Merry Christmas & A Sad Loss

Yes, I know it's been a long time since I was here - I think nearly 4 months!! My wonderful holiday has come and gone - it was an amazing shared time with both Hayley and Megan.. and I will be back to post a selection of photos over the coming weeks. 
On my return I came back to a house with a wonderful face-lift - having been fully painted inside and bathrooms partially renovated but..... everything that had been packed away for this to happen then had to come back out...... a decision was made to de-clutter at the same time!! Well.... after numerous trips to the op-shop and tip I started to make headway in this enterprising project which seemed to be taking a lot longer than I originally thought and, together with my return to work, there just didn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get back to my blog..... 
Things were just getting back to normal when my dear Mum ended up in hospital with an unexpected heart condition requiring me to spend some time in Sydney before a pace maker was the answer we needed and now she's well on the way to full recovery!! 

Then just a couple of days ago our beautiful Mezzie left us for his "forever journey" - he had been a part of our family for 18 years!! Mezzie had a beautiful soul and returned our love ten-fold...... everyone - from friends visiting to the passers-by in the street - was his "best friend" ......

Always finding the perfect spot to lounge about .....

...... always ready for a cuddle!

And Dora's "big brother".......

We will miss our much loved Mezzie.....

"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us"  (Helen Keller)

And so this Christmas I have my parents and one of my sisters, Linda, visiting while Hayley and her partner enjoy Christmas at home in Queensland and Megan and her partner have a white Christmas in the French Alps.

Now all that's left is to wish you a Merry Christmas - may it be enjoyed with those you love and hope 2017 brings good health and happiness.

Asta

A Birthday, A Reunion & OPAM

Here we are at the end of another month and already half way through the year!! 
This time of the year it is time to celebrate my younger daughter Megan's birthday..... as she is off travelling..... still ..... and will be for a while yet her birthday cake has to be sent via means of technology........

....although this present made and filled with some of her favourite chocolates has gone via "real" mail! 

Meanwhile another felt bowl has been made.....which will be a gift for a friend.....

And while I was away on holidays a couple of weeks ago just a few purchases were made - some to add to my stash others with a definite purpose - including another ball of wool for yet another felted bowl!....perhaps I'll keep this one for myself.....

Last weekend a visit to Sydney for a school reunion of...... my 6th class primary school!!! It had been at least 50 years (!!) since I had seen some of the class members and out of a class of around 50, more than half turned up for the reunion.....and surprisingly we were able to identify each other quite well considering the years in between.......We had a reunion about 20 years ago but not as many turned out then but we have decided that we should now get together every 5 years.... not 20 at our age! The reunion was held at the Kirribilli Club in Sydney and as we all caught up with each other this was the view we overlooked....

And..... here is little Miss Dora soaking up the sun on these bleak cold days that we have been having lately!! (Mr Mezzie must have been in front of the heater!) 

The little stitching I had done this month for OPAM was Megan's purse and the felt bowl...have spent most of the time reading but more on that next time.... time to cosy up in front of the heater with my knitting. 

Thanks for popping by.... till next time

Happy Stitching

Asta

A Quilt Finish & Other Bits

Well, here it is....my "secret sewing" finished! It will be "gifted" to my sister, Linda, living up the north coast early this week when I will be heading up her way for a short holiday! 
The front.......

The back..... all Kaffe Fassett fabrics!

The felt bowl...all dried to shape now.....

And who would have guessed that I'd find a book in my Agatha Christie collection to complete another book challenge!! "A book published the year you were born" (1953) can now be ticked off.

My weekend finished with the final show for the play I have been stage managing for the past month - the 10 actors all being aged between 12 - 16 (our senior youth group) I thought it was appropriate to make these for our after show party......

Chocolate Crackles!! (It's been years since I made these!)
I was given this beautiful gift as a "thank you" from the cast - all really great kids to work with!

And to finish off.... here is the most senior member of my household - 17 year old Mezzie - soaking up the early morning sunshine! (It is old in cat years.)... he is a beautiful family member who is always looking for cuddles...... 

