Quilt while you're ahead

Rome

Rome is beautiful.

We were guests in a convent right next to the Colosseum and the Forum.

Right. Next. To.

See? Told you.  I don't lie.  Not in Rome... Too close to the Vatican.

The view from the other side of the garden was this:

Not bad either, me thinks.

The convent itself was 1900 years old.  It was the palace of the emperor 'Domiziano' and it's been a Franciscan convent since the 1700.  Big numbers always make me feel small.

One of the friars is a famous contemporary artist and he's got the most amazing 'atelier' on the top floor

But let's talk about my little brother and his most amazing day:

Actually, I don't know what to say.  It was moving, and real, and surreal.

And humbling. (he's the one of the right, flashing his calf)

The boys are demanding their dinner now, I'll have to go, I'll just leave you with images of Rome...

and just for the fun of it...

Can you smell the lions from there?
 
 
  
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

small things

football, tennis, cinema, walking

 Autumn leaves

in a jug

eating, washing, laughing, playing, sleeping

quilting

rugby, partying, reading, homework,

raining

 

Beauty in the small things.

  
 
 

there are no shortcuts

Quilting is a lot like life.

For example, the old adagio: 'measure twice, cut once' ... what it basically means is think before you act. Agreed?  Good.

Now reflect on this for a second and admire the only remaining branch of my beloved Japanese maple (victim of an anonymous stray rugby ball... the case is still open)

So today, when I found myself with some precious time to spare I sat down at my desk and started cutting fabric and sewing fabric and .... aaaarrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhh

In my haste to tackle the UFO - now upgraded to WIP - of my previous post I completely ignored any measurement and elementary mathematical functions and basically made a huge/enormous/gigantic mess.

Take a moment, like I did, to mourn the loss of precious fabric and the temporary and hormonal loss of any rational mental faculty with a delicious (and posthumously regretted) chocolate biscuit

 

This brings me to my next point of simili:  there are no shortcut.  I wanted to finish this project quickly and what I did achieve instead is a big fat juicy waste of time.  Doh.  I wanted to ignore the little voice in my head pointing me to the right direction because it meant slow progress and fiddly sewing.

How many times has this happened in real life too?

So, no shortcuts is my new mantra.

Even if this means endless rows of little borders... 

I'll get there in the end. 

 

And I'll smell the flowers

 
 

whirlwind (2)

The day after the (karaoke)night before we got taken to a famous - locally famous/not tourist famous - restaurant.

I wonder if the chef left his heart there... or ever visited with flowers in his hair..

apparences can be deceiving

very, extremely, totally, completely and utterly deceiving

Phew, eh?

We sat down and our gracious host washed?warmed? the tea cups for us.

And we were away.

The food was gorgeous.

Spicy

mysterious

 

exotic

We were well and truly stuffed.

It was a great ending to our stay in this lovely country full of the nicest people and the most contradicting images...

from this

to this

to this

to this

We'll be back again.  I have no doubt.

 

 

whirlwind (1)

Mr M and I abandoned our children to kind family members and got on a plane to Malaysia

just the two of us (well, plus a wedding and a few business meetings...)

It was great to have breakfast in solitude (one prepared by others and one I didn't have to clear away afterwards)

relaxing, taking in th view from the 13th floor (I'm not superstitious, we got married on the 13th..)

 

We had the most wonderful food

and drank the juice of a dragon(fruit)

We visited Mr M's new business venture

 

which had the cutest temple in the courtyard (what's with the drinks bottles?)

 The wedding was a grand affair

with an interesting menu

The bride changed outfit three times (from white to red to yellow), we watched a movie of the happy couple... and we rounded the night away at a karaoke club till three in the morning.  Mr M and I sang 'Let it be'... and let's just say that although they politely clapped ... we weren't offered the microphone a second time. 

The memory of that experience is too painful.  I must retire for a while.

 

 

Not long after I wrote my last post the phone rang.  It was the boys' school: No 1 had forgotten his recorder and was wondering if I might be able to drop it off to him so he wouldn't get into trouble with his teacher.  The following went through my mind:

thought a) I'm not going to do it, he deserves a lesson in keeping his stuff organised.

thought b) Of course I'll do it, he's only young,

thought c) typical, I've got a list of things as long as my arm I don't need anything else.

thought d)  If I were in his place I'd be so worried and I don't want him to be worried.

thought e) He's a lucky boy I'd just cleaned under the sofa in the playroom and found his recorder.

thought f) It was obviously a sign, I must go.

And so I went, because I'm a push-over and don't want my boys to be upset even if I asked a million times 'have-you-got-everything-for-school' and I got a million yes back.  I went running out of the door but I grabbed the dog too so whilst I was waiting for school to finish I had time to take the hound for a long walk on the hills behind the school. (another item on my list...)

Now, the boys have been attending this school for the last three years.  I've had this ferocious beast for two.  The hills have been here for considerable time... and I'd never even looked at them before.

Scandalous.

They're full of berries,

and the view is amazing! 

Not to mention the bizarre objects found in remote gardens...

(a boat???? we're miles from any water... cool boat though)

I had a wonderful time.  My spirit was lifted and was a much nicer mum to the boys than I would have been otherwise.  Serendipity?  Perhaps.  Carpe Diem? A little bit.

But the thing that gets me the most is discovering this amazing 'new' place.  I've lived here for almost 20 years and I'm still discovering new places.  It's almost embarassing.

T

'T' is for tomatoes (the only ones that survived the wet summer and various bugs)

'T' is for tyding up (my window sill has never looked prettier)

 

'T' is for typewriter (found for almost nothing in a charity shop - the boys love it)

'T' is for time and trends and teeth and trousers and tank tops (I must have been about 8yrs old... and I was already crafting away.... check out the dodgy needlepoint, it was a chicken and I remember it very well...)

Till next time...

a very easy weekend in pictures

we had a very calm and relaxing weekend.  I hope yours was too.

Painting with daddy (he's the artist in the family)

 

pancakes with mummy (the thick American version, a bit of a weekend tradition around here)

 

and we all got to have some 'me' time too.  Bonus.

A little book to carry in my bag. Should save my writing stuff on the back of old receipts...

(and if you're thinking to buy the 'Alabama Stitch Book', be very careful.  You'll be looking into any closet in the house convincing yourself that you don't really need that t-shirt or that one... when you actually do.  But by then it'll be too late!!)

Are you all armed and ready for the week ahead?

that was the weekend that was

a trip to see old friends

 

acting in their local village panto

 

sewing a few more things for the school fair next week

 

and some seasonal baking

 

for the husband

 

I don't like eating them

 

don't they look lovely though?

orange

  my new favourite mug

 

(that little penguin... it kills me)

 

my new old books

 

the seasonal door

 

the birthday cupcakes

the decorations