Reading this week........................

Second in the series.................a favourite author.

This has useful bite sized chapers for that large cup of tea moment!  Eclectic travels and social history of trees. A pleasant, light read

Found this by change in the library, highly recommended workbook for design, contains the basics I learned on my City and Guilds course.

I've been bad. Again. Project Number 30...........

It was only a bit of charity shop browsing in Tunbrige Wells. Honest. I got an idea from looking at the mens shirts. So, I guess this will be project number 30!  I will ask the guys at work to donate too, but they seemed reluctant last time.   Only one of them brings me the shirt off his back when they are worn out, but he doesn't tell his wife!

When I'm eyeing up a man, it's only because I want to cut up his shirt!

Joy of joys, I found a gluten free sandwich shop for lunch!  I had a smoked salmon sandwich and a berry/ice smoothie.  Unexpected bliss.  Even the double shot late I had  in the morning to keep me going was good, no bitterness and plenty of froth.

And some bargain books too. I am not a hoarder, I am a collector-when I have read a book it gets Bookcrossed (;~?

All sewed out

I admit to doing NO sewing at all, not one paper on a hexagon, for over a month now. I over did it at Christmas! I work for a sign company and saw this is production for a customer, a good motivator that should be on my wall!

I like the close-up as well

I have done a lot of thinking about future projects and made a mental note:

• finish two very late quilts that are gifts
• plod away at the Darwin's Flower garden(see profile pic)-this is going to be given to my son and daughter in law.  She asked me in the autumn if I would make them a quilt and we came up with a drunkards path idea, however, I started the Flower Garden on the day I first met her, so I thought it would be appropriate for them to have it and they are very happy with that (or they will be!)
• there has been much designing in my head for my own quilt, to be called Event Horizon-much of the fabric for this will come out of the stashed blocks and strips-black stars with a rainbow of colour

• I have been acquiring black and white fabrics for a Cathedral windows quilt-this will be a hand made project and I MUST NOT START this year! Its time consuming......

• also acquiring fabric for a split 9 patch garden-stream-stepping stones idea-pic from another quilt.

I have been doing a lot of reading since Christmas, I often do at this time of year, something to do with being tucked up in the warm with a quilt and a book and a mug or a glass!

Property-Valerie Martin: a new author for me, Orange prizewinner, loved it!

Xeelee Omnibus (RAFT)- Stephen Baxter: a favourite author

Rant: the Oral History of Buster Casey-Chuck Palahniuk:  another favourite, crazy, keeps you guessing with one twist after another, brilliant.

A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers-Xiaolu Guo: this has been on the shelf for three years, a thought-provoking read on the culture gap in British and Chinese couple

The Honorary Consul-Graham Greene: a favourite author, if you overlook the treatment of women in his works!

Greybeard-Brian Aldiss_ a horrible disappointment!

Now I'm reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, a 600 pager. That should keep me occupied for a week or so.  Time to go and have a sort out in preparation for bringing my Bernina to life again.

Focus

OK, so these are the hexie papers I 'should' have been sewing in: they are for the grandmothers flower garden project of which there is one more round to do, with the corners to square after that (profile photo).  I'm not going to join these hexies up into flowers as I have a lot done already.  I will keep them in papered sets and include them in the project if I need them-if I don't need them for the flower garden, they can be thrown in with the random hexie bunch.  This will be the 'few moments' sewing until Christmas, when I'm going to have a major blitz on the flower garden.  The sections must be laid out on the floor and don't get much time during the working weeks to sew, they stay there for ages and the cat can't resist the papery rustling as she dives into the carefully laid out flowers!

It is in the mid 20's here today, crazy for October-I'm afraid I am one of those heat whingers!  Autumn is my favourite season, windy days, blowing leaves, crunchy woodland walks-it will all come soon enough though.

There will be a sewing interlude this afternoon: I have found a recipe for salted peanut butter and chocolate cookies..........off to the supermarket to buy butter now. Very naughty. I'll post a picture if they last long enough.  Did I mention I'm on my own this weekend?!

I have 70 or so pages left to read of Resplendent that's calling me today too.  It's an amazing series.  I love science fiction, it suspends reality and takes me away from it all. 

And two bookcrossing science fiction rings to read and move on after that............