We have pictures at last!!!

I took my camera and associated wires and bits and bobs into work today, to see whether the problem with downloading was with the camera or the PC.

I managed to find one that was operating just fine.

Mind you, the temptation was then to download all zillions and zillions of holiday photos - but I managed to be firm with myself, and just download a few to show here, as well as uploading to a couple of other places.

First up is a mini quilt that I made for the monthly challenge on the yahoo BQL (and if only I could remember how to put in hyperlinks....).

The idea is that every month you make a small quiltlet and post a photo for everyon else to admire. The catch is that the password for the following month is only released to those who manage to get a photo up by the end of the month. Miss the password - and you have to figure out the challenge for yourself, based on the photos that others have put up......

What with one thing and another, I've missed a number of deadlines, so I figured that I may as well have a go - I looked at the photo, and it was log cabin - one of my personal favorites. It's made with 1" strips, and has ended up about 10.5" wide. I love the way it's worked out - but I'm not happy with my quilting - I was being too slapdash again.....

Secondly, here are the blocks that I got back as part of a bock swap with quilter in Montana. The theme was 'Autumn' and all blocks had to be made with batiks. I absolutely love every block I've received - and can't wait to start getting them together (yes, hmm, that 'll be sometime next summer then...).

I was supposed to make 20 blocks, but ended up making 23 (it's a long story...) - so I think I'll probably make another 1, which gives me 24 - a nice round number - to make a quilt from.

And lastly for today - look at this lucious creation!!



Alas, not one of mine - I paid 25p for it (woefully underpriced) at a sale at my local quilting group. The lady who made this just likes to make them for fun.

She can come and live at my house any time she likes!!!

Needless to say, within about 5 minutes of buying it, something strange had happened:

Wonder how many Weight Watcher points are in one home made cupcake.......

Hello (again again)

Okay - no posts for six months or so, and then 2 in one day????

I've spend the last hour or so trying to get my photos off the camera and onto the PC so that I could (start) to get up to date with everything, but although I have flashing lights, I have no movement of pictures.

Where have they gone? Why is the light flashing if nothing's actually happening?

I'm going to try again tomorrow, but for now, you'll have to make do with words.

I've been to a workshop with Ferret, and almost completed a wall hanging (pictures to follow)
I've been to Newfoundland for three weeks and had the most amazing time (approz 3 zillion photos to follow)
I've started a quilt for my sister in law, from the Eleanor Burns book 'Victory Quilts'.
I had a BIG birthday (which was a disaster from start to finish), so no pictures of that, but I'm planning a re-run next year.....

Hello (again)

It's been a long time since I posted.

A lot has happened here.

This is quite a negative post, and there are no pictures (you've been warned!!!!).

I arrived back from Stuttgart to find that Mr ZZ was poorly. Not physically poorly, but the sort of poorly you get when you've been out of work for 2 years, and the prospects of getting anything else seem to be fading by the day, in a city where the 'Situations Vacant' in the local paper has gone from a large supplement to a page and a half. The poorly that you get when you have no disposable income of your own at all, and you wonder whether it's worth carrying on at all becaue you perceive yourself to be a burden; you don't even want to go to the supermarket to get the groceries, or to the newsagents to get a paper, because you think that everyone is wondering why a fit young(ish) man is around in the daytime.

It all became quite horrendous (you know things are bad at home when you positively look forward to going to work and dread the weekends and evenings!!!), and I didn't feel that I could talk to my family, long-term friends or colleagues about this - I didn't want them to judge Mr ZZ, whom they know and love. But I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to my quilting friends, none of whom have ever met Mr ZZ, but who were supportive and non-judgemental, and who were always there for a shoulder to cry on (which makes me think that probably my family would have been great as well and that it was me who was making a wrong judgement).

On a much happier note, Nr ZZ graduated in May - he's spent the last 7 years studying part-time with the Open University for a degree in history (we met through the OU, at a summer school in Stirling, but that's a whole other story....). Friends and family (who knew nothing, remember, of how he'd been struggling with just getting up and getting on with things) came and celebrated with him - cards and gifts came a-flying through the post - and I think he suddenly realised that actually he would be missed.

Armed with his 2:1, he applied for an MA at our local university, but was very pessimistic - 'they won't look twice at me - I'm too old and I've done nothing with my life....' and much to his surprise, they offered him a place in June, and he started last week. The difference has been incredible over the last three months - it's as though he's re-emerged from a deep sleep.

To be honest, although I should perhaps have shared this with family and close friends, he knows that they are unaware of his illness, and it's made it easier for him to start to recover. It does make me very angry indeed that there's such a stigma attached to mental illness - a broken leg, and sympathy would have been poured over him - have a breakdown, and people cross the road to get away from you.

There's a long way to go yet, and I'm sure there will be relapses, but for now things are looking happier.