Spanish Experience

At long last, five minutes to sit down and show you some of the photos taken on our trip to Spain, but I suppose better late than never!

Our journey took us down  French Atlantic coast as far as Bordeaux , a beautiful city which deserves its World Heritage site status and which is also the centre of one of France's main wine  producing areas.  Strange to think that if you go back in history this area one was part of the British Isles (together with Brittany itself!).  A quick dash inland towards Toulouse and a  glimpse of the walled city of Carcassone   put us well on our way to the Mediterranean coastal highway.

Our overnight stop was at Coulioure , a very pretty town practically on the Spanish border and one we visited a couple of years ago. Unfortunately by this time the light wasn't too grand and the photos area bit dark

See the fortress on the hill top ?

    

We were luck enough to stay at the  Madeloc Hotel as we did on our last visit, and this was the view from our balcony - not the sea unfortunately, but a lovely jumble of rooftops caught in the early  morning sunlight ( just pretend the wires aren't there!!)

A quick breakfast then off to the border and into the land of olive trees and orange groves....

.......dried hams....

............ colourful rugs.....

....not to mention churches!

I don't usually take photos inside churches, but in this little one  I  was practically ordered to do so by the caretaker!  He was obviously very proud of it and quite rightly so,  and so's not to cause any offence, I took his photo too!

As this is turning into a picture heavy, long post,  perhaps I should stop now and  come back another day with the rest of the photos - oh yes! there are lots more :-)

From Beauties to Basics.......

.... and it doesn't get much more basic than 9s & 4s does it?

This latest finish couldn't be more different to yesterday's quilt, but in its own way just as pleasing.  The pattern was one I found on the Web some time ago, but can't remember  exactly where, so  I'm not able to give credit to the original . I think it might have been one of the major fabric companies, possibly Windham , all I do know is that it is very pink in the download pattern but unfortunately no sign of a name anywhere!


Finishing at 58" x 68" it's a reasonable size lap quilt and used up quite a lot of my scrap bag pieces, which is always good :-)  Would you believe that I took it to Spain to finish the binding - maybe not such a brilliant idea to have a quilt draped all over you given that the daytime temperatures were in the mid 30s, but it certainly came in handy later in the evening when it cooled down !!

Late Entry!

Almost missed getting my entry in for the Bloggers Quilt Festival Spring 2010  thanks to a flying visit from DD and DGD! We had a lovely long weekend with them filled with glorious sunshine, but as usual the house is VERY empty now that they've returned to the UK.

I think this time I have to choose the Vintage New York Beauties quilt I made a little while ago from Valori Wells  book 'Radiant New York Beauties' .

Why this one - well, because it was a number of 'firsts' for me!

My first (and probably last) paper pieced quilt.
My first attempt at applique using the  freezer paper method - something I will try again as I did enjoy it
My first attempt at free motion quilting that wasn't stippling - came out not too bad in the end luckily

So,  all in all,  even though it took  me ages to finish and at times drove me almost mental -  it is a quilt that I am proud of now .

AWOL ...

....and a change!

Way back when at the end of last year, I booked us a break in a milder part of Europe during February to break up the winter months.Unfortunately, things went a little off course when DH's health took a turn for the worse, but luckily I managed to change our booking without loosing any money, which is always a bonus, and this time we actually made it to Spain!Almost 3 weeks in glorious sunshine with nothing to do but relax, read and a  do little stitching !

.
A sea front apartment complete with balcony where we could watch the world go by when we felt too lazy to walk the 50 yards or so to the beach, and with good restaurants also within a couple of hundred metres - what else could you ask for ?

Naturally there are lots of photos, but just for the moment the washing machine seems to be taking up all my time, but not to post without a single one, just a little taster :-)

View from our balcony - not bad, eh ?

The change - well, it must be a reaction to the lovely Spanish sunshine, but I thought that I would brighten up the Blog with a new template, do you like it ?

Before I forget, Amy is hosting another Blogger's Quilt Festival next week,  it really is good fun with lots of eye candy and prizes too so why not join in !

A Finish

The beautiful weather continues in this part of Brittany - cloudless blue skies and at last no more high winds, in fact there has been barely a breeze over the last few days, so it must be that Spring has arrived this time!

