April 2008 – Feather Stitching

Perth – Part 2

28 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

After the CA Wells classes had finished, Nancy drove me over to my friends house where I stayed for the rest of my trip. We had a quiet night in with just Hayley and myself as Pete was at Rugby – it was really nice to sit and catch up on each others lives over a bottle of red wine while I cuddled Riley, their golden retriever, to death 😉

The next day, though, we were up bright and early (well, I dunno about the bright, but it was most definitely early!!), as we got up for the ANZAC dawn service at the local RSL, as 25 April is ANZAC Day here in Australia and New Zealand.

It would have been nice to go to the major service at Kings Park, but seeing as there were about 30,000 people there, it was quite nice to be at the other end of the scale at the Nollamara RSL. We were all handed a sprig of rosemary before the service, and this is something I didn’t understand, so I had to ask someone what the significance was – in NZ we wear a poppy, but in Australia a sprig of rosemary is the order of the day … according to my source (a biker who had been in the army for 35 years) rosemary in Greek history symbolises remembrance, and rosemary grows wild on the Gallipoli Pensinsula, giving greater significance to this hardy wee plant.

According to the ANZAC Day educational website, the following is said about the significance of the rosemary:

“This plant was, in ancient times, supposed to strengthen memory. Greek scholars wore rosemary in their hair to help remember their studies, and the association with remembrance has carried through to modern times. In literature and folklore it is an emblem of remembrance.

On ANZAC Day, the wearing of small sprigs of rosemary in the coat lapel, pinned to the breast or held in place by medals is thus synonymous with remembrance and commemoration.”

The service at Nollamara was extremely short (only about 10 minutes in total), but as usual I got choked up at hearing the Last Post being played and when the wreaths were laid. We then followed tradition by heading to the bar for a drink at 6.10am (!!!) – I couldn’t face beer or spirits at that time of the morning, so thought I’d be a girl and have a glass of port instead … well, it turned up in a middy glass filled to the brim!! They didn’t have real port glasses, so my $3 bought me 1/4 bottle of port in one glass instead haha. My Dad would be proud! haha. Pete latched himself onto a group of Maori boys that were there and he was truly settled in for the day – Hayley and I finally left at about 11.30am, even though the Maori boys kept trying to buy us drinks (not to mention head back to their place for a party and BBQ afterwards) and wandered off home where we sat and blobbed in front of the TV all afternoon before having KFC for dinner.

I must say I was really impressed with the interior of the Nollamara RSL – it has numerous pieces of war memorabilia on the walls … this photo is just part of one wall.

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The next day Hayley drove me out to Joondalup where my jaw hit the floor in the Kiwi Shop! OMG, I’ve never seen so many Kiwi foodstuffs outside of NZ … heaven isn’t in it whatsoever, and I spent a few dollars in there before she managed to drag me out the door! My suitcase took some carrying up those flights of stairs this morning, I can tell you that! haha. I bought some Maggi Onion Soup of reduced cream for Kirsten here in Sydney (of Gift of Stitching magazine fame) … and managed to find a few things for myself too – including Glo-Harts! Woohoo!!!!! A few packets of biscuits came home with me, along with Bluebird and Krispa potato chips, Perky Nanas, Caramel Chew, Black Knight licorice and a few other things. The following photo of the shop interior is only side one of two sides!!!!! 😀

After the Kiwi Shop we headed to the coast to Sorrento Beach where we wandered around the shops for a while – unfortunately my wallet took another bashing as I found a British lolly (sweet) shop that had some sweets I hadn’t seen for years … Coming home with me were pear drops, walnut whips, midget gems, sherbet UFO’s, and the ultimate treat for me that I haven’t seen for years and years … bonfire toffee!!!!! 😀

After buying out both shops of junk food (Weight Watchers eat your heart out! … guess who’s going to be given rations over the coming months?), we sat and had lunch at a local cafe on waterfront, followed by dessert at Cold Rock. If you haven’t had it before, it’s a real treat – very expensive for what it is, but it’s scrummy … you basically choose your ice cream flavour, add ‘mix-in’ treats of your choice, and they mixed it all up for you. My choice was Baileys ice cream with a Twirl, Crunchie and Maltesers chopped up in it … heavenly, and definitely NOT for the faint-hearted! 😉

We finished off the evening by heading over to visit friends of theirs, Pam and Michael, and we ended up staying until nearly 11pm – it was a great night of good wine, good company, and good food … Michael surprised us by telling us we were now staying for dinner and we had beautiful steaks for tea … ah heaven 🙂

* * * * * * * * * *

Our final day was a little bit disappointing in that the rain stayed with us all day and it hindered our plans. At my request we drove out to the University of Western Australia again while I bored them silly as I wandered around the main building taking photos – the stayed in the car the whole time, so I quickly realised that our tastes were totally different where sightseeing is concerned.

