Merry Christmas and Surprise News.

 There is always such a build up of events leading up to Christmas and then it seems to be over very quickly. We had a lovely time at our DD's place and I didn't have to do a thing. We were very spoilt but she is hoping I will return the favour next year.
   Now that I have met up with all the family and given them the news I can tell you that we have bought a home in Ferntree Gully, a suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne and only 10 mins from our DD and our son-in-law. We were viewing houses while we "cat sat" for them while they were on their honeymoon. We decided to use our time there as a holiday but we were so busy house hunting we didn't have time to do many tourist things, so that will be on the list for next year.
    We have bought a 4 BR home but it is considerably smaller than our current home, which is what we needed to down size. Fortunately we were able to buy and make a gradual transition from living here on the farm. Downsizing after 30 years of living here has been challenging and tiring but we are making progress and although I am losing my very large sewing room, we will have plenty of storage. Luckily I didn't sell my quilting machine as we have room at our new home.
  I made a new Christmas wall hanging from a panel so we were able to welcome Christmas in our new home. We have moved enough basic furniture to be able to stay there and after Christmas we will continue to paint and pack. I hadn't wanted to announce it until we told family and I have asked them not to tell my Dad yet as he is 91 and would only worry about us moving away. It might take us some time to sell and we will return frequently for visits but there's no need to worry about that at the moment.

  I finished one more skirt for DD2 but didn't get time for a photo and have more sewing plans while I take a break from quilting for a little while. The weather is suddenly so hot and humid that sitting near the AC is a much better option at the moment. The cat quilt is one made by one of my quilting groups and I only had to quilt it before donation. It's very striking when seen in a photo or at a distance.
  I hope you all had a lovely time with family and friends as well as time to re-charge the batteries. Here's hoping 2017 brings us peace and many blessings, as well as good health.
Hugs, Jan Mac