Back again ...

I thought I had best get in here an do a post before you all starting thinking I had really fallen off the face of the Earth ... I have just been busy with a few things and life in general ....

A few things being a bit of quilting ... a bit of finishing off one or two UFO's ... and that is about it for the sewing / quilting side of things ...

And life in general ... we moved .. as you may have read a few months ago ... and our son and family moved close to us not long ago ... so it is so wonderful that they are near us again ... I just love it ... these grandies are lovely and close and life could only be better by them all being this close ...

With their move came changes ... they are both working and we are currently on school holidays ... so Nanni has been babysitting .... not that they need too much in the way of looking after ... I am doing it at their place so the kids have everything they need to keep them happy ... they are all very self efficient and know exactly what they can and can't do ... what they are and are not allowed to eat ... and I only have to fix snacks and meals for young Master Chance who is a big boy now at the ripe old age of 5 ... He does keep me in smiles ... My life will return to 'normal' as of Easter .. they all go back to school the Tuesday after .... I think I will miss them ...

The quilting I have been doing as I said was some UFO's .... actually just a couple of placemats ... I love the way they have come up ... just a 12 inch logcabin block ... 3 inch slabs of fabric on two sides to give them length ... a bit of quilting ... backing made up of odds and sods of left over bits .... and binding with a dash of red also thrown into it ... looks rather elegant me thinks ... and Hubby really likes these .... so I will be allowed to use them freely on the table ... lol .... like he would be able to stop me anyway ...

 I am really happy with them ... 

My daughter approached me a couple of months ago and asked if I would make her a quilt for a friend who was having a baby ..... as she had no idea what she wanted ... I sent her photos of different quilts I could do for her .... she picked out one quilt ... and such a gorgeous one too ... Remember Whooo Loves You ... and she wanted pinks and greens please ...

Then after sorting out that quilt another message came through on my phone .... 'ummm .... could you make me another one as well please .. please .... please ??' ........ this made me giggle .... she wanted another one .. simple little charm patches with hearts ... ....

This is what I mailed to her yesterday ... the simple little heart applique quilt ... it is sooo cute ... and the colours in the fabrics ... just gorgeous ... 

The backing was just a combination of all the fabrics on the quilt top ... it just made sense to do that ... 

This is the Whooo Loves You quilt ... I love love love the way this one came up ... 

the colours are much brighter than this pic reflects ... 

Again I did a pitchy-patch backing ... and out of all the left over pieces I had I made a small quilt that the new mummy could use in a pram or basket ... 

I know ... I really should have made another owl for this one ... but ... she will just have to do without ... 

and that is it for my sewing feats thus far ... 

We did have a bit of rain a couple of weeks ago ... around 12 inches over a 3 day period .... and while it rained all was good .. the rain just soaked into the ground ... which was very very dry ... and the grass was dying rapidly so the rain came just in time for many farmers in the area ... 

but the day after it stopped here the river below us started to run ... and rise ... it came up 12 metres .... and looked absolutely incredible .... the road was cut by the rising water but we are very very safe here ... the house is a long way up from where the water collects ... and it would take almost biblical rains for it to affect us ...  

BEFORE

AFTER

    

I tried to get the exact shot as the first photo ... almost had it too .... 

And here are some other pics of around the property ... 

a close up of the photo above ... 

Well here it is April ... next week end is Easter ... and I have done almost nothing with this year ... it is raining again today ... my life is going wonderfully well .. and ... it is raining again this weekend ... but the river is playing nice ..... at the moment ... 

 I will try to do these posts more often .... 

 Have a wonderful week people ....

