teaching sewing confidence, tip by tip
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Thursday, 17 May 2012

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


Wednesday, 16 May 2012

All Done And Here It Is ...

Amazing experience at the dentist this morning, had a crown made and fitted using Cerec CAD - they took digital images of my teeth then designed me a new tooth, the CAD machine carved the tooth from ceramic material (took 13 minutes) the tooth was then fired to 800°C (25 minutes), allowed to cool (2 minutes) and then fitted in my mouth - as a Ceramicist I was very excited and asked lots of questions, just brilliant!  Didn't need anaesthetic as I had a root canal in the same tooth 4 weeks ago so no nerves = no pain. Left the dental office after 2 hours feeling fantastic - highly recommended :)

So no excuses, I was feeling good and had plenty time to crack on with the 'Children of Israel' block and here it is finished ...

Finished 'Children of Israel' Block

I joined a Quilting Bee so I'd have to make blocks that weren't within my comfort zone and to use fabrics that wouldn't necessarily be my own choice - I think the experience will push my boundaries and expand my quilting experience and that's just what's happened!  I've never used applique or free motion sewing on a quilt block before but it's something I'll be very open to doing in the future on my own quilts.  I found it a little stressful cutting up someone else's fabric and wondering what their expectations might be but maybe that'll get easier as I make more Bee Blocks over the coming months.

So all that's left now is to pop the block in the post back to my May Queen Bee, Earamichia.  Hope she loves it as much as I do!

Other related posts about my 'Children of Israel' block:
My First Quilting Bee
Children of Israel 12" Quilting Block
A Very Wet Tuesday
Creating and Adding Applique to the Children of Israel Block


And you can click this link to see all of my NYC Mod Quilt Guild Bee Blocks and Challenge Blocks/Quilts.




 
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A Very Wet Tuesday

Coming from England a girl is quite used to a fair bit of rain but I have to say that this American wet stuff is something else, when it decides to rain boy does it rain and boy do you get wet.

It's rained off and on all day even so, I've had a really good day, managing finally to find a coat suitable for my Dad's funeral (do you have any idea how difficult it is to get hold of a coat at this time of year in Manhattan?  Quite incredible really, lots of suit jackets and North Face coats but nothing that bit longer, suitably smart and dressy! My husband, S, suggested that I wait till we get to England and buy one there - you can buy a coat all year round in England, maybe it's down to the constantly changeable weather?  Anyway, I didn't fancy doing that, I want to travel with everything already sorted and ready and now it is so that's a huge relief.

This evening S and I went to our monthly Film Club meetup, a year looking at some of Stanley Kubrick's movies - so far we've watched and discussed Paths of Glory (1957) and tonight we looked at Lolita (1962).  
"She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks.  She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always - Lolita." - Vladimir Nabokov
We've pretty much all heard of the movie and at least know something of the term 'Lolita' but I'd never seen it or read the book.  Well now I've read the book written by Vladimir Nabokov in 1955, (previously I'd only heard of him in the line from The Police song 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'), I've seen Kubrick's 1962 film version starring James Mason, Shelley Winters and Peter Sellers and also Adrian Lyne's 1997 film version starring Jeremy Irons and Melanie Griffith.  Have to say I'm crazy about the book, I thought it was amazingly well written, I loved the character and story development and constantly struggled with just how much I was enjoying a book about what is still a taboo subject.  For me the Kubrick movie was incredibly disappointing, probably down to constraints due to the period when it was made, but it failed to deliver on many levels.  However, the more recent Lyne's movie was, in my opinion, a joy.  It stayed faithful to the book and managed to take every image I'd conjured in my head while reading the book and reproduce them accurately on screen - quite a rare feat.  So tonight's discussion was, as always, very lively with varied opinions, much chat and even more laughter.

I did manage to get in a bit of sewing today.  I'm a bit further on with the 'Children of Israel' block and here's the proof.

'Children of Israel' block - progress on the sewing front!
If tomorrow's visit to the dentist to have a crown fitted isn't too traumatic I may try to get it completed, but don't hold your breath!

Other related posts about my 'Children of Israel' block:
My First Quilting Bee
Children of Israel 12" Quilting Block
Creating and Adding Applique to the Children of Israel Block


Thursday, 10 May 2012

A Terrible Week

Me and my Daddy


It's been a difficult week and not the one I'd planned. 

I flew back to England last Thursday night as I got the news on Thursday afternoon that my Dad was dying.  I made it in time to speak with him and he finally passed away at 10.10 pm on Saturday night.  

He was 86 and very ill having had bladder cancer 12 years ago he now had COPD, lung cancer and cerebral vascular dementia and he was weary with it all.  Still he was my Daddy and I love him and I’ll miss him terribly.




Related Posts:
A Terrible Week
Back To Some Much Needed Quilting
Will Blogging Help Me Sleep?
Posting A Very Special Package
In Memory of Dad