Illyria

My line manager forbade me to take any work home this weekend so I have been trying to revitalise - I have done no cooking and went to visit the Loch Lomond Quilt show yesterday. I managed two venues in an hour and a half, but Mira was getting to the noisy stage and couldn’t be bribed with gingerbread men anymore so we had to leave. It was very inspiring and so I started recycling another pair of shoes…

I had thought about this crazy lace patchwork idea before but after tramping through the heels of another pair, and failing to find anything I liked on Argyle Street yesterday, eco-friendlyness, creativity, economy and therapy once again come together in beautiful harmony! Lace from Charlotte and my stash, dyed with silk paint, applied with fabric glue, to be anchored firmly with beading. Watch this space! The ones I collaged with stamps last summer keep cracking, so I may have to find another use for them… ivy planters maybe?

We have had some gorgeous weather lately…

I am now in my last trimester, and really it doesn’t seem so bad compared to the sickness! Constantly trying to do less and not really succeeding. Mira is absorbing new and surprising vocabulary like a sponge  - we have chatter about antennae and Gary-the-builder and the A-Team. Today’s word was ‘alien’. We made our first necklace together and love garlicky chilli food.

Ben is tired out by all this female freneticity. But he gets lots of kisses, cuddles and tickles to cheer him up.

• The guy in the wheelchair whose son killed himself a fortnight ago, singing ‘Blessed Be Your Name’ with all his might at church last week. Those lyrics came out of a similar choice…

• Mark Hadfield from Inverness who came out with me to interpret dreams at the weekend.  Check out http://www.underthecanopy.net/

• This quilting blog http://www.filminthefridge.com/, and this one http://oneshabbychick.typepad.com/one_shabby_chick/, and this one http://aquiltisnice.blogspot.com/