What Katie Did

The view from my office window

So while I can see a bit of sky (which is an improvement on the windowless world I had last year) you can see why I prefer to be looking out of my window at home. Today, though it is cold, the sun is streaming through it, onto the table where I am experimenting with quilting this crazy colourful mixture of madness that I have spent the last few weeks piecing. (This is my Mum's box of embroidery threads)

Here is what I decided to do with the edges

and the view from my bedroom window where I am sitting now.....

A break with routine

It does you good to have a change every now and then and although the prospect of a day long meeting scheduled for later today doesn't fill me with joy, the day off it gave me yesterday did!
I am so used to being at work on Mondays that it felt a bit like being on holiday rather than different use of time. I had a good long time with this

I wanted something to back it with, so for a bit of a break from sewing I went to look at the charity shops in Hexham. The good people of Hexham donate their old books, clothes and junk to

• Oxfam
• Oxfam Books
• Save the Children
• RELATE
• Scope
• Cancer Research
• RSPCA
• The Hospice Shop
• Age Concern
• I'm sure to have forgotten one - help me out here Martha

and then we buy them all back again, its the best form of recycling.

This case was 50p in the Hospice shop. I remember seeing one of these cases with a wonderful wool blanket covering, so while I thought I'd do that, it was actually more useful for carrying the fabric I got from Oxfam, RELATE and Age Concern

Two kids duvet covers for making bags, a very yummy bit of pink fabric that used to be a rather hideous dress and some very smart looking sheets to consider for backing this quilt.
That is a strange card game called 'Plaza' - just liked the look of the cards - 50p.
So I will go to work with a lighter heart today because despite missing knitting today (gasp!) I had a really lovely day yesterday!

Syrian Goodies

Martha is back from Syria with a certificate to show for all her hard work learning Arabic at the University in Damascus and a bag full of wonderful presents for us all.

fabric and more........

this looks a bit dark here, but in the sun shining through the window today they are much brighter and more lovely than these pictures suggest.

and yards and yards of ribbons and braids

do they measure in yards Martha?

We spent the weekend moving her to a new flat in Bristol with the obligatory trip to Ikea (along with the entire population of Bristol) and another look at that lovely city. She is in her second year now, or as she prefers it - her 'penultimate year'. So with John on his Trip Around The Country Visiting Everyone He Knows, we are back to the rhythm of school, work, dog walking, and the rest with just the three of us. All of you with little children out there - enjoy them now because life certainly gets very interesting when they are at this stage - old teenagers and beyond... still lots of fun, but quite a different type of fun!

Sunny today, but monsoon rain in Bristol at the weekend turned the roads into rivers and the hills into waterfalls. Turn your telly off standby at night and think about the planet.