December

 I am finding it hard to believe it is December already! We have celebrated David's birthday with lunch at the Queenscliff pub with his sister and bro in law, we all enjoyed our ourselves.

The garden has been going well, we had a lot of rain in Spring which helped

Some poppies have come up and flowered which was very exciting, I spread a lot of seed last year but only got a few plants. Still better than nothing.

The cactus plant I put into the gumboot a while back has finally flowered, the flowers have opened more since I took the photo.

I have quilted another quilt sewn by Christine from a box of two and a half inch squares I had, this in #3, since taking the photo Christine has bound it, I have labelled it and it has gone to the Bellarine Quilters, to be delivered to the Geelong Hospital Wellness Centre next year.

I have been spending some time with young Finn, one afternoon we made yoghurt, banana and blueberry ice blocks, he was not impressed that he had to wait over night to eat one! He loved them and wanted MORE NOW!! Sadly it was too close to dinner time 😀

Early December I met up with the lovely Robyn and her hubby in Geelong, we had lunch together before they went off to do a little exploring before catching the ferry to Tasmania. I met Robyn and her hubby and boys many years ago on a trip to Brisbane top present Michelle with her replacement Christmas quilt. Robyn and her family put up both Raewyn and myself for a few days and drove me to and from the airport. They were very generous with their time to two strangers.

I have been having a few walks along the beach and found many of these recently

I do not want to meet one of these when out in the water, not that I have started swimming yet but it is forecast to be 30 deg tomorrow and then 34 the next day so I might be tempted! I always thought if you got stung you poured vinegar over the sting but after looking up Mt Google apparently not, you need to wash off with sea water and then immerse in hot water. You learn something new every day!

Local ladies who knit and crochet have been busy decorating the trees down the main street for Christmas

these are just two of many, they are great to see.

Looking down to the Bay today.

We have had a few challenges from the Guild for this month, one is for an extravagant Xmas hat, the other is and 8 inch square using only aqua and purple, with the assist of Circles, we are going to be challenged once a month to make different blocks, no idea what happens to them but I guess I will find out.

Another challenge was to make something to be used at Christmas at home we were given a piece of fabric - I cut mine in strips and glued it onto a metal circle I found at an op shop

Jo from Bellarine Quilters kindly got her hubby to cut me the wooden base, I covered the wire circle and stuck on the decorations and the tree and wove the little lights around everything. It looks lovely at night time and will live on the dining table for a while. Fabric is now unrecognisable. I need to get a photo of the left over bit...

that is the fabric 😀

Early December Carleen and I went to Tracee's place for a Christmas gathering, we caught up with Tracee and Marg and some of the City Girls, we had a great lunch and then Tracee had us playing games 😳

Maxine concentrating on her bumble bee gathering a ball

more bumble bee gatherers, we couldn't see what we were doing but had a good laugh! Sorry about the finger in the photo!

Ann and Gail, bouncing ping pong balls into an egg container

Carleen and Julie

Maxine and Marina

Tracee and Elyte, we had a great day and lots of laughs.

This quilt and the one below have been finished and donated.

They were in show and tell and the Bellarine Quilters.

I have been trying to be good and go for a walk each day, this day I rode the bike to Indented Head, St Leonard's pier

Indented Head beach.

I think that is enough for me at present, I have been chipping away at the Temperature tree, and in November so not too far behind. I hope to get some tops into quilts over the holiday time.

Happy stitching.

What's been happening in my corner of the world

 It has been a while and here I am catching up once again, David has pretty much recovered from his surgery and now has to face some chemo, we find out about that on Thursday.  It is not what we were told by the surgeon during our first visit, we will find out more Thursday I guess.

I have been sewing up KOGO blankets, I had 3 to finish and they are all now done and in the box ready to be delivered to the drop off point.

I can see now where I have sewn in squares the wrong way around now...too late to change 😀

some interesting squares here

Maybe a Melbourne AFL supporter knitted these squares?