Most of  the last week has been spent trying to get some kind of order back into our very unruly garden after the weeks of neglect . The very cold frosty weather we had in March hasn't helped either as its ruined all the camellia and azalea blooms, so at the moment there's not a great deal of colour around, but  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the very new buds that are just peeping out on the clematis!

One thing that did bring a little colour to brighten the days was my Stacked Coins quilt.  You might remember this post when I talked about joining in the No Strings Attached challenge, well two things happened to make me decide  to drop out.  Firstly,  life got in the way and time became very precious, and secondly having chopped up all my fabric, I was mortified to learn that 'coins' didn't count as 'strings' - another lesson in quilting terms!!

Not  really wanting to start anything else and create yet another UFO(!) I carried on with the Coins quilt and I am so glad I did as it finished up so bright & cheerful!

It's being donated to the local Sainte Croix Animal Welfare Group to be raffled to help raise funds,  and I am sure the animals that benefit won't worry if it's technically not a 'string' quilt - but lets hope it the 'coins' multiple to great numbers!!

Special Treat!

Its been such an age since I've managed to get away from home to do anything other than visit supermarkets, sit in doctors waiting rooms or hospitals that I promised myself that when the first warm Spring day arrived it would be used for a special treat .Well, today was that day and our treat was a trip to the coast and a favourite spot of ours, the beach at Landrezac  and its neighbour le Gree Penvin.

The weather was made to order, up to 19 degrees C in the shelter of the dunes and the sea was calm and looked very inviting, but neither of us was brave enough to try it out.

I've tried to get a sense of the actual length of the bay, but my camera doesn't really do it justice.  I guess it must be some 10-12 kms long from point to point, but however long it is - it is beautiful.  In the lovely sunshine we had all day it looked just like an exotic tropical shore somewhere far away.  I really need one of those 'take everything' cameras that are being advertised on TV at the moment - as I've a birthday coming up soon do you think its worth dropping some heavy hints  :-)

We started out with a walk along the bay from Penvin towards Landrezac and after about half an hour, made our way back and out onto the point

past the lovely little church perched on the very edge of the beach

with the Virgin & Child looking out over the bay - maybe to keep watch over the generations of Breton fishermen who have worked these waters for centuries.

and past evidence of another Breton delicacy - oysters !

After a very high tide its open season on oysters along the Brittany coast and you can see people digging them and scallops (coquillies St Jaques) out of the sands.

DH  didn't quite make it all the way as he hasn't quite got his 'legs' back yet, so he opted to wait whilst I went on out and he's the little dot tucked under the wall on the right of the photo - bless!

The headland opposite the end of the Point is the mouth of the Golfe du Morbihan ( mor - bihan meaning little sea ) a natural harbour or inland sea  that is filled with around 40 islands and a boat trip around the Golfe is highly recommended !!

As you can see the beach was practically empty, but there were one or two strange customers around chasing what I can only imagine to be 'bugs' in the seaweed being washed ashore - lunchtime snacks maybe ?

Another reason for going to this lovely bay is that it it home to the chateau shown on my header -                Suscinio.           

I love this little castle nestling in the dunes and often wonder what it would have been like to live here in the Middle Ages.  Today it is used as an exhibition centre and its surrounding land and salt marshes have become havens for a plethora of  wading birds, but the only one I managed to catch today was this fellow 

Home again at last , tired and worn out from all the walking whilst DH snoozed (!!) but certainly a day well worth waiting for!

Cure for the Blues

Wandering around Blogland I keep coming across the saying ' when life throws you scraps, make a quilt' which is indeed very sound advice. However, one of my best cures when I feel down in the dumps is a good read, so here's a few of the books that kept me company and helped keep my spirits up over the last couple of months

 Now these books have some lovely quilts that are 'do-able' projects for me and  I've already started bookmarking pages ........

........most of these though fall into to 'maybe someday' category, but then a girl can dream of something beyond stippling can't she ??

Picking Up the Threads

There's no denying that the last couple of months have been a difficult time but thankfully we are now starting to see our way out of gloom and into some sunlight in many ways.

DH has been getting better bit by bit over the last 2-3 weeks and seems to have stablised and is almost back to his usual self, thanks to lots & lots of rest and his new  medication.

The very scary days seem to be ages away now, but I still have bad dreams about being in the Emergency Dept when DH stopped breathing and had no pulse for a few very, very long minutes - not an experience I want to repeat!

