Blue and White Cross Stitch and some creating at Kainga."

Hello,

Surprise surprise I have started another cross stitch. This one is from the book called Cross-Stitch Samplers by Marjorie Massey.

 I am using DMC 312 to stitch this, just started the second skein of thread.

On the weekend we put up this old door that my Mum had and she didn't want. This door is very very old. We had to pull some nails out of it as we had to do a bit of re-constructive surgery down the bottom and we found that the nails were made by hand. The door knob is a insulator thing that are on the electricity poles. We found this in the load of wood we purchased recently. Just perfect for the door knob as it came with the screw already for us to put on.

 This is the other side, so much character on this door.

Bonnie made this stool at school many years ago in Woodwork class. It has been in the shed not being used. So yesterday I got to it with a coat of "Gilly Stephenson's dark restoring and new timber polish. It now matches in perfectly with our other furniture. It was plain pine before.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the week, can't believe it will soon be May.

Happy days.
Bev.

"Good Tidings with Jane Austen cross stitch, Lucy and a win."

Hello,

Happy Monday,

Wow I can't believe that if you put your mind and hands to something you can actually get it done. Yes I am talking about a cross stitch which I started last week and finished last night. There wasn't any border on the pattern but  I am planning to add a simple one around the sampler. I will have to audition threads over the next couple of days.

Good Tidings with Jane Austen.

This sampler is called Good Tidings with Jane Austen, designed by Tanya Marie Anderson of the Sampler Girl. 
I noticed I still had the docket in amongst the linen, threads and pattern. I purchased these from a lovely shop in North Perth back on 25.6.2011 which I think has now closed . I can't believe how time has flown since then. I can still remember the lady helping me. This was stitched on 28 count linen in Platinum. There is a mix of DMC threads and Gentle Art and Simply Shaker threads.

Last week was a pretty good week for me and a very happy one.

Blog Hop winnings and a beautiful linen towel from Lucy's travels.

You see on Monday we were at the International Airport to pick up Lucy from her travels in New Zealand. She had such a lovely time that she wants to go back again. She was back to work a few days later so is saving for the next trip. David is still in New Zealand and plans to travel to a few more countries while he is over that side of the world.

Tuesday I received a lovely parcel in the post from Cherilyn. I was her winner in a recent blog hop and the prize was this wonderful Better Homes and Garden Quilting Magazine and a jelly roll. Please take sometime to check out Cherilyn's lovely blog called A Farm Wife's Journal.

Friday Ian was back at the Domestic Airport with Lucy to pick up Bonnie. When they walked in Bonnie said  "You have got half your family home" Of course it is a different matter today with Bon of for this week in another direction.

Life is never still here, which is a good thing.

Hope you have a Happy Monday and a wonderful week ahead.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Gardening in a dry climate."

Hello,

Our garden is in a dry climate. We keep records of the rain that has fallen here at Kainga.

1. 2012- 320.25 mls
2. 2011- 438 mls
3. 2010- 207.50 mls
4. 2009- 369.5 mls
5. 2008- 483.75 mls
6. 2007- 410.50 mls
7. 2006-422.40 mls
8. 2005- 406.75 mls
9. 2004- 366.75 mls
10. 2003- 446.75 mls
11. 2002- 267.50 mls

The garden was also started when water restrictions were introduced here in West Australia. So our garden is fairly tough. I now know which plants will do better here. I don't bother too much with punnets of flowers, it would cost a fortune to full a spot. Roses and tough perennials are the plants that do best. We had a heatwave again last week. Temps of up to 39 degrees Celsius. Roses are enjoying a flush of Autumn blooms. It is a bit of a dull day here today the clouds are here and a bit of rain has fallen. I went out for look around the garden and took plenty of photos.

 These Roses and the Diosma and Powis Castle planted alongside the fence near the house receive no water at all except for when they were first planted.

