Some semblance of normality?

Much has happened since I last posted. 

 The move has occurred, eventfully as expected with everything we do lately! Thunderstorms, forecasts of hail and high winds, had ourselves and the removalists scurrying like ants. Finally after two long and tiring days the truck was loaded and the house was oddly bare and quiet. Time to move onto the next phase in our lives. While it was funny to leave the house, when the quilts and embroideries were removed from the walls, it didn't seem like home any more. I will miss all the love and thought that went into building the house, and of course I will cherish the happy memories of the times spent there as a family, but our new lives in Newcastle will be fabulous!

Before I left town, we had one last "craft" night...so nice to see the girls and a bit surreal too, surely I will be back next week? Lea made the most fabulous sewing machine cake to celebrate the occasion

...and it was yummy too! Not a great deal of sewing done, but lovely to chat, the group has been meeting in one form or another for 21 years...my how young we were!Lea has some more pics here. I shall miss their chatter, inspiration and gentle support through those testing times in life...it wasn't all about sewing, it was all about sharing too.

These girls are one of the hardest things to leave!

Sadly in the midst of all the moving, my father in law suffered a heart attack and is still very ill in hospital. Fortunately we are now close by so we can visit often. 

So, as you would imagine, there has been little time to stitch. A few cross-stitches at night is all I have been able to manage before I drop into bed. But this week I plan to have some hand-piecing at the ready for some quieter moments...fingers crossed! Here is my interim stitching spot.

 Now, back to the reason for moving....the house continues to progress, frames for the extension are erected and the roof will go on this week. it seems never ending, but it will happen!

And, on a lighter note, here is our very non-citified Molly- her eyes are still on stalks as she becomes used to the city...so many dogs and so many people and cars! Pushbikes, motorbikes and even someone on a kayak! She had never seen the sea before, but quickly cottoned on to the idea of a dog friendly beach (with so many friendly dogs too!). I think she will quite like it here.
Thank you for all your kind wishes...it will be good to be settled again!

Cardygirl xx

Winds of change!

As is usual in Cardy-world of late, the changes continue at a fast pace.

Each cupboard I open, I throw out the "stuff" of life...I have garbage bags scattered through the house collecting all those things we seem reluctant to discard (WHY???? I am asking myself!).

Here is my slowly progressing "Soul Searching" quilt...I am enjoying it's gentle progress...the brown block is nearly done, then just aqua and red to go...yay! It was hard to handle on the line with the morning sun behind it and a bit of a breeze....

So I headed inside and finished (at last) my final uni assignment for this semester. 

It is due in a week, but with all that was happening here, I needed to complete it so I can focus on the huge task of moving. I have decided to end my foray into adult education at Grad Diploma level...and have big plans for being a normal (?) person again next year who can actually enjoy life without continually squawking about due dates and discussion boards. 

Here is the partially completed quilt in the afternoon glow...I am happy with it!

On the moving front, all is progressing well, but the house will not be ready for me to move into....a bit of couch surfing will occur, but it will only be for a few weeks. Here is my teeny tiny backyard this week...full of tradesmen (they are a lovely bunch) and two excavators...it was full on. I don't know if they appreciated my joke about making a few changes???? 

And here it is the next day with the foundations successfully poured. 

On the work front, I had two interviews and it seems work is now organised...tick!

So, please know I pop in as often as I can to see what you are up to, and hopefully life will settle in a month or two! With 2.5 weeks until the big move, look at my dining table...eek!

  Cardygirl XX

Almost ready to weave a basket...

Each week is so full of changes at present...the renovation is progressing and I am beginning to sort out this house ready for a mid-September move. I am hoping my garden blossoms before then as I would love to see it one more time! DS has been home for a mid-semester break...it is always lovely to have him here and he helped with some spring pruning and rubbish dump runs. I am working on my last uni assignment which is naturally due the week before we move- the most boring topic in the world has not been very motivating when I have so much else to do.

I would have to say my mood is generally elevated at present (did you guess that from my title?)...so many changes happening at present and I seem to have lost the ability to sleep...one dear friend noted my mania on an email...that was scary! So I am trying to do a little something creative to offset my imminent psychosis (the sewing machine is pretty much out at present as I could really do some damage with that!).

 I have been knitting this bag from a recent Country Style for my DD (hmmm knitting and repetitive actions...calming?) the kit and pattern are available here...

leadlight patterns for the front windows...

and a freshly dressed facade (before anyone laments the blank wall, there is a small flowering tree ready to go there!). It is looking really good and we now have windows except for the bay.

Changes have been happening with work too...I have left one job as of last Monday...very sad as they are a great bunch, some I have worked with for twenty years, so I just left without fuss to avoid any public tears. They gave me these beautiful flowers...I shall miss them. I have committed to my other job until early October to allow for a handover period. On the new job front, I have had one interview and have another next week...no issues picking up work in Newcastle. Any wonder the mood is high????

Have you been watching dear Lea race around the Outback? Watch her adventure on her blog...she even has hold of the yellow jersey!

Cardygirl xx

And the polishing paid off...

