since Friday

A lot of things have happened since Friday night. For one thing there has been a weekend not that you would know here. We have simply carried on. More exciting rugby games on Saturday night and during the night have meant that next weekend will see us on tenderhooks - Ian and I for the Hurricanes and Crusaders and Jonathan for the Brumbies and Warratahs - yes hard to imagine that we can all sit in the same room. Jonathan is threatening to have me deported.

Sunday which was Mother's Day in this neck of the woods was a good day to avoid being out in public or buying flowers or eating out. We snuck to Lincolns very early for breakfast and then spent the day unpacking all the boxes etc from Melbourne and attempting to put everything away in its right place. I think Mother's Day is so commercialised and anyway the spontaneity of any and every day being Mother's and Father's Day means an awful lot more. We ended the day having a bbq in our back garden and decided that our steaks weren't as good as they usually are. We go to the same butcher all the time so today I mentioned that I was unhappy and so now we are having a bbq again tonight with some more scotch fillets. I tried a couple of new salads - one with roasted beetroot which was very nice - on rocket with yoghurt and walnuts.

Bruce and Kazuko have been bike riding again - far too much energy for me. My myo-man has got me doing hamstring stretching exercises - I don't think he realises that I have never done anything like this before in my life. Swimming is far more gentile but at least I now know where my hammy is!

I have left Jacinta lose on my blog and she has made 3 columns for me. If I can find a background I like or work out how to add my own, I will try that next - or rather get J to try it for me.

On-line workshops - Embellish, Stitch, Enrich began today. I am retiring this workshop after this session so if you had any plans to take it, this is your last chance. I think it has been pretty successful with plenty of people participating and seeming to enjoy themselves. To think I only started these sorts of on-line classes because people overseas (from Perth I mean) complained that they couldn't fly to Perth for a hands-on one. So next embellish centred workshop will be Hot Needles, Cool Stitches which is taking me a while to get organised because of all the other things on my plate.

Gilding the Lily starts on Wednesday and lesson 1 is almost ready to roll - I just need to finish a few samples and implore Ian to do his hard work. Plus Holey Moleys - I am trying to finish some edges for the next pdf.

Talking of workshops, Lisa who was next to us at AQC (wasn't she lucky?) and who has the most glorious hand dyed and hand painted fabrics - I ignore the quilts but love what she does, was telling me all about the workshop she is running in Italy - would I love to go? We stayed in Orvieto in 1992 and loved it - seems a long time ago. it looks like it will be a great workshop and all the rest as well.