Wonderful weather for Ducks

.....and the rain came down. Not unusual since we are in 'The Wet Season'.  The cyclone that was, then isn't, then was and now isn't again is hovering off the coast further north and I'm not going to worry about it any more.  My neighbours ducks are splashing about in their little pool, quaking and thoroughly enjoying their little selves. Taking their lead late yesterday afternoon I went out into the garden, walking down the driveway was like walking down a river bed, the rain felt so good, who cared if the neighbours saw. I was actually rescuing some lillies that had chosen that moment to open, I didn't want them getting ruined so I picked them. It was invigorating. We got 80mm out of that little downpour and since it has been raining steadily ever since theres probably another 80mm from overnight.  The only downside being that it is our villages market day today and there is no way I am venturing out to a muddy paddock. I wanted to buy some more gem stone beads but I reckon most of the stall-holders will have peeked outside and just gone back to bed when they saw the weather.  Some old die-hards like the old italian small holders will have braved it - even after "Larry' they were their selling there produce out of the back of their ute.

But who needs veggies from the market when I have these beauties growing, going back to the house after my stroll around in the rain I noticed something red in the veggie patch near the house. Aren't they gorgeous, they remind of the sour apple lollies we used to eat when we were kids. I think these will be going into a tuna and pasta salad. I'm out of olives and I just remembered there was a market stall holder who sold the most wonderful dried herb and spices mixes, dare I get dressed and wander down, chances are he won't be there, I forgot to go to the bank yesterday, oh poo, so no money anyway.  Oh well, they'll be other markets he'll be at.

When I make a conscious effort into being motivated I can do it, I stuck at the snowdrop, not rushing in and losing heart early in the game, I did the preparation.  I am gradually rediscovering my deep passion for embroidery.   I love thread painting and jacobean work and even just doing the outlines for the snowdrop fired me up, beacuase the outline stitches are just used as a guide and padding for the surface stitches they are not too neat but I think it would look good as an outline and maybe just one leaf and the flower petals filled with a crewel stitch.  I might work another one in stem stitch later today and just see what it would look like. 

Doesn't seem to by many cars around, usually the road is chocker block market days, so I think I'll just stay home today, I'll drive down to the library later to stock up on some feel good books, then go get some chocolate and a packet of Grain Waves and hole up for the day. Got Adam Sandlers Bedtime Stories to watch as well.  All thats missing is a pot belly fire to curl up in front of. 

Update:  Ex Trocial Cyclone Neville fizzled out, typical of a bloke and Tropical Cyclone Olga category 2 flew in. She's hovering off the coast and expected to hit land maybe tomorrow evening,  This one will hit the area I live in if it does as predicted. I have a son living on the coast so maybe I should get the spare bed made up just in case he decides to head up the mountain where it will be a little bit safer. Better rush around like a headless chook getting prepared, I wasn't intending to go back into town, looks like I'll have to.

jan

Is it or isn't it

Yesterday the cyclone was downgraded to an ex, it hovered out at sea and the BOM predicted it would head back towards land further north, it was also predicted to reform as a cyclone overnight but just looking at the BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) site its still an ex, heading out to sea again but will come back towards the coast for weekend and maybe reform then. We are sure getting plenty of rain from it. Just steady rain, which is badly needed after all the bush fires the Tablelands have had over the past few months.

I tossed and turned all night, the dog was restless (she hates the wind) and insisted on sleeping as close to me as she could get. In the end I slept on the other side of the bed (which is something I don't do - even after 3 years I still keep to my own side) but she followed me.This morning there she was all wrapped up in the covers and the bed looks like a tornado has hit it. Normally I sleep very tidily but I have a bad case of tennis elbow, it kept me awake most of the night. Won't stop me stitching though since I taught myself to embroider with my left hand - one boring weekend when I couldn't settle to anything.  A few years ago I was most upset and disappointed when the magazine I had submitted my designs to said that I wasn't 'country' enough for them.  So to get the prim naive look I stitched the design with my left hand, I had tried and tried to get the look they wanted but the obessive compulsive part of me had to have neat, perfect stitches, I just couldn't bring myself to do anything less than perfect.  Doing it with my left hand gave everything the look the required and its a good skill to learn just in case of a sprained wrist etc.

Jan

Snowdrops it is then

Okay next challenge - snowdrops

Despite the BOM saying that the chances of the low developing into a cyclone one developed overnight, I could feel the change in the air, the wind felt different. Its way out to sea at the moment and will probably head north heading for the Cooktown area, we'll get the rain from it hopefully.  But as I said before these things are unpredictable.  Ones formed over in Western Australia as well. Ours is called Neville and their is called Magda.  It goes alphabetically and they alternate between boy and girl names. We always have a laugh when one has the same name as someone we know, if the cyclone has their attributes or failings etc.

