Exhaling

I need to say that i have felt the need to work really hard lately. I am currently the acting chief director for safety, working directly with the big bosses and slightly out of my comfort zone. Here is the thing. I really like my comfortable office, positive working environment, papers and coffee on my desk, my PA. Having to ship off to a whole new office for a couple of weeks just is not the same. I am a creature of habit.

It was great to see my baby cousin last night for supper (um, can you call hastily made up boerewors rolls supper??) I am also looking forward to seeing my brother this weekend. He is arriving on Saturday and will be at my place for a week while he is up in JHB for training.

After my creative whirlwind this weekend, i hit a bit of a stopper the last two nights as i had to do work when the littlest W's were sleeping. I am been craving some cross stitch this weekend so i may dig up my enormous slow moving angel pic and do some stitches ( the joy of cross stitch - two hours work for a tiny square). I was taught to do cross stitch by a dear friend - Pam over the space of a couple of days back in 1999. I love it but it better fits into another time in my life - the time when i had time, when i had clean hands, when a child wasnt trying to climb on my lap, when i only had to keep the cat from sleeping on my embroidery bag. But it cant be beat for beauty. Its is timeless and i always feel that i making an heirloom when i stitch....

I thought i would share two of my favourite items that i have done - apologies for the poor pics...

All my cross stitch are special. This is Gabriel's birth sampler that i worked on forever but did finish before he was born. I have a special connection as i was working on it when i felt him kick for the first time. I was in Stellenbosch for work and was working in my hotel room on it when he fluttered softly. I think he knew i was busy just for him :)


This second one is just my style. Country, country, country! It went off with me to Barcelona and i worked on it, while sitting on a tiny balcony at 6am in the morning, lapping up the July Spanish sunshine.... The rest of the town was sleeping and there was an old lady diligently watering her geraniums down the road. It was beyond dreamy and will always stay in my mind. It was the top left corner to be exact.



The thing is i always make at least one mistake in my patterns, but i dont unpick. I "fix" the pattern so that it will work! And no-one else ever knows. Its just between me and the needle.... Shhhh.... dont tell!!!!

Try and find one beautiful thing to reflect on today....

Al