What's happening for me.

Hi Everyone,

Have not blogged for a few weeks as life and work seem to have taken over from my quilting which is what I tend to share most. However many of those who follow my blog have become close friends so todays blog is more about where I am it at this point in time.... it has become a long blog gradually written over severally weeks as I never seemed ready to end and publish.
It's now three months since mum passed away and my dealing with her estate is nearly over, the time spent answering lawyers emails and signing so many documents, I have lost count of how many but it will soon be part of my past.
My younger brother is buying the family property which was mum's greatest wish as he has never married and has lived there all his life. At the end of this month it should all be finalised and I will then be able to move on. Hopefully back to my quilting.
Before I go further I now feel ready to show the beautiful healing heart blocks I received from members of Esther Aliu's yahoo group. When each of these arrived I was so moved and could really feel the love they were made with, they are the only blocks on my design wall at the moment as I think about how I can work them into a memorial quilt for mum.

I have no children but have one niece who is very family orientated and in time these blocks will be part of a quilt for her. A Huge Thank You to the makers for caring and sending them to me.

An update on my work situation. A few months ago the company I work for went "Under Administration", the first stage of a NZ Company liquidation. A stressful time with finally a happy outcome as the company was bought by a South African company which owns retail chains in several countries but had no presence in NZ until now.The company purchase occurred at the same time I had to go to Christchurch after mum passed away.
In recent weeks I have been offered the deputy manager's role for the Whangarei store. This will mean a slight increase of hours and a bit less time for quilting, but I think it is a good thing for me at the moment.

The only quilting I have done recently has been to finish my Faberge wall hanging. I ditch stitched all the sections and borders, that seemed to be enough. It is now - sort of in place in our lounge, waiting for my DH to raise the hanging rail to the right height - not sure when this will happen as we are planning on finishing our renovations after Christmas - so I might be waiting till then !!!

I had several pieces of the border fabric left and found a Ginny Beyer placemat pattern using her border fabric's. I lengthened the long sides to make a small table runner for the coffee table.

The fun part of this was that as I had cut all the borders apart into seperate lengths for the wall hanging,I had to sew them together again, adding fabric to recreate the half inch black space between the borders and also align the wide and narrow border designs. I had just enough of the black eyelash fabric from the hanging and I think it looks better than the plain black would have.
Have followed this up with 6 mug mats from the last of the wide border strips, 4 still to be completed.

A trip to visit my quilting group last month saw me come home with several pieces of furnishing fabric that had been donated to the group, a small contribution to our group kitty secured these lovely pieces for me

As you can see they all have the metallic sheen that I love and I was thinking of new cushions for our lounge,
the embossed diamond pattern may become a table runner though.

Used both right and wrong side of the one fabric and have two very different looks for simple cushions which work well with the new wall hanging.

Last Sunday, I developed a sore foot and could barely walk. Had been standing at work all day with no problems. Drove home thinking I should have adjusted the seat a little more this morning, car is a manual and my DH had last driven it but I could still depress the clutch pedal so thought  -  no problem!!!
Got out of the car and could hardly walk, my left foot was so sore. Could only manage a half day at work on Monday so off to the doctor on Tuesday morning, I had also found a lump I had never noticed before on my foot on Monday night. She thinks a ganglion cyst between foot  joints is putting pressure on nerves, now waiting to have xrays and see what comes next.
As it has been pain killers and rest my foot the last few days I started playing with Photoscape my photo editing program and following is the result of recent photo's from around home.

A few days in the life of a beautiful Gazinnia that I was given when Mum passed away.
On it's second flowering it has produced this one flower and I am amazed at how it changes from day to day.
Center flower is the latest, it is still changing and I am taking more photo's.

This little lady came to visit the other day... Well I thought the framing looked good initially, now not so sure.

Chinese Quail are widely established in NZ but normally are very rural. I heard her call and was thrilled to get this photo of her in the tree by our front deck, too late to also capture her mate who was perched on our letter box.

A collage of photo's of what is happening in our garden at the moment, you can tell I like my yellow.

Spring is definately here. It has been wet and quite windy on occasion but plants and weeds are now all thriving. In the above photo the Gardenia is the first flower on a plant I was given by my workmates, again at mum's passing. It has been hardened off and now really needs to go in the ground.
The hen thrush was so keen to make a meal of her snail that she was not worried about me at all, you can see the shell on the right and her dinner on the left - she is very welcome as I have never known the volume of garden snails like we have in Northland.
Kelly, well she woke up for long enough to check out why the deck gate was open!!! Our bottle brush should have been pruned - but wasn't so it will now have to wait until after this years flowering which is just starting.

October 14th was Steve's and my wedding Anniversary, 14 years for us now after we both had 20 years in our first marriages. I went through our wedding album last week and these photo's I found now bring me so many happy memories.

Mum refused to look straight at the camera but this is how I best remember her, not in her last days.
You can also see my love of mettalics in my dress overlay

Mum finally smiled for the camera and this photo is with my Aunt Esmie who did the most beautiful hand embroidery and passed away in 2001 from Motor Neurone Disease - on my 1st wedding anniversary.
I am sitting on Lawrie's knee, one of my four brothers. His daughter Maria is in the background alongside her husband Noel.
Looking at these photo's I do wish I had not grown older, but time does not stop for anyone.

Thursday I took the opportunity to accompany my DH to Pahia in the Bay of Islands, one of NZ's most beautiful tourist spots and only an hour's drive from home. Steve had to photograph the final work on the house so a camera was at hand for me. These are taken from the deck

South African tulip tree, no leaves yet but Oh such beautiful flowers

NZ punga or tree fern about to unfold a new branch

I could touch this from the deck, it has hairs which are so soft.

Overgrown and beautiful.

The house has not been lived in recently and is on the market.

The Tulip Tree again.

You can just see the flower/seed heads of the palm in front.

Steve and I had time for lunch in Paihia before heading home, this lovely over water extension recently added to a long established restaurant.

Original resturant in the background this new addition is fabulous and we could have stayed all day.

DH  would not take his sun glasses off for the photo.

Only a small part of the view as reflected light through the glass walling ruined my other photo's

Now Saturday, I worked yesterday and managed 5 hours before having to give in to my foot and come home. Today, I am being covered for by a workmate. I will work tomorrow Sunday,  it is only a 6 hour day and will sort out Monday then, as not sure if I will be able to manage 2 days in row.

An update for my link to Esther's WOW this week. I spent Tuesday morning at hospital having xrays and blood tests as my foot was so sore after working on Sunday. Would have gone on Monday but DH said don't be stupid, it's Labour Day - which is a public holiday in NZ. Hospital confirmed that it had been chaos for them. The hospitals verdict, they think I am having a Gout attack but can't confirm it as impossible to get fluid samples from the small foot joints. Two days later with rest and the right anti inflammitories the pain and swelling has decreased considerably. I'm comfortable now that with a week off I will be fully fit again.

This has become a bit of a diary so am closing now and pushing the publish button.

Cheer's everyone.

Jenny