Monday 10 August 2015

A Fine FNWF.....

Shame that the rest of the weekend sucked!   

In a nutshell.  On Saturday morning Microsoft decided to surprise me with the 'free'  Windows 10 upgrade I reserved a while back.    I don't think they realised (I certainly didn't) that attempting to download a NASA size upgrade down a Mickey Mouse phone line in what Sky News once described as 'remote, rural South West Scotland' was ever going to cause anything but frustration on a grand scale.   I would have appreciated a tip off so I could stock up on tranquillisers.

The pitched battle download started at 7:45am on Saturday and ended in the wee small hours of Sunday morning... a little after I'd fallen into stress induced coma an exhausted sleep. 

Blissfully unaware of the technical perils of living in the sticks Microsoft promised the download would happily run in the background allowing me to flit through cyber space at will.   Two on line activities at once!  Here!   Never going to happen.  I'm almost certain our antique telephone exchange is operated by a little old lady in twinset and pearls who doesn't know the war is over!   Maybe I should knock and see if she's OK.... 

It was all worth it in the end.   Windows 10 is a joy compared to version 8.

Ooops... almost forgot I came here to show you what I got up to on Friday evening.  

I picked flowers.....


and as usual it took me ages to do it.    By the time I'd chosen six small pieces of fabric for the blooms and six more for the centres (I'd picked the stems earlier... thank goodness) my sewing room looked like a bomb had hit it.   

Chose fabrics for a couple more Stonefields blocks too..... the semi circle ones.   This is how they all looked on Saturday morning.... 


Managed to complete the blue semi circles but only stitched the plain yellow ones.  I'm thinking of swapping out that pink/white flower fabric.  It just doesn't look right to me.  Picky... picky.    The flowers have all been turned ready to stitch but only one on each block has been sewn down.

Oh.... and I prepared hexie blooms for the centres of two more Stonefields blocks.....


and felt very pleased with progress.

This is how Stonefields looks right now.


There are one or two blocks up there which will not be making the final cut.... I'll leave you to guess which ones.....:o)

Well.... that was my FNWF.   I had a lovely time.   Thanks Cheryll for hosting another great get together.   I'm already looking forward to the next one.....;o)  

I will be visiting everyone who joined in FNWF in the next couple of days.   That's a promise.  If life hadn't got in the way I'd have visited already.

After Saturday I didn't think the weekend could get worse. Wrong.  I woke on Sunday feeling sick as a dog and sounding like one too.   I slept most of the day which was just as well because being awake was no fun at all.

Fortunately I felt much better this morning (Monday)  and didn't have to cancel taking Mum out for the day.   Today is her 87th birthday.   She wanted  a trip to Carlisle.... fish & chips and lots of cake and caramel lattes.  Bang went the diet!  

Well.... it's that time again.  The Bat Cave beckons.   I'd better get my skates on.

To everyone who left a lovely comment on my last post..... I haven't forgotten you and I will be replying.... promise. :o)

OK.... I have to run.... I'm being summoned.   We're working through re-runs of Boston Legal.  I love that show.....  Denny Crane! <lol>

Have a fab week doing whatever takes your fancy....
See you soon...
Hugs
Josie  xxx

27 comments:

Shirley said...

Hello Josie. Good to see you survived the onslaught. Stonefields is looking good. I had the greatest pleasure to see a finished version at The Festival of Quilts. It was always surrounded by people admiring it and it won the Viewers Choice and a second prize for a two person quilt. It was beautiful.

Helen said...

Oh Josie I'm loving your stonefields, the fabrics and colour choices look great !!

Yvonne W said...

Hi Josie, I have not been game to update the Windows that we have-- after your experience, I don't know that I want to either. I hope you are feeling better and that your mum had a lovely day out for her birthday. Your flowers look great, and so do the hexies. Hopefully the rest of the week is better for you.

Bev C said...

Hello Josie,

Love the flowers you picked. Happy Birthday to your Mum and all the best for the coming year for her.

Happy days.
Bev.

Michelle said...

Those are some pretty flowers!

Susan said...

Darn IT - cant live without it though!! Glad you survived. Your blocks look lovely - you could have had a guessing compettion to see which blocks go . . .

margaret said...

my windows update took all day too, have not noticed much difference but the computer I fear is working slower!

Flower blocks are pretty. Must check out the Stonefields quilt as have seen it pop up in a few blogs, mind you have too much on the to do list already along with all the half done projects..
Belated happy birthday to your Mum sounds like a fun day after you recovered from the sick bug.trust you are fully fit again now, no fun being poorly

Gina said...

