Pages

Wednesday 25 October 2017

It's a Beautiful World

Have you taken a good look outside recently?  I mean a good look, in detail.  It's such a wonderful time of year when nature gives us a last fanfare of beauty before the long winter sleep.  While it has always been my favourite time of year this year I can appreciate it so much more as I look at it through new eyes, well, one new eye so to speak after having the worst of my cataracts removed.

Thank you so much for all your good wishes and enquiries, I do so appreciate it.  I still have emails to reply to and blogs to visit, it is so lovely getting back to normal.

Oh the revelations, I couldn't believe it, I knew I was seeing everything as if through a dirty glass, that colours were dull as if the colours were being slowly leached out, but what I didn't know was the glass I was looking through was a dirty YELLOW.  Thats right, everything I was seeing had a strong yellow tinge, imagine what THAT has been doing to my colour vision.  Whites were cream, imagine, and it comes in so slowly you don't realise it has happened.  But now whites are brilliant, blues are so clear and beautiful, how didn't I realise I was missing all this?

The procedure itself was fine, I did a meditation all the way through and it didn't take long at all.  I just want the other eye done now.  Oh but I have to tell you, now don't laugh, one of my biggest revelations came when brushing my hair, in fact it came as a bit of a shock, I HAVE GREY HAIR!!!  Seriously, I didn't realise how much I had.  I knew I had some around the front and underneath, but my hair is peppered with it but the yellow tint made it look like light brown and blond hairs.  Yes I know I should have realised, you can't get to my age without getting grey hairs, it's a natural part of ageing, but as I don't think of my age often (who does) it didn't even enter my head.  I WONT be colouring my hair mind, I have strong views about all the adverts and the way the media encourages women to look younger and conform to stereotypes, at all ages, and I really don't like the idea of dousing my head with chemicals either, who knows what is absorbed into the skin and what effects it has.  However, I'm just spouting off my own personal opinion here so please feel free to ignore me.

So, first I'd like to show you the last bee blocks I made for Janice, Color, Creating, & Quilting.



They are 8 inch finished, Janice asked for brights and that is what she got.  I even used some of my Gypsy fabrics, that's twice I've dipped into them, it gave me the shakes I can tell you.

Speaking of Gypsy you are way behind in my blocks so here is the update:


Two half square triangle blocks, I used some of the leftover triangles for these, none of the coloured ones are repeated over the two and I used sixteen of the background fabrics so it is used only once in each block.


Old Maid Puzzle in two colour ways.  This is the last of the main blocks, the rest are classed as filler blocks, even though a couple are really quite big.


Pinwheel blocks four are bordered but I think I will change the border on the bottom right block, I've been laying the blocks out together and looking at them in the PiZap app and it doesn't look right next to it's neighbour.


Courhouse Steps.  I may well replace the one on the bottom right, I really like it but I think it is next to a block of the same colour.

Want to see them all together?


It's not all the blocks and it includes some of them you haven't seen 'officially' yet, but you get the drift.  Can you see the bordered pinwheel block near the top just under Crazy Anne?  As you can see it's next to a dark blue, I think if I leave it it will always bug me, but I will make the final decision as I put it together.

I had already made most of these before I had my eye done, I haven't been on the computer much and only for short periods at first.  I do have one problem with my eye though, well, not my eye exactly, my distance vision is fantastic out of it, only the cataract in the other eye has made the vision in that eye a lot worse, and my eyes just won't play together.  I can see much better wearing the old glasses but without glasses everything is just weird and it hurts my eyes too as they vie together to focus.  I go back end of next month for a check and I will ask for the second one done.  It wasn't planned as it is at an earlier stage, but I was told they may have to do it if my eyes didn't settle, and they haven't.

So, that's the last three weeks in a nutshell.  I have got some other stuff going on, one of the oldies is poorly in hospital again, this is the fifth time this year, they seem to be taking turns, but such is life and none of us knows what we have to come to, so I just count my blessings, and believe me when you look at them there are many.

Until next time,
With smiles from,
Kate x

Linking up with
Let's Bee Social
Wednesday Wait Loss
Midweek Makers
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?
Anja Quilts hosting for TGIFF



26 comments:

  1. Glad that things are getting back to normal. You've been very productive. Enjoy your stitching time and looking at all those bright colors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad the surgery went well and that eye is much happier now. Love all the fun bright fabrics you are working with. Janice will surely love those blocks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I never had the yellow tint to the world that you did but my vision was very hazy I guess you could say. glad you have had the surgery and hope you can get the other eye done too so they will match - or it might just take your eye a little more time to adjust - my eye took awhile to adjust - I just had one done.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love your attitude, Kate, with all that you have going on. I hope you get your other eye done soon, so you can move on from all that! Your Gypsy blocks are coming along nicely! I can understand why you want to redo that block. I'm sure that it would look fine in the quilt, but it would bug me too (such a pretty block, though!).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Kate,
    I wonder if now that you've had eye surgery, if you will look at your current projects differently? Through new eyes, so to speak. I'm glad you are able to recover so quickly and well, and that the other eye is just as successful. I SO agree with your stand on hair coloring - the commercials, etc. are so biased against women. I do color my hair, though. HAHA I tried it for a while and I just look so OLD. Ugg. I guess at almost 59, I AM old but geez. {{Hugs}} You do what you want, and tell us about it. Thankfully, you can (this is your blog after all) and I love hearing different outlooks. ~smile~ Roseanne

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love all your beautiful and bright blocks...I am so glad you can appreciate them in all their glory now. My oldie is back in the hospital as well but should be home soon.

