Well hello!!

I'm back!!

I had a lovely break, we were away in Menorca for 11 days of the past 14, and only had a sporadic internet connection for 24hrs, and as that was so rubbish, I couldn't be bothered to drag myself from the sun lounger to keep trying.

I have missed you all, don't get me wrong; however it has been so relaxing and liberating not to be tied to my MacBook/iPad/iPhone.

I read a couple of amazing books, The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden and I Am Pilgrim, did practically no sewing as it was either too hot or too dark, and took it as easy as I possibly could!  I really wish we were still there, I can feel my blood pressure rising and suntan fading already.  I am not even going to mention the pile of ironing I have inadvertently created!

So linking up with Fresh Sewing Day is a little bit of a lightweight affair this month…

Excuse toes!

The only new things to show are another Green Tee block, the beginnings of my Cartwheels EPP, and a tote I made for the evenings on holiday for carting all our gear to the bar and entertainment; sparkly linen and faux silver-leather and blatantly copied from a Victoria Beckham design; it did the trick.

I also trialled and wrote up another commission, the real-deal will be made in the next week, but you will have to wait until Christmastime for that, which isn't long, seeing as the festive goodies are already hitting the shops!!

So looking out the window today pretty much confirmed that Summer is gone from these here shores, dammit, so back to reality we go.

Oh you missed my chirpy, positive outlook I'm sure xxx

Making the most of it...

Time is ticking until I have to go back to work.  Today I worked with the girls on their Out & About books, scrapbooks of their summer; their teacher is going to get complete deja vu when she looks at the second one, but they look pretty good and the girls are chuffed to bits with them, although they had gone to bed by the time I remembered to take a picture...

There was also time in the sunshine, as it looks like Autumn is coming knocking on Friday, and I am not ready for that either.

I meant to take some photos of my shopping from yesterday to show you, but the clothes have been put away, did I mention that I got a Cath Kidston pirate scarf?!

I also got myself a lunchbox - the kids all have their new ones, and as I am on a healthy-eating, lose-weight mission, I thought having a nice coolbag would entice me to take good food with me, not pick on biscuits and other crap all morning...

... we'll see.

Lastly, I managed to finish my first Architextures cushion this evening...

I machine quilted in 28wt Aurifil, and it looks and feels amazing, I'll get some finished pictures tomorrow.  I am aiming for the big one to be complete by the weekend, here's hoping. xxx

Early morning random...

I have been a rather slack Randomeer of late, for which I apologise, and this week I only have one funny story, (well to me at least), of early-morning holiday shenanigans.

I am guessing this is a European thing, maybe not, but towels on the sunbeds before dawn is not just a myth, but alive and well.

My bodyclock, come work or holiday-time is permanently set to wake at 6.30am.  If I don't have to get up, I can go back to sleep, but more often than not that is my up'n at'em time. 

Surveying the early morning pool scene, last year and this, beds were routinely bagged before the sunrise (c..7am)...

So without any drama, if you can't beat them join them, right?  I would pop down, reserve a couple, and believe me at 6.30am I was never first, and then retreat back inside.

All round the pool were notices saying that items used to reserve sunbeds would be removed, but hey, they never were.

Can you see where this is going?

I think it was 3 or 4 days in, and when I got up for the second time, and took a look outside, all the beds were empty!

Now I must mention that I only ever used the kids' towels, just in case, because they are older and cheaper than mine!  So unperturbed I went to investigate. 

There were folks wandering round like they were expecting a zombie-apocalypse at the choice they were faced with; unable in a half-asleep state at 7.15am, to comprehend how they could be first up instead of last.

I went and asked the manager 'please sir, can I have my towels back?', to be shown a storeroom with more neatly folded and stacked towels than I had ever seen.  It was hilarious.

Even more hilarious were the grumpy faces of the people surfacing at lunchtime expecting their towels and beds to have remained 'reserved' for half the day, only to see others laying in their spots.

A few days later, some (new arrivals?) had slipped back into old habits, but the towels would vanish off to the manager's Aladin's cave soon enough.

I know it is not going to change the world, and may well be routine elsewhere, but it the first time I have experienced it, and it did mean I didn't have to go back to bed with sandy feet again for the rest of the holiday; and we still ended up on our beds of choice each day.

People are funny, especially the family next door who then just sent their daughters out to wait on the sunbeds until breakfast time!

Linking this 'probably just funny if you were there' tale with Cindy and the other Randomeers.  Next week I will try better, I will, after all, have gone back to work by then.

Holiday!

Well the shocking weather that had been lurking since we returned from Menorca finally buggered off at lunchtime today, so I am not feeling as fed up as I was!

I haven't finished the washing yet, but pretty much everything else has been put away; photos have been uploaded and sent to print, and I am slapping on the moisturiser like it is going out of fashion!

There has been a little sewing already, rectifying a hastily finished project that I started, and finished the evening before we went away, and it niggled me the whole time; I promise I will show you that in due course.

Today though, holiday photo overload time!

