What a day

We have officially started a new chapter.  We sold our house in Melbourne on Saturday.  It is such a relief.  With relocating our family twice in 15 months, buying land, building a new house and starting new jobs and schools it has been a very big 18 months.  It all came to a natural completion with the sale of our Melbourne house on Saturday.  It was a very emotional day.  And here on the other side of it I feel nothing but relief and a little sadness of saying goodbye to the house and the garden.

However a new chapter is starting now and therefore a new set of challenges, new garden and new interior designing/furnishing and new projects.  The first of which are new curtains, new tractor and new carport.  We have started the garden.  I have only shown you half the front lawn because that is all there is...we can't do the other half until we sort out the "Telstra issues"......

And yes it is true we have a green patch of grass and lots of dry grass.  We need rain.  This week they say.

Another One...just couldn't resist

Still no Internet....

So this post is bought to you courtesy of someone else's internet connection.  They are even letting me upload pictures.

Telstra Telstra Telstra....words really escape me.....lets just say that if any other business in Australia operated in this manner they would be broke.

So onto more pleasant things....On Saturday 6th April  I spent the day with Corliss from Threadbare Quilters in Castlemaine.  It was excellent.  I did an applique master class and met so many new people...some locals and some not so locals (Bairnsdale) and some interstate (Adelaide). 

I was in gadget heaven...more on that later.  I did four classes during the day.  There were four fabulous teachers: DI FORD,  MARGARET MCDONALD, WENDY WHELLUM and  ROBYN FALLOON

All teaching four different techniques: Needle Turn, Broderie Perse, Back Basting and Reverse Appliqué and lets not forget all the tips, techniques and tools to enhance my stitching. We each got a kit for each technique  and we were able to shop for all the different gadgets....It was an amazing day.   This is my finished Broderie Perse sample (none of the others are finished yet.) 

Di Ford's new book was just released. Look at Threadbare's blog for all the details about what inside...but I will be getting myself a copy. Of all the techniques I fell in love with Broderie Perse, Back Basting and Reverse Appliqué......and gadgets....there were so many ....the reservoir pen, best press, perfect circles, timbles, needles and more......

 I have been trying to do some more of my candlewicking blocks and I have completed two more.  I am half way through all those blocks so I will keep plodding  away at it.

And my beautiful girl turned 7 years old on Sunday.  Here is the cake I made her below.  The hardest bit about making the cake was locating the Strawberry Shortcake doll in her bedroom...that took two hours.

Frantic

We are moving house at the moment...no computers and no Internet.  Telstra is being an absolute joy to work with getting the phone line installed.  Before we started this I thought that trying to get a phone line installed would not be straight forward as nothing with Telstra ever is.  And they have not let me down...It is 3 weeks now that we have been in negotiation for an essential service - as per legislation (...see I even now this now). 

So this post comes via someones else's Internet connection.

We are busy shifting furniture and moving boxes, boxes and more boxes. We also have a requirement from local council to have a total of 100m3 of garden beds planted up with 150 plants by the end of March (comes of having a sewage treatment tank as opposed to a septic tank). 

I still have been managing to sew and crochet.  I have finished all my blocks for the Georgetown Turn Around and am now working on sewing them into the background.  I have also been crocheting cushions for the teachers at school for Easter presents (as opposed to buying Easter eggs).  I will have photos soon (well when Telstra decide to connect our phone that is).

In the meantime I have this.

Finished - Finally

No not the house.  This is much better.  My Crochet rug.

19 x 20 = 380 granny squares (but whose counting)

and

9 months work (off and on)

It feels very good

I've been reading

I have nearly finished the crochet rug.  Just stitching in the ends of wool.  It is a long job but there are 400 blocks...half way there at the moment

 

Since I have nearly finished this I am looking for my next project and have a thing for circles at the moment...you would think that the George Town Turnaround would have put me off?

 

I saw this book and all the different circles that it has on offer and have not been able to put it down.....all those blue tags are pages of inspiration. 



 

I also have bought this book recently and there a block in here I am going to have a go at.....it is an excellent book.  I generally tend not to like modern blocks but this book grabbed my attention.  Will show you the block when I make one up as I think I might be adapting it.  Again the yellow tags are the blocks I like.... never is it simple....I just love everything.

Can you believe there is just a month to go?

The house is nearly done.  I can't believe how fast it has happened.  They are right now doing the "final fit out" and the "making good".  I just love the terminology.  I am right up with all the terms now.  "first fix", "rough in", "fit off", "making good" etc.....

Here is the bathroom...they are "making good" the tiling issues - can you spot them (its a bit like where's wally)

Here's the ensuite - BAM is very happy - a room with a view!!!

 

The view from the back veranda - or "al fresco" as the Building Practitioners like to call it..have to excuse the builders rubble.

 



What do you think of the colour of the external spotlights...we wanted white or cream...lets see if they will "make good" this one.