Happy new year!!! I set up this blog because I thought Andy and I could do it together. Well NOT!

You can lead a horse to water but what if he isn't thirsty?
I travel I quilt and I eat so that is enough.

Happy New Year

Love

Misstroye

Over the channel and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go

It has been a long time since |I have written anything but lots has happened.

Just before school broke up in Lagos a few of us got together for what I called a coffee morning with a difference. I said the ladies bring your cup and I will fill it up. We had coffee from Jamaica Port and Bailey's. I made beautiful cookies and cakes and we had fun.

The following week another lady had breakfast at her house and we had buck's fizz. On the last Friday before the holiday' I did a barbecue for all the people who are going to help with the walk we are doing in February at school. I felt a little overwhelmed as someone who was supposed to help me pulled out at the last minute. It went well though. I know how to light a fire and cook meat outside. I did it without he traditional mess that usually follows a Fennell BBQ. I have to say |I did a rather good job and the meat was cooked in my view to perfection.

I had about eight ladies show up and it was good. None of the men came but
I am hoping that that will not hinder the work ahead of us.

We my boys and I set off for London exhausted from all of the Pre Christmas activities. Not to mention the challenge I had with a company boss before I left. It is amazing how much things can take out of you and run you down. I have learned that I worry too much about certain things and not enough about others. I also learned that there is some good in saving old emails. Saving those emails saved the comm 1250 pounds. People will never know it or the amount of time I spent sorting that out but it is my job and so it is done.

Once we finally arrived in London after a marathon journey. We were descending into London when the pilot came on and told us we were being diverted to Shannon Ireland. That is where the real adventure began

Imagine about 70 angry Nigerians descending on a hotel in the sticks about 20 miles from any where?? I have to say the Irish were very hospitable and kind and patient.

Our first stop was a hotel we ended up at because the driver of our coach took a wrong turn. They had no idea we were coming but put up those of us that they could. The coach in the meantime left us stranded so those of us left behind had to make due. The hotel kindly gave us tea and biscuits and squash for those children who were not already sleeping on the various chairs and couches in the lobby. Some of us just retired to the bar. Kids asleep going no where so why not a Guinness. After all I was in the land of my children's grandfather so why not make it a good adventure.

At about 3 am the coaches returned to take us to our intended destination some 50 miles away in a place called Gort.

We arrived at about 0430 and finally got into our room after lugging our luggage (no wonder they call it that) I went straight to the front and said rather firmly CHILDREN FIRST!! I got a little stick from some other guests but I got the full attention of the receptionist and me and my friend got our kids to bed quite wearily by 0530.

We saw the news the next morning and saw how families were having to sleep on the floor at the airports. We were lucky we had warm beds and good food to eat all compliments of Virgin Atlantic. Their communication to us their customers was not good but if you are going to deal with an angry mob I guess it is better to do it the way they did. Anonymously through hotel staff. That way you control the flow of bad feeling and staff don't get worn down. Smart business move. That way if people do go to the trouble of complaining Virgin can handle you impersonally and tell you what they did never mind what they did not.

Any way we go here in the end and we had a great Christmas together....and that is what it is all about.

Pink-a-boo-baby

well you talk about going to the ends of the earth to get that perfect pink. Some of the fabric in this little ditty came all the way from Hong Kong via London to Lagos.

I have a great friend who now lives in Hong Kong with her family. She and her husband have been great supporters of my quilting adventures. He bought one of my favorite quilts ever and it was made up among other things of some old shirts that belonged to my sons. Not only did he buy that quilt he also donated shirts to the cause and I have made many a quilt using his shirts. Well it has been a long while since we have seen them in the flesh as we are now in Lagos and they are in Hong Kong.

one day as I was surfing around on facebook he popped up and told me he had some shirts for me as he had lost a whopping 40 pounds. Now some would have thought well done that is great but me being the fabriholic I am wrote back how can i get them?? Single minded or what.

