Busy entering garden competitions and planning holidays

Seeing DH worked so hard in the garden preparing for our quilt show that we held in early September, I thought it was a great idea to enter the annual Hawkesbury Garden Competition. We have entered this event a few years ago and 3 years running,  we have won a prize, then with restructuring , losing some of our pine trees, lack of water, we became disillusioned and  not entered the competition since, but on a whim I entered again this year, much to the dismay of DH. The results will be revealed on the 16th October, we will see......

Some photos of our garden.

Gazebo area.

Our back yard.

Heathton Manor's verandah room. Bright sunny day.

After our quilt show we took the opportunity to seal our entertainment area, my oh my I have not seen it empty since finishing the construction in 2005. Very pleased with the result.

After all our hard work it is time for me to get back to some sewing, with work and preparations for our quilt show, entering garden competitions, I have had so little time, as always I have a few things on the go. 

The good thing about having stalls at a fund raising event is to rid yourself of unwanted fabrics, items and frustrating UFO' s, pass them onto some one else to finish. I am pleased to report that 3 of my unfinished quilts that had stitchery's incorporated into them have been sold, so now down to 5 WIP from  8.

Red and white is beckoning, next year for the  NSW Quilting guild is having a red and white challenge, a quilt in red and white, something that I have wanted to do for awhile, but can I keep,it small.... That will be my challenge, should I choose to accept.

Plans have been finalised for our trip to Houston, last time I went to Houston was in 2010 and was so overwhelmed and not sure if anything that I saw was absorbed. So with these few days that I have to spend at the show will be done at a leisurely pace. DH will do his own thing and I will be left to take my time, this year Houston is celebrating it's 40th year, so should be an extra special event.

We have also finalised plans for the Tokyo Quilt festival in 2015, need to get some thermals...This time DH will be in his element because he will have 3 women to boss around. We are staying at The Tokyo Dome  hotel, whilst the quilt show is on, after the show we will then get the amazing bullet train around Japan. Of course my challenge with Chris Jurd will be to visit every Yuzawaya store in each province, these stores are amazing with Yuwa fabric at $10 a metre, how can you go wrong. DH will have the delightful company of my sister who does not quilt, but is a fantastic travel companion. I visited the Yokoharma Quilt festival in Nov 2013, a little cool, not cold, in January it will be cold and snow, looking forward to seeing Japan in winter.

Next on our agenda is Nantes France, DH won out on this one, I would have liked to have gone to 

Paducah in April for the quilt festival, but he is all USA'd out so what could I say, as long as our trip incorporates the Nantes, Quiltmania's Pour L'Amour du Fil quilt show, I am happy to go, we will spend the first few days in Nantes, travel back to Paris by train and spend a few days there, travel to Dijon and possible pick up a car, oh the thought!!!!!, hopefully meet up with friends that will also be in France whilst we are there, 3 weeks in all travelling France, then to London with a trip to Wales to catch up with some friends, still in the planning stage, holidays have been confirmed so all we need to do is finalise plans for our trip, hard to keep track of dates etc, when we have 3 trips planned at once, I am up for the challenge, my bucket list is slowly dwindling, so excited!

2016 Paducah I will be there!, with or without DH. Cheers!