Rocking Your Wold 2017; Week 30

After all the noise and activity of fiesta week, it has been quite nice to have a relaxed uneventful week this week. I have actually been the victim of another tummy bug, but although I was very sleepy for a couple of days, it didn't make me feel too ill, just wise not to stray too far from home!! Of course the heat doesn't help, and may well have been a contributing factor,  but I have had plenty of time to sit around, enjoy long siestas, and actually get a few bits of crafting etc done.

Last week I showed a new, powerful fan I had bought for my room. One good thing about its design is that the usual four cross over feet, which I always trip over, and which are not strong enough to withstand heavy items being left on them etc, have been replaced with a sturdy circular, metal base. Arwen has taken a liking to this and for most of the week she has laid on it, I guess catching a down draft from the fan to help keep her cool.

I think those lovely green eyes are just daring me to disturb her!

One good thing I have achieved is to dispose of the ironing pile. It is probably an indication that we have too many clothes, but also down to the fact that we are both happy to be around the house in un-ironed T-shirts and dresses, (modern fabrics make that nothing like as bad as it sounds!), I actually only get the iron out once a month if that, so the pile does mount up. But with a fan at my back, and music in my ears, I set to and did it all yesterday, which does give me a strange feeling of achievement.

I had a nice parcel arrive on Wednesday too. I am not really a trouser person, especially during the summer, but it is quite difficult to find ordinary 'day dresses' that are not either sweeping the floor, or miles above the knee, so in desperation I trawled the net, and eventually ordered two dresses. That was back in early June. I foolishly thought they might arrive before my trip to UK at the beginning of July. They didn't! Instead I got a message to say they had been popular and were now out of stock, but more would be arriving on 28th June. Two weeks ago I had a message to say they had been dispatched, and this week they finally arrived. I have to say I am really pleased with them.

I expect some of you think that they are odd shapeless garments, but those who know me, will know that I don't wear anything fitted. Loose and airy is my choice, and these are made of soft floaty fabric, and in another month or so, when I want a short sleeve again, they will be just perfect. And of course one is poppies, so that sold it to me on its own!

Once a month I make a Christmas card to enter in the Rudolph Day Challenge. It is on the 25th of each month, and we are just encouraged to share a Christmas item we have made. I had set myself the target of making on average twelve Christmas cards each month this year, to save the last minute panic we all have in December. So when I put this week's card in my box, I had a quick count to see how many I have made so far, and it was only 45 - just half of my target for end of July, so I decided I had better do a big run of them. I find making too many all the same gets a bit boring, so I chose a variety of digi stamps that I bought just this week from a company called Lili of the Valley. They have just released their new Christmas range of stamps etc. I printed each one out several times, and for the last two nights I have made a start on colouring some of them with my alcohol ink pens. I have finished ten so far, and when I have coloured them all, I will have twenty-five toppers ready to make into cards. That will give my tally so far, a nice boost.

I have also managed to do a little bit of crochet work. I am glad I got my big Sophie blanket finished. I couldn't do with that on my lap in this heat. But a while ago I also started a blanket that is made up of squares which are much easier to handle. The pattern is designed by Zelna Oliver, and consists of two large squares and ten smaller ones, plus two bonus designs. Each one has the name of a South African beach, and the whole project is called Winter seaside Blanket. I just do an odd square now and then, with the aim of doing two of each design and then deciding what size I want the finished piece to be. So today I spread them all out and was surprised to find I have almost enough for a lap blanket. I chose ten colours and use them in a random order for each square with a sandy, neutral colour for all the edges to bring it all together. A lot of the squares need to be blocked to help them all lay flat, but I think it will look nice when it is all done.

And that really is it for this week. I have one more week of relative peace, though we are forecast another little heat wave with 38º from next Tuesday! And then my visitors arrive - ten of them for one week! It will be wonderful having so many family here together, but I suspect it will also be exhausting! Then we have just one visitor for the rest of August, which will seem quite quiet again.

So I will now link up with Rocking Your World, and Annie's Friday Smiles, and see you all again next week.