Plan A was to recruit a young man who was travelling in Hong Kong visiting. His dad Albert was a frequent visitor of ours in Lagos so I did not hesitate to ask. I know they thought I was loopy. well as it happened he had done a bit of shopping (and who can blame it) and by the time I got my request to him he had little to no room left. I was mildly disappointed but that's because I was only thinking of me.

Not to be put off I thought about another way. I thought of sending money so they could post but then really I thought this is really extravagant for some old shirts really.

Another day not long from that one( about 2 months later) I was on facebook again and Matt pops up and says Hey Troye I am going to be in London which one of your kids can I get these shirts to? Talk about shooting stars and all sorts of happy exhilarations, I was going to be in London too in fact we landed on the same day. Though i was in London on pretty serious business this was a really bright spot i had to look forward to. we eventually met up, me Matt and Katherine and he handed over the precious cargo!! The back pack was nice and heavy!! I have to say it was really kind of him to bring it and I appreciate it from my heart.

We had a great pub supper and after it was all over he set off for Heathrow and me and Kath set off for Hillingdon. I had a smile on my face all the way home. I was encouraged to think that my friends went to the trouble they did to bring me some joy in the form of some old clothes that I could transform into something I think is really beautiful. It really does bring me joy and happiness that is hard to describe to make some beautiful things with my own hands to share with others. I got my cargo home and waited to open the bag until i#I had some good scissors to start dismantling those shirts. Boy howdy what beautiful shirts there were too! My favorite was a lovely pink one that made it into this baby quilt here.

A colleague of Andy's had a baby a few months ago and he was after me to make a quilt. I had done nothing about it until I got back from London last week. I picked the fabric once I had chosen the shirt I was going to use. It took me 24 hours to assemble and I enjoyed every minute.

I might get to meet the people who are the recipients but then again I might not. I am satisfied that I did a good job and happy to know that love and kind thoughts have made it possible.

Backfired

Well it has been a long time since I have written anything here. That is not to say much has not happened. I have been busy doing lots of things but maybe things not so important. I feel this heaviness of heart lately that does not seem to shift.

I finished a quilt recently that was commissioned by a friend. It was going great at least in my mind. I was in and out of the zone. I thought she no longer wanted it because she sent me a text to say she had used up her money to pay for those sort of things and that she would pay me in September after the Summer holidays; and so feeling a little deflated I put it in a chair for 5 weeks while I was in London for the graduation.

One day having read a chapter out of book on the great non art of procrastination I decided to invest some time in the quilt to get it closer to completion since not finishing things is one of my biggest character flaws.
I spent four hours on it one Sunday and I was amazed at how much I was able to achieve. All I need to do was make and attach the binding. Unfinished as it was I put it on my bed to admire it. I decided even if it was no longer required I would enjoy keeping it.

Then suddenly I got a call asking where the quilt was and when would it be ready as my friend was traveling and needed it as it was a gift for her husband. I was ecstatic. I thought it was an answer to prayer and a gift of repentance.

Things went all pear shaped when the exchange of quilt and money took place. Looking back I wish I had just handed the quilt over. It would have felt more rewarding to have given it as a gift. She handed me the money; it was about a third less than we agreed. I asked how much it was and she told me I said that is not what we agreed. She said the amount we agreed was too much. I repeated we agreed, she then told em I would have to wait a few month for it then. A few more words were exchanged but I walked a way feeling like a beggar. I went home and wrote her an email which i felt represented how I felt. I expressed my disapppointment and todl her how she made me feel like a tradeswoman who had to accept what she offerd as if i had no choice. I told her that her word must be her bond etc.... I was taken aback by her treatment of me and she was hurt by what I said to her.

