Gin's Place

Another Great Weekend!

2011-10-11T09:39:00.000Z

Well it's all over for another year and time to think about the next one. Thanks to all the ladies (?) who attended for the friendship and laughter.

Again an impressive number of LO's were finished along with other bits and pieces.

Now, I hope those who attended were paying attention as here is a little quiz I have compiled.

1. Who really got into the role of Darth Vader ?

2. Who had a 12" frog and a small elephant ?

3. Who started to answer back?

4. Who confessed to having a 'steamy' bedroom ?

5.Who is tired of Las Vagas ?

6. Who is not to be trusted with your spoons ?

7. Who sits in dictionary corner ?

8. Who was stalked by the Irish ?

9. Which crying lady coudln't belive she was having such a good time ?

10. Did this person appear without her trousers ?

11. who got the joke fried egg ?

So, did someones Husband faint when he saw her bar bill ?

Thank goodness nobody touched the pens or there may have been an incident !

Has anyone fallen down a marble'ole ?

Finally, I really need some sellotape but for some reason I just can't bring myself to use it !!!

How do you like to be judged?

2010-06-29T16:00:00.002Z

Each week I buy a magazine that has a regular spot which shows 4 photo's of ordinary women, and asks them about what they are wearing. Lastly they are asked what they consider to be their best attribute e.g. hair, legs, waist and so on. Last week on the letters page a woman wrote refering to the article. She had asked her husband what he considered her best asset. He replied "Your personality". This lady was pretty miffed with that answer, obviously wanting him to complement some part of her body..

Now, maybe I am in the minory here but if my husband had given the same reply I would have been thrilled.. In todays world where people are so often judged on what they look like, how big they are ,what job they have or how much money they earn, this would seem to me to be the best compliment. After all it is surely more important to be beautiful on the inside and means that he loves her just because she is herself. What more can one ask ?

New resident

2010-05-05T19:53:00.000Z

Mrs Blackbird. is nesting in a bush on the back wall of our house. I was so pleased to get this photo' today.

Down and dirty...

2010-04-25T20:52:00.000Z

Yep, that's me, I've been busy in the garden . Done lots of tidying, cutting and planting and I have also started a little 'allotment' at the side of the house. Potatoes are already coming up as is the first sowing of radish. As you can see it doesn't look much at the moment but I have high hopes of a good crop of vegetables. There are also tomatoes in the back garden and a little corner has been found to grow some runner beans.

The really dirty part was cleaning the patio with a Kercher machine. Very efficient but one really needs old clothes and shoes on!

This weekend was the cyber crop on UKS and I joined in by doing a few classes and challenges.

It's been lovely having the good weather for the last week or so although today was not so great. Hopefully it will turn again for the bank holiday as we are off on this years first caravan trip.. Our old faithful 'van is now 22 years old but still in good condition on the whole so we need to make the most of it. We have had some great holidays in it over the years.Travelling down to the south of France and into Spain with 3 young children never seemed a problem and they just love the freedom of caravan holidays, in fact, they still do.

Off to have a bath now and then see if I can make a Panda Mum and baby out of fondant icing ready for craft club on Wednesday.

So instead I...

2010-03-03T22:46:00.012Z

made all of these.

I started this wallhanging at a Poppy Patch workshop last November but have only just finished. It now hangs in our bedroom.

This screen and the shadow box were done at LB craft worshops last month.

Birdies for easter. Little fabric folders to hold manicure or sewing sets.

Cards with a folded daliah and some easel cards.

Three scarves, these two and a black/white/grey one that has already been adopted.

Turn off that TV and do something useful instead.

once upon a time..

2010-03-02T18:16:00.002Z

there was a little wooden box with a screen in the corner of the lounge. One would press a button to turn it on and then press another to view one of three channels. Now... one has to find the control and press a tiny button, making sure it is pointing at just the right angle, wait, press another button, ditto the angle. Change to another control, press a button , ditto the angle. Scroll through a zillion choices of channels and still there is hardly a damned thing worth watching!!

Back to normal..

2010-01-03T13:58:00.005Z

So, the decorations are all down and the house is less cluttered but now I can see what needs doing. A quick lick of paint in the kitchen is first on the list and then the lounge, hall stairs and landing. We need new interior doors all round and all this to be done by May. I refuse to be indoors decorating once the weather is warmer. Debate : clean or cover the suite or decide on a new one?

Well, Chrismas passed in a haze of visits, visitors, food, gifts and I didn't take a single 'photo!
I have plenty to keep my' scrapping' going though and a couple of priojects which will take me through the year.

Lindsay and the dogs have moved into their own little house so it seems very quiet here , helping to move her in was our job over the New Year. There is lots of cupboard space going spare now so I can have a good clear out and tidy up.

I'm off to the eye clinic tomorrow for a check up and the results of blood tests and x-rays. The iritis came back again so they are trying to find out what is causing it.

Lots to look forward to in the next year and my resolutions ?

1. No drinking of alcohol.
2. No smoking.
3. Be more organised in many areas of life.

Think I'll do pretty well with two out of the three!!!

Happy New Year to you all x

So much for bird poo being lucky...

2009-12-05T15:57:00.005Z

Since my last post I have had sciatica, my blood pressure has hit the roof, I've had another bout of iritis and my knee is hurting more than ever. I spent 3 hours in the eye clinic waiting room last week and this week toured the hospital car parks searching for a space for about an hour , after which I gave up and went home.

On Tuesday Sasha managed to get into the spare room and root out some chololate that was for Christmas. She suffered no ill effects and we checked with the vet. Of course she is a very refined dog and only eats the best 'Hotel Chocolat' no less ! Jet also had to see the vet as he had developed conjunctivitis. Never a dull moment in this house!

Still, on a happier note I have enjoyed two workshops at 'The Poppy Patch' which are now work in progress and have completed this snowman hanging.

