Still Here

Hello there, I'm still here in blogland. Again it has been a while, the whole school term has gone and no one has heard a peep from me.

The term went quickly with much happening both at work and home. I managed to get some stitching done but not as much as I hoped. I worked on some redwork and also on my Blackbird Design quilt, which I am hand appliqueing.
I'm happy with the progress so far.

We have had our Renmark Christmas pageant and that was last Friday. The main street is closed off and there is a real festive air. The parade goes past, the shops remain open till 9pm, and there is food stalls and show alley rides for the children. Then the highlight is the fire works at approximately 9.00pm. We had some great fireworks this year, every year it gets a little better.

Christmas is just around the corner and has it crept up on us. I'm not organised as yet, but as always I will get there. The Christmas decorations go up tomorrow, the house has had it clean and the festivities begin. I love Christmas and the spirit it brings.

The giving, sharing and bringing together of family and friends. We must also remember the first Christmas and the birth of Jesus and the Christmas story.

Three things I am grateful for,

1. Sunshine
2. Water
3. Christmas

Bye for now

Poppy

Its been a While

It has been a while, because we have had problems with our computor.

A number of things have happened. The Renmark Evening Star Quilters and the Renmark P's & Q's had a quilt show on the concluding weekend of the Rose Festival. That was 27th and 28th October. I showed 3 quilts, I have to get the photos up so that you can see them. I worked frantically to get them finished after my friend Liz Fergurson machine quilted them for me.

We went to Mildura for the weekend and it was nice to get away. Home of Stefano, the celebrity chef of "Gondolor on the Murray" fame and of the TV series. We visited his cafe on Sunday morning for brunch and brought samples of his blood organge marmalade and other condiments.

The girls from our quilt group travelled to Adelaide for the day on Saturday, to visit the Quilt and Craft show. I'm sure I will hear about that on Wednesday, our quilting night.

I have been working on a hand stitching project, that is moving along well.

Thats all for now.

Keep well,

Poppy

My Birthday

Well I had another birthday, and what a great day it was. It started off well, the house was quite, Elleni was asleep, Jack had already gone out on the block and I sat quilting quietly for an hour and a half.

I had to go into town, to run a few errands and when I came back. Elleni had organised coffee at McDonalds - McCaf. There were quite a few friends there, that she invited in that short time while I was in town. Withe everyone I think there was 17, we had a great time.

The small children played in the play area, the teenagers sat and talk as did all their mothers.

That evening we had a nice meal home and then I was off to quilt group meeting.

I won a iced decorated cake at Lake Culleraine while on our quilt camp, so I took that into the meeting and as there were more October birthdays, we all cut the cake together. (Thats all of us in the photo, from left to right, Julie, Lyn, me, Jan and Glenda).

What a great day that was, that was October, 10th.

Tomorrow I'm off to Loxton to pick up my quilts that Liz Fergerson has finish machine quilting, I cant wait. Liz runs her machine quilting business from home. She does a great job on all the quilts she machine quilts. All one has to do is leave it in her very capable hands. I'll post a photo when I pick it up. We are also going to see a quilting exhibition by the Sunday Stitchers of Loxton. I'm looking forward to that.

Starting tomorrow we have the Renmark Rose Festival, that should be a great week. Renmark is the home to one of the largest rose gardens in the southern hemisphere - Rustons Rose Gardens. I think this is the 11th or 13th year the festival has been running. There are lots of activities, private gardens are open, there are tours, exhibitions, presentations etc the town is abuzz with activity. The Renmark Quilting groups are hosting an exhibition next weekend.

Check out the festival site on Renmark Rose Festival for an update of whats happening.

Also featuring is the Riverland Renaissance which is a wine and food festival, so as you can see alot is happening.

Well a bid you all good night.

Blessings

1. The computer that does not need to go to sleep.

2. The quite of the house at 3.45 am as I could not sleep.

3. Bed

Poppy

Its been a little while

Well, its been a little while since I was in blogland. It is school holidays here in South Australia, the students are on school break after their third term at school.