After taking a few photos, we headed out to Fremantle where I’d been looking forward to wandering the streets with camera in hand drooling over the old buildings. Instead we went to the Fremantle Markets, which were quite enjoyable (to me anyway – I think the others were bored about halfway round). We ended up standing watching a street performer outside the Markets for a short while before heading over to La Porchetta for some cheap pasta and pizza followed by Cold Rock again, as Pete wasn’t with us when we tried it the previous day. All-in-all it was a fun day, but I definitely want to go back again and see the whole area on foot.

I’ve already told Hayley I’m returning next year again, and she’s probably going to take a couple of days off work and take me to Rottnest Island – I’d also love to take a day trip by bus up to the Pinnacles and Wave Rock, so that could be something to look foward to again next year. I’d better book in my annual leave straightaway when I find out the class dates!

* * * * * * * * * *

So, there we have it, my trip in a nutshell … it was a wonderful, wonderful time away with so many experiences making the trip memorable – now it’s time to start saving up again for next year! 😀

Cross Stitch, Perth

Home again, Home again, Jiggity-jig!

28 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Feeling most definitely worse for wear, after taking the overnight flight from Perth – we had an electrical fault so we were 1/2 an hour late leaving (originally due to leave 1/4 past midnight). The flight was 3 1/2 hours long (SUPER quick!) – as soon as I could I turned down the ‘evening’ meal and lay my seat down as far as it would go and tried to sleep … I gave up after a while feeling really fidgety, and thought unhappily to myself that I would just have to give up trying to sleep and watch a movie. When I checked my watch, though, I was shocked and amazed to see that I’d actually been zonked out totally for almost 3 full hours – woohoo!! I didn’t feel as though I’d slept at all, but I slept almost the entire flight 🙂

After arriving home I sat at the laptop and uploaded the few photos I had taken, then eventually climbed into bed again where I’ve had another 4 hours nap time and feel loads better.

Now it’s time to recant the week’s tales … starting with the CA Wells classes …

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Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now may remember that last year I got horribly lost in the car when driving to the CA Wells class – Judy (our hostess) had decided she’d prefer me to stay closer to her home this time round, and I have to admit it was a wonderful idea!

I was picked up at the airport by the lady that I was going to be staying with, Nancy – and I hadn’t met her previously. We hit it off straightaway and she really is the most fascinating lady to talk to, exceptionally knowledgeable and a truly interesting life. After being picked up I was told the day was ‘her treat’ and she whisked me away to Guildford where we drove around looking at the beautiful old buildings before stopping for lunch at a cafe set in beautiful grounds on the banks of the river. Here we both had leek and potato soup followed by pumpkin quiche and salad – it was a lovely welcome to Perth!

Afterwards Nancy found out that I hadn’t seen any of Perth whatsoever, so we spent 6 whole hours driving around the various suburbs and landmarks with Nancy telling lots of stories about the various properties. We started off driving up The Esplanade, then ducked into the driveway of the University of Western Australia where my jaw hit the floor – the main building as you come onto the property took my breath away! There will be photos in the next post. After that we headed up into the expensive suburbs and then on over to Fremantle for more driving – we didn’t actually stop and this has now whetted my appetite to go back again and spend more time on foot exploring the place in detail. We eventually ended up at Cottesloe Beach where we had coffee and cake then drove back via Kings Park. The entire venture took my breath away – it was an awesome introduction to Perth and I’m extremely grateful to Nancy for that wee adventure! 🙂

The next day was the Sailor’s Valentine class – I was interested to note that I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t enjoyed stitching this one … but by the end of the class, the project has really grown on me, and it truly does look so much better all finished! Unfortunately I had forgotten to stitch the bands, which is the first thing we needed to work on, so I don’t have much stitching to show … but over the coming weeks I’ll endeavour to get both projects finished.

