The post-Christmas report

We’ve been down in Mt Barker for Christmas which has been fun for the most part.  My big news is I fell flat on my face outside the church after the service on Thursday morning (no, I had NOT been drinking!) I was quite lucky in that I don’t have any black bruises, just a very red and swollen nose that is very tender.  My glasses will need to be replaced as I scratched them up a bit too.  It was in front of a rather big crowd, so my pride took a bit of a battering too.  

But on to more pleasant things – presents! Joel’s parents liked their Kelso tree ornament and the assorted bits and bobs we brought back from Tassie for them.  Joel gave me a Nintendo DS and a Brain Training game (it’s mainly mental arithmetic which was never my thing so my brain age is 67, while my body is 34!!)  He also gave me a box set of Agatha Christie’s Poirot DVDs  which I will savor and stitch to and a new Nigella Lawson Cook book, Nigella Christmas.  We made the Yule Mule Cocktail straight away to much acclaim. 

Even with the accident, this has been a lovely Christmas.  I hope you all had a wonderful time with your families and friends.

Look at what the postman was keeping for me!

Christmas Ornament Exchange from Rosa in Iceland

I picked this up from the Post Office on the way to work yesterday morning.  It’s a Christmas Ornament Exchange from Rosa in Iceland!  I just love it.  As I had opened it at work I had it on display on my desk all day yesterday and it got lots of wonderful compliments.  In the photo above you can see the whole package.

Carre Noel by Anne Les Petites Croix

And here is a close up of the ornament (already on the tree).  It’s a freebie design by Anne Les Petites Croix and can be found here. I love the detail in the finishing – the little bells in the corners, the beaded edge – it’s beautiful!  Thank you so much Rosa.  A lovely exchange to receive.   

So here endeth my association with the Stitching Bloggers Exchange Board as this was the last exchange I signed up to with that group.  It’s been a wonderful group to be a part of.  It has honed my finishing skills, taught me new finishing techniques and introduced me to a whole bunch of wonderful stitchers.  Thank you  to Becky for being the founder and leader of the group – I really enjoyed being a part of it!

And on that sad little note, I bid you all happy stitching till we next meet.  Merry Christmas!

A Summer Package from Carol!

Summer Exchange from Carol

Hello friends,
What delights I have to share with you today! Carol’s summer Exchange arrived last night. Carol included all the goodies in the photo above – I am just thrilled!  I love everything!

Candy Flops - Helga Mandl Designs

Here is the ornament that Carol stitched for my tree – Candy flops by Helga Mandl, as you can see it is already in place on my tree – isn’t it cute!

Secret Flower Bed - The Trilogy

Carol also stitched Secret flower bed by The Trilogy and finished it as a pinkeep. It’s so adorable.

I sent Carol a brief email this morning as I was rushing out the door to work and it needs to be said again – thank you so much Carol, I love everything you sent. Thank you for your thoughtful gifts. I really appreciate them.

Wishing you many happy stitches!

We’re back home, a quick catchup post.

I’ve got to leave for work shortly so here’s a quick catchup…

Merry Winter - Homespun Elegance

Whilst we were away we heard that Carol received the winter package I made up for her. Here’s Homespun Elegance’s Merry Winter Stitched on 40ct Summer Khaki linen with Belle Soie as charted. I finished it as a mattress pincushion (my first ever!).

From me to thee - Hillside Samplings

We got back on Monday night and on Tuesday I heard from Marika that my Christmas Ornament had made it all the way to Finland at last. Marika is a big fan of Country Cottage and Little House Needleworks and I guessed she probably had already got most of their ornaments stitched for herself or given to her, so I took a punt she’d like this piece by Hillside Samplings, which to me is very like the Little House style.

The whole package for Marika

Here’s a picture of the whole package. Somehow I forgot to do the same with Carol’s package.

I’ve uploaded the rest of the photo’s of our trip to Flickr. Here’s a link to the set. I hope you will have a look. Tasmania is a lovely State. We enjoyed our very short trip there.

Well I better get off to work. The bus leaves very shortly!

Hello from Hobart

View from our hotel in Hobart (we requested Harbour views) - and look, a big boat!

Hello friends and greetings from our happy hotel room in Hobart.  I have to say first up, that this is the most reasonably priced broadband internet from a hotel I have ever experienced (A$10 for 24 hours – I said to Joel before I went down to reception that if it was less than $30 I would sign us up – we have really been stung for internet connections by hotels in the past!!)  We are staying at Lenna of Hobart.  A rather sweet “Historic Hotel” at Battery Point.  We are going to be visiting the Salamanca Markets this morning – looking for Christmas gifts for the family.

Me, viewing the First Basin at Cataract Gorge.

We’ve been in Tassie since Wednesday, staying first in Launceston at a beautiful bed and breakfast called Werona. I’ve inserted links to our accommodation because I couldn’t possibly take decent photos of  the rooms – I did try!  We were in the room called Joan (named for one of the daughters of the original family who lived in the  house).  On our first day in Launceston, we walked down the road to Cataract Gorge.  We rode the chairlift, walked some of the paths and had an ice cream before hiking back to our room for a little nap.  After our refreshing nap, we drove out to the town of Westbury (about 20 mins away as the crow flies) to have a look at their maze.  What a challenge!  Here’s a snap of Joel trying to find his way.

Joel at Westbury Maze

We did eventually find our way to the centre (and then promptly got lost on the way out!)

Yesterday we made the journey from Launceston down to Hobart.  We took our time and made a couple of stops.  Here’s a picture we took in Ross (a beautiful town, well worth a visit).

A view of the historic town of Ross.

We also stopped at Swansea (anyone who knows Tasmania will now know we didn’t take a direct route). Here’s a view of the beach and sea there.

View of Swansea Beachfront

We then carried on straight to Hobart, admiring all the natural wonders around us (on the A3, and this is not sarcasm this road has a lot to recommend it) before finally arriving at the hotel at around 2.30pm.

After another nap, we arose and took in the sights around the hotel and located an Indian restaurant for dinner.  Dinner was delicious!

Well, must get moving… need to have some breaky and get dressed to go out.  I’ll be back soon with another update.  Till then, happy stitching!