Yet Another Stupid

Yesterday mid to late morning I received a call from a friend: 'We're having an early lunch at the café down the road from you, come join us! Ten minutes!'

Oh how lovely, sez I and rush around collecting keys, phone, money, put the fire-guard in front of the fire (yup, still not warm enough to let the fire die out), lock the back door, jump into the car, look at the clock and think: 'What a cinch, I'll easily make it in ten minutes.'

Something felt funny though and I looked down at myself to find...

...I was still wearing my pyjamas!

Aaagh!

(The weather is so bad and drying clothes so difficult that I've been staying in pjs until all the chores are done, as its easier to launder them than jeans or tracksuit pants, and cleaning out the fire etc gets pretty mucky.)

So I leapt out of the car, rushed into the house to dress and comb hair and then got caught behind a four-miles-a-fortnighter at the end of the lane. I was only five minutes late though, which, considering the circumstances was pretty amazing of me, don't you think?

Picture this...

Here's the scenario:

You plug away at whatever it is you do in the day-time, then you come home and get on with the chores- laundry, cleaning, ironing, washing up, yadda yadda fill in the gaps for yourself...you prepare the dinner, serve it, tidy up, take whichever child to whichever activity it needs to attend, sit in the car for an hour or two reading and knitting, or dash to Tesco late opening for groceries, return home, give same child snack or hot chocolate depending on request, send it off to finish homework or watch TV quota, and at last you can relax!

You look at the clock, nearly 10 pm, hmmm, how to use the next hour before bed? You look at your sewing table...ok.... (read 'sewing chaos' for table), and then PING! lightbulb moment! you recall a pattern you are wanting to try out....
...and next thing you know its 3am, you are elbow deep in half made Log Cabin blocks, ankle deep in fabric scraps...its not even Friday, and a normal work day awaits in five hours....

Holy Jerusalem!

When will I learn NOT to begin new patchwork projects on week days after supper???

To sleep or not to sleep - that is the question...

As I woke about 2am and was fed up lying in the dark making mental 'To Do' lists, I got up this morning at 4.15! After a leisurely HOT cup of tea I set to on the kitchen and got lots of chores done before the Hub's alarm went off at 5.15am. It was so peaceful and productive, and I enjoyed ploughing through the 'Jobs Waiting' list.

Afterwards I drove the Hub to work in the pitch dark, and was home again by 6am and in the shower. I love towns and cities at night, or in the early morning before the beast wakes and starts to roar. Years ago the Coast bus used to arrive in Nairobi about 4am and the last hour of driving round the city delivering people was interesting. The street lights made the place exciting and hid the grime, I know it hid all sorts of other things too, but on the surface it was beautiful. And this morning driving through Finisklin Industrial area had a similar feeling for me.

Anyhow: I made muesli (lots of chopping and mixing), the Hub's packed breakfast and lunch, folded and delivered dry laundry and hung two loads of wet washing, put away yesterday's groceries (yeh, yeh, should have been done yesterday I know), figured out a quilt pattern I want to make (after the one I'm about to begin today), put beans on to soak for later cooking as there may be company to lunch, watered the plants (I've a LOT!) (and myself, accidentally), and am now drinking my second cup of HOT tea and writing to you!

Its going to be a long day, I think...

Last night I decided to try and upload some of my hand-made bags to ebay to sell. 'Try' being the operative word! Two hours' work and then I did something silly and lost it all. Clever huh? Well I thought I'd try again later, and if I succeed I'll have a celebratory cup of tea!!!

Where has all my Friday gone?

Since I have two guests coming this weekend, a friend of B's for two nights tonight, and the Hub's Mother tomorrow afternoon, I think I'd better be getting on with the housekeeping. A mattress shaped space needs clearing upstairs for a start, as well as cleaning, laundry, baking, and bathrooms cleaned. Also the dogs have hidden something in the hall I think as there is an odd smell so I need to find out what it is before it becomes a bad smell! (and remove it...)
I had B in school by 8.10 am, I suspect she was early as she had forgotten to do some homework but I'm not sure, and the grocery shopping done by 9.30am which I thought was fairly efficient, and then stopped by the folks to see all was well and, as usual stayed too long. Bro and a sister arrive today for the weekend so we are all at dinner with the folks tonight, even more reason for me to get my skates on here.
Anyhow, here are two photos I took yesterday evening on the bridge in town- just as a moment of serenity! Oh and I had a lovely time with my friend yesterday evening, we talked so much we got locked into the coffee shop without noticing- the staff just left us yakking and got on with doing all their clearing!!! When we found out we laughed so much- actually we didn't discover until B arrived down from school and thought I was joking when I said I was still in Pepper Alley! 'But Mom, its all locked up!'
Have a good day and I hope to catch up with yous all tomorrow!

Not impressed

Considering there has only really been two of us at home this week, apart from brief forays in search of clean clothes from Sos, I'd like to make a formal complaint concerning the amount of laundry, washing up, and ironing which have accumulated.

To whom it may concern:
I am not impressed.
Yours,
Heckety.


Two days ago B discovered the Farm game on Facebook, and has been very busy playing it. Great enjoyment has been derived especially from the peculiar time frames involved in growing the various crops. Apparantly strawberries take four hours from planting to harvesting, and I think wheat takes four days! She has been giggling away to herself, not good for the asthma, but great for her morale. As the children and grandchildren of gardeners and farmers she and Sos have been highly entertained at the ridiculousness (is that a legitimate word?) of it all. But it has kept her happy so who cares?

The Hub returned home this afternoon from his week's course; the subject was ultra-sound, as usual I got the wrong words, as I frequently do. I love words but the correct ones don't always lodge in my mind, or come out of my mouth (or fingers, I suppose, since I'm typing).

Have any of you seen the film 'Secondhand Lions' with Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osmond? We first saw it a few years ago then recorded it last week off the TV.We have watched it three nights in a row because it is just such great entertainment. Its set in '50s America and concerns responsibilities and imagination and growing up. I'd really recommend it.

New books!

During the week I received a package from Amazon containing two books I was really looking forward to studying:

Fearless Design for every Quilter- L. Torrence and JB Mills

Aurora- Jane Kirkpatrick

The 'Fearless Design' book will have to wait until September, but I have been dipping into 'Aurora' and it is a lovely collection of quilts, photos, and writing. Last year I read Jane Kirkpatrick's book 'A Clearing in the Wild' which is the beginning of the story of Emma Wagner Giesy and her trek from Bethel, Missouri across to the Oregon Territory, and eventually, Aurora. Emma was a real person and in the 'Aurora' book she becomes even more tangible as we can see her quilts, and her daughter's. Its like spending time with family, or in your Grandmother's linen chest, just lovely!

Another thing I came across today in a magazine is a website for rural women enterprisers...enterprising women?...entrepreneurs, that's the word! http://www.farmtasticwomen.com/ , I'm going to download one of the free documents and have a look.

Apart from that I cleaned the house, very boring, sewed on the one border of the quilt I'd put together, progress, read most of a Georghette Heyer novel I haven't read in years, yummy, made two lots of soup and boiled the chicken bones for broth. The trunks were delivered today and Dilly came home for a few days to be mollycoddled! This evening I had a call from a previous parishioner of our Church asking whether I would play the Organ for her daughter's Wedding in October. The hymns for tomorrow are prepared: the Hub is taking the Service in another Church tomorrow as their Rector is on holiday, and as his portable Organist, I'm playing.