another Monday, another mixed bag of news












I just can't keep up with life... another week went by without me noticing or really living it to the full.

I made the mistake of briefly pulling my head out of the sand. Glancing at the news headlines triggered instant anxiety, anger and confusion. Brexit sucks, and those in charge in Westminster are fannies.

At work, I am trying to condense a scholarship project that will last three years into a single slide three minute presentation. I am using pick and mix sweets photograph as background because I am a bit eccentric. I am trying to convey diversity in case you are wondering. I also worry that our African students will be refused visas to come for a one week practical training element (see fannies, above).

The weekend was a bit of a blur. We went to Ikea to buy a new mattress for Alistair. They no longer appear to stock the mattresses for a European standard single bed (bought at Ikea). The new mattress is standard UK single and is 10 cm shorter... Still, Alistair is pleased because it is comfortable mattress, unlike the lumpy old one. I hope I don't bump into any acquaintances when I take the old one to the dump, I'd be mortified to admit that someone actually slept on this mattress. We also bought lamps for desks and bedside tables and new large glasses. We didn't buy napkins or any other assorted Ikea fripperies that have a habit of sneaking into the trolley. I kept a close eye on said trolley.

The house was in dire need of a good hoover. It is most surprising that Jack still is still covered in fur. Judging by the amount of dog hair in every corner of the house, he should really be completely hairless. I almost enjoyed cleaning the new shower room. It pays out that I spent ages searching for bits and pieces with minimal nooks and crannies that are time consuming to clean. Admittedly, the shower room looks a bit clinical with its minimalistic design but do I care? It doesn't photograph well, not big for even the widest angle wide angle lens. It is essentially white with a dash of light grey.

The garden is still gloriously colourful but oh so wet and soggy. The catnip plant is particularly glorious now that it is in a pot rather than in the ground and the cats can't get to it easily. The squirrel can and does, daily.

I find myself humming "I am a gummy bear". I know, my music taste is not conventional and considered a bit uncool by those in the know but the gummy bear song?? I blame the smallest offspring, who has been exploring old children's party playlists. If you would like to hum along with me, you can find the song on Spotify.

Do you remember Hama Beads? It is back in fashion in our house. Hama bead flowers, Hama bead butterflies, Hama bead smiley faces... it is quite addictive and keeps little (and not so little) fingers busy. When they are not creating non-recyclable plastic art, James, Alistair and their pal (our part time 5th child) have been playing Scrabble. A quick glance at the playing board made me giggle but I suppressed it and put on my stern mum face. All words but one (fantastic) were swear words. It was a bit funny, of course it was. Some interesting spelling variations, too.

I am assembling my Ice Cream Soda quilt, it is fun and rather quick. My mind is wandering to future EPP projects while my nimble fingers stitch the small shapes together into bigger ones. Time will tell.

I didn't take a single photograph last week! I really need to make an effort to document life. I used to take so many photos but I got out of the habit even though there is plenty to document. That amazing lasagna I cooked on Sunday night for example, followed by a blackberry and apple crumble. Good old Jack always makes for a good photo, too. And of course the children. I guess some of my favourite Ice Cream Soda quilt blocks are always pretty.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. I promise I will visit all my blog friends soon. I really will. How about lunch time on Tuesday? x


Comments

  1. I have very fond memories of Hama beads - in fact, we probably still have a few beady coasters lying around somewhere. I used to be a dab hand with the old iron and baking parchment! Your quilt blocks are beautiful and I look forward to seeing the finished quilt. Hamish is moulting horribly at the moment too - you think that he's finished and then he starts all over again! As for the news, I find that it's best avoided for the sake of my blood pressure! xx

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  2. I have never heard the I am a grumpy bear song but as I feel like a grumpy bear right now I should learn it. Your lasagna sounded wonderful, I can smell it from here.

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  3. I keep telling myself that one day I will sit down and take the time to actually try making some fancy hexies. Yours are wonderful:)

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  4. Even though you didn't show other than your quilt squares, Christina, which are quite lovely and colorful, your post was descriptive and informative. It's always amazing that any pet has fur left when the house is vacuumed up, whoops I mean hoovered :-)

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  5. I was very impressed with your squares, they are magnificent! I can't wait to see how they look put together. I think a lot of us are frustrated with what our rotten terrible leaders are doing to our counties. The looney tunes guy in our top position here in the USA is destroying our country while his party sits by and lets him do it all because they are getting laws changed to the far right and lining their pockets with NRA and Russian money. It's disgusting. Sigh.. I hope we get better people in office at our next election. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. loony tunes definitely needs to go! with you all the way :)

