Are You Reddy?

Are you?

Wish I could say I was...

but that would be a fib :)

I've been playing round today

getting reddy...

Merry Christmas!

I probably should stop playing around now,

and go and get reddy  :)

See you next year

Jenny

Sweet Sixteen :)

I'm not entirely sure that applies to boys, does it??  But he sure was sweet way back then ...

Actually, he's still pretty sweet, just in a more ''blokey'' way :) Just like to know one thing, though - how did those 16 years go so fast?? Makes you think, doesn't it.  Happy birthday, Jake - may you achieve everything you work hard for, may you always live life with a sense of adventure, be truthful in all that you do, be kind to your friends and don't break too many bones when you are hurtling down mountains at ridiculous speeds!!! 

In between making beds and breakfasts, I've done a little more stitching - and I've finished the sampler - I love it:)) I'm thinking I might have a go at framing it myself - any tips?

While I was finishing off the sampler, I was thinking about my next project, as you do.  Way back, who knows when, certainly pre-Dunedin days, I started a gorgeous Lavender and Lace cross stitch called ''The Spirit of Christmas''.  I worked on it solidly for a few months, and then for some reason it got side lined.  Well, how's this for discipline - I found it, and I'm finishing it:)  When I pulled it from it's hidey place, I realised I still really loved it, and it definitely needed to be finished.  So that's what I've been working on for the past few nights. He's pretty gorgeous, don't you think! 

I think I may just have to stitch a little more on Santa right now :)  It's like a winter's day outside, the child is working, and I've got about an hour before I have to begin birthday dinner preparations.  So really, what else is there to do:)

See you
Jenny

Hearts and crosses.

I remember now one of the reasons I stopped doing cross stitch all the years ago - because it is horrendously addictive!!  But it's very very enjoyable, so I can forgive the addictiveness of it :)  This is where I'm at with my Stacy Nash Tribute to Summer sampler...

... so I'm just working around the floral border now, and then I get to choose another pattern to start :) 

Also made some wee Christmas hearts this week - some of them have Barbs gorgeous buttons on them, and the others, I played with words.  Hearts are just the most lovely shape to work with - anything with hearts is okay by me.

Tonight I get to go to the childs' senior prize giving ceremony - I was semi looking forward to it, until he told me that it will last for three hours!!!  THREE HOURS!!! Give me strength!!!  Do you think they would notice if I take my stitching??

See you,

Jenny

What can I say?

Ooops - what can I say?  The last time I was here, our boys in black were about to kick off the competition, and now they are about to close it!  Guess where I will be come 9 tomorrow night - bring it on!!

I had to laugh this morning - the child obviously did not have much to do last night. Instead of spending some quality time with his school books (I have been gently reminding him about a certain event happening in a few weeks time, called exams!!) he clearly decided that my lappie needed a facelift.  Normally I have a pretty flowery picture as my screensaver - you know, something to make you smile and think of summery days - well, this morning when I logged on - not a single pretty flower in sight!  Instead, an action shot of a mud-covered downhill rider, in full flight. Kinda feels like my lappie has been invaded or hi-jacked or something!! 

What between a very busy month at the B & B,  Jakes downhill race season in full swing, spring gardening and rugby games to watch (of course:) - there 'aint been a whole lot of time for stitching.  I did put a few sweet little hexies together for a new cushion for one of the guest rooms - I wanted pretty spring colours....

   ...and I made up some little lavender bags, using lavender I had cut from the garden last year, and decorated with a gorgeous little birdie by Barb ...

I've done a little more on the cross stitch - Stacy Nash's Tribute to Summer - it sat idle for a few weeks, but now I'm back into it - I pulled a colour out that I didn't like, and feel much happier with the look now.



Spring has been keeping me busy - there's more about that over on the cottage blog.  The growth is phenomenal and the colours extraordinary. And I so wish you could smell the perfume of the wisteria that is starting to bloom - it's heavenly...



We've been all over the place these last few weeks with the child and his bike - up here at Living Springs where he was given the dubious award of ''crash of the day'' - wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry about that one, but both he and the bike miraculously escaped relatively unharmed.  What about the views though - it's such an incredibly beautiful part of the country..



...and down to Bluff for the Secondary School Champs where he did good !!   And yes, we did go to the chip shop - how could we not - they are the best:)...

This weekend I am delighted that the race is right here in Dunedin - yah!!  I am not even going to think about what state he will come home in tonight after practising all day, cos we have had so much rain this week that I'm sure it will be a mud bath and he will be caked from head to toe in the stuff. 

