Challenge Check #8 and Newses

Well firstly I'd say last week's lack of wordses was a yowling success! And I truly thank everyone who visited and left such kind comments on the daily photo-blast; I enjoyed your comments, and they helped with the week, which was fairly garbage, actually.

Secondly, the out-laws are alive and spitting. Here's the MIL's text from Saturday night:

'It sure was scary wading through the strong current almost waist level. A lot of damage was done- 14 out 0f 20 tents plus the Gift Shop were ruined. I had to clean out a muddy desk drawer and re-construct a wet muddy file and launder wet muddy money notes. There's a problem getting tap water back. M's been running round like a scalded monkey.'

(She's always rude about the FIL!) I guess all those Triathlons finally paid off?

The damage was considerable (if you're interested Google 'Samburu floods') and it'll be a while before the infrastructure is ready for guests again. Sos suggested their Granny should set up a professional money laundering project to tide them over the slump!

And now for the Challenge roundup:

At end of play on Sunday Heckety beat Henman 6-1, 6-2, 6-0. Weather permitting she will play Venus Williams later today, when she hopes to thrash Williams and prove once and for all the world superiority of Irish tennis players....yeah, yeah, and last time I played tennis 'properly' I lost three balls into the river and was banned indefinitely...

So- Dottie Angel Challenge:

The Hub decided to move the sewing junk from the kitchen to the spare room on Saturday so I had to put everything away properly afterwards. As a result I organised my fabric stash tidily and have re-found some great stuff!
OK, by your standards that may not be tidy, but I assure you that by mine it's 'practically perfect in every way'! (C'mon, who said that???? First correct answer gets a spot prize!) So now I can begin a new quilt!

The theme for Creative Every Day this month is 'Story'. I may be bending the rules here because although this quilt doesn't tell a story there is a saga attached to it:
I made the top before leaving East Africa when we were experiencing a shocking drought and we had forgotten what the colour green looked like. It had been about 18 months since rain fell. The orange and patterned fabrics were given to me from a friend's scrap box, dating from the '70s. The yellows were from various people and are a combination of satins, cotton and silk. The ivory silk is very beautiful; this is from the hem of a friend's wedding dress! Another friend made it and cut it longer than necessary as C couldn't decide what shoes to wear.

I packed it as an unfinished top as batting was very expensive there and I had no immediate need for it. Then about a year after arriving in Ireland I received a request for a quilt from someone organising an Exhibition so hauled this out, quilted it, and posted it to England where it was hung! It was the first time I'd had a quilt hung and I was thrilled skinny!

So there you go- story of a quilt, but sure doesn't every quilt that was ever made have a story?!

By the way, this coming Wednesday I'll post March's Barter/Swap, which will include a bunch of books, as promised, but if you just would like books without a swap then specify the title(s) and first come'll get it! The early bird catches the book!!

There was another thing to tell yous but I've forgotten so it'll have to wait until tomorrow!