“You’ve got to enter your counted cross stitch in the show Mum”. I was insistent and eventually she agreed. She was actually quite excited about it – this was the first time she had ever entered any work in a country show. I guess when we were younger, living in the country Mum had been working and really didn’t have time for crafty pursuits. She of course made many of my clothes and her own – but that didn’t count. Since she had lived in the serviced apartments in the retirement village she had much more time on her hands as she had left her friends behind in Sydney. She also thought that at eighty-five years of age time might be against her completing her complicated cross stitches and she worked hard and long at it.

It was a thrill to arrive at the Pavillion today to find that she had won a highly commended for the galah and second place for her “Santa’s descent Xmas Eve.” We were all pretty chuffed.

Sadly the beautiful bag that my girlfriend had given me for Xmas did not win anything. She had used every embroidery stitch in greens, oranges and blue shades to decorate it and had made a long shoulder strap (she knew I’d lose it otherwise) and is quite spectacular.

Also superb were the honey wax paintings (left hand picture). They came with a warning ” do not place in warm place as they could melt.”

From the craft pavillion to food alley. After consuming a typical show lunch ( pizza for Mum, German Knackwurst roll for me and a sandwich for my husband) we rolled (Mum literally on her fold up mobility scooter) down to the main ring to watch the Grand Parade. The Grand Parade should really be called the tiny Parade with lots of class (but I’ll post a video of that probably tomorrow.)

After four hours we’d all had enough but Mum went home thrilled at both her outing  and her first (entry in show + coming 2nd). She is probably already planning another item for the show next year when she is 86.