Pussy cat pussy cat where have you been?

I've been to London... to visit the Queen! It seems she was still at her summer place so I missed her. Too bad...

at Buckingham Palace

I am still wondering how it all happened so fast. Seems like not all that long ago I was saying just 120 more sleeps, and now it is all a fond memory. We did have a wonderful time though. If I was to try to tell you about it, I am sure I would forget half, but I do have about 3000 photographs to jog my memory. Mr. O and I have been working at editing them, but it is a long slow job.

Mr O and myself all packed and leaving for the airport.

We saw so many wonderful things and it is absolutely mind boggling to see so many things that have stood the test of time. Our country is just a baby in comparison.

Big Ben-London   note: I always thought Big Ben was the clock, but we learned that it is actually the bell in the tower!

at dusk...mesmerizing!

We had a wonderful tour director, who had such a vast knowledge of history and an amazing memory for dates and names. We really lucked out to get him. He had a wonderful sense of humor and just didn't seem to get ruffled no matter the circumstance; and there were a few. 

We went through 3 bus drivers; hope it was not a reflection on us as a group...just kidding. While in a somewhat remote part of Scotland on the Isle of Skye our original bus driver was taken ill (his appendics burst). We were able to get a driver to fill in for 2 days to get us to a bigger centre and then Trafalgar set us up with a driver to finish the tour. I am sure it is a trip that he will remember for awhile. Besides taking ill; the first day out of London while driving through the Cotswolds he was pulled over for speeding..he was going 1 mile per hour over the speed limit; that is not a typo people, I was in the front seat and he was actually doing just ONE mile over and he got pulled over. It seems the local authorities were having a slow day and needed a little entertainment; either that or speeding is a very serious offence in England.

I won't bore you with all 3000 photos but here are a few...

a shot of the Parliament buildings from a bridge on the River Thames.

at night while walking back to our hotel. This was actually almost the same view from our room.

Westminister Abbey; just a nice walk from our hotel.

I have posted the pics kind of small, but if you click on them you can see a lot  more detail.

Back in Tabu

Oh it is good to be back at the cottage; even if it is only for the rest of this week. ( coincidentally, John Denver is singing, "hey it's good to be back home again" while I type away at this blog posting.)
 Next week will be spent back at home attending to several things that need done before we leave to go away. Did I mention Mr.O and I are heading for "jolly ole England" in just 12 more sleeps? There are still several things that need to be done. I had hoped to be sitting pretty with all my errands finished, but being away for an unplanned extended time in Ontario has changed that so I will be rushing to get ready this week. Oh well, no surprise, I always have such good intentions, but usually always end up scrambling at the last minute. Makes me feel better to have an excuse though...

I started a baby quilt in my "spare time" while I was away. Hope to get that finished this week. Also want to finish up the cushions I had started before I went away.

Obviously I will not be getting time to work on my red and white quilt, but it will wait for me, and when I return I have a weekend quilting retreat scheduled for the last weekend in October, so that will be lots of time for me to finish things up and still have time to get it quilted before the snow flies.

While I was away I bought myself a water bottle. Here is a review about it.
This is what my "anti bottle" looks like. It is BPA free, reusable, foldable ( but stands like a regular drinking bottle), dishwasher cleanable, attachable, identifiable, and freezable. It comes with an ECO-ALERT on the package. "Frequent use will reduce your carbon footprint." I love it. I am really trying to drink more water. It is so important and it sure hits home when you spend a lot of time in hospital seeing so many people so ill because of their lifestyle.

Want to see what happens when you don't hydrate enough?

Want to see what happens when you don't hydrate at all?

Oh dear...

Mr O is so diligent about keeping things ship shape while I am away. He really does well, considering he works full time, commutes almost 2 and 1/2  hours a day and still keeps his running schedule up as well as laundry, lunches, meals, shopping for groceries... He even cleans the bathroom!

However he did fall a little short in the plant watering department. I think these ones may beyond help...

