Washout Weekend but Hopeful new beginnings!

Hi everyone.  I'm so sorry I haven't popped over to your blogs.  I usually visit the blogs of everyone who has commented and then I go through my reading list.  Not this weekend.  Boy.  What a weekend.

I ignored the cold. The cold however did not ignore me.  It loved me.  It adored me.  It persuaded me that we needed some intimate time together..just me, it, a loo roll, a hot water bottle and a weekend of early nights.  I can't say anymore than that.  Discretion is the key here if you get my meaning.

Did I sew?
Did I get to spend my weekend singly loudly to 1980's music (Bronski Beat and Erasure at the moment) whilst my sewing machine sang and hummed along with me?

No I did not!

My sewing machine died.  Well, not so much died as was dying. It groaned in pain and agony with each and every stitch as I sniffed and snuffled over it.  I put my big girl pants on and took it apart (the bits I could) and cleaned it and oiled it and prayed over it.

Nothing.

Multiple sewing machine organ failure.

I was sooooo sad.  I felt I had been completely let down by one of my bestest friends in the world.  I was so sad I practically wrote an epitaph on facebook and couldn't even bear to go into my sewing room where squares of fabric lay all over, ready to be brought to life by my loving sewing machine.

Ah, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  A friend of mine who owns a fabric shop near Galway saw my fb post and even though she was on holiday in Italy, she gave me the name and number of a sewing machine miracle worker and I emailed him.  Bear in mind, to take my machine anywhere to be fixed would entail a two hour drive.  Two hours! Anyway, this lovely man emailed me back. He would sort out a courier to pick my baby up and he would fix it.  But before he did, he asked if I had checked the pedal speed button.

Pedal speed button?

A button, on the pedal?

What button?

So I checked....and yes there was a button.  And it was on slow. So I put it on fast. Guess what?? My machine is alive!!!!  Yay!!!!!

What a lovely man!! He fixed it and he didn't even see it!!!

The weekend wasn't a complete washout. I have a new design!  I have nearly finished her..she is my favourite so far.  Excuse the photo but it is early evening here.  I've been at the hospital all day so just grabbed a quick piccie to show you a preview.

She is actually in very pretty apricot shades..and the fabric is a sandy colour so you can see how bad the photo is!

And before my cold and I hid ourselves away to 'be together', hubby took me to Lough Key for a walk in the evening sunshine.

If you should go to the woods today.......

You're in for a big surprise....look carefully!

This beautiful statue is made out of wood and is hidden away in the woods.

Isn't she beautiful?

And the bluebells were out in force!

Gorgeous.  A real sign of hope for better weather! Summer is on the way!

Ah but I found this and had to take a photo!

A non-blue bluebell. Proof that even in nature, we should never be afraid of being different or of breaking away from the norm or the expectations of others!

There were also loads of a white flower I'm not familiar with and they were just too beautiful to ignore.

And of course, this being Ireland, there has to be a rainbow right?  When we got home there was one behind my home.

Now, I have spent all day at the hospital and I'm back there on Thursday. Please don't worry.  I will share more when I know more but I'm sure it isnt anything to worry about.  So craft wise, no goals or targets.  I would like to finish my new lady but I'm just going to go with the flow and hopefully catch up on my blog reading!

I will sort out the names and give a few more details about the Virtual Stitching retreat on Friday, so there's still time to take part.
Re the fundraising; I want to make a few more prizes and then when I have a nice healthy stash of potential prizes, I'll give the details and start date xxx Exciting times yes??

Have a great week everyone! (((hugs)))