We have been away, I visited my family in MtGambier which is approximately 500 km south of the Riverland.

It was good catching up with them all. We spent time talking and being with each other over a period on one week.

Mum and I did a lot of cooking, as we always do. We made greek style biscuits, Koulouria and paximathia (biscotti) as well as spinach and cheese pittes (pies).

All we had to do was mention what we wanted to make and dad and my sister Liza were off doing the shopping for all the ingredients.

We also caught up with family friends.

Mum, the girls Elleni and Eirene, and I drove to Pt MacDonald and visited Cape Northumbaland. (I think that is the correct spelling). The picture above is of the girls at Cape Northumbaland, it was a very windy afternoon, but the sea was beautiful. We stopped and had fish and chips, there is nothing better than visiting the sea and having fish and chips, whether its summer or winter.

We sat in the car as it was freezing, watched the rough sea and ate.

I managed to get some hand quilting done while I was there, but not that much as we talked, shopped, watch movies, and visited a number of cafes catching up with family and friends and having some great meals with the table set for 10 - 12 each night.

It was back to Renmark on Saturday after a stop at Penola, near Coonawarra.

Cleaned the house on Sunday and back to work today.

I'll be able to do some stitching later in the week I hope.

We do have one more week of school holidays left - we'll see what happens.

I noticed on a number of sites one of them being Covered Porches and Screen Door, the post is ended with 3 things they are grateful for. I think I will end today with the same sentiment.

1. The love of my family

2. my children

3. peace

They all came off the top of my head with out any thought.

Blessed be

Poppy

What a Great Weekend

Well I got home this afternoon, after having a great weekend at Lake Cullaleraine, with a great group of like minded ladies. Guess what we did all weekend, starting Friday afternoon.

We sat and stitched and stitched. It was great, we had food prepared and every one worked on their own projects. We all made a 12 1/2 inch block, which was to be included in a charity quilt. I have included some photos...

One is of, the work I did on the weekend. I finished the bag I started with Gail Pan, during that great weekend in July over at Loxton. The other work is a quilt I am working on, it was featured in the American Better Homes and Gardens, Patchwork and Quilting magazine, last year this time. I had made the pieced blocks and prepare all the applique blocks while I was at Lake Cullaleraine.

The other photograph is of the girls all working, on Saturday afternoon. They didn't even know I took the photo.

As I said it was a great weekend.

Regards to you all and have a great week.

Poppy

Some of my projects

I enjoy stitching, whether is be embroidery or quilting, or sewing on the machine. I just love what one can do with needle and thread.

I thought it was time I shared some of my projects with you. Above is a block holder and a small project bag.

At the moment I have a number of things on the go.

1. Hand quilting project, the top I made a couple of years ago and I have the quilt on the quilting hoop at the moment.

Oops, I have one of the photos on its side.

2. Red work embroidery, I'm hand stitching and the moment - that has been fun and I have started collecting red fabrics for the blocks that I'm sewing together to make the quilt.

3. I'm still working on the items that need finishing from my Loxton weekend in July, nearly there - as I have been working on them simultanously.

4. A beautiful Blackbird design which I found in the American House and Garden Magazine, Patchwork and Quilting a year ago. That quilt is done in reds, pinks and creams, I'll have to take a photo of that work in progress. The project has I think 12 pieced blocks,which are stars and 3 applique blocks, which are of a vase of flowers. I'm really enjoying that.

5. And .... there are a number of small things that I'm working on.

I should get alot more done now that soccer and netball are over. This weekend I'm joining my patchwork and quilting group "The Evening Star Patchwork Group" on a weekend away at Lake Cullaleraine. Lake Cullaleraine is just over the South Australian border and approximately three quarters of an hour away from Mildura. We are going to have 2 1/2 days of quilting, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, - away from everything. I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully I'll get quite a bit done.

Blessed be.

Poppy

What a busy time

What a busy time this last week. A lot has happened.

