A Reality Check

 

I am usually a person that likes to look for the lighter side of things, the type of person that believes and trusts people far to easily and I also try to be the type of person that helps and gives rather than  takes and ignores.  Half full rather than a half empty glass type of person and also when I commit to something and give my word I will fight heaven and earth to keep it.  So when things turn to ‘custard’ I tend to go back to my cave and stay there until coaxed out.

A couple of “are you OK?” e-mails recently have sort of coaxed me out of my cave and made me reflect on some things that have happened over the last few months. 

Some of the problems, actually all of them, have come as a result of all of my traits as I mentioned above.  I trusted a  couple of people – not with big secrets or anything like that, but just with friendship – as you do, only to be ignored and ‘wiped’ (or blanked as I’ve heard it called) after following through on promises and actions. These were different people with nothing in common but both behaved the same.  Then, I discovered that someone I had trusted had actually taken myself and others for a ‘ride’.  She had elaborated the truth in more ways than I like.  These sorts of things wouldn’t usually have me running to my cave so much but it has happened a number of  times this year and the truth is I’ve had enough so it’s into my sewing cave I go – where there is me and my machine and despite the fact that I may get upset with her she is always there and always keeps to her programme and doesn’t drain me emotionally nor keep me from sleep.

During this time I also went through the dying of my laptop – yep, Miss Darlene (my computer wizz) tells me that the mother board was burnt out and so was my ram – goodness knows what that all really means all I know is that a new laptop needed to be purchased.  Thank goodness that all of my pictures etc. were able to be salvaged.

However the last few months haven’t all been misery, I got to teach at a local Quilters Retreat and despite the freezing (literally) weather, the hospitality was warm as was the class and I think the ladies in the class were pleased with their finished products – yep, all but one finished their Carpenters Wheels.

I also did something that I have never done before and that is – taken the shop away.  Having often thought about doing it and then looking at the huge amount of work involved I have always backed out of the thought but this time my gorgeous Wednesday ladies wouldn’t hear of me using the excuse that I was teaching and wouldn’t have time. They wanted to run the shop and the truth be known, they were not going to let me get away with not doing it.  So with two cars packed we took off for the retreat and set up shop.

I’ve also taken this ‘quiet time’ as a chance to get stuck into writing and stitching new patterns, stitching new quilts and in general making one unholy mess in my cave – something that I am going to have to address if I ever want to go and get  all crafty in there anytime soon *sigh*.  Which should be in the next couple of days – you see I have just bought a few ‘Jelly roll’ books and have decided to get cracking on some new bed quilts with jelly rolls and to add the personal touch – a little bit of applique.

onto something totally different:

Last weekend my dear man and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary.  For 35 years he has been my best friend and despite the fact that he has toodled off to do parts of his work in various countries for long periods of time he still comes home and we pick up just where we left off – he truly is my other half and I am so blessed to have him in my life.

I haven’t meant for this to become so dull and on reading back it has – I’m sorry about that so here’s something on the upside – I actually finished another quilt top, it is yet to be quilted but for the meantime I’m just thrilled with it so far.

Oh and I did manage to finish a little lap quilt that is by one of our NZ designers – I just love the combination of stitchery and piecing.

So, that’s it for this long overdue post, I really will try to be more regular in future, *wink*

take care

hugs,

Miche’le