Days Go By, Faster than you think.......

Warning, picture heavy post. I didn't realise how long ago since I found a chance to take photos and blog. I may have shown you the 2 rooms downstairs pre painting already but to refresh here is the mess before painting.

 

Here is room 1, now the spare bedroom/music /library room. It has always been a dream of mine to have such a room. The colour is a pale mint green Taubmans Tullah Belle which is not really evident in this photo. A better camera is now on my shopping list for 2015. Since then the floor has been laid, the guys shifted my piano in for me that afternoon. Now I just need to find a piano tuner. It did get moved here in the back of a horse float so I can understand why Middle C sounds like D now.

 

This is room 2 which is to be my new quilting room. The wall colour is Taubmans Mauve Mist. This photo is a quick snap taken while the floor guys were starting to lay the floor.

 

We used Embelton Bamboo Nullabor from Andersens in Kingaroy for the flooring. Much better than the dirty cement which was down there.

 

 This is the Nolting moved in. I have been culling the "junk" and it is amazing what paraphernalia 3 children leave behind when they "move out". Needless to say I have managed to rehome about 75% of their stuff. My next task is to sew my Red Snappers into the leaders.

I have been busy with work, and the general everyday tasks. Waiting for the next grandchild involved moving to Yeppoon for a week between work shifts. I decided to not take the sewing machine but take along something not involving pins/scissors which aren't toddler friendly. Instead I took a crochet hook. This is the 3rd project I am now working on. I purchased a couple of Japanese Crochet Books on ebay, found I can understand them, and am improving my skills.

This is hopefully what mine will look like soon.

 

January 21st saw a new baby girl grandchild for us. She had a straightforward delivery, but ended up in SCN for 2 nights. Here she is hanging onto her cannulated arm on Day 2.



I was so pleased that we were not in Yeppoon 4 weeks later when cyclone Marcia hit. Apparently the house where we stayed did not suffer too much damage, but the massive trees around the back yard have taken a hit. Belinda had to work the night shifts, pre and immediately Post cyclone. Survival without power and trying to sleep in the heat were her biggest concerns. 8 days later she was mighty happy when the lights came back on.
I have also been checking ebay occasionally for another Pfaff sewing machine like mine, and finally I have managed to purchase one. This one has been hardly used and is in a better state than mine. I may be biased but I think they do a great job in piecing patchwork. The Pfaff Machine I bought for the applique stitches cannot piece as well as these.

 

After  rearranging the downstairs rooms and office areas, I decided to shift some furniture around and now have a sewing desk under the front window upstairs. I still have my sewing table there as well.

 

In February, we woke up during the night to discover a 5.2 earthquake had rattled the region. Only about 30kms from where we used to live, the epicentre was  near Kerwee at Eidsvold. I looked outside and this tree was decidedly leaning over. I think I might just cut a branch off it and try to straighten it that way. That was the same week that Cyclone Marcia came through and flooded parts of the North Burnett and Callide areas again. We were lucky we received 50mls of rain with some wind but no flooding as a result.

Sewing progress: 18 months ago I decided to make another Inner City quilt. This is the existing one from 1994 and I have got back to doing some work on the second one. I will show a finished photo when it is hanging on the wall.

House progress: apart from the floor coverings downstairs and in the office area, our handy man tenant, came out and helped with the doors for that and replaced the termite eaten tongue and groove board in the spare upstairs bedroom. Now I can finish painting the inside and have to touch up the outside walls. At least now you can't put your finger through the wall. I have also kept paint stripping the dining are ceiling with some progress, 5 bays nearly done. Only 7 to go.

 

 

 This is the office cupboards and floor finished. All the paperwork is now behind those doors and in drawers. It is a real pleasure to sit at the computer desk now as I no longer feel cluttered.

 

We moved the double seater, but single sofa bed out here to be a third bedroom upstairs. We also have a comfy seat for "business chats" when we are planning what we need to do next. Prior to that we only had the computer chair. Made this room so much more livable.

 

With the rain, came another problem we didn't have to worry about for ages. Grass Seeds in socks. I always make his "gaiters" "oversocks" call them what you will, but his existing pair were rags. I usually make as many as I can from 1m denim at a time. Finally finished these, as usual just waiting for the elastic. Hope he's happy with them. I am sure Bryan will want a pair now.

 

Charlee Rose, the new baby needs a quilt, so I have started one for her. Certainly not going to be  Beatrix Potter like. I have made 4 blocks using this red poppy fabric. I hope they like it. I know I do and I would rather roses but I wanted to use what I already had and rose coloured poppies are just as nice. I am using the existing zinnia quilt as a design wall. Same pattern if you had not noticed. Might even give her Mum the choice of zinnias or poppies.

So that's been January/February for us. Lots of travelling, and now the woodchop season and autumn is here. Catch you next time.