Chrismas preparations are coming along, about half the presents have been purchased and I am gradually filling the freezer with scrummy homemade fare. Here is Ethan giving the puds. a stir and making a wish a couple of weeks ago.

Of course Christmas cannot really arrive until after the 11th in this family as we have Beverlys' birthday to celebrate first.

We took the plunge this week and have booked a holiday for next September. We are off to the Masai Mara & Mombassa. Half safari and half sightseeing and beach. Next decision is wether to take the early morning balloon flight over the reserve.

50 years old

2009-11-07T22:02:00.005Z

No, not me but the M1 motorway. I don't remember the actual opening day but I do recall travelling on it during it's early days. No traffic jams, in fact, not a lot of traffic at all. But, what impressed me most were the loos in the services. They seemed truly space age simply because a floor pedal operated the water taps. Oh, what sophistication. By the way , did you know that the first road works started just one week after the opening? Seems like not much has changed!

We have been on a couple of visits in the last few weeks. Rachael and I met up with our friends Claire and Sheena and the children at Chiltern open air Museum. Luckily the weather was fine and we managed a picnic. The children enjoyed trying out the old fashioned games and toys and they all hand made a candle in the workshop. The adults were very taken with the post war prefab. house. It reminded me that the last item came off ration the month before Iwas born. Now that really does make me seem old!

Last Sunday we travelled up to London to Broadcasting House. We were taken on a tour of the radio 3 & 4 studios. All very interesting and I particularly enjoyed playing the part of BBC announcer and the butler in a short mock up recording of a radio play.

I've been busy making some more christmas cards and over the last couple of weeks I have completed this Santas Raindeer wall hanging.

On Thursday I parked at Tesco just under a small tree with only a few branches. When i returned the car was covered in bird poop! I really mean covered, roof, bonnet, windscreen and side windows. Oh well, it is supposed to be lucky, I wait in hope.....

Oh my

2009-10-19T12:32:00.006Z

I hadn't realised that it was so long since I updated. So what's been going on?

Well, we enjoyed our trip to New England in September. There was a lot of travelling but of course we expected that given the size of the states in the USA. I think our favourite day was the cable car ride up to the top of Cannon mountain. The weather was beautiful but at the top there was a bitter wind. The views were worth the chill and just look at me standing on a ledge!

We visited many familiar sounding towns and villages, Bath,Plymouth, Sandwich, Boston to name a few. Some were very modern and others didn't seem to have changed much over the last 200 or 300 years. Martha's Vineyard was very pretty especially the 'gingerbread ' houses.

The leaves were just begining to turn to their Autumn colours each day we could see a difference. Anyway there is so much to tell, you'll have to speak to me if you want to know more.

The first weekend of this month saw me with 20 other 'girls' at our Scrapbook retreat. We all had a good time and the workroom looked fabulous decorated with all the finished Layouts , cards and Mini books. What a great bunch of girls, funny, talented, caring and accepting of other peoples beliefs and opinions. Roll on next year!

This last weekend we went to see 'War Horse' at the New London Theatre. Wow! what a production. Very different to the big musicals but every bit as good in it's own way.It's hard to describe really but I for one kept forgetting that the horses were not real. It's certainly one to see if you get the chance.

I've been busy making cards and a few novelties . Tomorrow I'm off to a workshop, hopefully to use up some of my fabric scraps and have started a wall hanging of santa's raindeer. Photo's to follow.

I'm sure there must be lots more to tell so I'll try to get back to more frequent postings.

Bye bye

2009-08-19T12:45:00.010Z

to my car. Yes, i know it's a Rover and I should be an old bloke in a cap to be driving it ,but, I like it. Still , it seems that any operation to make it well again will cost more than it's worth so off it goes. So it has been decided that Dad and I will share his car. Hopefully there won't be too many problems. He doesn't use it too often and we will share expenses. It's also a Rover so I'll still be wearing that cap.

Talking of Dad, last Friday he had a fall when he left our house, dragged himself to a wall so that he could get up and never said a word to anyone. We only found out on Saturday when we noticed he looked very uncomfortable, he did then admit that his shoulder was painfull.Trying to get him to allow us to do things for him is a major job. Mind you , I admire his 'can do' and 'cup half full' outlook and I hope I can be the same. He is finally finishing work at the end of the month, not bad for 85!

We had a good week in Cornwall at the end of last month. The weather was fairly good, just a few day time showers, a bit breezy but a fair amount of sun. We managed a few outings. to the beach and visited some of the lovely small towns and villages. I love this photo of Ethan and Michael playing tag at Flambards.

We all enjoyed dipping in the rock pools at Trebarwith Strand and Portscatho.

Craft wise things have been a little slow around here although I have made a few cards and spent last Monday at our Bedford group making pin cushions. I have dozens of projects in mind but am making the most of the dry weather and looking forward to our New England holiday in September.

Rachael, Gary and Ethan are in Florida at the moment and on Saturday Beverly and Lindsay fly off to Majorca. i am so lucky to have them all close by most of the time. It feels quite strange to think of them spread out around the world and I hope they all have a brilliant time, but, I will be pleased to see them all back safely .

I don't think so!

2009-06-30T12:27:00.004Z

I hate watching sport on TV. It just seems so boring to me. Where is the fun in watching a group of people hit a little ball into a hole or, kicking a larger one into a net big enough to drive a car through? Why would anyone want to watch noisy cars zooming around in circles? Conversely what a yawn to see twenty odd men (or women) bowling or hitting a very hard ball and then seeing how many time they can do a quick dash up and down a very short pitch. Don't even mention the 'sport' of darts. Still each to their own.

Anyway, last night I was all ready to see the one programme that I will probably watch all week and guess what? Yep, cancelled because of the flaming tennis !! Still it didn't seem to worry Michael too much. He turned to another channel and found something he thought might be very interesting to see. It was a charming and informative showing of the dissection of an elephant !!

He was quite suprised when I rapidly left the room!!!

