FNSI and lifes ups and downs.

This past week has been a bit of a roller coaster.

My poor back has caused some of that ride. Thank you to everyone who sympathised and sent healing thoughts. It is all very much appreciated. As I said, it was mostly down to my footwear. I've had a weak back since I was a teenager and know the signs. I knew I needed new work shoes, and my Chiropractor had also pointed out the wear on them.  I didn't get a chance to go shopping before lock-down, when all the stores here in NZ were closed. Then after lock-down was over and things began to open up again, I thought, well I might manage to wait a little longer and hold on until Tony is able to find work again.

Serves me right! I should have known better.

Anyway, the new shoes did make a difference and things started to feel oh so much better.

One of the high points of the roller coaster.

I have been slowly working away on my Kaffetastic quilt top through the week, missing only one day. And here it is, after Friday Night Sew In.

I have completed three parts of the BOM now. Though I am going a little slower than a block a month. LOL

As you can see, Belle had to get in on the photo shoot. She had just emerged from behind the bottom.

Before you exclaim over all those points, they have been some of the low points of the week. many of them were sewn, ripped and sewn again. I resorted to the many, many pins method and still had issues with points and seams lining up. Grrr 

I've had that issue throughout the project, but this week seemed to be the worst yet.

That aside, reaching the milestone was very definitely a high point on my roller coaster. 

So after my high and the quick photo shoot on Friday evening I settled into my chair here in the sitting room planning to stitch some more of my I stitch project.

I was able to complete the second of the stitched pieces and made a start on the third.

But my lamp began to flicker. It's been doing it for a while, and turning it off and on again usually fixed the problem, but this time that didn't work and the flickering grew more and more bothersome. 

Tony took a look for me and announced that I need a new tube. This one is 16-17 years old and has worked very hard in that time. 

I'm told that very black looking patch is a bad sign. A new tube has been ordered but may take 6 - 8 weeks to arrive. Which will mean I fall way behind on my I stitch and Christmas ornament stitching, and no Cross stitch either. 😢

I can't do any of those crafts without my trusty magnifier and lamp.

Another low point on my roller coaster.

The bright blue marks? 

LOL That is ink. When I am cross stitching I use a gel pen to mark my pattern, to show where I have stitched. I hold the pen in my mouth, so I don't lose it. It often ends up drawing on the cover for the magnifying glass. LOL

Unable to stitch I turned my attention to my crochet and have made some good progress. I now have three little boxes of squares. Only one ball of leftovers left to use up. Then I'll need the yarn that has been 'In Transit' for eight weeks.

Guess what arrived on Saturday morning?

 I was just about to leave for work when I noticed a package sitting on the doorstep.

There were five different address labels, applied by two different European postal services and two different delivery labels, applied by two different delivery companies here in NZ!!

The poor package must have been so confused.

Never mind, it is here now and just in time to send me off to work on a high.

Only to plunge way, way down again...

My back!

Helping out downstairs I was leaning down into one of the big industrial washing machines to reach the last items in the bottom, when another area of my back gave incredible pain.

New shoes won't help this one.

Only time will fix this.

I can still potter about and do things, it's nowhere near as uncomfortable as the lower back pain I had earlier in the week. I've started to prep the next round of Kaffetastic and sorted out some bindings for some other recent finishes.

Cathy at the quilting shed has talked me into trying something new...

She does like to put out these challenges.

More about that at another time.

maybe it will be another high point.

I hope so, we need a few more in this house just now. 

I do hope your week had more highs than lows.