I spent a lot of time printing yesterday, and the waiting time between chores annoyed me as always. I set up a sewing area near the printer, and made more of these double anvil blocks, which were all kitted up and ready to sew. I'm nearly halfway to a quilt with these, and I love the eccentric stripes and bold blues. It's going to be a strong statement when it's finished. They look quite sedate against the neutral carpet, but they will be set with a red print, and that will liven them up.

It promises to be a hot summer here, and there are severe water restrictions, which means no water hoses in the garden. Everything has to be watered by bucket. An urgent project is to get the gardens at both houses mulched with pea straw before summer arrives, so that I can give everything a drink once a week and that will be enough to keep things alive. Mereth can't carry heavy things..... Let me rephrase that; Mereth shouldn't carry heavy things because of her back injury. I frequently have to tell her off for what she's lugging around. So it will be just me on the bucket brigade, but I should get nice strong arms from it. (Long ones more like it!)

The gardening is very tiring, on top of all the shifting and organising work. My hands are full of prickles and rose thorns, so no hand-sewing for me. Yesterday I found the little doll quilt that I was hand quilting. I'm at that stage of unpacking where I think 'Now what did I do with that (...whatever..)? I know I saw it somewhere, where did I put it?' Then I open a cupboard for something else and find three lost things that I shoved in there on day one and promptly forgot about. The fun is not yet over obviously. Still, I got to be 48 years old and never had a major move like this before, so I can count myself lucky.

Last night, aching hands and sunburn aside, I had a nice time sewing these letters after dinner at Mereth's place. This has been my mantra for 25 years, and I like to think I'm making progress. I want to make it into a banner to hang in my sewing room.
When Mereth went to Perth she finally managed to find something she'd been wanting to give me for ages.I adore Millhouse, from the Simpsons. He brings out my maternal instincts. My own DS wore glasses as a child, and I have a soft spot for small boys with spectacles. I am thinking of naming the Statler Marjorie Milhouse; Marjorie for our Mum, who would have been delighted and amazed to see me living here, and Millhouse because I've decided he is the patron saint of small people with glasses. Mereth and I are small people with glasses...

I love the way the afternoon light streams into the bathroom through those glass bricks. The plum tree outside makes glorious green patterns against the blue sky. I'm constantly struck by how beautiful the rooms in this house are; I feel like I'm living in a classy hotel!