More of this and that.................

Once again the time has slipped away, and I see that it is 10 days since there was a post from newsfromjude. I am struggling to work out where that time went, and there is not a lot in the photo files for me to post. Once again I have borrowed more photos from the family's facebook files, and perhaps there might be a post soon just of quilt photos.

Miss Bridie, and Mr Tate, and isn't he growing up so fast! I am very blessed that his mum takes lots of photos and videos.

Mr 9 years old participated in the district cross country recently and......

.......................came third in his group. Apparently he led the field most of the way, and run out of puff just before the end, but a great effort. (He DID NOT inherit any athletic ability from his grandmother!)

I am wondering just how Miss Billie went from a baby to this little girl so quickly??

 A lovely family photo on a day when they went to the hills apple picking.

The dreaded lurgy that I was trying to avoid, and mentioned back on April 29th, is still hanging around. Thankfully it is not in my lungs, and there is no temperature. After never having sinus or ear issues before, I am well and truly over this, and sympathise with those who react to spring. I am currently on a course of antibiotics, and things have improved a lot to what they were, but still a way to go yet. Tomorrow I am back to my normal doctor, who ordered lots of tests last week, so we will see what the outcome of that is. That's probably more than you needed to hear, and I know there are lots of bad flu cases this year, so am not moaning too hard about my issues.

But it has been a period of time (perhaps because I have not been well??), when it has been easy to feel down and disheartened about things. Locally it has been upsetting to learn of a young person who did not survive a car accident, a friend who is dealing with a serious issue, a member of our church being diagnosed with advanced cancer, a local man (who went to school with my children) finding out he has a brain tumor, and a beautiful young woman that I used to work with years ago who lost her battle with breast cancer.

While I have spent most of my time inside and staying warm, I did notice this little corner of the garden blooming in spite of neglect. The season so far has been dry, and we are needing a good rain. While some areas have had some, our area has missed out. There is rain forecast for today, and in anticipation I filled up the wood boxes yesterday, but it is almost 4pm and no sign of rain yet. 😞

Yesterday our country had an election to decide who will govern for the next 3 years. This has also been a very concerning time, with some rather unfair tactics and lots of personal attacks. I won't get into too much politics, but we need to respect and tolerate differing opinions, as we won't all agree on the same things. Our town was busy yesterday as a lot of people came to cast their vote. The local school was busy, people were queued waiting for their turn, and there were even food stalls outside.

I had a special visit from DD1 Friday evening as she was on her way home from a business trip. We talked late, and went out for coffee yesterday morning before she drove home.

That little pile of cases has grown from the pic on the left, to the one on the right, and there are a few more in the process, so I have not been idle.

     

Max has managed to get a few quilts done as well, but I came to a halt on Friday, when my bobbin winder would not work. I don't have a separate bobbin winder, as I have used the on board winder for 17 years, and have managed a few repairs myself in that time. But this time I had to admit defeat. I phoned my dealer for advice and then called in local help. I am very relieved to report that the winder is now functioning better than ever, and another issue that I had with the light, was fixed as well. I am blessed to have good friends, so THANKYOU. A mechanic I am not, and I just like to switch things on and have them work. I have not had many problems with my machine over the years, and easily manage most things myself.

Since my last post we have celebrated Mother's Day, and for the first time in many years I did not visit my mum, or have my children visit me. (I was having a quiet time at home trying to get well.)
But thanks to modern technology I had lots of video conference calls with them all. The day before Mother's Day was also my birthday, so I had 2 days in a row of family calls. I was fortunate that my cousin and her husband from Melbourne were travelling through town on their way to see her mum, and she brought me a lovely birthday cake, that we shared over coffee. It seems I have missed a lot of photo opportunities lately doesn't it? I did receive some lovely flowers, special gifts (including these lovely warm socks), and visits from friends.

I think I mentioned in a recent post about some more fabric on its way to my place, and this is what was delivered this week. Now the mind is ticking over, working out what I shall do with them.

That's all the newsfromjude for now, and I shall try to post sooner next time. Tis a bit scary just how fast the year is speeding along.

Blessings, From Jude