Friends from afar

Phew! been out and about for the last couple of weekends.  I managed to get to the Birmingham Festival of Quilts last weekend, and what a day!  I didn't buy too much, but had to indulge in a couple of gadgets, the first was a seam ripper with a sort of rubber on the end, and you use the rubber to rub out all those small bits of thread left in your work after you have been through with the seam ripper.....guess what??? it works, so I was quite pleased with that.  My other (sort of ) gadget was some tiny plastic templates that you can use for English Paper Piecing and I have used them successfully.  I can't show you exactly what they are for, as they will be part of my flickr Mini Q T swap and if you remember that mini can't be shown until my partner has received it.  However, I can show you just how small they are.

Half inch diamonds ...

Do you remember last year I met up with Dee her visit who was visiting her daughter in Oxford, well, she is back so this weekend Mr D and I travelled over to Oxford to meet up with D and family.  Miss D's daughter had a friend racing in a local regatta so we went down to the river to watch.

race beginning

They obviously didn't cheer enough

because D was left cheering at the finish line.... they came 2nd  

We then went off to Cowley Classic Car show.  As we walked in, D pointed out an American Police car and told us that she drives one just like it.....fool that I am I didn't take a photo and as we saw so many cars I now can't remember the name of the car (I'm sure if D reads this she will add the name in the comments), all I can say is my last little car (a Fiesta) would probably  have fitted in the boot (or trunk if we are talking American)

We wandered and talked about cars our Dads had driven, cars we had driven, and cars we would loved to have driven. But all agreed this car/ truck was just a great colour and we needed a photo shoot.

Got to admit it would have been a bright car in its day

I had made a couple of gifts for D.

I showed you these in an earlier blog

but added this to the pile....

I did add one of my little pin toppers, hope it gets through customs

and what a lucky lady I am as in return I got a bumper gift pack........ so many beautiful fabrics 

What a lot I got, but this is not all..

Look who joined them........ these little birds were made by D's dad, they have ribbons around their middles

They stand on their own...so cute!

and one day I hope D and her family will come to see those little birds sitting in my sewing room.

Standing outside some beach huts

It was great to spend a day with D, her hubby and her daughter M.  I do hope they manage another trip to the UK.

Before I go I just want to show you that Stargazer Lilly that was growing in my garden.

8 blooms all on the one stem....so beautiful

What a couple of weeks....what will the next couple bring????