I have had these two nighties on the end of the bed for a year I am ashamed to say, they had long sleeves which I found too hot and itchy, it took me all of 15 mins and they are now short sleeved and fine to wear! 

One afternoon these quilt tops were sandwiched and pinned, they have now been quilted and bound and have gone to their new homes. We (The Bellarine Quilters) had a visit from the Wombat's Wish creator - and donated 32 quilts to be used on their camp in November. They provide services and camps to children who have lost a parent, they also help the remaining parent.

I went on retreat early in October, our last retreat for the year.

Carleen finished her duck panel quilt top.

I made a quick quilt top with a Thomas panel

Full moon happened one night we were there

Carleen finished off another quilt top

Abby who owns the retreat offered us a basket of shirts, she had made a memory quilt with two of her Dad's shirts plus bits of others from Op Shops. So I made this

Maria encouraged me to add a shirt label and one patch has a pocket. Needless to say not much of a dent was made in the basket!

My next hexie project, sadly I can't find a photo of Maxines work in progress, she was making blocks with batiks and a white edge, which when you put them together created a zig zag pattern. Sorry Marina!!

Judy and Christine made these blocks and Cristine made the quilt top, I keep calling them Jelly bean blocks but they are really Peas In  a Pod. 

Maria made this Peas In A  Pod top - all from material that was at the retreat but no one wanted.

I went to the Kilmore Quilt In two Saturdays ago and bought another Sashiko project ( I haven't finished the other one yet)😊, this is all Mandalas and I loved it so it had to come home with me! The speaker at the Quilt In was Jo Grant from These Clever Hands, by happy chance she spoke at Guild last Saturday too and she will be at the Guild Quilt Show this weekend. She had bright curated packs of fabric - I have quite a lot and have fussy cut large hexies to sew together, that was to do at retreat but the shirt quilt took over....nothing like yet another project to be doing!!

These Clever Hands quilts.

My weeks are filled with gardening, the weeds have grown very happily over spring, taking David to appts, doing grandma duties, an occasional walk and the occasional sit at the machine.

The back yard looks good this time of the year, the leaves are back on the trees and the grass has been mown - we have a ride on mower which some days runs well and others coughs like it is going to die any minute!!

I was very happy to find some fruit on the banana passionfruit down  the yard, I hope they can ripen and I get to try one before the possums find them!

One small grandson is growing, we took him to the soccer field to have a run and a kick of the footie, we didn't know cricket training was due to start not long after we arrived. He wanted to play with the big kids and refused to come home!! 😢 His Dad had to call by on his way home to persuade him to come home. I even sent a photo of dinner that was ready with grilled cheese on the top ( his favourite) and that didn't work.

I think that is enough from me for now, I am off to do a little sewing before it is time to get dinner. That time certainly rolls around quickly these days.

Happy stitching.

FNWF

After a busy day and dinner out with Adam and family I got stuck into my temperature tree

The start

And here is where I finished up last night, I have caught up to June. I am enjoying the changes in temp from being at home and then when we have been away.

I have been trying to catch up with the weeding the last few days, I mowed the back grass, need to do the front, maybe tomorrow. 

Hubby has been in hospital for 2 weeks, he had a cancerous growth removed from his bowel, the anaesthetic and Parkies played havoc with his brain, making him paranoid and frightened. Thankfully he is coming good and is more like his usual self.

I had a walk along the foreshore in Geelong after visiting today.

Off to do some machine sewing i think .

Happy stitching.

New Zealand

I know I am  in NZ by the gardens

Swan plant, no butterflies or caterpillars I can see yet, lots of seed blowing in the wind, so the plants will be coming up in many many gardens 😁

Kowhai tree, this has yellow flowers in the spring and is bird attracting.

And the NZ flax popular the world over in gardens.

I am busy doing a crochet edge on a blanket Jenny has finished so will head back to that.

Happy stitching.