We're on the move again ...

well ... marcos and i have decided that travelling in a big old bedford bus in NOT the best way for us to be doing this ... we need something a little smaller so that we can get into more places ... and ... something that won't cost so much to move around ... the fuel bill was just a little too much for these pensioners .. haha ..

so ... we are moving into a little 'house' up near Gympie in Queensland ... it has one bedroom and another area ... like a very large hall way .. that i will use for my sewing ... he says i am not really nice to live with if i am not sewing anyway .. haha ... ..

the plan is ... in 2 weeks time ... we move in .... get me sorted so that i can do some overdue sewing and quilting ... and then ... him get some sort of part time work .... and then ... fix the bus up ... more tidy it and get some of extra rough edges off it ... internally more than the external side of her ... sell it ... and then buy a decent towing vehicle and a not too big caravan ...

we did think of going into a smaller bus ... but .. that would mean more downsizing and that is something i am just not prepared to do ... i reckon i have done enough of that ...

the 'house' is not really a house ... it is half of an out building on a farm ... that was converted by the current owners when they decided to build their new home .... they knocked down the main farm house that was there and rebuilt on the same ground and so did this conversion so that they had something other than a caravan to live in ....... anyway this is not by any means the Ritz ... but it will do me .... it is furnished to a point ... we need a bed and a refrigerator .. which the kids have given us .... and everything else is there ... the rent is very reasonable and the conditions are fine ... i have lived in much worse in my day .. haha ... and one of the very very best bits is ... we will be about 1/2 hour from the beach ... yay ... and the views are to 'die for' ... and the country side is sooooooooooooo green .... grass for miles .. haha ... now this may seem normal for some ... but for almost 10 years all i have looked at is dirt .. dirt and more dirt .... dead grass ... and prickles ... and ... more dirt ... haha ... so this is wonderful ...

there is a river that runs behind the property ... and is close enough that i will be able to walk the dog there for a swim ... but the land is sloped and i may have a slight problem walking back up the slopes .. haha .. but given time i will make it ... and given time the slopes won't seem so bad ... and the exercise will do nothing but good things for me ... i guess .... that bit i don't think i will mind too much ...

the property is 17 klms out of town ... so we will have a short drive to do groceries etc .. but that is ok ... we have to do a minimum of 50 to see the doctor and 100 to do serious groceries at the present time ... so that bit is fine ... and when marcos starts work he can get anything we need before coming home ... the only time i would need to go to town would be to buy fabric ... or thread ... ... but ... i can get them online too ... heeeheee ... and he will never know ... lol

AND .. there are fruit trees too ... mandarines ... mangoes ... custard apples ... lemon ... some sort of berry bushes ... avocado tress ... maybe 4 of them .... tangelo ??? trees ...

we leave here on the 31st .... so ... 2014 is looking interesting .....

and in the next couple of days i will do a post regarding my gorgeous SSS that i received from my ever so sweet partner Marcia ...

When they throw caution to the wind ... it will eventually happen ...

OMG ... I am 56 years of age and one of my darling grandsons has decided to make me a great grand mother .... he is all of 20 .. just turned 5 days before Christmas ... and his girlfriend .. who I must admit prefers to be called his fiancée .. whatever she is … she is still only 18 … oh they got engaged when she was 16 … with her mothers blessing …. 

my son and wife are clearly not happy about any of this … and nor is the fiancée's mother … who promptly threw them both out of her house when they broke the 'welcome' news the other day …. 

and as they had already burnt bridges at my son's home before that … 

and as they are both unemployed and now homeless they are selling everything they own to pay for a motel room … 

and .. I just got a 'collective' text message from them to say … 

we are pregnant and even though you all think we don't know what we are doing … we are just fine and need no one's help … …… ……………… 

apparently they sent it to EVERYONE .... 

