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Hello chums!

I got through to Round 3 of the Pattern Review Sewing bee!!!! BUT they have asked for a lined jacket…mmm wonder what will be the final then? Anyway I am super stoked that I got further than my goal of reaching Round 2. :-).

Learning from my last ditheration I spent Saturday looking at what jacket patterns I had and deciding on which one to make. Super organisation is the key here since I have only ever made a men’s coat before here which had no fitting issues and that took me about a month to make. I have 8 days left to make mine.

So I don’t yet have any pictures to show of the jacket I am working on. This is because I have had to live without a phone for over a week now. My phone’s software just went crazy and basically its broken beyond redemption. No I didn’t have insurance on it – we have paid insurance for so many years without claiming that when I got this phone I declined insurance. Lesson learnt.

Its been interesting living without a phone though and I thought I’d share my thoughts on it so far. The distance from a cell phone has allowed me to observe its role in my life with more clarity .

Look up Hila! If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then we’ve boarded up those windows and the soul inside is wilting from lack of light. Walk down a busy street and you’ll notice that in the crowd, not a single set of eyes meets yours. I didn’t notice this because I, too, was always staring on a screen. My eyes felt naked and exposed without a screen to gaze upon. Plus I had forgotten how every set of eyes is unique.

Funny thought – within a few decades, we might see a new medical condition where people can no longer prop their heads upright because spines will have ossified in such a way that necks arch permanently downward from gazing at screens.

I had missed contemplative moments in the garden, long walks with nothing to think about or even a bit of peace and quiet while in the toilet. For centuries, that daily movement enjoyed on the porcelain throne was akin to a holy ceremony, for it was the one time of day one could be by oneself and be sure no one would interrupt. But no more: now for the first time ever, your friends can be there with you along with an endless supply  rapid fire updates on the lives of celebrities, viral videos of people you’ll never meet and so on.

Not having a cell phone was a nuisance for my family too. Mr SNS cant just call me now. Lol.

I am glad this has happened to me. Because I have learnt I don’t really have to be connected 24/7 to everything. I also discovered my rate of reading books reduced significantly since I went on Instagram.

I have already read and finished 2 books since the phone died.

Family meals have been more varied since I have to look up recipes in my cook books and magazines. Browsing leads to “ooh that looks lovely moments”

Rediscovered the joy of my sewing books – I cant just google exactly what I need. I am inspired and excited about some techniques I have been seeing while browsing through the books.

More sing a longs in the house since I cant just connect wirelessly to the bluetooth speaker. Who knew my 3 yr old knew all the words to ‘Solid as a rock’ by Ashford and Simpson!

Mr Bloom, Sid and Andy on CBEEBIES is quite a hotties! I tend to use my screen when I am in the lounge with the kids but no more.

A lot of things were surprisingly easy to accomplish without needing to check online ‘how its done’.

I did get lost a lot though without GPS. I have bought an atlas to keep in the car now.

I don’t know when I will make my reentry but I hope when I do that I will be more mindful of how I use my phone. I forget sometimes that the world used to function perfectly fine without smartphones. Have you ever had to do without a phone too? How do you stay stay mindful? 

As always thank you for stopping. Because I love pictures here are some of my last make in progress.

Happy Sewing!

Hila

XoX