Hexi Mail

Over on Facebook I have joined a group called Hexi Mail Part 4 where we all swap hexis.  My mail box in the past week has received a few flowers and I have sent some out to people.
These are what I have received so far

And what I have sent, with more ready to stitch up

If you want to join just head on over to the page, there is a limit on numbers so don't leave it to long.

Santa Is Doing Some Early Deliveries

Well in the last month and a bit that I have been here I have been sewing up a storm for some Christmas swaps I am in.  I was worried I was going to be very late with them but all but one is on their merry way.  
It is so good to be stress free now, and hubby after having a rough time of it in the last year is absolutely loving it in his new job.  Knowing that we are never going to move again for a long, long, long time is great, it will probably be into a rest home in many, many moons if we do.  It also so nice to be living in your own home too.  So many things to do, short and long term ..... which reminds me I must get on to our grotty shower being replaced, but having high pressure water is fabulous after many years living on farms where it is often not.
Anyway, here are the gifts I have sent all wrapped, bar one as it is a secret swap and the wrapping paper will give it away.
This one is for the Advent Swap I am hosting over on Our Craft Group on Facebook and this parcel is currently winging its way over to Hungary

Then for the Santa Sack Swap this is winging is way over to Germany

and for the QBSA these gifts are winging their way closer to home but still over some water to Australia

The other swap I have sent of is SSCS which is a secret one and the other to be sent is another secret Christmas swap too.

Feels so nice to finally get things finished and sent off

Batiks Look Great

Well things are slowly getting back to normal here and sewing is happening.  This month I am back into those monthly swaps I am in with a vengance and for the 12 inch block swap I am in I made this Air Castle block in Batiks for my partner Karen and I love the way it turned out.

Hexi Madness

Yes I have been a bit busy with hexis in the last month

and I had a little cat I was looking after help me along.  It was don't move or I will attack your toes quite often, and he did find the most unusual places to sleep in, such as an old laptop box.

Also now that I have moved into this place I could order my Christmas Ornaments 2015 book as I had somewhere to send it to finally.  Of course I had to add a couple of extras.

OH YEAH!!! WINNERS AGAIN!!!

Well if you didn't already know the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup this morning. I got up very early to watch it again and if I hadn't Miss 19 would have had something to say.  She messaged me just to make sure I was watching it..... like I wouldn't.

Anyway we played the Wallabies and it was a great game.  Got a bit worried there when there were only 4 points in it, (not as nail biting as last weeks on against South Africa where I was nearly sick because I was so nervous).  However Dan Carter and his magnificent boot was magic and some great tries came along, especially that one by Beauden Barrett right at the end.  It is going to be sad to see Dan gone now.  He has had a great All Black career

.

Along with him there are some other great All Blacks who have played their last game in the black shirt and one of these could be the great captain Richie McCaw, it is still up in the air what he is going to do, but if he ends up retiring, he is another great loss to the All Blacks.

 So after that game I would say there would be a great many Kiwi's around the world still celebrating our back to back World Cup wins like these boys

Bathurst1000, 2015

Earlier this year hubby and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and we decided to go to Bathurst as our celebration.
It was the first time we had been and we loved it.  We went as a package deal and four busloads of New Zealanders (oops there were a couple of South Africans with us too) converged on Bathurst for 3 days of some exciting action.

Had to grab a photo of Volvo and New Zealand driver Scott McLaughlin.  Bit shy to get one with him 

..........however not with this dude!!!  Yes the guy was a bit alright too haha

The start of the big race

and obviously Holden won!!! Yay!!!

Taupo, New Zealand

Before I moved back here to Gisborne, I stayed in Taupo at my cousins to work out my notice at the hospital.  One weekend Miss 19 came up and stayed a couple of nights and decided to buy herself a new car so she wanted to go cruising around town for the day so we headed out to Huka Falls.

The water these is so blue and it is a great free tourist attraction for the area, so if you are ever in Taupo it is a must do.

We also stopped at the lookout overlooking Taupo and out to the Central North Island where I use to live.

 And to the east of Taupo is it own mountain Mt Tauhara

It was a lovely drive and Miss 19 loves her new vehicle, though not the petrol bill, that comes with large cars.

All Moved & Back Into Everything

So everything is out of storage and I have been in the house for two weeks now.  There are a few things needing to be done - new curtains and shower definitely, and we are slowly doing the little bits and pieces.  It is strange living in town after 40 years on a farm and I think I will take some time getting use to it, but I will.
Anyway I have not really posted about any sewing or swaps I have been in as I was on little amounts of data and everything was packed up, but as of today ....unlimited internet data (a living in town bonus) and my sewing/swaps etc are unpacked so here I go.
Now before I packed up I was in a swap over on Facebook on the Bee In My Bonnets Sew Alongs and it was a Pot Holder / Trivet swap using a patterns from Lori Holts Farm Girl Vintage Book. I was lucky to send to the lovely Sue Bellei and here is what she received from me

And the lovely Laurel Fletcher sent to me this gorgeous one

I also have made some blocks that are due and over due for the block swap I have been in for the last few years.  The BearPaw points were a mission to do but I think I got them nearly.

I made two for my partner Deb as in the rush to try and get hers completed and sent before I packed up the room last month I accidentally made the 14" block, not the 12" I was suppose to so am sending both

And the October one to Cathy.

Well that is all for now.  I am at this moment backing everything up so not to lose things especially photos so I will get back to that again.

What's Happening?

Well the house is all packed up and in storage and I am staying at my cousins until I move back up to Gisborne in three weeks time.  Before then I am off to Bathurst 1000....getting so excited about that.  Off to pick up my travel pack tomorrow in town.
So I thought I had packed up some stitching to do for my Christmas swaps, but going through my car I have realized it must have gone into storage too ... damn. Fortunately I do have my overdue hexi swaps to stitch I then thought.  Well yes I do, but the hexi templates are in the same place as that stitching I want to do, so only got some done..... double damn.  But I do have my Natures Journey to work on ...... well some of it, because you guessed .... it went to storage.  I should have just placed everything in one box.  Anyway Lincraft is opening here in Taupo next week so I will have a look for some things to do there and I was planning on a trip to Rotorua tomorrow or Saturday so may have a look there too.  I can say I have plenty of books to read.
I have just finished this one

I have never really been into these kind of books but in the last 9 months was in a book club so started reading a variety of different ones.  After reading They Storyteller by Jodi Picoult I have taken a shining to this author.  This book was so thought thought provoking and touched on teen suicide.  I really enjoyed it and could not put it down

I have to also admit that I have been reading some Mills and Boons which I have not down for some years.  I usually have a run of reading these before getting back into the bigger novels.

One other book (which our school must have been one of the only ones not to read it), is To Kill a Mocking Bird.  I have this on my Kindle and am reading this too.  I do not know why after hearing about it for so many years I have taken this long to read it but glad I am.

Moving Again .....

And again less than a year, I am moving.  Hubby's job did not work out so he resigned and we are moving back to Gisborne.  The only strange thing is that after 40 years living on both dairy and then sheep and beef farms, is that I am moving to town.

I won't miss the commute to work, the capped internet, no cell phone coverage, but I will miss the quietness of the country side.

Another benefit is I will not be at all that far from a quilt shop I discovered just before my last move.

If you are in a swap with me never fear, my mail is being redirected for a while and anyone else I will get my new address out too.

At the moment I am feeling a bit like this, as working and packing is not easy and there are boxes everywhere.  At least hubby is not currently working so can do all the outside things and cook the meals.