This year’s Christmas ornaments

 I had a minor panic at the beginning of the week when I realised I hadn’t begun the annual ornaments for nieces and nephews.   Fortunately I have 20 years of the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue so a quick scramble through the stack, a dive into the linen box and then selecting appropriate DMC threads and I’ve managed to stitch two.  Hopefully number three will be done this weekend.

One niece doesn’t like Santa Claus decorations, another really likes Santa Claus.   One family have a large tree, another has a very small tree.   There are so many conditions that need to be applied but I like to keep up the tradition so here we go….

2024 - Number One

2024 - Number Two

I’m sure I have backing fabric in stash and will add a twisted cord hanger.   So onwards to the remainder.

And a finish

 After stitching these I came to an abrupt halt trying to follow the instructions for completing them.   Indeed I almost consigned them and the chart to the rubbish but an epiphany in the wee small hours of the night and some grim determination and all six are complete.

And my “take out” project also got completed.   Next year I will start another - that system of a project only stitched at other places was taught me by a friend and seems to work well.

Now I’m back to working on a longer term project and it is progressing so maybe before year end I will have it done as well.    There’s such a lot to do outside and so many activities on this time of year that some days I don’t even put in a single stitch.   Not good enough Margaret!

Little Treasures

 My friend is an inspiration and after she showed me her stitching I had to follow her example.  These are Betsy Morgan’s Little Treasures.   

It is next to impossible to obtain Gloriana Silks here in New Zealand so I substituted red, green and gold DMC.   Feeling very righteous about using only what was in stash, I came down to earth with a bump when I had to buy the 28mm buttons that go top and bottom of these tiny hanging cylinders.   So all I need to do is make the twisted cord and construct them!

Maybe tomorrow.   I have The Last Sock to finish tonight🙂

It’s official

 Today I reached the allotted span of three score years and ten.   After extended celebrations with family (early to avoid a clash with the birth of Great Nephew #2) and then with friends (early to avoid a clash with a public holiday long weekend in New Zealand), today I finally reached the actual day.   Little Sister kindly drove up to take me to lunch and we had a delicious stuffed potato and then shared a small cheesecake and a pot of tea at a local cafe before she willingly filled the role of personal shopper and assisted me to buy a couple of summer tops.

It has been a happy day.   The two Biblical Birthday celebrations that are recorded ended in beheadings but my day was nothing so dramatic.  Just a splendid day  filled with thankfulness for happy memories and love as well as the anticipation of what years to come may perhaps hold.

Fences

 The top of the Kensington Square box is now done and in reality the French knots weren’t as bad as I’d feared.   Now I’m working on the exterior fence - this forms the rim of the lid.

Have also started another pair of socks in Opal Sock Yarn made by those extremely clever Germans who don’t put a word of English on their ball bands!    It is knitting up well and providing something for my hands to do while I watch the TV news each evening at dinner time.   

Yesterday I went to the library to get a book The King’s Loot only to find that it is very recently published and not yet on their shelves.   However the very kind librarian said that the acquisitions committee would purchase it and as I’d recommended the book I would have the privilege of being first to read it.   So now I wait.   This is a far cheaper way to “purchase” books, when someone else pays for them (ha ha).   

I couldn’t wait for the library with Jeffrey Archer’s latest though so resorted to a Kindle Edition and then sat up through the night to finish it.   Years ago when he visited New Zealand I went to a breakfast where he was the guest speaker and had the good fortune to be seated at his table.  What a charmer!   And I do admit to having read all the books he’s written although most have been borrowed from the library so I’ve not contributed in any great way to his immense royalties!

After several days of beautiful fine weather where we were deceived into thinking the sun had arrived to stay,  it is currently grey sky and showery but while that’s not so good for lifting spirits it is excellent for the garden and my plants are all singing their thanks.   I have at least five buds on my peony and the lily of he valley that I though I had killed has sent forth four shoots.   The Nigella seed has germinated in profusion so I will have some flowers.   

Garden Progress

 It is Spring here in New Zealand and I am enjoying watching my maple trees burst into leaf and my potted peony is sending multiple shoots skyward.   Gardens are a real pleasure aren’t they?

Well, this garden is not such a pleasure.   French knots on Aida cloth are not easy but there are many French Knot Bushes here!   Once completed this will be the Kensington Square Box and I will look at it with pleasure and forget the gritted teeth with which the trees were stitched.

My next door neighbour brought this in to me - it’s only a month early🤣   As a consequence I began the countdown to The Great Seven Oh with shared laughter and I found others to share the cake with too.

Embroiderers Guild Workday

 Once a year our Guild has a Workday when other guilds in the region join us for a day of stitching and chat.   There is always several sales tables where we can offload excess stash (and pick up new stuff) as well as a Merchant = a nearby needlework shop brings supplies to sell to a captive audience.  Also Mr Sharp comes and we have scissors, pinking shears and garden implements sharpened for a small fee. 