Sunny days

2009-06-29T15:25:00.006Z

Oh yes, I do love sunny days, I had lots of jobs to do today most of which would be more comfortable in cooler weather but no complaining from me. Went cycling early this morning and the breeze was lovely. I am managing the 2 circits of Emberton park fairly easily now so maybe another week and I'll try for 3.

We had a very pleasant week on the Isle of Wight. The cottage was exactly what we needed. A downstairs bedroom and shower room for Dad and upstairs, a bed and bathroom with sloping ceilings. There was a pretty garden and travelling around was easy. We visited Osbourne house, a bird sanctuary, rode the steam railway, explored villages and walked the beach promenades. Even managed a little geocaching . so a full but relaxing break.

Last week I took two trips. The first was to Marlborough and then on to a canal boat pulled by a horse. So very peaceful and a delicious afternoon tea as well.

The second trip was on a big red double decker bus around Milton Keynes. Organised by the council (free) and with a commentary we were taken all around the Milton keynes area. It was interesting to see how the area has grown and will grow in the future.

Rachael and I did our bit for charity on Saturday baking cakes and (wo)manning the stall at a fete. The stall took over £100 so we were very pleased.

On Sunday after visiting a garden centre ,we planted up Beverlys patio area and she made us a delicious light lunch. Mixed salad leaves, mozzerella, fresh peach and parma ham with a squeeze of lemon juice accompanied by fresh warm bread. Yummy! I arrived home to find we had been invited to Rachael and Garys for a BBQ. Lovely day!

I have completed the 'Hungry Catapillar ' quilt for Carolines new baby ( which appears to hanging on for cooler weather before it makes an appearance ). I showed the prospective grandparents this morning and managed to almost reduce them to tears! They were thrilled with it. Result!!

Hope the sun keeps shining!

I'm improving...

2009-06-02T14:51:00.001Z

Yep, I certainly am. I'm now managing to cycle twice around Emberton Park with no stops.Plus, cycling from and back to Rachaels house. I can even get back up the slope! Will soon have to up the number of laps.

Two Saturdays ago Michael used his christmas present. I went along as spectator and photographer. We spent a brilliant day with Eagles, Hawks and Owls. Michael got to hold them and we were given lots of information about the different types and then he was able to fly them all. The staff were all so pleasant and determined to give everyone a really good day. Michael enjoyed it so much I think next Christmas I will buy him a 'Hawking Day'

We are loving the sunny weather and hoping that it will stay around for next week. We are off to the Isle of Wight with my Dad. I have been before but as an adult on school residentials so this time will be a chance to look around at our own pace. Lindsay will be there for the weekend so we shall meet up with her to say 'hello' to Squirral.

No finished craft projects to show this time but a few in the pipeline, so photo's at a later date.

I've got the wobbles...

2009-05-17T12:36:00.008Z

Well actually they are getting better. I've started riding a bicycle for the first time in about 20 years. I'm trying to go out with Rachael 2 or 3 times a week , she jogs around Emberton Park while I ride. The first time felt so weird and I managed to scrape my arm on a wall on the way back.. I suspect it was because we were so busy talking ( there's a suprise!) and I wasn't paying attention. I certainly need to build up the strength in my legs but it is really quite enjoyable.

Craft wise I have made a few cards and have enjoyed using water colour pencils for the first time. Last Sunday was our MK Scrappers crop and this is one of the LOs I finished. Looking at my LOs, they all seem to end up looking quite plain but I'm happy with them. The photo's are the main focus and I try to journal a little. I'd love to produce LOs with more embellishments but I can never seem to justify the cost.

I am now working on a quilt for my next door neighbours daughter who is expecting her first baby next month. Picture before too long I hope.

Last Saturday I attended a Flower Festival in Westminster Abbey. It was to mark the Golden Anniversary of NAFAS ( National Association of Flower Arrangers). So many beautiful arrangements, traditional and contemporary. Sadly, we were not allowed to take 'photos but I am hoping to borrow the CD and will be able to take some from there.

Another photo' opportunity next Saturday when Michael spends a day with some' big birds'!

3

What a change...

2009-05-08T15:25:00.004Z

this time last week the weather was beautiful. It was so lovely to see all the children playing out on the field not far from my house. It reminded me of how childhood was for those of my tender age!

We had a weekend away with friends in our caravans. We only travelled about 50 miles away but it always seems like a different world and so relaxing. Unfortuately Mick and Noreen were unable to join us after all as their Grandson was taken into hospital to have his appendix removed. Poor little soul he is only 4 years old. They wizzed down to Plymouth to look after his sister and of course check for themselves that all was well. He is recovering well. So there were only 4 of us this time. What a difference to the early years when we all got together and often had more than 15 Adults and children to amuse and feed!!

Still we spent a very pleasant time wandering around Marlow taking a boat trip on the Thames and buying christmas gifts from the french Market! On Sunday the men went off to play golf so Rose and I spent a few hours feling like Gulliver in Lilliput otherwise known as Beckonscott Model village. Monday found us walking in the gardens of Cliveden House.

So what have I been up to craftwise? Another small cushion for Beverly to use up the fabric, a few cards (photos's next post) , an exploding box and a fabric tote which isn't quite finished as I went off the idea, the instructions were pants. Food craft wise (Yummy yummy )strawberry, lemon, chocolate and summer fruits ice cream.

Dad has had a stair lift installed, whilst he manages very well the stairs were beginning to be a bit of a problem and as watching him come down them nearly gave me a heart attack it's one less thing to worry about. Michaels parents have returned safely from their South African trip and appear to have had a good time.

Without going into details, isn't it good when you discover that 'Mum (and Nana) really does know best'?

Useless

2009-04-19T13:04:00.002Z

I am useless at this blogging thing. Photo's never end up where I think I have put them and I can't get the writing to go down the side of the photo's . I think I need a tutorial!!

long time again...

2009-04-19T12:38:00.002Z

since I updated.

