sitting still

My car is parked, the house is quiet:  time to just sit and think a little.

It has been a very busy year with some stress and sadness and lots of happiness.

As the year ends I guess I could look back and analyze what I have achieved and what I have failed to do (or done badly) but I think I shall just look forward.  There is nothing I can do about the past but the future is mine: I hope I can be creative, maybe a little better at housework, a good wife, mother, grandmother, neighbor and friend.  I know it will be a busy year: that is the way I like it.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR - MAY IT BE A GOOD ONE 

Gardenia

There is no time for stitching at present but each day the garden produces something very special.

today this beautiful gardenia bloomed for the first time.

Isn't it glorious.

Water Lily

It is Sunday evening and we are relaxing after a lovely day with family.

We have had a problem with our internet again so I didn't have a chance to wish my followers and friends a happy Christmas.

I do hope everyone enjoys the holiday season and feel refreshed and creative when this busy time of the year is over.

Yesterday my water lily bloomed for the first time.  It is always so exciting to achieve something new and I have wanted to try to grow a water lily for years.  Success!

Summer Solstice

Today is the longest day of the year: the summer solstice here in Australia.  

It is also my birthday and I have had a lovely day.  Several emails and calls from friends and family were great and then this evening I saw my husband's Aunt and Uncle (in UK)  on Skype which was good.  As usual on Wednesdays I minded the little twins, Chelsea & Caitlin and my father in law is staying with us.  

 

These days we don't buy presents for each other unless there is something we particularly want.

The pic on the right shows what I received from my dear husband.

This little raised garden is outside our bedroom window and has always been really messy.  I have been wanting pebbles to finish it off and so this week I received 12 bags of pebbles.  That is what I call a perfect gift.

Oh, by the way, the first pic is of a Santa I made last year.  It is my own design and is called Swaggy Santa, reflecting the Australian bush. 

The spirit of the season

 As Christmas day approaches the days are busy and mostly happy but yesterday, Sunday, I popped out to a local shopping centre to buy a couple of things.  At the entrance to the car park there is a pedestrian crossing: as I turned in there were two young women chatting, one of them standing on the crossing. If someone is on the crossing motorists are required to stop.  I wound down my window and politely mentioned that this lady was standing on the crossing.  Her friend apologised but the young woman who was on the crossing told me what I could do, in most unladylike words.  You know it really upset me: it kind of stained the day.

On the other hand I have received some gorgeous hand made cards in the post and some lovely goodies from Judy and today a parcel arrived from Corrine at http://dosfishes.blogspot.com/.    I have always enjoyed Corrine's blog and love her approach to her art.  Corrine recently opened an etsy shop and I took the opportunity to buy myself a gift.  It arrived today and I will try to take a pic tomorrow and show you.  

I have been trying to finish off a few small items each evening.  The first pic is Polly Pinkeeper.  The second is a button embellished with beads and buttons.  The last is another toggle using an aboriginal designed fabric.

This pretty button is silk ribbon on silk dupion.

Very sweet I think.

Some of my Santas

more little stitcheries

I am gradually working my way through the little stitcheries for my wall hanging.

This project has become a bit of a chore and I am contemplating putting it aside for a while in the hope that my enthusiasm returns.

Christmas Tree

The tradition in our house is to make our own tree each year.

It doesn't appeal to everyone but I am always very happy with it.

First I find some small branches from the wood pile.  This is not as easy as it seems because none of the branches is quite right so it is the overall effect that matters.

Unfortunately it is necessary to spray the branches with insect killer as the gum nuts can harbour all manner of crawlies: I don't mind them but they seem to disturb some people.

 I don't decide on the colour or number of decorations until the branches are selected and in their pot.

This year I decided on silver - all of these decorations are ones I have used before - some of them I have had for years.

I am not sure whether I should add lights.  I like the simplicity but we always have lights.  Lots of lights.

Of course it is light until really late here because we have daylight saving and we are close to the solstice (longest day) so lights really are a bit obsolete.




If the "tree" stays intact after christmas I usually leave it in place and decorate it again for Easter or just hand things on it that please me.

By the winter it is usually kindling wood for the fire in the dining room.

 

decorations

I have been sorting out my Christmas tree decorations and thought you might like to see some that I have made for previous years.

Most of them are made with felt and have sequins added and bells inside.

My daughter made the red and green ball out of a polystyrene shape and sequins.

One of the stars is embellished crazy patychwork.



Tomorrow I should have my tree well on its way.  It is a process.

Melbourne

I took these photos from the plane as we returned to Melbourne from Northern NSW in October.

I am always fascinated by the clouds, and the patchwork of paddocks below. The open spaces soon make way for houses and factories: and then the airport itself.

Over the past few years we have made this journey to visit my father-in-law: for many years the ground below was brown and dry. The creeks and dams were dry. There were no grazing animals or crops. The drough covered much of the country.

Now the paddocks are green, the creeks are flowing and the dams are full.

This vast land of ours is so beautiful ( I have not seen even half of it) and at the same time so treacherous. We are often impacted by drought or flood or bush fires and yet it offers so much. Beautiful flora and fauna. A glorious coastline.

I am going on tonight. We don't have a thanksgiving holiday here but goodness we have so much to be thankful for.

buttons & brooches

These are two more completed brooches. The centre one is another Christmas themed piece.

glorious gladioli

These lovely gladioli grow in my garden without any help from me. They were already in the garden when we moved here and they multiply each year.

They really don't seem to fit in with the other plants in my garden but you must agree they are really lovely. The dark one is a tomato red and the other is salmon pink.

crazy quilting

I am thinking of joining a crazy quiliting challenge next year and so today I was looking for suitable fabrics.

This is not something I feel terribly confident about so I have to think carefully before I commit to it.

So far I have joined a class starting next February and also the TAST challenge. Perhaps I can use these together with the crazy quilting challenge.