ZIZO The birthday edition

24 years ago we welcomed our son into the world. That boy has certainly kept us entertained over the years and we love him to bits. He's living in Edinburgh at the moment, supporting his girlfriend while she studies for her Masters at Edinburgh University. But he managed a long weekend back home which strangely coincided with the opportunity to return to Scotland with his hand luggage full of birthday presents. Lucky that eh?!

So you can't have a pre-birthday visit without a pre-birthday cake can you? Perfect for Helena's meme of zooming in ...

 

And zooming out 

 

 

We thoroughly enjoyed having him home, even though it was just for a few days and I am already counting down the months to when he will be back 'down South' again for good. 

Other news since I last blogged is that I made a new cushion cover for our newly decorated bedroom.  I'm planning to make a couple more of different designs to add a bit of colour to the room. 

 

I don't work on a Wednesday and when I go into work the next day, people often ask me what I've done with my day off.  Quite often the answer is 'I just really spent most of the day sewing.' And I can see from their faces that they are thinking 'Sewing?  Seriously? You spent your day off sewing?' Maybe they think that's a bit boring, or a bit 'fuddy duddy'.   Maybe we could give sewing a bit more of a risque reputation if all us sewing people went onto Amazon and bought this book ... 

 

Half term holidays, half way through

OK, so it is a universally known fact that the days where you don't have to go into work go by twice as fast as the days where you do.  Which is how it is already Wednesday afternoon and I am officially half way through the half term holidays. 

Don't get me wrong, I have been busy working ...

and I am now itching to start a new project - what to do?  Decisions decisions.  I think a cushion cover may be next in line.  I have also made and sent off the next Friendship quilt block to Amy, but won't share it here until she receives it there.  How long does the post take to get from the UK to Australia - I'm not sure! I've been trying to keep up with the Block of the Month in my quilting magazine and I had been putting off last month's as it was circular and had lots of segments but I stuck with it and so long as you look at it from a distance with your eyes kind of squinty it looks OK.  Let's just say I won't be rushing to make a whole bed quilt from that design!  The top 'twirling baton' square was fun to make and only took an afternoon to do from start to finish so that was a relief and I'm all ready and waiting for the March edition to arrive.  I've also made a small project from one of the earlier editions but that is going to be sent onto someone who may read this and I want to keep it a secret!   As you can see, I've also bound and finished the quilt for J's old bedroom - just ready for his visit home at the end of next week.  When I mentioned wondering how I would 'sash' the finished square, Deb said that that 'was the easy part.'   I was a little dubious to say the least but hey, Deb, you were right! 

So what else have I been up to.  Well, we've booked our summer holiday.  Shall I give you a clue?  Well, where is famous for it's pasta, prosecco and ice cream?  Yup - it's going to be 'Ciao Italia' for us this year.  We've booked for Lake Garda.  In a small hotel, just 36 bedrooms in a converted country house and it looks lovely.  I'm counting the days already.

The weather seems to have calmed down a bit this week.  A lot of trees have come down around our town, in the recent storms and I've used these for a 'zoom in, zoom out' collage

This one had fallen across the boundary of someones house, through their hedge and onto a pathway leading to the church. It must have made quite a noise as it fell as the photo does not do its size justice - it was a really large old tree.  The 'zoom in' part is on the splinters of wood from the trunk; hard to believe that a tree which was so mature and gnarly on the outside had such a bright, light heart inside it.

Hope everyone else is keeping safe from the weird and wacky weather conditions that the whole world seems to be experiencing.  As for me, I can't wait for Spring!



 

 

January Meh

I did smile when I read Deb's post about possibly choosing 'meh' as her One Little Word for the year.  And although I really hoped her year wouldn't be full of 'meh', I could really see where she was coming from!  Quite apart from a 'Can't be bothered' definition, it could also mean 'it's not perfect, but it will do'. I have to say that January is feeling a bit 'meh' over here in Deb's World too.  I keep finding all manner of good reasons excuses for not doing things or going places.  It's very easy to curl up in the winter sunshine in the conservatory with a good book and forget how excited you were to start that quilt at the beginning of the month.   The sewing machine giving you 'come hither' glances every time you walk past it and you totally ignoring it.  The pile of finished quilt blocks not growing with each passing day.   Very, very easy to sit and read a new cookery book rather than getting into the kitchen and actually cooking some new recipe you like the look of.  Anybody else out there feeling where I'm coming from?

I had to go on a training course on Monday.  I wasn't looking forward to it.  As I walked over to the room where it was being held, I had already decided it was not going to be worthwhile or interesting.  I had a pile of work on my desk that needed doing and 3 hours of learning the finer points of something I already knew how to do was quite frankly - annoying.  To rub salt into the wound, the heating in the room was not working properly and anyone that knows me, will know that I do not 'do' cold well!  First off, the whiteboard won't work - and then we had problems linking the laptops to the network.  I think a few of my internal sighs may actually become audible!  'So we'll start with the basics' the trainer said 'NO' my brain screamed 'Don't do that, we've already done that before, we're here for advanced report training, we don't need basic, we know basic, I'm cold, I'm bored, I don't want to be here.' And so passed the longest 180 minutes that a Monday morning ever held.  180 long, cold, boring minutes. I finish at 12.30 on a Monday and I practically ran out that door, jumped in my car and rushed home.  'How did it go?'  asked my husband. 'Well, that's 3 hours of my life I'm never going to get back.' I replied.  And then I thought.  How true that statement is.  My 'meh' feelings are wasting precious days.  We're 3/4 through January and what do I have to show for it?  So my dear 'meh', that's it.  I'm breaking up with you.  It's not you, it's me.  I've got things to do, places to go and people to see.  You're holding me back and I think it's best for both of us if we go our separate ways.  You'll find someone else.  

So, dear blog, you and I are going to be seeing more of each other.  Quality time spent in each other's company.  Hey look, I've even done another zoom in, zoom out picture combination to join in with Helena:

I do love orchids, they're my type of a house plant.  They flower even when you neglect them, rumour has it that they thrive the more you neglect them.  They don't ask for lots of water, just some good light and moisture in the air and they are happy.  This is a new one that I was given for Christmas.  I love the waxy feel of the petals and the elegance of their shape and form.  This one is happy brightening up the windowsill in my shower room. I mean, come on, how can I look at that and still feel 'meh'?