Pin cushions and pianos.

Well, now I know what ''peak'' season in the accommodation industry is all about - it's called February! My great giddy aunt - I have lost count of the linen I've laundered, the beds I've changed and the brekkies I've made over the past few weeks. But it's been amazing - so many people from all over the world have stayed. And I challenge anyone to make a bed quicker than I can!

This morning I woke to the most gorgeous sunrise - so I hauled myself out of bed, fumbled around for the camera and tip toed out onto the balcony to see what I could get. It was so beautiful, and it never fails to amaze me how quickly a sunrise or sunset changes and is gone.

Haven't had quite so much stitching time lately but this week I did start and finish block five of Vero's mystery quilt - I have to admit that once I start one of her blocks I become a little ''addicted'' for a couple of days until it's finished. I love the way it starts out ''raw'' and then changes as all the little details and finishing touches are added. This month, this block is my favourite.

I'm half way through the first block of Brenda's quilt - it is truly divine. I'll show you soon.

On Friday I did something that I haven't done in years! I was dusting upstairs - and no, thats not the ''something'' though it was starting to look a little obvious that I hadn't dusted in a few weeks and the girls were coming for stitching! Anyway, as I was dusting the piano I lifted the lid and ran my fingers across the keys. It really has been more than ten years, I would say, since I last touched a piano. So I found a very old piece of sheet music in the piano stool, and sat and started to play - pretty rusty for the first few lines of music, but then it all came back! How amazing, I thought - you don't forget. And it was lovely - not the way I was playing 'cos that wasn't the best - but it was just lovely to play again. The piano came with the house so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it has a fabulous tone, and I think I just might play a little more. Go and do something you haven't done for years and years - it gives you a real buzz, to know that you can still do it, and that you still like doing it! And you wonder why you ever stopped doing it! Oh, and the postie was good to me again this week - this was his treat for me - Robyn Pandolph's new Beach House range of fabric. Yum!!! Fat quarters and charm sqaures in the most heavenly pastel colours and prints.

The firewood saga continues... I was determined to have all my firewood delivered and stacked by the end of February and yesterday I realised that it was the 27th February!!! I had calculated I needed two more loads so I bit the bullet and got both loads at once. Seemed like a good idea at the time until I waltzed down the steps to see the biggest pile of firewood. It may not look so big in this photo....

... but believe me - it was BIG!!! For what seemed like hours we didn't even make a dent in it but then finally there was light at the end of the tunnel, or in this case, wood stack. We trudged up and down the steps and garden for four long hours, minus a few short jellybean revival breaks. A handful of giant jellybeans every so often eases the pain! So, now it's done - all neatly stacked and I only hope there is enough 'cos I don't want to do this again until this time next year. I have to be very honest and admit that I am feeling my age today - was a little sore first thing this morning - discovered a few muscles that I didn't know I had - cruel and unusual punishment it is!! It took a little more than jellybeans to encourage Jake to participate this time - when the load was delivered he just looked at me as if to say ''are you mad?'' and shook his head. Monetary enticement was called for!

I have a movie lined up for tonight - and stitching - finishing off a couple of things. Have a lovely stitchy week.

Jenny

Still sunny!

The last time I was here it was a glorious blue sunny sky day - same again today! Maybe I should be out there, in the garden, or just relaxing with a cuppa on the front porch. The second option sounds good - gathering strength for the next job on today's agenda - carting another load firewood up the stairs, and then up through the garden, and then stacking it up under the house (there are way too many ''ups'' there!). Yah - I can't wait until the delivery man turns up with it!! I have been a little cunning though and suggested that he deliver it mid to late afternoon - like about about after 3.00 p.m. Sorry Jake!

I've started to do a little work on some of this years classes. We did some vintage Christmas decorations last year, and they were fun. So I've decided to do another four this year. Have been thinking about what to do for ages, and I've finally settled on the next four. Here's the beginnings of three of the four...

... and part way through the snowflake....

Also, I've had fun stitching a garden for Barb's hollyhock buttons.....

... and it's finished up as another class project. I used a new range of fabrics - "Old Primrose Inn" by Blackbird Designs - gorgeous soft colours and old-fashioned florals.

Plenty of pockets to store absolutely everything.

The Gingham Girls got an outing, too. Have half finished block ten - this is such a pretty little block....

... and sweet lavender...

I have to show you a couple of things that the postie delivered this week cos they are gorgeous! The first parcel had a pile of buttons from House on the Hill - what do you think? Aren't they beautiful!

