After the rain...

All is fine.

We got plenty of rain but the ex-cyclone crossed the coast north of us and went back out to sea so thankfully we didn't receive the predicted wild winds. 

Mr E worked non-stop to install the bigger pumps in our front and back yards before the rain set in, and he also replaced and extended our down pipes so the water flowed away from the foundations of the house. This was a huge job and I am still in awe of the work he put in to reduce the pooling of storm water.

The pump in the backyard ran for 24 hours, pumping 20,000 litres of water per hour out to the street, and though our yard is still a sea it is far better than it would have been had hubby not replaced the small pump for a larger and more powerful one.

Thanks for your prayers and kind concern. The animals stayed indoors looking for dark hidey holes as is normal for them in bad weather, but what surprised me was the frogs trying to get in the back door, not to mention the one who actually achieved that goal. I found him jumping around the bathroom in the middle of the night! Mr E is up at the pool right now (it was overflowing) removing frogs and toads - they are everywhere and now that the rain is gone Sophie cat is keen to catch some so he's shooing her away at the same time.

This being our first cyclone/tropical low in the new home we did not know what to expect and it was quite alarming the other night during heavy rain when we realised the house could flood if we didn't do something quickly to avert water before this bigger storm arrived. 

We still haven't been tested with regards to high winds (and there are some non-compliant structures the previous owner erected that must be removed soon) but one thing at a time, by the grace of God.

We discovered over the course of this past week that there is still much to be done around the outside of the house so over these school holidays my beloved will continue to make the home more weather-secure and eventually we'll fill the front yard with garden.

Now that the storm has passed we'll be experiencing very hot days with extreme humidity. It's always something in the tropics. LOL! Tonight we drove down to the Strand and sat by the beach in a lovely cooling breeze and ate fish and chips, relishing the dry air and the drop in temperature before the heat returns tomorrow.

Wherever you are, may the Lord's hand be upon you and keep you safe, loved and fully at peace as you trust in Him.

hugs

P for Persephone Primrose and pumps...

Persephone Primrose? That's me.

A group of sewing friends and I chose pseudonyms for ourselves many years ago and Persephone Primrose was mine.

My maiden name begins with P so choosing a double P pseudonym was a bit of fun and even today, darling Joy (real name) still calls me Persef and I can't imagine calling her anything but Ethel. 

But you know, for the life of me I can't remember the pseudonyms of the rest of our group!

So what about "pumps", you ask? What's the story there?

Well for starters they are not shoes.

The pumps in my life are the kind that remove water from a very flooded yard.

May I present the Sea of Reynolds - this is the backyard version, and we have a front yard sea as well.

The pumps we currently have in the ground to remove the excess rain water (remember, we live in the tropics and have wet seasons) simply cannot pump fast enough and so these seas continue to swell. In fact the backyard looked like this at 5.30 this morning, eight hours after the rain stopped.

We had a cracker of a storm last night but that was nothing compared to what is on it's way this weekend and early next week. Cyclone Owen is about to be upgraded to Category 4 and is swirling north of here in the Gulf where it will cross to land early Saturday morning and begin a rather nasty journey south east and by Sunday reach our town with more water than we've seen in years and crazy winds. It should have downgraded to a severe tropical low by then but nothing is certain, we just know to batten down the hatches and stay indoors. 

(bottom right - Townsville - that's us)

(you can track the cyclone's path here)

I'm praying for those who will cop the category 4 when it hits land tomorrow morning. They are small communities and need our prayers for safety, peace and shelter.

Having only ever rented before we bought this home in September, things like upgrading pumps and getting the house and outdoor areas cyclone-ready are new to us. In fact Mr E was out in the storm last night digging ditches to stem the flow of rain which threatened to breach our entrance doors front and back. The water got so high out back that it ran up over the step to flood the pool area and in the process many frogs and small lizards drowned. I never knew frogs could drown but when they get exhausted they do just that. Very sad seeing them belly up in our pool this morning.

I should explain to my readers in the northern hemisphere that a cyclone is the same as a hurricane but it rotates in the opposite direction and the most dangerous place to catch the brunt of a cyclone is directly in it's path or below it (due to the wind and rain)...I'm thinking in the US it's more dangerous to be north of a hurricane than south of it?

So please, pray.

There will be major flooding which will eventually affect the entire east coast of the state, landslides, roads destroyed and property loss. Pray that people are wise, choose safety first, and are kept safe.

Back to this week's pincushion...

I fussy cut a cute little house motif to sit beside the P and bordered the block in a red print with green stem stitch sewn in the ditch.

Remember, you can scroll through all the pincushion ideas shared so far and mix and match with alphabet initials that suit your purpose.

Do you have some pretty motifs in your stash?

Dig them out and have some fun with this pincushion!

You can download the P pattern here and here as a free gift until January 3rd, 2019.

Check last Friday's blog post for the free links to O as it's also free until January 3rd.

The pattern sets for A-E, F-I and J-N are a $2 purchase here in my shop.

Early this week I finally finished a project that meant a great deal to my heart.

For the Stitchery Club this December we're celebrating the vintage style of years past and the lovely linens many of us have collected, inherited and treasured, and we are doing this by sewing our own 'new' embroidered linens which can then be handed down and loved by the next generation.

There are six individual patterns in the December issue and I used five to make this beautiful supper cloth which is dedicated to my Nana, Phyllis May.

It was difficult to get a good photo on the table due to the clouds and rain, but mostly because I'm rather petite in height and was unable to tower over the supper cloth for a nice straight pic (and Mr E was off at work so no help there either...)!

So I thought to hang it in our front entrance as there was better light coming through, and you know what? I love it there! 

It never occurred to me that I could hang a supper cloth as a wall quilt but for the time being that's exactly where it shall stay - until I have a friend over for morning tea and need to dress the table!  

The stitcheries in each corner are different, but the wider stitchery along the sides is the same all the way around.

(you can see all four corner stitcheries here)

Originally I was going to use all the same lace around the centre fabric but silly me started sewing it in place without measuring to see if I had enough...and I did not.

I dragged Mr E to Spotlight and then to Lincraft looking for (praying for) another 1/2 metre but alas it could not be found. So I bought lace in the same colour and width, unpicked the third side, and completed the centre with one style of lace across the top and bottom and the other style down both sides. My lack-of-forward-thinking crisis was overcome with a second best plan.

"Necessity in the mother of invention" Nana would say in my situation and indeed she'd be right. 

She'd also suggest "use what you have" or "make do and mend" but I love what she'd say afterwards - "Good girl, Jennifer, that's using your noggin!" 

If you're not a Club member (over here) but would like to make Phyllis May's Supper Cloth yourself, I'll have the pattern in the shop on Monday morning.

Righto, my beloved is on his way home from school to begin the summer break so I have him all to myself for five whole weeks! But first, we'd better continue with preparing the property for the storm ahead.

Have a BLESSED weekend!

hugs