I don't know how these young folk manage to keep up with all the latest technology. It's exhausting trying to take advantage of all the fantastic developments. Take music for example. When we were young we waited many months or even years for our favourite artists to release new records, and had to save all our pocket money or spare income to afford the latest LP. When an album was no longer in the stores it had to be ordered, and often couldn't be obtained for love nor money. As for technology, we thought it amazing being able to set the old record player to play a stack of records, or to endlessly cycle through the same album. Mum loved that feature, I'm sure.I bought an MP3 player a few months ago,and joined Emusic. I get 30 downloads a month, plus an audiobook. I love it, make no mistake, but it takes me forever to track down music I want, download it, sort it out and then transfer it to the player. Then I make a couple of CDs as backup and to play on the portable CD player so Mereth can listen to it in the workroom too. Am I just getting old, and can't keep up? I guess I need to get into a routine and stick to it. One Sunday a month seems to be entirely taken up with fiddling around with my music; in future I must really take time to enjoy it and not try to do anything else. I really am very grateful that I have access now to the folk music and ancient music that I've always loved. And don't get me started on YouTube; there's a way to lose a whole day!

Last time we met for our night group we had a pincushion session. Our quilt buddy Sonia does the most fabulous embroidery, and made us all a stitchery to turn into a bicornu pincushion. We had a sewathon to get them all sewn and stuffed and finished off, and very nicely they turned out too. My secret step is to apply weight to the stuffed cushion before sewing on the button, which helps to give it a nicer shape; the easiest way is to sit on for 15 minutes. When it came time to sew on the last button we realised we were one cushion short. Sonia watched while we turned the room upside-down searching, then stood up to help. And there was the pincushion on her chair!

Mereth found these old pincushions in amongst Mum's sewing gear. We made them from Laura Ashley samples in 1979; they are 29 years old and still working fine. The one on the top left was pulled apart, and 31 needles found hidden in the stufing. They eat needles.


And to continue the theme; this is Scabious, or Pincushion Flower. It's a flower from my childhood, and I love it's generous nature. It self-seeds and spreads to fill the garden with pretty lilac flowers every year. It's hardy and does well in this dry climate, and best of all I haven't managed to kill mine yet.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go 'sync my device'.....