Last weekend my daughter played soccer, all weekend. Renmark hosted the South Australian State Junior Country Championships, so that meant the town and the Riverland was inandated with soccer families from through out South Australia, but also from Mildura and as far away as Alice Springs. I've included a photo of her team.

The girls had a great weekend with it all starting off on Friday night with tea in Berri at Cafe Primo, where they all got together and had bonding time. It worked out well for them - they went on and had a great weekend of competition.

Elleni was in bed early on Sunday night and it took her a few days to recover.

Till next time,

Poppy

Spring is Here

I must share this photograph with you all. I was going into town (Renmark) last week I think it was Wednesday and the almond blossom was in full bloom, what a pretty sight. Today, I notice that half the tree has lost its blossom and is covered with tiny green leaves. The picture is of an almond property, near where I live.

The weather has been warm this week and some of the growers are adding a little of their water allocation to their properties. We are in drought at the moment in the Murray Darling Basin, and growers in South Australia have at this stage only 13% of their water allocation, to water their crops with, which is not very much. If we don't get rain this year our water usage will only be 30 - 35% of our allocation. So, one can see the trouble we are in. Many growers are making hard decisions on what crops they are watering and what they will forego.

We have to just wait and see what happens in the next few months.

I have been working on a number of projects, the items I started at Almond Grove Crafts are nearly finished. At the same time I am working on a red work stitchery also. I have brought red material which will form the blocks around the stitchery. I seem to be doing quite a bit of work using the colour red lately. There are so many wonderful fabrics out there.


Blessed be and in good spirits stay

poppy

Now To Move On

Well, I have done an audit of all my UFO's, I really do not need to look at anything else till I finish, let alone start or think about any other project.

There are 14 items that need completing. Some of which includes, quilts, cross-stitching, embroidery and small sewing projects. Three of which I started at Almond Grove Crafts, on the weekend workshop I attended at the end of July, they have moved along and are nearly finished.
I just have to sit and work on them or take them with me to work on while I wait for Elleni at netball or soccer.

I'll have to visit Liz Fergerson and take over the finished quilt tops for her to machine quilt. She lives over the river at Loxt and runs her machine quilting business from home. The work she is doing is exquisit she has lovely ideas that set of any quilt.

I wonder what UFO's people have and what their stashes include. I really have to make an effort and finish all these lovely things and put them on display at home.

I get really excited when creating or giving birth to a new project, working on the design, choosing fabrics and playing with the different colourways! I put it down to the creative process.
Tthe challenge is what I enjoy and then to get started and to see what everything looks like as it is being created. The the sense of achievement when one has created something for your loved ones to wear, to snuggle under, to beautify your home and to give a sense of pleasure to all those you love and those that enter your home.

The other thing I find inspiring is that handicrafts foster a feeling of sisterhood among women. From my quilt group "Evening Star Quilters in Renmark, the McCormick Art Group, and on the blogs I have found here in blogland, is the encouragement and sharing of ideas that women give to each other and all the fabulous work that is created. Plus the joy that is found by all in their chosen creative expression.

When you are inspired....
dormant forces, faculties and
talents come alive
Patuanjali

How true for all of us.

Blessed be and in good spirits stay.

poppy

Hi there

Well this my first time on and I am looking forward to creating my own blog site. I have been reading other peoples blogs and have really enjoyed learning about their lives and hobbies.

I suppose what really got me going and excited about all this, is a weekend at the end of July when I attended a workshop in Loxton. Three great ladies came to Almond Grove Crafts to conduct workshops on one of my favourite activities patchwork. The tutors where

• Leanne Beasley of Leanne's House,
• Gail Pan of Gail Pan Designs
• Viv Robinson of Viv's Creations.

We had a great weekend with like minded people who loved to stitch. When I finish my projects I'll show you all.

I had researched Leanne Beasley and Gail Pan I came across their blogs, and from there, I was able to look at some of their favourite blogs. Some of which have become mine.

During the workshop I was able to talk to a few ladies who themselves had created blog pages, so that they could share their thoughts, creations and lives. This inspired me, thankyou to you all. So here I start with my recollections and posts. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy sharing.