And then there was this! This is not my stitching but a picture of part of Brenda Ryan's most delicious new quilt, Jane Austen's Bonnets (this is one of my block of the month quilts this year). I'm going to be stitching this tonight - I know I shouldn't start something else quite yet, but this is completely irresistable - I just have to do a little!

Not quite finished with the postie yet - she also delivered a parcel from France - new cross-stitch patterns by Virginie Gousse. Her designs are truly exquisite -I just had to have them! It was so hard to choose just one to show you, but they will all on my website in a couple of days (http://www.thestitchery.co.nz)

So, the postie was good to me this week - a whole lot of goodies (and not too many bills!). Must scoot now, as the firewood will nearly be here - such fun awaits!!!

Happy stitching

Jenny

Glorious Sunshine!

It is the most gloriously sunny hot day today - this is what I'm seeing from my balcony - not a bad view really!

I should be in the garden this afternoon - have been attacking the front garden for the last couple of days - though I think ''wilderness'' is a more appropriate description for that part of the garden! I'm not sure you can really even see where I have been but I have discovered some of the healthiest specimens of thistles that I've ever seen! Prize winning numbers they were! It's a little too hot right now, though, so may go back to it later this afternoon.

Last night I finished block four of Vero's mystery quilt - it was such fun to stitch and I really really love it!

And today the postie brought me some of these...

...gorgeous new buttons from Theodora Cleave. I think I will have a little play with a couple of them tonight. Postie has brought me some very nice little parcels lately.

Isn't this the most amazing colour - these little lobelia are pretty hardy to survive in this planter as I often forget to water them - it doesn't seem to worry them though.

I think I've just been talked into taking someone over to Signal Hill for a few downhill runs! I suppose it's a way to avoid the ''wilderness'' for a little longer and I don't really mind driving up and down the hill half a dozen times as it's good ''thinking'' time - many a project has been sorted out in my head on that road!

So, I'm off to drive Mr Jake!

Happy stitching

Jenny

Stacy Nash Primitives

Look what arrived in my mailbox yesterday! While I was away last week I spent some time surfing the net, looking for gorgeous cross-stitch designers - Stacy Nash was one of the first I found and now her patterns have arrived. You should have seen me opening the box - oh so carefully - not!!! I couldn't wait to get it open to see the goodies - this picture does not do them justice - they are divine.

These are just a few - more on my website. Also, gorgeous little books of her designs, though these aren't quite on the website yet (!). Maybe later today (or tomorrow...)
I don't know about you but I love patterns and books that are beautifully presented - these little books have an opaque type of cover that is fastened with a ribbon. Probably sounds silly, but somehow it just seems that little bit more special undoing the ribbon and opening the pages - makes you think ''what secret treasures await''. And treasures there are!

I haven't done any cross stitch for such a long time, but over the past few months I've been seeing some incredibly beautiful work on the web and other blogs and it has sparked the old desire to cross stitch again. I even got out the linen a couple of weeks back and played around with an idea that's been floating around ''upstairs'' for a little while. I'll give you a peek soon (if it works!).

Off now to maybe finish block four of Vero's mystery quilt - it's very cute.

Happy stitching

Jenny

Alexandra

This afternoon I am supposed to be doing something else - but I absolutely loathe doing that ''something else'' so I have become the master of ''let's see what else we can do instead and delay it just a little longer''. And I remembered! I haven't been here since getting back from our little holiday - the perfect excuse not to do the other thing! We had a fabulous time. As soon as the last guest had left we hit the road for Alexandra - I swear that there is something in the air up that way that makes you relax - once you hit Roxburgh, it just seems to happen - breathe it in and holiday mode takes over. We always stop in Roxburgh for coffee (and a little something from the bakery!) - there's a special little spot round the back of the township overlooking the river where we ''do'' morning tea (though in this case it was more like lunch!) Then, of course, there are multiple stops at the roadside fruit stalls - to load up with cherries, plums and apricots. By the time we got to Alex we were ready for a walk/bike in the hills.

Even though the wild thyme was well past it's best, the smell of it was still heavenly. And meandering around these hills on a warm day was bliss.

The second day we walked part of the river track and met this little fellow along the way. He was just a baby I think, and I'm not entirely sure how he got to be where we found him. Eventually he scurried under a large rocky overhang, away from us and the sun, no doubt, and I am hoping that his mother found him. He was so cute.

We stopped at this point, before heading back, and the utter peace and stillness was incredible. Only the birds singing in the background.

One thing that drives Jake nuts when we are out walking is that I am forever stopping to take pictures of wildflowers - can't understand why this annoys him, though! They are gorgeous - this is a favourite.

