - something simple!! 

My "secret sewing" has also been finished this week - no peeking yet! 

Back to reading.... during the week I finished this book.....

....inside the dust cover of this book it describes it as a collection of "new and uncollected tales of murder, mischief, magic and madness"...... well, some stories I really enjoyed, others I didn't and the last left me feeling quite....saddened.... I feel like I now need to read a much happier and light-hearted book..... off to browse through my bookcase & see what I find......

I will leave you with a photo of Miss Dora enjoying a balmy Sunday evening in one of her favourite spots.......

Till next time...

Happy Stitching

Asta

Hello!!!

Well.....what can I say - it's been over 2 months since I last visited my blog - and I have been here - unfortunately not an overseas trip as an excuse! 
At the time of my last post I was just starting to stage manage another local theatre production - Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" and that always keeps me busy as so many hours of the week are put into rehearsals - as well as working full time..... shame this theatre "work" is all voluntary as it would make a nice second income! Here is my back stage area in the early days when props were being sourced.....

Not a lot of sewing was being done while this was happening - but crochet and knitting fitted into my busy schedule as they were easily transported to rehearsals and while the cast were being directed I could keep myself occupied - well, at least till I was needed. 

First off I found a lovely crochet blanket on the blog site Attic 24 - loved the colours Lucy had chosen for her "Mooreland" blanket and a couple of weeks later they arrived from England..

Miss Dora instantly found a new place to take a nap!

Haven't taken a recent photo of my progress but this is where it was at quite a few weeks ago!

My local patchwork shop also sells wool so a quick trip between rehearsals and work saw this little bag come home.....

and the contents became.......

At the moment a second one is on the knitting needles after the first one ended up with my sister in Bundanoon!

Managed to fit in some reading......

And by the end of April the show was over....... cooler weather had arrived with Miss Dora always finding the warm spots.....even if it was on my ironing board!

......and a quilt top started in 2012 (!) re-surfaced to have borders sewn on......

......currently away being quilted but more photos will be seen soon........

Mother's day this year was spent in Sydney ..... going through Berry on my way some beautiful Autumn trees  ......

..... and a "must stop" at Sew and Tell..... resisted the embroideries but did come away with a  couple of balls of "sock" wool - to add to my wool stash, of course!

These are actually 2 different colours - but loved them both - how could I choose? They both had to come  home with me!

On the family front.... Megan and her partner finished off another Winter season working in the French Alps - with the occasional care package from home.....

... then it was back to England for a few weeks with Megan now heading off to explore Spain!

Hayley and her partner continue to enjoy life in "balmy" Burleigh Heads!

That about sums up what has been happening in my world..... I will finish off with some bright daffodils - "live" flowers bringing cheer to these cooler days!

As life has now quietened down a little I will be back to chat soon!

Happy Stitching

Asta