LONDON AND ITALY 2010

First up, we went to our house up the Coast this weekend and the computer crashed up there. I couldn't believe it!!!! Why does this always happen when I am trying to post my blog. I had typed everything and completely lost it all even though I had saved it. Who knows what happened to it all so I am typing away again. It is very frustrating and almost has me ready to retire from this. My favourite saying is "Never EVER give up" but this has me almost there. Oh well onward and upward ........

Have you ever wondered how people move their furniture out of apartments with tiny staircases? Well this is how! We watched this fascinated from our Hotel room in London. They actually took the window out and then put it back in when finished.

Another grand sight from hotel.

This was my Hubby's grand sight. People pay HUGE money to bring their cars over from Middle East to drive them around London for Northern Summer.

Enough has been posted about V & A but my personal experience was FABULOUS. I dragged Hubby along after saying all the car and boat things I have done with you for years you can come to this. Well he loved it!!!! Especially the quilts made by the Military Men. He couldn't believe all those tiny hexies. He said he loved looking at my face whilst looking at all the beautiful quilts. BUT especially the Sundial Quilt. I have loved this quilt for years ever since my bestie Kim McLean told me about a V & A book she had bought. Of course I bought it and the quilt was in there. I actually felt quite emotional standing in front of it. From the pictures my least favourite block was the ducks but I have to tell you in real life they are STUNNING! I think now what really put me off was the other 3 corners didn't have enough applique to match up with the ducks. Myself and 2 friends are drawing and working on this quilt so I am definitely putting some appliqued ducks somewhere. Here is a photo of my purchases. Who has been a naughty girl then!!! I could have been even naughtier I would have loved to have bought the hexie trolly bag to take to classes.

Flying into Italian Riviera. BELLISSIMO!!!!

A beautiful gate in Santa Margarita

Cinqueterre

Ooh! Who is being another naughty girl in Portofino. Bellini YUM!!!!

We went on this boat to see something that I can now cross off my bucket list. It looks space age doesn't it? I was very nervous that we wouldn't make it as it was rough the day before and we couldn't go out and this was our last day there so it was really down to the wire.

Imagine my wonderment when this finally started to show through the deep, deep water.

The Jesus Statue to protect seafarers.

This is Jamie Packer's Artic P anchored at Portofino. We have also seen it at Koh Samui in Thailand as well. There were some well known guests on board and I am not sure if I should name them so I won't. I know this because they came ashore and had dinner in same Restaurant as us on next table so there was certainly an Aussie contingent that night.

Ah ROMA!!!!!! This is the view from the Terrace Restaurant at our Hotel. You can see The Vatican and the Spanish Steps and for many miles in 180 degrees. Very beautiful especially at sunset.

This is the Terrace Restaurant. The blinds were down as the sun was blaring and then they went back up later. The night lights were beautiful also.

A funny story about our Hotel. When we were checking out I said to Hubby "did you see that old bloke trying to look like Rod Stewart". Hubby said "that old bloke was Rod Stewart".

CIAO BELLA ROMA !!!!

I bought these old scissors at an Antique Market on waterfront outside our Hotel in Santa Margarita. I was a very happy spaghetti eater that day!!!

And just in case all you thought I did was eat spaghetti and drink vino here is my work box I took along. Will post completed work as I go along.

I bought this book today. My Mother-in-law BETTY is teaching me to crochet a bag (yes the multi-colored one that everyone in blogland is making) so I thought I would get her to help me make the tea cosy that Justnat made. We all call her MARDI and she is 89 years old this week and another bestie of mine. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARDI, I LOVE YOU.

QUEEN VICTORIA

I am posting this from the Queen Victoria heading down the North Sea. We have been to Singapore for 2 days, London for 2 days, Italy for a week and then on Queen Victoria visiting Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Russia, Finland and Norway. Whilst in London I went to the V & A Exhibition. There has been enough blogged about it but suffice to say it was FANTASTIC!!! I could not believe I was actually standing in front of the Sundial Quilt. I have loved this quilt ever since my friend Kim McLean recommended a V & A Book on Textiles to me. I am making this quilt with 2 friends so I can safely say I had a lump in my throat whilst looking at it. I bought some nice items at the Exhibition and over the coming weeks I will post photos as I am not sure if we are in satellite position for a large posting. In Italy outside our Hotel was an Antique Market on the beachfront and I was lucky to find some small embroidery scissors. I went to a Quilt Shop in Denmark (fabric purchases of course), I took photos of some art quilts in Tallin, Estonia, I bought a wall hanging in Russia of the Domed Churches, a sewing kit in Finland and went to Katherines Quilt Stu in Oslo (more fabric purchases and a handmade dragonfly button) and Kreative Quilts in Kristiansand and yes more fabric purchased. We were walking around this beautiful little town and ran into a handicraft market and I purchased a little mini quilt from a lady for my wall in Quilt Room. On the Queen Victoria I have been attending Watercolor classes on Sea Days and it was nice to get back to painting again. I will have to make sure I keep going when I get back to Oz. We get off ship tomorrow and have 1 more day in London and then Singapore for 2 days and YAY!! then home to my Quilt Room and our Children, expected Grandchild and Gucci the Quilt Supervisor. Oh!!! and by the way YES I have been doing hexies and stars whilst away.