I love my grandkids immensely, they have brought great joy to this family but they are so tiring.  Jessica looks like not only inheriting my crafting skills but also my gift of the gab, from the moment I put her in the car to the time I drop her off again she is never quiet, my head spins from all the chatter. I stood at the kitchen sink washing up after the dinner my son had cooked (using leftovers from the previous nights dinner - I taught him well), made myself a cup of tea and then decided I couldn't stay awake one moment longer.  I quickly tiedied up my books and got ready for bed. Then remembered I hadn't washed up, dragged myself over to the sink and stood there wondering where all the pots had gone.  I haven't been that tired for a long time.  As soon as my head hit the pillow that was it I was out for the count.

I'm going to rush into town early, I have to go to CentreLink and take my forms in, rush round to the veggie shop and get more veggies and then home again to clean and then get some serious stitching done.

Jan

Daisy, Daisy........

Finally, the puter decided that it would accept the usb stick and I was able to download all my photo's as you probably all could tell by the previous post.

Here they are Vicky - 100+ daisies, I'm awaiting your next choice of flower.  Make it a hard one.

Jess and her first embroidery lesson

It is a joke amongst my friends that I am the BAAAAD BAAAAAAD BAAAAAAAAAD Grandma, well I think that today I have totally redeemed myself.  After months of Jess inching her way into the craftroom I relented and said today was the day I would teach her to embroider. Got McCains pizza squares and bought cup cakes on the way round there to pick her up.  We played the usual games of Trouble and for once Grandma slaughtered her.  All the time she's eyeing up the embroidery threads next to my chair. Unbeknowns to her I had already got the threads, material, needles and scissors all ready.  "Grandma I really really would like to learn to sew" "Yes, darling grandaughter, shall we begin"      I got her to draw out a simple flower shape and to write her name on a piece of homespun, she chose her threads and I did two stitches for her and away she went. She is a NATURAL, the way she held her material, she never got a knot in the threads once, she never pulled the threads too tight and the way she held the material and needle was like she's been doing it since birth.  She even managed to hold a conversation and watch tele while stitching - she's definately her grandmothers granddaughter.    She had a little break and we put lunch on and since we couldn't go on our picnic because of the rain we set it up in the living room, once lunch was over and cupcakes eaten - they were strawberry, vanilla and chocolate frosted and I told her to chose the two she wanted - she chose strawberry and chocolate but sneaked a small bite out of the vanilla one just to see what it tasted like we set to to more crafting.                                                              

After we cleared up from lunch we set to more stitching, then she needed a break and we got the beads out and she made some bracelets while we watched Peter Pan, Jess was amazed that Wendy kissed Peter Pan and refused to take her eyes off the screen even while she was threading beads, definately got my genes.

I went down to lie on the bed for a bit and read the paper and she joined me with her stitching, she just laid back propped up on all the cushions and stitched away. I just cannot believe for her first time how easily it came to her, she's 7.  I taught handicraft up at the school a few years back and the 10 and eleven year olds were hopeless, knots, pulled work, I was forever rethreading needles and pulling back work.

So I suppose I'd better get her a little sewing box made up. All we did was running stitch and a french knot but she seems well and truly hooked. 

Thinking it was safe to relax a little I made myself a coffee, she was still all fired up for crafting and she got out the blank jigsaw puzzles and I drew out one for her to colour in, but she lost interest in that and left me to the colouring in, but then she came back and did one for herself.

She made two more bracelets and I decided that was enough, we'd excelled ourselves and we hadn't even done half the normal things we usually do. It was a very good day and I know which one of us will be going to bed early tonight.  I've just done a quiick tidy up and removed three cups of coffee that I never got to drink.

Gremlins

I was going to put up the photo of the daisies but for some reason I can't get my photo's off the little usb stick, it was working fine yesterday, thats all I need. Puter keeps telling me New Hardware Found, ready to use and then nothing.  Vicky, I did over 100 daisies so what flower is next in the challenge

I was going to have my grandaughter over today but the weathers is miserable, glad I worked in the garden yesterday.  I'll give them a ring and see if she still wants to come. I found 4 packets of beads in the op-shop before christmas shaped like small shells so I had planned on making bracelets with her. We normally go on a picnic down by the creek - tablecloths, napkins and the whole works, then a trip to the library, maybe bake some cupcakes, do some drawing and colouring in. I usually dedicate the whole day to her, no housework or shopping, its our special time together.

Scuse the double chin and the daft hat - I just look a dork in a hat, hats and me just don't go. Unfortunately they are a necessity in this climate.This is my gorgeous girl and I on our last picnic.

Well she still wants to come over despite the rain so better go get some indoorsy stuff organised. Might be the time to teach her to embroider.

