Miss M is in her third year at school and came home with the sad news that her book bag needed to be replaced. It started to fall apart after the first 6 months, so after a few patch ups 3 years isn't bad.  She was quite keen on a full plastic number like one of her classmates has, because "you can see right through it". Mum had a different idea.

It got off to a bit of a bumpy start. When I flicked the switch in my workroom to turn the sewing machine on, the switch made an ominous buzz and ants appeared from it. Turned it off quickly and relocated the sewing machine and myself to the dining room. I'll deal with the ants tomorrow. Here is what I spent the afternoon creating, in between blowing bubbles with Miss R and checking on the whereabouts of a certain escape artist canine. It's made of upholstery fabrics from a sample book that has been deleted, so should stand up well to being thrown in a school bag and everything else my poppet can do to it. It can be washed, and above all it will protect the books which is its main point of being. Above all, it's PINK; very important to both my girls.

But the back is green. You have to make do when you're dealing with sample books. Best of all Miss M loves it and hasn't mentioned the plastic one since seeing it on her arrival home this afternoon. That is better than a "thank you" but I did get an unsolicited one of those too, a hug and a "you're the best mum in the world". I'm not, but I'll keep working on it.

From the GGG granddaughter of Margaret from Mullingar, Beannachtai na feile Padraig! Have a Guinness for me, I much prefer a glass of Gewurztraminer.

xx