Birthday Week with Freya

I only worked a 3 day week so I could have 2 days off with Freya. She was working her job from home with Nessie’s help and it was so nice to have some company. She took Nessie for midday walks and cooked something delicious most evenings. We made a successful vegan apple cake and even delicious vegan Scottish tablet. 

It was great to have help to do some jobs that I had been putting off like hanging up some string lights (which have only come on once so far) and repotting some house plants. We had a blustery outing to bohemian Totnes where we had lunch outside at The Hairy Barista while watching ageing hippies go to a daytime disco in the coffee bar opposite. 

My sister sent some knitted bunting for my kitchen and I received some lovely tulips which I had to put into a tall Tupperware tub as I don’t have a vase.

People living on Dartmoor had a super show of the Aurora the other night but it was too misty here in town. Since then it seemed to rain constantly so we did not bother to make a trip to the seaside and most of the National Trust properties are completely closed until Spring. Freya and Nessie were happy to stay at home but we did nip out into Tavi to get a pasty between downpours. The weather was so stormy that the sea wall protecting the train track in Dawlish was partly washed away but Freya’s train managed to get through. Typically, after my visitor departed,  the sky cleared to a bright blue and we had a warm, sunny day. 

At work this week will be a Bernina 990 retreat for 4 days so I put together a table runner for the event. I am hoping to participate in the course so I can be more au fait with the flagship Bernina sewing machine. It will be interesting to see if I enjoy the machine embroidery aspect. 

I did not plan in advance for Burns’ Night so have not managed to procure a haggis or a neep. That could be an activity the next time I see my children even if it is out of season!

Girl Visitors

Customer Quilt

This week I have been entertaining my 2 lovely girls, Freya and Nella. There has been a lot of washing up but plenty of helpers to deal with it. I made some genuine Scottish tablet which turned out perfectly but you can feel your teeth rotting!

I had another go at working out the best way of constructing a puff quilt and have decided that French seams are the answer. 

At work I reconstructed a table runner for B990 using Q-Matic. I also tried using its own built in jumbo stitches to embellish the project which I found a bit tricky because I have not done the training course and the manual does not give step by step instructions. I think it will work out well and I have enjoyed getting to know how to do machine embroidery.

The girls and I walked from Calstock village to Cotele and had lunch in the National Trust cafe. Nessie sat on Nella’s lap to stop her from barking as a protest about having to sit on the floor like a normal dog. 

They gave me a great early birthday present - Bokashi compost bins which ferment food scraps of any sort. It looks like I am all set to become a keen gardener. But first I have to sort out the mould in the shed.

Do I miss Proper Snow?

Do I miss proper snow? - certainly not;) There has been severe winter weather in Aberdeenshire since New Year’s Day and I can imagine how wet it will be in my workshop when that all melts. We had a mere sprinkling of snow in Tavistock and rather icy roads for a few days. A gritter lorry actually tipped over on the edge of Dartmoor, which is ironic. We had a red storm warning at the end of the week but it really landed in Southern Cornwall. In bed in my stone cottage I hardly noticed it. I must have done a really good job of filling in the gaps in my shed because everything is now covered in mould due to a lack of ventilation. I need a few fresh, blowy days for everything to dry out!

At work we gradually caught up with post Christmas orders and getting prepared for forthcoming classes. I came up with an L890 project after being reminded of Nella’s puff quilt. I think it is super cottagey but a lot of people think it is only suitable for a pet bed. It’s a bit like making mince pies - you need just enough filling but if you put in a fraction too much it all becomes a bit messy. 

I went on an outing to Totnes with Jo and Karen. The town was bustling with independent shops, a Saturday market and a definite hippy vibe. I could imagine living there except it is rather expensive. I restocked on spices and bought some Tilda fabric to get started on my puff quilt. Once Nessie and I have been out for yet another wet walk I aim to get started…

I was Lied To! (about snow)

When I first moved to Devon and asked what would happen when the roads became icy, a local person told me it happens extremely rarely. Well, I had planned a last day of the holidays trip to the seaside and woke up to snow on the ground and rooftops. It is not nearly as much as in Aberdeenshire but I think Devon Council only owns one gritting lorry so the roads are not treated to the extent that they are in Scotland. It actually makes me more nervous to drive here on ice than it did when I lived in the North. Nessie and I will walk into town instead and go for hot chocolate. 

I spent Hogmanay in Glasgow with my children at a very nice tenement flat of one of their friends. Nella and I were in bed by 2 am but the boys straggled in around 6am. Our Christmas and New Year holidays were super relaxed but frankly, exhausting. I have become very used to living on my own and going to bed early. I am glad I decided to travel down a couple of days before returning to work. It took me about 12 hours to get back to Tavistock because I detoured via Ilkley to drop Nella off for her friend’s birthday. I enjoyed time with the children very much but Nessie and I were delighted to sleep in our own bed. 

I don’t have any life changing plans for the year ahead other than to make more effort to just DO stuff, like going out for the day instead of rearranging my cupboards. June and July could be potentially busy with an invitation to a school reunion, Nella’s Grad Fest, Graduation and a holiday with the 3 Fs! Life is short - I need to make the most of it!