Home again

Not me, but Mom. I brought Mom home from hospital yesterday around supper time. Gonna give it a couple days to see how she does and then I hope to book my ticket back home. I had planned on getting so many things done before the big trip, but that will surely not materialize. Oh well..it is what it is...

Just 3 weeks and 3 days till we are winging our way to The UK. I can hardly wait.

Packing light

Anyone who has ever had me come to visit overnight has probably noticed that I generally don't pack too light. I am guilty, I know I am...but I try, I really do try to pack lighter. I think I must suffer from separation anxiety.
I start out with good intentions and about 3/4' s of the way through I start "tucking" in things I might need. I need sweaters if the weather turns cold and sandals and t shirts in case it is warm, sneakers and socks in case I get time to go out walking, and of course I need needlework for the trip, and maybe an extra project or two just in case I finish one, or am missing something to work on a different one. I need a little something to read...not just a novel but magazines for browsing when I am tired of stitching. ...and the list goes on and one and on. Well Mr. O and I will be leaving on our much awaited trip to the British Isles in less than a month and we are only allowed one suitcase each. Not just any size suitcase either; it must be no more than 30x18x10. I will have to pack everything I will need for three weeks in one suitcase and still leave enough room to bring home any little "trinkets" I may discover along the way. I will definitely be doing a practice run in the packing dept.

There is something to be said though for packing  a couple extra things for "just in case" because I am in Sault Ste Marie Ontario right now. The original plan was to make a quick trip here to be with Mom during some important meetings concerning last years accident. I was to arrive Tuesday afternoon and be winging my way back home by 6 a.m. Friday. Here it is almost Tuesday of the following week and I still don't know when I am going home because Mom has taken a bad spell and is in hospital again. Hoping to have her improve enough to be home this week, but one never knows....

  

Living thoughts among the dead...

I took a little stroll through a cemetery today. I hope that doesn't sound morbid, but I do find old cemeteries interesting.

Our summer residence is one lot away from a very old cemetery. If you had told me at the age of 15 that this is where I would enjoy spending my summers I would have said NO WAY! I wouldn't go near a graveyard. ( I guess I watched  one too many scary movies when I was a teenager.)

I have many people ask if it bothers me to be so close to a cemetery, and I usually answer with one of the following comments; "Quite the contrary, my neighbours are very quiet." or " Not at all, when I wake up in the morning and realize I am still on this side of the fence it give me a reason to be grateful and enjoy the day."

I have to say it is a very well maintained place. It is at the very end of a road that comes down the middle of a point of land so we have water on 3 sides. The local residents are very respectful of their ancestors. There is not a day  that goes by when someone is not down here placing flowers or watering flowers at one of the many grave markers, because this is a cemetery that still allows you to plant rose bushes, or flowers at the grave site even though it does make the job of maintaining the lawns a lot more labor intensive. It is almost like strolling through a garden or a park.

Some of the gravestones are almost 200 years old.

Look at the writing on this one;

 I cannot even begin to imagine the grief a parent feels to bury 6 of their 7 children before the age of 3 years old. Out of seven children, only one lived to adulthood. Obviously it must have been a genetic weakness and not a plague or sickness, because they were born several years apart. With all the advancements in medicine that would not happen today, but it breaks my heart for the pain those parents must have felt back then.

Have you ever read The Nine Lives Of Charlotte Taylor by Sally Armstrong? Very interesting read. Sally will be here at the local library/museum  for a reading and book signing on Sunday afternoon. Charlotte Taylor's gravestone is here at the Tabusintac Riverside Cemetery.

Visitors and tourists are always asking where they can see the gravesite of Charlotte Taylor, which prompted this sign.

There is quite a story behind this marker.

It belongs to an unknown sailor. I am told by one of the locals that many years ago a large boat/schooner  from down "Boston way" drifted in to the wharf area. all on board were dead. Quite naturally the ship was kept quarantined and eventually all of the bodies were claimed but one. The  body was that of a black  man. (quite possibly the cook ) There was a bit of an issue as to burying a "black man" in a white cemetery, but the "good Christians" of the community won out and his body eventually was put to rest in the lower corner of the local cemetery; sounds like a story for Oprah,doesn't it?

