Reasons to be cheerful.......

Fluffy Chicken bums!      

Don't you just love them!     At last I've got some chickens..... 7 of them.      I picked them up on Easter Sunday (how apt) and I haven't stopped smiling since.    I was supposed to be choosing a maximum of 6 but you know how I am at decision making.     I'll introduce them later in the post once I've brought you up to speed with what I've been doing the last few weeks.

What have I been doing.    Not a lot!  

I'm still wondering what happened to all the lovely optimism I woke up with on January 1st.   It didn't hang around for long that's for sure.    It's darned hard to be optimistic when your spouse is the Prophet of Doom.   Take this week.... he's pronounced the end of the world is nigh yet again.    This time it seems we need to stock up on tinfoil (not for the first time).    How a roll of Bacofoil will save us when a hidden planet sneaks out from behind the sun to destroy Earth with a burst of radioactive rays  I don't know.   But.... if he wants foil he'll get foil.   Anything for a quiet life.   Hot tip..... buy shares in Aluminium!

To cut a long story short..... my Anti Mac pills weren't up to the job so the nice Dr. upped the dosage.
Plus it turns out that my Thyroid blood results showed that the dodgy gland was on the fritz again.  Another increase in medication required.     Some days I haven't know up from down. I've tried to blog (believe me I have tried really hard) but no words would come.   Who knew there was such a thing as Bloggers Block.  Trust me.... there is.

Right.... that's the whinge over with.   Now down to the business of catching up.   I'll start with the sewing.... what there is of it.

Back in late January the girls and I retreated to the cottage again.    I did sew....

I made quite a lot of quarter circle blocks for my scrap project.    Haven't touched them since.

Made a start on a new BOM too (I know... I should be shot for signing up)....

It's the Lucy Boston quilt Patchwork of the Crosses.   I resisted this project for ages but when I saw it as a BOM made with Liberty print fabrics I was sunk.   Resistance was futile.    Kitty signed up for this one too and she is actually bang on target with the blocks.    Me..... well... guess what!    This is as far as retreat took me......

I have finished one project this year.  I made a bag..... I had to... it was a class.....

 

It's an homage to my new chickens.   If you look carefully you'll see the main fabric has rows of chickens parading back and forth.    I love it!    Kitty and I signed up for the bag class ages ago.  It was held in March at my new local quilt store Holm Sown in Castle Douglas.    Rachel (the store owner) is lovely and both Kitty and I learnt lots about interfacing's and bag hardware.   Just goes to show it is always possible to teach an old dog new tricks.

While I'm on the subject of bags I didn't show you the gifts I made for Chookyblue in the SSCS swap.   Truth is I made a real hash of taking photos of the finished main gift and I've had to 'borrow' these pics from Chookys blog (sorry Donna I know I should have asked first but I'm on a roll and I'm scared to stop)

Here's the bag I made for her.....

Talk about pressure to come up with the goods!   I mean.... making for the Chookster herself... phew!

Was I relieved when she opened the parcel and actually liked it.

Lovely photos Chooky......

I had a lot more grey hairs by the time I'd finished choosing all the applique fabrics I can tell you.

I did get a halfway decent photo of the Christmas Ornament though.....

Had fun making it too.    Seems I was tuned in to chickens before I ever knew I was getting some for Christmas!

Finally I have been working on circles for my Quilty 365 project.   Apologies Audry for not linking up yet.....

I'm not exactly following the rules for this project either.    One circle a day is the requirement but it seems cutting out circles was the limit of my abilities this last few weeks..... I've cut and ran running stitches around over 300 of them.     No apologies for cheating..... circles have been saving my sanity.

Here's a few of them.    Not as imaginative as those of some of the other girls working on this project but hey.... it's all my own work and I'm happy with it.

Heck.... I screwed up another photo.   I'm actually setting these 'on point'!     Actually... now that I've seen this pic I might change my mind on that.   Why make it any harder..... ho hum!

That's it for the sewing stuff I'm afraid.   Doesn't amount to a hill of beans does it!

I did make a supreme effort to fix the driveway earlier this year.....

Believe me this is the best bit.   It got worse further down.

I'd just finished barrowing in 3 tons of hardcore and was choking back tears as the realisation dawned that 3 tons was a drop in the ocean and I was going to need more... like 20 tons more!  Right then my bacon was saved by the arrival of a man in a van offering a good deal on Tarmac (Asphalt).   Now I know it's prudent to beware of men turning up unexpectedly offering to Tarmac anything  but heck.... I was desperate.   I said OK.    

Four hours later this is how it looked.....

The piggy bank took a big hit but it was worth it.    No way could I ever have made it look this good. Can't tell you how giddy with relief I was.   The darned drive is 500 feet long... I'd have still been filling holes next Christmas.   One job less to worry about.

At last.... it's time to introduce you to my little flock.....  scroll to the bottom now if chickens are not your thing.

Meet the girls.....

Dora the Explorer a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte

Ditsy Dorothy (aka Dotty) a Plymouth Rock

Bashful Blanche a Buff Laced Barnvelder

 Ruby Runabout a Rhode Island Red

Miss Prudence a Blue Laced Barnvelder

Sweet Molly Malone a Welsummer

and last but not least....

Rosie Posie a New Hampshire Red

You've probably guessed I couldn't decide on just one breed of chicken so I got a selection!
They are still young and just beginning to lay but I have a feeling I'm going to have more eggs than I know what to do with when they all get the hang of things.

OK.... I'm going to leave you in peace now.   I might just manage to grab a bite to eat before TV time if I'm lucky.

I'm not going to promise to be back soon just in case I end up on the dark side again.   Hope that doesn't happen.

Can you believe it.... writing this post has got me all excited again.   Heck.... I can even feel a bit of enthusiasm bubbling up.   Wonders never cease.

Bye for now then.
Hope you are all having a brilliant year and sewing for all you're worth
Have fun...

Hugs....
Josie
xxxxx