Sorry you had a rough weekend but I did love your description of the computer issues.
I saw Stonefields at the FOQ. A stunning quilt and I'm loving your version. Hope you enjoyed your time in Carlisle. I used to visit it regularly with the hubby when he worked up there. Loved sitting in the park by the river and people watch

Gina said...

Sorry you had a rough weekend but I did love your description of the computer issues.
I saw Stonefields at the FOQ. A stunning quilt and I'm loving your version. Hope you enjoyed your time in Carlisle. I used to visit it regularly with the hubby when he worked up there. Loved sitting in the park by the river and people watch

Ondrea said...

You poor love! Upgrades are the most stressful things one can endure I reckon. I can never find my way around the computer and when I finally get used to it , boof, it happens again. Glad you like Windows 10. My parents detest it and I don't even want to go there. Aside from that, your blocks are looking fantastic and I love your fabric choices. You sound a bit like me when choosing and auditioning fabrics. Hope you are feeling better. Angel hugs.

Susan said...

I have similar internet struggles, but it's really a first world problem. It's surprising how long it can take to choose a few fabrics for appliqué, but you did very well. Your whole Stonefields is looking lovely.

marina said...

what a saga with your downloading! glad you survived that one.
your blocks look so gorgeous, well done you!
Happy birthday to your mum, hope she had a great day out.
hope you have shaken that canine virus.... you poor thing.
hope the week picks up for you x

Michelle Ridgway said...

Stonefields is looking wonderful. Glad you survived the upgrade and also that you are feeling better x

kiwikid said...

Your Stonefields is looking wonderful, love the colours! You were brave going with the download.....hope you are feeling better this week. Happy birthday to your Mum!

Maria said...

Your stonefields look fabulous...
Pleased all worked out ok with the upgrade in the end.
Happy Birthday to Mum...
Great too that you are much better.

Debra said...

Yikes! What an ordeal. Computer 'issues' send me into orbit! Obviously it didn't effect your stitching - your blocks look great. Glad you are feeling better too. Thanks for your very humorous post!

Flickenstichlerin said...

Dear Josie,
your Stonefields blocks look beautiful and I really enjoyed reading your part about the windows upgarde. Gave me a good smile for the day.
Happy late birthday to your Mom, fish and chips sound so good.
Greetings,
Sylvia

sunny said...

Always love reading your posts! Your Stonefields is beautiful, and I really like your flowers. Lots of pretty stuff in progress.

FloS said...

What !?!! A new project !!!
Beautiful, of course !
I'm glad you survive the internet revolution from your far far away Scotland…. but you can't have everything… fabulous country AND fast internet !! ;)
Florence

Raewyn said...

Birthday wishes to your mmm - I hope you had a great day out. It sounds like a real mission with that Windows upgrade..glad it worked out in the end! I love all the projects you are working on at the moment, such lovely colours and blocks. Happy week to you as well :-)

Anthea said...

Hi Josie - lovely to catch up on your frustrations & fun... aren't computers just the best ?! until they need updates or get a virus, ggrrr...

Fantastic work on your quilt, it's looking amazing now that you're at the join-blocks-together stage!

Käthe said...

Josie,
I love your flowers !
They are very pretty .
Enjoy the day and happy sewing
Käthe

Kaisievic said...

Lovely, lovely blocks and I am so glad that you survived the battle with Microsoft to come out the other side of it a stronger person - lol! Happy birthday to your Mum, she deserves all of the yummy food she likes!

Lin said...

I'm still on Windows 7 with no intention of changing in the near future! Getting the hang of a new system is always a nightmare let alone problems like you had downloading. Your flowers look pretty - nice fabric choices. xx

Marle said...

Hi Josie,
i like your pretty Stonefields blocks!
Greetings
Marle from Germany

The Sloan Patch said...

It makes me feel better to know someone else agonises over fabric choices...and to think that for some people this is their favourite part of the project!!!! Your blocks look gorgeous.

LuAnn said...

I love your Stonefields blocks. I have that pattern waiting to start, but I am trying to make myself finish a few other things before I start it. My sewing room ends up like yours when I am choosing fabric - like a bomb hit. When mine gets messy, I take a small laundry basket and just scoop everything in to it and then (hopefully) put it away later. So far this basket has been on the floor for over a week...... I think all of your blocks look great, and I wouldn't weed out any.