My hospital appointment confirmed that the problem I have with my fingers and ankle and knee is arthritis. The consultant gave me the option of having my index finger joint fused and seeing how other things go. I've decide to wait a while as I can live with it at the moment. I'm hoping the problem doesn't get worse too quickly but I'll deal with that if and when it happens.

I bought myself a new potato peeler, the old fashioned type, sort of semi-circle with a blade at the bottom.,. It works really well and is so much easier on my fingers. NOT so easy on my thumb though. I took a chunk out of my left thumb on Friday and couldn't believe how much it bled. For 4 hours every time I took pressure of it drippedand 5 wrappings and a (clean) tea towel were soaked. It stopped at last but I have it well wrapped up as it is so sore.

I have been busy sewing and here are a few photo's of my latest projects, a cushion for Beverlys spare room, a pencil case. Actually I made another which now has Etans ' rock collection in it! The last one is supposed to be a 'mug bag' to hold a mug when travelling to crops etc. but of course it cna have many other uses.

At last..

2009-03-25T10:20:00.002Z

It's finished!

2009-03-24T12:33:00.004Z

Here are the photo's from my Mothers day treat.

Sorry Claire....

2009-03-23T21:55:00.006Z

still no photo' of Ethans quilt but I'm nearly done. Just one side of the binding to finish.

Rachael and I had a trip to the Hobbycrafts show last week. We enjoyed our day out but were a little dissapointed by the smaller than usual amount of stallholders. My favourite stand was Craftwork cards where I bought a couple of stencils and here is a card I made using one of them.

The following Sunday Beverly, Rachael and I went up to London to the Country Living exhibition. Such pretty stands, they made me want to completely redesign the house. Dream on!!

Rachael and I both won a prize on the Higgardy Pies stand . Rachael will be receiving a box of pies and I have an apron and a bag to come.

Mothers day arrived a day early for me as I was invited by my three girls to dinner at Rachaels. The table was beautifully laid with hand stamped table mats and place cards. there was a basket of hyachints, some smellies, three lovely cards and a voucher for a facial. Pride of place was given to a cake specially made by Rachael. Of course all of this was lovely ,as was the meal but the best gift was the time and effort that had gone into the whole evening. I certainly have the best three daughters in the world. I love you girls.

It seems that blogger won't let me load any more photo's at the moment so I'll be back soon.

little things mean alot...

2009-03-03T17:42:00.002Z

Things like an unexpected visits and hugs from daughters and best of cuddles and Paddington sandwiches with the bestest Grandson in the world.

Feeling a bit better today x

Grumpy Old Woman.

2009-03-02T16:08:00.005Z

Just one of those days when you feel fed up just because you do. I'm going to have a moan so sorry to my 2 readers, bear with me I'm sure I'll be my normal cheerful self tomorrow.

At what age do people stop looking aghast when I say I don't go out to (paid) work ? When we had our girls it was our decision that the home and family would be my job. We have never claimed any money for our family other than the Child benefit. I have never regretted that decision and have loved and still love every moment spent with the girls and as a family. I have so many precious memories especially of things I would have missed had I left them in anothers care for a large amount of time,I have until 18 months ago worked part time for the last 15 or so years.Anyway in conversation over the weekend I got 'the' reaction. You know the one... WHATEVER DO YOU DO ALL DAY ?

Well I happen to be a fairly interesting person. I have hobbies and a home to keep. A garden to look after. Dogs to walk.. I sort out all the little things that life throws up . I run a craft club and attend others ( sometimes as the teacher) which often involves a good few hours of work in preperation. I cook meals from scratch most days . I keep an eye on our accounts and arrange our social life. If we entertain it's me that does all the extra work. If someone wants an errand run, who do they ask? I keep an eye on my elderly Dad ( not sure if he would like that term) and help out with his housework. When the girls were small, who helped at school? Who collected children because Mums and Dads we caught at work? Who was needed when other kids were poorly or in the holiday when they were stuck without child care?

Just because work isn't paid in money at the end of the month doesn't make it less important. If I did all these things and got paid for them the tax man would love me! It also means my husband has only to worry about his job and can relax when he comes home.

O K I'll stop now, you must be getting bored. Just having a day feeling unappreciated after a few days of not feeling too good .

Back soon in a happier mood. x

another month...

2009-02-07T21:45:00.011Z

Yes, it has been another month since I updated! We have been having trouble with the computer and are waiting for a new one so have to put up with this tempremental one until it arrives.

We have had our new front door fitted and it looks very smart ( will post a photo' soon). Now we have to paint the garage door to match but that will have to wait until the weather improves.

I have enjoyed the snow, it looks so pretty but now it has been around for a few days I'm getting a bit tired of it and hope it soon melts away. Still here are a couple of photo's taken on Thursday.

Yes Michael did have part of the day off work.
He couldn't get the car off the drive so Ethan was thrilled that Grandad could join in the fun!

I have been busy with some crafting this week. We made some of these items at our craft club and Ethans' quilt is progressing well. Just have to quilt it and sew on the binding.This is the weekend of the UKS Cyber crop and I have managed to have a go at a few of the classes two of which are pictured here.

The colours don't look very good here, they are better in real life. I hope to have a go at a few more classes and challenges tomorrow.

It is also Michaels' birthday tomorrow. Rachael , Gary and Ethan came to dinner this evening. Rachael had made a super Golf Bag cake which I'm sure there will be a photo' of on her blog and Ethan had made one that was decorated as a gift. Tomorrow Beverly andLindsay will be here.

Back soon. x

Two months!

2009-01-06T20:33:00.006Z

I can't belive it is two months since I last wrote! The run up to Chrismas was of course busy. I managed to make a few cards ( forgot to take photos') also made some new decorations and one or two gifts. Actually my friend Rose and I managed to make 6 Princess and the pea beds with covers and rather large peas!

The dolls were bought and we added a copy of the book. They have been well recieved by all the little girls they were sent to.

