Scatterdaisies Photo Challenge

The end of the month...so here are my 3 photos for Di's challenge. The topic for this month was "Frame Your View".




Di wants us to do these as a mosaic, but I have never got around to learning how to do that. Perhaps I should ask someone.

July's challenge is "Reflections".

End of a busy busy week

Friday...finally!

Regarding our visit to Dad last week: it was beautiful. Dad had been taken to Palliative care that morning, so we went straight from Coolangatta airport to the hospital at Lismore, arriving about 7pm.

After we had seen Mum and Dad, the nurses showed us a room where DD could get changed. She then walked down the corridor to the delight of the nurses and a couple of patients.
It was a lovely time. Tears, laughter, hugs, stories.

Dad told her that the dress was exactly what he would have wanted her to choose.

I took lots of photos, which we can't show anyone yet. They will be a wonderful memory for her.

Dad looked so bad, we didn't expect him to survive the night, but his body is hanging on.

He is not at all well, but would you believe the hospital sent him home yesterday?!

It seems Palliative Care (where he was) is not an Hospice. The difference? An Hospice is where you go for your final days/weeks. Palliative care is where you go to get well enough to either go back home, or if unable to be cared for there, to go to a Nursing Home.

There is no Hospice up there, where Mum and Dad live, so even though he has only been shuffling to the toilet for a couple of days with a walker, he is apparently well enough to go home - to be cared for by Mum, who is currently on chemo tablets and is not well herself.

When I left, it was to assurances that he would be in Palliative Care for at least another 2 weeks.

I will fly back up next week sometime, probably on the 6th.

Meanwhile, I came home to lots of medical appointments for my DMIL. She had to have scans this week to see if the cancer they recently detected in her lymph gland has spread. The results today show no sign of it being anywhere else, thank goodness. She will have surgery a week Wednesday for that.

I have also been taking her to another specialist this week. She had to see an Opthalmologist and is now scheduled for cataract surgery next week on one eye. She will need both eyes done, as well as having surgery later on her lower eyelids, as they have drooped considerably and the tears just run out. Poor thing is in for quite a time of it!

At least it was welcome news that the cancer hadn't spread further! A good birthday present for her 85th Birthday!

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Bitter sweet moment

Today, I picked up my DD's beautiful Wedding Gown.

The wedding is not until the end of September, but on Thursday, she and I are flying up to her Grandparents' and taking the gown with us.

Mum and Dad both have cancer, and while Mum is doing ok on chemo tablets at the moment, Dad does not have very long to live. We expect it will be quite soon, so we are going up with the gown, for her to try it on and show him his only Grandaughter in her wedding dress.

He has always been very proud of his Grandchildren, and always said he would make a speech at her wedding. I expect this to be a very tearful occasion, but it is something she wants to do, and so do I.

We only pray that we will get there in time for him to wake long enough to see her.

Please remember us in your prayers.

Dijanne Cevaal's Teapots

I love the work of textile artist Dijanne Cevaal, so I was ecstatic when I was able to purchase one of her small works, which she had shown on her blog. It arrived in the mail a few days ago.

Here is a photo of "Teapots". Isn't it exquisite? The colours glow like exotic jewels, the quilting is amazingly intricate, and the design reminds me of all that is mysterious about the Middle East. Pure magic!

Thank you, Dijanne, for allowing me to show it off on my blog.

BTW, Dijanne has other works for sale. I also like her Pomegranate series.

Sydney Scquilters Challenge ctd...

When my sister and I were children, my Grandmother used to make the most delicious drinks for us. One of our favourites was what she called a Lime Spider. She would put a scoop of icecream in a tall glass and pour in lime cordial.

When I saw the fabric Pennie had sent me, I immediately noticed the piece with the little green spiders and their webs. I loved the fabric and it didn't take me long to remember the Lime Spiders Nana used to make.

And so, I give you my challenge quilt....




LIME SPIDERS' REVENGE!

Detail from Lime Spíders' Revenge:

gotta love those Swarovski crystal eyes! The large spider's fangs are pieces of a kite tail. The straws are pieces of one of the white fabrics, appliqued on, then orange stripes drawn on with texta.


and that lovely bright green fabric with happy children playing? yep. right here! lol The "foam" is made from bits of clouds on the green fabric.



So, Pennie, do I pass the challenge?

Sydney SCQ Challenge

A while ago, Pennie, from Sydney Scquilters , ran a competition on their blog. Lissa was the winner, and I won a special prize, as I came in equal second, but had never been to a GTG there.

Our prize was a Challenge! (Thanks, Pennie!) We were sent a lovely Sydney SCQ mug filled with black and white fabric scraps, and we had to make something using a bit of every piece of fabric, plus one other fabric of our choice.

We were supposed to have it finished by the first of June, but as I was called away to my parents for 2 weeks, I am running late. I hope to have mine finished by the end of this weekend, providing nothing else gets in the way. (I had almost finished it when I left for Mum and Dad's)

Here is what Pennie sent us (the photo is from Pennies site, which shows the wrapped gift, the gift unwrapped, ie the mug and contents, and the fabrics layed out.)




I promptly chopped the fabrics up into two and a half inch squares:


and chose my extra fabric:



Nice and bright, don't you think?

As soon as I finish my little quilt, I will post it on this blog, and, I dare say, Pennie will post it on the Sydney SCQuilters blog.

Photo Challenge for Scatterdaisies

Thanks to Di, there is now a new game for Scatterdaisies to play! Each month, Di will issue a subject for us to photograph. We can post photos all month if we wish, but in the last week of the month, we post our 3 best photos.
If you want to play, (and to see Di's great examples), go to Di's Snippits.
June's subject is "Frame Your View".


Here's my first photo, taken off the end of Nobby's Breakwater.