Saturday 22 August 2009

Panda Days - 11 hours of stitching

A week or so ago, I introduced readers to a cute little panda published in the October 2009 (Issue number 129) of Cross Stitch Crazy. Above is my progress after 11 hours of stitching (pardon for the yellow tinge. I took the photo at 6am so the light was not too good). He's already quite cute, isn't he?

Other updates - my embroidery scissors are found! They were hiding (point up) in the veritable paradise of the bottom of the Useless SAL Vase that sits at my feet when I stitch. It was only that I kicked the vase over the other day that I found them.

Off Topic But Big News ...

It's amazing how a week changes everything in one's life. I said to The MOTH on Monday evening, the 10th, that I was going to investigate a position vacant at one of the local high schools - one that is fondly known as the College of Nerds. Long story short, a phone call the next day secured an interview for the Thursday (Wednesday was a public holiday) and then a start on Friday, the 14th. So much to everyone's surprise because I said Hell would have to freeze over before I did it, I'm back teaching three classes a week (which is a 3/5 load that translates to working full time all week, but having weekends and evenings off).

But that's not all, folks ...

On Wednesday this week, The MOTH came in after work and told me that we are not going to Paris for my birthday next year, after all. There wouldn't be enough time.

"Pick at date this December and I will book tickets right now, while the fares are cheap and accommodation is available," he announced.

So, right then and right there at the kitchen bench while I cooked lasagne, he forked out for two air tickets for almost a month in Paris from the 20th December! How cool is that? Our job this weekend is to book an apartment. I want to stay in the 13me arrondisement where I lived when I was in Paris in 1997. The MOTH may have other ideas...

Meanwhile, as if you want to hear the mundane after those announcements, doggy walks now start at 4.45am (about 4km on work days and 8km on weekends). Lucy & Harry are in Heaven as far as their lives are concerned because they get more to eat on big walk days, sleep in the laundry at night (because it's winter) and they get to run hard and fast in the park on weekdays because all other dogs are still asleep in their warm beds and there is no need for a lead.

Gypsy is not so pleased. She used to sleep in the laundry, didn't she? Her nose is so put out that now and then she goes and plonks herself in the middle of the dog bed just to stir up trouble for bedtime. A blanket on the sofa in the family room must be a poor substitute.

... and that's my news. The MOTH has finished his rowing session (he's on a health kick & looking as trim as a 20 year old) so it's off weekend trekking the streets for us both.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity xoxo

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Found It!


It works every time!

If I cannot find something around here, I send a text message to the members of the royal family (my Brisbane based kids, none of whom still lives at home), and guaranteed that while no one will respond to the text thus owning up to anything, the item still magically appears back where it should have been after the next family get together!

Long story short, the same thing has happened to the stitching mojo & my magnifying glasses (no idea about where the embroidery scissors ended up - they are gone). I had a pathetic attempt at humour in my last blog entry (which The MOTH told me was rather scary) and things started returning very soon after. I don't know where the glasses were (they magically appeared as if on Harry Potter drugs), but the mojo came, I suspect, from England via Germany in the form of the latest Cross Stitch Crazy magazine or, more specifically, in the form of the cutie above.

This plea for mojo return right at this particular time was more fortunate than you can imagine, dear readers, as this was the last magazine of my subscription & I finished watching last episodes of NCIS & House MD last week! Hence, floss & needles are out and flying swiftly through fabric with the challenge of stitching the above project within 40 hours suggested.

Well you might ask why this is the end of my magazine subscription. Two reasons: after a while, all the British magazines and their projects seem to look alike to me, so I generally don't subscribe indefinitely; also, I had need for the money that I saved from not buy the subscription.

After drooling for however many years it is that I have drooled (and bought other stitching projects to assuage my yearning & thus probably having spent the money several times over, anyway), I have stepped up to the plate and have bought some threads for stitching a BAP I've always wanted to stitch. Floss is expensive here in Australia (silks are outrageous prices) so it's a piece-by-piece purchase which means I still won't start stitching for some months, but I still figured that new distractions in form of projects in magazines are expendable, under the circumstances.

As to what the project is, you will just have to wait and see ...

While I wait, I will beaver away on the pandas and other projects already on the go.

I hope you are enjoying the weather wherever you are. August is always a lovely month here in Brisbane.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Wednesday 5 August 2009

Lost (tongue in cheek)

I'm a drama queen! Oh woe is me!
To skip my feable attemps at humour and to read the real news, scroll to *!

Sorry folks,

I'm not stitching anything at the moment, though I have done about three rows of knitting.

I seem to have lost my magnifying glasses, emboidery scissors AND my stitching mojo.

I know that this is careless of me, but I've put all of them down somewhere & cannot remember where. Not that I can see anything once I put it down, these days ...

If I've left them at your house or you find them aimlessly wandering in your neighbourhood, can you send them back to me here asap, please, because I have three shelves of stash waiting at home to be stitched!

"What have you been doing with yourself?" you might ask.

I've been busy.

I've been sulking, moaning and groaning.

I've fogged up every mirror in my house from all the sighing I've done.

I've stopped answering the phone, chatting, reading emails and quaffing red wine. Even shoe shopping with the princesses hasn’t cheered me up.

I've watched 5 seasons each of House M.D. and NCIS. Usually, I rarely watch Tv (by the way, Hugh Laurie is the spitting image of my brother!).

I've been swearing a lot. Lucy, Harry & Gypsy run for cover ever time they hear the phrase “Oh (choose your favourite rude word and insert)!”

The most creative thing I’ve done lately is switched the colour of the pen I use to do maths homework.

Worst of all, I’ve even been tempted to throw away my old cross stitch mags because I can’t stand being reminded of all my unrealised dreams.

*Quite seriously folks, life's pretty good. I've just been busy doing other things: family, studies, etc; and coping with the usual winter bugs (one of which meant that all alcohol was off the menu).

The last week in July, my youngest daughter, aka the Cadet Princess, arrived back in Brisbane after a 6 week work placement in New Zealand. She lives away from home all the year round, but having her overseas (again) made her seem further away than ever.


The last weekend in July was our 3rd annual Christmas-in-July get together with friends and family. The MOTH & I held three separate events: dinner on Saturday night for 12, breakfast for 3 of my siblings and their spouses (three other sibs couldn't make it because they weren't in Brisbane), and lunch for the Royal Family & their partners. Each event was great fun, but a lot of work. By Sunday evening, I was so tired that I was incapable of conjugating a verb! LOL. The MOTH says that he enjoyed the Saturday night do so much that he now wants to make it twice yearly (maniacal laughter from the cook).

Here are a few family pics from Sunday:



The Crown Princess with her Consort


The Cadet Princess & Crown Prince


The Crown Prince with his Birthday Princess


My Living Doll
(the Middle Princess)



and The MOTH & his fat wife
(I'll feel better about this pic in 5 years time, no doubt)

Let's hope you have your mojo safe and well and that it's not off holidaying with mine & that you, too are doing interesting things in other aspects of your lives.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity