I Love a Man in Uniform

“What’s this?”, I wondered, as I parked the car outside Stonestead Tea House.  A bright red fire engine was just along the road.   I hoped that Kevin hadn’t had a fire in the kitchen as he cooked up a batch of scones for his Devonshire Teas.

Fire engine at the ready

It wasn’t the Tea House on fire, but a car which had caught fire.  I don’t know the full story, but when I came along the firemen were busy peering underneath the car.  It looked like the fire had been extinguished by this stage, and the firemen were no doubt checking for any smoulders, or maybe leaking fuel lines.  An ambulance arrived shortly afterwards, so presumably one of the passengers was in need of medical attention.  What a fright it must be to have your car catch fire as you drive merrily along.

Checking under the car

After all this excitement I left the men in uniform behind and joined the other members of the Stonestead Stitchers upstairs in the Tea House.  Everyone was quite busy with their various projects.  Therese had brought along an Advent Calendar quilt which she had just finished.

Therese’s Advent quilt

There was a bit of a production line going on with this pattern, as Amanda had brought her sewing machine along and was busy finishing up  her version.  Amanda is a keen new quilter, with a couple of projects already completed so far.

Amanda working on her Advent Calendar

I had taken a unwanted items along (after yet another tidy up) to see if any of the ladies were interested.  Ruth put her hand up for my little basket, and put it to use straight away, storing her embroidered Christmas decoration project inside. 

Ruth and her Christmas decoration

Carol had just started stitching her cross stitch Poppy, a lovely little design from The Country Diary Cross Stitch book.   This lovely little book has lots of very pretty botanical designs.  And Liz was another who was also working diligently away, on her Indian Garden tapestry.

Just started – Carol’s poppy

I just love Bridget’s pretty little stitcheries from Chickadee Hollow Designs.  These came pre-printed and colour shaded to add depth to the stitcheries.  She is contemplating how best to put them together, or perhaps just make them separate little hangings.

Bridget’s stitcheries

Cheryl is always busy and had two things to show us.  She had completed her lovely Christmas stitchery wall hanging, complete with three different Santas.

Cheryl’s Christmas wall hanging

Her other project took us by surprise – it looked a bit scary, rather like a version of ET.  I had a look at the pattern, and it will be a pretty doll called Amelia Pippin when completed.

Amelia Pippin and her green legs

Yvonne, from the adjacent Sawmillers shop came upstairs to show us a lovely hexagon quilt, You can just see her fingers holding up the quilt top.  This design will be offered as a class in the New Year.  Whirligig blocks made from diamond pieces with a hexagon centre are appliquéd in the centre of each large hexagon.

  

  Yvonne holding a new class sample

And what about me?  I did a little stitching on a cushion cover, and all the ladies were very interested to hear about our impending move to Levin.  It was great to catch up with everyone again, then I had to hurry home as I had a very busy afternoon planned with yet more cleaning.   I’m well pleased with my afternoon’s work – I’ve cleaned out the cupboards under the bathroom vanity unit.  Lots of old medicines and such like got tossed in the bin, the remainder has been sorted and tidied, and the shelves have been washed clean.  That’s another job crossed off the long list.

Changing of the Quilts

Now the weather is warming up nicely, it was time to change the caravan quilt for a lighter weight one.  Off came my nice warm winter weight burgundy star quilt, “Romany Stars”, made especially for our caravan, and completed in 2004.  After being on our bed for a while, it was definitely in need of freshening up.  Not to mention Muffy leaving some white fur all over it.  Into the washing machine it went, on a nice gentle wool cycle, then I hung it out on the clothesline to dry in the sunshine and gentle breeze.  (I do wonder how people get on overseas, who do not have,  or are not permitted outside clotheslines, and put everything in the dryer.  Guess it’s something you grow up with).  To my mind, there is nothing nicer than a line of clothes drying outside in the sun.

Romany Stars, freshly washed

Onto the caravan bed went a lighter quilt for the summer season, my “Twin Fabric Sampler”, completed in 2005.  And hand quilted too!  That took me a while, I have to say.  Each block has different fabrics,  but the same two black prints are repeated throughout. 

Twin Fabric Sampler

I’ve been busy cleaning too – just couldn’t put off tackling the pantry any longer.  Out into the bin went all sorts of items well past their use by date.  I found things I didn’t even know I had.  Everything in the pantry is sorted now, and the shelves and floor have been freshly washed.  (I’m ashamed to say it was in dire need of a good clean).  I’m looking forward to my new modern kitchen when we move, with nice “easy to clean” melteca cupboards, drawers and pantry.  I just won’t know myself, will I!

Found tucked away

The great tidy up, chuck out and pack up continues.  Who ever said moving house was stressful, wasn’t joking.  Still, we are trying hard to get it all done in the time allowed, so fingers crossed, we will get there.

We will have two months, more or else, living in our caravan while our new home is being  built.  After careful consideration, I have decided against taking my sewing machine, several projects, cutting board and rulers, and all the other necessary bits and pieces into the caravan.  We’ve worked it out, we will be parked up on our friends property for three weeks, then away on our Christmas/New Year break for the next two weeks.  Back at our friends place for the next couple of weeks, and then heading off with a group of fellow caravanners for our Safari road trip.  In between times we will no doubt be travelling back and forth to keep and eye on how our new home is coming along.  So there probably won’t be too much time to be sitting at my sewing machine.

