Thank you but more worrying news...

Thank you everyone who sent prayers and good wishes for my Mum, I appreciate your support so much.  Unfortunately, Mum's chest infection has turned into pneumonia and she has been hospitalised again today.  This time, it will be for at least a week, her heart specialist thinks.  The concern, of course, is that at 90 pneumonia can lead to worse health.  Also, my Dad (who will be 93 next month) now has a cold and is looking exhausted from worrying about Mum and from all of this running around to doctors and hospitals.

I have been able to do some stitching and I have been visiting blogs, but I just don't feel up to doing a proper full post as I am trying to fit hospital visits in between working full time, looking after my family and my DFIL (85) who lives with us and on it goes.

So, I will update with some stitchy pics soon, I promise.

hugs,


P.S. Faith and Grace, I did manage to find time to post your Giveaway gifts today - so look at for them in the mail.

A worrying day...

I was working peacefully at work this morning when in the middle of a meeting I received a phone call from my sister... my Dad had just called an ambulance for my 90 year old mother!  She had been having chest pains all night and was having trouble breathing.

So, the ambulance came and took her to Emergency at Monash Medical Centre.  Naturally, my sister and I rushed to the hospital to be with her and my 92 year old father.  After a rather worrying afternoon spent in the emergency ward, my mother was finally diagnosed with a chest infection and some minor angina pain and sent home with antibiotics and an angina spray.

She is settled back in at home with Dad (they still live together in their own home - they have been married 66 years now!) and fingers crossed it has just been a hiccup.  My Dad is under strict instructions not to turn the central heating off at night (it has been a very cold winter so far) as my mother has always suffered from bronchitis but our government has just brought in a Carbon tax to offset the mining industry and there has been a lot of talk in the papers about how the cost of electricity etc is going to go up (although the government is giving subsidies to pensioners to offset the carbon offset - yes, confusing, I know!) and so they have been anxious about their next electricity bill!

I am finally home again, feeling rather drained and anxious about my Mum's health.  I am sure that she will be all right but you can't help but worry when she is so old. So, I would appreciate any prayers you can send her way.

Thanks for "listening", all my wonderful blogging friends - it means so much to me to be able to tell you all about it.

hugs,

Weekend away in Olinda - Part 2

Hope that you are interested in more of our adventures in Olinda.

Olinda and its neighbouring village, Sassafras, are full of quirky little shops.  TraderVic and I found this one fascinating, with wonderful paintings and other objets d'art which we would have loved to have taken home but as our house is already full to the brim we managed to resist.  I just took lots of pics to share with you all and to keep as a remembrance......

Some beautiful tapestries:

We both particularly liked this print of the couple dancing on the beach.  TraderVic and I took ballroom dancing lessons a few years ago and loved it. (We were sick of just shuffling around the dance floor at weddings.)

Isn't this a sensational Art Deco lamp?

The Lady of Shallot is one of my favourite literary figures:

TraderVic examining an old eye chart.

After all that browsing we had Pie Floaters (usually a South Australian Dish) at a local bakery called "Pie in the Sky":

Followed by some yummy scones with jam and cream - A delicious lunch!

Then it was off to do some more exploring of Olinda Village:

Hope that you enjoyed looking at all of my photos - one more update to come but I will wait a couple of days before inflicting that on you! lol!

Hugs,

I am a winner!

Lucky, lucky, lucky me - I won one of Nancy's from Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe wonderful patterns in her Grand Giveaway.  This is the design which I chose:

I really like it - I hope that you do, too. It is such an apt saying.

 I feel so blessed by this wonderful cross stitch community of which we are all a part.  Thank you to everyone who visits this little blog of mine.

hugs, 

Very late TUSAL and some stitching progress

Oh dear, this is a rather late TUSAL post.  Here is my little jar.  I love the way that you can see by the layers what I have been working on.  Last month it was the soft colours of Cinderella, this month it is largely the red of Noah's Ark

I have made great progress on Noah's Ark.  I just need the baby to be born so that I can complete the details which are to be stitched underneath the animals. (Don't worry, that is not a pink stain on the fabric it is just the design on my doona showing through)

I also had another start this week:  January Wordplay by With thy needle and thread.  I am stitching it on the recommended 35ct Abecedarian Linen - I thought that I might have trouble with the smaller stitch count but it is going well so far. I have seen so many people stitching the Wordplays that I just had to join in, too.

And as usual I will finish with a picture of Furio - this is him guarding the house from the builders on the roof where they are working on the house next door (you can see them putting the blue tarp on where they have been working).  I swear - Furio was growling at them! I think he thinks he is a dog not a sweet little kittycat! lol!

Off to stitch now,

hugs,

Weekend away in Olinda - Part 1

TraderVic and I have just returned from a lovely restful weekend break in beautiful Olinda in the Dandenong Ranges, only a short hour's drive from our home.  We stayed in a beautiful B@B called Annie Roe's in the Penthouse Apartment, no less!

Isn't it gorgeous?  Lovely views, luxury accommodation and a lovely big spa bath!

Must go watch some MasterChef now and do some stitching - I will fill you in on more of our adventures and post some stitching pics tomorrow night.

hugs,  

My 1st Blogoversary Winner and 200 followers Winner are.....

The winner of my 1st Blogoversary giveaway is..... drum roll, please....

FAITH OF FAITHFULLY STITCHING

Congratulations, Faith, you have won:

In what form it is finished is still a mystery - you will find out when you open your package (plus there might be an extra surprise !)

... and the winner of my 200 followers giveaway.... yet another drum roll....

GRACIE OF NEEDLES, PINS AND DRAGONFLYS

This is a mystery giveaway, so Gracie, you won't know what you won until your gift arrives!

I would like to say thank you to everyone who entered and to all of my followers old and new - your friendship and support over the past year has been wonderful.  I have enjoyed making so many new online friends.  Aren't we so lucky to have the internet to bring us all together?

Faith and Gracie, if you email me your snailmail addresses I will send you your gifts.

Happy Stitching everyone, 

hugs,