Till next time..... happy stitching!

Asta

... and 2 weeks later...

Yes....time does fly and here it is just over 2 weeks since I was last here!.... a bit of catching up to do....

Well the needles were clicking away after my purchase of wool and a knitting book....

 to this.....

 then after felting to drying into shape......

 ...still drying as we speak but hoping it does stay in shape as a little bowl! 
Mug mats were finished a couple of weeks ago but had to be "gifted" before I could show them here.....

 ...using one of Anni's patterns from Gossip in the Garden - a mug mat for my friend Dzintra for her birthday and using hexagons (love EPP!) a mug mat for my dear Mum for Mother's Day.....

And talking about Mother's Day - my "travelling overseas" daughter Megan - now in England as her working stint in the French Alps finished mid-April -  sent me her Mother's Day message from a break wall in Kent!...

(Last year it was a big cardboard sign from Sweden!) 

 My secret sewing is still on-going.....

 ...but just today I handed it over to be quilted - and hopefully should have it back early next week to sew on the binding - this is being "gifted" at the end of the month so you could say we are under a little pressure here!!
                                                This.....

is now finished and I can tick off my book challenge list "a book with a number in the title". I did a bit of research about the title following on from a comment on my last blog and discovered that this book was published in England in 1939 under this title, in 1940 in United States under the title of "Ten Little Indians" and over the following years has been published and written as a play under the title of "And Then There Were None".....(thanks to Google) 
Our local theatre's latest production which I'm stage managing has now started so rehearsals are over - they always seem to take up so much more time than the actual show and except for the occasional Sunday matinee most shows are in the evenings so weekends are free again....time once more to catch up with friends over lunch... 

And if the sun hasn't quite got there yet climb to a higher spot!

Happy Stitching.... and thanks for visiting!
Asta

Relaxing Weekend!

This past weekend was a quiet one with just a little mix of this and that.......
Saturday morning decided take a drive down to my local patchwork shop.....Stephs Fabrics - just for some freezer paper - well - who would have guessed that a couple of extra purchases would come home!....had been deliberating as to whether to purchase Anni's latest book and as I walked into the shop...there it was!! The other pattern? Well, it just caught my eye! 

 This lovely bunch of daisies also found their way to my home.... to brighten the day!

 Over the rest of the weekend time was spent doing a bit of "secret" sewing......

 ....another book was finished and now "a book that involves the ocean" can be ticked off my reading challenge.... I had not read a Di Morrissey book before - thoroughly enjoyed this one...."The Winter Sea"....it was set on the South Coast - not far from where I live - an added bonus to the story line!

........and a start was made on writing up copious notes for stage managing our latest local theatre production.... unfortunately it can take up quite a bit of time and that, together with working full time, leaves not a lot of time for other more creative pursuits.....but... after this show I plan to take a break for a while..... as with all voluntary organisations it always seems to be the same people that put their hand up!

 These 2 were having a bit of a tiff on Sunday as to who had the chair with a cardigan to sleep on... the solution was found with a second old "round the house" cardigan found!

 The postman should be bringing a couple more "retail therapy" purchases this week....and... Hayley is arriving from Queensland for a few days (unexpected) visit - will be lovely to see her and spend time catching up over cups of tea!!...I do miss my girls!

Happy Stitching!
Asta

March is nearly over!!

Well, here we are nearly at the end of March! And....before the month does come to an end I'd better do a bit of catching up!! 

The Easter weekend has come and gone...... pottered around home doing a bit of de-cluttering, a spot of reading & another reading challenge ticked off - " a classic from the 20th century" .... a sewing project has re-surfaced after being shelved when I started Nature's Journey quilt.... I feel this one could take a smidgen longer than NJ!! ....a small (secret) new project started so not too much to show there..... one (or more!) hot cross buns enjoyed..... a visit from a friend..... theatre rehearsal to attend.... a visit to a friend........

another "challenge" read

 a project revisted and .......

a new (secret) project  using pattern from Gossip in the Garden.......

and in between a few little goodies......

