Winter Sunshine

Oh my goodness....is it really almost 3 weeks since my last post?!! I have actually been waiting on a permission email from Morris & Co to share with you an exciting new collection based on the designs of May Morris. They have promised me some delicious images to share so as soon as I get them I will fill a post with all of that and some more Morris news! Meanwhile we are in the depths of winter with freezing cold mornings and lots of welcome rain. But we have had the odd day of beautiful sunshine and we were blessed with that the day that we had a full day steam train ride to celebrate Larry's 65th birthday last weekend. We took the Southern Encounter Journey and our steam engine for the day was the Duke of Edinburgh. Our journey started at 10am and finished at 6.15pm.........

 The morning was very chilly but the excitement made up for that........especially when the toot of the horn started.....

We learnt that we were travelling on one of the oldest train lines in Australia dating from 1854 and one wonders what the scenery looked like back then.......

 We stopped briefly at Goolwa where the River Murray almost meets the sea........it was such a gorgeous winter's day and the water so very still.......

 We stopped for a delicious lunch in Pt Elliot and I was lucky enough to find a William Morris book of poetry and prose from the 1890's in a secondhand book shop and for only $20.....

The full moon followed us on the journey back home and many kangaroos hopped along beside us but it was hard to get a photo.........

 We were also greeted by a bagpipe player at the Strathalbyn station both on the journey down and then back several hours later, but in the dark of the evening my quick photo is a little blurred. Such a wonderful touch and I guess because we were on the Duke of Edinburgh!......

It was very cold and dark when we arrived where we had left some six and a bit hours earlier but what a lovely day it was with the most perfect weather.....

So the cold winter nights are ideal snuggled up under a quilt hand quilting...and I'm loving the long stitching with perle cottons and using a variety of colours too........

 I've also completed some hand embroidery....by no means perfect but just how I like it.......

Our garden trees are finally showing their very late Autumn colours despite it being winter and the rain is wonderful.....

 On another quilting note I was thrilled to receive these photos from Elaine in New South Wales who has completed my first William Morris Sampler pattern. I met Elaine and her lovely husband last year on one of our William Morris in Adelaide tours and we are thrilled they are joining us in the UK next year too! I still love this pattern as it is not complicated and reflects the style of Morris in a simple way. I love the motifs that Elaine chose for the setting triangles from another of my quilts (but I can't recall which one!!). And of course the gorgeous Morris border - such lovely colours....thankyou so much for allowing me to share your beautiful quilt Elaine x

And thanks for the pattern purchases from so many of you....you can find this quilt and others by clicking on the Digital Pattern Store link. Thanks for dropping by and take care till next time.....