Many of the locals take their evening walk down this point road to the cemetery , and sometimes stop and sit on the benches and look out over the water or take a walk on the beach. I met an elderly lady who used to drive down here in the early eveings and sit and write in her journal. She told me she called her journal, "Living thoughts among the dead". which I thought was quite fitting.

I have to tell you this is the best spot in the community to watch the sun rise or set and I don't mind living here one little bit!

Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live. ~Henry Van Dyke


“Do not fear death... only the unlived life.


You don't have to live forever;

You just have to live.”  Natalie Babbitt

Conference calling...

We had our first telephone conference quilting day! Our first of many I hope. I finished 2 more star blocks which brings my total to ten.

Just 2 more brings me to the half way mark for piecing all the stars;and you know it didn't hurt a bit. I thought it was going to be a really tedious job, but I am rather enjoying it. I am reminded of what I kept repeating to Mom during her rehab.  Some days she would get so discouraged because she didn't seem to be improving fast enough and I kept telling her, "Inch by inch life is a cinch, yard by yard life is hard." Sometimes I need to be preaching to myself ... Barb and I met at 9 this morning by phone and made one block and then took a break, had our showers did our exercise and then made a plan to meet back in the afternoon for another block. I needed to make a trip to the grocery store so I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone. It is about 8km return from the store so I took my bike, but I got a little carried away with my shopping and had a VERY heavy load in my basket on the return trip...

1 canteloupe
1 pineapple
small bag of apples
small bunch of bananas
box of baggies
2 litre bottle of 7-UP
5 lb. bag of oranges
along with my wallet and sweater and shopping bag made for a tricky drive back but I made it and rewarded myself with another hour of block making

Here is what I made.

I am off to Barb's blog to see the blocks she made. Come check them out with me...

Motivation, Family, and Quotes

My sister made a comment on a previous post about needing to be motivated to get back to her quilting projects. Here is what I said to her,
 " You know what I did. I committed to just one hour a day to finish a block. Then I wanted to get the next block done...
change it up a bit, start making some of your star blocks for the border. They look so nice that it really inspires you to get the next one done. Start with the 12" blocks...there are only 4 of them; one morning's work...just one morning.
A couple times last week I knew I was busy, but I set the alarm on my cell phone for one hour. Amazing how much you can get done in an hour...try it. I am trying to not to sweat the small stuff...so what if the shade of red is off a bit, or there is too much cream in one corner. When it is all quilted it really does not stand out.
Come on commit to starting the 12" pieced blocks...I still have to do 2 of them. Lets make a date...tomorrow morning. What time do you want to meet at our machines? Well our cutting tables really. We can each do the same block. How about the maple star block in 12 "? I need to do that one. Call me and we can put it on speaker phone till we get started...I'll be waiting.
Just promise not to put me to shame and leave me in your dust."


Well you know what? She took me up on the challenge and we are meeting at our sewing tables at 9 my time; 6 her time. You see we live 3000 miles apart, but that shouldn't stop us from being able to sew together. With the technology we have available to us and phone plans being what they are, this is doable!

Choosing a goal and sticking to it changes everything.     Scott Reed

I sure wish we lived closer together. I speak to people sometimes who see family members once or twice a year and they are only 2 hours drive away from each other...I can't understand it.
One of the positive things that have come about as a result of Mom's accident last summer is that I have been able to spend a lot more time with both of my sisters and my brother. I know there were days when I whined about being lonesome for Mr. O and my home, but I do cherish the times we had with Mom over the last year.

Back row; Barb and Wendy. Front: Gary and Pam

Pam gave me a copy of a picture of us three girls that is very special to me. I have it framed and beside another framed sketch of 3 ladies walking arm in arm with a quote above it.

This is the quote;

When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown

....and another one I came across this morning....

