Garage Cleared and Quilt Finished

Donald and I have been busy. Today he cleared the excess clutter out of the garage and took a huge load to the public skip. We shall probably have another clear-out later in the summer, but for now, Don has made a major improvement in a space we sometimes had to carefully pick our way through. As with most people, we've been meaning to do this and talking about it for ages. Today was the perfect day for it--dry and warm.

I helped with some of the clearing out (but not much) and made some decisions about what could be tossed. Mostly, however, I left Don to it as I was busy inside finishing up the commission quilt, which I've named GoGo KoKo. The quilt is a surprise for Jean Anderson's grandson who is coming with his parents for an extended visit next Tuesday. Jean wanted him to have something of his very own that she could keep for his future visits.

She saw a photo of one of my phototransfer wall quilts and asked if I could produce a bed quilt for him using that technique. In the time available and with what else I had going on, including the trip to Italy, I knew the most I could manage would be a nap quilt. As the little boy is only 7, the quilt should be the perfect size for him.

Jean asked her son to e-mail photos of their dog, KoKo, and of Fred's favorite subject: things that go vroom and zoom! The finished product has a JCB digger, the Concorde, the Flying Scotsman steam train, a big-wheel crusher truck, a tanker truck, and a motorcycle. Oh yes, and the family SUV. (They live in Dubai where black SUVs seem to be the only mode of transport.)

Last night we were out at the Friends of Cognac AGM (annual general meeting) where, among other business, Don was voted in as a committee member. The business meeting, however, was a minor portion of the evening which began with Pimms Cups and fresh strawberries with chocolate dipping sauce. Following the AGM, we had a slide presentation and informal talk by the woman who actually started the idea of a cultural exchange over 15 years ago. Her talk was both interesting and humorous. Then there was a light finger buffet with wine. Of course a coach had been laid on to bring those of us from Comrie and Crieff to and from the event.

Don's taking tomorrow off from golf tomorrow. It's supposed to be another gorgeous day so he's proposed that we take a "field trip." We haven't decided where we'll go but it will be nice to get away. (I've been either working in the garden or in the house all week working on the quilt and will be very happy to see some different scenery.)