More updates

 I didn't realise it was over a month since I had last made a post - life has been busy and time has zipped by once again. We were without a laptop for a week or so as it spat the dummy and we had to get it fixed. A very helpful man came out one day and fixed it, but then two days later it happened again and we had to get him back. All seems to be good now - fingers crossed!!!!

An Aussie Hero quilt has been made and sent off, this one going to Bahrain.

This year I bought dog and cat toys and food and dropped them off at the Geelong Animal Welfare Society in lieu of presents for David's family. We agreed to do this years ago but I am the only one that has followed through.

This was the lovely lady who sorted the bags and was off to deliver to the dogs.

I made a floor quilt for David's great niece, it is a section of backing fabric by Red Tractor

I found some felted animals on line to go on the play mat.

I made a quilt for David's brother in law, all his family except him have a quilt so I thought it was time to change that

We had a December challenge at Guild, we were given three pieces of fabric, mine were the purple and pinks and the challenge was somethin flora and fauna. The results were amazing and very varied.

In the garden the wisteria is flowering again

as is the hoya

and the agapanthus

some figs are coming

the daylily is happily blooming

there are three flowers on the banana passionfruit, very exciting for me!!!

we even have 2 tomatoes, remains to be seen if they ripen

plums are ripening - I hope to get some of these before the rainbow lorikeets move in!!

promise of things to come.

I have to zip off now and do Granma duties for the afternoon.

Happy stitching.

Not a lot

 of sewing has been happening this past week, I have been putting hexies together in the evening

these will be going into the Mystery Hexie quilt once I have finished the row I am working on, I jumped ahead a bit with these.

The heart quilt is all together and has a scrappy binding, I have to go over it now and sew in all the little bits I missed with the zig zag, also the endy bits from the zig zag need to be sewn in too, then the binding and it is done.

We have had David's sister and brother in law staying this weekend, we haven't spent any time with them for quite a while thanks to covid so it was good to have a catch up, I forgot to get a photo but did capture Basil the Welsh cardigan corgi

Basil listening and hiding his ears.

We had a good walk along the beach this morning.

The photos have jumped again, I received these beautiful flowers from Tracee

and these beautiful flowers from Margaret.

Here is Basil waiting patiently while I take a photo, he was in a hurry to get back home to see where his family was.

I went over to Leopold last week to do last minute shopping and called in to see Carleen and Des, quilting and geocaching friends. Their front garden is full of rose bushes and the perfume is just beautiful. Des very kindly picked me a bunch to bring home. Their perfume is still filling the house after a few days.

While I was at Leopold I saw this Tomte in a shop window and just had to bring it back home with me, it is so soft and cuddly! I am off to do some endy finishing.

Happy stitching.

Back on air

Well here I am back home, recovering and taking life slowly. Thank you everyone for your best wishes and concern as I am recovering. Your compassion means a lot to me.

I have read all the library books I have plus one that has been waiting attention for a while, the top one, the things that happen in one day in a vets life. Sadly I can't return or get any more library books as the library has closed for a month.

I went to the book shelf and decided to read these books again, which resulted in me sending Ingrid a challenge, to make the mini quilt from the Caroline Challenge Book. The quilt is based on a Frame Quilt made by a squatter/farmers wife, from the Western District of Victoria,  back in the 1850's.

This is the picture on the front of the book.

As I love bright colours, I decided to make my centre block from hexies I have left over from my Grandmothers Garden quilt. Ingrid found much clearer instructions on the internet, so we are going to make one frame a week, planning to finish on May 2nd!! I am going to see if I can pinch a photo of Ingrid's centre block from Instagram. 

Isn't that a beautiful block?

I have been working on the puzzle a little each day, there are so many faces and so much detail in this puzzle!

These sunflowers from Ingrid brightened up my stay in hospital.

I have received some beautiful flowers over the last week, some chased me home from hospital. I should have taken photos a bit sooner

The lilies smell beautiful

These are from Jenny in NZ, the buds are still opening up.

I have received a wonderful care package from Pamela over at Hokkaido Kudasai blog. It had a beautiful Mt Fuji postcard, a lovely beaded fob Pamela has made, I have not take a good photo of that, a good luck Daruma  fob and  Minion fob for me to make. Thank you Pamela for thinking of me, it is very much appreciated.

I think I might go have a cuppa and do some more jigsaw puzzle.

Happy stitching.

Back home

Well after 7 days in hospital and various tests I am back home for a while. The Dr's think I have Crohns disease, which I am told can be managed with diet and medication. But before the managing starts I have to go back to hospital in two weeks and have a small part of the small bowel removed. Once that is done things should get back to normal.
I wanted to say Thank you for all the good wishes I have received, all the support, I have some beautiful caring friends for which I am very grateful. I received some beautiful flowers  and plants while in hospital, the nurses said I was sitting in a flower shop!!

Beautiful colours here.

These smell wonderful, very gummy and bush like.

A beautiful chain of hearts plant.

I did take stitching with me and managed to get a little done

I also did some secret stitching a challenge with Raewyn...shhhh it is secret!!

I had a walk down along the beach today

it was good being out in the fresh air

This looked like a relaxing way to travel.

Lovely flowers on a gum tree just over the road.

I have laid out some knitted squares I was given to sew into a KOGO blanket, now I am waiting on the motivation.

Think I will go and make a cuppa.

Happy stitching.

Back home again

Hopefully we are settled here now and not needing to zip across the Tasman again any time soon. Mum's house is empty, clean and now has new owners and occupiers. They are a young couple and I hope they will be very happy at 129B.
I managed to pick up a cold on the last trip and still have the wooly brain and lethargy, hence not a lot has happened here this week. I have been working away on the little hexies and am half way, I need to get a zip along as March is fast zipping away.

I am happy with these hexies, only a couple of wobbles with the fussy cutting and so far only two lots of unsewing!

While in Tauranga hubby worked and worked and then went on strike!!

He chose a good place!!

and didn't want to move

Charles the neighbour offered commiserations!! Charles was great, he emptied out the compost bin for us while we filled the skip. It was sad to throw some things out, but some things were old and no one wanted then, so out they went. We had one day until settlement at this stage, so throw out was the  only option.

I found these flowers in Mum's garden, no idea what they are

but they are stunning flowers that come from a pretty ordinary bulb.

I think this is a kind of orchid which grows like a weed there.

the last two nights we stayed with the neighbours...no beds left next door!

They had swan plants in their garden, but no caterpillars, so I went out for a look and found four munching away.

I hope the paper wasps stay away and they get to be butterflies. I spent hours in the garden as a kid watching these caterpillars eat and grow, change into a chrysalis and then a butterfly.

Today is a day of NO paperwork (I hope) so I hope to reintroduce myself to the sewing machine and soon I am for for a 70th birthday lunch.

Happy sewing.