Friday, December 25, 2015

Happy Christmas To All

.....and all the best for the New Year.
A quick catch up on SSCS..here is what I received from Kerrie
2 lovely felt ornaments and a gorgeous stocking with lace , buttons and embroidery..thank you so much, Kerrie for your lovely gift.
But sadly the parcel that I sent is somewhere in transit to Queensland, I'm not really sure where it is , (somewhere in the channels of Australia Post)  and am so disappointed that it hasn't arrived in time.  This what it looks like..and I am just hoping that it will find its way to where it should be..
I'm off to Sydney tomorrow to spend some time with my Mum, so will pop in every so often to see what everyone is up to.


Sunday, October 4, 2015

FNWF and Spring is here at last..

                Spring bulbs flowering are something I always look forward to each year and this year I potted some up on the back deck.           
                        
After a long, miserable, cold winter could it be that spring has finally arrived.  Yesterday was a brilliant sunny day and yes the sun is shining again today, what a difference it makes after the grey gloomy days of winter.  Time to get out in the garden, mow the lawns and check out the damage to some of the plants from too many hard frosts this year..
 My stitching has been in the doldrums over winter..not much has been happening on that front..so to try and get myself back on track I joined up with everyone for FNWF..and spent part of the time looking for inspiration for Christmas stitching..and also doing a few more rows of Mum's throw.  I'm really loving these colours.
The plan is to deliver it when I am over in Sydney at Christmas time..hope Mum likes it..

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Talk about slow stitching..

Or should I say hardly any stitching (or blogging either).  Busy times seem to make the days slip by in a bit of a blur!!
This seems to be the sum total of my stitching efforts over the last few weeks..a few paper pieces joined together and a few more rows on the rug I am making....just a little bit of progress


looking for help......On signing in this morning I received a notice that said I have to notify visitors from Europe about any cookies that are used on my blog?? have any of you got the same notice and if so what did you do about it??? Cookies??

Saturday, July 18, 2015

FNSI and other things

Well what a day it was yesterday..an exciting start with a trip to the airport to pick up DD2 after her long flights home from Vancouver..after a month away.  There was a fog layer over the runway here so the plane had to circle for about 50 mins until it cleared enough for them to get the all clear to land..phew she was glad to be on the ground..and noticed the cold weather as soon as we walked out of the terminal!!!
Lots to catch up on...and another thing to look forward to is DD1 arrives home tomorrow night after 3 years away on her OE...she flew as far as Auckland with DD2 but is spending a couple of days visiting friends up there before she flies down here..can't wait to see her....
Meanwhile for FNSI last night I added a few more rows to Mum's rug..I'm on the 14 colour change now..it was the perfect project to work on ..catching up with DD2 and keeping warm..

                             
It started snowing about an hour ago..it seems to be stop/start at the moment but we have a covering of snow on the back deck..so will wait to see what it is like in the morning..

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Another cracking frost.

Like so many places the big freeze has continued for the last few mornings with the temperature lowering to about -6 C degrees overnight , leaving us with a cracking frost...
Some shady parts of the garden  haven't defrosted since Saturday, white crunchy lawn, and there was this slab of ice which froze to over 4cm thick in an icecream container... 
                        
Meanwhile lovely sunny days are following each frosty morning, perfect for warming the house but not so nice if you are outside in the cold air.
Mum's rug continues to grow..I've completed 9 colour changes so far..I'm really enjoying working on this and it gives my eyes a rest from other stitching.
                   

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Brrrrrrrrr..it's cold


Well the temperature says 1 degree but that doesn't take into account the wind chill factor.. Yesterday we hit a high of 5 degrees..woohoo.. so the official reading said..it was sunny but with a cold wind blowing up from the south where they had very heavy snow falls during the day...
Hello...yesterday sunny but cold
What a difference a day makes..we had light snow overnight and being down near sea level where we live it just left a light covering on the ground.. so this morning it was like this
Hello...it is a bit cold but a lot of fun rolling in the snow
 They are predicting snow showers to continue on and off till tomorrow.  There is a lot more snow in the hill suburbs and the Northern Motorway out of the city was closed last night (it's about 300 m above sea level) .  There will be a lot of cars and trucks stuck in town and on the other side of the hills till they open it..looks like a few shops will be without things like fresh bread as that gets trucked in from further north these days.  Motorists around town have been told to take care as there is a lot of black ice on the roads and a lot of bus services aren't running.
So, being school holidays, I am going to stay warm inside.. I've added a few more rows to mum's rug....
                            
I did have an oops moment and had to undo the 2 rows of green , so am pleased to have corrected it and redone those rows..



Sunday, July 5, 2015

What a night...what a game...

It was both exciting and nerve-wracking last night as our team, the mighty Highlanders,  battled it out for the Rugby Super XV title, against another New Zealand team, the Hurricanes , (who had beaten us twice this year).  Not many people out of the area gave us a chance but our team led all through the game, and came away with the title..not bad for a team that was 2nd last in 2013 and are now the champions in 2015..so very exciting..and as the saying goes 'Better to have a champion team than a team of champions".. a group of players who have worked hard for each other throughout the season.....found this photo online
So to give myself something to do while watching the game (and to keep the nerves at bay) I got out the wool for a ripple rug that I am making for Mum and got through a few rows..I started it on Friday for FNWF and after a month of hardly any crafting it was great to get back into doing something. 

