Sunday 10 December 2023

Hello from the Hill household!

 Once again it has been way too long since I posted so I thought it might be an opportunity to say hello and send good thoughts and wishes. As the end of another year approaches it becomes a time of reflection and also a chance to update my settings in case blogger decided to delete it all! Sadly it has been another year of world turmoil as war devastates many lives and it is hard to comprehend when we are safely tucked away in our comfortable surroundings. We have had some very unusual weather and today it was only meant to reach 17C and tomorrow it will be up near 30C! On the east coast of Australia they have had a heat wave while here we are experiencing Winter in the second week of what should be Summer. We have had a months' worth of rain in one day and the winds have been horrendous, but the little garden seems to have survived........mind you the kangaroos have taken a liking to nibbling the petunias.....

We have been in our little cottage for 8 months already and things are flourishing in our low maintenance planters in the back area.......


We are loving living in a small country community and especially that we can walk to the shops, doctor, hairdresser and library! We have been thrilled to have so many come and visit so scones are baked at the drop of a hat and there always seems to be flowers inside either from the garden or from visitors.......
My spring ranunculi were stunning and I look forward to seeing them pop up again next year.......
We enjoyed the local Agricultural Show a couple of months ago and the local quilt group encouraged me to enter my latest work and I was thrilled to receive a "Grand Champion" ribbon in the needlework section.......
A few months back I also spent some time making the local Lions Club a new banner. It had to be in the colours of purple and yellow and badges reapplied from their previous banner that had seen better days. I appliquéd it all so it was right up my alley but it was very different working in felt. I did this at no cost to the club and as my way of giving back to an organisation that does so much for the local community. So you can imagine my surprise when the President turned up unannounced one Sunday morning to deliver a framed certificate of thanks and a basket full of goodies.......glad I wasn't still in my nightie!......
I have also recently been busy making Christmas table runners and hanging hand towels for prizes at our village Christmas dinner that is on this coming week......
I've also made more hand towels and zippered purses for a Christmas market that I have been invited to that is on next weekend........


I decided to make some necklaces as well with hand stitched teeny tiny pinwheels. They are quite time consuming and take about 5-6 hours for each one but I never like idle hands if I am watching the telly at night anyway......
Of course this time of year comes with lots of catching up with friends and admiring and indulging in some of their culinary skills and this was delicious.......
We had a very special wedding a few weeks ago in a gorgeous historic venue.......
and we finally got to see a newly installed large mosaic in our local area all done on the artist's front verge so people can enjoy it...quilt and all!.....
Health wise we are ticking along with all that ageing brings! I see my cancer specialist tomorrow and my cardiac loop recorder is showing what we expected but at this stage the pacemaker is on hold while I consume many medications! Family are growing way too fast but we love it when we see them. As I decorated the Christmas tree I was reminded of places we have been and decorations we have been given......all wonderful memories. So as the lights twinkle at night we are thankful for all that we have. May 2024 be a kind one to you all near and far. Lots of love from us.......



Sunday 21 May 2023

It's been a while! And news of Gympie Quilt Show

 Yes it has been a while...an awful long 8 months actually! Now I know some people wonder why I (and others), blog but here it is. I recently watched the King's Coronation but it was one of the guests - Nick Cave who intrigued me so it led me down the rabbit hole of Google and lo and behold I found Nick blogs as well.......right here: The Red Hand Files and what a fascinating blog it is. Nick has turned it into a forum where others can ask deep and meaningful questions and with Nick's experiences in life he gives his perspective. So once again I might pop up from time to time as I actually find typing "life" on the keyboard quite therapeutic...after all you don't have to read it! So why the flowers? To break up my natter and just because!....

The other reason is to say I am sorry to those who enjoyed my stories in the past and emailed me to say how much they have missed them.  There were several people who also asked if I was okay?!! Well yes and No.....more of that later. We have moved and that has kept us very busy. The cottage was supposed to have been completed for moving in on December 14th but sadly we are 5 months on and there is still things to be done. We left selling our house for as long as we could and eventually sold in late October. We took a lesser offer as the family wanted a long 4 month settlement...perfect we thought but alas we had to put everything in storage and stay in holiday accommodation for almost 7 weeks. I will miss the garden but am so glad all the packing and unpacking is finally done.......



Two weeks before we moved in (and while out enjoying a walk!), I decided to have a heart attack! I already have some issues with my heart that prevented me from having two chemotherapy drugs when being treated for cancer. This time my usual angina didn't resolve and it was our eldest daughter Emily (an RN), that took matters into her own hands and organised an ambulance! I was told I had a "type 2" attack...never knew there was more than one type! I was also told I now have atrial fibrillation and the ticker sat on 150-170 for 8 hours despite various treatments. I also had an episode that I have been experiencing for some years where I feel like I am going to pass out.......that in fact was my heart stopping for 3 seconds so I was glad it was finally recorded. So in a couple of weeks I am having a cardiac loop recording device inserted before a decision is made about needing a pacemaker.  That procedure was delayed by a month as Larry and I finally decided to succumb to Covid 3 weeks ago! A few days after the heart attack I was meant to appear at a special afternoon tea for a fundraiser for restoration of the Morris stained glass windows at St Augustine's Anglican Church. Dear Larry stepped in and I was told he did a grand job and I (and everyone else), was most grateful........




So all is well and we are very happy living in a small village community. The outside has much to do but inside is almost complete......

In the 7 weeks since moving in we've inevitably rearranged things a few times. We have just one living area with a separate snug for Larry and a sewing space for me that is a room we had built inside the double garage. That too has been rearranged a few times......






6 weeks after moving in some of the fencing finally went up but I decided they needed "dressing" so stitched up some bunting from some Morris furnishing samples I've been given over the years....but I won't share the photo of the baby brown snake I found last week behind the bedroom door! Larry was shaking more than me as we have never experienced a snake inside!


We have a fold up bed and a sofa bed in my sewing space for when these treasures come to stay........and yes they are growing way too fast! Beau is over 11 now, Maisie will soon be 9 and little Wade will be 6 in October and here he is on his first day at school......



The other reason I decided to blog today is to share the news of a special event I will be attending in early July. Kathy asked me before Covid and then when it was rescheduled I was in the middle of the cancer muddle! So finally it is happening.....a grand big show in Gympie, Queensland. You can read about it here: Gympie Quilt and Craft Spectacular. Last year I decided to make a new piece just for the occasion and I am so glad I had completed most of it before we moved. It is a tryptich with inspiration from 3 embroidered panels designed by John Henry Dearle for Morris & Co. back in the 1890's and stitched right here in Adelaide and now on display at Carrick Hill........this link shows you many of their treasures and where I found this image....Furniture and Furnishings....

My three panels are on cream and I've enjoyed adding hand embroidery and beading to each one.......




Kathy asked me to bring a load of my Morris inspired quilts for the event but several of quilts have been given away.....but I will be bringing all that I have and especially showing this new work for the very first time.....so I hope I might see you there! I must away as I have a stack of baking to do for Emily's biggest morning tea fundraiser in a couple of days!