Blog for Wednesday 12th August 2026

I got up way before four o’clock this morning – I simply just woke up and got up!

I went through to my study and had my Quiet Time, uploaded my blog from yesterday and whipped through my emails – several which I had to answer later on in the day.

I woke Ken moving at half past ten as he had an appointment with the eye specialist who recently replaced the one lens in his left eye, just for a checkup. All was well thankfully.

On our way home Ken suggested that we stop for a coffee and something to eat seeing it was lunchtime, so we did! We went to a café that we had not been to before and I think that was a mistake – but … we learn from our mistakes! That café will be crossed off our list! Not that good.

Once home, I had two parcels waiting for me -   always such fun to have them delivered right to our front door! If it is a parcel that has to be signed for and we are not here, it is returned to the Post Office near us. I just have to take a walk to pick it up from there. It is good exercise for me anyway. I am becoming quite the walker!

Not long after we got back home the sky above us darkened and thunder and lightning flashed and rumbled over us but no rain, and it was soon gone!

I put on washing as it was starting to spill out of our laundry basket, but I had to tumble dry it all as it was not hot enough outside to dry anything and it kept clouding over.

Oncer I had done all the laundry I sat down and did some of the cross-stitching on the African head design I am working on.

I have had this cross-stitch pattern for yonks – I bought it  just before we sold the Coffee Shop inb 2006 as a reward for when it sold!

We then moved onto the farm in 2006 and that was basically the end of any cross-stitching for me. This particular [pattern is very intricate and one has to count the stitches continually so you cannot be chatting or listening or watching anything whilst doing it. 

                                                    This is the pattern

                   This is a close up of the stitches

As you can see the fabric is very fine so half the time my eyeballs sit on the end of my nose counting, counting. counting!

This will still take me many more years to try to finish it but at the moment I am loving doing it – something different and it is seriously therapeutic.

This is as far as I have got … so a LONG way to go!

It is a large cross-stitch measuring 39 by 49cms so, once framed it will be fairly large. I am determined to finish it before I pop my clogs!

Ken took our wheelie bins out tonight and then he watched the All Blacks take on the Natal team. It sounds as if the All Blacks are giving them a thrashing!

I am so happy that I got all the washing done today so tomorrow I will iron.

Tonight I will watch another episode of “The Block” on Channel Nine – I love it.

I sent a voice message to Kerry’ (our eldest daughter) in South Africa and she phoned me back later today. It is so exciting as she is planning to come out and visit us in February next year. It feels like forever and a day since she was last here – she came out for Ken’s 80^th and we also saw her in 2025 in USA for my 80^th, but it still feels like a long time ago!

What lesson did I learn today? Getting older has many blessings when you stop wishing to be young again!

What am I grateful for today? Time to do some cross-stitching.

My saying for today is …