Hello again

Hello again, it's been a while. I've been travelling, and back home, and busy and not busy - and suddenly it's June. How did that happen?

There's been a bit going on since my last post. The Mr and I had a lovely holiday in NZ, followed by a road trip in NSW. that's all another story. Some things have been made - not all crafty; I've discovered how to make ricotta (dead easy and delicious)  and how to process the olives from our tree and  have spent lots of time on research (that's what I like to call hanging out on social media and craft sites; it sounds less time-wasting!)

Crafty makes recently have included some Christmas projects - a pouch is for any special cards the recipient wants to keep, or for little treasures and a heart-shaped mug rug which will hopefully be bound today.  I've just taken part in a mug rug swap over on IG and the heart in the photo is what I'll be sending. Wasn't I just so lucky to have the perfect fabrics in my stash! The other photos show the beautiful double-sided mug rug Beth sent me. Lucky me! Look at that teapot - would you believe it's the first time she has done paper piecing? Amazing. Beth lives in the Mr's old home town of Forbes in Central West NSW and because her surname is the same as his cousin's married name we were keen to know if they were related. And they are - small world.

A little pressing of buttons recently bought me this delightful pouch by moogsmum in England. Lesley makes me laugh - and so do her twirly birds.

And over the past few weeks the postie has delivered lots of happy mail, including these fabulous fabrics from my birthday fat quarter group. Thanks heaps, girls, you added a lot of colour to my life at a time when I really needed it (bad combination of a stinking cold and bleak grey weather.)

It was my birthday last week and fortunately I was feeling well enough to go out for lunch then go to the pictures. We went to see A Royal Night Out, which was nice and light but not too fluffy. And a huge parcel arrived from my younger brother in Townsville. He's always concerned that I might not have enough to do in my retirement and sent me two jigsaw puzzles. At 1000 pieces each I don't think they'll be finished any time soon.

I popped in to Chooky's party at the weekend to  help celebrate the third birthday of her fabulous sewing space, the Chookshed, and worked on my little Christmas pouch. I was able to picture the Chookshed and where the girls would be working because the Mr and I spent two nights on the farm with Chooky and her family earlier this year. There were lots of chats, some stitching to do and champagne to drink, we learned about the pleasures and pitfalls of life on the land and admired their resilience and the huge skies and marvellous sunsets that are part of their everyday lives. I hope that we'll be able to repay their hospitality one day in our very different part of the world.

Till next time (whenever that is...)