She did give me the balance the next day but she also apologised and told me the things I said about her were not very nice. I am wondering if I had said them in a more loving way would they have been any nicer to hear. Or should I have just bourn the burden of how I felt and just left it as it was. Perhaps that is what Jesus would have done. When I think about it and I guess then I was quick in sending her my reply. He bore all sorts of injustice and waited for God to grant him justice, perhaps next time that is what I will do. I know I was hurt but I really am sad that she was hurt by my words... fair or unfair it bothers me.

(I know a woman who is a successful quilter; not just because she does excellent work but because as a former lawyer she knows the value of her time and she knows how to incorporate that into her quilts.)

I still feel tainted For a few days I did not want to even touch any fabric; but then I decided not to allow this difference of intentions take away one of my true joys and passions in life...my God given ability to be creative good things with my hands.

I also remembered very vividly a scripture that I had not given much weight to before. paraphrasing...the measure that I use will be used for/against me. So if I am going to hold such a standard for others then I have to measure up to the same way myself.

I had said in my heart I wanted to give the money I received from that quilt to a cause. I did indeed every singe dime. The only thing was my heart wasn't singing with joy. I gave it without even counting it did not even take it out of the envelope. I know it is true the Lord loves a cheerful giver. My heart is still heavy...but then you live, you love and you learn....

Bittersweet

Wow it has been a really long time since I have written anything. That doesn't mean nothing has happened. Lots has.

I am in London again this time for a joyous occasion. The lovely Katherine graduated with honors from Kings College and we came to party. We had a great day on Tuesday the 20TH of July and then again on July 24TH. The whole family was together but we forgot to take a picture. Andy was here for 10 days and we all had fun.

My parents in law have again shared their space with us and have been extremely tolerant and patience. 4 weeks is a long time and they have been happy to have us.

I thought about a lot of things today in fact this evening that made me think about writing: I read an article int he paper this morning about Nina Simone which lead to a google search which lead to some you tube videos of her performances. The woman was incredible. I did not know anything about her really. she gave an interview in 1985 telling why she left the country. She said they treated her bad. In the article I read how she described herself and how she felt about her self were commented on. She said she was everything white people hated about blacks. In particular i watched a video where she sang Feelings... she looked heavy medicated or high. her piano playing however was as though she did it by magic. it was passionate and unequivocally a gift from God. Her talent was not man or woman made it was spiritual.


I thought more to day about many woman who had hard lives or rather challenging lives growing up black in the United States. Billy Holliday, Martha Washington. Eartha Kitt. Bessie Smith Daisy Glen, Bertha Taylor to name but a few.

My daughter shared something with me that I had not really realized but up on reflection I can see how it happened. She said she was bullied because she was different. Mixed race is what she said. I thought to myself wow, she was a pretty child and people still found something to be mean about...I thought she would have it so much better than me. People no matter the generation can just be bad spirited

Abaddon in Paradise

Well I went to Badagry and got my sea shells and a lot more than what I bargained for. Initially I was not as emotional as I thought I would be. there was not much to see in my view but there was a whole lot to imagine. We were showed around these tiny little holding cells where people were crammed into for months at a time. The ceilings were of corrugated iron so essentially there were sweat boxes.

We then walked to the small boat where the captives crossed over to the small island called the point of no return where they would walk a mile or so to the sea where huge ships were waiting to take them on a journey to hell by fire. They first would stop at his evil little well of forgetfulness where they would be brainwashed into forgetting where they came from and agree by force that they were to accept that they would never return.

We walked the last stretch to the beach in relative silence. Listening to the thunder of the waves as the pounded against the beach is what brought it home; and it was there as I looked out to sea that the emotions just washed over me. Try as I might though there is no way I can even begin to understand the fear and lostness they were feeling or thinking so I won't even try. All I know is the scenery was the same today as it was then.... paradise. The blue green of the ocean its majesty and omnipotence, the valor of the sun's shine, the whisper of the breeze; In all of that glory of nature, all this power in all of this perfection, these people were marched mercilessly and without dignity into cramped conditions chained hand to foot. They were sent first up the coast to the next port where human cargo waited for their turn to board the ship bound for a destination unknown to them at the time, but for those who survived it was later revealed to be perdition. We were told that if 10,000 people made the crossing, between 2000-3000 would survive. The others, God rest their souls, ended up in the sea. I wonder if anyone really took the time to unchain them and if sometimes the living, the sick and the dead were all thrown in together.

