Back to normal - sewing!

Normal service has been resumed - the sewing machine is back in action!  I knew something was wrong.  I packed it away and folded up the craft table before we went away, and it hasn't been out since.  However, this afternoon, I finally got around to making a new ironing board cover from a curtain remnant I picked up today, and I feel much better.  

This is the sad state my ironing board has been in for quite a few weeks.  Perhaps I am doing too much ironing ;-)  There was a real likelihood of the cover falling to pieces as I ironed so action was needed.  I simply removed the old cover, used it as a pattern to cut out a new one, used the same binding, and, as they say, Bob's your uncle (no idea who Bob is).

Here's it is with it's new cover, looking very smart and trendy.  The whole project took me about an hour, start to finish and cost me a fraction of the price of a bought one.  Why I've been putting this off, I have no idea.  Once I had the fabric there was no reason not to put the time aside to complete the task.  I think that's what I need to do with a lot of little jobs that have been stacking up over the past few weeks.  Simply get on with them.  Stop making excuses and putting things off, just pick a job and do it.  

We went for a walk into town this morning and I meant to take my camera to photograph the trees in their autumn colours.  Next time we're out, I'll try to remember.  I snapped this picture out of our window; this is a horse chestnut in glorious shades of yellow, gold and russet. Against the dark green conifers, it looks so pretty.  The leaves won't be on the trees much longer if the blustery winds stay with us.  We noticed a lot of the storm drains are blocked with fallen leaves, and we're sure we can remember not so long ago the drains used to be cleared as part of the council's autumn maintenance programme.  I guess there isn't enough money in the council coffers for that sort of work to be done any longer.

One of the things that we have noticed during the course of the year is that the same birds frequent the gardens here.  I regularly see the jackdaw with the nylon twine wrapped around one of its claws; there's a blackbird with two distinctive grey patches on its wings, and this week we've seen this bird several times (the photo's not the best, sorry).  It is a blackbird, but has most unusual white feathers in it's wings and tail.  It's a first for me, and it will be interesting to see if the feathers eventually moult out and he ends up black all over, or not.

And finally, we have confirmed the kitchen.  Sighs of relief all round.  We saw our builder today and he thinks January is looking hopeful.  We have, however, taken a break from looking at ovens; there is just too much choice these days and we have found wading through all the new and different settings, programmes, shelf and door variations, heat directions and instruction manuals just a little wearing, so we are giving that a rest for a while.  When did it all get so complicated?