The great thing about this year’s class is that there were so many familiar faces from last year – I sat with Joanne and Lisa and had a really wonderful time … their company was great! CA was as charming and histerical as always, her stories had me in fits of giggles at times.

I was very privileged to find I’d been invited out to dinner with Nancy, along with CA, Michael and Judy, Val, and Lisa – it was a very memorable dinner at a local Chinese restaurant where the food, wine and company were sublime. It was an unexpected highlight of my visit 🙂

The next morning we were working on the Cottage Etui – I managed to get my scissor fob almost completed (I just want to add a bead to the bottom if I can find one suitable in my stash), and also managed to get my ‘trunk’ pincushion finished aside from tying the ribbon bows (I thought I’d wait until I got home so it wouldn’t get totally crushed inflight). Once again, I’ll make an effort over the coming weeks to get this one finished off. I’ll take photos later of the finished project.

Here is a photo, though, of the group hard at work finishing their Cottage Etuis (close to the camera are my stitching buddies for the weekend).

I will, however, show you photos of next year’s projects! I’ve reserved my spot already, both with Nancy and CA … especially now I’m finding there are so many beautiful places to explore in Perth, this will turn out to be my huge personal treat each year. Next year CA is offering the Mermaid Bag and the Acorn Etui (it opens up, and is gorgeous! – I adore both items, so I’ll definitely be signing up for both! 😀

I’ll finish off this post with a photo of the ladies who really looked after me throughout those couple of days – from left to right we have Judy (the hostess with the mostess), CA, myself, and Nancy (accommodation and tourguide extraordinaire).

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I’m in Heaven …

27 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Just a really really quick post to say that I’m having the BEST time in Perth. The CA Wells classes were fantastic – even better than last year’s classes! And I’ve reserved my spot for next year already 🙂

I’ll post full details when I get home again at the beginning of next week, but I had a total blast! The company was wonderful, the projects gorgeous (even the Sailors Valentine has grown on me more), and I hit it off really well with the lady I stayed with.

After the classes finished, we were up bright and early for the ANZAC Day dawn service at Nollamara RSL – another fun and memorable experience (once again, full details will follow in a few days time).

Today I had a fun day out with Hayley – we started off buying out the Kiwi Shop at Joondalup, then we headed out to Sorrento Beach where we had a great lunch (prawn and avocado salad for me, yummo), followed by Cold Rock icecream … double yummo!! We finished the day off having drinks and dinner with friends, and had another great night out 🙂

Tomorrow we’re heading out to Fremantle to spend the day – flights don’t look too promising to get home, so I might end up taking the overnight flight home tomorrow night instead of the lunchtime flight on Monday. We’ll check again in the morning when I’ll make my final decision.

Rightio, time to hit the hay for the night – I just jumped online to check the flight loadings to get home, and thought I’d drop a really quick line on here. I’ve got a few photos to share, so I’ll wait to tell the full stories of the trip until I can upload those!

C A Wells, Cross Stitch, needlework TO BE FIXED, Works in Progress

Final post before I fly to Perth

21 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

I haven’t decided whether or not to take my laptop with me to Perth … I guess it depends on how much other luggage I end up taking. Anyway, I’ve almost finished my CA Wells projects apart from the fusing of the interfacing and remaining eyelets and miniscule bits of stitching. I have to admit I’ve really detested stitching the Sailor’s Valentine piece and these last few days have been spent doing squillions of over-one stitching … even less enjoyable when it’s a project you’re not enjoying anyway! Every single stitch has been painful, and definitely NOT a labour of love!

Well, I’ve finally managed to finish them anyway … although I noticed I was two threads out on part of the ship panel – seeing as that panel has given me major grief over the last 2-3 days I was sure as heck not unpicking all that over-one stitching and re-doing it, so fingers crossed those two fabric threads on each won’t make any difference! It’s my own fault, I regraphed the whole panel onto my XS computer program and copied them into the wrong place! I must say, though, it was sooooo much easier stitching it from my own chart than from CA’s … much much easier in colour and nice and large on the screen 🙂

I think the thing I really hate about this piece is the dreadful pink thread … the photos don’t actually show the colours up truthfully – in real life it looks more brown and rusty looking – it just looks like ‘dead flowers’ to me, particularly on the Roses panel … oh well, c’est la vie – I’ll probably choose to put this panel on the back so I don’t have to look at it if I have a choice 😉

