On My Way North of Nairobi~ My World Tuesday

Click here to read Part 1 in this series. It starts with my stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.
Click here to read Part 2 in this series in Kenya. It continues with my sojourn in Nairobi, Kenya.

There was much more to see and do in Nairobi and many photos too.  But as I mentioned in an earlier post, I lost so many photos. I am still working on recovering them but this will take some time yet. Later I hope to add more posts and photos about things done in Nairobi, Kenya.

Right now I am taking you on a journey north to the City of Nakuru, Kenya. Before we get there we stop at this magnificent look out spot.

I always stop at this site when I visit Kenya and go north.  It is a place to take photos of Mount Longonot and the surrounding valley and to purchase curios and souvenirs.

This man makes me nervous sitting atop this rickety fence. It is a long drop to the bottom if it should fail him.

These are just some of the curio shops that sit by the roadside.

Last time I was through here I purchased a sheep skin for my mattress. This time I bought a small carved soapstone plate.

I understand that there are actually two highways, at different elevations,  that overlook this valley. The vista is really quite stunning. Much more than my photos can show you.  The look out is also much higher up than it looks.

This is the plate I bought. I think it's great! On this side it has a picture map of the area. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Turn the plate over and you see this beautiful red and black design along with key phrases/words in Swahili. There is a decorative element also. See the top of the plate. That is a row of carved elements.

For more of what others are doing around the world, join My World Tuesday.

Blue Monday: February 7, 2011 ~ The Pigeons Were Talking To Me

Today the pigeons were talking to me. Why they chose today of all days, I don't know but they wanted their message heard so here it is.

First I was out for a walk on a beautiful sunny day here today. I had to get some veggies, fruits and milk but before that I needed some sustenance.

On my way to the local diner, I decided that the pigeons made a pretty sight sitting in various formations on the telephone poles.

I took several photos against the beautiful blue sky.

Snap, snap, snap ...

Each time I took a new photo, the birds had made yet another formation.

They move around so fast.

I'm wondering what they are chirping about up there.

Do they watch us like we watch them?

Do they look for dropped food perhaps?

So they can swoop down and pick up the crumbs?

For all the pigeons I've seen over the years, I realize I know so little about them.

So I read more about them here. 

I even learned that there is a group called  People for the Preservation of Pigeons who are dedicated to the protection of the oldest domestic bird, the "gentle and loyal pigeon".

I think most people have seen pigeons because they are distributed all over the earth, except in the driest parts of the Sahara, Antarctica and the high Arctic.

This last photo is my favourite one of the day.

What the pigeons seem to want to tell me and you is that they are not so bad. They brighten our days like they did mine today and they are gentle birds. They give a sense of joie de vivre (joy of living) to the cities when you walk about or sit at a sidewalk cafe and enjoy your cafe au lait.  They were even instrumental in transmitting war time messages.

I guess I've always been of two minds about the pigeons myself.   I love to watch them but sometimes I just feel there are too many splattering up the sidewalks and awnings in the apartment buildings.  But they do bring joy to so many people and there are even those who raise and train them. The most high profile one I know of is Mike Tyson, the champion boxer. I've always been fascinated that he would raise pigeons as a hobby.

What are your thoughts on pigeons?

Addendum:  I just thought of something. If I asked instead whether you like doves, would that change your answer? In fact, doves are related to pigeons. I believe they are a smaller form of pigeon and they are mostly white (maybe always white, lol). Most people see the dove as a nice bird representing purity, peace, the Holy Spirit, etc. and have no problem using doves in a wedding setting.  Makes you think about it a little more ;-)

Happy Blue Monday!

Join Smiling Sally and the others here.

Quilters Giveaway

As a very new quilter I've been spending a lot of time searching out quilting tutorials on video and quilting blogs to check out all of the lovely quilts of so many talented quilters.  Today I came across one such quilter, Thearica.  Her blog is called "Pigtales and Quilts".

Thearica is hosting a giveaway with a gift provided by one of her newest sponsors, Florine Johnson. Ms. John loves to do applique work and she designs patterns too!  The giveaway is a board that will aid you when it comes time to put all of the applique pieces together and has a retail value of $.95 (US).  Isn't that awesome? I think it would be a fabulous gift for a beginner or an experienced quilter.