Christmas itself was spent with family, 25th at Rachaels , 13 of us and Boxing day here at home ,15 of us. We had a good time and the TV was hardly in evidence at all. The men watched for about an hour or so and the rest of the time we played various games and chatted.

We had a great evening on Saturday at my brothers 60th birthday party. I can't belive I have a brother of that age but of course I am a fair bit younger than him! Here he is as he arrived. Yes, it was a suprise party and he certainly was.

It's is quite nice though to get back into some sort of routine and make plans for the year. First job is to get the new front door installed. It is ordered so shouldn't be too long. We need new inside doors throughout the house so hopefully will get those changed this year. The garage door needs painting and the garage MUST be sorted properly.

Yesterday we booked a holiday to ' New England in the Fall '. A 10 day tour which will take us to Boston, Plymouth, Cape Cod and the White mountains. Looking forward to this so much.

Happy New Year to you all. Let's hop we all keep smiling.

Hello...

2008-11-12T11:08:00.005Z

Well ,it's been awhile again so, what have I been up to?

We had good weather for our break in Yorkshire and did a fair bit of walking. We also discovered the fun of geocaching. The best bit is that you tend to find locations that you would never normally come across. Can't wait to do some more.

First photo' is Michael and I looking very pleased after our first find. You have to be careful not to let the Muggles see what you are doing though!

Second photo' is a lovely little valley walk where we found our third cache.

We had a boat trip and fish and chips in Whitby after we had spent the morning at Robin Hoods bay. . We visited the brilliant Eden Camp and spent another day on the North Yorkshire Moors railway.

I have been doing some crafting and patchwork but haven't taken any pictures yet, will do so soon.

We spent a lovely day at Mead Farm with Claire , Sheena and the children. It was quite cold and we just made it back to the car as the rain started but a good time was had by all.

Life is quite busy here at the moment. We have two extra dogs living with us so there is plenty of walking going on. Bonnie is not too impressed!!!!

I suppose I must begin to think about Christmas. So, this afternoon I shall be making the cake shortly followed by the puds.

14 days later...

2008-10-13T19:53:00.008Z

PHEW! That was a long walk.

Our computer has been changed and it has taken a while to get myself sorted plus my brain was just not in blogging mode.

I've been busy crafting in one way or another over the last couple of weeks. It's very satisfying to see some of my projects being finished off. I took a few things to a club I attend and some woman had the cheek to say"gosh, How do you find time, I bet your house doesn't get cleaned too much". Well Missus, who watches all the soaps, quizzes, magazine programmes and more on TV, I have watched just about 2 hours of TV over the last 2/3 weeks maybe there is some connection.

So, while I am having a rant here are a couple of others. When someone follows you into a car park, why oh why do they attach their car to your back bumper when it is obvious that you will have to stop fairly quickly when you see a space to park in . Why can't I collect a prescription from the chemist when the pharmacist is at lunch ? When I make another journey later in the day to collect it, he is not consulted nor does he shoot round the counter to check what I have or who I am.

OK, enough moaning. We had our Srappbooking retreat this weekend. Great weekend. 20 of us scrapping away to our hearts content. Lots of laughs and banter but we did get a lot of work (not sure if that's the right word) done too. I reckon we produce at least 120 pages a fair few mini books a few dozen cards between us.

One day I will get the hang of putting these photo's in the right place!

Looking forward to a few days in Yorkshire next week, hope the weather will be kind to us.

I didn't realise..

2008-09-26T09:36:00.003Z

it had been so long since I updated.

Michael has gone off with some friends for a weekend sailing on the Solent. The weather forecast is good and there should be a fair breeze. I am hoping to get some various types of crafting done today and tomorrow. On Sunday Beverly and I are visiting a National Trust property although we haven't yet decided which one.

Last weekend we all celebrated Ethans 6th birthday. It was good to have all the family together and for once to be able to sit out in the garden. Here he is with his Spiderman cake.

My mind has gone blank now and this is rather a boring entry, perhaps I'll tale the dog for a walk and come back later !!!!

I'm so lucky....

2008-09-03T16:15:00.008Z

Really I am and I do appriciate the fact. With Beverly I have just spent another ten days in beautiful sunny Italy. The Puglia region is very Italian and far less touristy than many other parts of Italy. We visited many small towns with wonderful architecture and history. We saw some incredible scenery. We still had time to relax around the pool and also swam in the sea.

One of our favourite outings was a boat trip along the very pretty coast to look at the grottos. Some of the openings seemed far too small for the boat to get in, but, in we went and the rock formations inside were incredible. We pulled in to a small cove where we swam and enjoyed a b-b-q on the b each before returning at full pelt to the harbour at Vieste.

Another favourite place was the 'Trulli' town of Arberobello. The round white houses with their good luck emblems painted on are so pretty.

So, home again and quickly and as usual there is always so much to do. The garden needs some TLC but it is difficult when it has been so wet. I had to dry all my holiday washing indoors.
Tomorrow I am visiting a local place of interest'The Menagerie'. I don't know if any of you have heard of it and I have no idea what it is all about but it's not anything to do with animals asfar as I know. Watch this space and I'll tell you what I discover.

Just getting on with it.

2008-08-19T15:44:00.002Z

Stiff upper lip, made of sturdy stuff and all that. So the weather is being particularly difficult but we just have to make the best of it. Don't let the ******* get you down!

We were away in the caravan over last weekend and actually spent Friday afternoon on the beach at Winterton- 0n -sea in Norfolk. It was quite a pleasant afternoon although Ethan was the only one to brave a dip in the sea. Is the boy MAD!!!!

On Saturday we navigated our way through a Maize maze and enjoyed pedal cars, bouncy cushions and other play equiptment and then took a ride along the coast. Sunday saw us at Wroxham barns. We only got rained on for about half an hour on Sunday morning.

Last thursday I went to the Birmingham Quilt festival. The work on show is truly awesome, so many talented people. Of course, I managed to spend a few pennies at the trade stalls but all things that I know I will use.

