fabrication francaise...

cornflowers for my dear friend kim ..i loved your story..

yesterday at www.calicoandivy we had a delivery of the long awaited french fabric...

shades of raspberry ,taupe and creams..absolutely divine...

i have always had a penchant for french fabrics..

especially vintage ones ..

this one is by paul dumas and is highly coveted ..just knowing this fabric is among my stash gives me goosebumps..one day...

.

colors of summer..

i think it's an english thing...loving cornflowers and sweet peas.. a leftover memory from my nana's garden ...so that is why i grow them ..

little did i know that i would be growing them in a garden in australia..

but i am and here they are and i shall enjoy them ..

a trip to the vets later for a slight ear problem with my lovely elsa ..and ..a sinister lump that has appeared near her neck[ i will think positive ]..

and now there are only 3 chooks left ..we had a natural departure on the really hot day that we had the other day ..but she was failing and i know i made her life a heck of a lot better than the battery egg farm from which i rescued her from .. so i feel a little sad but no remorse..

birthday picnic at the beach

what great day we had at the beach ...

daughters 32nd birthday ..so we took off to the local beach and sat by the indian ocean under blue skies and a pleasant 28 degrees celsius...

we lunched on home made free range char suei chicken ...organic fruit salad ...and a biodynamic salad with biodynamic sheeps fetta cheese...all topped of with a good cuppa tea ...steaming hot from a flask...no wonder we feel regenerated ..i would highly encourage such weekend behaviour..

lots of laughing and talking ..only downer was my son couldn't go into the sea due to a 8 stitches surfing gash sustained yesterday at th surf beach in scarboro..
if you click on the middle photo you can see a pelican which landed not too far away from the grandchildren...

the scent of summer..

ahh ..the scent of summer.

honeysuckle and roses...you bet ..can't beat that scent to say summer is here

my climbing cecile brunner rose has never had so many buds on the branches..

me knows it was due to the nibbling of the alpacas who sadly no longer do the tip pruning for me.

so i must enjoy the little beauties while i can ..

off for tootle today with a friend...have a wonderful weekend..

new stuff...

i love recieving new stuff in the post..

it sends me off on a tangent..

i look at the colors and have a flash of inspiration and i drop whatever i am doing and give it a go

i made these flowers as soon as i looked at these shade cards so i figure what inspires is the color and then i go off and ferret through my stash..a bit like a deranged squirrel looking for pre buried nuts!..and come out with the yarn i want to use..

so i am happy crocheting along at the moment..

and the other day some friends and i met for a leisurely lunch by the river as it was a warm sunny day and one needed to be outdoors getting ones daily dose of vitamin d..so we did and then i remembered...ahh... this is why i came to oz..

liberty quilts..

well it is all official calicoandivy has moved address...well we crossed the road to the sunny side of the street..

we are now at no 10 glyde street..

the new shop is much larger and has it's own yarn room [which i could happily live in ].

deb and the team worked so hard and the logistics were huge ..but everything is ticketyboo and new and fresh and what a lovely place to work..

yes..really ..it is not hard waking up and going to work i can tell you..

you never know what delights await you when you get there..

then i was taken aback when deb wanted my liberty quilts to hang in the new shop..i was literally blown away and humbled at the same time..

without the encouragement of friends i would never have finished them ..

i thank them all from the bottom of my heart and made some wonderful memories along the way.

i have however made a decision ..i will only work in liberty fabrics as they bring me so much joy

and i must finish the one i have in the wings..as well as knitting ...crocheting..and of course a sock or two or three...

did i mention?....

did i mention that i love to collect vintage china...well here are few i rescued the other day while opshopping with my daughter.
i love that they have a few bruises here and there ..
if i have to choose a favorite ie would have to be the one in the right hand corner with the most divine pattern of little clovers all around the edge..