Thoughts for another day. I have included a few pictures. Believe it or not on this day I forgot my camera at home and we used Betul's. What I saw though, whether physically or in my mind, will never be erased. It humbles me completely to think that someone like me walked where I walked, saw what I saw and heard what I heard. I however did not hear what they heard, see what they saw or feel what they felt. I am not sure what I should think but what I do think is that those who survived must have had some will to live and been strong in heart, mind and soul. The suffering did not stop with the crossing, that sadly was only the beginning....

Hhahahahaah tralalala!! I bought some dye yesterday and a king size white cotton sheet. Plotting and plannng great things. I also had a visit from my friend Yemi. I was soooooooooo happy to see her, Sayo and Amiola. They greeted me with such respect. Grandma will be so pleased to see them. She is coming to Nigeria soon so we can have great fun there hunting for treasure. And speaking of treasure I am no photographer but I did manage to get some shots that I thought were really pretty.... and here they are.

Well I am on the road again. This time on a mercy mission. I left Lagos on Saturday, had a long layover in Istanbul and am now in London.
Lots has been going on in life and most of it has been good. I need to find a way to speak to Cyrus and Isaiah as I really miss them. I will buy phone credit lol!! I plan a trip down to Liberty's to get some pretty blue for Fran's quilt. I have already designed and planned Bola's. Just to show you what I have been up to I have inckuded some pictures of my travels and some of my wonderful friends.

MDPS

I have got to get to Badagary. I need a sea shell from there for my latest inspiration. I am going on a treasure hunt and when I do I will take lots of pictures......

The ship I am making is looking OK to me but it is still a work in progress. I am trying my hand at something that I have thought about for a long time. I once asked my brother about drawing the images I had in my mind but we never got around to that. I am going to try it in fabric and I hope I am able to convey in the fabric what I see in my mind

I felt quite energetic the other night so I began to work on my next piece. I was watching Life on Mars and so I moved my sewing machine onto the floor in front of the laptop and stretched my legs so I could reach the pedal. Anyone watching might have been tempted to ask, 'Huh, why not move the laptop and sit in a more comfortable position?" Well Andy was asleep next to it and I thought he might wake up if I changed anything so I just came in where he was. That way he had the sound of the show and the gentle hum of my machine to keep him company.

This art work is special and it will be good I think. I have been experimenting with stitching strips of fabric together and creating a shingle like effect. I am now working on what I see as a ship and it is ship shaping up nicely.

As I was swirling around in the pool the other day. I began to think about the Water Women series I wanted to create. The wall quilt I gave to Kris was my first and I do have a second buried in a box somewhere. I am revisiting that idea and creating things that go with water. I am feeling happy and moved by my new ideas and seeing them come to fruition is even more fulfilling.

watch this space... it will be good I promise

I am working on something that will be a personal best I feel. I have been following through on ideas i get in the twilight zone between sleep and wakefulness and when I do the results are to me amazing. I don't want to spoil it by telling too much but do watch this space..... it will be good!!

I have been to Balogun Market again and found some exciting fabrics. I am learning gradually that there is more to these fabrics than meets the eye. Initially I was overwhelmed by the array of fabrics and vibrant colors. Now i am learning to take a more careful and diligent look at the fabrics offered for selection. As with everything here there is a variety in quality. I have not been disappointed in any of my selections to date but if you look more closely you can see the difference.

