Progress on the Weekend piece and other stories

Progress on the "Trees"

 

I have actually done more than I expected I would in the last few days the fern is may be a trifle big ... but hey we grow large ferns here in NZ.
There is still more forest floor to do and also a bit more canopy for the trees.


I had some news today ... I have been elected on to the Governing Board of Arthritis New Zealand
I take up this position mid November ...... then the fun will start a few trips to Wellington in the year and also other places when necessary.  Looking forward to the challenge.

Embroidery Guild Regional Retreat

This weekend saw me at the regional retreat 60+ ladies gathered for 2 days at Tui Ridge in Rotorua.

The classes were varied and I chose to do an Anne Brocass class, I loved the piece but also because this lovely tutor is going to retire in December this year and this would have been my last chance to do another  class with her.

So here we are the "Tree's Class"

 

 

 

 

This is the project for the weekend by Anne Brocass

 

Work in progress Day 1

 

and here is my work in progress Day 2

It was a great 2 days ... the weather was abysmal but we were tucked up in a lovely room with a great wood fire burning away merrily,  there is still a lot of work to finish but I am determined to complete it with in the next few weeks..... I would like to say days but I know that is not going to happen.

  Tui Ridge Park ... it is found in a 420 acre reserve which contains all the facilities that your group will need to make the most of your time there. The Park has numerous outdoor facilities and activities as well as quality indoor facilities.
This park is owned and run by Seventh Day Adventist Church thus the catering  is  vegetarian ... but I can say we had the most amazing meals, very tasty and an abundant amount of food and I did not miss the fact that there was no meat at all or alcohol.

Hello again and please don't faint on me.....

Pizazz ...  an in house class we ran at Embroidery Guild  ... will finally be a cushion  

 

 

As I said please don't faint on me ... now you are seeing a post from me.

Life has gotten in the way a bit over the last 3 months, looking after grand kids while my daughter had an op, Embroidery courses and exhibitions , Inner Wheel ( Rotary),  a couple of jobs on the house and garden  you know the thing just life in general really. 

 I could wish for 8 more hours in a day and a couple of extra days on the week sometimes... but I guess that would just get full up and we would be back to square one again... so will manage with 7 days and 24 hours.

 

But I have been stitching a few birthday gifts and a few swap gifts ... my Daughter in Law will get her birthday gift in a couple of weeks  ahh! now her birthday was last March,  so we are a little late but she has seen it in progress ...  better late than never as we say. Here is a glimpse of it is so far ....

 

 

Sue Thompson's Ladies ... not far off completion just some arms and legs and a few embellishments.



 

 

 



Life does not stand still here .... I am still tutoring Hydrotherapy Exercises for Arthritis and I have been put forward to may be join the Board of Arthritis NZ ... will hear about this in November. I still try and swim everyday ... hate to walk and run so feel this exercise is just as good.

 

Inner Wheel ... I was the Editor of the magazine for the central North Island until June this year and now some how I have moved to the position Secretary for the Central North Island District ... as with all groups we are finding the getting officers to stand on the various committees is harder and harder ... lots of people love to join groups and partake in all the activities and programme but that is as far as they go ...

So at 10am on the morning of our District meeting in June  I was happy to continue as Editor and by 11.30am I had been voted in as Secretary ... rather a lot more work on an ongoing basis,  where the Editors job was really  just a twice a year  mad rush. 

But I am happy to take a turn the first year to learn the ropes and the second should go like a breeze ...hopefully.

 

Looking out from the window the garden is a blaze of colour with all the spring flowers, so here are a few.....

 

 

I will post about the courses I have been on and the  retreats etc in due course.

So now I have signed in and you know I am alive and kicking .... it is back to the computer ... or should I say the other programme to get some IW stuff done.

Remember this ...my Birthday Challenge for Embroidery Guild

Well ... I feel so annoyed with myself .. You will never believe the silly mistake I made.

The centre item which is a "scissor keeper" I did not want to attach to the canvas permanently so I pinned it to the reverse side ... meaning to add a stitch to it  which could be removed after the show.

BUT .... bet a lot of you can guess !!!  I forgot to do it and it was judged and was in the final 2 items  the judge had to make a choice and low and behold she had to look so so closely to get that final decision on a winner .... YEAP she found the pin... and that was my chances blown. I could have kicked myself. At least she told me why it did not win .... a very important lesson learnt.

Never mind at least it was almost there.

Here I go again apologies !!!