And don’t get me started on the thread colour for the ship! The model photo shows nice variegated browns and a hit of blue … not pink, green and gold!!! Unfortunately we were given the teeniest skimpiest strand of this silk so I couldn’t even cut it to a preferred blend of colours … by this stage I was so ‘over’ the whole design I couldn’t be bothered hunting through my thread stash for a replacement and just stitched it ‘as is’ … but it really is a bizarre colour choice 😦

Here are piccies of the finished sides (all apart from those final ‘fused’ bits of stitching) – I changed the longitude and latitude coordinates to be from the suburb where I’m now living. There are a couple of photos of the over-one stitching as well (those are clickable, not that you’d really want to see them any more ‘up close and personal’ than what they already are, but the others are non-clickable as a courtesy to the designer.

Tomorrow morning I will be sitting on a plane for 5 hours heading to Perth, then on Wed/Thu this week I will be in the classroom with CA Wells and other luvverly ladies (including one lady who is flying all the way from Japan to be there!). Hopefully the next time you see these projects they’ll be finished (well, the Sailor’s Valentine one anyway – I still have to stitch the rooftop of the cottage, so that one will take a bit longer!).

Now it’s time to start contemplating what I need to pack to take with me … something super simple to stitch on the plane, me thinks, and my iPod loaded up with a talking book – I can’t remember whether they show a movie on the flight or not, so I want to be prepared ‘just in case’ … actually I’d better pack a normal book just in case I’m now allowed to stitch! Rightio, time is a wastin’ … time to get my A into G!!

PhotoHunt

Photo Hunt – Thirteen (13)

19 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

This week’s theme is “Thirteen” and I have to say this one had me stumped … I had visions of tramping around the streets to find a wonderful looking “13” in a doorway or mailbox or somewhere, but figure I could be doing that for weeks on end before finding something suitable (and I have other deadline stuff that put a stop to those thoughts, not to mention the dreadful weather of late. Instead, I came up with a collage of 13 Roses from my existing photos … hopefully that will fulfil this week’s Photo Hunt theme!

I am a bit late posting this week, as I forgot last week was the final post that was ‘posted in advance’ – now I’m back to normal posting having to remember each week … oh what a challenge haha.

Canvaswork

Bad, bad girl

18 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

I take a day off work to do some ‘cramming stitching’ for my CA Wells class … and what do I do instead? I forget to switch my phone alarm off so I get awoken early then feel like death all day and end up spending the entire day (so far anyway) joining up for more internet groups for canvaswork designs and getting itchy feet to start a new project or 50!! There is just no hope for me!!!

I’m getting a serious urge to pick up some canvaswork projects again … I have one or two in my stash still waiting to be stitched, but now I’m drooling over some new class projects as well … Check this one out by Jim Wurth … oh my goodness, I SOOOOO want this one!!!!! I’ve sent him an email to work out how to pay for it, if overseas students are allowed (it’s basically a correspondence course) … isn’t it to die for??? Its called Study in Gold and Silver, and available through the Shining Needle Society (email to sign up for registration – no membership fee for the Yahoo group).

Then there’s a new Mystery project by Gay Ann Rogers – check out her blog post here to see the first part. Some of the suggested colour combinations put together in other posts are totally exquisite! (Once again, this is run via the above Yahoo group.)

Then, of course, there’s the few canvaswork projects that I already have that are actually pretty much kitted up ready to be started in my existing stash – Sapphire Star by Laura J Perin (who has her own blog I’ve just discovere today), and Lavender Blue Celtic Knot Quilt by From Nancy’s Needle, and Baroque by Jean Hilton:

As well as the designs I already own by Orna Willis (who also now has her own blog but I’ve known about that one since she started it), that aren’t quite kitted up yet (the only real downside to canvaswork is the multitude of ‘weird’ and uncommon threads needed).

A Summer Drink (you’ll need to click on the pictures to go to the website to see the full piccie – the turquoise one is stunning!)

Reflections of Joy (in the bright colours), Equilibrium (in the purple colourway), Grace (in the colourway shown, or perhaps I’d attempt to change the entire colours to turquoise and navy yet hmmm) – again, you have to click on the piccies to see all the colourway choices

Add to that the one of hers I don’t actually own yet, but still continue to drool over – Royal:

And finished off by the multitude still on my wishlist by Laura J Perin and Northern Pine Designs …

Perhaps I should just console myself with the piece I’ve already started – Flight of the Bumblebee by Ruth Schmuff:

… but stitching on something already started spoils all the fun … haha.

