The plan was to send this blog from Peru. Tragically for the local people they had torrential rain which resulted in mud-slides which engulfed villages.

There has not been very much about it in our news and my cynical voice says there would probably not have been anything at all had tourists not been involved. Many were stranded at Machu Picchu when the single road and railway access were blocked and they had to be ‘helicoptered’ off. This is all I saw on the news. I understand that hotels are being used to house some of the people and it is going to be well after Easter before tourist access is restored.

There is no need to feel sorry for me because the cancellation meant that I was able to go to my annual retreat with five other quilters, who over the last nine years have become very close friends. We always stay at the same hotel where we are treated royally, fed lavishly so just have to spend our time sewing, designing or doing whatever we want - the bliss of not being constantly interrupted by household chores! This year I continued with my baby quilt and was not drummed out when I brought out the knitting needles and began the lacy pattern of a matinee jacket. Between all the sewing, we catch up on family events, discuss other happenings and generally have a good gossip. Look out for the finished quilt and knitted outfit in a future blog.

At the end of January we had the Traplet Christmas party and you can see the P&Q table made up of some of our 2009 contributors. This year it was a Casino evening and it got off to a good start when we were all given a $100 bill – adorned by the face of our MD, Tony Stephenson, to ‘gamble’ with. As you can see, some of our contributors had a good time playing the tables.

In my first blog, ‘A Present from the Birds’ I showed a mystery plant and was delighted when Jill Bavin emailed me to say,
“I think your mystery plant is from the nyger seed that we buy for the gold finches - it's sometimes included in bird feed mixes. It's the tiny black seed. I only know this because I was invaded by it last summer as well, and with it came the  nasty little parasite weed called dodder which tangles everything up in orangey/red threads. I liked it and think it is worth growing - the nyger I mean.”

Thankfully my plant seemed to come without the dodder and I am hoping it will re-seed itself next year.

The birds continue to adorn my bird-table with dozens tits of all varieties, nuthatches, lesser spotted woodpeckers, robins, blackbirds, chaffinches and wrens, to name but a few. One rather unwelcome visitor was the sparrowhawk that flew off with a blackbird – just managing to lift it, but I suppose it has to eat as well. Fortunately it does not seem to have made by bird table a regular dining experience!

This month we are introducing another regular blog from one of our contributors. Stella Hewett will share stories of her life with Jenson her Canine Partner and I have it on good authority that, on occasions, Jenson will be giving his side of the story too!

Happy reading and sewing.
Dianne