broderie

autumn sailing !

tasmania bound on board the 'spirit of tasmania' day sail. i drove the car on and joined my cousins on their way back home after a visit on the mainland of australia

before we left there was a busy day here at home, here are the construction crew helping me !

this is going to look wonderful one day !

i drove the car onto the boat on a beautiful melbourne blue skied autumn day and enjoyed the trip with my cousins

the engines started and we were off leaving the pier with melbourne city in the background

the water beneath us was churning

something in the water was exciting the seagulls

i took note of where the lifejackets were, but fortunately they weren't needed

we made our way down the bay and out the famous heads of point nepean and port lonsdale

this is the tip of point nepean

the captain navigated the channel through the heads and we were bound for bass strait 

first glimpse outside the heads

and along the coast to the east

then about half way across bass strait we saw our mirror image, it was the other boat that had left devonport as we had left melbourne

we had arrived on the apple isle and i said goodbye to my cousins for a few days and stayed with maree, a friend who has just moved from sydney to live in devonport. this apple was from one of her trees in the orchard and was delicious, a coxes orange pippin ! yummy !

and walnuts from the walnut tree in the garden, brought back memories of the huge one we had in our suburban garden in brighton and the collecting of the nuts as they fell at this time of the year

i soon felt at home and loved the views from the windows onto the garden the next morning, after a very good nights sleep in the old maid's room ! however this old maid was spoiled !

the garden is beautiful, lots of lovely spots and little garden houses along the way

then we went exploring devonport, i started school there and this is the house that we lived in, provided for the manager of the g j coles store and his family all those years ago. and it still stands 63 years later after we came back to the mainland to live when i was 7

a visit to the lighthouse at the bluff and then some lunch at 'drift' on the beach where we spent lots of time as a family

and while we ate our lunch this old sailing vessel went by

a wish in the well in maree's garden and we were home again to the master of the house

this is the beautiful rocco, living the life so well deserved now ! rocco is 4 years old, and was rescued from a life chained to a ute in sydney, either living on top of the ute or underneath it by someone who 'loved' him ! well along came maree's son one day and eventually rocco became a member of their family and is now maree's much loved and very spoiled constant friend

love this woodpile !

and these mad birds, cockatoos on the gate to the vegie garden and orchard

the lovely gardens of this beautiful old home are wonderful, lots of large trees and plenty of places to plant some new bits which we discussed as we wandered

christmas trees just ready to light up

the wonderful trunk of this old magnolia, i'm coming back in the spring to see the blossom

and look at the size of the old pear tree !

and that's a good place to leave you, lots more to come, but i will return in a couple of days

 

 

a new address !

leaving shortly, this house i've called home !

this morning, this pulled up outside ! would i just leave and head for the open road i wondered 

then i came back to reality, i have found a new house with a blue front door and trim and all my blue pots just match perfectly, i like a blue front door !

the new entrance to this blank canvas

moving day is next week

we had our saturday sewing day just over a week ago, high up above one of melbourne's busiest spots, st kilda junction, where all the roads go in all directions.

it was very interesting seeing it from this aspect and the surrounding views

while packing up here, and watching the australian open tennis over the past couple of weeks i have also had some sewing time here and there and have been sorting out dots to use in my joining triangles of the whirligigs i am making

and covering more hexagons and playing like this

and when jenny and sharon came to help pack one day ( we got all the kitchen done), jenny's dear mum sent this tray along to spoil us, all ready for lunch !

how spoilt, nancy prepared our lovely lunch and the colin, jenny's dad delivered it !

best meals on wheels ! thankyou so much, we did enjoy ! and jenny also offered the to come with a man called andrew, who had a trailor and trolley, to transport all my garden in pots to the new address. i was very impressed with andrew and will keep his phone number very handy, i've told him that, only problem is that he is jenny's husband ! do they make men like andrew any more ? thanks to all, so much help !!!

all those who come will know that i make a pretty good cup of tea ! a nice cup of tea ! and recently, just round the corner, in surrey hills after a building was pulled down, this was revealed on the brick wall, a wonderful old advertising sign from the days when they were painted on

and you know, i am a bushells girl through and through, two bags to a fine bone china mug and milk added, just right ! sad to think it will be covered up again by the new development !

off to do some more packing, and sorting, and culling...................

put quite a lot in that caravan this afternoon before it left to sail to that island state of ours tonight, some family treasure going back to where it came from !