I also have a couple of other canvaswork designs in my stash, but I can’t remember the exact designer names off the top of my head … and I think I’ve disgraced myself enough with this post! 😉

And of course that’s not even mentioning the millions of XS designs that are currently screaming my name to be started! Why is it, that as soon as I have a stitching commitment and deadline, that commitment project is the very last thing that I want to stitch, and the urge to start 50 different projects is sooooo strong?

So, what am I doing now instead of stitching? Sitting here posting about my sorry addiction … ah, there really is no hope for me! 😉

It will soon be time to head out the door to get my hair cut, and I’ll be walking out after not stitching a single solitary stitch … just pitiful!! But I’ve been having so much fun dreaming … 😉

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A whole lotta SBQ’s!!!

16 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

I’m soooooo behind on emails both at work and at home, I’ve decided it was high time I sat and cleaned my folders out – I have over 2500 unead emails at work (mainly because when I moved to Sydney all my old emails I’d received in Melbourne now showed as unread here ho-hum!), and 720 at home (the joys of having intermittent ‘net access since housesitting etc, I just haven’t managed to keep on top of anything!) … well, today’s folder of choice for clearing out is my SBQ folder … time to finally answer those outstanding Stitching Blogger Questions, and deleting those emails outta there! (Getting ADSL broadband set up at home is just awesome! Pages are loading up soooo much more quickly etc, I just might start to enjoy being online again soon!)

14 June 2007 (!) – Today’s SBQ was suggested Jennifer and is:

“How do you store your WIPs and other projects that you have kitted up?”

I still don’t have my WIP’s sorted out properly like I did in my old flat – but my storage system is relatively similar here. I keep all my charts and threads in ‘plastic envelopes’ or ziploc plastic baggies – my stitching is usually done on scrollbars, so they are generally stored in a plastic tub ready to be picked up again. When I was working my rotation, I’d have all the plastic envelopes with the charts and threads in them lined up behind each other in another plastic tub, in order of the stitching rotation slots. When I’d finished my 10 hours stitching on one project I’d place it at the back of the tub behind all the other projects, then take the next project from the front and start stitching my next 10 hours and so on.

At the moment I’m not working on a rotation (although I’m thinking of returning to one soon), and just have boxes full of projects that are kitted up (and there are many, many of them) – I’m tending to just work on one project until it’s finished, especially as I’ve been concentrating on smaller sized projects for a while. I really do need to get back into stitching some more of my BAP’s, so perhaps my storage method will make a return again! 😀

24 January 2008 – This week’s SBQ is:

“Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that mentions it.) If not, when do you predict it will be?”

There was a very slow start to the year as far as finishes was concerned, and my first official finish for 2008 was on 27 January, Fill With Love ornie by Designs by Cathie Jean (2007 JCS ornie magazine) – details can be found here.

6 February – This week’s SBQ was suggested by Kathryn and is:

“Are there other crafts that you have tried and abandoned? Why do you like stitching better?”

I’ve tried numeous crafts over the years, much to my parents’ duress – their garage is still holding craft debris from the different classes I’ve done … among which you can include silk fabric painting, glass painting, basketwork (Mum would come home to find the bath full of soaking cane!), fabric painting, punchneedle (can’t remember what it used to be called years ago – but it was before the current trend!), fabric dyeing (including batik work with wax), knitting (which I’m sorry to say I detest), and beading just to name a few. I was always trying something new just to challenge myself … and I still have a couple of things I’m dying to try, namely quilting/patchwork, mosaics (I really want to do a tabletop for a balcony/patio!) and crochet. I can’t say why, but when I tried stitching I fell in love with it, and I’ve never stopped or got bored with it … it continues to give me as much delight today as when I first started trying it (in fact, probably even MORE joy today than it did in the early days!). I have no idea why I stuck to stitching and nothing else … I just continue to love it and never get bored.

13 February – This week’s SBQ was suggested by Loretta and is:

“Do you have any projects that you have scrapped and started over? What made you start over from scratch?”

I can honestly say no, I haven’t. I have thrown things in a corner in a fit of frustration where it will stay quietly out of the way until I (hopefully) decide to rescue it and continue … normally this is due to a blaring great error which takes 10 minutes to fix and move on. I have yet to actually start again from scratch, though.