                     
The package of wool for the rug arrived during the week..I am using the pattern and selection of colours for the cottage ripple on the Attic 24 site.  Thought they looked like good colours for Mum, 
                                  
So after nearly a month of self imposed absence from blogging it is good to be back.  It has just been such a busy month with report writing, daughter's house flooding etc etc that I had to restrict myself..now to catch up on what's been happening in my absence..

Sunday, June 7, 2015

FNWF

What a week it was and so it was good to just sit down and relax with a needle and thread while I worked on this for FNWF. 
              
Tonight I have been stitching a lot of lazy daisies in the design under those words.
Yesterday was spent going around the shops with DD2 as she was looking at carpet, vinyl, wallpaper, heat pump, whiteware etc.  She wants to be ready with all the information when the insurance asks for it.  The assessor has been and her carpet was taken up and thrown out yesterday. Now she is waiting for a builder to come and check how far up the walls the water damage has gone..then she will know the extent of the work that needs to be done and how long it will take.  Funny thing is DH is a builder himself, but as he said you have to leave it to the insurance to sort it all out and reinstate her little house to what it was.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

It sure has been a day to forget..

..the heavy rain started last night and we have had 115mls during the day..usually we might expect about 65mls in a month.  The roads and drains in the city haven't been able to cope..and some homes have been flooded...and sadly DD2's little house has been one of those houses,..DH went to check on it at lunchtime as we heard that a number of roads in the area had flooded and what a sad awful sight it was.....water knee deep as you walked down the path and then up the front steps to the door.. and there it was ..water through the house as well..not a great day at all...

On the news tonight it said that one of the pumpstations had failed in the area..not what you want to hear when you have to deal with a flooded house..
...and now begins the process of dealing with the insurance claim and getting the house liveable again.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Well..what a weekend...

Here in New Zealand it was Queen's Birthday weekend so that meant a 3 day weekend for us..

It was the Chookshed's 3rd birthday so lots of us got to "attend" the party (virtually of course!!)

I have given in to the temptation of Lucy Boston.  When I called in to a LQS I saw some blocks on display with a notice that they have a Lucy Boston group meeting there, they had already had their first get together so I was going to join them for the 2nd one last week..bad luck though as it snowed on and off all day so it was postponed as no one was really keen to go out at night... so the next one is at the end of this month..so a little bit of preparation has been done by way of retail therapy..the book, template and papers..
            
and a selection of fabrics to get me started..
           
our weekend jolted to a finish last night..quite literally.  They don't call New Zealand the Shaky Isles for nothing..We'd just gone to bed when there was a roaring sound and the house started shaking..the biggest earthquake we have felt in quite a while down here..a 4.7 centred just 30 km away.. we can sometimes feel the odd tremor from other parts of the South Island when they have had earthquakes...and they have recently assigned levels of earthquake risk to various parts of NZ..low, medium and high.  We were relieved to see that we live in one of the few parts of the country where it is considered at a low risk of having an earthquake... so it just goes to show...

Sunday, May 31, 2015

It's the Chookshed's 3rd Birthday..

and lots of celebrating is going on over there as well as here and there in blogland.
In the mail  was a new book that I have been waiting on since I ordered it a few weeks ago.. and so with cup of coffee, and  a comfy spot to sit in I am going to settle down and enjoy reading it ..lots of gorgeous quilts in it..
               

Sunday, May 17, 2015

FNSI catchup

..a little more work on these squares...so I am.nearly there with the makings of the biscornu...

                       

.and I opened one of my gifts from Mothers Day.  DD2 had gone online and ordered my very own muesli mix from the choice of ingredients at the Muesli Hub..and then named it for me using an old endearment/nickname my family used when I was young..and it was yummy, lots of fruit and nuts in the mix she made up for  me..
          

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Happy Mothers Day



                                            .... have a wonderful day


Sunday, May 3, 2015

Friday Night with Friends

...gave me a chance to start the hardanger biscornu from the pattern I showed a few weeks back...I must say though that I'm not really enjoying stitching with the recommended fabric, Oslo..it is the first time that I have stitched with it....usually I like to use Lugana and I think I will get some to do a few more
                        
And I can share Mum's tea cosy..this is the third one I have made for her small, medium and large teapots..rather funny though as Mum is not a big tea drinker, but she wanted them for when she has visitors..
                        


Saturday, April 25, 2015

A Day of Remembrance

           
We joined with about 20,000 others for the Parade and Dawn Service at the Cenotaph in town this morning..and on our way home stopped at the Field of Remembrance Crosses which had been placed at the oval near the Memorial from the South African War.
                        Lest We Forget

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Just relaxing..