How do people make it through life without a sister? ~Sara Corpening

I am gone to sew with my sister, be back later with results.

 
 
 

A few more scenes of tranquility

Looking West from my sewing machine.





























Looking East in the wee hours of the morning.

Pictures of Paradise

I have a friend who refers to our summer place as our little paradise. On days like yesterday and mornings like today it would be impossible to argue with her. I took my camera out last night and again this morning to show you what I see from my sewing studio, and living room and kitchen; or almost anywhere you happen to be.

A little out of focus, but you get the idea. Sunset almost every night unless it is raining.

Many herons around. So interesting to watch them fish for their supper.

seaweed hanging from the anchor ropes of the rope. With the coming and going of the tides the scene changes daily.

Making progress and sharing a brilliant idea

Well, all the embroidered blocks are assembled and the first border is on.

Not the best photo, but as you can see, the border sure changes the look of things. I have also started adding the feather stitch to all the seams of the stitchery blocks. This is going to be a slow job. Doing the stem stitch, or outline stitch is relatively mindless, but I have to put a little more concentration into the feather stitch to try to make the spacing somewhat even. It's really adding to the overall appearance of the quilt though. Have a look see...

There are approximately 160 inches of seams to stitched, so it will be awhile before I get it finished.  I am trying to do at least 1 hour of work a day towards the stitching.

I have also been working on some pillows for a birthday gift in August. There will be three different ones. The first pillow is an appliqued house but still needs the words "God Bless Our Home" stitched on it.

The next one is to be a crazy patch elongated heart appliqued  to a linen background with a homespun plaid border; also with a verse stitched on it. I am still undecided about the third...been tossing around a few ideas with sunflowers or cone flowers and a crow..jury is still out on that one.

Now for a complete change of subject. I came across a very clever picture the other day. Who ever came up with this idea is brilliant! 

Just one of many great uses for those "binding clips" all we quilters have. I think this is especially handy for those of us who have a laptop. Every time I take it to the desk to plug or unplug one of the accessories, ie. the printer/copier I am fishing for the "other" end of the cord, and don't youjust  hate having all those cords hanging and tangled behind your desk? This is brilliant!

Zip! Zilch! Zero!

That's how many redwork blocks I did yesterday! I did however get all the stitched blocks pieced together and hope to put the first border around them and then start doing the "fly stitch" along along the block seams. Did I mention that this quilt is very labor intensive? I am enjoying it though...embroidery was my introduction to needle work and it is still my first love. So portable and versatile. I have such special memories of sitting with my Gran and stitching with her, while she did her "fancy work" as she called it. When she passed away I asked Mom if she could get me one of Gran's aprons ( she always wore an apron over her work dress) or her embroiderd pieces. Fortunately I got one of each. The embroidery piece was done on a bleached sugar sack and was done quite late in her life so the stitches are big, uneven and the colors are way out there, but that's ok with me...it's special because of who made it and because of all the memories it stirs up when I take it out and use it. ( I use it to cover my bread dough while it is rising)

 I have another stitchery project to do, but I am trying to hold off a bit. It may be the perfect handwork project to take on my trip in September; one piece of fabric and one color of floss. Simple and uncomplicated and not too bulky.

I have a busy day. Still have lots of rhubarb, so I am making a batch of freezer rhubarb/strawberry jam. ( I have to go pick the strawberries first) So yummy! I may get those strawberry rhubarb pies done too, although it would be better to wait until Friday and then I would not have to freeze them. I have company coming this weekend. Looking forward to seeing them and also looking forward to having a

little time

 to do

 this

too...

This is how summer days are meant to be spent.

or maybe stretched out in the hammock with a good book and a glass of lemonade.

I really hope to set aside at least one hour for the hammock and book idea. In fact I may just "do" lunch in the hammock today.

I'll be back tomorrow with pics of the center of my WW quilt.

Oh by the way, the title of this blog post brings me to the end of the alphabet postings. It's been challenging but fun.