Hallo Everyone!

I've been a bit absent  for a while lately, sorry, but Christmas is catching up and there's birthdays and parties to go to , and shopping to be done and so on and so on....

Have been doing a little sewing, am currently making myself a dress for Christmas - I love a new Christmas dress, don't you!?

We have had two days here of 35 degree and above temperatures!~  It has been so hot, it is like an oven when you have to walk outside.  Apparently, we are now waiting on a storm to roll in, we are watching some black tinged clouds rolling over slowly, so we will see tonight if the weatherman was right. I won't hold my breath!!

Took some pictures of the garden this evening for your viewing pleasure!

 

 

 

I do hope you enjoyed the pics - just imagine what a difference there will be if the rain hits tonight!

 

Well it is so close to Christmas and I have decided to take a little holiday from blogging, until the New Year.  Well be back during the first week of January 2013.

 

Alan & I wish all our e - friends a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.

 

See you all in 2013.

 

 

 

A New Home Business

My friend Tanya from  Wee Little Birds, has been busy starting up a new home business, selling children's clothing.http://simmots.blogspot.com.au/

  She has made some simply gorgeous items that she shows on her facebook page here.
 I just wish that I had some young children to buy for, her items are just so cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Just a few little items to show you.

 

 Hop on over to her Facebook site if you need something for a little one on your Christmas list!

December Block Swap

I was very surprised today when a knock on the door happened, and it was my swap partner, Kerry, from the Quilting Block Swap Australia, with her December house block for me!

Isn't the palm tree gorgeous?
This was the first house block that Kerry has done, so she has done very well! She was also a very nice person and lives not very far away. Hopefully we will meet up again soon.

Like I keep saying, I am such a lucky person!!

May You Rest Now In Peace

The remains of Daniel Morcombe were laid to rest this day, 9 years after his disappearance.

Please take the time to send love and healing to his family and all those who knew and loved him.

He will always be in our hearts.

Monthly Block Swaps

I think it is time i can show the blocks that I have done for my last two partners in the Down Under quilting Block Swap.
For Sue in November:-

 

This one was a little too small

 

So I added this one.

 

For Tracy in December:-

 

 

A disappearing nine patch in black and white. I thought it was rather good!

 

So now the block swaps are all up to date.

 

Reverb 2012

 

Hop over here to visit Kat at I Saw You Dancing, and learn all about Reverb 2012.

The prompt for Day 1 is: How are you starting this last month of 2012?

I am starting this last month of 2012 by getting up to date with all my swap blocks so I can start the new month with a clean slate.  They are done and they are ready to be posted.

Some are even already parcelled up and ready to be posted on Monday. No pictures yet. Not until they are received in their new homes.

There are lots of other things as well, perhaps I shall explore them through the month, but probably as I have said, start this month off with a clean slate. Try and keep it that way through 2013. Big ask??

A picture for Day 1:

 

Not Long Now!!!

Saturday Snapshots on Sunday

Just could not wait to show you what we went and bought today for the garden, the colours are simply stunning!

So that's my inspiration:

 

Some new bromeliads!

 

Aren't the colours gorgeous?

 

These ones I will attach to a palm

 

I took this picture to show you their spikes Ouch!!

 

November Swap Blocks

My partner in the month of November was Sue, from South Australia. Sue is actually the lady who started the Quilting Block Swap Australia up in the first place, and her block for me arrived today:

 

 

Blogger is making my pictures smaller tonight for some reason! You'll have to click on this as well!
Anyhow, it's another house for my house quilt and it is adorable. There's a little fairy in the window of the house, and her pet puppy is waiting outside.

Thank you Sue, I really am a very lucky quilter.

Now I just have to get her blocks to the Post Office!

More from the Recent Workshop

Remember I said I had some more pictures from my workshop last weekend with Prudence Mapstone?

Well I finally went yesterday over to Susan's house to pick up my camera, so I thought you might like to see them. These are of a beautiful coat/shawl that Prudence had made - here it is lying on the floor

 

Isn't it stunning?

 And here are just some closeups so you can see the stitches.

Don't forget to click on the pictures and you can see the larger version.

 

How Does the Garden Grow?! Part 2

Hopefully tonight the pictures will load faster!

These bromeliads are growing at the base of a palm,

Here are the same plants, crawling up the palm trunk! If you look closely in the middle top of the picture you can see the leaves of the dancing lady orchid where it is tied to the palm!

 

The blue plumbago is so pretty

 

Another pot of dancing lady orchids in the corner of the garden, blooming away happily!

 

 

Such a beautiful pink coloured flower on the succulent!

 

In the middle of this photo, you can see a mauvey - pinkish flower down near the ground.  It is the "Siam Queen"  Ginger, the flowers are striking!

 

 

Thre coleus leaves are colouring up well now that I have moved it into some shade.

 

How Does the Garden Grow?!

Well today is Monday and we are recovering from a weekend of massive storms, pouring rain, lightening, hail and thunder!  Today it's windy, but it looks like the rain has finished ( that's always the way here lately, whenever we get any decent rain, the day after it will blow the winds so hard, just to dry us out again, I think!)

Because we haven't had much rain for a long time, I thought you might like to see what's happening out in the garden :

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Day Lillies are magnificent, aren't they?

 

 

The frangipani is leafing up and beginning to flower well!

 

Well that will be all for tonight, blogger is soooo slooow in uploading the pictures, I'll show you more tomorrow!  See you then!

 

 

 

 

 

Couldn't Resist This!

 

 

Now isn't that so true!!!

Saturdays Snapshots

Time for us again to show snapshots of our inspiration for this week.

My inspiration for the week is Prudence Mapstone and her wonderful freeform work.  I am lucky enough to be attending a weekend workshop on freeforming with her today and tomorrow - what a lovely lady she is!

Just a couple of pics:

 

The colours and the textures of the work Prudence does are amazing!

 

Here we have Susan to the left ( we are meeting in her home for our workshop - she runs the online yarn shop called Yarn Glorious Yarn) Prudence in the middle and Geraldine concentrating on her beautiful pieces.

 

 

Only those for today, they'll be more tomorrow!

Join us won't you?