..and enjoying the last few hours of my 50's,before I move into a new decade tomorrow..so I'll soon find out what it fells like to be 60 !!!!!!!
There was a knock at the door late this afternoon and it was the delivery of this beautiful arrangement of flowers from my dear Mum...ordered in Sydney and delivered through a florist over here in NZ..she wanted  to make sure I would have them in time for my birthday ..
                    
I rang Mum to thank her and to check that she was all right given the wild weather that has been battering Sydney and beyond...she's OK but while we were talking on the phone the power went out again..I'm hoping it's not out too long..

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Catching up on FNSI

Just sitting here on the couch, relaxing before the busyness of a new term starts tomorrow.  A bit hard to take clear photos without shadowing but I'm too comfortable to get up to take them somewhere else!!! Friday was the last day of the school holidays and it gave me time to have a wander around the shops (much more enjoyable than the time I had just spent unstacking the desks and chairs in my classroom and setting things up for the new term).  I spotted this pattern as soon as I walked in to one shop and it just had to come home with me
                             
.. and they just happened to have the supplies that the pattern recommended so they came home too...
                        
Then it was on to spend the whole afternoon with my stitching group friends and I took along another tea cosy I am knitting for Mum..I've made the large and extra small one and this one will be for her medium size tea pot..which only comes out when she has visitors ..but it will complete the set. I thought knitting would be easier  to keep track of all the conversations around the table..
                              
I hope you all had an enjoyable FNSI ..now to try and visit to see what everyone else has been working on...

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

This and that and FNWF

Time flies between posts..especially when it has been the busy end to the term...now with the holiday there's time to 'catch my breath' and catch up on all the things that I haven't had time to do..like reading blogs and seeing what everyone has been up to and getting back into some stitching. 
 The weather has been great over the Easter weekend (if we don't count yesterday) and it has been good to get outside, spend a bit of time in the garden and just enjoy the sunshine.  Our little tomatoes are ripening each day and I've just picked another bowl today.
                          
Not a lot of stitching has been done lately but on Friday night I got out my bobbins and started on a bookmark..just for something relaxing to do...and it is far easier on tired eyes at night..
                                
...and a bit of a close up with some pins removed ..
                                            
DD2 made her favourite cheesecake for dessert on Sunday and used her special plate to serve it..it was so delicious as always..white chocolate cheesecake with raspberries..
                       

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Photo frustration..

..I'm not sure if it's the new laptop or not but it sure is frustrating when I am visiting blogs and all I see are blank spaces where I know there should be photos.   I really want to see all the great things that are being worked on out there in blogland, .  It has been a real hit and miss as the odd one works and then nothing on a lot of others..I'm even having trouble seeing photos on  my own blog at times and the pages are taking a long time to load....it really is annoying..hopefully things will right themselves soon..

Sunday, March 8, 2015

A Finish for FNWF

I can mark this off the list  as my first finish for March..rather pleased with my little mini quilt..which can hang on my mini quilt stand....now on to the next one...and time to visit and see what everyone else worked on for FNWF
                                           

Monday, February 23, 2015

Initial Heart Swap.....Part 2

I've been waiting to hear that the parcel I sent had arrived before I shared it.  At times I felt a bit like a stalker as I kept checking the blog of the person I sent to (to see if they had posted that it had arrived) as well as our Swap Mama's to see if they have been marked off.
As the days dragged on I was really starting to worry that it had gone astray.  The other night I saw that the recipient's name has been marked off the list on Swap Mama Cheryll's blog, so I am relieved to know that it has arrived.  This is what I sent..
                           
..and a block of Lindt Dark Orange Chocolate..as the sweet surprise..
                             
..and I'll be able to count this as an OPAM finish for February




Sunday, February 22, 2015

FNSI

My FNSI this month became a Saturday Stitching Day.  One of my Friday Stitching Group friends and I set off early Saturday morning to drive an hour north, pick up another friend along the way, and then on to spend the day with a lovely group of ladies at their monthly quilting workday.
The drive up the hills out of town saw us travelling through some rather thick mist and it thankfully cleared as we went down the hills on the other side and along the coast.
  What a great day I had.
I did manage to do a little stitching (oh dear it doesn't look like much does it..but there is more to add to it..)  amongst all the chatting and looking at what others were working on...
                 
I hope that everyone else had a wonderful time for FNSI this month as well

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Initial Heart Swap

This beautifully wrapped parcel from Kerrie of  channelbankcreations arrived in the mail for me..

             
Inside was a pattern folder..just look at the gorgeous heart that Kerrie stitched on the cover she made....all those lovely stitches and embellishing..
                  
and a view of the inside with a few treats for me to enjoy..
              
all set for me to now organise the patterns that I am working from..what a wonderful gift.
A big thank you, Kerrie,..this is going to be so useful.. just perfect!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

My FNSI

..was spent finishing off this mini quilt.  It needed the binding sewed down and now that is done I can mark it off my list of things that I need to finish off..feels good to finish it off!!
                          


Monday, January 19, 2015

FNSI

Well I'm back online and back in NZ after my trip to Sydney..so many things to catch up on but to kickstart the week ..Friday is the day for
                                     
so head on over to Wendy's blog to sign up for the first FNSI for 2015