Honey, I Blew Up The Computer

Yes, I really did.  There was a flash and smoke and all sorts of drama.  It all started when the ‘on/off’ button just flashed orange and wouldn’t let me turn the computer on or off.  Mr. Tialys had just left for the U.K. for the week and 5 days of computer free living loomed large.  I Googled the problem.  I followed the advice on a forum.  I unplugged the computer, as advised, and wiggled a switch back and forth.  Then I plugged it back in again.  Cue the fireworks plus all the plugs in that room and my daughter’s bedroom next door being fused.  Oops.  Turns out I should have wiggled the switch back to the 220v setting before plugging it back in again instead of leaving it on 110v so that it got a surge of more voltage than it bargained for.  Oh well, it had been making a funny noise for a while anyway.

The next night the whole house was plunged into darkness when all the power went off.  I went down to the fuse box thingy and wiggled all the switches until I found a combination where the main fuse wouldn’t trip.  Well, I was in the middle of an episode of ‘Luther’ so I wasn’t giving up.  First thing in the morning I managed to get hold of an electrician.  He was here for three hours and fixed the fuse for the plugs – which was my fault – but couldn’t find a reason for all the power going off – which wasn’t my fault.  I had to force that confession out of him so that I could tell Mr. T. that I hadn’t sabotaged all the electricity in the house as well as the computer.  I await the bill.

From then on things continued in the same vein.

I broke a good wine glass and my favourite huge breakfast tea mug.

On the bright side I have replaced it with one from the same company (Heron Cross Pottery) which is covered in buttons.  The picture of the teapot is entirely gratuitous but it is the same design and I am sorely tempted.   The mug hasn’t arrived yet because I had it sent to Mr. T. to bring over with him but, so far, he hasn’t been able to fit it in his cabin bag as it always seems to be full of laptops.  He has a laptop for work and he bought one to replace the blown up desktop but, having spent the best part of the weekend downloading software like Skype, my email server, BBC iPlayer, Spotify, etc. etc. my daughter plugged her headphones in and the port didn’t work.  So it had to go back.

On the personal injury front I was rummaging in a chest of drawers in my workroom when a wooden storage chest fell on my head.  Plus, I have been backwards and forwards to the dentist because I’m having a veneer fitted and the temporary one kept falling off.  It is an hour’s round trip away.

Still……

Things seem to have run their course now.  The new computer is up and running,  all my photos (thousands of them apparently!!) have been recovered from the hard drive, the bump on my forehead has faded to yellow and I now have my permanent veneer.  However, it might explain why I haven’t been blogging, commenting on blogs, unable to send emails, being in a foul mood, etc. etc.

Life – believe it or not – did go on without a computer.

The kittens went out into the world for the first time.

They explored the flora

and the fauna

but still spend most of their time indoors.

I made green blocks for the F2F block swap which was the colour requested by Emmely and it was a revelation because I didn’t think I liked green.  Now I do.

I decided on these four batiks to back my F2F blocks and started making mini quilts out of the individual blocks in order to try the quilt as you go method for the first time.

Mr. Tialys continues with his leather work and he made this bag.  All hand stitched by the way.  I said that it would need testing as this particular leather marks and will become distressed and we need to know how the appearance will change – hopefully for good – before he uses it to make another.  So, it goes everywhere with me and is flung with gay abandon – as all my bags are – onto shop counters, to teeter precariously on the back seat (or floor) of the car and over the back of restaurant chairs.  It is marking but, I think, in a good way.

I have also nearly finished the boyfriend cardigan I started – I think it was in November – just got to cast off the sleeves and then the dreaded sewing up.  I have to say, I know ‘boyfriend cardigan’ means it’s supposed to look big on you as if you had nicked it off your boyfriend (or husband) but the sleeves are going on forever.  Mr. T. is tall at 6’4″ but I think, by the time I’ve finished it will look more as if I’d borrowed it from this chap.

I’ll let you know how I get on!

Have you ever tried to fix something and made things much worse?

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It’s Official, No Longer Any Doubt, Lock Me Up and Throw Away the Key.

Yes, now that we’re a 6 cat family, I’ve gone and bought a humungus cat tree.  I know.  I am probably now spoken about as the local crazy cat lady.

