Friday, June 16, 2017

A lovely visit to a friend .....................................

End of Week Greetings dear friends & readers
 Working from home can often mean that the days run together somewhat & you frequently find yourself working on the weekends as well
It is often hard to distinguish what day it actually Is !


The other day,  feeling overwhelmed by the business & busy-ness of late - I got up early, loaded my car up with goodies & travelled 2 hours through the fog to spend the day with a very dear friend
I had not visited my lovely friend Donna for well over 2 years - a visit was long overdue.

Her home is called The River House because a river runs through at the very bottom of her section
 Visiting with Donna is always a tonic & a treat
 Her home is always welcoming & warm & cosy in winter with a roaring fire ... Donnas friendship is one of those that kind of wraps itself around you
 Upon arrival you are immediately given a hot cuppa & delicious homemade cake to eat
It was just so lovely to escape the endless distractions of home & just sit & chat .......... & then chat some more.

When the rain stopped we put on our welly's & went for a walk up the river along the boundary of her property
Donna's chooks & sheep
  Donna is self sufficient & grows everything they need in her large veggie garden & fruit tree area ... though she has put many of her beds to sleep for the winter, she still had lots of veggies available for picking


Lucky Girl .  .  .  .  Isn't this just the cutest little potting shed ??!!

At lunchtime we sat out on the deck in rug wrapped chairs & ate bowls of steaming homemade soup with chunky bread while the winters sun made a brief appearance


Donna is a fibre artist & always has baskets filled with yarns & homespun wool dotted throughout her home
She used to run a Gallery & Craft Shop from her Home but closed it a few years ago ... you can read an old post about her Shop here

It was such a lovely visit though it felt like it went by in the blink of an eye.
It is so very soul replenishing taking the time to visit with friends
Late last year, while popping in to see my friend Sally in town, I admired a large cross stitch leaning against the wall in her hallway.  Sally informed me she had purchased it from the Op Shop for $15, found she had nowhere to actually hang it & if I liked ...... I could own it for $15 !!
I wasted no time rummaging around in my bag for some cash !!

 I absolutely loved the picture, every stitch so perfect & so lovingly hand stitched .  .  .  .  what I wasn't quite so keen on was the shiny gold frame.
Reframing it was out of the question so a couple of days ago I decided to paint the frame.
I had neither the knowledge, the energy, nor the inclination to pull the whole thing to bits, so I simply masked the glass.
 This week we have had crisp, clear winters days with a few rays of sunshine so it was perfect for chalk painting on my deck table

 I had unwanted intense supervision to ensure I stayed on track !!



It is now dry & hanging back up on my lounge wall .....
I LoVe it !!!  And am So pleased I painted it.

 I think the pale grey goes perfect with my wallpaper as well as the cherub I revamped in this post

I saw this beautiful verse on a friend's facebook page
I thought it was just delightful & thought it would be wonderful to get it copied & framed for each of my grandsons

Thanks So Very Much for your visits today dear friends,
May you have a wonderful weekend ... Yes its Friday again !!
With much love & friendship to you all,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

23 comments:

  1. Hi Julie how lovely to have friends like that ,they make you feel so special,i am lucky to have friends like that visiting for a sewing day tomorrow,i cant wait to see them.
    What a good buy that lovely pic is and i love the colour you have painted it.
    Your friend has a beautiful property so glad you had a lovely time xx

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  2. My! My! Julie...I must say, love your friends home,
    lovely, and very rustic, and a nearby running river,
    l live near a river, but it is about couple hundred
    yards down the road! Not to far to walk to do the
    washing..! :).

    And, the cross stitch looks lovely to, though, l have
    to be honest, l'm not to keen to see them framed.
    Much prefer to see them draped over a chair, or table,
    than on a wall...I have a large one of a Carrettino
    Siciliano..draped over the three seater settee..Looks
    nice...!

    The verse is lovely and so is the cherub, he looks very
    happy sat there saying his prayers...Bless!

    Well, best get on..l've my daughter coming later to~day
    with hubby..for a long weekend, so things to get on with..
    They'll need feeding..chance to get rid of a bit of road
    kill...HeHe!
    ((HUGS))..XX's for the furry ones...nice to see Pippi,
    keeping her eye in...! :0).