Today around 90 women joined us for Workday.   I refrained from purchasing a Raffle ticket as I had supplied much of the hampers contents from my stash cupboard clean up.   And although I looked at the sales tables several times I didn’t part with any cash there either.   Indeed, all I paid for was to have a pair of scissors sharpened by Mr Sharp who was fascinated by them and only charged me half price.

While in London, Little Sister and I were browsing in Divertimenti in Knightsbridge and both bought “pen scissors” only to find that they were not sharp at all.  

Hence I took mine to Mr Sharp today and yippee they are now fit for purpose.

And chatting with the other ladies I was inspired, tempted and intrigued at many of the projects.   One lady was stitching (I must get hold of the pattern) a beautiful Quaker Pouch in My Colours.  She told me the source of the floss but she’d got the chart from a class she took so I will have to contact the designer and see if I can purchase direct for that.   Anyway, this is the thread.

Silk N Colours. Finnegan’s Fog. Isn’t that a lovely name?  

Preparation

 I’m just about completed the preparation for a gift for my niece who is expecting a baby in October.   This has been a fun knit while I decided on what stitching project to do next.  Only the bands and hood to go.   They know the sex so I can put the button holes on the correct side.

And I’m preparing the linen for a piece of Naversom.   While clearing a cupboard recently I chanced upon a piece I had stitched years ago, the notes from the class and the book I bought about this technique.  

As this is stitched on a grid where threads of fabric are drawn out to create an open weave, I decided that I would use up a piece of 36 count linen which is too fine for me for any other stitching.   But my oh my, the preparation of the grid is both mindless and time consuming.   

So I prepared the fabric for another stitched box - souvenir of my days in London when we stayed very near Kensington Square.   

I was really intrigued by the rows of beautiful porticoes and decided I could happily live in an area as pretty as this!   

The designer has done well to portray that wonderful area and I’m happily reliving memories as I make crosses.

Door hangers

 Three of my great nieces need a door hanger for their bed room doors so Aunty M has come up with the goods.  I hope they meet with approval:)

Now I need to decide on another project - there are plenty in my stash cupboard to choose from!

I’m building Westminster…. A box!

 I have been busy stitching and now am on the construction phase.   This is never my favourite part of stitching but so far so good.

The lid is done.

The base is done.

Now the inner rim and then all will be well.

Do you like what I did in the inner lid?

But still the conclusion is that I’m not fond of 3D embroidery and I still have two other kits to do.  Maybe a palate cleanser in between?

Into routine again

 Last week was cold but fine days so the lawn got mowed and the garden got a general tidy up and I managed to get out for walks so all is good with life Down Under.

The city where I live is bordered on one edge by a large river and the council have provided a well maintained and safe river walk.   Yesterday I remembered to stop and take a photograph.

And the mailman brought the package of kits I had ordered from The Nutmeg Company so of course I had to make a start.   Before that I carefully packaged up the other projects and the linens and charts I had sorted out.  They are back in the cupboard and I’m well on the way to box number one, “Evening in Westminster”.   I’m currently working on the outer lid.  The red bus, building and lamp are on the inside of the lid. 

It is many many years since I have stitched on Aida but I can see that the stiffness of the fabric make it totally suitable for box making so I’m doing my best to ignore my preferences for pure linen and so far so good.   The instructions for both stitching and construction are very detailed and all necessary ingredients are supplied so I’m hopeful of success.

My meal plan for this week has been written, my grocery shopping is done, the daily schedule is full but not too full and next Saturday is an embroidery get together at a small town a short drive away so I intend going to that.   Yes!   I’d say that normal routine is re-established!

And so life goes on

 It is now almost three weeks since I returned home and I’m still in the midst of a “back to earth with a bump” syndrome.   Adjusting to the cold and wet of winter is a work in progress but it is good to catch up with family and friends again.

After indulging in too many Cream Teas in the UK and cafe outings in The Netherlands I’m trying to eat more healthily and exercise regularly.   So far so good!   Im working through my collection of soup recipes and this week it is a particularly delicious pumpkin one.   Roast pumpkin, carrot and tomato flavoured with herbs and then maple syrup and yogurt are added when it is served.  Yum!😋 

The only ball of wool I brought back has been knitted into a pair of winter socks.   Thank you to the Blue faced Leicester sheep and the West Yorkshire Spinners.   Every time I wear these I will think of my wonderful trip and how Little Sister and I collected Knitting Shops!   

I brought home this bookmark kit too and enjoyed stitching and remembering the little grey squirrels who kindly played with me in the park on York.   They were such fun and a really happy tick on My List.

And I have decided on my next embroidery project - a hardanger runner for my coffee table.   I’m currently tacking it all out so that I’m sure it will be the correct size and this activity also fills in the time while I wait for my order of the necessary DMC Perle thread to arrive.

Next week my neighbour wants to come for a cup of tea and a chat so I plan on making a Ginger Crunch slice and  indulging in some nostalgia of my visit to Sarah Nelson’s Gingerbread Shop.   That was heavenly gingerbread!

