What a whirlwind few days........

Last weekend saw Nigel and I as 'super-hero-sports-supporters'!!!

Cubs swimming gala for Lou on Saturday afternoon where she got a first and a third place. Nice for her to be centre of attention instead of her elder siblings for a change.

County rugby match on Sunday afternoon for Sarah where she converted one try so getting her name on the scoresheet - they drew against the Cornwall side 12-12. Had Sarah taken the first conversion instead of the #10 who just can't place kick they would've won - hindsight is always 20/20 - I think the coach learned his lesson on that one :o)

Club football match for Nick at the same time (made for an interesting afternoon for Nigel flitting between the two events) where he played in goal and was awarded Man of the Match - they won 3-2.

Cause for celebration for all three of them - we just went with the flow and fitted in food and birthday shopping as and where we could around it all!

Sarah was on her own for quilting on Monday as Megan had had a tooth out at hospital that morning.

We're now doing a beautiful Quilter's Cache Foundation Pieced Block. Once she's completed it I'll show you and put a link to the pattern - it's looking good!

Nick was 12 on Tuesday, that day after his daddy's 47th birthday and he'll have a birthday sleepover on Saturday or should that read wakeover?

Yesterday I was on a course for work all day giving me a clearer view of the bigger picture on school finances. Amazing how spending that day has shown me just why I do the tasks I do when I do them. All is now definitely clearer than mud or at least getting there - after all I've only been in post almost four terms.

Today will be a very strange day at work. County Hall had a total power failure yesterday - so bad that they sent all central staff home (we're talking about hundreds, possibly thousands of workers here) so I guess the lucky people got a day off to do their Christmas shopping.

The power won't be fully restored until probably Monday so I can't actually do anything on the Financial System at school - however there are loads of housekeeping type jobs that have been calling my name 'siren-like' from my trays which I now have no further excuse to ignore. This might just be a blessing in disguise.

My sister loved her birthday 'Dashing Horses' quilt - thank heavens - and she sweetly sent me a surprise gift too as she'd visited one of my favourite Yorkshire quilt shops on her way to see our parents the other weekend.

Four Christmas FQ's - I've started using the red and green already - unsure about the large patterned one - may use it in a large piece as a focus fabric in the centre of a table runner - we'll see!

And then these lovely rustic coloured FQs which she said she couldn't resist because of the colours - maybe I'll make that table runner reversible with these on the opposite side from the Christmas fabrics for her so she can use it all year round. I can't decide if the dark brown patterned really goes with the other three - I'm almost tempted to dig out a soft green instead to match the stalks and leaves on the other two patterned fabrics - that'll be another trip into the loft for my long suffering husband then :o)

Speaking of table runners, you may recall last year I made a very long narrow runner for my DB & DSIL using Christmas Flower Fairy fabric.

My SIL said how much she liked it and was reluctant to put it away once the Christmas season was over.

So this year I'm making them an all year round version to suit their mellow putty/beige/cream colour scheme.

Here are the starting blocks. QST's in the centre, that's brave for me!

So - I'll be off to work now then - maybe I'll get to show you progress on these projects later