....another week bites the dust. Did ya sing it? ;-)
So hello everybody peeps, how was your week? Hope it was a good one, mine was, mmm...lemme thunk! Ah yes, I remember that I said I promised to show you the calendar/memory quilt. Ironic isn't it that to actually show the memory quilt, I would actually have to remember to show it! So before I forget again, I'll show you it now. Another craft day has come and come so the quilt has progressed since last week, progressed to the point where the quilt top is all put together.....
Next step is to put batting and backing on and pinning it ready for quilting and embellishing.
Top row, spring, then summer, autumn
and bottom row winter.
September is the first spring month and blossom is coming to life on the trees.
October is usually windy and the pinwheels (top half) reflect that. Spring bulbs do their manic dance in the wind.
October is also our wedding anniversary month so I will add that memory somewhere.
November and we begin to see lots of colour in the garden
I want to add a poppy too to remember Armistic Day as I remember Anzac day in April here
December, the first month of summer. I don't think I will ever fully get used to Christmas in summer, although a sunny Christmas Day on the beach is far nicer than a cold snowy one in the nothern hemisphere. It's different and it's great.
January, the new year and mid summer.
Hay making when the sun shines, fields of green and gold.
This was the first block we made way back in January 2015.
February, the month of my birth and for lovers everywhere
March, the first month of autumn and the harvest of the maize that can be seen everywhere, grown for stock feed in the coming winter months.
April, mid autumn, cooler days and darker evenings; and an month that, more often that not, contains Easter(except this year!) and Anzac day.
It is also the month we arrived in NZ, the English patron Saint, St George has his own commemorative day on the 23rd, the day after we arrived in NZ.
The red cross reflects my English roots.
May, the final month of autumn. The first of May heralds the beginning of duck shooting, the pattern used is called flying geese, not ducks I know (poetic license here) fly away little ducks!
June, the first month of winter and often brings stormy weather. June is also the month Michael was born in. In fact I went into labour during a mighty thunderstorm (in the UK), an almighty clap of thunder at about 3am in the morning jolted me awake and my waters broke.
Then the fun began
July, mind winter. The snowflake is not to represent snow, as it's never snowed here in Hamilton since we've been living here; but to remind us of the frosts and foggy Waikato mornings.
And finally, August. This pattern is called log cabin, mine here, represents a roaring log fire.
Then the seasons start all over again and new memories are made.
We have our craft days at Jan's house and we take over her house with our quilts and boxes and sewing machines. Jan being the experienced quilter spends most of the day helping us with our quilts, so I don't have any photos of Jan's quilt yet, although she was working on it on Thursday. So thanks Jan for all your help and sorry that we've delayed you in the making of yours.
Ngaire has finished hers, she can go to the top of the class.
And now to other stuff.
Michael next I think, the broken boy! We went to watch his game of rugby on Saturday, like the dutiful and supportive parents we are. Joe dropped me off at the game as he had to go get the car's on road tax. I was there, with my camera taking photos as usual. I have to say when I'm looking through the lens I have no idea who I'm actually taking photos of until I get them home and onto my computer, blind as a bat these days.
So when Joe came and stood next to me and said, "Michael's off then!" I was surprised, I didn't see him go off, I didn't see him on!! Well, a couple of times maybe. ;-D He'd been off for some time apparently, with a broken thumb!!
Here he is unbroken....for a while
Here he is broken.....again.....same thumb, different bone!
After the game, we were waiting by the car to drop him at A&E
How lucky it wasn't his drinking arm!
He has broken the metacarpal in his thumb, the piece of bone from his thumb joint to his wrist. He has the ugliest cast I've ever seen! He's also off work for at least six weeks and there's only him and his boss, who's being very good about it and of course there will be no rugby for a while. Oh and try telling that boy it's probably not a good idea to be playing rugby because he might have to take time of work which is NOT good and well.......lets just say that I cut out the middle man and go straight to the wall and start banging my head on it!
What else? Ah yes, book. This months
Book discussion scheme book was
A Thousand Hills to Heaven, by Josh Ruxin
I rated it 5 stars. I've not reviewed it on Goodreads yet because I need to think about what I write. I nearly abandoned it at page 100, I got incredibly upset when I read about a massacre (one of so many) of thousands of people in a church during the 1994 genocide, I didn't think I would be able to carry on with it. I'm glad I did, in the end it was a very positive, hopeful book and I think this book and the people in it will stay with me for a very long time. One to have permanently on my book shelves.
Before I move onto the next thing I must tell you of my senior moment last night at book club...
Senior moment yesterday. Thursday is craft day, I remembered, so all good. It was also Book club evening, remembered, all good. Need to take a
plate for shared tea, remembered to make something, all good. Arrive at
hosts house with warm cheese scones, remembered, all good. Sat at table,
with a lovely shared tea, very good. Ate our fill and I got up to pour
some of us another cup of tea and spotted my contribution all wrapped up
and still on the benchtop, uneaten. Not remembered, not good! Feck!
Please tell me I'm not the only one this happens to!
Update on Max: He's doing fine, eating well. still bouncy and having no ill effects from his rat bait snack. There are maybe 2 or 3 days of the Vitamin K doses left to give and then we'll see how he goes. I rang up to get an idea of what ot would cost for another vet consult and bloods to be done and they quoted nearly $200! Sometimes vets charge like wounded bulls don't they! We can't afford that, so keep your fingers crossed and hope he has no more problems. Once a vet said to me, pets are a luxury these days, as she handed me the bill which turned out to be almost twice what she originally quoted!! I nearly smacked her in the gob! Needless to say we don't use that vet anymore!
And lastly, back to something crafty, it's getting cooler during the day and especially in the evenings, so thoughts turn to warming quilts and wool blankets and throws. You probably don't know that I have a considerable stash of yarn. You didn't know? Well yes, I do, along with a considerable stash of fabrics and....and....and....and...well stuff. I figured it was high time I start reducing some of the yarn stash. I made something similar a while ago and I've spent the past 10 minutes looking for it on my blog so I could show it to you and then the penny dropped, why not just take a bloody photo you dumb cow! *sigh*
Slightly wonky on the edges this effort was hahah, that was in my early crochet days, I'm more aware theses days of technical errors, or should I say artistic licence!!
Here's 'some' of the stash...yes there is more!
I'll just keep going with this, one row at a time. Using either single or double crochet stitches and an array of different textured yarn. Simple but effective.
And on that note I shall bid you all a lovely weekend and go plonk me big fat toosh on the sofa and add a few more rows. It's Friday and Fush and Chup night, Joe picks them up on his way home.
Ta ta for now
♥♥♥
PS At the top of the blog but below the main picture, in the right hand column, I've added a gadget should you wish to 'Follow by email'.