We have been out today to Stockwood Park in Luton. Brilliant place . Loads to see. Various gardens, displays, discovery areas, a carriage collection, playground and local history exhibits. All free, no entry charge, totally free!!!! Well worth a visit.

Anyway, Beverly and I are off to Italy on Thursday, bring on the sun and we will try to blow some across for you all.

Pheww!!!

2008-08-11T19:40:00.006Z

It was certainly HOT in Egypt! We had a brilliant holiday, hotel, food, flights, weather, activities excursions, everything went without a hitch. A little bit of Egyptian tummy but that is almost to be expected with everthing so different from home.

We spent a lot of time just lazing around the pool and dipping in to cool off but we enjoyed three wonderful excursions.

The first was a trip into the the desert for a 'Bedouin experience'. First was a ride on a camel,getting up and down was quite an experience in itself. we were then given two traditional drinks which were both delicious. We walked up small mountain and watched the sun set and heard the amazing echoes. After a traditional meal there was dancing around the camp fire( the temp. was already around 33 c !) The final part of the evening was star gazing. In the middle of the desert of course there is no artificial light and the number of stars was breathtaking.

For our second outing we took a one hour flight to Cairo and then onto Giza to see the pyramids and the Sphinx. It was incredible to actually be in the place that we have seen so many times in books and magazines. In the afternoon we visited the Museum to see all the exhibits from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Last but not least we spent the day snorkelling in the Red Sea. I had to talk myself into it as I this was something new to me and I was quite nervous. Once in the wonderfully warm water all my nerves dissapeared as we discovered a beautiful under sea world. So many brilliantly coloured fish and wonderful shaped corals. What an experience!

Do you like the 'trout pout' ?

Almost...

2008-07-22T10:43:00.004Z

ready for our hols. Case nearly packed apart from a few bits still in the wash. I will tidy and hoover tomorrow and then we shall be off to the In-laws for the night as they are fairly near Gatwick.

Last Tuesday was my birthday and I spent the day at a patchwork workshop. We made up 3 blocks ready to carry on to make a lap quilt here's one of them.

I have also done a little more to Ethans new quilt and hope to finish it as near to his birthday as possible.

In the evening we all had dinner at Rachels' and I had lots of lovely goodies as presents, mainly craft stuff. Ethan had helped to make my birthday cup cakes and presented one to me, complete with candle as he sang 'Happy Birthday'.

We went to watch the film 'Mama Mia' last Wednesday. The critics seemed to be doing their best to to say it was trash, probably because there was no blood and gore or heaving bedroom scenes. The singing wasn't the best but for me that added to it. It was a feel good film that one could just sit back and enjoy and we certainly did!

Thank goodness...

2008-07-10T21:38:00.002Z

it stayed dry last Saturday, so Beverly and I could enjoy an open air performance of Midsummer Nights Dream at Cliveden. We had a lovely day. Our first port of call was good old M & S to buy goodies for our evening picnic. We stopped off in Wendover and had a wander in a few very pretty shops and found a wonderful cafe where they make chocolate too! Next stop was Hugenden House, we always buy a guide book so we know what we are looking at. We took tea by the river at Maidenhead and then on to Cliveden.

Parts of the play had been updated but in such a way that it wasn't spoilt. The cast were good and the minimal scenery and costume changes ( each actor played 2 or 3 roles) were brilliant.

We sat on the ground

supported by our bean bags which everyone seemed to think was a very clever idea ( well done for that one Bev ). The only bad part of the day was getting stuck on the M1 for an hour on the way home.

Olney crop was on Sunday and again I managed 4 layouts and had a great day.

Time is moving on apace now towards our Egypt holiday so I have been stocking up with suncream, ' mossie' lotion and antiseptic had gel. Rachael andI have both bought a sun hat and very fetching we look in them too! We shall certainly need them.

What's been happening...

2008-07-01T18:39:00.004Z

since I last blogged?

Had a lovely weekend ( the one just passed). We had Jet and Sasha to stay as Lindsay sailed off to the Isle of Wight to visit Squirral. and Ed was playing cricket . On Saturday afternoon we went to the Olney Cherry fair. There was a small dog show included so we entered Sasha in the class for' Best Girl Dog' (don't like that other word!). Ethan took her into the ring, helped by Rachael and he was thrilled when she won first prize. The judge commented on her beautiful shiny coat. Jet got a bone as a treat as he was very well behaved but we didn't think he would be too keen about being in the ring. Bonnie stayed at home, all the other dogs would have terrified her.

Beverly and I took Ethan down to the fun fair at the rec. where an hour and the contents of our purses disappeared fairly rapidly!

We all joined up again for a b-b-q to round off the day.

Sunday morning saw Rachael and I driving down to Watford to take part in a Donna Downey class at Willow Tree crafts. We really enjoyed the class although we haven't finished the project yet,so, piccies later. Donna was lovely, not at all Diva'ish , chatty enough but kept the class going.

I have been enjoying the warm weather and took Bonnie for a lovely walk over Clifton Meadows this morning. The garden is looking nice and full and the hanging baskets are blooming well.

This coming Saturday Beverly and I are spending Saturday at Hughenden House and then going on to Cliveden (both NT properties) for a performance of 'A midsummer Nights' Dream at the open air theatre. Let's hope the weather holds!!

Lets hear it for...

2008-06-17T18:47:00.005Z

'This blessed plot, this earth, this realm. this ENGLAND.'

Can I be the only one who is fed up with all and sundry moaning and groaning about this wonderful country of ours? Yes, I know we have our problems but so do other countries, although they seem not to publicise them or put themselves down as we are wont to do. The press and other media whip up all the bad news stories and tell us about all the evil people, the skivers .

Maybe I wear rose coloured spectacles but I still belive that this is a great country to live in. I belive that there are far more good people than bad living here. As a general rule, we are still free to go where we want , when we want and to voice our opinions without fear of being shot or imprsioned. We are tolerant of other lifestyles, although maybe sometimes a little too much so!
No society is perfect, what a boring world if they were.

