Time to take a break.

It's hot and steamy at the moment here on the farm, and I can't wait until the cool weather of autumn arrives..

We are having a very normal season..... which means  'meals-on-wheels' is very active.....

Around every second day we head out with the oat feeder  and dole out a luscious helping of 'treats' to the stock..

They absolutely love them and lick the ground clean...

When it comes to shifting a mob of sheep now, the 'ute' only has to enter the paddock and the stock will follow it anywhere... a bit like the pied piper.....

Feeding out is one of my most favorite jobs.. You get to check the health of your stock every time you see them.... check for weeds... and talk about 'things' while you are together with your partner in the 'ute'...

We do have some decisions to make this year. They will be difficult ones.. How do you get your partner to acknowledge that it may be time to scale down?

It is difficult to look into that loved face and see pain etched in his expression..

It is difficult to see him walk stooped with pain. He doesn't say anything, but what he doesn't know is every action and every expression  gives it away...

It is difficult to say it is time to enjoy life a little more....

So, as we make some decisions, and do an awful lot of getting this farm back into 'order', I will take a break from blogging..

So, as I  take  my break, may your homes be full of love,  laughter and happiness.... and may no problem be insurmountable..xxxx

Happy Australia Day..

Wishing everyone who lives in this beautiful country of ours a wonderful Australia Day... may you spend it with the people you love, doing what you love....

January has gone by so fast.. It's been a hot month here on the farm. I have spent most of the days with my best friend  'Mr Fujitsu'... He makes my hot days bearable, even when he does blow hot and cold..
Lucky for me he comes with a remote control and is easily managed....

My first finish for the year, a hand stitched hexagonal heat-pack for mum. This was a pattern called 'Forever Blue' designed by Vicki Porter, found in Australian Homespun No. 97. The pattern is designed to be a pin cushion, but I thought a hot-pack would be more practical...

More blocks finished from 'A Boy's Story'...

And a new project to start the New Year just because ....   another year has begun, and I have wanted to do this quilt for so long....

Just perfect for sitting on the couch with my mate Mr Fujitsu.....

I have found an exceptional helpful tool, the PILOT Frixion erasable pen. It is fantastic for drawing out stitcheries, and tracing around freezer paper templates for needleturn applique. If you make a mistake just iron and it's gone. The only problem with using it for stitcheries is that you can't iron on wadding at the back of your stitchery, but I just pin the backing on and when you stitch the wadding is held on.

I'm off to catch up on some blog reading... and to have a 'talk' to Peg about OPAM....

New Year Wishes.

In the early days of this New Year, I have some wishes for you...

May your home always be your castle... full of love, happiness, good health and laughter...

May your journey through the year be full of the greatest experiences....

May you reach great heights in all your endeavours...

May you never find yourself in deep water... and if you do, may you be a good swimmer....

May you sail through the year on calm waters....

May you always have someone to meet you when you get home....

May courtesy and kindness be mechanical.....

With many thanks to Wendy, Josie, and Marina, for inspiring me to start my own Boy's Story.... If you get the chance, have a look through this wonderful book of applique and stitchery projects, designed by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched.


It has been a very hot start to the year, perfect for being inside  stitching... All you need is  a comfy seat, the air conditioner, a good DVD and something pretty beside you....

With many thanks to the lovely Mel for my very pretty scissor fob... I just had to get a pair of scissors to match...

Hope you all have had a lovely New Year.... May 2012 be very special....

Dear Simone...

Dear Simone,

From the moment these beautifully wrapped presents arrived I was so thankful that you were my Secret Santa..

I was able to unwrap my first little parcel and found a gorgeous little stitchery ornament to hang on our tree..

I could hardly wait for Christmas Day to arrive to open all the other goodies that were sitting under my tree.. Lucky that there was so much else to do... I was so busy it helped pass the time!!

But, on Christmas Day, when everyone else was asleep..... I found out what my Secret Santa had hidden in those beautifully wrapped parcels...

You had made me the most beautifully stitched wall hanging with the words... May all your wishes come true this Christmas....... and they have.....

An adorable stitched mug rug which will be perfect to go with another present I received from family...

A gorgeous Vintage Ornament pattern to stitch, accompanied by two lovely Christmas fat quarters... which I can anticipate making into something special...

And a collection of Dutch beads/buttons....

