Not the week I was expecting

 So I was fully packed for Paris on Tuesday afternoon, when DH came down to tell me that he'd seen on the BBC news site that there were national strikes in France which could affect Eurostar.  So when I looked into that, I found out that Eurostar had indeed cancelled many trains, but not mine which is why I hadn't heard anything.  Trawling the internet for details about the strike revealed that public transport in Paris on my arrival day was going to be severely disrupted, and the specific train I needed to go to my hotel might even have stopped running by the time I was needed it.  The strikes were going to be rolling strikes, potentially being renewed daily, which would have meant that I possibly couldn't get to Versailles either - and possibly not even home.  I eventually decided discretion was the better part of valour, and cancelled what I could.  I could only move the Eurostar tickets so I've parked them in October for a potential future trip, and I'm out about £150 on admission tickets etc.

So that was a bit of a bummer.  Meanwhile, here in the UK where all signs had been that spring was here and with many daffodils about to bloom in our garden, we woke up to this on Wednesday.

Now we don't get a lot of snow here in Northamptonshire, and almost never in March.  It started out as hours of swirling flakes that weren't landing, so it just seemed strange but beautiful. I didn't fancy getting snow in the face so omitted my usual daily walk and unpacked my Paris suitcase.  Later on it started to settle, and by Thursday morning it looked like the above.  It melted a bit Thursday afternoon so I went for a rather unpleasant walk in slushy snow and spitting rain.  Friday morning the snow was back again, then the sun came out and by Friday afternoon it was  all melted and like it had never happened.  Bizarre weather.  The daffodils seem to be ok despite the blanket of snow.

With the extra time at home, I pushed on with the unpicking of the quilting on DS's quilt until I declared it finished - I'm not going to pursue every little tuft of thread sticking up from where the previous quilting turned a sharp corner.  I put on the walking foot and stitched some simple straight line quilting vertically  to hold the quilt together.  Some of the seams were starting to come apart where I had originally pressed the seams open on the star blocks, so I repaired and strengthened those with a narrow zigzag.  The quilt has definitely passed into the 'elderly' phase of life, so I've chosen a newish star quilt that I made some years ago to give him as well if he wants it.  We'll take both quilts when we go to visit next.

Then  I pieced a backing for the Sunbonnet panel quilt and cut some binding and put it all into the future quilting queue.  Now I have gone back to the Australian BOM which needs 36 individual scallops cut out and appliqued to the border strips.  The kit recommends fusing but I would prefer to applique them if there is enough fabric.  To that end, I am folding long strips of freezer paper and tracing the scallops for cutting out. Then I will prepare glued-edge scallops for machine applique.

When we were in Cyprus I started a little Easter bunny cross stitch kit from a magazine, which I was also planning to work on in Paris.  So I've been pushing on with that kit and neglecting my  CrossStitcher SAL house this week, thinking that I can send the completed bunny to the m-i-l for Easter.

'Getting ready for Japan' has turned into a separate hobby for me.  I don't know what I will do with myself when I am back from the trip and no longer have it looming over my life. We finally heard from the school - the first official communication since paying tuition back in October - with a rather underwhelming minimal amount of information.  Nothing in it that affects my preparations anyway.  Yesterday I watched some Youtube videos on how to use Japanese chopsticks and started practicing by picking up baking beans from a bowl.  It makes my hand cramp but  if I keep practicing then maybe I will actually be able to feed myself when I'm there :)  I'm reviewing my Japanese grammar and kanji every day, watching Youtube videos on etiquette, and acquiring things for the trip like mini-size toiletries.  I think I'm alright for clothes now although I would like to get a few more t-shirts.  The actual temperatures to expect are still unknown - I've had various Japanese people caution me about how cold it will be in the north where the school is, and the school's letter also says cool and rainy. And yet the published data suggests upper teens/early twenties.  Tokyo meanwhile is already that warm and will be warmer still by the time I get there.  So am I packing for cool weather? hot weather?  This is how I end up taking 6 pairs of shoes on trips, it's ridiculous.