Where has January gone!

Hard to believe that January is almost over..... have been productive over the last couple of weeks..... the "book pillows" have been finished... just waiting for the books to be popped into the front pocket.....

This pattern was from a book called "Growing Up Modern" by Allison Harris.... lots of lovely patterns for children's quilts.

Then the batik fabric quilt came back from the quilters .... not quite finished yet....

A little retail therapy over the last couple of weeks.....including a Jelly Roll of Jen Kingwell fabrics....... no projects  yet but it is lovely to look at them and ponder.... 

Finished reading a couple of books .... this one is set in the year 1908 near Eden on the NSW South Coast with the eldest daughter of a whaling family narrating the story .... 

and the second ...... one of Hercule Poirot's cases.....

A local bookshop has a book challenge which I have joined - there are 16 challenges ...... "Rush Oh" is "a book by a debut author" challenge and the Agatha Christie book is for "a book you have not read since high school" (I loved reading Agatha Christie's books every school holidays - and still have all the books!) .... so 2 challenges ticked!

In the garden.... a bumper crop of tomatoes - the first picking of many!

.... and in October 2014 I posted this...... a diamond python coming out of my guttering...

well, I thought it had gone but found it asleep in the garden alongside the house the other day - nearly dropped my green waste bin on it.... not sure who would have got the bigger fright! Having 2 cats who could have been dinner I called the "snake" man who exclaimed that it was "one very big snake!" - now re-located he convinced me it would not be back! 

Once again I have joined up with OPAM (One Project a Month) so that will keep me busy stitching and with all the reading I will be doing I think 2016 should be a very productive year.... so till next time

Happy Stitching

Asta 

Catching Up

My flowers in the house for the past week have been these beautiful carnations.....

After some days of rain  and rather dismal weather - fortunately not as severe as in Sydney and the Hunter Valley - it was lovely to be welcomed by a little sunshine in the house this morning......

...and it was still shining on my way home from work.....

Have been busy stitching the Stitch a Long project but the 5 blocks here became 3 after unpicking my little bug appliques as I had sewn their wings on under their little bodies instead of on top - I guess you could say they were flying upside down! 

A little knitting of my cardigan has been happening too - but no photos and not a lot achieved - there was some unpicking with that too as I had incorrectly read the instructions! 

The postman dropped off this little purchase from The Home Patch.......

..... and I finished reading......

.......  set in China and Japan from 1903 - 1942 and following historical events of the time it tells the story of a young English woman living in China then in Japan after she leaves her daughter and husband following an affair with a Japanese soldier - quite a good read.

Off to search through my "unread books" bookshelf for my next book......

Happy stitching

Asta