Time to go - I am trying to decide if I will feel too guilty about sitting down in the middle of the day and doing some more of my cross stitch :))  It's just so lovely and peaceful, and there's no one in at the moment, so who would know:)

See you later
Jenny

Just a little bit of cross stitch

Today's the day - our boys in black kick off!!!  This has absolutely nothing to do with stitching, I know, but it's quite exciting if you like the game, and I do like rugby :)   So (and here's where the stitching part comes in) with a bit of luck I will get to spend some quality stitching time late at night watching the highlights.  Stitching time lately has been sadly lacking - just a little bit of cross stitch.  This wee sweetie is from a book I bought when we went to Oz a couple of months back and I made it up into a little needlecase.
 

And I've made a start of one of Stacy Nash's newest designs - a Tribute to Summer - I really love this sampler and can see it hanging perfectly in the Garden Room.

There's been a bit of stitchery happening too - but they are a little bit secret yet, so can't show you - very very cute though :) 

The child is off to Cyde this weekend, for his first race of the season.  The track he's riding is diabolical, though he tells me ''it's fine, Mum'' (huh!! - ''fine'' - since when did "fine" mean vertical drop over rocks, ledges and sheer mountainsides!!!), so in a sense, I'm glad that I won't be there to watch him this time - but on the other hand.....

Spring has been keeping me very busy in the garden - my gorgeous bluebells are just starting to bloom - I think they may be my favourite spring flower, although apple blossom is right up there too:)

This gorgeous wood pigeon visits often - well, maybe it's not the same one, but sure looks like the same one.  They love this tree - nibble away on the flowers and seeds for ages. 



It is the most amazing spring day here in Dunedin - I think I just might go make myself a cup of coffee and sit in the sunshine and do absolutely nothing for ten minutes.  Then I might think about what I should be doing, and sit for another ten minutes :)

Enjoy your day:)

Jenny

 







Garage Sale at Harrowset Hall Emporium

A quick post to the girls in and around Dunedin - don't forget the garage sale tomorrow - downstairs in the basement at Harrowset Hall Emporium (377 Princes Street, Dunedin).  This is going to be fun!!  But then, bargain shopping is always fun!!  Access to the basement is down the alleyway off Bond Street - the sale starts at 10.00 a.m. and goes until around 2.00 p.m.

I'll be there with baskets and baskets of fabric - all pre cut - mostly fat quarters - some halves - and all at super cheap prices.  Fat quarters are priced from $1.50 to $3.50.  There will be bags of trims and buttons as well - and some patterns.

And then there are the Harrowset Hall treasures - was down there today helping to set it up, and you should see bed linens and furnishing fabrics (drool worthy:), furniture and collectibles.  It's like an Aladdin's Cave :)) I have my eye on several items - well, it's a sale after all, and who can resist a bargain!!!

Gotta go - lots more fabric to cut tonight:)
See you tomorrow.
Jenny

A little more crochet

The blossom tree is flowering and winter is slipping away.

Been busy with the room makeovers these last couple of weeks, and am making progress.  So, it's nice to sit in the evenings with my crochet - it's easy, but relaxing.  I've made some wee flowers for the top of the round cushion...

... and I've been playing around with a hexagon shape - these are really fun to make and for me the bright colours are quite a change - am thinking this could be the next two year project, though, as it's probably going to end up blanket size.

Today I need to go make some curtains for the wardrobe doors - and a couple of cushions.  It's not so nice outside, so the perfect day for a few hours in the sewing room.

Or .... I could make a few more hexies:))

See you later

Jenny

Fluffy White Stuff

We've had a wintry treat for the last couple of days - lots of fluffy white snow.  It does look so pretty ..

Why didn't it surprise me in the slightest that someone had to go riding in the snow :))

And if not riding, then sliding down the road on an empty potting mix bag, which did kinda look like a lot of fun but I was too much of a sook to join him :))

This morning I made my way very carefully down the front path, accompanied by Charlie who hasn't quite worked out what to make of this white stuff...

 

... gave the smallest snowman in the world a nod as I went past :)) (might be small but he is cute!)...

...and not really expecting to see a newspaper on the bottom stairs, was very very pleasantly surprised to be wrong.  Ten out of ten to the paper delivery person - now that's commitment!!!  Breakfast was very pleasant - fire roaring, tea and toast, newspaper to read, and snow gently falling outside. 

