Would you like to join me for afternoon tea?

Following a link on Debra's blog I found this recipe for lemon squares, so yesterday a batch was made.....it's very yummy, and I can recommend it.  Recipe is here, so do yourselves a favour and make some.  Many thanks, Debra!

 The lace doiley was made by my mother's Auntie Laura who died when I was a wee baby and is tatted lace.  Not tattered.  There is a difference.......the pretty plate is part of a Royal Doulton set which was a wedding present when my parents married in 1946, as was the silver fork.  Life was more genteel in those days, wasn't it?

 The backing for my pinwheel quilt has been pieced.  I couldn't bring myself to waste these last three little blocks so used them in the backing.  As the fabric had to be joined in width, a strip of background fabric with those three remaining blocks was inserted - so now all 128 blocks have been used!  The quilt and backing are on the spare bed waiting to be layered and quilted.  But first they need to be pressed.....

This is the design which will be used for the border quilting, it compliments the rose-printed white on white background fabric beautifully.  All designs for the 16 alternate blocks and 20 setting triangles have been traced, as has some of the border.  The paper is sold here as unwaxed lunch wrap and is excellent for this purpose as it is easy to quilt through and tears away afterward with no trouble; freezer paper could also be used, but the paper is easy to position as it is semi-transparent.  The design is from one of Mary Covey's packs, 'Follow the line'.

You will notice that this blog is a sport-free zone.  Nowhere here will you find mention of any tennis games, or sweaty blokes in lycra cycling round Europe, or the sports carnival which will happen one of these days in England.  All that money just so one bloke can run faster than another bloke.......our dancers, musicians, writers, scientists etc travel overseas and are much acclaimed everywhere they go, but as soon as they come home they disappear back into their own world.  However if a sports person runs faster or jumps higher than someone else they have the world at their feet.  Not to take away from anything they may achieve - but isn't it time that all fields of human endeavour were recognised, not just sport?

There is no danger of my running faster or jumping higher than anyone else, I can tell you.  Since it has got so cold even the walking routine has suffered because getting outside bright and early on a cold frosty morning has no appeal for me.  But when the weather warms up again I won't have that excuse, will I?  If someone could invent a gene that could be magically turned on to make us enjoy exercise they would make a fortune, I'm sure.

You will also notice no gossip here about so-called celebrities, because frankly I have no interest in who is divorcing who or what they had for breakfast.  Wouldn't it be ghastly living one's life in what amounts to a goldfish bowl?

"Even when persons habitually eat alone, they should pay due regard to the rules of etiquette, for by so doing they form habits of ease and gracefulness which are requisite in refined circles; otherwise they speedily acquire rude and awkward habits which they cannot shake off without great difficulty, and which are at times embarrassing to themselves and their friends."

So if you are eating a lemon square, make sure you are dainty.  Don't stuff the whole piece in your mouth at once.

Enjoy your days!