Saturday 30 June 2012

Currently Reading

I read a lot of non-fiction. Most autobiographies, biographies, letters and diaries of my favourite authors.

I read and reread and, unlike most people, the books I buy are kept and read and read again and again.

Some people think I'm nuts!

Luckily my darling mother agrees with me. We talk about books forever on the phone and if one of us thinks we have mislaid a precious tome, its "look on the bottom shelf. Second in from the left". Or wherever.

Then there is the time when I go through phases.

I'm currently going through my 1930's phase. This includes a book which was read on Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4 years ago. And I mean years!

In my previous life when I worked as a PA to a lovely lovely man, he used to ask for my book list for Christmas and birthday.

In December 1991 this was on my list

Photo courtesy of Google Images

and I'm reading it again for the umpteenth time.

I love it!

I laugh with her. I cringe when she cringes. I sympathise with the trials and tribulations of running a household  on a tight budget (though, of course, we don't have "staff" ROTFLOL!).

I can thoroughly recommend it. And if you are American and reading this, you'd love "The Provincial Lady in America".

You can read more about E.M. Delafield  here.

More soon.

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Wordless Wednesday

In haste as I'm driving up to Pippa's later on for a 48 hour personal retreat. Bags are packed, but clothes aren't (must remember to pack tooth brush).

I might blog from there tomorrow.


Friday 8 June 2012

More Birds

Well, actually, just one more.


Looking at them side by side you can see which one is the proper one.

The Aurifil Invisible Thread arrived yesterday.

Look at this!


I received one spool in the give away, which I had to send back to AlexVeronelli, and the lovely man sent me 4! Can't wait to get quilting.

To finish off this post, look what The Old One found in the pool on Wednesday morning


and no it's not rubber!

I promise it's a proper, real, live Salamander deciding to go for a swim.

Have a great weekend!

More soon

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Winging It

After yesterday's post,  you've probably gathered that I'm twiddling my thumbs waiting for various packages to arrive. After I wrote the post, I popped over to Lynne's blog to have a look at her birds. I'm very taken with them.

I got the bins out and started matching fabrics. Fiddled about a bit with some scraps and created this.


There is a lack of contrast with the body and the beak, which is not pointy enough.

I emailed this photo to Lynne asking what she thought and, oh goodness, I didn't realise she had written a tutorial. I just looked at her photo and matched bits up as I went along.

So not bad considering I was winging it!

More soon.

Monday 4 June 2012

In Limbo

Waiting for this to arrive from The Village Haberdashery, which I won in a giveaway hosted by Katy at I'm a Ginger Monkey

Photo courtesy of Katy at I'm a Ginger Monkey

This is basted, ready and waiting 


for this to arrive.


But when it did the thread had been cut so I'm waiting for a replacement from Aurifil.

And this


is waiting for this

Photo courtesy of Pippa Parsons

to arrive.

I'm surrounded by basted quilts and am getting impatient.

More soon.