26 February – This week’s SBQ was suggested by Rachel and is:

“What is your cross stitch weakness? (i.e., What do you have to have when you see it, even if you are supposed to be on the Wagon?)”

Charts … charts … more charts … when I don’t have a restriction on my spending I don’t see anything I like … then as soon as I go on the Wagon Murphy’s Law kicks in and I want everything I lay my eyes on! 😉

5 March – This week’s SBQ is recycled from January 4, 2005 and is:

“After you stitch a pattern or kit, what do you do with it?”

I’ve always placed them in a separate folder so I know where to look if I ever want to stitch a project again. I’ve recently been reconsidering this practice, though, as I hate stitching projects twice, and have so many ‘new’ projects to stitch there’s no real reason to continue hoarding old ‘used’ charts … you may see some appearing in my ‘for trade’ album one of these days in the future! I must say that recently when I’ve stitched a newer design (eg LHN) and notice that someone has it in their wishlist, I’m more likely to offer it up as a RAK instead – or offer it as a prize draw on my blog … it’s nice to do a nice thing for someone every now and then 🙂

26 March:

“When you stitch a pattern that you have downloaded do you print out the pattern or do you stitch directly from your computer screen?”

I go cross-eyed enough trying to follow a printed chart, never mind one on the computer screen! I lose track of where I am really easily, so I find even for simple charts I need to have an enlarged working copy so I can cross off the squares as I go with a highlighter … the only time I’ve followed the computer screen is for the personalisation (initials) of my CA Wells projects because my printer isn’t loaded up to this laptop, or to see a clear closeup of a Chatelaine online design … otherwise printed it must be! 3 April:

“What items do you consider essential to your needlework that you keep in your stitching bag?”

In my every-day stitching bag it would contain Gingher scissors, spare needles (Piecemaker 26 and 28’s), highlighters, Dololly, Thread Heaven, contrasting (usually blue or green) sewing machine thread, and tapemeasure/ruler. When I go to a stitching class I have a lot more in there – larger scissors, pen/pencils, water-erasable fabric marker, tweezers, eyebrow brush (for stumpwork), little plastic case with sponge and mini water bottle, notebook, and a few other bits and bobs.

10 April – This week’s SBQ was suggested by Jennifer and is:

“What is the most complicated piece you’ve ever completed?”

This is a really hard question to answer – “complicated” can mean so many different things … to me complicated means “challenging” with different stitching techniques. If that’s the case, I would perhaps say my stumpwork pieces that I’ve so far completed … or any of the CA Wells pieces. It could also means more challenging in terms of blended needles etc – in which case I’d choose my Teresa Wentzler project English Garden Sampler, of which I’m still holding as a WIP/UFO.

The last two outstanding SBQ’s require a bit more thought, so I’ll leave those for later … now after all that I think it’s time to hit the hay for the night … at least my inbox is less a few unactioned emails tonight! 🙂

Cross Stitch, Gifts TO BE FIXED, Works in Progress

Peeps have arrived in Oz! (plus a bit of stitching)

16 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

… or at least they DID arrive, but alas they had to be destroyed due to possible cross-breeding with the local bunnies. The destruction was quick and painless, as I chomped them to death throughout the day at work! 😉

Thanks so much to Monique for this little act of kindness – I’d mentioned to Monique on her blog that I’d never seen what a peep looked like, so it was great to see her photo of them after hearing so much about them for years … Monique took pity on me and sent me this wonderful sample! People must have thought I was bonkers leaving the Post Office, as I changed from being very perplexed at a strange parcel arriving, to cackling like a banshee with a huge grin on my face after opening it up and seeing the contents. Thanks again Monique for making my week! 😀

As for my stitching, I’ve done really well over the weekend and the last couple of nights – I have finished all my Cottage Etui pieces, except for the rooftop, and except for tiny bits of stitching that are done after the interfacing is fused on (eyelets and satin stitches). Now I’ve moved on to the Sailor’s Valentine, and I’ve managed to complete one more side (once again, except for the backstitching of the word “Love” once the interfacing is fused on) – now I’m concentrating on the smallest side of the lot (not much stitching, although a bit of over one) which has a whale’s tail on it and compass markings. That then just leaves me with the boat side to be done (oodles of over-one so it will take me forever!) and the ribbon bands, plus the personalisation (again over-one) on the Roses side … then I can attempt to get the Cottage rooftop started.

