December 6, 2015

Cherishing Letters

I love emails! It is so amazing to be able to send a message around the world and quite often receive an immediate response. And it's all done at the desk - not having to get dressed up, find the car keys, drive to the post office, buy a stamp and post the letter.

But there is just something lovely about receiving an old-fashioned letter! We are starting to receive lots of Christmas letters now and we look forward to checking the letterbox to see what surprise is in there each day.


It is in homage to the old snail-mail, that I made my "Cherished Letters" coin purse. It brings a smile to my face when I look at it. I love its cuteness, the redwork, the little bit of lace and the sweet heart dangle.


The pattern is in Handmade Magazine Vol 34 No 4.

My husband and I are back from a wonderful week on Norfolk Island. I have to confess that we didn't even send one postcard!  It is a place of stunning beauty:


interesting flora:


bush birds:


amazing seabirds:


We were thrilled to be able to see some quite close where they were nesting on the clifftops: 


Norfolk is a place of very interesting history:


friendly people, quaint customs and a relaxed way of life.

Reality hit when we arrived home and I stepped out of the car onto our ceiling!  Yes, half the ceiling was on the garage floor.  In a wild storm, our neighbour's trampoline became airborne, landed on our roof, smashed the tiles and the rain poured in. Eventually the ceiling caved in with the weight of water it was trying to hold up!


We are so thankful that an angel directed that trampoline over the garage and not any part of our living area. The only water damage was the ends of a few of our spare mattresses which soon dried in the heat and wind. It could have been so much worse. The Insurance builder came the next day and secured the roof and put battens to hold the ceiling up until it can be repaired properly. We see what the Assessor says tomorrow. 

If you are looking for a quick Christmas gift, I have put the "All the Trimmings" apron pattern in my Craftsy store.  The apron is reversible too, so very practical.


Happy stitching!
Val


9 comments:

Ali Honey said...

I said I wasn't doing cards or letters this year, but when they began arriving I relented and have done our usual.
Possibly lucky you were away. The noise of the .tramp hitting your roof would have been frightening.

Susan said...

That is pretty scary about the storm....glad it wasn't too bad!

sunny said...

Beautiful vacation pictures. I love seeing the birds - not what we see around here. And your little purse is darling!!

Natureluvr57 said...

I still love "snail mail" and I love talking to someone and hearing their voice over texting. I keep and cherish greeting cards but not e-mails. I decorate the outside envelope so the recipient knows how special they are that I took time out of my busy schedule to send them something special. Lovely vacation photos and I'm glad the damage wasn't any worse than it was.

Christine M said...

Your purse is lovely, Val. Great photos. I'd love to go to Norfolk Island one day.

Ondrea said...

Oh dear! I hope no one got injured in that awful storm. Glad a lot of damage wasn't done to your home. Norfolk Island... I have always wanted to go there. Infact, back in the 70's there were some bank officer positions available with the Commonwealth Bank which I worked for. They refused to consider a transfer for me as I was a woman! I haven't managed to get there yet but I shall do it some day. Meanwhile I just enjoy your beautiful pics. Love your little purse. I love letter writing and receiving them. Sadly, not many do that these days. I actually detest those family newsletters though as they are so impersonal. Thanks for your lovely post.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that was a blessing! I hope the insurance covers everything for your repairs. I love the old building on Norfolk that you showed. I didn't have any idea there was anything that old in Australia, so it was an educational picture, too. =) Thanks for sharing your photos of a lovely place and the birds that went with it.

Gina E. said...

Oh Val, what a shock coming home to that after a lovely holiday :-( We had a similar experience a few years ago when we went to Sydney for a few days, and came back to find a tree uprooted and leaning on the house! It smashed the guttering, but didn't do any other damage as we have a flat roof steel deck; if it had been tiles, there would have been a real mess.
Love your little purse, and like some of your other posters, I much prefer snail mail to email. Mail art is great fun to send and receive, especially embroidered envelopes!

FlourishingPalms said...

Hello Val! It's nice to see you enjoying life, at least on holiday to Norfolk Island! But accidents like that one make us all glad to have insurance. I'm sure you've been monitoring repairs, and hoping it's all complete before Christmas. Your little stitched purse is adorable. You continue to do beautiful work! Have fun with holiday festivities!