Stitching on holiday was not as productive as I had hoped - blame it on the motel lighting! So all I managed was to finish these, from a project that has been in the basket for a while now...

...and I did another of Barb's little cat stitcheries - still have one more to go to make up the set of four.

So.... this has delayed the dreaded task quite nicely - but I don't think I should delay it any longer or I'll get into trouble. Need to go calculate and file my GST return!

Happy stitching (I wish I was!)

Jenny

''Stitching Time''

Took the afternoon off, today. There's been a lot of cleaning and breakfasts going on over the last couple of weeks and I needed a little ''stitching'' time. And add to that a trip to A & E last weekend, and tending the wounded, for good measure. (A & E? sure you can guess - involves a bike, rocks and luckily just one finger but a surprising number of stitches for such a little pinkie!) Yeah - I needed this afternoon!

So, I finished off this little sweetie. You know how some things you make you just absolutely love them - well, this is one of them for me. It's a gorgeous little pincushion pattern of Brenda Ryan's - there's also a daisy design in the same pattern that I'm only half way through but this is the finished hollyhock one.

I added the feather stitch down the seams cos I love the way it looks.

And I've used Pams Cottage Garden Threads - aren't they so gorgeous.

Speaking of Pam's threads - she has just released another 34 new colours! I think I've died and gone to heaven! They arrived yesterday and I have been oogling them ever since - I'll pop them on the website soon, I promise.

This is my little "Days in Provence" quilt - all finished. The quilt is a design of Jackie Nicholls (http://www.houseonthehill.co.nz/) and it's another one of those ''I really love this'' things!

I quilted really simply around each block- was wanting the ''naive'' look and decided that chunky stitches using perle thread would work. Then got a little carried away on the outside border and quilted it around and around, in quarter inch lines (not perfect quarter inches though - eyeballed it all the way!) It's given the border a sort of scrunched effect and that's what I really like - sort of a vintagey look.

Had another little delivery this week which was fun - a lovely range of fabrics called Wild Thyme - the most gorgeous shades of pinks and green. Do I have plans for this - definitely!

We're off for a few days holiday next week - will be walking amongst the real wild thyme - so hoping for some lovely sunny days and balmy evenings. And I get to choose a new little project to take with me - my holiday stitching project!

I've narrowed it down to about 4 - so might have to flip a coin a few times to make the final decision.

Happy stitching

Jenny

Two thousand and ten!

You know what - doesn't seem all that long ago that we celebrated the year two thousand? And now it's ten years later - hmmm.... I don't know about you, but one heck of a lot has happened in the last ten years - wonder what the next decade will hold? I don't ''do'' resolutions, but I did spend a little quiet time, just thinking about the past year and making a few plans for the coming one. There's a few things I would like to achieve. Did you celebrate the New Year in style? Very belatedly Jake and I wandered down to the Octagon, enjoyed the bands, and then were treated to an amazing fireworks display. And today, we went walking. Jake wanted to show me one of his biking tracks - said it was a goodie to walk up as you got great views. He was right - it was ''UP" (for a long long way!) but you did get great views so it was worth it. What I thought would be a quiet stroll turned into nearly a 5 hour epic, mind you I did dawdle a little to take some pics. This is a view along the way....

... and this is from the top but you don't see so much from there as it's flat. It was pretty amazing being up there though, with not a soul around for miles. We sat among the tussocks to shelter a little from the roaring norwester, ate cake (what's life without cake!) and drank lots of water.


I absolutely love the way new fern fronds look and can't stop myself from taking far too many pictures of them.

Christmas was a very happy family affair this year - all of us managed to get together for Christmas dinner - what a racket!!! This is what I gave friends for Christmas this year - I used Marg Low's gorgeous covered coathanger pattern, and made them up in Tanya Whelan fabrics. Cute ay!

And this is Christmas night - glorious sunset over Geraldine.

Boxing Day saw us walking again - a big long walk up Orari Gorge in the morning...

...and another long one along the Waihi River in the afternoon.

I know this is a ''bitsy'' blog - it's what I've been up to over the past week - but there has been some stitching in amongst the walking and Christmas and New Years things as well - a Brenda Ryan sweetie, some more of the Gingham Girls and block 3 of Vero's Mystery Quilt (that's been a challenge to put it mildly). I'll do a show and tell in a few days when a couple of them are hopefully finished. Now I'm off to have cake for supper - fresh Banana cake - my favourite!

Happy New Year

and lots of stitching

Jenny