***there has been a price rise, actually several of them, in the postal costs of sending articles from australia, overseas ! before i have to increase the postage on some of the patterns by trish harper, if you have been thinking of ordering, do it soon !

a good time to have a new project also !

be it ever so humble and gardening

as the old saying goes, 'be it ever so humble, there's no place like home'

a new pattern by trish harper is 'the humble house'

a traditional house block given a new fresh new look with these fabrics or your choice of course, what fun building new houses this pattern would be

i have been doing mine in spots and checks as some of you will remember

i have one more house to build ! it been such fun !

also available again is this delightful pattern 'yo yo garden'

the pattern size is 1 x 1.5 mts (39" x 59") but could be made bigger by planting more flowers in your garden, trish has used waffle weave in the sample, not so easy to buy these days everywhere, so using a good quality cotton fabric or some lovely linen and backing would also give a good effect.

hope you enjoy these !

 

 you can now place an order for either of these two patterns or any others from the list on my sidebar

home at my place

this week has been spent home here at my place and the weather has been cooler and i have been waiting to 'make' my vegie garden !

this has been a neighbour friendly effort including both my closeby neighbours, a joint effort, and now we have rocket, lettuce, silverbeet and kale planted, so we will being having our greens

i have two back courtyards, one is more decorative than the other, so as you can see there is a concrete area and so instead of putting the frame given to me by j & f straight onto that surface, i asked the other neighbour, builder p, if he could get me a couple of pallets. i bought the black plastic down at phillip island at the hardware shop and then a trip to bunnings during the week, loaded the boot with potting mix and seedlings, closed the boot and then realised that i had left my bag in there as well and of course the car was locked ! i then remembered that i had left my mobile phone at home, that did not matter, because it would have been in my bag too ! i had not left j at home though and she had her phone, so we rang home to f and he gave us the racv number and about 20 minutes later i was back with bag strapped over the body and then we went shopping for

other bits we needed. then a friends husband came to help on thursday, lovely 'denis' drove my car back to my place while i sat at sewing with my friends and got the 6 bags of potting mix out of the boot and to the courtyard! spoilt again !

another version of the octagon quilt, this belongs to one of my friends, lavina, and it is beautiful, the top is nearly finished !

and deidre is stitching this, a whimsical drawing from one of my french colouring books will become the top of a new baby's quilt top, lots of fun and really gorgeous !

and today i took some more photos, a new pattern !

show you soon !

oops i just realised i used 'houses' in the categories, maybe a clue !

 

hobart house sale

 

 

for more photos

http://www.diysell.com.au/realestate/detail.asp?PropID=P17812&loc=Pontville+Real+Estate

if you are looking for real estate in hobart, tasmania ( the island state of australia ), then this property could be just what you want ! i can personally recommend it as a very well built and comfortable family home, with lots of open spaces to move and live in, a gorgeous garden, and plenty of land. follow the link for all the details. for anyone needing a large space for a studio or office for a home based business, or just a space for yourself, the room upstairs is just the answer! if not for you, then maybe a friend is looking for such a property. 

the road i travel

while staying in hobart, i enjoy the road i travel, it brings back lots of memories. though i have never lived here, full time that is, in the past few years i have been down her alot and always feel very much at home. the place and the people make me feel comfortable! today i travelled this well known road to battery point to meet a new friend for coffee and then up to the cottage and back 'home' ( my hobart home for the moment ). another beautiful day here, we did have some rain this morning, but the skies are blue and the sun has been beautiful.

this is what remains of the snow on mt wellington that fell last thursday.

