The Fastest Fox Of All

I drafted the pattern pieces on Friday, cut a few parts out, Saturday, sewed some together, and today Foxy is all done. He went on an adventure in the garden, had a wee game with Boris,and maybe, just maybe, might have a lady friend join him later this week.

“ I sat on the table, quite a good view from here”

“ Maybe a better one from the small shrub”

“ This is it, high in the hedge, I can see to the front gate now”  

“ Oh, the best of all, sitting in the shade under Hugh’s Dad’s Memorial  Weeping Silver Pear Tree” A special place for all photo shoots, so I am sure this will look great”

“ Time for a game with Boris, I hope he plays nicely!! I know he can be a bit rough at times! Oopsy, over I fall”

“ Oh well, there goes Boris to check out the goldfish! That’s my fun for today”

The yellow lilies are almost all open, the first ones dying off, and the perfume as strong as ever.

Thank you all again for your special words and thoughts. Go slow is the story every day, no running!! Skating !! Housework!! ( as if ) and no stress!!

Quotation of the day, author unknown

‘ Advice from a Fox.”

“Rely on your instincts, Have  a playful  spirit.

Find a cosy den.  Be Bright-eyed and Bushy -Tailed.

Be Light on Your Feet.

Have Good Scents”

Greetings from Jean.

Easy as is Easy Does

Like Lori, over at Skoog Farm Journal, you can visit here here at this link

Takin' it easy ,

  I am a bit the same.

Thank you all so much for your lovely thoughts,  caring wishes, prayers and loving words. Easy, I am trying to, but  nothing is so  simple, meals,laundry, and more still wait each day. Housework, that is more easily ignored!!! But I am doing OK. Still waiting to be on the short list for the scan, my referral has not been read by anyone yet!!!  I will not get stressed, and will wait patiently.

I have 3 lily bulbs planed in pots, they are perfumed, and magnificent.

The last gladioli have no buds yet, they were planted VERY late.

One of the comments in my last post was from Louise at this link,

Standing into Danger .

The words  ,  in case you missed them, said

The bird's nest is beautiful. We work so hard to surround ourselves with security, and here there are all these little birds that surround themselves with bits of woven fluff and build their lives!

This is so true. Life is fleeting, sometimes too short, fragile, and needs to be lived each day to the fullest we can.

Meantime I went to the library, and in a Homespun Magazine from June 2015, was this Fox. He is a softy, lots of fiddly cutting out, but he said “ Make Me” so I am. How could anyone resist this little fellow?

When I was young, I had a soft plush rabbit with long legs, pale green, called Flopsy.This Fox might well be “ Flopsy Fox” a tribute to my days with Mum and Dad on the farm,   a calf each year for the school calf club day, a horse, then a bike to ride the mile and a half to primary school, pine trees for firewood, and a 6 bale cowshed. How times change. The farm is now very exclusive and expensive lifestyle blocks.

Magazine cover photo courtesy of the Internet.

Quotation of the day, author unknown

“ You are never too old for a Teddy Bear”

Greetings from Jean.

Purple is the colour

The Wayward Transparency blocks are together, I have added a border of the pale mauve, and it will wait to be quilted,  “ Join the queue”I said.

This was another wonderful design from Yvonne at

 Quilting Jetgirl,

and it was so apt that after I arranged the flimsy outdoors, a plane flew overhead. It all seemed to be just right. There have been some fantastic choices for the fabrics, the quilting has left me in total awe, and many thanks must go again to Yvonne, for this QAL, the suggestions, the superb pattern that all went together like a dream.Points matched, so did seams,and this will be  a family gift when  finished.

You will need to look at this with  very good eyes, no tele lens, and it was so high by the time it cleared the clouds.But the plane is there, a little to the right of the arrow head.

We have had some rain,some very hot days, for us 34.4 Celsius is a scorcher. Then some wind, and I found the littlest nest of all. Made with such care, lined with white fluff from the poplar trees, and the builder had carted that a fair way , at least 100 metres,I marvel at the workmanship.

I propped it in a tiny shrub, and have kept it as a reminder that in the whole world, there are designers and builders of all types, everywhere.

On Sunday, I had a  short holiday, another ambulance trip at 2.30 a.m. after angina pain did not ease up with my medication. I am so thankful for our ladies and men who come at all hours, arrange to have another more advanced paramedic meet us half way, more medication, the “jungle juice” stuff!! After some hours on the most uncomfortable narrow bed of all times, doctors finally arrived, blood tests done, troponin levels in both tests were negative, and I am scheduled for a Myoscan, where a small amount of a radionuclide is injected  and  this is taken up into the heart muscle.After exercise, ( can you see me on that treadmill)…pictures are taken with a gamma camera, that will show, at rest, what areas have not taken up the dye.

Or they might do this the other way around, photos first??

Then off I go to have a NO COFFEE lunch. Then another set of photos, to see if my heart absorbs the dye after some rest.

The best, it will show  something is not right, the worst, no COFFEE the day before or on the day. And if they find what they think they will, a trip to  Wellington for an angiogram and maybe stents.

I am optimistic,and so thankful for all the care and fast action.

Stress, rushing, hard work,and walking fast are all out for a while.Thank goodness the firewood is all done.

Quotation of the day, author unknown

“ Be kind,

be thoughtful, be genuine,

but most of all, be thankful”

Greetings from Jean.

The Time Has Come…..

For me to choose a word for 2018.

This year it is “ORGANISE”, yes in capitals, and I started today, seriously… with fabric scraps, the batik pieces colour sorted, ironed, and all tidied up. Then the cotton strips, then larger amounts of batik.No-one but me would know the 2 or so hours spent resulted in some empty boxes, but I am happy.Plastic bins are so handy.

Quilting, I have some of the  blocks of “ I wish You a Merry Quilt Along”  free motion quilted, and hope to have some joined before Monday. This is Block #12. They will all have red  or blue sashing, then joined with some Christmas cream fabric.

Then, along came a new QAL, it said “Please Join” so I did.  Dione, over at the Clever Chameleon…   hop over to her page and see what else there is, a wonderful quilter ,  has the  Beary Colourful BOM, and I loved it from first glance.So much, that before I had a chance to think, “Red Ted” was sorted, fused, appliqued and stitched. I am making another in redder fabrics as the batting did not make him puff as much as I wanted with the  trapunto effect.

So “ Redder Ted” is cut, and waiting for some new backing, and fatter wadding.   A dear friend has a grand-daughter who will be 2 next January, so this is for her.

Further blocks with the teddies will have rainbow coloured  Teds, February will be Blue.

And to finish 2017, here is the Super Moon, early the next morning.

If you read Inger’s blog,     Desert Canyon Living   , you will see that the secret parcel arrived in good time in California,and Rachael received her bag. Then inside, was a bag for Inger too, and a small owl wall hanging.

Rachael’s Bag was made with batik fabric that had cats on,and the  applique owl, one I enjoy so much.

Inger’s bag had colours of Sweden, paler blue and lemon, and her owl was in muted batiks.

Inger sent me a lovely email with photos, so I could see Rachael, a lovely young lady,so special, and a huge smile

Her blog title for that was 

“ Celebrating Friendships Across The World”,

and this is so true. I  have many friends, world wide, they are true friends, we share, care, and support each other in good times and sad. I am honoured and know this is a huge privilege in my life. Thank you all so much .

I hope for us all, 2018 is a year with happiness, courage if needed, restful times, and good health for you all and everyone at your home.

Quotation of the day, author unknown

“ Clutter is simply delayed decisions”

Greetings from Jean.