The Green Green Grass Of Home

The old home town looks the same as I step down from the train and there to meet me is... 

...my friends, my Mum, and all my kids

lyrics by Curly Putman (apart from the last bit which is all mine!)

Occasionally I ask my readers to indulge me while I share a post that's less about my craft and more about my family; this is one of those posts.  I know some of you love to see what my kids are up to these days and something of where I'm from, so for you here are four photo collages summing up my April 2016 trip home to England.  On the other hand, if that isn't your sort of thing please click and close me down, I won't be offended, and next time you visit everything will be back to normal - Chris :D

That Was February, This Is March

So it's March and I've been buying some gorgeous new fabrics at Pins & Needles on the Upper East Side.

A couple of Ed Emberley "Picture Pie" for Cloud9 fabrics - you just have to love those raccoons and Michael Miller's black & white Clown Stripe.

2 yards of multi pom poms, white fleece and white french terry.

Some fat quarters - I haven't got a printed selvedge on any of them so I have no idea what I've bought, if anyone has any idea I'd love to know!

So that's what I've been doing in March but what about February and, for that matter, January?

Well in January this little guy came to live with us, his name's Watson and he's a Havanese.

Yep he's pretty much running the household and, as you can see, he's totally taken ownership of Tatty's bed!

Then in February Simon and I headed off for a week to Seville to see all the kids - that's right, ALL the kids - it's 2 years since we were all together!!!

The trip involved a lot of this -

there's half a bottle of Tanqueray gin with a thimble of tonic in my glass!

Need more evidence of how we passed our time?  

Here's Ana, Jack, Joe and Katie and a table full of our cocktails.

We didn't take many pics (see my post about my previous trip here) and a lot of what I do have are poor quality phone photos, but there's not a single one of us all together :( and turns out this is the only pic I've got of Flicky!

and this one's me with Simon.

It rained every day and although it wasn't warm it was most definitely warmer than NYC.  The sun did break through for a couple of hours one day as I snapped this pic of Joe and Katie dancing in Seville's Cathedral garden

and this is the sunny view from the top of the Cathedral's Giralda Tower.

I loved all the hand stitched scarves

and there was quilty inspiration on every floor.

Here I am on the flight home - knitting and stretching out as there were only 80 of us on the 335 seater plane.

Airplane food was, as always a trial for me - just because I'm gluten free doesn't mean I like rice cakes, I hate rice cakes.

So that's my dinner and below's my breakfast - another rice cake that someone's gone to the trouble of cutting in half - makes no difference, I still hate rice cakes.

Since I got home I've been working on a sampler for a potential class, late into the night I've been busy sewing together jelly roll strips.

Tomorrow I'm off to San Francisco till Monday and I'm looking forward to some potential sunshine instead of more of this.

Here's to Spring in New York - though I've got a feeling we'll be skipping Spring and going straight into another scorcher of a Summer!!!

I know it's terribly British of me but I'm wondering how the weather's treating you?  Answers on a postcard please or even in a comment.

Back To Some Much Needed Quilting

Me and My Babes

I've spent the last 5 days back in England for my Dad's funeral.  If these events can be beautiful then this one certainly was.  From the service to the weather, everything was perfect; a very appropriate and fitting goodbye to the wonderful and absolute gentleman that my Dad was.

It's strange but these last 2 weeks have also given me what is now a rare opportunity - the chance to be with all 3 of my children at the same time (can you still refer to them as your children once they're adult and towering over you?!).  With each of us scattered in constantly changing places around the globe it takes some arranging to even Skype each other across the many time zones.  These last few days have given us some sad but very special memories to carry with us always.

Dad's Shirts

I've brought Dad's shirts back to the US with me, I'm going to make a quilt for Mum to keep.  The pastel colours look great together and I'm looking forward to making it up for her.

I'll leave you with this link to a song that my Dad used to sing to my Mum when I was growing up, John Rowles 'If I Only Had Time'.  I've never been able to listen to it without thinking of him and crying so it was very fitting that we played it as we entered the church at his funeral.

Updated at 20 May 2014

You can read about the finished Memory Quilt here in

In Memory Of Dad

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In Memory of Dad

Is That A Dog In A Pram???!!!!!!

View out to the Empire State

I just have to share today's news with you all.  Since last November, I have been walking miles each day to improve my health.  I had an idea that it would be nice to have a dog to walk with me and hence the arrival of Thatcher, known as Tatty to her friends.  Unfortunately Tatty isn't quite so keen on the idea of walking as I am.  By the time we've trotted to the lift, gone down 23 floors and crossed the lobby of our apartment building Tatty's tired and ready to go home.

View down to 1 World Trade Centre

It's been such a disappointment for me, she's at home and I'm still out walking alone but I had an idea - let's get a dog pram.  Hubby, S, took quite some convincing, it's not something that you'd want to be seen with in England - you'd be laughed at in the street, but we'll be walking around Manhattan, Hoboken and Jersey City and here, anything goes.
 
So the pram, a top of the range Pet Gear AT3 Generation 2 All-Terrain Pet Stroller arrived today and we were straight out of the door to enjoy the lovely weather and do a bit of shopping in Hoboken.  Tatty took turns at walking and then riding in the pram when she was tired and best of all she loved it.  A few people did do a double take, a woman in a car was heard saying "did you see that dog in a carriage?".  Meeting up with us on her way home from school, our daughter, F, completely disowned us but I don't care, we'll be out again in the morning doing a good 5 miles, Tatty and me, the two of us together.  Lovely x

Updated at 14 May 2014

I'm very pleased to be able to report that Tatty graduated from her pram later in 2012 and has been happily walking on all four legs ever since!!! :D

There's Still Time To Say "Happy Mother's Day"

Wow, what a wonderful day!

Back in March we celebrated our English 'Mother's Day' and my children told me that there was no way we'd be celebrating the American 'Mother's Day' as well, even though I live here now.  So I was really surprised and delighted this morning when I received more gifts and Skype messages to celebrate today also.  Also got to have dinner out this evening at Azucar - our local Cuban restaurant - lovely.  I guess that makes me a doubly special Mum ;)

Didn't have a chance to sew my 'Children of Israel' block, spent the day shopping for clothes for my Father's funeral and the only action my sewing machine saw today was altering everything to fit correctly when we got back home.

A very busy week in store - starting with green card biometrics (fingerprinting) tomorrow morning but then a night in alone and the opportunity to crack on with the quilt block as S and F are off to 'The Birth and Death of Stars' ' at the Natural History Museum, NYC.