Monday 11 September 2017

Time for change

It feels like summer has packed its bags and vacated its room ready for autumn to take up residence.  In fact, it feels like autumn has turned up early and has been told to go and find a seat somewhere, have a drink and wait until everything is ready for it.  I know that in England we can sometimes have all four seasons in the space of 24 hours, but it really does feel autumnal these days.  Autumn needs to look in its diary and realise that it isn't officially expected for another couple of weeks!

Sunday was a prime example - we woke up to fog, I spent at least an hour wondering if I could get away with surreptitiously putting the heating back on, then the sun broke through and all was well again.  It's hard to know what to wear at this time of year isn't it?  I'm having a wardrobe crisis at the moment which is not being helped by Facebook.  Those who use the app will know that every morning it shows you a post from that day at some point in the past.  This date 5 years ago, 7 years ago etc.  The main thing I notice from this is that I am still wearing the same clothes now that I was then - I had suspected it was time to make room in my wardrobe for a few new bits and there's the proof!  I don't know whether or not the imminent arrival of my 60th birthday next year is linked in any way but I'm determined to update my style a bit.  I've started following a couple of new 'fashion for the over 50s' blogs and Instagram feeds for inspiration and am on a mission to keep up to date.  We've had a few new shops open in town, we already had Fat Face and White Stuff and I have to be honest and say that my wardrobe is top heavy with things I've bought from them over the last few years.  Then Joules opened its doors and a few striped sweatshirts joined the wardrobe along with some of their lovely colourful scarves.  Hot on Joules' heels was Mint Velvet, not a label I'd bought before but as if fate was sending me a message my niece got a part time job there and I had the perfect excuse for going in for a browse.  It coincided with their end of summer sale which also coincided with me buying a pair of trousers and a top.   Time for a proper wardrobe stock take I think.

So, what else has been going on?  Well, back in the spring I started making a new quilt - this weekend I finally got around to putting all the layers together.
Just need to get around to making some binding to edge it all off nicely and it'll be ready for those autumn evenings.

What's the most embarrassing thing that happened to me this week?  I was quite literally floored by a blueberry.  It was the first full week back at work and we always have a fire drill first week of term.  One of the jobs that the secretaries have to do in a fire drill is to take all the registers out to the field to make sure that all students are accounted for.  I bundled a pile of registers into a bag and went out the door of the office.  Next thing I knew I was falling down, knee first, followed by wrist and bent fingers.  Crashed out on the floor in front of tens, no make that hundreds, of students in the main corridor.  The good news was that I had the perfect excuse to stay in the warm, dry office instead of hanging around in the chilly air over at the school sports field.  Bad news was I had a seriously bruised hand which swelled ominously at the base of my fingers where I had bent them back as I hit the deck.  It was kind of ironic that this meant that on the following day which was our wedding anniversary, I couldn't get my wedding ring on - it was the first time ever in 37 years that I hadn't been able to wear my ring!  Once the corridor was quiet and empty I went out to see what I had slipped on and there it was, a very squished blueberry - who'd have thought such an innocent fruit could cause so much pain!

Just before I go I wanted to share something with you, something to think about as we start a new week.  Our school is very keen on students learning Positive Mindset.  We have many motivational messages posted around the school like 'if plans A and B didn't work, the alphabet has 24 other letters in it' - I think it's a great idea, teaching people how to turn a negative into a positive, sometimes the best way to learn something is to make a few mistakes along the way, the important thing is not to give up.  So we have a weekly statement and I thought it may be nice to share them with you, sometimes it's just something to make you stop and think about for a minute.  This week's offering is 

“Your effort and attitude determine everything.”

So with that in mind, I'm going to get those scissors out, cut up that binding, sew it on the quilt and get that project finished!

6 comments:

alexa said...

I've really enjoyed your post! From the inspirational words at the end (and I love the one about the alphabet too) to that very pretty quilt fabric - those turquoises/blues and reds are very nice together. I am sorry to hear about the blueberry incident though. As someone floored by slippery algae on a waterlogged path, you have my sympathies, and hope your hand is recovering ... Your first paragraph had me in stitches: so true!

Patio Postcards said...

WOnderful post (& that's not to say they aren't all). Glad you didn't break anything when you fell. I believe I have heard the term "a run by fruiting" although that pertains to fruit thrown. I like positive quotes & what a great way to start the week. Now you get to snuggle under your newly finished quilt, while studying up on new fashion trends. Happy safe week ahead.

Ruth said...

The quilt photo jumped out at me when I was perusing my blog feed ... the colours are gorgeous together and I can't wait to see it finished. I know what you mean about the weather and what to wear ... I'm determined to stay in sandals until the end of the month and to keep TBC in shorts until the October half-term, but it's not looking good, is it?
Do hope that you're on the mend after that nasty fall.

Barbara Eads said...

I love the colors you've chosen for your quilt. It's been over 30 years since I quilted. I had quite a group back then. When we moved here, I didn't know anyone who quilted, so that took a backseat to my needlepoint. I guess, for me it's just the hand stitching I love whether it's quilting or needlepointing. Can't wait to see your finished quilt!

Alison said...

Hope your hand's on the mend Deb.....still warm and sunny here so I'm still in dresses but I can feel a change coming! Xx

Leslie Roberts Clingan said...

We are still breaking heat records here in El Paso. Hoping for cooler days next week. And maybe a little rain.

Love the colors in your pretty quilt. Good for you to be working on it again.