Thank you everyone for your lovely thoughts, prayers and those warm and embracing hugs you have sent to this li'l corner of the world. They have all been received with much thankfulness; they have meant so much to both my husband and I. You will never know just how much they have comforted us in those moments where one feels at a loss, those moments when one feels alone.....thank you! The blogging community is filled with the loveliest of ladies who genuinely care, you are all little smiles from God!
My husband's treatment has begun and we have settled into a daily routine of hospital visits, walks and resting up. At the moment he is not unwell, but I suppose this will change sometime down the bendy path we find ourselves upon. As we live in a 'far rural outpost', which involves a 3 hour return trip to the hospital for ten minutes of being zapped with radiation, during the week we are staying in a cute little hundred year old cottage across the road from the hospital. Driving to and from the hospital each day was too exhausting. As there is no treatment on the weekends we wing our way back to our humble li'l olde abode......back to the peace and 'normality'.
In the mornings we have been going for a daily walk and exploring some of the cafes, parks and the 'sights' which the city of Launceston has to offer. The doctors have ordered my husband to walk for forty five minutes each day. and to "fatten"' up.....so who are we to disobey!! The problem with this 'edict' is that I am afraid I might just "fatten" me up as well!! The task of fattening up my husband is an impossible task. He has never put on a single ounce, pound, gram or indeed kilo in all the thirty seven years we have been married........(yes.......I was a child bride).....so the task of expanding his girth and wherever else fat likes to deposit itself in his anatomy is futile......but try we will!
Oh, there have been a few op shops and vintage establishments to explore as well. Rest assured, I wouldn't dream of making my husband wander around these treasure troves. No, on these occasions he is comfortably ensconced in a cafe, seeing to the task of fattening himself up and taking it easy.
Mmmm....how serendipitous.......this quirky establishment, the Vintage Red Fox, decided to include a cafe right next door!! Just means one doesn't have to travel far from perusing all those vintage goodies to partaking in a cappuccino.....or two!
Of course I took my sewing machines with me to the 'big smoke', with a suspicion perhaps my sewing mojo would percolate to the surface once again.....and percolate it has. Whilst my husband has been resting in the afternoons I have been enjoying a little sewing, in a sunny spot at the back of the cottage. Sewing is my happy place, a place that somehow helps me to smile for a little while.
Whilst packing for our 'holiday' in the city, I found this piece of vintage Hungarian embroidery. I had an idea formulating in my brainpan that I just might fashion a bag with oodles of vintage pretties. I had stashed this gorgeous embroidery away ages ago because when I washed it, all the colours had collided into each other and caused it to become a li'l 'muddy'. The once bright flowers were now tonal with all the colours that had escaped. Upon unearthing this pretty embroidery, I decided I like the muddiness of the flowers. I like the tonal qualities of the flowers AND I love the 'it has been around for a very long time' look, the vintage feel this piece suffuses.
So.......hankering after a quick project AND being in need of a new, sling across your body, boho type of bag, I decided to play with all my pretties once again and stitch a bag to carry around town.
I must say I am loving the worn and antiquated look of this 'looks as if it has been around for a good while' Hungarian embroidery.
After gathering oodles and oodles of pretties together, I started to play. Oh how I love to play with vintage pretties, stitching and placing them wherever they magically find themselves. It is so calming and soooooo easy on the brainpan. With the meandering of ruched velvet ribbon around the Hungarian embroidery, the adding of doilies, the sprinkling of pretty trims, crochet flowers and the twining of cord; the prettying of the front of the bag is singing a colourful melody.
The bag is fashioned with a charcoal grey, canvas-type fabric. I chose a gorgeous vintage fabric from my "dowry of cloth" for the lining. Love, love, lurve the oranges, greens and purples of this fabric.
With my vintage inspired, boho bag all stitched up, I might just enjoy a little more playing with my bits and bobs.
Remember me saying I have been darkening the threshold of a few op shops this week......well I found this Victoria Cooper (an Australian Designer) cute little jacket. Can you guess what I might be doing this week? However did you cotton on.........am I really that predictable? Yes indeedy, amongst the hospital visits, appointments with doctors, and the morning walks, I might just find myself sitting in a sunny corner in the cute li'l cottage some afternoons, tarting up this little pretty whilst my husband rests.
We are at home for the weekend which means I can dive deep down into my plethora of pretties in readiness for the tarting up of this jacket. Once again thank you all so very much for your kind thoughts and prayers! Both my husband and I have been overwhelmed with your kindness, prayers and generosity of spirit!!
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
