FOQ 2017

 I have the most wonderful chum who always sends the best cards and she sent me the one above many years ago. I see it every day. I cant moan about RA, I'm loosing a chum to pancreatic cancer. Just been told he has two months, thats brutal, i have nothing to complain about. So i am going to live every day.

But its been a strange old time! 6 years to the day, almost to the hour i sat in the same outpatients dept where i was told i had cancer and was told i had rheumatoid arthritis ... i went to the hospital shop to buy chocolate to cheer me up and was greeted by the consultant who had discharged me from oncology a mere six weeks ago ... life is bold sometimes very bold!  Six years ago i went to the FOQ a week after diagnosis and bought all the fabric. This year a week after diagnosis, history repeated itself!! So FOQ 2017 then! It was good, it was grand. I spent the night before on the phone to NHS24 as i had developed an allergic reaction to the drugs and  developed a really sore jaw ... it took till   Midnight to say ok i wasnt having a heart attack! Look what the Lovely Ruth made me!!! 

Look at my post for last year if you dont know the cineworld unlimited card story! So me and lovely Ruth set off on the red eye on friday morning. I couldnt buy too much as i was having to carry my bags a bit at night, the meds hadnt fully kicked in and i was still in a fair bit of pain.
Two talks on the friday, interesting and Jenny Rayment stripped off in hers .... highlight of the day was an instagram impromptu meet up with the lovely Mary, Di, Trudi and Hazel. Lots of catching up, lots of hugs then off to look at Trudis quilt.

And here is the woman herself giving us the low down on it. Totally gobsmacking quilt.

Saturday was a funny old day, i got an attack of the collywobbles and convinced myself i would have to give up quilting. Total nonsense and maybe down to the meds? I got so much love on instagram when i asked for advice on RA and sewing and i know i just have to be careful but i sat in the concourse with tears streaming down my face. What an eejit. I soon made up for it by going to japan crafts and buyjng ALL the fabric.

How flipping gorgeous is that! I may have gone back once or twice ... and Alice Caroline ..... there were classes too! Julia Gahagan mini Alpine Village.

Fun to make but too fiddly for my knobbly fingers! Then me and the lovely Ruth did a class with Catherin Nicholls i try to do one with Catherine every year, she is just so nice!

Dont kill me lovely Ruth but here she is in action.

And here is what we made, well my version.

Saturday night was spice buffet night!! Three heaped plates of the best buffet ever!

Last day was two more classes, Julia Gahagan again with beach huts, again fun but my wonky old hands couldnt do much of this.

Finishing off with handstitched notebook.

A few modest purchases were made along the way 😂😂😂

It was a good FOQ, different and a bit more reflective but good.