I now go deeper into the market as the first stalls tend to be more expensive even if only by a couple of hundred niara.
If you are willing to take the time that it really takes to examine and feel the fabric then you can come away with some excellent pieces. Some merchants still try and dazzle you with things that are so not your taste but if you are willing to ignore that or just tell them you know what you have in mind, the discerning stallholder will back off and leave you to it. The less discerning will succeed in ticking you off and you will want to just move on. There are so many places to choose from, I make it easy on myself and go where I can look and marvel in peace. I try and always remember that shopping for fabric should be a joy and not a chore. As soon as I feel that my joy is being infringed upon by some over eager sales person, I smile sweetly, say thank you kindly and leave. I refuse to allow my joy to be stolen by some over eager bam boozler who just doesn't get it!!

Mermaids are still fascinating me and I am thinking too of dragons after seeing 'How to Train Your Dragon' yesterday hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mystical creatures I love it!!!!

AHHHH we have internet at home again. Now I can begin to catch up. It has been along time and lots has happened, but I am not going to try and catch up in one go. I will share about the great birthday gift I got from Andy. I will never forget as long as I live my 48th birthday. I spent it doing things I enjoyed with people I enjoy being with. I visited many of my old haunts and listened to the call the to pray with a smile on my face. The Bosphorous was the most perfect shade of turquoise and the food was better than delicious.

I went to a place called Hala on Istiklal and had beautiful food. I also went to my old stand by Cafe Nero to enjoy a drink and a view. I did not see everyone but I sure tried.

I have come back with a resolve life is short and we shouldn't spend time dwelling on the negative.....

Afiyet olsun

We have a fairy who comes to our house at night and cooks Blondies. He never writes about how he does it but he leaves lovely little parcels on the kitchen counter for us. Maybe one day we can get him to share...

It just had to be purple

Well a lot has happened since the last time I wrote anything here. I made what I believe was a lovely quilt for someone I have not yet met but feel I know here well. Anne took "What If It Was Purple" to London with her last Friday. I worked on it right up until it was time to leave. I put the last stitch in at 0400 and she was leaving for the airport at 0730.
It was a joy to make this one. I really put my heart into it.

It has Anne's hand prints stitched onto the back of it so that even when she is not there to comfort her sister in person the imprint of her loving hands will be. I also wrote a poem to go with it. It was whispered to me one Sunday morning as I sat reading my Bible. I enjoyed every minute of the process. I got two friends in London to get the dye I needed. Buko who I can count on to do just about anything I ask. I phoned him the day before Andy was leaving London and got him to go to Hobby Time in Greenford. I had already skyped them to make sure they had it in stock. To be on the safe side I emailed Albert who was also coming to Lagos that week and asked him for dye too just in case. Both arrived with dye in hand and the magic began.
It was Albert in fact who suggested I used the fabric I dyed to make the back of the quilt. He was right it did look so much better left whole.

When the quilt finally reached its new home I got a very nice thank you message and a friend request on FB from its new owner. I was moved to tears by her response. Anne never told me how much she loved purple. As soon as I read her response I knew my prayers had been answered in such a special way...... it just had to be purple. Velvet, amethyst beads, antique mother of pearl button, antique glass beads and specially dyed cotton. The bag it went in was a stunner all by itself.

One Saturday afternoon in January

Well today started very early because we had a big walk at school this morning. It was good fun though. Cyrus unfortunately was unable to join us due to his injury, but he did get to ride in the train. We all dressed in our blue and red to show our support.

When we got home I felt like something different for lunch so I made some onion soup. I looked at a few recipes and then went to see if I had the ingredients to do it. I didn't have cognac as one recipe called for and I only had an assortment of frozen white wines. What we do is if we don't drink a bottle soon after it had been opened we normally freeze what is left for cooking. In this particular glad bag I had about three different white wines. I normally just open a bag and top it up LOL

I thinly sliced 4 red onions and gently fried them in about 3 tbs of unsalted butter (French butter I might add) and 1 tbs of olive oil' To that I added 2 tbs of brown sugar and 1 tbs of sea salt mixed with herbs of Provence. ( Something we picked up in Marseilles). They caramelised beautifully over a low heat in about 30 minutes. To that I added about 1 1/2 cups of my frozen wine mixture, 1 cup of hot water with about 2tsp of Maggie Seasoning Liquid. It smelled like it was going to be really tasty. As all of the ingredients cooked gently I added to 1 pinch of wild thyme. I thought wow I am loving this.

