Hello Out There

 Hello friends.....it's been a minute!

Family seems to have taken a lot of my time over the preceding months. We've had School formals....

And Graduations....

Grand Finals....

And almosts....

Great music nights....

My Granddaughter and her bestie since preschool...these two are so funny.

I celebrated my footy teams wins with the family.....

I've had a lovely holiday with my dear friend Fiona and her hubby.....such fun and so thoroughly spoilt!

You will have seen all the gorgeous gardens, embroidery and quilts on Fiona's blog Bubzrugz.

I also had a day of country tripping and a sleepover with friends Al and Mike....and a bit of retail therapy perhaps.

I have continued with my art projects. These two not long completed. 

Stitching has mainly been of the slow stitching variety. My mojo seems to have permanently taken a long vacation but this at least keeps my needle moving through fabric....plus I  love it!

Lastly the Patriarch of our family passed away aged 97 in my late husbands family home.

He could be a difficult man and very hard to get close to but it is always confronting when the last thread unravels...we take comfort in the fact that he lived and died absolutely on his own terms. So sorting out all that has taken a lot of time physically and mentally.

I hope you and yours are all well and finding some joy in your days. 

October always brings purple joy in my garden and my city......when the Jacarandas bloom.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

April Showers

 Good morning friends. We in Oz are a tad soggy at the moment. With many inland areas experiencing flooding. My life has been all over the shop the last few weeks....not in a negative way just variety! I was very fortunate to join the Sunday Stitchers girls for a four day retreat out in the country recently. 

Breakfast on the verandah looking out to the ranges was such a lovely way to start the day.

We started out with pouring rain but the sunshine came out which was very nice....it even got so warm we needed the aircon. I had the loveliest of times with loads of laughter, lovely conversations and some creative endeavours. My first task was to try and rescue a drawing that just wasn't doing it for me. 

This is why I don't paint folks....because you can't curl up in a chair like this lol! I think it's perhaps why I don't enjoy gadgets and machines because nothing relaxes me more than curling up in a comfy chair with needle and thread,  pencils or a good book! In the end I managed to save the piece....a sweet Rainbow Bee-eater....well I think I did.

I also completed the Sashiko table runner stitching. I kept messing about with the threads in the kit and didn't like it so in the end opted for all the same variegated thread.

Decisions need to be made now on the finishing! 

Goals achieved I relaxed with some slow stitching on my Treasures quilt. 

After a lovely weekend I came home to my daughter having had an accident. Slipping over in her driveway and fracturing her coccyx. So a bit of Mum Taxi stuff for medical appointments for her....poor girl!

My son and family also flew out to America so I had to collect a house guest on my way home from the retreat.

The D-man is getting to be an old grey man. He was so depressed about it but is doing better now.....telling the resident possums just who's boss around here lol!

He's a lovely old boy!

In between dog minding I have been working on my #Roxy's Journal of Stitchery prompts.

I made my book stack for my pear to sit on.

Added some extras is the background. 

An escaped blossom needed stitching at the bottom of my vase. So hard on my hands stitching through that thick lace!

I am currently working on the latest prompt which is a teacup or ceramic container. Couldn't resist a feathered friend, come for tea.

Struggling a bit with this project having to have some kind of order and composition  and not knowing the next bit. One more prompt to go. Also all the heavy flower applique has puckered it a bit. So hoping some light batting and kantha stitching as quilting will remedy it at the end. Fingers crossed. So jury's out whether I actually am going to like it when done!

I am spending the morning cutting out some more hearts from friend Marina's lovely fabric scrap parcel....she's such a great friend enabler lol! We did a little scrap swap.

They are for my "hearts" quilt which she "enabled" me to make.....

Lovely to have some more variety to play with for my little hearts again.

To all those of you who leave me comments...thank you. I have tried following the Google's response to answering comments so hopefully you have received them....if not I am sorry.

Well beautiful people that's all for now.

Take care,  speak with kindness and hug your people.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Mad March

 Good morning friends. Well it's been a wild and wooly old time here in South East Queensland of late. We've all had to batten down the hatches with Cyclone Alfred threatening our coastal areas. It's apparently the first time in 5 decades that a cyclone has threatened Brisbane. It caused much erosion and lots of flooding. I live just south of Brisbane. 

I and my family's homes suffered no damage thankfully but lost power for 24 hours. Being a camper that wasn't that terrible. Books were read and a little stitching accompanied by my favourite music playlist on my MP3 player. I have to be honest and say that even though the category was downgraded I was pretty frightened being alone with those howling winds. But nothing compared to others. Shout out to all our Energex and SES workers who risked life and limb in horrendous conditions to get our lights back on and rendering assistance. Champions one and all.

Now to stitching. 2nd prompt for Roxy's Journal of Stitchery was another vase only small.

I made a small jar from orange peel EPPs and appliqued matching flowers from the big vase.

We have received prompt 3 which is "fruit" I fancied a fancy pear. I stitched on a felt base and embellished it with lace, beads and embroidery. I think perhaps I will wait for the next prompt before stitching it on to my piece as I want to place it on a stack of books so we will see.

My March wip block for Sunday Stitchers was completed on time. 

So 6 blocks completed now for Caswell Quilt. Block 7 is underway.

My drawing mojo seems to have returned from vacation or whomsoever she was visiting...thank goodness!

I added a little Mama and Baby to my sketchbook last week. Fell in love with this gorgeous pair. I am not an artist who can quickly rough up a sketch in my sketchbook. I have to take my time.....wishing I was able to has never made it so. I just accept that now and be grateful. 

My Gardenia is also slowly progressing. Working on the leaves before anything else on the flower. It will stand out once the background is put in.

Yesterday I spent a lovely day with friends and enjoyed a delicious lunch. Thank you Bev. We caught up on friends exciting holidays and the ups and downs of this thing we call life.....And stitches were done on my "Dragonfly Meeting" sashiko. We don't always manage stitches....chat is more important. Lol!

Well that is me caught up for now. It's a showery old day here today and I am feeling in a " can't be bothered " mood,  so I am going to find something to watch and stitch some more of my Sashiko and let the dust bunnies chase each other uninterrupted. 

Before I go....

My Blue Ginger is in flower and excited to have several flower spikes. I took these snaps in between showers.

I love the individual little flowers....so perfect! Oh and the tiny raindrops *sigh. The colour is so gorgeous. 

Be kind to one another friends in this time when kindness seems a rare commodity. 

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

P.S.

I am still trying to work out the new blogger settings to answer your lovely comments so thank you in advance xx