Yes, I am still here

 I've been a bit remiss with my blog for a while because life has been very busy.

It all started a few weeks ago. I was engrossed in my new quilt and making lots of tiny pieces to use up some of my 'leaders and enders' and 2.5" squares. 

Then I had a sleepover with my little girls and we wandered around the garden looking at all the weird and wonderful things happening.

My pumpkin is taking over the garden on the back fence so I've disciplined it a little. No pumpkins forming yet though.

The quilt squares are now at this stage... I did put some sashing in but Stephanie and I have now unpicked it all because it just did not look right and did nothing for the quilt.

When the girls came for their sleepover we had a lovely time together cooking our own homemade hamburgers for dinner. They were delicious!

Later when Cathy and I were gardening I could not pass up these Hydrangea's which I rescued when we did the pruning. As they begin to fade their colours are amazing.

My passionfruit vines are now producing madly. It seems to be a very late producing one and I should have lots of fruit in April. It is a red fruiting one.

Last Thursday Cathy and I picked this bunch of bananas. They might be a bit green but should ripen soon on my back window under plastic.

I had organised a lovely 4-day trip to the South Coast to visit Rauri and Janice then attend Arianne and Josh's wedding. However, things did not work out and I had to cancel it all as Mum ended up in hospital. It is now a week later and she seems much better in herself but it turns out that she had a stroke. Luckily her home visit from her physiotherapist meant that he noticed she was not herself and called an ambulance.

I've visited daily except for the last few days but I'll get to that later.

I had also promised Stephanie I'd stay with her for a few days after she came out of her hip replacement rehab so we're now filling our days with little walks and lots of sewing.

She also has some weird and wonderful succulents in her garden and some of them are just fascinating.

Yesterday evening was particularly full and happy with a 21st birthday dinner for Casey with my family followed by sharing dessert with Stephanie and her two Iraqi 'boys' who are here studying at the moment. They came to cook dinner for her while I was out.

Today I'll visit Mum again but will need to do the 'find the Mum' puzzle as she is now being moved from the heart ward to the stroke ward after a CT scan yesterday (at least I think that is right).