Here I go again apologies for my lack of posting .... my computer and I have not been together much of late, I seem to manage my emails and there it stops on the personal side ... I think this has something to do with the fact that  I have also been very busy with other side of my life ... Embroidery Guild Exhibition and Rotary Inner Wheel, Family and all the other  things that call for your time.
Like,  I have taken on the Secretary's position for our District Inner Wheel Executive Committee so this next year will see more and more time taken out of my stitching time. But, I have  passed on being the editor of the magazine to someone else so no more pressure  twice a year to get it out, not that it was an onerous job ... it is just getting articles from all the clubs sometime took an awful lot of persuasion on my part. As I speak the magazine is at the printers ...Wheeee!!!

I am still on the run and will be for a couple of weeks yet then hopefully life will calm down a bit and I can hibernate for the winter and stitch and play with this infernal machine a fair amount of time, which the secretary's position will call.

So stitching ....  I have managed to start another project ( can always fit in one more ) here is the start of it,  this is just a preview .... not the best of pictures but you get the gist... will keep the final  finished article a secrete.

So please forgive me if I am not around to much ...but I will try and get back into posting because I miss it. Although I do keep up with reading all your posts, just not doing it myself.

Challenges

My Embroidery Guild has it's Exhibition this week starting on Thursday for 3 days .

We have  three challenges one is the Regional Guilds Challenge open to anyone in the region, and two are our own challenges ...
The first is Coral And Jade ... This is to celebrate our 35th Birthday  the colour or stone for 35 yrs is Coral or Jade

So today I will show you my entry for the Birthday Challenge....

This is a small stretched canvas 7 x 7 inches ... I call it Coral Collage
it consists of a small piece of Hardanger, pulled thread, canvas work, crochet, beads and ribbons

We were given a small bag of mixed coral items beads, threads, ribbon and lace .... of which we had to use some or all of the contents I think I used some of every thing even if in a very small way.
So fingers are crossed for the judging.

UFO's ... my stash

My stash ... no not fabric these are my stash of Embroidery UFO's  each one of these folders has one in it neatly filed on the shelf, believe it or not there was at least 6 more at the beginning of the year and my New Years resolution was to get them reduced.... I have managed 5 of them and number  6 is in progress...
These zip around clear folders are marvelous as you can see at a glance what is in each one and they stand up and file nicely. ( From the $2 shop)

As I mentioned this is the embroidery ones ... quilting ones I will save for another time.... as that is a different saga.

So watch this space for more finishes.

Busy busy ... sometimes to busy

 

Some times life just gets to busy .... I thought this retirement thing was suppose to be quiet and to do what ever you wanted when you wanted ... silly me !!!

 

I have never been so busy and I am beginning to think I am to busy for my own good.

It is very difficult to say no, and mean it... I took a training course many years ago that was on "Saying No nicely" it is a shame that I can not put it into action.

 

It has not been all work and no play in fact it is all sort of play in a way..... I swim each morning at approx. 8.30 but the crunch comes that I should come straight home instead of  going out for morning tea or shopping ...

I tutor an Arthritis  hot water exercise class Monday and Thursday 1pm  - 2pm ( normally only Thursdays but the other person is away for 3 months and I agreed to help out)

Then there is Embroidery Guild ... Rainbow Quilters ... Tuesday stitching ...and Friday stitching ... some where in between I fit in a Museum tour or two when I can...

 

So what have I just done !!!! well you may ask I have taken on District Secretary of Inner Wheel ( Rotary wives and friends) our district is from Napier to Tauranga ... across the country to Hamilton and south to Taupo ... Oh! help where are all the extra hours going to come from.

 

So blogging has not seen the light of day to often now.

 

Besides all the above I have fitted in some stitching and some housework.

 

One thing I have also done ... is change my car the Hyundai Tucson was getting to big and on top of that for some reason it was a magnet to other cars in car parks ... 4 times it has been nudged or scrapped by cars and of cousre they do not leave names and addresses ... So I decided rather than take out shares in  a Paint and Panel business a smaller car was called for.

 

so here we have the new car ...  Mazda 3 ....  I am enjoying driving it, it so much lighter and I can actually see to reverse .. always helpful.

 

But I must try and blog more often ....  if it was January I would make a New Years resolution but it is April so will just try a promise to myself.

 

 

 

 

Today we have real rain for the first time since before Christmas .... good pouring rain the farmers will be wrapped at least it will help a little with our drought situation.