Three weeks in the sunshine and time is winding down for our winter escape

 I have been busy some days with excellent tennis matches and other days with reading and the usual housework and a lot of juicing using oranges on our trees.  We have about 15 quarts in the chest freezer and that seems like plenty for next fall - hoping we can come and enjoy drinking it! 

Friday was a planned day of quilting with Quilts of Valour.  I had a rain out for tennis but helped friend with clean up after the big English tea that they put on mid week.  Loads of laundry to sort with tablecloths, napkins, chair covers etc.  They also have all the English tea settings plus urns etc that they use that need to be boxed and put away.  I was home in plenty of time for the sew day but issues with Zoom that, thankfully, they resolved and finally got in to enjoy the presentations. 

There is a pattern for 2024 on the Quilt of Valour website and I worked on making some of those blocks and also have been working on bento boxes for the Heartstrings jelly roll February challenge. 

We have had some stunning sunsets though it is difficult for me to get a decent picture.  

I had to prune back our bougainvillea bush after the hard frost in early January and it looks very sad.

The colour for Rainbow scrap challenge for February is red.  First I wanted to make one more set of blocks in January green. And then made the block in reds.

The rail fences are made using up lots of scraps.

Star blocks are done.

The garlic knot and L blocks are also done as well as the bundles and bows blocks.  I had to go back and correct a couple of green blocks done wrong but all fixed now.  The beginning of the bento box blocks and another of more blocks made as I worked on the Quilt of Valour blocks. 

These are the 13" unfinished blocks for Quilts of Valour and a 13" block of a focal fabric will alternate with these blocks.  I don't have any fabric here suitable for that alternate block so will cut those when I get home and put the quilt top together. 

This is half the needed blocks and the other half are sitting by the sewing machine along with the last of the bento box blocks. 

Two tennis matches - one tomorrow and one on Tuesday.  The big question is when will the rain arrive from California?  Before or after tennis on Tuesday?  Being stuck inside mid week will be a good time for me to get organized for leaving our perfect second home.  There are always lots of small jobs outside and inside to take care of when the house sits during the heat of the Arizona summer.