Thursday 7 January 2021

This and that......

A it is already the 7th January, perhaps I better try to keep up with newsfromjude happenings before too much more time elapses. I have to say that there has been no quilting happening here, and Max is having a holiday. But I can tell you that it is no holiday for me, and there has been a lot of hard labour occurring. After months and probably almost a year of neglect I am making progress out in the garden. Most of the garden beds are in the process of renovation and I can see progress out there. Of course this is a never ending task and I need to keep it maintained. 

I have just a few pics for this post, and will post more of other areas another day.......This was one of the worst areas, and the view that was just outside the front door of my house. The garden had been taken over by those wild violets and you can't even see the few shrubs that were in amongst it all. And that wheelbarrow!!......


Last time I tried to plant some seedlings in it, the dirt came out from the bottom which was all rusted!! So I decided it was time to go.... I emptied out the dirt and tried to shift the barrow..............


...................which promptly fell into more pieces!! Not too sure how it had been holding up before I moved it??.............

We are in a for hot spell in the next week, so my plan is to keep that area watered and plant something when it cools a bit, although not sure what that will be yet? I am on a mission to clean up all the beds that I can before next week, when I have someone booked to come and take away all the garden prunings and rubbish. (I have about 7 heaps of "stuff" all over the place all ready!) After a rather "too sedentary" lifestyle in a lot of 2020, I am finding this to be "hard labour", and I have been very tired. But I guess it is doing me some good as my 1/2 hour in the garden at the start has now turned into almost 4 hours at a time this week. Note to self...... get more active!

It was the 90th birthday of a lady who was a neighbour back when we lived on the farm, so I thought she might like a quilt. Thankfully I chose just the right colour that matched the cushions in her lounge, and I think I can say she was pleased. Congratulations Ruth an reaching 90!


Ruth's son makes model ships and proudly showed me his work. He must have a lot of patience to put these replica's together and the detail is amazing.




I had to go to Murray Bridge last week for a blood test and called in to have lunch with Mum. There was an impromptu gathering that included Mum and my Aunty who has recently moved into the Village where mum is, and 5 of the cousins. It was a lovely catchup with a few I have not seen for ages, and we had a lot of laughs. Mum's 92 year old sister (not in the photo) recently moved into Resthaven and her family have just finished clearing out her house. Another cousin is about to move from her home which has been in her husband's family for 100 years. Lots of discussion about the things that some people collect and keep, and what to do with them "one day". Some of us have lots of memories around, (and that includes me!) and some are "minimalists" and don't have the sentiment to keep those things. I definitely know that I couldn't cope with a move from here in the immediate future!!??

Most years I have sent a Christmas card and letter to all my Cornerstone Creations customers, but this year it came and went before I was ready. I sent a New Year's newsletter by email instead this time. It was an interesting read to go back to newsletters from year's gone by as I have been in this business since February 2002, so I am about to clock up 19 years of quilting for others!! (Almost long service leave coming up don't you think?)

I enjoyed a quiet New Year's Eve with friends and we shared crayfish, which was so good. It has been a long time since I had a meal of this, so I say thanks to China for refusing to buy them this year. Hopefully I can enjoy some again soon.


I received some apricots from friends and they have been stewed and frozen, and hopefully will be used when I have people to stay again, sometime?


New Years Day I spend the morning in the garden and then joined Chookyblue and blogging friends from all over the world on Zoom for a sewing day. I have to say I did no sewing, but did enjoy listening to the chatter of everyone while I did some bookwork. It was interesting to see what they are stitching, to hear about Christmas recipes and traditions and how each country is affected with Covid. This is one of the best parts of the last year, meeting quilters from other countries and sharing our lives with each other. 

That's about all the newsfromjude for now. Tomorrow I hope to be "out there" early in the hope of finishing the hard part soon. I think that by Monday I will load another quilt on Max and get back into some sort of action. Inside by the air con will be a good place to be when the temperature gets to the high 30's! All good things must come to an end, and it's time for my "holiday" to be over.

Blessings, From Jude

PS - Just a reminder that there is still time to guess the number of stitches per square inch, (not the total in the whole quilt). This competition will finish Saturday evening. Look forward to hearing from a few more yet and thanks for those who have entered. - photo added for a reminder!





9 comments:

Chris said...

Too bad about the wheelbarrow rusting. It certainly won't carry much rubbish anymore now, will it? We also have these wild violets that seem to spread and take over the whole lawn and flower beds if I let them. Who knows where they originally came from. We are fully into winter now with temperatures below 0 every day but the sun shines and the days are getting longer. You gotta love Canadian winters.
I am guessing at 97 stitches per square inch. That quilt is beautiful.

kiwikid said...

Great work happening in the garden Jude, I love the violets when they flower but they are a bit invasive! The wheel barrow has seen better days 😀 beautiful quilt gift to Ruth, the ships her son makes are amazing. Your Mum will have lost of family with her in her new home, that is lovely. The apricots look so good!! I have no idea of the number of stitches but will, guess 80. It is a beautiful quilt.

kiwikid said...

Just seen a spelling mistake!! Your Mum will have lots of family it should read, sorry about that.

Dot said...

Max may be resting Jude, but it doesn’t look like you are! You’ll have such a great sense of achievement when you get all those garden beds sorted though.
I have no idea how many stitches per square inch in that quilt but I’d say it’s probably too many to count... especially with ageing eyes! But just to be in it, I’d say 107...

Karen's Korner said...

A lovely gift for your 90 yo friend. Keeping on top of the garden is a full-time job. Enjoy those apricots.

Chookyblue...... said...

goodluck with the gardening. I too have been trying to tidy bits up......got a new whipper snipper so that will help also......the other one was second hand a thousand years ago.......I can never start it when I want to.
the quilt for your friend is lovely.....
and I must agree time on zoom has been wonderful....the only upside of covid in my opinion...

Jean McGee said...

Lots of gardening going on there, it gets away from us sometimes but looks great when it’s all finished. Good you could catch up with some family especially as they get older . Take care, Jean 😀😀

Susan said...

MY husband likes to make wooden box things to go on old wheelbarrows so it's shame we are not closer.
I don't think avid quilters can also be avid gardeners...there are only 24 hours a day after all.

you packed a lot into that post - a lovely quilt given...and I wish I had violets growing rampant in my garden.

Chooky's Zoom meetings have been a very positive offshoot of Covid that is for sure.
no idea how many stitches- I'll say 100.

dq said...

I am so glad I kept reading so I could see a close up photo of that gorgeous quilt!

The ship maker probably things the same thing about you and your quilt making.