At last there is news on the Chez Cardy front...we are sold!

After some false starts, headaches, annoyances and lots of the aforementioned polishing, the house sale is now unconditional and we settle in six weeks. The new house will not be ready, but I am hoping one bathroom and bedroom may be habitable or else I will be in a tent! I am not worried...it will work out. Optimism is such a wonderful gift I think!

 A relief is an understatement...it was exhausting, especially when there is so much else going on. We love this house...we put so much of ourselves into it physically and emotionally, but now that the children are grown and DH's work is no longer here, it really is time to move on. We will miss the character of it and my lovely garden BUT it is just a shell that we live in...as long as we are together that is where I will call home. It will be great to be living so close to Mum too after living away for 25 years. 

 All of this frantic activity...assignments, renovations, lots of driving and the anxiety of the whole she-bang have forced a bit of a slow down, but hopefully I will be feeling better each day as there is not a lot of down time available.

But here are some snaps so you can see what has been happening...

A baby quilt...bound and now on its way to a sweet new little girl from a very proud Uncle...

a bare back yard awaiting footings for the extension at the new house...

felt pincushions inspired by a Wendy Williams workshop at the Sydney Quilt Show 

(which are much coveted and frequently abducted by my naughty cat!)...

a fabulous zippered bag I won at Lea's fundraising morning tea...I love this and was desiring it as she was making it!!!!! Lucky me! Go and see what a lovely day we had...here!

Not a lot of sewing time...still fiddling with octagons as the mood permits, just looking forward to October...might even have a roof over my head again by then!

Cardygirl xx

Papers, plums and a touch of the glums!

Hand stitching...the perfect thing to do when your mind is just not fully on the "job" of stitching.

Quite frankly the concentration span is poor and I have been in an uncharacteristic grump...don't put me near a rotary cutter!!! Obviously the house sale is still up in the air...still having people come through until the offer can become unconditional...at least we are fortunate to have lots of interest.

So not a lot of stitching happening...lots I would like to do...so have been working on sewing rows of octagons together...and was wondering...am I doing this the hard way as it takes forever to add a row and it is seriously boring (see the head is not quite as peppy as usual)???? Any tips???

It will look nice though I think!

Played with the purples for my soul searching top...purple is a tough colour...there are plums, mauves, pinks and knock-your-eyes-out-child-of-the-seventies PURPLE...fun to see what I had and even more fun trying to put it together without giving myself the glums (never been a lilac sort of girl) or a headache...some of those purples were super rich and BRIGHT!

Do you like purple?

 Cardygirl xx

Dear Diary...

How can it be that another week has passed by? So much happening here, lots of travelling up and down the highway. So here is the week that was...

my dear Mum turned 80!!!!
So I headed off to spend some time with her...lunch, shopping, glamourising! Then my DD and her lovely Robert came to have dinner with us. Sadly DS and SB were both too far away to join in, but plans are being made for a HUGE celebration in the new Chez Cardy later in the year!

More work on the new house (blue print for a bay window)...

 George still looking for my marbles!!!!...

and a kitchen splashback picked!

Fortunately there are no pics of me "comfort testing" loos at the local plumbing supply shop (who would have thought that a square toilet seat would be so uncomfortable???)..but the lovely sales ladies had a good laugh!

Sadly I missed out on my Nundle retreat weekend with the girls as we had to have another home open. This is a pic from last year ( when I had to leave early....). We have offers on the house but until they become unconditional I still want the house marketed. Hating the process but looking forward to the move.
So the girls are away having a fabulous time (apparently picking on Lea) and playing up with "Peg" and "Dale" and even an effigy of me...hmmm! (Hope they are not sticking me with pins...ouch!)...so miss you all Chooky, Lea, Anita, Sandy, Trish, and dear Belinda!  Just think...while they were all laughing, sewing and eating M&M's, I was driving around town with a cranky cat in a cage and a dog with a flatulence problem (well I knew it wasn't me!!!) I know what I would rather be doing?????

So I have been working on a UFO- not my colours at all, but it is a gift for a man...looking good!

Cardygirl xx

Paper piecing, baby quilts and lost marbles!

Miserable here today...rained and rained! More house inspections...feeling a bit violated with so many people tramping through my home...including a nosy neighbour (rude!)...I think buying a house brings out the worst in people...hope it is all over soon! 

Need to focus on some jobs, but there always seems to be phone calls, house decisions, blah, blah, blah! So, despite having other stuff "needing" to be done,

 I thought I might have a play with these gems...

 take a pic of a baby quilt I made for some dear friends nearly due niece (a pattern from Moda Bakeshop)...

and show you the little quilt I made for another baby girl from a pattern by Kate.

So you can have an update, here are some pics of the house...

a happy hubby...

 George looking for my lost marbles (why am I doing such a big reno??)...

and my very not private ensuite....I am sure if a wall doesn't go up soon there will be mass hysteria and people poking out their own eyes!!!!! They will only look once! 

But lovely to see it all coming together.

Cardygirl xx

Deluged!