So I guess they won't be needing help from anyone at all ... including me who never even got the chance to offer any .... mind you .. there would be a slight lecture before any help was offered ... 

did i mention that i was 56 years old .... and have i said it yet ... OMG ... a great grandmother ..... 

this is something i really was not honestly ready for ... but ... hey .. they run around doing things that can make babies ... apparently using NO protection ... yep  they certainly are the Educated generation aren't they ... 

oh ... and this lad cannot get unemployment payments either cos Dad earns too much money so he has to be working ... 

and in fairness to him ... he did have a job at Christmas .... he started working at a local petrol station ... night work and good pay for a 'trainee' .... he started the job on the 19th December and on the 23rd decided he had to have a night off so that he could take the fiancee out to dinner to celebrate the fact that he had a job ... and of course he had a couple of drinks and then could not go to work ... told the boss he was sick ... that was ok ... but then took the next night off too .... 2 shifts in a row needs a doctors certificate ... .... long story as short as i can make it ... he is no longer working there .... but says he will take them to the unfair dismissal tribunal cos he didn't know he would need to 'prove' he was sick ... and this is the 'grown up' who is having a baby ..... OMG ... they are way too young and so am i ... 

so I reckon this will age me without any problem what so ever .... 

Yes ... i understand this is not really about me .... but gee .... read the title of my blog and you will see .... everything is always going to revert back to being ... All about me !!!!... 

and did i mention .... I am only 56 years old .... 

first part of what we're up to ...

This will come in segments .... when I get time to do an entry .. 

We left Levi and Katie's on the 23rd November … and as I had a few appointments in Tara with doctors and physio's etc we headed there and stayed at the lagoon until we were ready to go .. which took about 4 days … it was just nice sitting by the creek .. watching the busy world go by .. not that Tara gets too busy mind you … but it was certainly more busy than what we were used to livning on the farm … when that was all taken care of we set off … south …

As we drove past Levi and Katie's for the last time I waved them a fond farewell .. will majorly miss them all … but I am certain after a wee while they won’t be missing us too much … Chance did say he would miss Pop and his game time … 'but will you miss me' I asked him … NO .. but I will miss your chocarlart bicsets … nice to know I will be remembered … haha ..

 really miss this ...

The bus ran like a dream .. It was hot all the way .. Hot and dry everywhere .. The landscape told the story of the lack of rain and lack of wheat harvest … There were some places that the wheat still stood in the ground .. barely anything on the storks and certainly not worth the farmer harvesting it .. I guess most will just put cattle in the paddocks to eat what crop there is .. it was a sad sight indeed and I reckon very heartbreaking for the man on the land … I truly admire these people .. they spend their whole existence providing food for a nation and trust me it would be a lot easier for them to pack up their stuff and move on to much 'greener' pastures .. but they stay and hope for a better year next year … I truly love and admire these folk .. they really are the backbone of this land … I don't know what makes them stay .. but I am honestly glad they do … God Bless them one and all …

I am running about a week behind here .. but I will try to do a catch up as I go along … we are having a good time … staying safe and trying very hard to be good … not all of that is working tho … haha … 

All done ...

Well .. my SSS is finished .. packed ... and ready to go ... phew ... and with 5 days to go till mail out I am cutting it a little close ... but that's me ... always rushing at the 11th hour to get it done and off to its owner ... but this time I have at least some time up my sleeve .... bonus .... and yay me !!! ...

I will mail it off to my lovely partner on Friday ... I really cannot believe that it has been 6 months already ... my how the time has gotten away ... and Christmas only a month away too ... oh my ... it really is happening all too fast ... and like everything else in life it will happen whether I am ready or not ... and I really would like to be ready just this once maybe ... lol ... so I am going to try extra hard this year to be good ... and then Santa will do everything for me ... right ?? ..............

Time to catch up !!!!!!!!!

My word .. yes indeedy .... it most certainly is time ... I don't believe it has been 3 months since I posted in here last ... now that is just plain out and out bad form ... but ... that is me .... 