    ReplyDelete
  7. So funny to hear of your discovery of your grey hairs! I'd like to give up dying my hair, but don't think I'm quite ready yet. It may be my one vain point and I hate to admit to it. Bravo to you for being a natural girl!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm so glad you are doing better...if only those eyes would play better together! We can't help getting old and with that comes gray hair, bad eyes and aches and pains! It isn't pretty! I can relate! You've made some gorgeous blocks and I'm loving the Gypsy quilt, especially seeing it come together!

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are back!!!! And with such a bang...YAY!!! What a celebration of life and color in your blocks. Wishing you a rapid recovery and lots of sewing time.
    Grey hairs - I have a few and I cherish them. I hope when I get more grey I will be treated with more respect, more doors opening for me, folks vacating their chairs for me. Senior Discounts - I look forward to those too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kate, very happy your cataract surgery went well and you are happy with what you are seeing. Your eye for color is fantastic!! I love the gypsy blocks but all of the bright colors in this post make me want to go fabric shopping! Have a wonderful Wednesday.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So glad you're feeling better and that your vision is improving. Imagine all those colors changing? Who knew? Thanks for linking up to Wednesday Wait Loss. We've been missing you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I completely understand the hair color thing...the lights in our bathroom are quite yellow tinged and I'm always SHOCKED to see how grey I am in fluorescent lighting! I'm so glad that your surgery went so well, and hope your eyes get into synch with each other soon. Meanwhile, cataracts or no, your GW colors are so vibrant and gorgeous :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am so happy your eyesight is able to see colors accurately again. I imagine it's something like that scene in Wizard of Oz where everything turns from black and white to color! Pure magic! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the blocks you made for me! I am honored that you dipped into your Gypsy Wife fabrics to make them. Now I have a little piece of your GW quilt which I adore. Thanks, friend!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Glad you're back, Kate and that everything is going well! I went full bore peroxide blonde when I was younger, now I'm waiting for it to happen naturally, one strand at a time. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Like me, I’m sure you feel you’ve well earned every grey hair on your head! I’m with you about using hair coloring. Oh, the chemicals! Not only that, but I don’t want to be a slave to the maintenance! Your blocks are gorgeous! Glad your surgery and recovery went so well. When can you have the other eye done?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Kate, so happy your surgery went well! I bet it looks like you have a brand new stash with your improved vision! I bet I have you beat on the gray hair! Beautiful blocks!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm glad your cataract surgery went well. And I love your story about your gray hair. :) Your blocks are beautiful. There is nothing dull, dingy or "yellow" about these blocks. They are bright, crisp and full of color.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The colors in your Gypsy Wife quilt are wonderful! I'm glad you are able to appreciate them more with your "new eye". I may need to get mine done soon too. Take care!

    ReplyDelete
  19. So wonderful the world is not yellowed any more! Though finding there are more grey hairs does sound like a shock. But I'm with you - not interested in going down the coloring rabbit hole. Just too much maintenance involved!
    Just keep looking at the the pretty colors your playing with in your blocks - everything is so cheery!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm happy your vision improved Kate ! You can now enjoy your bright and happy blocks. You'll get used to your grey hair and I know what I'm talking about ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I was missing you Kate and glad to hear you are fine and recovering and really doing some lovely sewing. You had asked about my Cataract Surgery and yes I was considered a young patient at 58 years old. Hope your check-up goes well and your eye sight get settled. I had the surgery for both of my eyes, done separately, which was the protocol for me, even though I only had a cataract in the right eye. I do have to wear Readers and I have a collection of them. Happy Sewing!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Go to an optometrist and have the lens from the eye that has no cataract removed and then your eyes will play better together. My doctor suggested that as soon as the patch was removed.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Love your bright, vibrant color choices. The story of your grey hair discovery is too funny. I always wear my hair up, on the rare occasion it's down, I'm always amazed at how many more grey hairs I have.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Glad you’ve had the surgery done. Hope your eyes settle down, and if not that the other eye will be done soon too!
    Would never have thought you had had a problem with colours ..... all your blocks look wonderful!
    Tee, hee ..... laugh about your hair colour! I stopped colouring mine because I was worried what the colour was doing to me, but also I’m glad I don’t have to worry about the “badger” look any more!
    Barbara xxx

    ReplyDelete
  25. How cool to be looking at the world with renewed brightness and clarity. Hoping they are able to make adjustments so your eyes are more cooperative.

    I stopped coloring my hair about 6 months ago and it is still strange to see so much gray but I have very short hair and had to color it about every 5 or 6 weeks. Too muchhassle and too many chemicals. No more of that!

    ReplyDelete
  26. So glad you are seeing things more clearly. And brighter! I'm with you on the whole not dying your hair thing. Age gracefully, I say. Still loving your "Gypsy Wife." So cool.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and leave a comment, it helps me grow as a quilter and as a blogger. It also makes me very happy :)
I try to respond to all comments by email, but if I don't reply within a few days it may be because you are a no reply blogger

With smiles from,
Kate