Thank you so very much...You are the perfect Secret Santa.... I appreciate all the love and effort you have put in to my present..

Love Rosie..xxx

I was a Secret Santa to  Annelise. These are some of the treasures I sent overseas to France to her..
Thankfully Annelise has received her parcel safely, and is enjoying what was sent..


Many thanks to  Chookyblue for the many hours she has spent organising this swap for us all.... we so appreciate it...

Thankfulness and Joy.

thankfulness noun being thankful.
   happy,contented, appreciative......

Being thankful for..

  
Grandchildren who make your heart sing  until you forget everything else that is going on in the world...

Families who love and protect you.... Families who you can laugh with, and be silly, and no-one cares...

Friends who are like family who call with an armful of flowers and hearts full of memories...

New friends who I have never met.... but have become an important part of my life...They come with them the same worries for their families... the same interest in their activities.... and the wonder that maybe someday we may meet....

To Simone and Anne Lise, it's been lovely to 'meet' you thanks to Chookyblue's SSCS.. Looking forward to learning more from these new friends...

Lastly, I am so very thankful that my leaving paid employment to come home on the farm is working.. I have left behind the stress and the worry.. If I see a beautiful scene like this, I can race in and grab the camera...
I am no longer worried about rosters and night duty... and I am so grateful that I don't have to worry about the politics of employment outside the home...




JOY  noun    a feeling of happiness

........Because next year, there will be another little person at our Christmas table... to love and cherish.... to spoil with every fibre of our being........

LIFE IS SO GOOD....

HAPPY  CHRISTMAS  EVERYONE... MAY IT BE A HAPPY ONE FOR YOU...

Santa Arrives in the Valley.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas........ Santa made a stop over the farm yesterday..... and dropped off this wonderful bundle of beautifully wrapped presents....

Look at the gorgeous way these presents are wrapped....

I was part of the SSCS which Chookyblue organised....

These beautiful presents came to me all the way from the Netherlands...

So thank you so much Simone .... I haven't opened anything yet.... I'm enjoying the anticipation of seeing what my little ornament will look like.....

Harvest is on down on the farm..

We are harvesting an oat crop at the moment..
See the lines of chaff which fall out the back of the header (harvester).. The oats on their stalks are fed into the comb on the front of the header, and pass through all the various workings.. (girl talk for I have no idea what goes where, I just drive the tractor)..... to end up as oats in the header bin and chaff out the back..
The lines of chaff remind me of quilting lines.. They should be lovely and straight, unless you have to dodge something like a stump, or a weed... Mine often bend slightly as I day dream, or turn the power steering too hard...
 It's hard to get good drivers......


While I wait for the header to be 'greased' and over-hauled I try and have some quick hand sewing nearby..

This cute little owl is a freebie I found. Designed by Jessica Levit and found on her website www.juicy-bits.typepad.com. He is really easy to make....

Looking forward to opening up my decoration parcel.....
Again, a big big thank you to you Simone....

Cot Quilts.

From this....

To this...

No frilly embroidered and appliqued pretty bear quilt for Maxie...

Instead, a cot quilt found on the Moda Bake Shop Website called Building Blocks Baby Quilt..
It was a very simple and quick quilt to make...
On the back of the quilt I used the left over pieces and so now Maxie has two for the price of one!!

I guess someone in the family will just have to have a girl now..... can't have all that embroidery and applique going to waste!! Besides, Maxie needs a cousin.....!!!


Just thought I'd mention two websites which I think are worth looking at:

The first is a grocery site which has a lot of items at half their normal price.. they list every week, and post the items out to you.. I would presume that this is only for Australia...
http://www.groceryrun.com.au

The second is an American site which has great little Christmas ideas for now, and through the year lots of other relevant projects. You can become a subscriber for a small amount each year which gives you even more access to Block of the Months... But there are lots of free projects always on offer....
http://ajpadilla.com/

And just for the overseas girls an eye test!!    Spot the kangaroo..... Unfortunately, I only had my little camera with me and the zoom wasn't enough to bring this little lady up any closer...

"What are you all looking at? Can't a girl feed in peace....."

She was just sitting there watching us, wondering why we had stopped and were staring I guess...
There were more on our track feeding too, where the grass is a bit greener... must be some new joeys in pouches, and mum needs the green to feed.....