Tuesday, October 9, 2018

I still haven’t resolved my computer issue – my backups to my external drive aren’t working but one of the partitions on it contains some photos from several years ago. There was no way I could get them from the external drive back onto my computer but they were old and I thought I could probably live without them.

But just before I went to bed last night I found a couple of files from an older photo program. I did some research and found a way to load them into my current photo application. I went to bed while that process was still running.

When I checked on it this morning the photos appeared in my photo library, but none of my current photos showed up. I headed off the quilting thinking that I had destroyed all my newer photos (from about 2009 onward), including all of the Guild bee photos. But through the day I talked myself into being okay with losing them. I have a physical project book that I keep my quilting photos in, I often post other photos to my website and I don’t really have a need to do anything with all of the Guild photos I’ve collected. By the time I came home I was quite pleased with the notion that there wouldn’t be any work to do sorting through all my digital photos – the bins of “real” photos are more than I can handle!

But after I got home I had another idea – and it worked. When the old photos were imported they created their own library and the newer photos that I thought I lost were still their in the original library. I am so lucky – or am I? Now I’ll have to deal with all of the recovered photos as well as trying to keep up to date with the current ones.

But I did go sewing today and I got a couple of blocks done. The monthly Guild block will be due shortly after I get back from my trip so I was glad to get it done today. And I got the extra orange block (based on the Hands Across the Water block) done as well; I guess I’ll call it my Hands project from now on.

Monday, October 8, 2018

On Saturday morning I loaded up my carry-on bag with some hand stitching and some dinner trimmings – yams, sweet potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, etc. – and headed to Texada on the morning ferry. Once I was unpacked I settled in for some stitching. It was a lovely day so after lunch we took the drive that I had hoped for on my birthday. We followed a few different roads and, although we followed one of them more than 15 km, we never really got anywhere. But getting somewhere really wan’t the point. We saw some nicely colour trees and quite a few deer. I’m still not used to the fact that I won”t be seeing any bears out in the back country.

It was a good thing we took our drive Saturday as the rain moved in on Sunday (and hasn’t really stopped since). It was the last Farmer’s Market for the season so we went and picked up a dessert for our turkey dinner, as well as a few things for Pat to use during the week. We also had to stop at the Thrift Shop to alert one of our House Concert guests that we had changed the time for the next show. By the time we got home the turkey was almost ready and, since Pat had put the vegetables in the oven before we left, we were ready to eat by about two. Later in the afternoon we headed to the Legion for the Trivia Meat Draw. We didn’t win any meat, but Pat won $15 in the 50-50. I managed to get three questions right. It is a fun group and I’ll continue to go if I’m around on Sundays.

I caught the morning ferry back home today – my bag was considerably lighter. I had great plans for the day but I’ve spent most of it trying to solve some computer problems. I knew I had a problem before I went to Texada so I just shut the machine down but knew I’d have to deal with them today. It has taken much longer than I thought and I’m still not there. I had some Hall work I would have liked to have done today but it will have to wait.

While I waited for processes to run on my machine I finished the Splendid Sampler embroidery block I stitched on Texada; I also managed to cut the current Splendid Sampler block and sew it together so I’m caught up. I have two blocks cut for tomorrow and I’ll likely take along my Farmer’s Daughter blocks just in case I have time.

Supper tonight will be left-over turkey and couscous but before I get to that I want to start on my packing. I have a lot of projects to take with me – there may not be room for clothes!

Friday, October 5, 2018

I have so many things on my to-do list I need a week to accomplish it all.

I don’t mean a week like most of my weeks are.

I need a week where I can catch up on everything, but not get behind on anything.

I just need a week where time stops for everyone but me!

Thursday, October 4, 2018

I lost track of time this morning and was rushed for both my sewing date and my Guild meeting tonight. I had almost finished sorting through a magazine folder of quilty things yesterday so I decided to finish it off this morning while I had my coffee. Some of the things I was looking at seemed familiar so I started to see which of them I already had saved to my computer. I finally noticed the time at about 9:30 and by the time I had my shower and got breakfast it was past ten before I started on my “real” day.

I did some updates to the Guild’s web page (ones I should have done last month after the meeting) and got my reports written. It was almost noon when I finished that but then I realized I had a cheque I needed to write for the Hall, as well as a deposit to get ready. I’d promised to drop a couple of patterns off to someone between noon and one so I was racing out the door to get everything done before heading off to sewing.

I was working on a community quilt today – just sewing strips into rail fence blocks. I didn’t count how many I got done but when I was showing Gail and Jessie how they went together I realized I stitched them all backwards if I was going to follow the pattern as I had started it. I have a border between the centre (which is almost done) and the next section of blocks so I think I can use these “backwards” blocks in that spot so I haven’t ripped them apart. I haven’t touched the piece for several months but really, how hard is a rail fence? Apparently harder than I remembered!

I had time for supper before heading back out the door for the Guild meeting at six. Every month I buy two 50-50 tickets, but I’ve never won in the eight years I’ve been in the Guild. But tonight I came home with $24; perfect timing as the quilt shop has a sale on! I also came home with a gift from my Secret Pal – I have an idea or two as to who it might be based solely on the present I unwrapped when I got home. We have two members who I know celebrate Hallowe’en all month long and I may have seen this at one of our Show and Tell sessions last year.

I wonder if everyone else is getting such nice things – an orchid for my birthday and a lovely wall quilt for Hallowe’en. I may have to up my game!