If you are a quilter and do applique work then this is a board for you too. You can see a photo of the board and enter the giveaway here. If you do enter, please let Thearica know that you found out about the giveaway through my blog. The giveaway ends on Sunday, February 9th at noon Eastern Standard Time. Best wishes to you!

Dreaming of Spring.

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HAPPY QUILTING!

Come back soon for more interesting adventures in Kenya. 

I'm Home and a New Chapter Begins

Hello friends,

I've been away for almost two weeks in the interior of the province. I've been visiting mom at the hospital, packing up and clearing out my mom's apartment, readying things for her move to the nursing home and making  her a "welcome home' quilt. (If you like you can see the finished quilt here).

She is now in the home and her personal things are with her. Photos are on the wall (I forgot to take a picture of them) and her bookshelf is set up with her TV, small stereo system, a few books and even more CDs. Her other mobility aids are with her. They are still settling her in and she hasn't really gotten into the routine yet. Everything is done very systematically there and it takes time.

Mom is chomping at the bit to get up and around. She also misses her telephone which unfortunately took a few days to connect. She should be able to make phone calls to her heart's content after today.  I think it is hard to make the adjustments in the transition as everything is so completely different. She is now on someone else's schedule and not really in charge of herself. Someone else will decide what she can eat and a whole lot of other things but overall I think the changes will be beneficial. They already have her blood sugar at normal level. I am confident that once mom is able to get around and explore, she will be very happy there and she is looking forward to be able to get around.

As for me, I got home last night and I now have a lot of mom's things to sort through and organize to put away in my own home. Some of it will replace things I have which will go to the thrift store. I also have my own major decluttering project I am working on so this project has expanded.  As I won't have to travel to visit mom on such a strict schedule, I will have more ability to get things done at home and my visits to mom will be real visits as opposed to trips to get things done for her. I will likely also need an adjustment period but an adjustment of a different kind. I am relieved that mom is now in a place where they can monitor her and help her though to be honest it hasn't really sunk in yet as I've been far too busy.

I have been extremely tired over the past week and I can't believe I didn't go to sleep very early last night. I didn't even sleep in this morning. I'm now getting ready to go out and get my hair done as it is in dire need of a refreshing.

I want to thank all of you who stopped by to comment on my blog posts over the past two weeks. It means a lot to me. Please accept my apologies for not being able to respond to the comments or spend as much time looking at your blogs. Now that I am home and have much more bandwidth to use, I can review and comment on blogs again. I will also be uploading more photos and resuming my series on Kenya.

In the meantime I leave you with these beautiful photos of spring blossoms which will soon appear here in  my city.  I also want to wish you all an awesome and refreshing weekend.

My Quilt Project is Finished

A long view of the quilt.

A close up of the quilt.  Don't look to closely or you'll see all my errors.

This is the backside of the quilt. I just machine quilted following the different sections of the crazy quilt. You can also see the binding from the back. This approach to quilting was suggested by my instructor because I didn't want to do free motion quilting on my first quilt or I might never finish in time.  This quilt is actually ironed but I didn't have a flat surface to iron it on.

It was a challenge to finish the quilt in the timeline I had but I did finish it and was able to deliver it to mom on Thursday at the nursing home. She loves the colours and the patchwork design.  I know my errors in making this quilt but I also didn't have all the right tools so I am pleased with how things turned out. I did want to "fix" some stitching but in the end I decided it was an adequate job given the time frame and there isn't any error too great that I should delay giving mom the quilt.  I meant to take close ups of the quilt's mitered corners but in my haste to get to the nursing home I forgot all about it.

I have to say I really enjoyed making this quilt and feel encouraged to make another one. But first I have some other projects to make headway on.  If any of you are like me, afraid to try quilting, I would encourage you to take a class and give it a whirl.  It is quite relaxing and enjoyable and if I can do it, I am certain you can do it.  I'd love to see your quilt if you do make one *wink.

One helpful tip I learned from my instructor after I purchased plain fabric for the quilt back, is to purchase a fabric with a pattern on it.  This way any errors you make won't be so readily viewed. I won't forget this tip!