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  3. I could actually feel myself relaxing with you Julie. What a lovely time you had and Donnas home is beautiful. Love your frame revamp...perfect xx

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  4. Sounds like a drive over to Donna's was just what you needed. Her home and friendship, like all good friendships are all we need sometimes, just knowing someone 'gets' you and cares about you. Lovely revamp of that pretty cross stitch.......clever you! P.S The exterior of Donna's house looks similar to you know who's house.

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  5. Donna's home looks so inviting & relaxing. Glad you had a wonderful visit. The cross stitch is beautiful & i love what you did to the frame. Hugs, xx

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  6. I agree, it's truly lovely to visit with friends. What a gorgeous home and I do love the look of that soup. I too paint gold or brown frames (unless they're antique of course), but I usually paint mine black. Yours looks gorgeous in white and a bargain too. xx

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  7. Such a fabulous day out Julie - sounds perfect for the soul :-) Love the transformation of the beautiful cross stitch - the new frame is just right and so YOU!!!

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  8. I would drive two hours to spend a day with someone that made me feel like your friend made you feel. What a gorgeous place she has, no wonder you enjoyed yourself. You always welcome people with home baking and a cuppa, and it is always enjoyed!!! The frame looks perfect white, thankfully Pippi was on hand to give you direction.

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  9. Good morning Julie, Who would not enjoy a visit to your friend's lovely place! Looks so peaceful and relaxing. I also really like the flower picture that you bought. Have a good day enjoying looking at it! Nancy









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  10. Hi sweet Julie! Oh, I love your friend's house and her cozy nooks and crannies! I would drive in the fog to get there, too! Your frame really sets off that lovely piece. Well done!
    Stay warm and cozy!

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  11. Visiting your friend sounds like stepping into another world where everything is as it should be. What a wonderful day!
    Painting the frame was the perfect touch on the cross-stitch piece. Looks wonderful.
    That verse at the end--Amen to that!! Well said.

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  12. That was such a happy feel good piece Julie. Will be writing soon.

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  13. Woo hoo....Donna's house looks lovely and so does the back garden - how wonderful to have the stream at the bottom of the garden - simply wonderful. The cross stitch in in new painted frame just sparkles - it is always so great when a plan comes together!

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  14. Your friend Donna has a beautiful home and her river walk is really special. I love the embroidery and now the heavy frame is revamped it looks perfect in your surroundings x

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  15. Your friend Donna has a beautiful home and her river walk is really special. I love the embroidery and now the heavy frame is revamped it looks perfect in your surroundings x

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  16. What a beautiful place to go and visit and recharge, especially after a long drive in the fog. Seems like Donna made you welcome just like you welcomed us!! Love her house and the wool around the place, so nice to have a walk along the river. That is a huge vege garden!! Donna looks like a creative person like you. The cross stitch frame looks perfect after tour painting...good to see supervision is still happening.

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  17. The vibes from the photos you had from Donna's felt really good, I bet you had a wonderful day and chatter 19 to the dozen. That must have recharged you. Your revamp of the crosstitch frame is amazing and it looks wonderful on your wall.Giggles to Willie going and doing his washing down at the river stream near his place. Cool day today Julie, I'm knitting with the heating surrounding me and soup for tea. Hugs:)

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  18. Hi Julie, wow what a beautiful place your friend lives in, wouldn't mind a cute potting shed like that, doubt I would do any potting though lol. Gorgeous cross stitch, looks even better with a painted frame, up on your wall, cool wall paper Julie. Have a great week. Chris xoxoxo

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Chris, Donna's place really IS beautiful & so restful. She has lots of birdlife due to all the native trees. Hope you have a great week too Chris, thanks for your lovely comments xx

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  19. Ooh...Donna's home is beautiful. Love those little windows near the roof. Tell me, is that a little room. How lovely to have a running river at the bottom of the garden. It sounds as if you had a lovely visit. A visit with a friend which always involves cups of tea and many a chat, is always an excellent thing. All gold frames should have a lick of white paint. =) LOVE your loungeroom wallpaper, 'tis so pretty and delicate.

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  20. How wonderful to have a friend just a 'couple of hours' up the road, and then making a day of the visit! LOVE her home and surrounds. My dearest friends live across the other side of the country (or across the pond, Miss Julie!)...oh woe is me. ;-)
    Your frame is definitely lovelier in white, simply sublime.

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  21. Cross stitch looks perfect with its painted frame....glad you have given it a lovely home xxx

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