Homecoming

Home.  Four little letters that mean so much when your loved one has been in hospital with major heart surgery.

Last Monday week Tony underwent triple bypass surgery which took over six hours.  Our two girls and my brother helped so much through the stressful time and the phone never stopped ringing with an anxious interstate son and friends near and far wanting to know how he was progressing.  Much to the amazement of the medical staff, he came through it so well that six days later I was able to pick him up and bring him home.  It was Australia Day - how appropriate was that?  Of course, he is still a little fragile and there are weeks of rehab ahead, but he has made such wonderful progress.

We have had a steady stream of visitors and telephone calls since Tony's return home.  Yesterday he had the first visit from our Sydney grandchildren who came with their Welcome Home card. They were so happy to see him, although the beginnings of a white beard threw them a little.

Later in the day some dear friends arrived briefly with the most beautiful bunch of Summer Red Eucalyptus. We are indeed blessed to have such wonderful and caring family and friends and we never take them for granted.

Next week I will get back to sewing, but for now I am content to have Tony slowly but surely getting stronger.  It will be our 44th wedding anniversary in a few days and we will happily celebrate quietly.  At home.

Bunnies on scooters

Sometimes it's hard not to smile when you see something which is whimsically adorable; and that was my reaction as soon as I opened the parcel of fabric which arrived before Christmas.

Vespas, bunnies and balloons - what sort of artistic mind would have conjured up such a delightful combination?  With Christmas now behind us, I was ready to start off the new year with renewed vigour, and so my bunnies came out, waiting to be transformed into a fun garment.

I couldn't go past my favourite jumper dress design.  Those bunnies would delight any toddler and with Easter looming on the horizon, it would make the perfect Easter dress.

It needed a highlight, so I added some aqua binding to the pockets.

Toddlers look so cute in peasant tops and I managed to find just the right shade to go with the binding on the dress pockets.

Voila!

You can find the outfit in my Etsy and Madeit shops in sizes 6 months to 3 years, made to order.

I have other designs in the pipeline, but more about them at another time.

Second Christmas

Yesterday saw Sydney at its best.  While our poor Queensland family and friends sagged under unbearably hot conditions, we were blessed with temperatures in the mid-twenties and beautiful blue skies.  This year it was our two daughters' turn to spend Christmas with their in-laws; and with our son, daughter-in-law and four remaining grandchildren up in Queensland, we had a quiet but nevertheless delightful Christmas Day home alone with my brother as our guest.

Now that everyone was back in town, a belated Christmas was organised.  

Rather than traditional bonbons, our granddaughter created her own version for each guest.

Complete with jokes.  Instead the usual bonbon bang, we blew up the brown paper bags and popped them.

Much to the relief of the turkey population, we opted for ham, prawns and lashings of salad,

with tomatoes freshly picked from the garden.

The pudding recipe has been in the family for over 50 years.  My mother discovered it all those years ago and you simply don't muck around with a formula when it's this good.

My brother gave the boys remote control cars for Christmas, so straight after lunch they gave them a serious workout.

 

Someone borrowed Daddy's camera for a photo duel with her great-uncle,

and someone discovered that there was indeed enough room for cake.

Second Christmas - highly recommended.  Ask any Hobbit.