The snow days have been perfect for finishing some projects - my pale blue jumper finally got sewn up so I get to wear it this winter, not next:)

And I've been putting some more pink granny squares together ...

...and some blue ones...

I've been knitting beanies too - just playing around with my wool scraps and having fun with some colours...

It's been a knitty month, and in between knitting I've been doing things in this room...

It was meant to be a simple repaint job .... but it's funny how some things escalate !!! You can see what I mean - over on my cottage blog - www.thecottageatthetopofthestairs.blogspot.com.

Keep warm and snug.

Happy stitching or knitting or crocheting :))

Jenny

There and back again.

I'm still here, though I have been ''there'' and now I'm back again:)  As I sat down to do this post I realised that I might need supplies - it's gonna take a while - so I'm now camped out at the lappie with coffee and jelly beans. I'm a bit disappointed with the jelly beans, though - it's so chilly down this end of the country that they have almost frozen in the lolly jar!!!

But I've been somewhere lovely and warm - just across the ditch - up north, round Brisbane.  It was a very very last minute decision to go and do something to celebrate a ''significant'' birthday - now normally I'm quite happy to let them slide by nice and quietly, but at the last moment I decided, no, not this time - I'm going to do something a little different.  So we booked a ticket to the Sunshine Coast and had a fabulous wee holiday. I spent my birthday on a bike, cycling through forest, around lakes and through little towns and disused train tunnels - great fun (except for a couple of hills that these old legs decided to walk up instead of pedal!) And a birthday dinner in a neat little restuarant on the beach.  Nice:))  We went walking through the Glass House Mountains park another day - I have always loved the Aussie bush...

...and of course no walk in the bush is complete without some pics of the local flora - truly I am amazed at Jake's patience sometimes - it must drive him nuts at times, waiting for me to take pictures of flowers - like the cutest little purple one...

...and these were so beautiful, mind you I was a little wary at where I had to walk to get these pics - through some very long and dry grass and I was remembering the snake stories the bike tour guide had told us the day before!

We went shopping in Montville!!!!  Now that is the most divine town - so pretty, and so many gorgeous little shops to browse in.  Even Jake found plenty to amuse.  I managed to find some treasures to bring home - love these - they are going out on the front verandah ...

...this will find a home down the hallway with little linen hearts hanging from it...

...maybe some of these that I have stitched this week from a book I got while I was away, called ''Made in France'' - gorgeous yummy book full of cross stitch and stitchery motifs:)

I love anything to do with hearts - this is another wee sweetie I found which had to come home with me...

We ended up getting a little delayed in Brisbane - the ash cloud saga. Sadly we had to spend another two days in Brisbane, all expenses paid in a fabulous hotel right in the heart of the city, with dinner each night!!!  Now I know that for some this was not good, as they needed to be home for various reasons, but for us, I'm afraid I couldn't find too much to complain about.  It was luxurious, and I could not fault how we were treated by the airline and the hotel. 

We had time to explore the city properly, incuding playing an excruciatingly long game of mini golf!!!  I say long, because it took about 3 hours!!!  I'm pretty sure that atleast half of Brisbane had the same idea that morning.  However, it was quite an amusing game due to the antics of the group in front of us - they had us in fits of laughter most of the way round.  We walked for miles around the city - it has some of the most glorious buildings - the architecture is astounding - I never knew!! 



Our hotel was just around the corner from Roma Street Park which is such a beautiful park right in the heart of the city.  The garden beds of cyclamen were amazing.

..the colour was stunning...



The child never fails to amaze me with his choice of gifts - have to say, I think he has exceptionally good taste:) He found these exquisite little pendants for me at one of the markets we went to...

...and this gorgeous scarf...

He's such a honey:)) Such a neat holiday - turning 50 wasn't so bad:))   Well, the jelly beans are long gone, I've had a second cup of coffee, and it's time to go and collect the child from a soccer match.  He asked if I would like to watch and normally I would, but when I discovered that they were playing at Kettle Park I decided to be a sook and politely declined!! Wished him well, and said I would be back to collect him at the end of the game:))  Mother of the Year, or what:)) Kettle Park is right on the beach and definitely takes the medal for the coldest soccer ground in the world (slight exaggeration maybe, but not much!!).

Not so much stitching has been done over the past month, but that's about to change cos the nights are long and chilly, and the best place to be is right beside the fire with needle and thread, or a pair of knitting needles.

Keep warm:)

Jenny