Hugs

Janjan

Inspiration hits - KAPOW

Okay, its either feast or famine with me. Last night I sat down to crochet my one little daisy, one little daisy looked lonesome so I did a few more, drew out a heart shape and proceeded to fill in the heart shape with lots of daisies.  This morning I made a start crocheting some motifs form the library book I got yesterday. Ooops, its a good job I'm fairly clued up on crochet as the book has plenty of mistakes - now I have ideas for things swimming round my head.  Then this morning a friend dropped in with a book for me from our mutual in/outlaw - Beading Design with Semi-Precious Stones by Kim Gover.  Since I have heaps and heaps of semi-precious stones and have a great supplier to get more I was inspired to get out my beading boxes.
So many things to do and not enough hours. So in the morning while the light is good I will embroider, its cooler then, in the afternoon when the sun gets round to the front of the house I will bead. I can embroider anywhere but tI need my desk to bead properly. In the evenings when it gets cooler again I can crochet.
Somewhere in all of that activity I will fit the shopping and housework.  The doctor while pleased I have a hobby to occupy my mind says all that sitting doing the craft is bad, so for every 20 mins inactivity I will rush around like mad doing housework for 20 mins or gardening even. 

So the plan is..........................

1)  To work on new designs with the goal of getting a design accepted by Embroidery & CrossStitch magazine.  Research what is currently popular (this would mean buying craft magazines and cruising round the web, what a lovely excuse)

2)  To finish of the designs already started with the goal of submitting them to HandMade and Creating Country Threads magazines.

3)  Creating the patterns for the amigurmi dolls I made up as I went along. 

4)  Looking into making kits for basic embroidery designs.  I have the patterns already written up for the simple designs I have had in the magazines before.  Need to price fabric, threads etc.

I think that is enough or now.

Now to get back to normal life.  The low pressure system is out in the Coral Sea and is expected to develop into a cyclone. This will affect our area. So I have to get prepared just in case its a bad one.  Make sure torches are working, make sure we have candles and matches accessible, make sure first aid kit is up to date, make sure plenty of food, check there are no things around the garden that could become missiles. Clean out the window wells, move pot plants to a protected place.  Move electrical stuff off the floor in the sheds, get out the tarps, find the battery operated radio and check its working.  Check the holiday home next door. 
The damm thing could hover around out in the gulf for days before it intensifys and it might just fizzle out but we have to take these precautions. 

So better get to it,


Jan

PS: Did 30 mins in the garden, ended up weeding rather than moving stuff.  That can be the next job, after 30 mins of embroidery.

Brewing for a storm

The storm clouds are gathering, there the threat of a  cyclone out in the gulf, hopefully it won't affect us other than winds and more rain, but if it crosses land and goes out to the coral sea there is a chance it could develop into a cyclone and head back which would affect us.   These things are so unpredictable who knows what they will do.

Got taken in early to see the doc., ecg okay, blood pressure okay, blood sugars okay.  Thyroid not causing concern so I don't have to see her again till December. Sounds good to me, I'm happy with that. Went to the library and got some gardening books for embroidery ideas, also found a boof with 250 crochet motifs in - wonder if I can do every single one before the book goes back. What a task that would be.

Here are the girls ready to go party.
Looks like I have missed the christmas in JUly deadline but who cares, they are finished, the
pattern is written up and I can start of something else.

Getting my mojo back

Okay I have a few hours to kill before my hospital appointment and thanks to Vicky at Anglesey Allsorts I'm going to be rummaging around for something to embroider - one daisy, well Vicky I know I won't be able to stop at one and I am very good at daisies.  What sort do you want - I'm fond of the sailor boy daisy or maybe just a sweet little ordinary daisy.  You do know what you have started or it was it your intention all along.

Yesterday I did something I have not done for a long time - I started and finished a project in one day, I made a sister for the christmas in july angel. Well I had to check the pattern and thought since yesterday was a miserable drizzly day I would stay in and get stuck into it.  So santa's little helper was born.  I can't say I got great joy out of it but I disciplined myself to it and determined at least to get to sewing on limbs stage.
I amazed myself by sticking to it and put the last finishing touches on at 11 p.m. last night.  In fact despite the fact I had finished I was still rummaging around for a christmas button way after midnight.  oooooooooohhhh - I don't really want to go in that craft room this morning, I just remembered the mess I mad in there.

I'm typing away and all I really want to do is make a start on the daisies..........Shasta's, I love Shasta Daisy, I'm going to walk away from the puter and get the gardening books out or maybe marguerittes (sp ?).  I've been published in two of the best craft mags in Oz but what I really really really want is to get a design in Embroidery and CrossStitch. But I'm going to start small.......... a little little daisy and I'm going to go now..........Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

embroidering daisies