Merry Christmas!

My favourite day of the year is coming up - it's not Christmas Day, though (that's my second favourite day) - it's Christmas Eve! I love the last few hours of Christmas Eve - late at night - the tree twinkling in the corner of the room - wrapping the presents and just thinking. The very best night of the year :)

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and all that's best for 2011 :))

Have a lovely day with family and friends.

See you next year.

Jenny

Redwork Santas

The child is away at school camp this week - biking the rail trail - leaving me all on my ownsome! Don't worry, though - I'll tough it out - it can't be all that bad to have five days of no school runs, no lunches, no homework or nagging about chores, no Signal Hill bike runs, having my meals when I feel like it and eating what I like (and yes, chocolate does count as a meal if you have enough of it!) - yeah, it will be tough but I'll do my best :)) Luckily, though, he was here for his birthday - yesterday! I had planned a bit of a bike ride and picnic for the day, so was keeping my fingers crossed for a sunny day - it delivered! We drove out to the Peninsula, and then parked the car and took off on our bikes. It's been a fair while since I've been on a bike - it was so much fun. It was a pretty flat and easy ride thank goodness - round the waters edge and then across some paddocks ...

... we climbed up a little hill for this view ...

..... and walked down the beach, through the wild lupins - the perfume was heavenly - I think it was a combination of the heat of the day and the sheer volume of blooms that created the most divine scent ......

.... then we headed down here and had our picnic on the beach...

.... we sat for a while in the sun, watched a sea lion make it's slow progress from the waters edge up to the dunes - and then we headed back. Here's my boy - 15 years old and I probably shouldn't call him "the child" any more:))

In between the dreaded painting I've been indulging in some stitching and have finished three of Barb's gorgeous redwork Santa's. They are so sweet, I love them....

I've started to make this one into a little Christmas cushion - this is the front panel.... And I've been playing with my French General fabrics too - started this a wee while back and finished it off last week - just the top, though - it's not quilted or bound yet - hopefully by next Christmas :)

You wanna see what's blooming at the moment - the flowers in this garden astound me - every day there seems to be something new ... these literally bust open two days ago....

...and these as well....

I adore the colour of these irises - what an amazing blue ...

...and what about this gorgeous little thing ...

I let dozens of foxgloves go to seed last year and left all the seedlings to mature - I have foxgloves popping up all over the garden - they are so beautiful and remind my of my Nana's house that I used to visit as a very little girl...

I'm going to be getting all the Christmas decorations out this week - by the time Jake gets back, he won't recognise the place :)

I might just make a start tonight.

See you later

Jenny

Painting and Stitching

Bit of an icky day today which means plans for the day have changed slightly. For the last three weeks I have been attacking this portion of the house....

... started off on a step ladder with just a paint scraper, but after about a week of incredibly slow progress I decided there had to be a better way. So, I ordered some scaffolding, borrowed a heat gun, spoke nicely to the weather gods and I've made some headway, to the point where today I am supposed to be finally painting it.

To be very honest, I have to say that by the time I sit down at night, man, I'm pooped. There are days when I'm very definitely ''over'' it, and the only good thing I can think of at the end of the day is, '' atleast I'm getting an awesome tan''!! But there are the other days when I think - not bad, for a stitcher. Mind you, I think I must be the messiest painter that ever was - I have paint all over me from top to toe - a friend called by one day and asked if I was managing to get any paint on the house or had I applied pretty much all of it to myself:)) "Hey", I said - "what's a bit of paint here and there - it comes off with a splash of turps!!"

On the nights when my bones weren't aching (self-inflicted I know, but a little bit of sympathy please!!) I have stitched a little - I've finished all of Jane Austen's quilt stitcheries - here's the last two - Lydia's sweet bonnet...

... and the most gorgeous little parasol...

I've also made some simple little blue cushions for one of the guest rooms - had fun rummaging through the scrap baskets for lots of different blues - some of the fabrics are from quite a few years ago - from when I first started doing patchwork in Geraldine - so as I stitched them together the memories ticked over.

And I've made a start to some Christmas pressies - that's pretty good for me - usually the ''I've made a start'' comment comes about two weeks out from Christmas. Organised or what!!! Fell in love with these buttons that Barb did a few weeks back and knew they would be perfect ...

