Tag: Uncategorized

… One reason is work at the moment is absolutely frenetic!  I haven’t had a ‘real’ lunch break for ages, and didn’t leave until 8pm on Monday night.  The only reason I managed to leave ‘early’ at 6pm tonight was because I was getting my hair cut, and have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning.  I’m heading across the ocean to our southern state of Tasmania to visit one of our call centres for a site visit.  I’ll be getting to sit in on a training session for 3 hours of the massive project I’ve been working on since January, plus a Supervisor meeting, followed by sitting with a Hotliner or two listening to calls (which will be interesting seeing as that’s the job I was doing in Melbourne! haha).  I’m looking forward to putting some names to faces of people I deal with on a regular basis, as well as setting foot in a part of Australia I haven’t been to before, even if it is just to see the drive from the airport to the call centre!  It will be an incredibly long day, though – in essence from the time I arrive at work to meet my travelling companion to the time I touch down on the tarmac again it will be a 15-hour working day (not to mention the local commuting time) ho-hum. 

BUT, there’s another GREAT reason why I’ll be quiet for a few days …

“The Dragon” (aka Mum) is arriving first thing on Thursday morning – yippee!!!  I really can’t wait, as I’m taking two weeks off on annual leave so we can spend some quality time together and see a few NSW sights.  Not entirely sure what we’ll be doing yet, aside from ticket to see Phantom of the Opera, but it will hopefully include Darling Harbour, the Zoo, a visit to The Stitching Post at Katoomba (plus visit to Leura this time too) and perhaps a quick trip up the coast to Coffs Harbour and/or Port Macquarie (yet to be decided if and when).  Regardless of what we do it will be “good times”, even if we’re sat at home stitching for the entire two weeks! 😀

Anyway, I’d better sign off and jump in the shower to wash my hair and pack my bag (we’ve decided to take an overnight bag with sleeping gear and toiletries just in case we don’t get on either of our flights coming home … fingers crossed that won’t happen though!) … then it’s time to set the alarm clock for “sparrow’s fart” and time to hit the hay for the night …

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!

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! 🙂

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.

 

It saddens me to say that I can no longer blog the old way that I used to – I just don’t spend as much time online as I used to, partly due to my working hours now I just don’t have as much free time as I used to with shift work, and partly because I’m getting out and about a lot more than I used to.  I can never seem to get on top of my blog reading anymore, and my favourite blogs are suffering because of it in that I just don’t have time to comment much anymore while I’m rushing trying to read everything.  In February I had just over 250 blogs in my blogroll that I liked to browse through, but I have to say sorry to some bloggers that I just can’t keep those numbers up anymore, and I’m starting to cull a few blogs out of the list.

 This is one of the hardest decisions I think I’ve had to make, but I want to make my online time ‘quality time’.  The blogs that will remain are mainly those that are full of inspiring stitching piccies and finishes, and those pals that I have already met and build up a close relationship with.  A few blogs have moved away from the stitching realm somewhat, into areas that I don’t have as much of an interest, so I’m not as inspired to read daily.

One thing that I notice I’m doing more and more is that because I use a newsreader, rather than going into the actual blogs themselves (unless commenting on a post), I’m finding that I’m spending less time reading those blogs that don’t show the full feed but only a summary, as it takes so much longer for the blog page to load up to read that page … so I’m tending to leave those blogs until last to read.  A couple of these blogs are in my “love to read” section too, so please don’t be offended if you get an email from you asking you if you’d be willing to change your settings ‘cos I’m selfish and want to continue reading your posts 🙂

Anyway, I do apologise in advance if your blog is removed from my blogroll, I just have to make my online time more manageable – having 1000+ unread feeds on a regular basis is quite deflating …

Rightio, that being said, I’m off to read a few blogs this morning to catch up on a tiny bit of backlog before heading out for a walk …

Not sure what’s happening with WordPress today, but all those posts are dated for the future, and shouldn’t be published!  I’m not sure how to ‘unpublish’ them without deleting them either … oh well, you get a sneak preview of the next load of Photo Hunts haha.  And no, it’s not my birthday either … well, not for another 9 days anyway!  Thanks for the early birthday wishes, though – that’s what made me realise the WordPress glitch had happened!!

 I will do another post later, as I have some exquisite gifts to share … but I need to send a couple of emails first, plus my laptop hard drive is full and won’t let me crop or edit the photos ho-hum … will post piccies as soon as I can 🙂

I didn’t write anything in a post yesterday, but there was an additional drama late yesterday afternoon with Dodgey Brothers R Us … they turned up at Lisa’s place without calling her and just picked up what was in the hallway at the time, leaving the items that were still inside her flat right where they were. They were supposed to call Lisa ½ an hour before pick-up so that someone could be there to let them in (Lisa is at a 5-day conference at the moment). To say that Lisa was ropable was a huge understatement!!

