Well, I wasn't expecting that.

I woke up this morning not feeling all that great.  I suffer from acid reflux and it payed me a visit last night.  Hugely painful (stomach acid burning your oesophagus) and really annoying in the early hours when you are trying to sleep. 
I was (grumpily) idly looking at Facebook this morning and saw a sewing machine for sale in Stroud.  It had been used once to hem some curtains so was effectively new.  I messaged the lady selling it and got it for £45.  It should be £65 new.

It is so much lighter then my 30 year old Toyota and has a few more stitches. 

I love that you can see the bobbin, so you know when it will run out, you can just drop the bobbin in the case, it has measurements on the base plate and you can convert it from a flat bed to free arm.  All things my Toyota lacks.

Of course, I had to try it out.  I got out some patchwork pieces I have had for years.  I'm sure they will be recognised by some of you.  My very first job I had when I left school was just off Cheltenham Promenade where the Laura Ashley shop was.  I used to spend my lunchtimes in there looking at rolls and rolls of fabric without the funds to pay for it!  I used to buy row ends and odd bits of fabric from the bargain bin and I think the patchwork pack came from it too. 
This is from the Sweet Pea range; I preferred the yellow shades but you could get it in pink too.  It was ubiquitous and eventually fell out of fashion.

 What better thing to test out the new machine?  It is lovely to use and I'm very impressed with it.  My Toyota isn't going anywhere however.   I'm planning to make a double sided piece of patchwork as a mat for the machine to sit on.

At the moment it is living on the desk in Miss Clicky's room.  She has moved out in the last few weeks and has gone to Gloucester with her boyfriend.  It is quieter, and a little less untidy in Clicky Needles towers now.  
So there we are, I wasn't expecting to be owning a new sewing machine today, things didn't turn out quite so bad, after all.