Also, have you seen Barb's Christmas card stitcheries - they are gorgeous - have a wee look when you get a chance (http://www.theodoracleave.com/) - I had to have some of them too :))

Can I take you on a little wander around the garden? Come on - been dying to show you - it's looking really pretty:) Down the hall way we go - the perfume is divine....

... just to the left is the table and chairs where I sometimes sit with my morning coffee (depending on how much paint I have plastered all over me!)...

... around the fish pond are these...

... and these...

...and these...

...then off we go down the side of the house and the first sweet little roses are blooming...

... apple blossom is possibly my all time favourite flower...

... and then round the back, in the shady parts of the garden are these....

... and these...

... and then coming right back round to the front again and time to go and get a cuppa and CHOCOLATE CAKE cos I've earned it :)))!!!

See you :))

Jenny

Lazy Day

Today I'm being lazy!! Actually, yesterday I was lazy too and it was great! It was a cold day down here in the south, windy, rainy, even hail. Spent the entire afternoon stitching and watching some DVD's - the fire was going and it was very snug indeed. I went to my ''to do one day'' basket and pulled out these gorgeous little button stories that Barb does (http://www.theodoracleave.com/). They were the perfect projects for the day.

I should probably be outside scraping and sanding again today but I'm sure it's far too windy, or cold, or something :) Did you know that you can sand your fingerprints off? So that you have great difficulty accessing your laptop if your password is your fingerprint!!! In fact, access is impossible, and a code cracker is needed. Another one of those ''minty'' moments really - standing in the 'puter shop with three blokes having a good giggle at my expense - very funny!!! But, the sanding is paying off - the front of the house now looks like this...

Been spending long hours in the garden too - with lots of help from the child over the holidays - clearing and replanting the entire front bank. It's looking a little less like a short jungle now! We have the most brilliant red tulips in flower - when they catch the sun it seems that they almost glow....

.. and I have absolutely no idea what this is but I thought it was so pretty - it is probably just a weed, but it's still very sweet.

I have only two little blocks left to do for Jane A's quilt - these three I've done over the past couple of weeks. The acorn tree...

... sweet Jane Bennet ...

...and being a good girl for...

...ten years!!!! Hmmm... guess I wouldn't get to see too many reviews!!

I'm looking outside and it's real sunny, but I'm sure it's still cold (ish). And if I've been lazy for half the day, might as well be lazy for the rest of the day - and there is gingerbread and coffee downstairs. Nearly as good as chocolate :)

Have a great stitchy week.

Jenny

Spring Flowers and One Little Quilt

Spring is busting out all over since I last wrote - my little garden is starting to look very pretty. Took some time out the other morning to take some pics of the first little spring flowers...

....these are scattered all around the garden. At the moment just a few are in bloom but you should see them when they are all flowering.

Cute little pink primula's...

...and more daffies...

What I was supposed to be doing instead of taking photos was painting - the house! I decided that I would have a go at doing it myself and have started on the front verandah area. It's coming along nicely, too. This is it at it's raw stage - unbelievable amount of sanding and scraping hours involved in getting it to this stage.

So... we've been up to Clyde for Jakes downhill a couple of weeks back. Actually it was the same weekend as the earthquake and boy did it rattle us around way down there so I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for Cantab's. While Jake was practising I had a little wander around the township - it's such a gorgeous town..
I have a bit of a thing for courthouses...

Here's the child in action later in the day - he did great - only one trip over the handlebars, but still smiling!

I would love to go back up that way this weekend as I reckon the orchards must be looking amazing - some of them were in blossom back then but by now they will be blooming all over.

In between painting, gardening and traipsing around downhill events, I have done a tiny little bit of stitching - I discovered this little quilt that I had pieced a couple of years ago, so seeing as I am on a mission of completion, I finished it off and quilted it using a perle thread. Have no idea what I will do with it, but I do quite like it.

That's almost the sum total of my stitching - a little pathetic really! Am starting to get a few withdrawal symptoms, though, so need to find Jane A and Veronique's next block and get stitching :)

Maybe tonight :)

Happy stitching

Jenny