More 'handwriting' on a quilt

Nothing new to show you from the past 24 hours or so - had a very flat day yesterday - heard the placement at my current school won't continue after the summer break - I'd kind of hoped it might lead to something permanent but I can see it from the schools point of view - doesn't help me much in the search for something permanent though. Thus I didn't feel very productive.

I was so cheesed off and hot and tired I laid on our bed at about 8pm and slept until around 10. Of course this meant that I couldn't get to sleep when we eventually went to bed - typical! So after listening to DH snoozing blissfully away next to me for a good half an hour while I was wide awake I decided to come downstairs and I sat until 2.30am stitching hexagons onto my sofa throw. May well prove a pain by teatime today though - it's a bit of a vicious circle - insomnia.

When I'm worked up about something or feeling flat I find that the mindless stitching of something as easy as hexagons over paper is excellent therapy - you can tug away at that thread to your hearts content and stab the needle through the card with the only risk being a stabbed finger or a snapped length of thread - nothing much to spoil there. Hence in those two and a half hours I vented quite a lot of my frustration and got quite a few hexagons fixed on too :o) whilst slowly tiring myself out enough to go back to bed and sleep.

DD1 as I have mentioned before is a very sporty type, all the kids are, but she just lives, eats and breathes it. She's A1 clever too but does really adore sport. The head of PE who also happens to be her head of house was looking for volunteers for the school inter-house swimming gala. Of course big mouth who used to swim regularly at aged around 9 and 10 said 'Put me down for anything anyone else doesn't want to do' - she's had a reasonable stab at most things with fair success. Of course she's landed herself with all the butterfly races!

This morning saw mum, dad and DD1 at the swimming baths just after 9am - the two younger ones are away on cub and school camp (the house is wonderfully quiet) to see if she can even remember how to do butterfly stroke - big mouth!

It gave her a bit if a shock - she's not as fit as sh'e like to think she is - but the swimming gala is about 4 weeks away so with some regular sessions she should get back on track sufficiently to not disgrace herself or let her house down!

I can't remember the last time I went swimming - I'm not a natural swimmer or remotely fit for that matter so 10 x 25m lengths of breast stroke this morning was a real achievement for me. I only do breast stroke as I can't bear to put my face in the water - a real chicken. So for the next few weeks I'll endeavour to go with her sometimes rather than just act as taxi service - it'll do me good too :o) and may start up a bit of a fitness habit for me 'cos I certainly need to do something - the weight is piling on and as sure as quilting is good for the psychological wellbeing it doesn't contribute much to fitness and physical wellbeing :o(

I'm not showing my hexagons until I've completed them - I'm onto the next to last border (about five eighths of the way round) so it'll come quite soon - but I've put up a shot and a close up of a quilt I made for DH's cousin's baby a couple of years ago. This was one of my first attempts at writing and I wrote the nursery rhyme 'One, two, three, four, five; Once I caught a fish alive' all around the border and waves across the middle of the quilt.

Someone mentioned in a comment about the idea of stitching the recipients name somewhere in the border when they make a quilt as a present. I've also heard mentioned the idea of initialling and dating the quilt in FMQ just in case it gets stolen or mislaid as a form of ID - I do it if I can remember for my own quilts.

On my brother's wedding quilt I wrote their names and the date of their wedding in various places

Might get some more bullseyes done today but it looks like its set for another hot and sunny one so the three of us may go out on the cycles too - it's a real luxury to have some time with the big one on her own o) - this fitness lark will either kill or cure me (VBG)