In my garden postcards

I made a visit to Flinders Medical Centre yesterday - no emergency, but my husband had some tests as part of ongoing treatment. While he did that I went and saw the quilt, framed and looking brilliant in the Paediatric ward. It was a thrill to see it, and having not seen it for awhile I was actually a little surprised to see how well I made it!
So here is one more picture -

 It isn't easy to photograph with quite a bit of glare and reflection from all the lights, but it fits in well with the colourful furniture and equipment in the room. Thanks to Natasha and the Flinders Foundation, and I am really happy that it is not folded up in some cupboard, but is being seen and enjoyed.

I have been busy this last week, making another postcard and starting another project for the second Save our Gulfs Coalition exhibition in a couple of months. Here are the 3 postcards I've made this year.. It seems some of us have got ahead, so there is some time before I have to do the next one. I have chosen a theme 'in my garden'.
This is 'The seat'  incorporating colouring.

This one "The planting' incorporating couching

and this one 'The chooks' incorporating cutting. The cutting, used on the feathers, would have been much more obvious on a larger specimen! For anyone viewing this from other countries, 'chooks' is the usual, Aussie term for 'chickens'.

Our weather these last few days has been a bit more humid than usual. The heat yesterday eased a little while most areas got some showers - nothing like the rains bringing havoc to parts of  Queensland and New South Wales over the last week. I do feel fore those folk, many of whom have been flooded before, and some only a year or 2 ago.
I am no weather expert, but I guess it was as a result of humidity, that the whole of the range I see as I drive to and from work (part of the Mt Lofty ranges) was this morning topped with a dense layer of cloud or fog looking rather like a rich layer of fondant.

It does happen in winter, but then the whole sky is grey, not blue. You can see how dry the countryside is - if onlyt we could get a little more of that rain falling in other states!

'Off to see the wizard' is hanging for the children

I have received news today that 'Off to see the wizard' has been framed and is now hanging in the Paediatric Unit at Flinders Medical Centre and giving delight to the children in there. It would be nice if they could touch it, but that would lead to the possibility of infection - and probably too much wear and tear as it is at eye level for the children.
 

I hope to get in soon and see it hanging.

I have been getting back to stitching over the last couple of weeks (and hardly taken a photo!) I've done a couple of postcards where we are incorporating techniques this year. We started with colour it and couch it. The next one - cut it - is not working with my theme at the moment...  I have made a cushion to show case one of my lovely Bhutanese weaving pieces.

 It is the same type of fabric as covered all the cushions in the tea lounges in our hotels.

 I've just finished (at last Gina) piecing a top from a Quilt Encounter project last July. My fabric selection wasn't the most appropriate, so not a great success. I'll see what it looks like when backed and quilted - I might post a picture then.

Another craft piece I brought back from Bhutan and haven't mentioned before was this lovely leather purse. It is very soft to touch and quite light, with a fairly naive bird motif, and big tacking stitches.We didn't see anything like this being made, but I found it at the airport just as we were leaving.

Back to the home front - this is a picture I quite like.
 

 With the oriental lantern you might be thinking Asia, but it is the view out the kitchen window, and looking through theback patio area.

The lantern I found on the beach some time back.
Here are a few pictures taken around the garden recently - the basil is thriving

 - and the tomatoes are the best for some years

 Can't remember this one's name - amaranthus? - but the foliage is brilliant.This is looking down on the top,

 and this is looking at the stem. Each joint has a soft, spikey bunch of something - the flower maybe? This one is about 1 metre high

 This is one of the bromeliads living happily under the mop top tree, but the flower stems are so heavy they droop - quite artistically though I thought -

and this is a close up of the flowers which are quite waxy like hoya flowers. There is an ant on the one at lower left.

Finally this shot is to remind you all of our wonderful coastline and beaches near by.

It is looking to Aldinga Beach from the Port Willunga/Maslin cliff tops.