Short but Productive Week

After catching up on a whole heap of laundry including foosty sleeping bags, I had to tackle some long overdue paperwork. Even Bumble found this chore dull - I wondered where she had gone for a sulk then discovered she had gone into sleep mode under my desk, camouflaged on a black sheepskin rug.

Because I had spent weeks working on BzB, I had a few customer quilts to tackle before I got caught up in preparations for Festival of Quilts. Luckily they were all modesty sized so I managed to complete FOUR in the few days I had left in a short week. I successfully dealt with a couple of short backings, wavy borders and one or two burst seams. 

I have two more large quilts to do before I can plan my FOQ demos and pack my bags, all still in the throes of the kids’ summer holidays, sleepovers and dietary requirements ranging from pescatarian and veggie to borderline vegan (don’t ask)!

Lazy Summer Days and Christmas in July

Our second week in Norfolk was spent happily not doing anything in particular, apart from spending time with friends and family whom we generally only see once a year. We had a trip to Norwich which is almost completely pedestrianised in the centre and has a decidedly continental air, compared to Aberdeen. The kids bought some old vinyl records and even cassettes since the Landy has a very basic radio. They actually enjoyed rummaging in vintage shops this year!

Bumble got to know the neighbourhood dogs on her daily walk which is a novelty because we don’t meet anybody at home. The girls were fascinated by how passing dog owners chat to each other about their doggy friends. 

We picked some delicious, jammy raspberries to make a summer pudding as a side order for Christmas pudding… My Dad had been in hospital over Christmas, following a serious car accident so the 19-pound turkey that he ordered was deposited into the freezer. The kids made paper hats from newspaper, hung some festive bunting and played a Christmas tunes playlist. My Mother, Sister, Freya and I prepared all the usual Christmas trimmings, including brussels sprouts. It was really good fun to have a turkey dinner in July without everything else going on that Christmas usually involves. Maybe we should make it a new family tradition.

Our last lazy day in Norfolk was spent loading up the camping gear and lashing 3 Persian carpets from my folks’ attic, wrapped in a tarpaulin onto the Landy’s roof rack. The kids were not enthused by the prospect of a long drive home but at least we had the “new” compilation tapes from 1988 to play in the Landy on the way home.

Latitude 2017

There was only one day at home to do some laundry and find summer clothes and camping gear to add to the wellies already in the car before setting out on the epic 500+ mile journey to Norfolk in the Landy. Bumble sat on Fergus’ lap the whole way and was not in the least phased by such a long trip with only a couple of brief stops. 

I acquired 3 extra teenagers in addition to my own and we loaded up oodles of gear, fairy-lights, instant noodles and a fair supply of booze. I intrepidly towed my folks’ 20-odd foot caravan down some narrow country lanes and arrived at Henham Park without any hassles. 

The 3 older kids had volunteered to be fire-watchers in return for free tickets so we did not see that much of them except for when we met up to see certain bands or decide what exotic street food stall to sample. 

We had fun living like gypsies for a few days - the showers were a long way off, I could not work out how to make the caravan water pump function and there was no electricity. Camping gas for fried eggs, freshly brewed coffee and candles for ambient lighting were perfectly sufficient. 

The weather was fair, not too hot or wet; we walked miles, saw an eclectic mix of bands, met up with old friends from Suffolk, and pretended to be hippies for the weekend. Mumford & Sons were tremendous on Saturday night and we saw some terrific emerging talent. 

I managed to get everyone back in one piece, apart from a few blisters and sunburn. Thank goodness for Doc Martens when we stupidly dropped the caravan on Freya’s foot while attempting to hitch it up ineptly. 

Bumble was pleased to see us despite having a very nice time with my sister’s little boys. Everyone reluctantly showered off the festival dirt and glitter and agreed that they had had a great time and would love to do it all again next year!

A Week in the North West Highlands

I did not actually look at a map before getting off for somewhere in the North West Highlands so I was a little surprised by how far north it was. We took the scenic route to Inverness, followed a “normal” 2-lane road to Ullapool then a single track road with free-range sheep and passing places for more than 20 miles. Despite the wet weather, the scenery was breathtaking. The craggy mountains were obviously extinct volcanoes and there were many mini lochs on the way.

The super cottage that we rented from friends in Achiltibuie had stunning views over a sea-loch, the Summer Isles and the Isle of Lewis. We could walk down a track to a stony beach and spot seals bobbing about near the shore. 

I spent a lazy week chilling out with my 3 kids and Bumble with no pressure to go anywhere or do anything in particular. We dabbled about on the beach, took a drive into town when it rained all day, had fish and chips, and a chilly boat trip to a small island which had a cafe in a shed. I took some paperwork which I ignored and a notebook which remained unopened. We read books, watched a couple of films and listened to music. Bumble enjoyed herself on the beach and was very happy to travel in the Landy as long as she could drink water out of a tin mug and get some dog snacks from my rucksack. 

It did not quite rain all week, which was just as well after the Landy’s windscreen wipers conked out. I only had to wear shorts once (with a wool cardigan), spent most of the week wearing wellies yet still ended up with a sun/wind tanned face. 

Everyone had a great time in the wilds with very little to do. There was actually more bickering during the one day at home when we had to do laundry and repack for our epic trip to England!

BzB is Done and Summer Hols Begin!

It took a few hours to sew the reverse of BzB’s binding by hand as I had to make sure that the stitches did not show at all. I decided to make a top sleeve in the end so if quilt judges don’t think the back is up to scratch then it will have to come off at a later stage. I added a subtle label to the pieced side and blocked it to straighten out the edges. It was not measured scientifically so I hope its weight will make it hang well enough.

I remembered that Shield Maiden is also going to FOQ - it did not seem to have been blocked before and also required a label. After getting both of the quilts ready to pack I had that weird feeling that I experience after finishing every major project. It is a combination of not being able to believe it is complete and also wondering what I should be doing to fill my time. I even considered preparing some piecing to take on holiday but thankfully I decided that several bottles of wine and some good books would do just as well. 

I loaded the kids, booze, festival trolley, bucket BBQ, and Bumble into the Landy late on Saturday morning and we set off on our road-trip to a cottage near Ullapool in North West Scotland. We took the scenic route, the last part of which was on single-track roads with sheep roaming freely. The cottage has magnificent views over Broom (sea) Loch and the Summer Isles. The weather forecast for the week is poor but we packed plenty of sensible clothing although Fergus may been seen wearing a floral raincoat because he decided against taking his own waterproof. 

We spent Sunday pottering around on the rocky shore, glimpsing seals in the waves. Bumble was exhausted after scrambling gamely over the rocks. Surprisingly, nobody else wanted to sample limpets boiled in seawater and I have to report that my curiosity is now satisfied. Without any parsley, garlic or butter to hand, they are gross! We have no major plans for our week apart from some exploring, fish and chips, and contentedly watching rain stream down the windows. If the sun comes out it will be a bonus but not essential for  us to enjoy a fun holiday.