By the time Dodgey Brothers answered her phone call, they were 2 ½ hours outside Melbourne and refused to go back … there was a bit of altercation between the driver and Lisa and the driver apparently lost his temper and said he’d had enough of our sh*t and he was just going to put it all in storage and have nothing further to do with it … OMG, is all I could think when Lisa was telling me the story …

I decided not to push things further than they already were, and waited until mid-morning today to call the driver up – to say he had calmed down could be a fib … he was still incredibly angry and ranted for a wee while. Eventually I managed to calm him down a bit, and tried to explain a couple of things that he brought up … and managed to get him to agree that he would be likely to be dropping the stuff off tomorrow morning. I’m trying to stay calm and collected and not wind him up, until the goods are physically in my hot little hands (and in my hot little apartment), and then we have to negotiate the price – ie I have to pay for the little truck, and he has to knock off the goods that he didn’t bring of Lisa’s. That part of the day I’m really not looking forward to. I’m just in a really mellow mood, and don’t want to have a blood-boiling argument … but we’ll see what happens. At least he’d calmed down enough by the time he finished speaking to me that he’s back to delivering the goods again, and not putting them into storage … Nothing in my life is ever simple haha 😉

Anyway, my stitching stuff is still all over the place, and not unpacked yet, as I’m waiting for my storage containers and drawers etc to arrive … so I’m just starting a new needleroll or two in the meantime – I’m nearly halfway through a Sweetheart Tree one (Wildflowers Needleroll), then I’ll be starting Shepherd’s Roll by Shepherd’s Bush for Dragonfly Dreams … which is perfect timing as I’ve just spent 4 hours today finishing off my needleroll class ready for next weekend … I worked on it for 3 hours this morning then lost the whole lot when I hit “publish” … an hour later tonight and it’s all back in again (and I remembered to take a copy of the HTML version before hitting “publish” … just in case 😉

Rightio, time to settle down and sit in my very expensive $9.95 chair from Big W and try to stitch for an hour while watching Night at the Museum … it was killing my back (and backside) sitting on the floor last night, so I decided to get something cheap and nasty to sit on for tonight. My table will be a suitcase and empty box for my laptop to sit on … ah, such luxury hahaha.

Hopefully when I post tomorrow, I’ll be sitting among a disarray of furniture and boxes!!! 😀

Until I can feel ‘normal’ once again!

I’m so exhausted these days I don’t know whether I’m coming or going … although I certainly know which way my stitching is going, and that’s nowhere fast! I don’t have time to sit and blog (I now have over 1500 unread feeds in my newsreader), and my email inbox is full to overflowing, with no chance of catching up any time soon. I owe dozens of people emails, and I haven’t even written any Christmas cards this year – I’m feeling ever so slightly overwhelmed in general.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying life in Sydney on the whole, but I’m finding the commute time is really getting me down. That 3 ½ hours spent commuting each day is leaving no time whatsoever to do anything at home in the evenings – and in the weekends Brenda and Nigel have been filling my days with social functions (not that I’m really complaining, as it’s been wonderful … it’s just that I’ve had absolutely no time whatsoever to spend doing my ‘old’ daily routines like blogging and catching up on the world of my online friends in general).

Anyway, as the title states, there is a light at the end of the tunnel … we have the deposit put down on a little wee apartment closer to work, where I’ll be sharing with another girl who’s moving from Melbourne for 12 months. We pick up the keys on 24 January, and I’m going to be freighting my furniture etc out of storage at that time (as long as I can find the money, which is another issue!!). We’ll be living in Ramsgate Beach, a sum total of about 20 minutes by car to work … I see a bit of stitching happening at the end of January, and I really can’t wait!!!

As as last night, I’m housesitting for a work colleague for two weeks (well, actually it’s now turned out to be only one week, which is a tad awkward, as Brenda and Nigel have family staying for two weeks, which means my bedroom is given over to them for that time … but they’re OK for me to stay here in the spare room for the extra week). Hence the reason I’m finally able to spend a quick 10 minutes writing this quick line. I’m pretty exhausted tonight, so it’s truly a speedy drive-by as normal … I’ll be having an early night, and tomorrow I have the entire day to myself so I intend actually stitching – Snapperville here I come!!! Sunday will be spent at a BBQ with Brenda, Nigel, family and friends, then it’s back to work for one day on Monday before taking Christmas and Boxing Days off work. It feels quite strange being a ‘day worker’ again and having all the public holidays off work … the pay packet is missing it, though my body isn’t 😉

Anyway, time to head off as my eyes are seriously trying to close on me (and it’s only 8pm yikes!!) … time to curl up and have a sleep so I can be fresh for stitching tomorrow. And with any luck this week I can finally catch up on some outstanding thank you emails and other correspondence that is SERIOUSLY overdue!!!