Update on my SSS ... I have 10 days to go before the big mail out ... the time certainly has gone by reasonably quickly .... well it feels like time flies by these days ... maybe it is because I am getting older ... maybe it is because I spend a lot of time not sleeping and therefore days sort of just roll into one another ... or maybe ... the clock really does tick faster and faster the older we become ... sort of to get rid of us quicker ...... or maybe it is just cos we are so busy doing important stuff that we just don't realise that the time is slipping by ... we must all take time out to smell the roses ... pick up the phone and ring that someone you've been meaning to call for months now ... stop and give the dog a pat just cos you can ... 

or .. be like me and sit and sew just cos there is nothing else to do in your day .. well nothing as important as sewing that fabric back together after you just cut it all up into little pieces ... haha ... 

my SSS is packed and ready to ship out ... well most of it ... just a little binding to finish ... why is it that the binding on some things takes months to finish ... everytime I walk past it I think .. oh I must finish that ... and just keep on walking ... but .. 10 days to go ... and I don't want to be sitting up all night 8 nights from now .. sewing down the binding ... so I promise myself I will do it in the next 7 days ... .... that will at least give me time to wrap it nicely ... 

I will be sewing tomorrow ... something else that needs to be done sort of urgently ... and then my machine will be getting packed away for a couple of weeks ... I have some hand sewing that needs to be done .. yes other stuff besides that binding .... so I am hoping to keep me busy with some hand sewing ... I am not really very keen on using a needle and thread as my fingers don't work as good as they once did and I am still having a wee bit of trouble with my left wrist and thumb .. so things pinch up after awhile .. but I want to hand sew this thing for a friend ... hope I succeed in getting it done ... Photos if I do .... but whatever the outcome ... the binding will get done .... oh ... and a couple of buttons that need to be sewn on too ... just remembered them .... 

anyway ... just thought I would pop in here ... do a quick post and then make a cuppa ... and sort out the thread I will need to do this little project .... and then I need to find some patterns for a baby quilt my daughter has asked me to make for one of her friends ... it will be a pink quilt and needs to be done by March ... once she chooses a pattern I will be able to get the fabric and make a start on it ... pinks and purples ..... sounds lovely already ...  

Shhhhhhhhhh .... here are some pics ...

I thought I would be sneaky .. and very norti and show you some photos of what I have made for my partner in the SSS ... but this is what happens when you go outside the rules .... Karma ...


Now I have NO IDEA what went wrong ... honest ... all I know is .. The battery on my camera was dead then I had what I thought was a great idea
 ..
"hey .. I have that new iphone ... the kids say it has a fantastic camera .. so .. just use it ..."

so I did .... 

Well .......... Never again ... if this is what I am going to get as finished photos .........

Absolute rubbish ... I truly am sorry about this ... I don't think it was anything I did .. I will have to check with my kids tomorrow and ask them if there is a special way to hold ones tongue while using an iphone to take pics ... it has me totally confused as to what went wrong ...

But anyway .. it is what it is and this is all I have to show you .... 

this is the first thing I made for my partner .. now if you could see the colours and the patchwork in it you too would say that I had done an exceptionally great job in making this ... but .. I don't think anyone would say that by looking at this particular photo ... 

and as for this ... well ... who knows what anyone would say ... 

if I didn't know just how lovely this looks then I would probably say myself that ... 

'it certainly is nothing much to look at" .... and just leave it at that ...

And dear bloggers (and my SSS partner... I know you are reading this ...) You are all going to have to wait until December to see the real thing ... because the gifts are all wrapped up now in very very expensive wrapping paper .. 

and I won't be destroying such excellent packaging just to take photos .. sorry about that ...



now even though I can't show you a decent pic of what I have made ...

I would like to think my partner is as excited about these as I am .... 

I would like to think she is .. but I doubt it very much ... 

I have been sewing but I can't show you !!!!

I spent last Friday sewing ... but didn't have my camera to take pics of what I had done ... and even if i did have it .... I wouldn't be able to post any photos here because what I am working on is for a S S S ... which stands for Santa Swap Sack ........... and it could also stand for Secret Squirrel Stuff ... which also sounds like it could be a lot of fun too doesn't it ...

but what I can tell you is ..... it is is a Christmas themed quilted thingy ... for my not so secret partner ... yeah .. we know who our partners are (and she knows who I am) so that makes it hard to brag about what you have been making ... and totally impossible to post photos of what you have done on your personal blog ... so you will all just have to take my word for it when I say it is just absolutely gorgeous ... and I love it ... of course I haven't finished it yet .... and it is not quilted .. so there is always the possibility that I could stuff it up and it could end up and non event ..... but .. it has been awhile since I super stuffed up something ..... so I dare say this one will get finished ... and when it is done and finished and photographed I am allowed to post a finished photo of it HERE ........... eventually ... we have until the end of November to have our things finished ...

and I can't even share a photo of the fabrics cos that would give away the identity of the item too ... so ... will just have to wait ... until Christmas time .. when my partner finally unwraps her gifts from me ... all 6 of them ...