 Last Saturday morning Ian and I went to a garage sale. There was nothing near the house we wanted but took a walk up the back yard where the man of house had his "crap" as I called it. He had cleaned out his shed. There was a pile of red and cream  brick off cuts that were free. I was happy to take them of his hands. Ian went and picked them up just after lunch. Then I got to with the rubber mallet and laid the crazy paving. It only took a couple of hours work.  This weekend it will be cemented around the edges etc. Over the years I have laid this paving as bricks have become available.

 This section of garden has lots of old fashioned roses that are in bloom.

 David Austin roses thrive here in West Australia and grow a lot bigger than if grown in England.

Quince tree.

 This Quince tree is full of fruit. It also thrives on only rainfall.

This garden bed of roses receives only rainfall. This bed contains some Delbard  Roses and roses by the Australian grower Mr Alistair Clark. I have several books about his roses. There is a lot of history involved with roses and it is interesting to read as Mr Clark named all his roses after people he knew.

Olive Tree.

 The Olive tree down the front has produced lots of Olives this year. We are currently soaking some  in brine and today another lot is finished soaking and ready to put into jars.

 This bed of Roses are all David Austins. Love going out and looking at these each morning. I am currently dead heading roses every day for at least half an hour. Dead heading keeps the bushes healthy.

 After the hot Summer the Alyssum  is back to good health. It took a knocking from the Summer heat. This small plant is a good one to have as a fill-in in the garden. I  originally got a couple of plants amongst some others that a friend gave me when we first started the garden.

Radio Times Rose.

The Radio Times roses are in full bloom. I cut these back last year for the first time. I mean I really cut them down to a stump. They have since thrived.

We use lots of mulch and collect water in rainwater tanks to provide some extra water. The water from the washing machine is also used on a small part of the garden. Last Winter I even ran the water onto the garden as we don't always receive the rain on a regular basis. Gardening in a dry climate can be a bit of a battle at times but when Autumn comes you tend to forget about those awful hot days. 

Happy days.

Bev C

"Cross Stitch, "Where my heart blooms."

Hello,

Today marks an important date as far as I am concerned. I put the last stitch into the cross stitch I have been working on. Introducing "Where My Heart Blooms" This is a Blackbird design.

"Where My Heart Blooms."

I won this chart from David at a Cottage on the Hill. It is stitched on 27 count Linda Linen in Cream with a mixture of DMC and  The Gentle Art threads. The only thing I did differently is I have two different coloured trees beside the house. I mixed up the colours because the numbers were so close. Decided not to take out one of the trees, besides it still looks great. I would say the hardest part was stitching the saying Home is where heart blooms. As this was stitched with one strand of floss over one thread, lots of concentrating while doing this. I will be visiting the framer later on this week.

Happy days.
Bev C

Sewing with Friends finish and some Apples and Cross Stitch."

Hello,

Happy Monday.

I had plans to make a little holder for my rotary cutters and 6.5 inch ruler on Friday. I had a piece of fabric that Fiona sent me last year as the centre piece. I also used up bits and pieces of fabric from the stash as I went along. The wadding for the inside were scraps that I joined together. I join these with the "Serpentine" stitch I have on my machine.

I used one of the buttons that Chris gave me. I think the Ruler button works in perfectly.

I did some circle quilting on the back, using some tins of food from the pantry. No need for fancy patchwork templates, just look around you.

On the inside I used some of the braid Chris also gave me. I used the "Serpentine" stitch to quilt the wadding and the fabric together. There was no pattern, just made it up to suit the fabric as I went along. I love working like this, no instructions  to follow.  Thanks must go to Cheryll for hosting this sewing get together.

There is always something growing in the garden that is edible. Picking loads of apples at the moment. We had quite a windy day a few days ago. This lot was picked and washed. No chemicals were sprayed on the apples. Completely organic. It has been great to walk past the apples in the shop and thinking that ours are growing just out the back door.

I have been working on a cross stitch which has been a long work in progress. I can't work on it in Summer as it is far to hot and I want to keep the linen very clean.

I have had to teach myself two new to me stitches with this one. The Smyrna Cross Stitch and the Eyelet Stitch. I only have a little bit to stitch on this one. Hopefully it will be finished sometime this week.

I hope everyone has a Happy Monday.

Bev C