We have a rich and varied history and many famous, infamous , inventive characters now and in the past.

We have scenery, countryside , coasts , towns and cities to rival anywhere else in the world.

Without our ever changing weather (something that generates so much complaint) we wouldn't have the lush greenery and native wildlife that we see all around us. Endless sunshine in some other countries may seem like a dream but, how boring when it is day after day, week after week.
It's time to be more patriotic and fly the flag for this beautiful varied ( in all aspects) country.

Sunny weather

2008-06-17T13:56:00.005Z

How lucky were we with the weather last week? Blue skies all the way for the first 5 days and although Thursday and Friday were a bit breezy it was still good and we had no rain.

I just love this part of Cornwall, somehow I feel at home there. Porthscatho is a very small town/village and there is really nothing there but something attracts me back there as often as possible.

We took a boat trip on Tuesday and were lucky enough to see a large number of dolphins, a few seals and the Navy helicopters landing on ships just off Falmouth.. We managed some short walks (Dad used his motorised scooter). I particularly enjoyed going down to see St Anthonys lighthouse and the views over St. Mawes.

This was rather good too!!

Ethan was very pleased with the postcard we sent him but wanted to know why we hadn't taken him. We have been promising to take him away in the caravan without Mummy and Daddy so we are off with him for a weekend in August.

I held a Stampin'up party last night . I managed to get 2 free stamp sets and lots of free goodies . I am looking forward to them arriving later in the week. It was a very busy evening but everone seemed to enjoy it and the little books we made.

What should I post?

2008-06-05T21:46:00.007Z

It's odd but when I am out and about so many things go through my mind that I could 'blog' about. When I sit down to type all those ideas seem to fly away or I decide that they are too personal or about someone else and maybe they wouldn't want them broadcast to the millions that read my blog! LOL! Maybe I should write a proper diary (a private one ) to get all these thoughts down but I know I would never keep it up.

So... once again just a few bits and bobs to report.

Last Thursday Claire and Sheena and children were due to visit. Unfortuately Claire and Alex were both ill and the visit had to be postponed. We decided not to waste the day so Rachael, Ethan and I made a trip to Warwick castle. This was not a cheap outing but the weather was good and there was plenty to do. Knights, horses, birds of prey , archers entertainers and of course the castle and grounds.

Fun of the free kind yesterday when Rachael and Ethan called in after school. The weather was lovely so we had a cuppa in the garden . Ethan decided on a battle of his own and I got some great photo's of this rough and tumble with his Mummy.

Michael and I are off to Cornwall on Saturday with Dad and Dave and Liz. Really looking forward to this as it is one of my favourite places . Just hoping the weather behaves itself.

Now I know that it is not the 'in' thing to have garden gnomes these days but I think this one is rather lifelike !

Yuccky weather..

2008-05-25T20:15:00.005Z

Thank goodness we got out in the garden yesterday. We cleared out the shed (at long last ) and painted the benches. Dad re-did the teak oil on the wooden table and chairs. I planted up the hanging baskets and have also put in some sweetpeas. We were going to take everything to the tip today but it was too wet. My last job in the garden for this year is to paint the two gates and the old water pump, which I will use as a feature. Hopefully , now that the garden is quite full and has plenty of perennials, we won't have to spend too much on it in the next few years.

Last Sundays crop was a very productive one. I can't belive I actually did 4 LOs! Everyone enjoyed Willows class and we had some fantastic work on show.

This pigeon appeared in the garden about 2 weeks ago. It is a racing pigeon and has a ring on its leg but, has obviously lost its sense of direction. Poor thing looks quite lonely but at least it doesn't seem to be having any problems feeding and seem to have made itself at home!

I have been very good this week, three visits to the gym and lots of dog walking. Not sure if it is doing me any good. I have the 'sniffles' and a horrible chesty cough.

Here is Michael watching the rain pour down. His game of golf was cancelled. All say 'Ahhhh'.

Goodness...

2008-05-15T21:47:00.003Z

where did the last two weeks go?

We had a good w/e away and the weather was, in the main, good to us. We didn't really move very far once we were there. The little town was interesting to wander around. We took a boat trip on Sunday, followed by a BBQ. There was a nice pub on the waterfront and we also ate there on Saturday evening. Lots of chat and far too much food!

The sunny weather in the last week encouraged me out into the garden and I finally found a new table and chairs for the patio. Some of the plants I put in a few weeks ago are begining to bloom. I particularly like this Loncheria ( sp?) a type of evergreen honeysuckle.

Last weekend I was at Knuston Hall on a patchwork course. Lovely setting especially in the beautiful sunshine. I was very busy though. I made some progress with Ethans tool bench quilt and completed two cushion covers, a small bag and this project which is to be my special table mat. Now I have to make one for Michael, he wants a red one! I am buzzing with other projects that I want to do.

Another full weekend coming up. We are off to Kailas' 3rd birthday party on Saturday. Sunday is the Olney crop. Willow is going to show us some of her techniques. I think the LO will be very different from my usual style but i'm looking forward to having a go.

Nearly packed...

2008-05-01T21:47:00.005Z

for our weekend away. We have a good assortment of clothes to cover all seasons and will enjoy ourselves whatever.

Had a great evening at the stampin'up party on Monday and of course I had to buy something. Beverly was there and regaled us with anecdotes about her Paris trip. She was really on form and had us rocking with laughter. Talking of stamps, the 'Tilda' Magnolia stamps seem very popular just now. I have to say that I am reminded of hippo's each time I see them and I just itch to give them a mouth of some kind.

Had lunch with my friend Rose on Tuesday and we were asked to leave the Pub! No, we hadn't misbehaved. Just nattered so much that we forgot they shut at 3 p.m. We had a small crop here in the evening, six of us. I am enjoying using the Becky Fleck Page Maps, they are really helping me to get LOs done.