But enough of that - Spring has arrived, the daffodils have bloomed at last and the banks are starting to come alive with cushions of primroses - today I even spotted some violets and a couple of  forget-me-knots peeping out from under a bush.

 I only wish our weather was as cheerful as these little flowers as the year so far  has been nothing but days on end of  extreme weather conditions.  We started with the snow falls and then sub zero temperatures albeit that it was actually dry.  Then the rain arrived and stayed and stayed bringing flooding to many areas and not content with that, we were then hit by by high winds registering over 120 miles an hour in some parts of France.  Brittany only caught the edge of the storm this time and that was bad enough but further south more than 50  lives were lost and the devastation to property runs into millions. At the moment it is fairly calm, wind speeds are only 30-40 mph this week, but it is dry again!!

Got some quiltie bits to talk about that I'll keep for another post as I don't want to bore you too much,and so's not to have a photo-less post,  I'll leave you with a couple taken when we visited Monet's garden at Giverney a while ago. Springtime indeed !

Just one more thing and that's to say 'Thank You' once again to everyone for the continued messages of
concern and support throughout these weeks and I can't tell you how good it feels to be back again!!!

'Inter'National Quilt Day

This*  is  is how I spent my afternoon

What did you do ?

* Moda Bake Shop Recipe

Dydd Gwyl Dewi

 

St David's Day


A quick message to say 'Thank You' for all the messages of support after my last post, each and every one of them was a great comfort to me.  DH is thankfully on the mend but we still have a way to go before he is over it all.

Time Out

Taking some indefinite time off ..  DH suffered a heart attack 10 days ago, and whilst he is now out of intensive care and hopefully on the road to recovery, I don't know when I'll feeling like blogging again.

Stripping!

No -  not quite what is sounds like,  and if it was it would certainly be something you wouldn't want to look  at unless you'd like a good
laugh !!


What I have done is joined  Stephanie's  No Strings Attached challenge

 

....... and have been busy stripping these 1930s fabrics, which have been lurking in the stash for ages...

...... and turning them into strings of these....

......which hopefully will eventually become something like this !    Well, that's the theory, so watch this space!!

Last I heard there are over 150 'strippers' loose in Blogland  at the moment thanks to Stephanie, so check out the link in the side bar and have a look at some of the creations already on show.

What A Difference .....

... a few days make !  From sub-zero temperatures to 13 degrees C in 4 days - confirmation indeed that the weather is getting more and more erratic!  No complaints here though as we've not only managed to get some food in house at last, but also a  good walk along the canal today in glorious sunshine

 

Don't things seem so much better when the sun shines ??

Global Warming - Part 2

Our snow is still with us, and is really wearing out its welcome now.  All the Ooohs! & Aaahs! are giving way to the inconveniences like running out of bread,potatoes and other little 'luxuries' necessary to everyday life.

One of the downsides of living in the country is that, whilst all major roads are clear for traffic, our little country lanes remain blocked, so there was great excitement this morning when it started raining!

I never, ever  thought that I would be glad to see rain after the deluge we suffered in November and early December, but at least I thought it would clear our lane and we could escape for a couple of hours- no chance.  As well as the rain we have bitingly cold east winds and instead of thawing the snow, the rain is freezing on top of it and the whole surface is now like a big ice rink.

 This is the glass on the porch door, and you can see where the rain has frozen before it's had a chance to run down.

Ah Well -at least we've still got some rice left , and I guess I'll just have to keep busy with some more sewing :-)

Global Warming ??

Yes, the white stuff is back again!!  Not that much in comparison with a lot of places, but for an area that sees snow  every 10 years or so, twice in a month is a big event!!                                                                        

                                                                

Not A Good Start!

Well, the old year ended miserably and the New Year arrived in the same way, as,  like many in Blogland ,  Boxing Day saw me coming down with the dreaded 'flu !  Don't really know what kind of bug I managed to pick up but I can tell you I certainly do not want it again!!  Today is the first time that I have managed to stay upright for any length of time, and to be honest I still feel very wobbly, but maybe that's because I've not be able to eat anything for days.


DH has been taking really good care of me, sometimes too good as often all you want to do is  curl up in a corner and be left alone! However - I am feeling a lot better so I guess it's time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get 2010 started, and what better way to start the year than with a finished quilt!

I've long been a fan of Mary Johnson 's scrappy quilts, so  thought it was time to try one of her patterns and decided on this one.