Luckily we have a conservatory, complete with cat flap, so we don’t actually have to share our living space with it.  Although, it’s rather handsome in my opinion, so I wouldn’t be too upset but I suspect I would be swiftly voted down if I suggested any such thing.
Cats being cats, you will notice that it is void of life.

Ungrateful baggage number 1 in her usual spot.

Ungrateful sod number 2 busily cramming his bulk into a tiny cat bed and ignoring the luxury accommodation just installed.

The other two fully growns are not even in evidence.

However, it was much appreciated by the kittens when Mr. T. was putting it together in the lounge.  I have recently taken to bringing them upstairs for terrifying  socialisation sessions with the big cats and the dogs.  They can’t really manage to get into it on their own but, with a helping hand, they enjoyed being way above the dogs’ questing noses and, after batting the hanging toys around for at least an hour, had a little nap in the igloo shaped bed.

Yuki was quite taken with the feathered pom pom and, at times, unknowingly, wore it as a hat.

She’s looking a bit more like a kitten and less like a gremlin x guinea pig now isn’t she?

Anyway, I’m off to put yet another online order in with Zooplus (the pet food supplier I use and very good they are too) as I seem to keep running out of cat food.

I wouldn’t mind, but I’m really a ‘dog person’.

Christmas Knits and Cute Kits

I have finished another big blanket and, this time, it is for my Mum’s Christmas present.  Sssh!!  I don’t quite know how she’s going to get it back on the plane but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

It has actually got a lilac fleck in it – to go with her soft lilac sofa – but it is very subtle and hasn’t come out in the photos where it looks creamy beige which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Despite having the wool for several more of these, I’m continuing with my Kim Hargreaves boyfriend cardigan ‘Drew’ from her ‘Storm’ book.  I’m really liking how it’s knitting up a sort of steely grey and it is sooo soft I can’t wait for it to be finished so I can wear it, although I’m not holding my breath.

Last Saturday night saw two of my baby kittens off to their new homes.  I was sad to see them go but very grateful that I managed to get them adopted as France is positively seething with unwanted cats and kittens.

Yuki is making great progress.  She still looks a little like a guinea pig crossed with a gremlin but now she is a fat one.  Being left alone with just one sibling, far from getting her bullied, is making her more playful and very strong.

I think she’s going to be a diva though.

Her brother – temporarily called Mac (short for mackerel because of his fur markings) may henceforth be called Mog.  If you live in the U.K. you will no doubt be aware of the T.V. advert Sainsbury’s has produced for Christmas.  A mini story featuring Mog the cat that has taken the viewing public by storm (usually it’s the John Lewis ad).   My daughters grew up with Mog books  – delightful stories by Judith Kerr – so despite the fact the real Mog is a girl and has a white chest and paws,  they think we should call Mac, Mog.

This is what he thinks of that idea.

For those of you who haven’t seen it (can there be anyone left in the U.K. who hasn’t) have a look.  It’s very cute and Christmassy and has a lovely message – plus the cat is hilarious.

A Tale of Two Kitties Part 3 – Medication, One Amputation and Two Reservations

The house of kittens is taking its toll on my time.

They are getting bigger, more energetic, more hungry and generally more demanding.  It’s so entertaining to see them playing together though and, when I go down to feed them, I usually spend far too much time just watching them.

I had to take little Yuki to the vet last week.  She (for he is a she!) still didn’t seem to be able to eat properly and had started to lose weight.  The others were more than twice her size and she was getting knocked about a lot at playtime.  The vet said she had severe diahorrea and gave me a syringe full of gloop to give her twice a day for two days and some tablets, twice a day for five days.  I worried.  She has a skull the size of a walnut and trying to force tablets down her was not an easy task.

He also said her tail was broken and disappeared with her for two minutes and, when he reappeared, the above was what was left of her tail.  I barely had time to be traumatised.

Since then, she has been gaining weight.  She sits in the middle of the food dish so none of the others can get any and sucks up the food noisily and slowly.  She generally needs a wipe down with a damp cloth afterward!

This is her now on the left.  Still very small and she looks a bit like a guinea pig crossed with a gremlin but look at that little face.

I embarked upon a campaign to get the kittens adopted – apart from her of course as she’s far too little and delicate to leave 😉

I had a surprisingly good response – bearing in mind that kittens are ten a penny in France – and these two have been reserved by very nice families and will be leaving in a week or so.

Then there’s this one.