PHOTOS OF THE QUILT ROOM

Some of my completed quilts


Some of my many uncompleted quilts (all labelled)

My toy sewing machines

8 inch Vintage Madame Alexander and Ginny Dolls

I love the Amish Girl and Boy. I will have to make a little Amish quilt to put near her.

The Addams Family complete with headless doll, dynamite, poison bottle and Thing

The Beatles and Jeannie and Tony

More little Vintage girls

My clean desk and beautiful lamp my husband bought me

New fabric baskets nearly completed

More fabric (need to get more baskets tomorrow)

In the hopes of working off some Quilters Bum .... Ha!!!

Some mini quilts finally put on wall

I have finally worked out how to get my comments emailed to me so I will know now when they come in so BIG APOLOGIES to anyone I might have missed. A BIG thankyou to CHOOKYBLUE for posting "how to do this". Have a great weekend everyone. I know I will working away in my beautiful new sewing room. Hopefully Hubby will send in some food every so often.

STILL HERE

Hi Everyone, I am still here. It has been madness in my life at the moment. We have built new premises for our business and moved into them which was a huge job. I also had extensive dental work (YUK!!!) plus physio on knee and as if I didn't have enough to do I decided to move my quilt room to a bigger room in our apartment and make my husband's study into my old quilt room. What a sucker for punishment!!!!!! I must say I am LOVING my new Quilt Room but what a job. I have a HUGE stash (just like everyone!!) but also collect antique sewing items, toy sewing machines, vintage Madam Alexander Dolls and have many quilts to stack plus all the WIP were bagged, labelled and lined up in one cupboard with glass doors so I can see them and then decide do I really want to start another or maybe just grab one from the pile to finish. This move into an apartment, empty nesting thing is a lot harder to do if you are a Quilter!!!! Would you believe I had sewing in 5 rooms now it is all in one room with a large table to work on. This will be much better when the Kokeshi Dolls meet here on Wednesdays. I have sewn some more fussy hexagons and am busily cutting out plenty more to take to Europe as I am off to V & A in 13 days as well as Italy, Russia, Norway and a few other Countries. The BEST NEWS EVER is I am going to be a GRANDMOTHER!!!!! We can't believe it!!!!! So much planning of nursery etc. What fun. As usual I have mucked up loading photos so will save them for a later date.

SINGAPORE

We went to Singapore with our great friends Barb and Barry for Easter. I was a bit of a drag with my leg had to get on and off planes in wheelchairs and after walking for a while had to go back to Hotel and do RICE but still managed to have a great time.

This is part of the view from our Hotel room and in foreground are two of my favourite things. My sewing bag and dragonfruit.


The new Casino being built. We have watched this go up from ground level over the years.

More of the view from our room.

I love this view. If you click on it you will see two sides of Singapore ... the old and the new mixed together. Along the front of high rise is the beautiful old terrace houses of Boat Harbor.

Inside the Hindu Temple

Outside the Hindu Temple

The very beautiful Fullerton Hotel at night. It is a restored old Post Office.

The view outside the bathroom window of our room. Unfortunately there was no way I could get in that bath!!!!!

The Hotel pool. Very nice!!! Easy to get into with a bit of help!!!

As I said it was Easter. The Hotel made these gorgeous eggs and also had a giant bunny for the children to follow on egg hunt. They were all very excited.

My favorite was this one. How amazing!!!!!!

Some artwork at the Hotel

Of course here is Barb and I at local Quilt Shop

A very beautiful restaurant we went to one night. It is called Indochine and is Vietnamese food.

This was another night at a local seafood restaurant.

As you can see I didn't lose my appetite!!!!!! Singapore Chilli Crab. YUM!!!!!!!!!

..... and YUMMO!!!!!!! I got this Claw!!!!!!!

This was another night at Newton Circus. These are Banana prawns which we washed down with Tiger Beer.
But just in case you think all I did was shop, eat and drink I did manage to get some work done too!!!!!!