Maybe not the prettiest of quilts, but so easy & quick to make and it certainly got rid of a lot more of those 'why did I buy that!' fabrics. 

The quilt finished at 4 ' 6" x 6' O", not a bad size for a soon to be teenage granddaughter who tells me her toes stick out of the last one I made her!!!  Thank you Mary for a great tutorial!!

I even went mad and tried the  'Loop de Loop' quilting as a change from stippling.  I'm no sure if that was the right thing to do as I ended up quilting on the diagonals to keep the threads 'colour controlled' which wasn't too easy !  I also think I need a lot more practice with this designs :-)

Happy New Year !

WISHING YOU  A HAPPY, HEALTHY & PEACEFUL NEW YEAR !!

Final Countdown!!

Well, here we are!  The final few days before the Big One!! Like probably every household on the planet we are running around trying to get everything finished and sometimes it feels as though we're not achieving anything at all :-)

Last jobs are going to cut some holly and mistletoe and getting the outside tree decorated now the snow has gone !  Yes, it rained during the night and the Winter Wonderland has left us and though it makes things a lot easier getting out and about - it ain't nearly so pretty!!!!

So before things get any more hectic............

                                         
A little something from me to you     http://tinyurl.com/yaj8pul

 

              

              Merry Christmas ! 

Nadolig Llawen   Nedeleg Laounen
Happy Holiday     Joyeux Noel
                                                                    

White Christmas ?

 It all started yesterday like this

 Then came this....
 

 ...and this

 ...and this!

 
 This morning's view from the bedroom window......

  ...not a sparrow in sight !!
 

Don't think it's going to last until Christmas Day, but it certainly is a Winter Wonderland at the moment !!

A Little Sewing

 I've actually managed to find some time to hide away and get some sewing done and at last I've got a finish to show !

My Vintage New York Beauties from the book 'Radiant New York Beauties' by Valori Wells.  A fan of paper piecing I am not (!), but I'm glad I kept at it as the end result is worth all the frustration!

Like lots of quilters I've been collecting selvages, don't know why or what I thought I would do with them, but at least now I have something to collect them in (VBG!) A fun bag to make and too pretty to keep hidden away I think !

Fall Quilt Swap

With everything that's been happening in the last few weeks,  I haven't mentioned the Quilting Bloggers   Fall Inspired mini quilt swap

Luckily this is one thing  I managed to get  finished and off to my partner Lynne  in the UK whilst it was still officially Autumn - but only just !  Unluckily  I forgot to take photos, so 'borrowed ' these from Lynne's blog

It's always difficult making for someone else, particularly when there are no guidelines as to preferences, but I think that Lynne is pleased with the little quilt !!  As I still had some of the lovely Cider Mill Road fabric, I though a basket of apples would be appropriate - the colours haven't come out as good as in really life unfortunately, but all in all it made a nice little quilt and one I found difficult to part with !

Thanks once again to Michele of Quilting Bloggers for organising the swap!

Picking Up The Pieces

Well, I can't believe that almost a whole month has gone since I blogged -and a very strange , unsettling month it's been too, but hopefully now all is behind me and I can settle down into a more normal life - or at least what passes for normal this time of the year!! Less than 3 weeks to Christmas - can you believe it ????

First up, thank you to everyone who sent messages after my last posting, they were very much appreciated and its always good to know that you are out there!

Secondly, a very belated 'Thank You' to Nannette , my partner in the recent Friendship Bag Swap, for the wonderful parcel that I eventually received!

Now, that comment is in no way a reflection on Nannette, but  would you believe that , courtesy of La Poste , the package crossed the Pond twice!!  I was just starting to wonder why I'd not received anything in this swap when Nannette contacted me to say that she had indeed posted it back in early October only to have it returned to her a month later !  Why this happened remains a mystery - it certainly reached France and was correctly addressed complete with post code.The local PO are adamant that it never reached them so how the word 'inconu' came to be written on it is very strange, but luckily the second word 'retour' at least got it back safely  to the US!!  I guess we'll never know what happened, but I am so glad that Nannette not only got in touch, but resent it and that it finally arrived safely -  I am sure you'll agree it was worth waiting for!!

Stuffed to the brim !!

 Looks good from the back doesn't it , but look at the front!

 Cute or what?

Lots & lots of goodies, how lucky am I ?????  Thank You once again Nannette for being more than generous!!