A wonderful surprise (94)

Was I ever excited! I got home from having an MRI scan on my knee this morning to find that the postman had left me a parcel. A parcel from Candace. Beautifully packed with bubble wrap (now that's a bonus present on its own!), scrunched up paper and tissue paper.

And inside - a pretty little glass cat ornament, which will be a lovely addition to my Christmas tree this year; a dinky little bird house; a ruler holder thingy which will be brilliant to hold my smaller rulers steady; some thread and needles and four beautiful fat quarters! And she had packed the fabric in two of her lovely tea tins, so there's another bonus - pretty tins to keep things in. 

Thank you so much Candace, it was a really lovely surprise. I shall so enjoy planning what to make with the fabric.

I've had a busy day, so I'm now having some R & R. I had the MRI this morning - my left knee keeps collapsing. It doesn't hurt, just gives way, which is pretty amusing but does need to be sorted out. Just another of those boring things that seems to be happening this year. I did some shopping on the way back. Then I took No 2 son up to visit his grandmother in her nursing home. He was home on a very rare visit. This afternoon I ran him and his partner to the station so that they could get back to Brighton and popped in to Hobby Craft to get some thread. I also bought a diamond ruler - not that I actually need it, but had fancied it for some time. I think I will make some diamond strippy quilts perhaps.

I've also had a fancy to do some knitting. I've no idea why, because I never used to enjoy it that much, but there you go, these odd fancies strike every now and then. So I bought a pattern, some needles and some tweedy denim coloured wool. Should it ever be finished I will post a picture - but don't hold your breath!

Well - now it's back to the Olympics to catch up with what's been happening, and later some sewing I hope.

Another give-away (93)

Inger Lise has reached 100 blogs and is having a give-away. You can find her here.

Our first medal - and it's gold!! (92)

Hooray!!! Britain's first medal, and it's a gold! Nicole Cook has won the women's bicycle road race, in the most atrocious conditions. The rain probably reminded her of England!

Too early! (92)

Well, it's about 4.45 am here in the UK and I can't sleep, so I've been catching up with all the blogs, adding the Wylde Woman award and adding Linda's Bag and Bucket Swap to my sidebar. It's taken me ages to get these two on because I couldn't work out how to 'grab' the pictures. My Mac doesn't have a right click, but No 1 son reminded me how to do it.

It's pouring with rain - again - here. It's so strange reading about the searing heat some of you are having to contend with and knowing that we shall be lucky if the temperature rises above 23 degrees this week (that's 74 fahrenheit). I'm not complaining, though, as I always remind myself that this is the reason that England is so wonderfully lush and green.

I've been doing all the usual things this week - keeping the house tidy for potential viewers (2), hospital visits (2), shopping (too much, too boring) and sewing. No sewing finished enough to show pictures though. I'm sure I'll be getting loads of hand sewing done during the Olympic games, so I'll post some pictures soon.

Can I ask for your help for a new blog friend, Tracy. She has just started a new blog, Flower Pebble, and is gamely adding entries even though she has somehow lost the Add a Comment button. Does anyone have any ideas as to how she can get it back? 

I do hate to post without any pictures, so here's another one of my two wonderful boys at our picnic last week.

Well, since I'm still not sleepy, I'm going to switch on the television and see if I can find any Olympics.

Thank you Mary (91)

I've been very slow to acknowledge this award. Thank you so much Mary at Stitches and Ditches for awarding it. 

This award was created by Tammy Vitale to send love and acknowledgment to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

These are the rules of this award:

1.  You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post.

2. Link back to Tammy's blog site so that she can go and visit.

So, I've chosen three people whose blogs always give me huge enjoyment.

Amy (Amy's Passions) and Angela (So Scrappy) manage to fit so much in to their lives - teaching, young families and sewing.

Tanya  (Taniwa) lives in Japan, and I learn something new every time I read her blog.

Candace is 100!! (90)

Candace, at WraggedyPatches has reached 100 posts and is having a give-away. The prize is still a mystery, so have a look at her blog and sign up quickly. She puts me to shame - she started her blog after mine and has reached 100 before me. I just haven't been blogging much lately, but need to pull my socks up and get down to it.

Mystery solved + Help needed (88)

As promised yesterday, here's a picture of the mystery object.

Being a bit of a wally, I left the picture on my Picasa album, so some people saw it  too soon. It is of course a hat. DH spotted it when he went to a Malaysian exhibition in London last week, and added it to my birthday present pile. Julie recognised it instantly, as her brother had brought her one from the Phillipines. I can't see me actually wearing it, but it will look goo hung up on the wall somewhere.

I seem to have done a lot of sewing recently, but nothing much finished to show. I have finished the bag for Linda's Bag and Bucket Swap, but obviously I can't show you that yet. I've also finished a bag for my sister-in-law's birthday, quite a different pattern, so I can show you a picture.  

Don't you love the stripped pine door and the old lock and handle? We have doors like this throughout our house.

The other sewing I'm doing is getting caught up on all the odds and ends - BOMs, finishing off a couple of mini quilts etc - so that I can start something new. I've got lots of patterns I want to try, but don't have the mentality to start something new until I've finished everything else. No UFOs for me I fear. This week I'm also going to get stuff ready for hand stitching during the Olympics. I think the time difference will mean that I'm watching repeats, but I'm sure the BBC will have a daily programme that I can watch. 

Chookyblue is organising a Christmas swap, so if you fancy joining in hurry and sign up as I imagine it will fill up fast. I haven't put the logo in the side bar (nor the Bag and Bucket swap logo) as I can't seem to work out how to do it. I managed it with the Stitchers' Angel and Noah's Ark pictures, but seem to have had a senior moment and forgotten how I did it! I've got a Mac, which doesn't work in quite the same way I think. If anyone can help out I'd be eternally grateful.