I sort of let him hide behind me when they came looking because I’m not sure we can be parted.  I have a good excuse.  Yuki needs to learn play from her siblings and she’s only just gained enough strength to join in the rough and tumble so I can’t keep her on her own – she needs to learn.  Well, I can’t can I?   Will having six cats make me ‘odd’?  Do I care? Maybe I’ll keep him another couple of weeks and then restart the adoption campaign halfheartedly in earnest.  I’m already being picky.  My hairdresser told me yesterday that her sister was looking for a kitten and I said I’d bear it in mind but she wants ‘an indoor cat’ because she lives in an apartment with only a balcony and I’m not sure about that.

What would you do?  Could you be sensible?

 

 

 

 

Blocks From the Netherlands – F2F Block Swap

I received two packages last week – one from the U.S.A. and the other from the Esther in the Netherlands.  I said her blocks deserved a post of their own and here’s why –

How stunning is that?

I can’t imagine me executing something this perfect – sorry ladies!

Possibly my favourite – though very difficult to choose.

Esther from ipatchandquilt not only made these beautiful foundation pieced blocks but she also designed the patterns.  You can see some of them on her blog here as well as some stunning quilting designs.

I am humbled by all this gorgeousness dropping through my letterbox. I have done some foundation piecing in the past – perhaps it’s time to give it another go.

After all, having told Kate, one of the organisers of the swap, that I was never, in a million years, going to bother cutting piddling little scant 2 inch squares and faff about with interfacing, look what I did.

I liked the block Kate sent me using this method so much that I decided to give it a try after all.  I used very thin fusible interfacing – as it was what I had to hand in a large enough square, and although it was a pain to mark up, it makes for a block that is not at all stiff.  I think, if I am to continue in the postage stamp style, I will mark up a grid on some muslin and use it as a template underneath the interfacing as suggested in the tutorial.  Also, I might try cutting a plastic template for the scant 2 inch square you need to cut the fabric.

I’m hooked – my matching is never this good using any other method 😉

and in case you’re missing the kittens

I’ve got somebody coming round to see – and maybe reserve – them later on.  I might hide the biggest one – he’s so gorgeous and bound to be the first to go.  No, No! I must be strong.

New Blocks from the U.S.A. – F2F Block Swap

I love the excitement of small parcels arriving from all over the world for the F2F block swap I’m participating in.

On Friday I received another package and, this time, it was from the States containing three blocks from Susan over at Desert Sky Quilting.

On Friday I received another package and, this time, it was from the States containing three blocks from Susan over at Desert Sky Quilting.  A dramatic touch with the very dark grey and blue fabric in this one with the central pinwheel.

A touch of orange with the turquoise here.  Apparently the orange  colour was outside of Susan’s comfort zone and she included some lovely orange fabric for me to play with in the package.

I think this is my favourite one.

This package arrived, despite the fact that Susan had sent it before we realised the post (zip) code was wrong – as did Kate’s from Australia –  so I’m quietly confident they will all arrive eventually. Esther’s blocks also arrived on Friday, from the Netherlands,  but they are also worthy of their own post so they will be in my next one.

A kitten free zone on the blog today did I hear you say?

Well almost

Yuki – still tiny but trying to build him up and am going to try goats milk when the shops open tomorrow.

Getting some cuddles from the ‘big’ sister.

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

 

Feeling My Age

Yesterday, amazingly, I had another birthday.  I think I’m probably having around 4 a year now or is time really going that fast?  Anyway, it all started off well and I had lunch with a good friend but, afterward, I made the mistake of using a Photobooth because I need to renew my driving licence and then I was plunged into depression.

It was so bad, I really think if I used this pic of a gargoyle from my garden it would be less scary.

Anyway, I also saw a box full of abandoned teeny tiny kittens on the counter of a shop and couldn’t help wondering what  would happen to them as the shop was about to close and I knew they didn’t open the following day.  I had to force myself away as I’ve already got 4 cats – all of them abandoned as kittens – and can’t possibly take any more home.  Still, it upset me.

However, when I got home, my daughters had put out the flags!

They’d also made me a cake and had bought me some nice gifts which was all very touching.  Plus, although Mr. Tialys was in England, he had left my present with the girls – very exciting – I am going to set it all up this afternoon.

So, now I know to avoid photobooths at all times but particularly on birthdays after a certain age and to never underestimate the power of a homemade cake and a pot of tea.  (An iPad doesn’t hurt either!)