2020 should be exciting!

2020 is looking very exciting for us with several special events planned. I am thrilled to have been invited to give talks to ADFAS, the Queen Adelaide Club and to the SA Needlework Tool Collector's Society and I am sure there will be others. I will also be travelling to Queensland late November for a very special event and we have the Tours in the UK in September/October and the tours here in Adelaide during May and August as well! So it is looking very busy and very positive. There are also a couple of extra special events that will be happening that I can't share just yet but one of them involves the very bubbly and irresistible Claudia Chan Shaw....all I can say is WOW!!! Unfortunately the photo was a little awkward as I still had the hidden hand in plaster!...

Another event I will be a part of involves a Museum and perhaps a little bit of Prussia......that will have to wait for another time! I was also thrilled to read that the Art Gallery of South Australia are transforming the Morris & Co. display so I can't wait for that after Dec 7th.......

So with all that excitement it is back to the goings on of current life and of course most of that is taken up with family......and the occasional rose!! Wade is still loving the Christmas displays and is so good in the stores as he squats to look without touching.....

 He is still a great help at home and this time we were potting this beautiful hydrangea aptly named the Queen of Adelaide........

He does rather like my necklaces as well but it takes a while to unravel them when he has gone!......

 Wade also loved putting up the Christmas tree. It is way too early for me but he is so enjoying the season we thought why not......

 The other side of the family have been celebrating as Brett has just completed his four year university podiatry degree (and already has a job lined up starting next year!). We are so proud of Brett and academically he has always achieved very high marks. We are also proud of Emily returning to full time nursing when Maisie was only one so we hope next year she can reduce her hours a little and recover from the stress of shift work and inadequate sleep....but they were in celebration mode here after Brett's last exam.....

 Unfortunately Larry had a few days in bed last week and I missed him greatly as I am still unable to drive. He looked ten months pregnant at one stage so I was on standby to call an ambulance if need be, but fortunately he has recovered and we have put it down to a diverticulitis attack......not much fun for him. So it was nice to get out and about again to see the ongoing refurbishment at our nearby shopping centre..one day it involved a super lunch treat for Wade too!....

We also have a brand new cafe just a five minute walk from home and we've shared the most delicious focaccias with amazing fillings like roasted cauliflower in soy with tomato, mayo and rocket or pastrami, red cabbage, cheddar, mayo and rocket!! And those Butterbing Cookie Sandwiches are to die for! (Click on the link to read the success story of this Melbourne based Cookie business that started on a front verandah and now supplies to over 400 cafes across Australia!). We've been nibbling away on nutella and peanut butter ones for over a week!! (once Larry's gut settled!)........

 So I guess I just have to end with the roses (!!) and a bit of the Dalai's wisdom. The first flush of roses are almost over so a light pruning has occurred and we have enjoyed the last of them inside. I am always amazed at how this one rose bush goes from pink to apricot and then the palest of pinks again......

 and the Pierre de Ronsard is always a treat.......

So from the Dalai to you and if only it was this easy.......may life bring you optimism too x

Such Extremes

We have had a few weeks of extreme weather here at home with some days reaching 36C (97F) and then a day later plummeting to 17C (62F)! Along with these extremes comes the inevitable topic of climate change and the past few days we have watched with horror the extent of the bushfires to the east of our country. It is devastating to read of the loss of lives and homes along with animals. It is not even summer so it is distressing to see how many fires there are and over such a wide region that you can see here on the maps......

Even more distressing is that several people have been arrested for lighting some of those fires. We are well away from it but still have a sense of guilt that we are not suffering in any way. While temperatures have been erratic we have had lots of lovely blue skies....and dare I say the roses are still blooming??!! Sorry to bore you with them all again but they do bring such joy......

 Even Maisie was impressed!.......

 The front of our home has been transformed from when we purchased it and in just over 5 years........

 I am chuffed to also have some foxgloves blooming after being in the ground for well over a year.......

Our favourite store has been building on their nursery displays and it was looking fabulous when we there recently to buy some mulch with even more foxgloves blooming.....

  When it was time to spread the mulch we saved it for a day that we had little Wade but it is pretty slow going when one is using a toy spade!...but what fun he had......

We are still battling the pesky possum who must have quite a belly ache nibbling on the peaches way before he/she should and we've counted almost 4 dozen half nibbled ones over the past couple of weeks! We are getting someone to cut the tree back as it overhangs the back fence from a neighbouring property, so there will be no peaches this year........ 

 Wade continues to grow and develop his own unique character while enjoying treats (that only a grandparent can get away with!!), and enjoying the shop Christmas displays.......

 The expression below is his tentative look at Father Christmas but he was not impressed when Father Christmas came over to say hello......he was a wee bit scared so hid behind me and clung on for dear life!......

 Last Sunday he had a day on the trains with his cousins Beau and Maisie and the smiles say it all.......

 Sophie had her gorgeous William Morris top on too........

We treasure these photos that Sophie took of Beau cuddling and reassuring Maisie as she didn't like the noise of the steam train......her hearing aid must be such a hassle sometimes........

 I had an unexpected visit to the surgeon 2 weeks ago because of some ongoing issues and that resulted in the cast being removed a week early. I did expect to see it all healed after one month from surgery but each day it is looking better and enjoying the luxury of water! It is now 6 weeks since surgery but I am still not allowed to use the hand for another two weeks and maybe not drive for even more. I am so lucky to have Larry and his patience is way better then mine!....

 So I had better finish this post on that topic of "extremes" as I share these stunning photos that we received from our friends in Canada of their first snow which is now 3 inches thick.......

I will conclude with the hope that the bushfires in the eastern states will soon be over and our thoughts are with everyone affected 💕