And home

 June 28  - June 30

We left Amsterdam in the evening of a beautiful warm day 

and arrived in Dubai in the morning to a much hotter temperature.   At that vast airport we had to step outside the terminal building briefly to enter a bus to go from Building C to Building A.   The instant we opened the door both Little Sister and I gasped as our glasses steamed over.  It was already 33 degrees Celsius at 6:30am!

At Terminal A we found the gate and with energy batteries all but exhausted we also found a place selling cold ginger beer.    The instant the assistant passed me the card reader machine Little Sister and I gasped as for two bottles of Ginger Beer it was 78 AED.   I’d never heard of AED before let alone a conversion rate but let me assure you that is $36 New Zealand dollars for two small bottles of Ginger Beer.   Such was my exhaustion and thirst that despite good Scottish ancestry which taught me frugality, I really didn’t care and quaffed it as if the price was merely a few cents.

Then began the loooong haul back to New Zealand where somewhere along the way of the safe and comfortable journey we lost a day.  It was good to see the shores of home and now safely back I’m dealing with the unpacking, the washing, the cold (it’s only 14 degrees Celsius today) and the jet lag.   Hopefully I will soon feel like picking up a needle and finding a new stitching project.

Amsterdam #9

 June 28th. Fine, blue sky but slightly windy so much cooler

Today we went for brunch and spent the rest of the time packing suitcases. 

I’d heard that the rubbish collections are automated, in that the receptacles are in a weight system and the computer tells the HQ when it is time to empty.   Today I saw this one being emptied but wasn’t quick enough to take a photo.   

The truck with a large crane on the back grabs the top of the “steeple” and lifts the receptacle clean out of the ground places it over the truck and then voila ! the rubbish is deposited in the dump truck.  Back goes the receptacle on its spring loaded weighing platform, all set for the next time.   

Near where we had brunch we saw one out of the ground as the controls were being repaired.   There are different colour codes on the front for refuse, recycle, cardboard and textiles.   Seems like an efficient system.

The packing has gone well and I’m impressed that everything still fits well into the case although I suspect it will be some kilos heavier than the 17.5kg with which I left New Zealand.  In making the NZ Immigration online declaration I made certain to tick the confectionery box but be assured it does not contain these “lollies” which are cannabis and widely available over Amsterdam.   

So in an hour or so we will leave for the airport and begin the homeward leg bringing this Epic Adventure to a close.

Amsterdam #8

 June 26th.  Clear blue sky, no clouds at all and Very Hot

Today my nephew took us on a walking tour of The Nine Streets.   

These are a grid of 3 x 3 streets and four canals in the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage Canal Area.  We saw many different styles of architecture and lots of different boutique stores and intriguing signage.  Sadly there seemed to be many which had closed, perhaps due to the competition from on line shopping.  

 He pointed out a Silent Protest.   When the Russians invaded Ukraine and the war broke out these signs on yellow tape were placed on many of the blue street signs.   Not only were the words a protest but the blue and yellow was a nod to the Ukrainian flag.

We went to Blue Amsterdam, a cafe/restaurant at the top of a glass tower in the middle of Amsterdam.   Here we sat sipping a cool drink and enjoyed spotting the places we had visited in the city.   It was interesting too, to view the Canal Houses from above and see that although the canal facing facades are maintained to strict historical standards out the back it is possible, within limits, to make additions in the garden space.

Lunch was at De Bijenkorf, a huge department store in the ilk of Selfridges.   The restaurant was a very upmarket cafeteria style where first you picked up a tray and then from the various delectables on offer selected and strolled to the Kassa.   When I said I was paying for all the three the affable gentleman on duty said “that’s very kind” and tapped his keyboard.   Everything is very electronic here!  Many shops will only accept payment by card.   

 I alone had chosen a lemon meringue cake for dessert so I generously shared with Little Sister and Nephew.

Back home for a rest before Little Sister, Nephew, Nephew’s wife and I all went to The Secret Garden for a meal.   According to the website it is Japanese Peruvian Fusion.   The charming waiter explained the menu, advised on volumes and made recommendations.   We had an Experience.   Part way through the meal Charming Waiter, followed by his equally Charming Manager came to explain that there was a problem in the kitchen and our tempura and grilled food would not be available.   All four of us decided that we were ready for dessert and so skipped the mains altogether.

First up was guacamole made in a stone pestle at the table, and some edamame with black salt.

Next was Sea Bass Ceviche with Sweet Potato, Corn, Yuzu and Chilli.  Also Salmon Tataki with Honey miso and passion fruit.

Followed by Roasted Beetroot with Yuzu and Umeshu.  Also Watermelon with Avocado, Feta and a citrus Jus.

Desserts were this delectable ensemble of Mochi Icecream and fruits.

Well filled we strolled out into the twilight at 10:30pm.

Little Sister and I finally managed to wear our Tulip shoes in Amsterdam!!