Holiday happenings

Well we are finally back from holidays, after tripping around Victoria seeing family and friends.  I had best intentions to blog the day we departed...obviously that didn't happen!  The blue n white twister flimsy got a final border before Christmas and my BIL and his wife were offered and accepted it...on the understanding that it will be finished sometime this year!

Before we left home I received two lovely Christmas gifts, the first from my friend Karen (Sewing Tales) which arrived in the post - and was a lovely surprise!  I have been using the note book and book mark (lots of reading achieved) while away.  Unfortunately I got home to find that Karen didn't even get my Christmas card as I had incorrectly addressed it, so apologies Karen, your gift was much appreciated and your Christmas card is on its way!

 

The second surprise gift was from our neighbour, who knits, cooks and sews, but does not quilt. She loved the quilt I gifted to her during 2012, but I was equally delighted to receive these hand knitted socks!  I do not knit and so look forward to wearing them in the cooler months...which are unfortunately a long way away yet.

 The other surprise, well anticipated event was the dead pot plants when we got home.  It happens every year but by the time autumn rolls around I have forgotten and go full steam head potting up again!  This year will be no exception as DH built me a special potting bench in 2012 and my Mum brought me three delightful new pots for Christmas!  This is one of the cute wheelbarrows that my Dad made our boys (for Christmas), which will no doubt be handy for wheeling my pots around in!  Luckily DH brought himself a trailer for Christmas, cos between two wheelbarrows, my three pots and various other gifts the trailer was required to get everything back to Adelaide! 

The veggie garden was a bit wilted when we arrived home, but not unexpected due to the record temperature of 45 degrees C in Adelaide yesterday.  However DH's talents at automatic watering systems meant that regular watering while we were away ensured my corn was sky high and the pumpkins are growing nicely.  This pumpkin is quite a good weight and hanging in there, still about five inches off the ground, but the stem is fine, so I left it hanging!

 Its really handy having a mother who is also a quilter, as she brought me this great book!  I am looking forward to making some of the projects from it. 

 A few days after Christmas we headed off to my in laws, via Warrnambool  to see my friends Ann and Barbara who run Periwinkle Patchwork.  I cannot believe I forgot to take photos of their shop!

 I had a lovely spend up with my birthday and Christmas money at Periwinkle Patchwork.  I am booked into a SA Guild workshop in April to make a quilt from a jelly roll and layer cake.  The top bright stripe and dot fabrics will be used to make that quilt, plus the grey strip (sashing) in the next photo.  I also brought some fat 1/8's in reproductions to add to my collection for the Seven Sisters quilt.  The only stitching I did while I was away was add a few diamonds to a "sister", very slack indeed!  I have part of an excuse, as DS1 who is 6 decided he needed to help me stitch, very hard to try and teach someone else to hand stitch, but he did manage to baste one diamond for me without coming to grief, although I had to re thread the needle several times for him!

On Boxing Day I did some sale shopping and happened to end up in Spotlight - not my fave store here in Adelaide, but in my home town the fabric selection is smaller but superior!  So I couldn't resist a Dino print to make floor cushions for my boys, (red and blue backings to match) and then the cowboy print is a backing for a cowboy quilt...yes I AM going to make a cowboy quilt in 2013 - Karen sent me the fabric last year, so no excuses now I have the backing!

 Other special holiday treats were a ride in the header for the last paddock of my farming brothers wheat.  DS 1 and 2 really enjoyed seeing the header gobble up the heads of wheat and then seeing the grain pile up in the back of the header.  It was quite a scenic ride as the view of the Grampians and Mt Arapiles are fantastic from this paddock.  Plus we disturbed the quail and several foxes who had been hiding, so I like to think that we probably saved the quail from being the foxes lunch!

 Finally while in Geelong we enjoyed some time down at Eastern Beach with the kids, their cousins and some sunshine....last year I brought a jumper at the Boxing Day sales in Geelong... because I was so cold!  This year I made do with the 3/4 sleeve cardigans I brought pre Christmas ....and of course its now far too hot to wear them in Adelaide's January heat!! 
Happy quilting, Sue SA.