And so far I have completed 1 ... and have 3 more in the process of being made .... I will be cheating and purchasing a couple of things that I will be sending ... only because it is too hard for me to make these things .......

But .. what I can show you is ... where I am sewing these days ... but those pics will have to wait until tomorrow .. cos I didn't take the camera up there with me today ... 

As you all know .. my bus is not quite drive-able again .. haha ... it has no wheels on it ... haha ...  that's right Bobbie .. laugh ... it is better than the alternative ... .... anyway ... my son has made one of the 'workers' houses on the property available for me to sew in .... I can spread myself out a bit and make a little bit of a mess if I want too ... the bus is good ... but doesn't have the room to really make a chaotic mess ... haha ... sort of like I am used to ...

It is very basic and nothing flash or fancy ... but there is a large table ... and lots of room to put up the ironing board .... and ... there is a little room off from the kitchen ... i am sewing in the kitchen ... it gets lots of sun in there and is nice and toasty warm .. anyway ... in this little room I have my sewing tubs ... and although I don't have the stash that I once possessed ... what I do have is very precious and oh so useful ... and I realised today that 2 of the tubs could get packed away and not dragged out at all .. cos they only have finished quilt tops in them .. yes .. 2 tubs full of tops waiting to be finished ... I will have to start saving my pennies so that I can get someone to quilt a couple of them for me ... some of them I can do myself ... but there are a couple in there that I would love some custom designs done on the blocks ... just to make them a little more special ...

I went back up to the house today and did a little more on some of my SSS bits .. I am really really happy with the way the bits are coming together ... especially as I have no pattern to work from .. just popping it all together as I go along ... haha .. 

well .. I am off to bed now ... have an appointment in town tomorrow to see a podiatrist and get my horrid little feet seen to ... Hopefully she can help with a couple of painful issues ....

Will catch up again real soon ... with pics of the house ... and hopefully of some other things that I may get done ... 

Barak turned 9 .. Happy Birthday Darling ...

Our Barak had a birthday on the 11th of this month and I have not blogged about that yet (norti nanni).. so I am thinking I should do that now ...... before I totally forget ... 

He turned 9 and is another one of my precious grandson's who came into the world earlier than expected .. by approximately 5 weeks ... very very tiny and oh so very loved ... 

Barak in the early days ... he was 5 days old in this photo

and here he is .. 5 months later ... seems the early arrival didn't hurt him too much ... 

 Ok ... this is how the day started ... with Dad and Mum in the kitchen making breakfast for the lad ... 

just as ordered by the birthday boy ... 

and Poppy giving the birthday boy a big hug ... not everyday you get to turn 9 years old mate ... 

and after our oh so yummy breakie ... of scrambled eggs and toasted cheese rolls

(aka - heart attack in disguise)

we got to watch the pressies getting unwrapped ... 

And here he is with his spoils ... a couple of DVD's ... a couple of Wii games ... a pair of jeans and a Tshirt .. a pair of skate shoes ... and some excellent Lego ... looks like one happy little chappy ... 

but Chance is here to tell us something ... 

What was that mate?? ... Barak has to come outside?? ... OK .. but I think he wants to build his lego ... 

But why does Mum have to do this ???? must be something he isn't allowed to see ... or ... maybe Mum just wants to push him down the stairs without him knowing it is coming .. haha ... 

no .. that's not it ... there really is something else for him to see ... !!!!!!!!!!!!! 

