Lucky Me!

Image by Suzanne Gummow from the Beneath Southern Sky Exhibition which will be on display at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC, Birmingham next week.

H has at last bought a smartphone and we've managed to link our calendars - rather H has linked his calendar and I had to create one as I keep everything a) in my head and b) on a paper calendar in the kitchen when I remember to write it down.  One of the dates I added was the Festival of Quilts which runs at the NEC in Birmingham - strictly speaking just outside Birmingham - next week 8th -11th August, and thanks to the miracles of technology I realised that Thursday 8th was actually free and H will be at home. 
I hadn't got round to getting a ticket when I read this post on Janet (Clare's) blog  and, lucky me, she emailed after I left a comment to say she would send me a ticket!  I've had Janet's book, Freya and Fred, for some while with plans to make several things, and I'm looking forward to see her newest one and to meet Janet and her Mum.  I'm constantly cheered by the kindness of the blogging community and it's lovely to occasionally meet another blogger in person.  So, is anyone else going on Thursday? I expect to get there reasonably early and stay to about 3.00.  I must try to remember to take photos this time, if only with the camera phone.

Monday was my birthday, so Daughter, Grand-daughter and I went to Tewkesbury and had a pleasant cafe lunch and a potter round the shops.  It rained, of course, as it always does on my birthday but it was only showers and we dodged those.  The next birthday on the horizon will be Grand-daughter's first in October.  She's an absolute delight at the moment. crawling and pulling herself up on the furniture and waving and clapping. She is also very vocal and shouts with pleasure when something pleases her and has a really deep throaty chuckle when amused.  We are to have her one day a week from September when Daughter goes back to work - she's the perfect anti-dote to M.

Lazy Summer Days?.....

So far today, I have:

Loaded a Queen Elizabeth I Virginals - not the original but an excellent modern copy made by this chap here - into the car at the crack of dawn, and sent H off to loan it to someone to play at a concert this lunch time. A particularly delicate operation involving its own padded travel case and a fair number of cushions and blankets.

Dealt with all M's morning routine from shower through eyedrops aand breakfast to morning drinks.

Watered the garden, which I forgot to do last night as I was caught up in H's battle with the printer to make programmes for today

Checked a load of Tax Returns and Company Accounts because I've set myself a deadline of 26th July to have the whole lot finished before my birthday then I can forget them until September when things start to need submitting

Drunk more coffee than is strictly necessary and tried to remember to drink a glass of water each time

Had a text conversation with Daughter which included photos of Grand-daughter, and a phone conversation with H who'd inevitably forgotten some vital piece of information which had to be looked up on the computer - keep telling him to buy a smartphone!

I'm now waiting for my vegbox to come and wondering what I can give M for lunch - which gives me 20 minutes to write this post before I have to go and cook - M won't eat salad.


It's been a mixed week.  On Monday, Daughter, Grand-daughter and I made a visit to Judith (of Relatively Retiring blog) and spent a little while enjoying her lovely garden.  Tuesday and Wednesday H was out and I tried to deal with M's endless complaints about the heat without losing my temper and get some housework done.  I can't say I was totally successful on either count!  I had hoped to sew some cotton trousers for baby F who is now crawling and getting sore knees, but they're still sitting cut out but not sewn on the sewing table, although I know they only take 20 mins or so make.  The fourth time I had to traipse from the basement to the first floor to open/close a window, fill a glass or change trousers to skirt and back again for M, I decided I couldn't concentrate enough to use the machine and gave up.  Perhaps this afternoon or tomorrow?  I made one pair last week

I love this elephant print:

Yesterday we went to Art in Action.. I had my doubts about taking a small person, but by and large it was a success - plenty of shady spots to rest and eat or drink.  Didn't manage to take many photos though I thought these dogs were rather fun.    It was very hot but not overcrowded and it was just nice to get out of the house.  The journey was tedious but bearable - what did we do before aircon, babyseats and coolbags? 

 Now I'm off to enjoy my newly painted decking which is in the shade - well after I've been up and down with M's juice, M's lunch and M's after lunch drink.  Might just get myself some lunch and sit outside to eat it - but where's the veg box man got to?

Hope you all have a lovely weekend - H is out tomorrow.  Why I wonder am I not slimmer with all this stair climbing - one of life's many mysteries!