Here’s just a wee taste of the “Love” side (CA isn’t keen on full-screen progress photos online as far as I understand it, so I’m trying to be considerate but still share a little bit!):

I’m really looking forward to heading over to Perth again next week for the class – I’m staying with one of the organiser’s lady friends for the two nights of the class, then I’m off to spend 3 nights with Hayley, a good friend of mine. Apparently we’re getting up on Thursday for the dawn service on ANZAC Day, then we have 3 full days to potter around and actually see a bit of Perth this time – it’s going to be great to have some quality time with Hayles and Pete, as they have a long weekend off work yay!

Of GREAT note is the fact that as of late last night we have ADSL BROADBAND AT HOME!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I AM screaming … with sheer joy!!!!! We’ve managed to get my modem set up with Lisa’s wireless router, and we can both connect – in a couple of weeks time you actually might get to see me more online again (and maybe even answering emails, unlike having a humungous backlog like I do now)!! 😀

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Feijoas for Monique

13 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Thanks for the question, Monique – the feijoa is really really hard to describe as far as the flavour is concerned, as it is very unique. It has a ‘perfumey’ smell and this picture shows you what the flesh looks like inside (that’s one very perfect looking feijoa!!):

I even have a bottle of Feijoa flavoured Vodka in the freezer – and the smell is so much like the true Feijoa smell, it’s just scrummy! (although perhaps a taste that grows on you if you’re not used to it haha)

The information from Wikipedia states the following:

The Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana, synonym Acca sellowiana), also known as Pineapple Guava or Guavasteen, is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 1-7 m in height, originating from the highlands of southern Brazil, parts of Colombia, Uruguay and northern Argentina. It has been spotted in Georgia and both flowering and fruiting in Lafayette, Louisiana and in Charleston, South Carolina. It is widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree in New Zealand.

The fruit matures in autumn and is green, ellipsoid-shaped and the size of a chicken egg. It has a sweet, aromatic flavor. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear jelly-like seed pulp and a firmer, slightly gritty opaque flesh nearer the skin. The fruit drops when ripe, but can be picked from the tree prior to the drop to prevent bruising. This plant is monotypic in its genus. Like the closely-related guava, the fruit pulp has a gritty texture which is utilized in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant. Feijoa fruit have a distinctive smell. The ester methyl benzoate smells strongly of feijoas and the aroma of the fruit is caused mostly by this and other closely related esters.

Cross Stitch, Home & Family TO BE FIXED, Stash, Works in Progress

Market garden kitchen and etui update

12 April, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Well, true to form, I’ve been lounging around in my PJ equivalent all day – trackpants and PJ top … and I’ve been stitching merrily away on my Cottage Etui. Here’s a sneak preview of how far along I am so far … I’m pretty confident that I’ll get all the pieces finished by the end of tomorrow that I want to (I’m not bothering about getting the rooftop stitched yet – but if I get time before I fly out, I’ll try to start).

While stitching the Etui, it also reminded me that I haven’t shown you my latest stash purchases yet either – as soon as I took them out of the envelope, my Cottage Etui threads went straight onto one of them. Monique makes the most gorgeous threadholders, and I truly adore them! Small enough to be super portable, and no thread snags … plus they look so darned cute!!! 😀 What’s betting a certain senior citizen who will be visiting in May will try to snaffle one of them for herself??? haha.

I also forgot to show your healthy spoils from a morning trip to Paddy’s Market in Flemington last weekend (before my friends arrived). Lisa has bought a juicer and we’ve been having fresh fruit and vege juices every morning this last week … this is just a small sample of what is residing in our kitchen right now … boxes and boxes and lovely fruit and vege (some will be juiced and frozen).

Lovely peaches, with a tray of nectarines hiding underneath … plus boxes of pears, apples and oranges.

There is also a box full of Tahitian limes (just perfect for the bottles of Corona in the fridge), and melons galore, not to mention the pile of pumpkins and butternuts hiding underneath!

And this one is for Mum … a box of Australian feijoas (which I’m sorry to say are really tiny and picked well before they are ripe, so they’re a bit disappointing … I really miss our feijoa tree from home – poor Mum has so many she doesn’t know what to do with them, and she keeps making me jealous talking about them!).