Ouchie......

Back in October 2012 while visiting Canada I kicked my right foot, which was eventually found to be broken.  It duly healed......without any treatment, I might add, because I thought it was just bruised so didn't see a doctor about it for a couple of months and by then it was too late to do anything......one of several such injuries during the course of my life.  I said at the time "It's not the first time I have done this and I will probably do it again before I die"......

......well......

......I have.

A few mornings ago at stupid dark early o'clock I was paying my customary bathroom visit (it's a bugger getting older, isn't it?) when I managed to kick my right foot very hard on the tiles around the base of the shower.  On the corner of the tiles, of course, where it would do more toe damage.  I suspect that my second smallest toe is broken; it is certainly sore and bruised, a technicolour bruise, a veritable prince of a bruise, and the skin is broken.  I haven't been to the doctor because, even if it's x-rayed and found to be broken, it will just be strapped to its neighbour for support which I am already doing.  I will be probably told to rest it (been doing that) - ice it (ditto) - keep it strapped (see above).  It has been giving me a certain amount of grief and pain, but hey......it hasn't fallen off yet.

On to happier things!

Last Saturday evening's concert went off very well, the audience said nice things to us and about us, and on Thursday night we had three new ladies turn up to join the choir.  One of them said to us "you all looked as though you were having a lot of fun and I wanted to join in!"  Next Monday afternoon we will sing a couple of songs, and the ukies will sing and play a couple of songs too, for the annual Seniors' Week concert.  Striking while the iron of fame is hot, as it were.

My quilt has been delivered to the long armer and I feel as though I have sent an orphan child off to boarding school, but no doubt she will be beautiful when she comes home again.  The ugly duckling will have turned into a swan.

Recently the second row by row brought home from Canada had all its applique finished.

Top is from Vancouver Island, B.C., bottom is from Ontario.  They are both supposed to be the same width - this is what happens when you don't read instructions.  The strips on the Ontario row were to be trimmed to 1-1/2 inches before being sewn together so they would both finish up the same width, and I didn't - however, I quite like the wider result.  The Cunning Plan is to border each with a narrow border of brown, possibly the brown peeping through in the middle although it's a bit redder than I had hoped but there is enough in my stash to do the job, then a wider border of dark green which may or may not be in the stash, and they will become table runners.

Cutting has started on the next hand-pieced project, 3 inch tumblers made from my stash of reproduction fabrics.  When those fabrics first started appearing way back when (it would have to be nigh on 20 years ago, wouldn't it?) I succumbed and bought some because I really liked them, and every now and then would add another one.  Or two.  Or so........now it's their turn to shine; so far two tumblers have been cut......only two, because my toe hurts when I stand for too long.  Hopefully one or two more may be cut today.

There was a story to those repro fabrics, I remember reading about it in a quilt magazine at the time - may even have the magazine, but it's packed away with all my magazines and books so I can't check.  However, if you are interested to read about it I did find this article.  A result of the controversy was that the Smithsonian agreed to give quilt historians and fabric designers access to quilts in their collection so their antique fabrics could be reproduced for all of us to use, and some of those fabrics are in my repro stash; one could also acquire (buy or be given with a purchase of a certain amount of fabric, I forget which) a label to use on the quilt made from said fabrics, but I don't have one.  An image search for "Smithsonian quilt fabrics" will bring those fabrics up.

There is no progress to report on the house repairs.  The second builder has come and gone and hopefully reported to the insurance company, now we are waiting to hear from them.  It will all be fixed in due course, and no amount of worrying on our part will hurry it along.  So we don't.

It is raining!  We had good rain in January, twice the monthly average, but February let us down - barely one quarter of the monthly average.  March is, at least, starting well.  Temperatures are lower, too; the severe heat of summer has, hopefully gone never to return, but I wouldn't count on it.  It will be back again next summer.

"Ostentatious display of knowledge.
In refined and intelligent society one should always display himself at his best, and make a proper and legitimate use of all such acquirements as he may happen to have.  But there should be no ostentatious or pedantic show of erudition.  Besides being vulgar, such a show subjects the person to ridicule."

Probably.

Enjoy your days!