The weekend before Easter and a trip to Sydney was on the agenda..... time to celebrate my sister Linda's "special" birthday with a family dinner at La Botte - great Italian restaurant - the special day was in February but it took till March to get our (small) family together on the same weekend..... the disadvantage of living so far apart from each other :(

And..... my favourite season has arrived!!! Yes it's Autumn - the early crisp mornings were the give away as these 2 decided to find a sunny spot and discuss what they were going to get up to for the day......

Will be back in April with - hopefully - some progress on my projects and any other news of the day! 

Happy Stitching

Asta

During the Past Week......

It was really lovely having Hayley home from Queensland - even if it was only briefly.... a week between a friend's hens night and wedding... her partner Mark arrived (with these flowers)  a couple of days later....

 Told her I would sneak this photo in of her with her face mask the morning of the wedding...

and here they both are at the wedding....

Meanwhile, the senior member (17 yrs old)  of our feline family had not been very well but after a couple of days at the vets he started to recover.... here is Mezzie convalescing on my lap - on top of the batik quilt I'm now sewing the binding on.... getting there!  

And... Megan sent some more photos over from Les Gets - she is now half way through what she calls her "French Alps Adventure" .... her contract as chef finishing at end of April,  I think! Here are just a few of the photos....

Today the postman delivered this......

.... after 2 years of blogging I decided to have it made into a journal that can be enjoyed as a book....it was interesting to look back and see what I've been doing and stitching. 

I've been asked to stage manage the next production for our local theatre group.... it is voluntary but is something extra to add to my agenda - at least for the first few months of the year with rehearsals usually taking up time on weekends and after work..... valuable stitching time!..... never mind - they were unexpectedly left without a stage manager.... 

Not a lot of stitching over the past week but time has also been spent reading and I should add that my Nature's Journey quilt is ready to be picked up from the quilters so will be back soon to give you an update! Till next time.....

Happy Stitching

Asta

Well, the long weekend is now at an end.... time to catch up with what I have been up to....

During the past week I actually had a project finished for OPAM (One Project a Month)! I've been so busy with the Nature's Journey quilt that I don't seem to have the time to actually finish any other project - Nature's Journey can't be included till it's finished :( ..... but here is my finish for September.....a start for Xmas

Pattern: Gail Pan

Then it was the first Friday of the month and time for FNWF ...... no stitching but time for cutting out another 200 x 2" squares for the Nature's Journey Quilt so.... with Miss Dora keeping an eye on things.....

...this teetering pile of fabrics......

became stacks of little squares a couple of hours later......

 Saturday dawned  - we were already into the second month of Spring and it was time to spring clean the house! ...An accumulation of magazines, a trail of fabrics from Nature's Journey quilt that seemed to have taken over the house (!) , various other on-going projects were all sorted and put away, furniture moved, the duster was out, even as the day was warming up I kept "hoovering" away! The house was well and truly "breathing" again!! 

Sunday - and a very hot day forecast! So.... together with a good friend we headed off to the Regional Orchid Show being held at one of the local clubs.... and air-conditioned! 
Who would have thought that there are so many varieties of orchids! ......from your traditional....

...to the exotics

....some with "attitude"....

...others you wouldn't even think were orchids.....

...... ones that looked more like a daffodil!

...other delicate ones.....

....and ones that were provided with a magnifying glass!! 

And this little orchid came home with me!....

Will it be the first of many? Ummm we'll see..... 

Then it was Monday - the last day of our long weekend :( .... gardening had been on the agenda for the weekend but it was too hot (don't enjoy being in the heat) so the day was spent pottering around in my sewing room - it is in quite a state and there will only be photos when there is an "after" as well as a "before"! ...... I finished reading my latest book....

 ....and enjoyed late afternoon with a glass of wine, nibbles and a few "old" magazines to browse through.

No stitching was done over this weekend but it's the start of a new week now so must get back into my Nature's Journey quilt - only machine sewing left now.

Hope all my readers had an enjoyable weekend too.
Happy Stitching
Asta