Oops, catching up time

Oh, dear.  I really didn't intend to disappear for so long, actually until I logged into blogger today I hadn't realised how long it has been since I last posted.  Oops.  It's quite scary how time can disappear so quickly and relatively unnoticed.

We had a couple of weeks of house chaos and mess with builders knocking down a wall, knocking through another to create a new doorway and then building a new wall.  It was pretty horrendous while it lasted.  I can just about cope with dust and mess and noise but I really don't like having other people, however nice, in the house for so long quite - I guess I just like my space.  But now it's pretty much done, apart from loads of decorating that we'll need to squeeze in sometime.  The boys have bedrooms each, both with room for a spare bed and plenty room to play, and our study is smaller but a much better shape.  Definitely a good piece of work and worth saving up for.

We also had 3 days with no kitchen.  The built-in cooker that came with the house finally died to such an extent that even John agreed it needed replacing (yippeee - I didn't sabotage it, honestly, tho' I have wished I could for the last 3 years!).  Because it needed to be cut out I was able to wangle new solid wood (from Ikea - I love them) surfaces too.  The new cooker has a double oven and even four working rings (quite a revelation!) and with the new surfaces the kitchen looks a whole load better without too much cost.  Yay.  I do feel very lucky and am making sure to remember to enjoy it all.

There is a purpose to these cycling photos, really.  A few days ago we made a trip to Glentress - our closest mountainbiking centre (I've been visiting Glentress since I was a kid but in those days just for walking, as a student to get my chainsaw certification and for numerous fieldtrips, and many times for work too.  It is a bit of a leading centre for mountainbiking........which it does beautifully in amongst lots of walking and horse-riding and also producing some pretty stunning timber and wildlife habitat too.  That's what I love about forests - they can be so many things at once).  John loves his mountainbiking and, as a qualified leader, he runs a club for teenagers.  Finn and Angus probably made their first self-propelled trips when they were about 5 or 6 and Islay has been many times in the bike trailer or on the back of my bike.  The boys progressed to blue routes last summer which makes them feel very proud of themselves (trails are graded like ski-runs from green, blue, red and then black as the hardest).

We decided that Islay was ready to try the green run by herself.  And boy did she have a good time!  She did have a fall but picked herself up and carried on.  She 'wheee-ed' her way round the corners and finished, after 50 minutes or so, with a huge grin on her face.  Sometimes we remind the boys, when they have had enough of pink and girliness, that there aren't many not yet 4 1/2  year old little sisters or brothers who would be able to do what she does (she actually started cycling without stablilisers this time last year).  That's my girl!

I have a commission from a lovely couple to make a cot bed set for their baby boy who is due this summer.  I emailed pictures of suggested fabrics and after a few tweaks we came up with a set which while suitable for a baby will also work when he is an older boy using his bed.  It is lovely to be working with people who are so interested and really appreciate the value of hand-made.  Today I finished quilting the quilt (top shown pieced below), the fitted sheet is made and the pillow case top is ready for quilting too.  Then I'll be onto the bumper and mobile - he's going to be one lucky little boy! 

Alexandra asked for confetti blocks for her month of the Fresh and Funky Bee.  It really stumped me for quite some time.  Her gallery pictures were so pretty, as were those made by the rest of the group, but I couldn't think of a design that I was happy with.  Once I sat down and thought about what confetti means to me I knew what I wanted to do.  To me, confetti conjures an image of tiny paper hearts floating in the air at a wedding and also cherry blossom gently blowing in the breeze.  So I have tried to capture these two images in my blocks.  The heart and blossom shapes are stitched down in a continuous line that stretches from the top-most piece to the bottom.....hopefully suggesting gentle floating down to the ground! 

                                                                                                                          

I had an exciting reason, to be revealed next time, for putting together this cushion top.  It is intended for our bed - along with the quilt I'll make from my bee blocks....nearly all sent back and looking fantastic, I can't wait to show you them.

So,  thanks for bearing with me through that mammoth catch-up (if you knew how many things I decided you could do without knowing you would be very relieved!).  I have a couple of exciting things to share next time, including the reason for staying up late to make that cushion top!  I'll try and be back sooner.

In the meantime I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and get to enjoy some time with family and friends.