April already ...

This year has been very disjointed one way and another so far.....

My Daughter's husband was on the list to have a heart op  and they finally decided it would be March 10th .... then as it came close it was postponed for two weeks ... this threw the arrangements for Children and work and holidays and a friends wedding  into disarray as my daughter was to be her bridesmaid... The op was carried out finally on March 24th ... all is well and I have spent a lot of time in Hamilton helping with the grand kids and anywhere else I was needed.  Finally on 4th April Kathryn went to the wedding alone which was very sad but she looked lovely in the photographs ... so on the 5th April I finally came home ... now it is my time ... hopefully to get back to stitching.

I have done very little sewing since before Christmas but have done a few finishing at last ... so 3 UFO's less in the sewing room.

 

A sewing pouch and needle case  stitching finished at least  last June ......  now made up

 

My Trees finished ... started at a retreat last September finally now framed

 

 

My Pizzaz cushion  stitched  last July / August time ...... finally made up

 
A few new things in the pipeline and a couple of classes booked with Embroidery Guild which I am looking forward too

The years seem to slip by ....

Yes the years slip by unnoticed one way and another ... does not seem long since I celebrated being 65 then all of a sudden along comes 70.

Oh my that sounds old ... but you are only as old as you feel and I really don't feel 70 well some days I do.

Here is the lovely Kitchen Angel my Daughter gave me I love  the Teapot is just a perfect gift for me.

What a cake ....

This is a cake made for a relative in UK for her birthday  on Sunday.
It is truly amazing .... guess what she is into quilting and crafts. ... and is all edible.

 

A small class at home.

Tomorrow I have a small group of ladies who want to do the work folder I did a couple of months back ... I am sure you remember ....

The fabric and stitchery came from a swap with Peg in Australia.

Quite a few ladies at Embroidery Guild are interested also .... so it will be a class later in the year for them.
The friends tomorrow find they just can not wait that long.

One on One in Rotorua

When you are really down in the dumps and no one can seem to cheer you up ....

 

Come and stay with Grandma for a few days.

 

This is Alex  8 my youngest grandson, the family have been at their holiday caravan since the week before Christmas  and I think he may now be a little bored and fed-up....

you know with  No Xbox .. No computer .. no TV.. etc.

So I collected him yesterday for a few days  a change of scenery and company and a little one on one spoiling may do the trick.

So far today we have been swimming at the Polynesian Spa ... food shopping .. looking at the boiling mud pools of Rotorua, played Bingo and games on the computer ....watched a movie and made from scratch pizzas and chicken noddle soup .. and a good walk along the lake side before bedtime...

A bedtime story and within 10 minutes he was asleep.

Tomorrow is the beach  at Ohope with his 2 cousins who live here in Rotorua 

   

I was in the trivial mood today ...

The weather started out really nice today and then it all turned to custard with thunder storms and rain, with the darkest black clouds I think I have ever seen.

I was browsing through my December Homespun when I came across this simple pattern ... so in my mood do something trivial today I decided to have ago .... they really are simple  I was amazed how quickly they went together.

I think they were quite successful ... I have had this fabric for years now ...it is a printed patchwork and I just never had the right thing to use it on ... till now.

I also think the pictures do not do them justice I think I could have taken  better ones,  they are about 8 inches long and you don't see all the pearl beads  ... 

 and the fabric looks better in the flesh so to speak..

I have a few small gifts to do so may be a couple more are in the pipe line.

A Little Gift to myself

I know January is not a time to be buying gifts but this one was for myself.

I treated myself to this book I have seen it a couple of times and thought yes! a book I would love to have ... so while browsing the Book Websites I came across it and thought "Why not".

Anyone into crazy patchwork and stitch embellishment you will love it.

Saturday it arrived and I am so pleased with it ... here is a preview

Quiet Sunday

I woke this morning to soft pitter patter on the windows .... Ah! good don't have to water the garden today was my first thought, but it is still very warm outside .... so all the windows and doors are flung open.
So a quiet Sunday in doors thinks I... Mmm! wrong not so quiet the wind has gotten up and the rain is tipping it down in short sharp bursts ... everything that can move in the garden has moved or rolled around ... I can't have the windows / doors open because the curtains end up horizontal in the room or sucked out of the window and wet..
But over the last few minutes there is a skerrit of blue sky ... yes I can see the sun.

So hope your Sunday afternoon was quieter than mine.

Lets get back to the routine ... and the hydrangea's

Holiday time is lovely ... the build up to Christmas, Christmas it's self ... but once the New Year comes I just want to be back in the normal routine. I find my life works better that way.

So first of all the food has to go back to normal, don't get me wrong I love all this fancy food but a body can only take so much of it ... This weekend I will finish or remove all this kind of food ....  Monday is the start of Back to Routine.

Today is beautiful and so I walked around the garden to see how things have fared over the holidays as there has been a modicum of neglect for 2 weeks  +.

There is a small area where I park the campervan  and the garden shed is situated ... not an area I frequent very often ... low and behold the hydrangea ( which is just one plant by the way)  is almost 8ft tall  as tall as the shed and bears a head on every stem.
Here are just a few of the others that are scattered around ....

 

This one was just a cutting last season .... it is a beautiful colour and I was so pleased it kept it ...for sometimes they do change when you grow from cuttings

Another cutting just pushed into the soil.... also on it's 2nd season .... and I have a feeling it is going to get to large for this position

So back to the routine a simple meal tonight  as there are plenty of eggs may be a Spanish frittata ...  I am sure there is plenty of left overs to add to it in the refrigerator ...
Now that decision has been made I am going to do some stitching for the rest of the day.