I have kept PicMonkey busy making mosaics, and the cogs are whirring for the Holiday Memories Competition.

I think I will just shut up and let you have a look; if you have any questions though, please ask!

And finally, I have to mention that I took my Aeroplane Bag on the aeroplane, and my project of choice, an Architextures Spring Carnival; I managed to baste all my pieces, and stitch up a couple of the 'wheels' in the evenings...

It was stress-free; we ate way too much; watched no English TV, until I discovered it half an hour before we left, the kids were not amused!  We decided not to pay for hotel Wi-fi, and I am pleased about that; I read 3 novels instead and I would totally go back tomorrow given the chance!

So that was my last fortnight in a nutshell.  We still have almost two weeks of school holiday left, so I am not putting money on stitching up a storm any time soon, but I will get back to daily blogging and getting the chance to catch up with my blog-reading too.

Right, time to blitz that Inbox!

Back... well almost!

I realise it wouldn't have taken Sherlock Holmes to deduce that I have not actually been here for the last week or so - in fact I am only here in passing to say that we are literally just home from Menorca with suntans and a full suitcase or two of washing.

518 emails are now downloading slowly, but I do not propose to even look at their contents this evening, sorry if you are waiting on a reply about anything.

The pictures from the other night were from last year, but it was just as lovely this time; I need to upload ones from the last fortnight now and promise to show you soon.

So excuse me again whilst I try to cling onto that holiday feeling; no internet access has, dare I say it, been totally refreshing, just like the old days!

Right now, my immediate priority is a lovely cup of tea, but I will be back properly in a day or two.

xxx

Did You Miss Me?

Well despite blog posts to the contrary, I have not been here for the last week but instead waking to sunrises like this in Menorca...

...using my fantastic purse from Reene everyday...

I managed about half an hour of Liberty hexie-basting on the first night and that was it - too much sun to soak up, pools and sea to swim in, buffet food to consume in unhealthy quantities and dodgy 'entertainment' to watch, not to mention the heat and sheer relaxation!

I literally sent one text to my parents to say we had arrived, and that was the sum total of my interaction with the outside world for a whole 7 days.  Bliss!

On the flip-side, I have returned to over 600 emails (WTF!?!) and an enormous suitcase of washing.

So although I am 'back', it may be some time until normalcy returns, but thank you in advance for holding the fort.

Have I missed anything exciting?  I will probably get a chance to catch up on a few blogs tomorrow.  Anyone get to FoQs? 

For now, I have a date with a proper cup of tea xxx

Lazing on a sunny afternoon!

Having been woken at about 3am by one poorly twin, I thought we were going to be in for a miserable Inset day; however the power of Calpol was enough to keep everyone relatively happy.

My car got a clean, before the immanent hose-pipe ban, two loads of washing made it onto the line for the first time this year and we made the quick trip to the Post Office before eating lunch in the garden.

Poorly one has done a lot of sleeping, the others have flitted between Lego and watching Star Wars, and I even managed 40 winks in the sun!

And so my sewing has amounted to zilch, which I will rectify this evening, but only after I have booked some Airport parking and travel insurance for OUR HOLIDAY!!!

Yep, we have just booked our summer holiday and I am so excited.  I now have 5 months to get myself some half-decent swimwear and a half-decent body to go in it!

And because I want to erase that gruesome thought from your minds, here's another pretty leaf...

...told you they were addictive!

I'm back!!!

We have just had a really great week near Weymouth, Dorset - the weather was kind, the children were not at their worst, but I honestly never want to eat chips again!

I was surprised how much I missed you all - we had a sporadic phone/internet signal; Blogger was being a complete and utter arse, so apologies on their behalf for all sorts of muddles and with only a teeny touch screen to play with, it got a little frustrating.

Thank you for all your comments during the week - there is no way I am going to be able respond to them all individually, the ones that got delivered to my phone have now vanished (?!) and although I tried to keep up with the blogs I follow, I don't think I can go back over all of them and add the comments that immediately sprung to mind!  I will shortly do a post about setting up for mobile blogging, as the joy of reading blogs set up for 'on-the-go' browsers compared to 'web-view' was immense!

But hey, back on the laptop and ready to roll, and normal service will be resumed (Blogger-pending!).

I won't bombard you with a tonne of photos, but these pretty much sum up the last seven days...

The view from our cabin; next year the Olympic sailing will be right there, behind that tree...

Monkey World, was full of monkeys...

...but lemurs are the best!  (Sorry Sarah x)

Chesil Beach; with miles and miles of pebbles...

We spotted fish, sharks and turtles at the Sea Life park...

...and posing children (everywhere we went)...

A lot of time was spent in the pool...

...and a little window shopping...

More time at beach at the end of the lane...

... and running joke of the week:
"What time is it?"
"Willy o'clock!!"
(A full 360' sweeping second 'hand'!).

As for my hexing... I'll be saving how little I managed to get done for another post!

I hope you all had a good week.  I am so jealous of all you lucky FoQers!

For now, it's back to the piles of laundry I go x