loved this bare tree against the blue sky, there are many like it

i remember this little jetty at sandy bay beach from when i was really quite young, we used to go to the beach and my father's brother used to go down here flounder fishing. i can remember the sweet flavour of those fresh fish now. my uncle lived in derwent water avenue, just opposite this beach.

i remember this corner so well, lots of roast dinners and glasses of sherry were enjoyed in this street when the families got together in the good old days! now travelling along sandy bay road it reminds me of stories i have heard from long ago and i remember the houses and the water scenes, come with me !

i love these 'wedding cake' type houses, look at the pretty gates !

my mother always wanted an echium ( not sure if that is the correct spelling ) in our gardens because it reminded her of her childhood home, and in hobart there are many of these in different hues of blue growing along the road i travel !

  
  

 

going to hobart

if you are thinking about a holiday in tasmania or just going to hobart, as i often do, then this is worth looking at!!!!!!

hobart cottage, in south hobart is a lovely place to stay ! a colonial cottage with modern comfort and close to everything. it is self catering, or you can eat out at many local eateries in the area. this warm and comfortable little cottage has a wonderful back garden and you are encouraged to use the produce from the garden if that is your desire. it is simply a place to sit back and just smell the roses, if that is your desire also, because the garden has an abundance of roses. let me take you through the picture gallery of this little cottage that i would reccomend as a good place to stay, two nights minimum or longer if you want. contact deb and rob, you can email them [email protected] .

general view of the garden and stone walls

a great spot to sit and read a book or do some stitching! i love how in this picture the different colours in the iron roof match so well with my favourite crab apple blossom.

the peony roses were in full bud !

the birds have there own room in the lush garden

the steps in the background go up to a lovely back deck, plenty of space to sit and enjoy the sun and the vista of the pretty garden

herbs and vegies to use if you want to cook

the cosy sitting room

this bed or this one, both bedrooms are well supplied with lovely linen and homely comforts

a well equipped kitchen and pantry with the basics and a sunny and bright back sitting and dining room, with french doors opening onto the rear deck

hope you enjoyed the pictorial view of hobart cottage and for those of you who don't live in australia, but who are readers of my blog, hobart is the major city of tasmania, the island state of australia. it is nestled on and around the derwent river, with lots of spectacular views and easy access to lots of places of interest. my friends, deb and rob are great hosts and everything is thought of, atmosphere, comfort and a place away from home for relaxation. bookings are essential, of course.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

life's circles

i have been cutting some more circles in red, blue and white/cream!!!!!

my other circles are nearly finished, the quilting that is, not long to go now!!!!!!!!!

i am doing the fussy cutting and choosing the fabrics of these and a friend is stitching them, to probably go on this bed, in the new house i showed you in the last post.

earlier this year i told you that my dad shared the same birth year as the famous tasmanian, errol flynn! well today my dad would have turned 100, being born in hobart on the 27th october, 1909. i picked these roses out of the garden just to remember the occasion and their old fashioned sweet smell reminded me of the gentle ways of a dear old man who died six years ago. he always said 'if i die', not 'when i die', but passed very peacefully at home in the end, he was content and ready! another of his regular comments, when he was old was, never to say goodbye, he thought that sounded too final, he preferred au revoir!

i will tell you later how i spent the day!

 

 
 
 
 

sew is not all some of us do

as a group of friends who sew freqently together, there has been one of us who has had another project! one we have all been hearing bits about and have watched grow from the plans and the dreams up. a bit like starting a new quilt or an embroidery or a new cross stitch, gather a folder of all the things you need, some of the things you want and get to work !

this is the house that 'jack' built!!!! her real name is not jack of course, but for her son and daughter in law and two special grandsons, this is a dream come true.

as a group we have seen all the purchasing of fabric and the stitching that has been going on, busy fingers at work! we had an excursion today to see some of it in place and also see how this family are settling into their new home. it is certainly a lovely, practical, easy and calm space to live. well done!!!!!!