Broken arm works a charm ...

Corny headline, I know! But very apt in the circumstances. I have a finish! Yay! Well - a finished top - you know it counts all the same. This was my low-volume charm square quilt without a border, which was coming up a bit small:

 

And here it is today - finished with a 5" border - it was a bit blowy in the garden - I got there eventually:

 

 

I think it will be a while before I can baste and quilt it - although the arm is getting stronger, I still only have about 40% range of movement in the shoulder and it hurts when I overdo things. Knowing me, as you do, that's quite a lot!

 

And how was our holiday in France? Amazing. Poignant. Breath-taking. Very moving. We packed a lot into our 5 days in the Somme region. It was lovely to get the chance to holiday with our friends and their wonderful girls. We visited lots of World  War 1 sights and also had some fun playing cards and bingo back at the Gites each night. Here are just a few photos:

 

 

And on Monday, we drove to Ypres in Belgium to hear the Last Post - played every night at 8pm at the Menin Gate - The memorial bears the names of 54,389 officers and men from United Kingdom and Commonwealth Forces (except New Zealand and Newfoundland) who fell in the Ypres Salient before 16^th August 1917 and who have no known grave:

 

 

If you ever get the chance to visit these countries ... do it. You won't be disappointed. But you will be sad. I'm thankful to be home and grateful for the world I get to live in because of their sacrifices. 

 

Linking up with Lorna, Amanda Jean and Sarah :)

  

 

Au revoir!

We're off to France tomorrow for a few days with our dear friends and their three wonderful daughters. I'm so looking forward to it. Lots of WW1 battlefields to tour and we're staying in a farmhouse in the Somme Valley. I haven't ever read much about the Great War so am expecting to learn a lot.

We had our dear niece and her fiancé visit us this week - it's almost rejuvenating being in the company of a couple of 24 year olds. We're very lucky they want to spend their precious days off with us 'old folk'! Or maybe it's just the hot tub they're keen on visiting :)

So no sewing to share with you. Not a jot. Nothing. But some exciting news ... the Strip Bee quilting retreat I was going to host - but had to cancel because of my accident the day before everyone was due to arrive - has been rescheduled! Yay! So stay tuned because there will be lots of sewing stuff to share very soon - can't wait to see the 6 different quilts we've made! 

And it will be the last lot of sewing in my lovely sewing room (loft) before we move house. I shall miss this room :( here's one of my aforementioned friend's wonderful daughters when she came to play last year:

Also, am really hoping my arm will continue to get stronger and I can get around to basting these lovelies when I get back. They're waiting patiently on my table:

Hope you have a great weekend ... à bientôt :)