To finish off I sliced up a brown baget, sprinkled it over with some grated, white cheddar and toasted it. The pictures don't do the soup justice because not only did it taste great it smelled divine as well.

After that I made my version of shortbread. While I was kneading the dough I thought of my friend Claire who make the best shortbread ever. She serves hers with strawberries and boy howdy it is mmm mmm mm good.

I wonder how mine will taste, it's cooling now. Ya know Andy better hurry back or he may lose his place as number one chef around here!!

Andy and his great friend Korkor in Istanbul. Wow Andy looks very relaxed and happy amazing what a little R and R can do. That is baby David. he is one of the sweetest little boys we have ever met. They called me to tell me that they were enjoying hamsi ...again. Once upon a time Andy used to say he was not a fish person. One day when we were still living in London, I had made the kids some home made fish and chips. Normally on a Friday I did not cook, that was my tradition; but I would go to the local Chippy in Ruislip; Aquarius I think it was. Anyway Andy normally worked every Friday at the hotel and Doug and Adam did their own thing. Cameron, Katherine and I would go to Maverick foot ball training, pop into Granny's, that was our routine before heading home. These were the days before we had Cyrus and Isaiah. One Friday night on our way home I got some really nice Monk fish from Waitrose along with some of those beautiful Cyprus potatoes. We decided to make our own fish and chips.

We had just settled down to watch some Disney movie and eat our dinner when there was a knock on the TV room window. (For most of our married life Andy has never had a house key more bout that another time) To our great surprise Andy had come home early and was just in time for a treat. He joined us in the TV room and tasted some of our food. Before long he was really tucking in and enjoying every bite. His words were "You might make a fish love out of me yet" well judging by his expression he is well and truly a fish lover.

Zucchini bottoms!!!

Just wanted to include the shrimp and zucchini we had for dinner.... Comfort cooked them and they were delicious.

a little more on those quilts. The lavender fabric you see was hand dyed by me. The buttons I used on the blue jean one were mother of pearl buttons I found in Istanbul. The jeans were a nice pair of Giorgio Armani jeans I came across, they didn't fit me and they were in really good condition so i took the scissors. The blue in there is an old Nautica shirt from my good buddy M.E. The safari quilt is one of my little favourite. I think I have made three other variations of that one. Little Jack's face lit up with delight when he saw it. (That is what it is all about really)

Now I have to get busy on a quilt that is going to a very special lady in London who I have never had the pleasure of meeting. Through her sister we have charted her progress during a very challenging time She is fighting an up hill battle with a down hill ease that is inspiring. People she doesn't even know are rooting for her.

Watch this space

Hamsi in Istanbul, Quilts in Ikoyi

Andy is having a good time in Turkey and we are not doing so bad here. I have been buys helping out at school for the endowment walk this Saturday, but I have also been busy with my Burper-Slurpers. I wasn't up all night finishing them. I got them done at a decent hour but I was restless. I got the idea to make bags for the mini quilts in the middle of the night so I got up and made them. They were easy. I made a mistake or two but as ever I covered them up very cleverly. Look at the pretty buttons!!!! I loved making them and the kids I made them for are all very sweet. I haven't met one little girl but I have met her daddy and he says she is sweet so I am taking his word for it.

Andy has sent some lovely pictures of his travels and what he has been eating. He is eating hamsi and drinking Efes we are eating tempura shrimp and zucchini fried the way a friend from Bulgaria taught me. Today has been a productive day and I think I will sleep well tonight. This is fun......