These late night stints watching the Winter Olympics are starting to take their toll. I have to have a sleep each afternoon to recover, but I don't have a problem with that. My DH comes home for lunch each day, and we usually have a power nap of 45 minutes or so. Our hi-flyer friends in Melbourne, who commute 75 minutes to work each day, were astounded at that, but there has to be some advantage to living in a small town. 4 minutes drive to work is one of them, lunch at home is another, and a wee sleepie when you need it is another. Some of the worst times I've known have been when I was desperately tired and couldn't take time off to sleep - just horrible.

I still don't have a lot of free time, but I threw common sense aside yesterday and sewed for 15 minutes. That felt good, I could just feel the stress vanishing. And it's made me more determined to finish my obligations and move on.

This is another old quilt, I finished it about 5 years ago. I used the Marti Michel sunburst templates, and had a ball making the blocks. they were fantastic fun to make, and I have another 30 pieced and waiting to be put together. .....waiting......waiting...... After 5 years I should get busy and do something with them.

Meredith and I used to ring each other once a week, and talk for three hours, because the phone company charged us the same whether we talked for 45 minutes or 3 hours. I bought us headphones, so that we could talk and sew, and each of these blocks represents a phone call. It was a very companionable way to sew, and I have something to show for my time.

Patchworkers in our little town aren't generally the Maverick kind, and the fact that I used different backgrounds for each block just threw them totally. 'But WHY?' was the general comment. Sigh. 'Cause I get so freaking bored doing the same thing again and again, that's why. The background of the middle block in the second row is actaully a four-patch that I centered the sunburst over, just for fun.

Now we chat through Yahoo messenger, and I need to put some handpiecing near the computer so I can use that time well. The temptation is to cut out a new project instead of finishing one of the many already in existence. I will try to be good.

It looks like I will be able to go the US in May, for one of the big machine quilting shows. Can't get excited, not till I have the tickets in my hot little hand, but it's looking distinctly possible. May even be able to hook up with the divine Miss Bonnie....