Whilst we have not been actually deluged with rain, we have been totally overwhelmed in so many ways here. All of these happenings are ultimately of our own making, so really are not cause for complaint, but thought I would let  you know that while I am around, it is only as time permits at present. But, it will gradually settle over the next few months (I hope!). Settle back and admire a recent sunset...

So here is the update...Chez Cardy is on the market and has generated a lot of interest, so hopefully there will soon be good news to share! Whilst we will be sad to leave our lovely home, the move will be a worthwhile one, taking us closer to family and being more convenient for SB's work. 

The renos are progressing on the new place...it feels a bit like The Block, except we are not hands on! The original house has been straightened and reinforced so that she will survive another eighty years, and soon the fun stuff will start...adding the extension and making her pretty again.

Work-wise we have survived accreditation last week, and Uni has started again...this will be my last subject as I have decided to withdraw at a Grad Dip level and hopefully that will stop my head from exploding! The next course I will do will be no more stressful than cupcake decorating...no more uni for this old boiler!

Keeping the house super immaculate has been fun (not!), but despite everyone telling me that people will still love the house if there is a bit of fluff on the floor, I have whipped myself into an OCD frenzy every day dusting, sweeping and polishing...aaah personal pride is an amazing thing! But I hear the family scratching through the oddest of places looking for sink plugs and tissues...it is almost like living in a treasure house...who knows what you will find stuffed where????? Note to self....breathe!

But there has been a little fun too...

Lea and I went to a fabulous quilt talk last week with an Australian quilt historian...really interesting too...

I made a felt macaron (but DD took it home before I could take a pic), but here is the magazine (yum)...

I have worked on assembling my circle game blocks and finished the last block too! I think hand piecing is all I can focus on at present! I commenced this BOM last September after spotting dear Kate's efforts in Singapore...I have just seen her in Sydney and found out that I am a block or so ahead of her, so the gauntlet was thrown and the challenge is on...who will finish first????? Can you guess we are a little competitive?

Hope all is well wherever you are...sorry my comments are few but I am reading as time and concentration span permits...

 Cardygirl xx

Chased by a chook?

Well, I have had a good laugh with all of the suggestions about what may have happened...

BUT sadly only Nicky was nearly right!

BUT I was most impressed with Deb's comment who thought that Chooky might have chased us across the Bridge for one last goodbye...wouldn't we ALL like to see that!!!!!!

The peak hour traffic would have been in awe of our very own fabric olympian sprinting plodding through the traffic singing out ..."bye...miss you guys"...might have even made the traffic report!

Yup, would love to see that! But I also was highly amused by Heather and her streaker or Paulette and her hunky good samaritan! You are an amazing group of women with vivid (and disturbing) imaginations!

What really happened was a bingle, fender-bender or slight bump...OOPS!

In evading a lane-changing, beautifully new and stylishly black Mercedes, contact was made between us and a Subaru...no injuries, but we met a lovely fellow and after taking some pics of the damage and swapping info we continued home!

So dear Deb...you win a little treat...send me the address of your little frog cottage as I think I a fretting Chooky would have caused a massive accident!

Back to the Show! At Janet's request ("show us ya loot!")...here are my fabric purchases...to add to my stash and fill some colour deficiencies such as brown, purple and aqua!

I also bought this sweet wool felt kit from the very nice Marg Low...I made her covered coathangers ages ago...she has great patterns and is really nice too!

 Her stand was great and so was Jan that worked on the stall with Marg. 

It was a fun time!

 Cardygirl xx

To the Quilt Show and beyond!

As per our usual form, Lea and I started in the pre-dawn blackness and headed to Sydney and the annual Craft Show pilgrimage. It goes without question in our homes that this is a crucial outing in our year....catching up with friends, being inspired, trying (in vain) to resist the siren call of the fabric seller (aka the irresistably caramel toned voice of a certain Sydney quilting diva!) and hitting the Sydney sales too! We love it! And now our children are grown we can stay overnight too!!!!! But we still seem to do errands at their request...hmmmm!?

It is so much fun meeting with friends from near and far (but very dear!)...

having the annual MO Kathy pic (not our most flattering, but truly reflects the fun!)...

catching up with bloggers that I have "chatted" to and admired for ages, like Janet, Kate and Jean...

more amazing girls that travelled long distances (hello Sue-Anne- a most delightful surprise!)...

Breakfasted with buddies by the Harbour...Lea, Chooky and Dzintra...

and even made a woolly pincushion with the oh so fun and creative Wendy Williams...

I would have loved this bag to follow me home!

 listening intently to Jean (and don't you love my beads!).... 

and caught up with these beautiful ladies...Peg, Dale, Kate, Maree, Susan, Deb, Teresa, Kerry, Fiona, Sylvia,  Anita, Sandy, Chooky, Kayley, the Tasmanians!, Trish, Christine, so many names...so many lovely kindred spirits...too many links this late at night!!!!!

thanks for sharing the day!

Guess what happened just near here in Friday afternoon traffic on the exits from the Harbour Bridge???? Might be a little surprise for the most fun guess???
Cardygirl xx