Completed the prototype for my new cushion design as seen in the pic. Workshop yesterday but only Renee, my lovely step-daughter came and completed a cushion. It was lovely catching up with her. When her Dad (WH) came home from house renovations in town he sat with us and chatted. Couldn't convince him to tackle a cushion though. Renee wants me to teach her how to sew/patchwork - yay a convert. Renee is very 'crafty' and we used to attend ceramics classes together. My elder daughter, Kirtsy, and two of her children also came out later in the afternoon but didn't sew. Instead I ended up making a bag for Kirsty in a few hours.
Earlier in the day another of Kurt's daughter's, also a Kirsty, her partner and two children visited so altogether it was a lovely Sunday.
On Saturday I visited the Handmade Expo in Ipswich with the intention of finding out about organising a booth for my stuff. Some beautiful work was on display and for sale and it seemed to be quite a popular destination. There was a great variety and all handcrafted - from fabric, paper, canvas to glass, wood and metal plus jams and chutneys and home grown produce. Definitely not a 'flea market' - all well made quality items and the whole event is very well organised.
We are in the middle of our south east Queensland winter and the temperatures are a little cool. Yes it does get cold even in Queensland. Here, west of Brisbane, our early morning temps can go below the zero mark, as experienced last week, and we do have frosts. The days have been glorious though. We are very luck to have a wood fired stove in our lounge and WH gets up very early in the mornings to light it up so the house is lovely and warm when I rise a little later. Love him to bits. Because I spend most of my days in my studio I usually let the fire burn itself out but light it again later in the day. We have solar hot water so unlike many relatives in New Zealand who have to keep their fires going all day to heat their water, our water stays quite hot most of the time. Sometimes we have to use the electric booster if it has been overcast or rainy for a day or so but not very often.
My cooking/baking resurgence continues. Yesterday I made a lovely Lemon Loaf but actually I think it was a Blood Orange Loaf. We have a few citrus trees and some fruit I needed to use. I have juiced half a dozen fruit to make a desert for dinner. No, we don't often have desert as such very often (usually only when we have guests) although I have grown fond of a 'Skinny Cow' icecream in the evening and WH often has a bowl of icecream (he is doing the Hokey Pokey thing at present). I believe that if I am having skinny icecream I am being very virtuous in my weight watching (I do try).
Last week I made a lovely Sultana loaf and Peanut Brownies - always a favourite of my children and always demanded of Nana when she visited. The Minestrone Soup I made recently did several light meals and was quite scrumptious, I thought anyway. So I am really making good use of my Edmonds cookbook although have referred to some of my many other cookbooks if the Edmonds doesn't provide (not very often I must admit).
What's on the boil this week? Finishing the dressing gown I started last week, finishing a couple of table runners, starting a 'sewing' set gift for a friend and a birthday quilt for my brother (hope he doesn't read this) plus a few other projects. Life is never dull for me. Love life, love my work, love the world. Yay to being alive and well and happy.
Thought you might like these words below. It was sent to me by my lovely friend, Robyn, in Scotland and I just love it:
BANK ACCOUNT!!! This is AWESOME ... something we should all remember.
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each
morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved
perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After
many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled
sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description
of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just
been presented with a new puppy.
Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.
Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.
Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is
arranged ...... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.
'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice;
I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the
parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful
for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day
and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.
I am still depositing.
'Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
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