I will be taking my hand stitching away, of course.  Plus some silk ribbon work, which I found tucked away in a basket last night.  Goodness knows when I started this, far back in the mists of time, I imagine.  It is now carefully put away with my other hand stitching, and I’m taking my knitting bag too.

Silk ribbon kowhai flowers found – and I didn’t even know it was missing

Another load of boxes and containers were transported to our lock-up today.  Included were my three handy zipped bags.  One contains Christmas fabric, another is full of conversation type prints, including the last of my New Zealand fabrics.  The last one is a project waiting to happen – all the bits and pieces for a crazy patch bed quilt, that I will get around to stitching “one day”.  There is nothing bright and garish in this bag, my crazy patch quilt will be made from lots of cream lace pieces, and some pretty pastel embroidered fabric. 

Bags of fabric

Coffee Time

What a treat - we were taken to my favourite cafe, Fig Tree Cafe,  today.  Our real estate agent Sharlene found out from Robin which was my extra special all time favourite cafe, and invited us out for morning tea.  As a “thank you” for listing our house, which of course, has now sold.  The thanks went both ways.  We thought Sharlene had done such a great job, liaising with us, showing people around, and successfully concluding the sale.  So as a “thank you” to her, we presented this professional young lady with a bunch of flowers.

Sharlene with her flowers

Although quite empty when we first arrived, the tables in this popular cafe soon filled up.  We sipped our lattes, enjoyed our cake and croissants, chatted about future plans, and generally spent a very pleasant hour together.  Thanks, Sharlene, for inviting us out for morning tea.  I couldn’t have chosen a better place myself!

Happy Anniversary to Us

It hardly seems that long, but we have just celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary.  We like to go out for a meal to celebrate, but being a Monday evening not every local restaurant is open.  But there was one a short drive away which services the adjacent motel units seven days a week, so that was our choice.  Graze Restaurant has been updated, renamed and redecorated several times over the years.  Currently it is a family type of restaurant, serving nothing too fancy, just hearty family type meals at reasonable prices.

 

Roast pork was on the menu, followed by apple crumble for him and a yummy boysenberry trifle for me.  Clinking glasses, we toasted each other, and asked the waitress to take a photo for us.

It’s our anniversary

Next year is a big one for us, 30 years!  There’s plans brewing for that anniversary, I’ve already warned Robin.  Just make sure our passports are valid, I’ve told him, and I’ll take care of all the arrangements.  Somewhere warm, sunny and overseas perhaps.  We will be celebrating that one in style!

Packing up, and taking down

Now, what shall I pack up today, I wondered.  (In all honesty, there’s so much to do I’m starting to get a bit frazzled.)  I know, I thought to myself, I’ll finish clearing out the drawers in the spare bedroom.  Tucked away in the last remaining drawer were my Christmas wall-hangings and a few assorted Christmas table runners.  I’d  forgotten just how many of these I had.  Some I’d stitched myself, and some were gifts from pen-friends.  Into the crate they went, one by one, allowing myself just a quick peek at each item.  Guess none of them will be hung up this Christmas season, they will all be in storage while we live in the caravan waiting for our new home to be built.

The crate was only half full, so I decided to take down the wall-hangings throughout the house as well.  Down came my “Washday” quilt from the laundry, and my New Zealand Native Birds from the hallway.  What else?  Oh yes, my High Tech Tucks way up high over the doorway, I’ll need to get the ladder to get that one down.

High Tech Tucks, made in 1998

That’s the last of the wall hangings packed away, and one more crate ready to take to the lock-up for storage. 

Wall hangings packed away

The builders haven’t even  started on our new home yet, so we will be living in the caravan for a few months, with everything else in storage.  Wonder how many crates I’ll need to pack the bed quilts away?  I’m not ready to do them just yet,

Not much time for Stitching

For all those people who have moved house recently, we now know how it feels.  Our house sale has just become unconditional, so now we can go forward with our plans.

Our agent attaching the Sold sign

With five weeks to go, there is a lot more to happen before the actual move out day.  DH and I have been in this house for 29 years, so you can imagine what is hiding in wardrobes, cupboards and drawers, the garage and the shed.  All sorts of things, and a lot that we had forgotten all about.

We have had a garage sale, listed some things on Trade Me, and given a lot away.  “Dress for Success” is a charity which passes on corporate and office wear to women who do not have anything suitable to wear to a job interview.  They received several nice jackets and other items from my days of working in the big city.  The local OP Shop is continuing to receive bags of stuff on an ongoing basis as I continue to clear out cupboards.  I even found a home for some worn flannelette sheets.  Seems that the garage who services our cars buy used sheets from the OP shops, rip them up, and use them as rags to wipe their oily hands.  The mechanics have been happy to take several pair of of flannelette sheets off my hands – must admit that whenever I have replaced my winter sheets the old ones just got pushed right to the back of the linen cupboard.

So you can see why I haven’t had much time for stitching, although I did a little mending the other day, but that wasn’t very interesting.  What I did squeeze in though, is cook up another lot of kiwifruit jam.  (I couldn’t have left the fruit much longer, my big container of kiwifruit was extremely ripe.)  There’s something rather homely and therapeutic about making jam, (and making soup too, in the winter) that appeals to me.  And there is nothing nicer that admiring the jars of jam in the pantry which you have made yourself.