Catch up chit chat..

Niamh was 1 last Monday and I found the whole thing quite emotional.  My last baby is growing up, and I am equally thrilled and sad!  The 3 of them seem to be so independant now! It is nice that I can leave Paul to do all 3 bedtimes now, but sad that I am not required.  It is fab that we are all finally sleeping, and that Niamh goes all night and is happy, but sad that I don't get any precious cuddles before the world wakes.  I could keep listing the things I am happy and sad about, but mainly I am happy.  How could I not be!

Lucy and I had a personal induction at the gym on Weds, where we had a chap called Joe (I call him a chap, and he is, but if he is 20 I will be shocked and frankly I feel like his mother!  How old is 32 these days?!) talked us through our plan of action for the triathlon, and of course my sportiv first off.  We appear to have agreed to 3 x 2hr sessions a week, with cycling on top of that..!

Paul has made an amazing gift for my Mothers 60th next week, I can't mention anything til after the big 6 0, and the same goes for my creations, I have a minute amount of hand stitching still to do, but I'm so excited!  I'm really looking forward to the whole week actually.  We go Saturday, on Sunday my Dad has prepped a champaigne testing sesh which is basically an excuse for us all to drink loads and eat lots of nibbles.  Monday is birthday actual, and we are going to a posh hotel for afternoon tea, then on Tuesday my sister and Dan head home and we are free to see what the rest of the week holds.  Paul and I are hoping to get lots of exercise in, all the bikes are going, and there is a leisure centre a 5 min walk from the house.

Quilted, appliqued bed runner

Lay out your fabric and decide on a rough outline plan

Begin sewing all the squares together, patchworking and ironing as you go

Decide on your outside border, attach and then work out your applique

Once its wadded and quilted, trim it all, attach your edging to the front side (I made a 5in binding from white linen, which I then folded in half, making a 2.5in width.  The outside frayed edge was sewn to the outside top edge of the runner, the neat folded edge was then pulled to the back and stitched down) and hand stitch to the back.  Done!



I loved this project, with all of its trials and errors, and couldn't have done most of it without the help of http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUWnhR7raxVFDHmDXqCIzuAw&feature=plcp and http://blog.missouriquiltco.com/
Remember to listen for the duck :-)


Happy birthday Lucy x x

GYM!

So Lucy and I joined the gym, and after a lengthy induction last Wednesday we had a go on the running machines and did our usual 5/1 x 4 run - it was ok!  The induction chap was friendly, so we have booked in to see him about a training plan next week.

Tonight we were brave and went super early, so we could run, cycle and swim.. and again, it was ok!  Admittedly I did a bizarre combo of cross training, rowing, running and cycling before swimming, but it all worked and I feel good now.  Tired, ready for bed, but good.  Whoop!

And an even bigger whoop, tomorrow I get to give the first of my february gifts and I can f i n a l l y put photos up :-) 

Watch this space..

Imbolc!

Imbolc bunting on the family Altar

Just as we hit February, with Imbolc and spring, the mild winter turns frosty and the temperature has dropped below freezing = Brrrr!  Lots of the UK has had snow, Reading had loads, even Portsmouth, but none here mores the pity.




Cardiff last weekend was good. It was great to see Claire and Allan, the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Paul and I did got a cycle and a run in, although the cycle was harder than anticipated because of all of the welsh hills! 

Paul x

I have not done a a hillier or more difficult route and Paul struggled to drag me round it!
Since then, we did a 26 mile route at the weekend just gone, when
my parents visited and had the children for us.  I would love to say it was a romantic amble through the hampshire countryside.  But it was hard, cold and frankly brutal!!  I was very weary on Sunday.  But whatever my body was doing, I was feeling good mentally.  I have achieved half my goal distance on track, with 8 weeks to go.  Need to keep it up now.

An added bonus to all this exercise appears to be weight loss.  Slow and steady, but definitely there!

Lucy and I have stepped up our joint training too and have now settled on the triathlon we want to enter.  Its slightly earlier than first thought and is in June, at my old secondary school in Henley no-less.  We are challenging ourselves with opting for the Sprint: 400 metre Swim - 25 km Cycle - 5 km Run - which I have only just noticed is actually the maximum option!  We are currently swimming twice a week, averaging 40 lengths, running 3 times a week and are now on run 5mins, walk 1min, and then the cycling as I have mentioned.  We are joining the gym with a joint membership this week, so we can start practising swimming and running one after the other.

Niamh turns one next week, and we are having a little tea party.  She has just started sleeping properly on her own, in her own bed and I hadn't actually realised just how the lack of sleep was affecting us until it stopped!  I can't believe she will be one.  My last baby is turning into a toddler, and whilst I feel sad as the baby chapter of my life comes to an end, I am truly excited about the future and seeing them all grow - and getting some sleep!





Pop art skull mug



We are all geared up for a week in Selsey for my mothers 60th and I'm particularly looking forward to spending some time with my sister, rather than brief glimpses here and there between jet-setting.


Bunting bunting bunting!



I managed to paint a bizarre mug at a pottery party last week and have been sewing sewing sewing as ever, and can't wait to make a start on Feb birthdays and share what I've been beavering over.  Bunting, as always, features heavily.



 

deep in the belly

life stirs

not yet formed

but quickening.

slight movement waking,

promising of life to come,

in the dark

as yet unborn.

manifesting, yet waiting,

the warming Earth

stirs.

Poem by Deanne Quarrie - Art by her daughter, Wendy Knox