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  6. I wonder the same about Wizard when it comes to fur. I can gather it up in handfuls and make a toupee out of it that would be perfect for Donald Trump. In fact I may post some to the White House today.
    Hopefully you have a better week, I advise not watching the news and burying your head in your lovely craft projects instead. That quilt is going to be amazing. I’m guessing they are hand sewn. Each one gives such a different effect with the colour combinations. Wishing you happy days. 😀B x

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  7. You have just answered two questions for me that funnily enough I was pondering yesterday - 1) Should I start listening to the news again? I really have heard almost nothing, although I am under the impression that something big is happening. And 2) Should I take the Hama beads to the charity shop? I have kept them for now, and I wouldn't be surprised if they have a resurgence when the dark winter evenings arrive. Also can't keep up with life here - it's good to hear you put my thoughts into words sometimes. Your blog really is a favourite, I always feel better after a visit. Hope it's a good week. CJ xx

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  8. Life is so busy it just whizzes by and we forget everything. I try and keep my camera around for our walks and just everyday stuff. We don't have mobile phones and we don't put the TV on until 7pm ( after all the news and such ) All we know is Boris is now PM and there's a lot of unrest in Hong Kong. Your Ice Cream Soda blocks look divine and they must be quite complicated to assemble. I'm looking forward to seeing it finished. Best, Jane x

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  9. Dear Christina, Oh, how I love your quilt blocks. Can't wait to see them all together into a magnificent quilt. Am dying to get going on some artistic sewing for myself, but at the moment I have almost finished the mammoth amount of sewing I do for a particular charity. At the moment I have about 60 more hair scrunchies to make and then I can pack off the boxes. After that I probably have 1 month of sewing for my small business, and then I can do some artistic sewing for myself and also for Christmas presents. I love sewing, but find that I spend too much time sitting, so stop and go off for walks. Got to keep moving..... have a good week. Regards, Robyn

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  10. Christina, you are a pro with your quilts! I don't know how you sew those little tiny shapes together - truly would drive me batty - but you do it so wonderfully. I love the bright colors and designs. The way you fit those little zebras in?! Awesome!

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  11. Oh yes! Hama beads! Remember them well. I am in awe of your quilting, really in awe. And I agree with your assessment of Westminster. Tired of the lot of them, I am. Here's to a better week, honey xx

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  12. I am in awe of you, you have got done more in a week than I did in the entire month of August. I am exhausted just reading, I need to still down in a dark quiet corner to rest. Eldest has a newspaper subscription, I have not read beyond the first page for a while now, I doing the head in sand stuff too, although we did have the radio on this evening which was a little scary. I hope we will all look back at this time as utter madness and learn from it in the future, well I can dream can't I?

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  13. I completely understand about not keeping up with life. Most of my energy is taken up with picking my boy up early from school or phone calls from school because he's struggling. Fingers crossed that I get through today without hearing from them. I find that when I'm stressed I forget to take photos then have nothing to blog about. Love the hexies, especially the zebra one. xx Susan

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  14. My kids are in their twenties now but I'm sure we must still have some Hama beads hanging around here somewhere. Archie went to the groomers on Monday and he's shaved to an inch within his life, you'd think that would stop him shedding but it's worse than ever now, it just means that the hairs he leaves around the place are much shorter than usual.

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  15. Your ice cream soda blocks look amazing!

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  16. Know exactly what you mean about pet hair. I think we might swap our two cats and a dog for a polar bear. Apparently, they only shed their hair once a year. Love the fabric combinations you've chosen for your quilt. As for the news, I'm saying nowt.

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  17. I have an Ikea computer desk. When I returned to the store to add more parts, it was discontinued.

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  18. "oh I'm a funny little yummy, little gummy bear oh ohoh!" I'm right with you there Christina. I am in LOVE with those quilt blocks and so excited to see it all together. I have bought new quilt fabric (the postage quilt is at a stand still at the moment) but something will emerge soon enough one way or another. I have been sewing for money and turning up groom's trousers and taking in jackets means I am ready to walk away from the machine when there is actually something nice to sew. This work will drop off soon as wedding seasons gets less busy for my friend and I can get back to quilting. Have a good Sunday. Jo xxxx

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  19. All your quilt pieces look great.. so many colors and interesting patterns you've put together.
    My kids love that gummy bear song..
    Ikea is like a wormhole.. you can never just go in to buy one thing.. you get sucked into their maze like interior and end up buying all this stuff you didn't know you needed.

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  20. Your blocks are AMAZING... I call all my piecing "galloping horse" blocks since I only want people looking at them as they ride by on a galloping horse! How on earth do you get every corner to hit so perfectly. I am always in awe of such stitching. Good on you. And yes, some of us keep our heads in the sand with respect to the daily news because we couldn't cope if we pulled it out... our blond and orange buffoon in the white house makes me want to just bang my head repeatedly. Hang in there!

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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