WOW .. check it out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am getting the idea that he likes this pressie too ...

Oh ... what .. you can't ride a motorbike ... oh dear ... that is sad ... 

but he certainly took to it like a duck takes to water ... 

he honestly could not ride a bike before this ... pretty good for a beginner me thinks .. 

Go Barak ... !!!!!!!!!!!

and there was NO stopping him ... he did this all day ... up and down the driveway ..

then up and down the road way ... and then took to the lane-way ... I thought he was going to head for the highway ... but he stuck to inside the property fences so that was good ... lol

Cameron was feeling a little left out cos he doesn't have a bike .. yet ... so dad got the quad out for him ... 

ahhh .... happy boy .... 

didn't see too much of him for the rest of the day either ... 

and Brodie got his bike out ... and was gone ... 

Daddy took Chance for a little ride around the yard ... and up the dirt track ... he came back with a grin as big as a dinner plate and more dirt on him than we knew what to do with ... but he was another happy little chappy ... 

and what is a day with the bikes without a breakdown ... 

but it is ok .. 

the men have it under control ... 

well there is a lot of head down and bum up here ... 

but eventually they got it back up and running .. and Brodie was off again ... 

Later that day .. Barak did get to make up his Lego sets ... and don't they look great .. 

then came dinner and his cake ...

oh my Mummy certainly did make a big cake ... didn't she .. haha .. 

and it too ... was ... oh sooooooooooooo yummy .... 

Happy Birthday Barak .... love you my darling ... 

sports day with my grandies ..

We headed off in the bus last week sometime ... had a little overnight stay in a wee little place called Hannaford ... now some of you know that Marcos and I spent around 8 years there ... it is a nice little community ... nothing much to see ... and even less to do ... but it was while we were there that I found my love for patchwork and quilting .... we had many grandbabies born while living there and it was there also when I went thru my little bout of cancer ... so all in all .. much happened there that has impacted our life as we know it now ... 

Anyway ... we only stayed overnight there and then headed into Meandarra ... 25 kilometres further west .... for the grandsons' school sports day .. both Cameron and Barak took home many ribbons for their efforts and Cameron now also possesses a medal for Age Champion .... I am a very proud Nana .. they did themselves and their school proud ... and the other kids there were excellent sportman too .. all congratulating the others for winning ... and I think many of them could have had callous' on their hands from all the 'high 5ing' that was going on all day ... LoL ... but it really was lovely to see so many little people genuinely happy for their peers ... 

Here is our Barak .... long jumping .. not sure now what distance he made ... but he got first place ..

 Again Barak .. high jump ... this was just under a meter I believe .. He got second place for this event

Here he is with his ribbon and oh so very proud of his effort ... and then ...

Cameron laughed at him cos he was holding it upside down ... 

Ahhh ... that's better ... my darling Barak with his ribbon for high jump ... 

Well done my precious ...

Barak ready for his 200 meter sprint ... 

somehow I didn't get a photo of him at the finish line ... doh!!!

Then we have Cameron ... (got more photos of him .. not sure why)

Here he is doing the 800 metre race .. came 5th in this one ..

and got a second place in the long jump ... distance unknown .. 

Cameron doing his winning high jump .. this height I did get ... 1.16 meters which was needed to qualify for the next round of inter-school sports events

and yes ... he will bite that tongue off one day ... or at the very least have a nasty accident ... mind you .. I think more than my tongue would be out if I tried jumping something so tall that came up to my chin .. haha ... 

WELL DONE !!!!!! ................... And here is his ribbon .. 

Mum putting his name on it so that Barak can't claim it .. haha ...

yep .. he is as tall as his mum ... 

and this is what Chance and Poppy did all day .... 

2 of my most favorite men in the whole world ... 

We spent a couple of nights here in Meandarra .... lovely little camping area ..

now I would show you some photos ... but ... I can't find my camera ... so this will have to do it for tonight ...

I will be back in a little while to share the photos and to update you on the rest of what has been happening