Today I delivered the paperwork for our taxes to the accountant, which is a major achievement. I decided I needed a small treat, so I allowed myself to do some cutting for my next leader and ender project.

Last week Meredith sent me this link to a quilt on Ebay. (I hope the seller doesn't mind me posting the picture here)

I was mildly intrigued by the block, and drew up something similar in EQ6, and fiddled and mucked about a bit. I decide it would be nice pieced as scrap, and I played with settings and different piecing methods until I came up with about 16 variations. Then I made a sample block, and liked it, and decided it would be the block to use up all my remnant 2 1/2" strips.

This is what I've been piecing: it's my ideal block. For each one I make 3 half square triangle units, a dark and a light 2 1/2" square, and a dark and a light 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle. It's so easy, especially as I have most of these precut and leftover from other projects.

Then I went reading on the Maverick ring, and realised that what I had laboured over in EQ6 was virtually the same thing that Bonnie was making with her baby quilt. Doh! But I still like my blocks, and all the variations I drew up, and I'm piling up the blocks. They are a delight to piece, and they are using up those leftover 2 1/2" strips. I like it on point as well, so I may just amass a huge amount of these blocks and make several quilts.

I haven't abandoned the Maverick Stars, but I'm trying to decide on a setting before I forge ahead. And I have discovered that I dislike crumb piecing and using up odd-shaped scraps. It's too disordered for me, it causes me real anxiety. I guess once I get rid of this lot of scraps I won't make another quilt like this. I will donate all the odd shaped bits to someone who actually enjoys working with them.

Blame any spelling mistakes in this post on my latest craze; DH came home from the pub extolling the virtues of Gin & Tonic. Whatever, I thought, but he bought all the fixings and made me one. Hmmm, I thought, that isn't bad. I have read so many autobiographies of British expatiates in the tropics, and Gin and Tonic seemed to be the drink of choice. I live in the Tropics. Therefore I should drink Gin and Tonic. It makes sense to me...... It's a very complex blend of flavours, and I haven't tired of it yet.

I do like discovering things that I like. For years we ate very mediocre meals because that was all we could afford, or the kids wouldn't eat anything except boiled pasta and steak and gravy. Now we are discovering a whole world of fantastic flavours and tastes, and it's fun. I have lived on spinach, feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes for the last 6 months, washed down with red wine. Mmmmm!