Puppy party

I had to drag my poorly self to the vets on Wednesday evening to a puppy party. Tigger and Trixie were, I am pleased to say, very well behaved, Trixie was so good she even got to have a demonstration done on her! Teeth cleaning I don't think she was too impressed!
It was one of these occasions one really isn't too bothered about going but No2 Son desperately wanted to go so we went! Surprisingly I found it all very useful even though we have had a dog in the past. There's a lot more info around than there was 18 yrs ago when we got Zak. It apparently also helps the pups get used to going to the vets without having something nasty done to them. or should do but as we had them micro chipped whilst there I don't suppose it counts!
Like at all good parties they were even given a goodie bag each when we left!

Feeling better!

It feels like all areas of my life have been neglected of late. I have been feeling really horrid with this throat and cough which, thankfully, are now on the mend. But I am getting very little sleep as the minute I settle down I begin coughing and it just seems to continue all night.
I gave up caffeine some years ago now only drink decaff coffee,one night I managed to take something which contained caffeine and then lay awake until 4:00am its no wonder I'm beat!! On the plus side I did a lot of designing in my head, even transferred it to paper, but whether any of it will ever find its way into a project is another matter!

The other plus is tidying my studio I come in and tackle a very very small area each day, stopping the second I get tired. It is looking so much better I may even be able to tackle a project soon without having to hunt for my equipment first.

This bug also meant I was unable to go to No2 son's football presentation evening last weekend, and wouldn't you just know it that was the night he won a trophy! Still at least his dad was there to see him collect it, he is just sooo pleased with himself!

Cordial and the lurgy

A quick update, the cordial is now boiled and bottled. No2 son was less than impressed with the smell during the boiling process! Anyway it now sits patiently waiting in the dark understairs cupboard.

I have come down with some sort of lurgy this weekend and have been barely able to get out of bed. I have got a very raw throat and now a cough has developed which just makes the throat problem worse. So have been watching trash tv all weekend, but I womanfully hauled myself out of bed this morning and got dressed, which actually makes me feel better than dragging myself round in my jammies and dressing gown!
Consequently I have done nothing creative which is now beginning to irritate me, a sign of getting better, I hope?!

Improving aroma

When I added the lemons the aroma did improve somewhat became more pleasing and a little less old tomcat! Will persevere.

Elderflower Steeping

Ummm it doesn't look quite as bad now, (can't say the same about the smell!) It is awfully green, was I supposed to cut more of the stalks off perhaps? Also there is a small creature in there looks like it is dead which is a relief! Just wish I could post the smell!!

On another note I neeeed a new camera. I go to take pix and it tells me the battery is exhausted. Exhausted how can it be exhausted its just been charged? I'm the one who's exhausted.... It has never been keen on taking too many pix at once, but this is getting ridiculous, I have a second set of batteries for it, bought them soon after I bought it. Also the bit where the batteries go in is broken, umm time to do some surfing...... Any recommendations?

Elder flower cordial

Whilst out walking the pups I spotted some elder flowers. I had seen a recipe for elderflower cordial on Babs Banter http://quiltech-quiltech.blogspot.com/2008/06/famous-olde-country-recipe.html so decided to have a go. Mine looks nothing like hers, see: http://quiltech-quiltech.blogspot.com/2008/06/im-just-country-girl.html Oh and OMG the smell.... like a dodgy old tom cat, she didn't warn me about that!!! I haven't got any lemons perhaps they would help with the smell, I should go out and buy lemons immediately. I shall persevere, and keep you posted!

Lunch on the lawn.

After this morning's manic tidying/cleaning session as I was making lunch Dan asked if we could eat outdoors. So we dug out the filthy patio table and took it around the front of the house covered the muck with a table cloth and ate in the glorious sunshine with the puppies playing happily on the lawn.
I know, we could have had a picnic but its a bit of a pain if you are continually shoving puppies out of the way as you try to eat your grub(food)! and its hardly fair to leave them shut up on such a beautiful day.

So what delights did we partake of? Egg butties (sandwiches) and salad!

My mother would have a fit if she knew we had eaten off such a dirty table. Had she been in charge it would have been scrubbed to within an inch of its life, then it would have been left to dry as we dined indoors! My theory - we can clean the table later, it might rain tomorrow and we'd have missed our chance. With the English weather it really doesn't do to take chances!!!!

Reality = Cleaning!

Life begins to return to normal here after the excitement of the Quilt Show. I spent most of last week sleeping/procrastinating.
But not today - today I hauled myself out of bed at a reasonable hour, showered, dressed, put laundry on, ate breakfast then I cleaned the house. Not all of it I hasten to add but I did vacuum the main rooms and even dusted some of them!! The studio still requires attention though, lots of attention.
Its not the cleaning that is the problem though is it? Its all the stuff that seems to accumulate when you turn your back and are not watching for a couple of days. The junk mail that should never have been allowed past the letterbox, the paperwork left lying around instead of being filed, the clothes that have been washed and dried but are still languishing in the basket or dumped on the settee waiting to be folded and ironed. Then there are the newspapers that should have been put in the recycling last week, why are they still littering the house? On and on it goes....

Pink Parfait

Not a brilliant pic as I forgot my camera only had the mobile phone, we had a chap photograph all the quilts so hopefully he will have a better one than this.

The pattern/block is jewel box, it is machine pieced and hand quilted. A very traditional quilt and most unusual for me, it seems a few people who know me were shocked when they discovered it was mine!! They don't expect me to make a traditional pink quilt, I'm also known for doing everything on the machine, I don't have time to hand quilt/sew!!!

Excitment

I've had a very busy week we have been busy with out show at Cartmel Priory, setting it up on Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. Followed by four days with the show open to the public, I am shattered, but on a high we pulled it off we staged a show with 95 stunning quilts in a magnificent building and the sun shone all week too.
Then this evening as we were closing the show Sylvia dragged me into the middle and began making a speech about the visitors choice - I got a little huffy thought what does she think she is doing that's my job and I don't even know which one is the winner. I realised why when she announced my quilt, Pink Parfait, had won. I was thrilled, delighted, and somewhat embarrassed - organisers are not supposed to win! It is very humbling to win visitors choice, but oh what a high.