Ethan has his new glasses and thinks he is the cats whiskers, I have to agree. Mind you Grandad and I are in his bad books because we are going away in the caravan without him! We will be arranging a weekend to take him as soon as possible.

Hope you all have a good Bank holiday w/e.

2008-04-28T09:21:00.006Z

The UKS cyber crop took place this weekend and had some great classes. I managed to do one LO class and my first entry for the 25th day album.. The weather was too nice to spend all day inside and so I will catch up on a few others at a later date.

Sasha and Jet were here for a sleepover last night and will be here untill Lindsay finishes work today. I bought a few more plants from the garden centre yesterday so must get them planted out.

I have a busy week, must get to the Gym for a few classes,caravan to pack for the weekend, a lunch date on Tuesday,Stampin' up party tonight and a small crop here tomorrow night. Of course all the everyday , cooking, cleaning, shopping to do as well. The ironing is calling, bye for now.

So many photo's.

2008-04-25T14:12:00.007Z

Today sees the start of UKS Cyber crop. I like to join in when I can, it does help me to actually get some scrapping done. Can't stand all the pre crop chat and nonsense though. Still, I have decided to join in one of the warm up classes by Shimelle. I haven't made the actual album yet but have started on the 20 or so photo's to be taken on the 25th of each month to record what you were doing, where you have been and how things change month to month. O.K. they are not great
photo's as such but I am looking forward to seeing the project unfold.

Another project on the go just now is a quilt for Ethan, depicting a tool bench with all the tools hung on it. I think he will love this as he is always wanting to help Grandad with the 'jobs'. several other smaller projects in mind too.

The weekend will be busy with the cyber crop, and sorting out the shed and garage. Michael has a plumbing job to do on Sunday and assuming the weather stays good tomorrow he will be checking over the caravan ready for our trip away next week.

Exciting Saturday afternoon!

2008-04-19T13:58:00.003Z

I know I won't be popular for this but MMMAAAHHHHAAAAA !!!!

2008-04-19T13:10:00.005Z

We had a family meal for Dad last Friday to celebrate his 84th birthday. He does so well. Still working two days a week and always ready to help out where he can. Here he is blowing out his candles.

We spent last weekend working in the garden The weather was perfect for the job. We cleared all the weeds and dead stuff, trimmed bushes, put slabs down to enlarge the patio and also smartened up the bed by the house wall by laying slabs and cobbles. I have a new water feature and have installed a compost bin in a secluded corner. There is still work to be done but none of it quite such hard work. Two benches have to be repainted and I am going to buy a small round table and two chairs for the back patio where we like to sit with a coffee when the weather is good. We are also wondering if we should invest in a chiminea so that we can make more of the summer evenings that may be a little chilly. I will take some photo's when I get a few mins.

We've been out and about during the school holidays. Walking the dogs, visiting garden centres and onThursday we spent a lovely day with Liz, Nicola and Kaila. Ethan and Kaila play very well together even though there is a 21/2 year age gap. It was lovely for Dad to see both his Great grand children together.

We have friends coming for dinner tonight. I feel very organised as I prepared the main courses yesterday and am just about to lay the table and have a quick hoover round. Our friends are bringing the starters and the puds.

Those of you who read Rachaels blog will know about the house and her comments about manners.. Neighbours who moved in just over a year ago rarely manage to aknowledge us or any of the other neigbours.. Each week on Sunday morning they place their rubbish bags (ready for Monday collection) outside our house on the edge of our lawn. This has annoyed me for months so last week I moved it back into their driveway behind the wall. Hopefully they will get the message or am I being petty?

Strange...

2008-04-09T21:39:00.004Z

There are strange comments on my last two entries. No idea what they mean and I'm not going to click on them. Anyone any idea?

Have now deleted the comments to be on the safe side. Thet were from very odd names and seemed to have a link in them. They were both from different names but said something like " look here please".

Good weather....

2008-04-09T16:23:00.004Z

has got me in the mood for working in the garden. The sunshine has been lovely and I have decided the garden needs a really good sort out. I'm not rushing , just a few hours here and there. One corner has been cleared of all the straggly plants and the bed will be removed to enable the patio to be enlarged. I have lots of plans but will have to get it done bit by bit. At the weekend I am hoping to get Michael to the garden centre to look at water features. The old one has fallen apart and I have my eye on a slate pile.

We had a lovely day with our friends last Friday, the weather was very kind and we all enjoyed a walk in the woods especially Ethan who of course ended up covered in mud.

Here are a couple of photo's of the angels and the small runner/quilt I made last week. I am definately getting better at finishing projects.

At the Olney crop on Sunday I managed a LO and a '7 gypsies' portfolio of Michael and Ethan washing the car. I really enjoy these crops, they are not over organised, everyone does their own thing but if you need help someone will alway be willing to help. We have a great bunch of ladies and there is plenty of chatter and a fair bit of laughter !

2008-04-04T07:30:00.007Z

Michael was suprised to see this little bird had flown into our bedroom. I saw something similar in a shop in Cornwall, priced around £6. I made this one for about 50p! I was suprised that Michael even noticed it was there.

Most of the family have recovered from their illnesses but Lindsay has the 'bug' now. My back has been causing a few problems, pains around the top of my leg and pelvis. Doc. says I need to see someone to pull me about (Physio, ? ) so I will see how it is after the weekend. Good excuse to buy some new knickers !!

I have been busy sewing this week. On Monday I had a day out and started a small hanging which I will post when it's finished. I am also in the middle of making some sweet little angels again piccie when finished.

Just look at these dogs all snuggled up. Jet and Sasha love to share or is it a two headed dog ? Yes, I know Bonnie shouldn't really be on the bed but she snuck up there and you know they say 'Let sleeping dogs lie', she looks so comfy. Considering how high the bed is and the fact she is nearly 11 years old, she does really well to jump up.

Rachael, Ethan and I are off out for the day. We are visiting our friends Claire and Sheena and Sheenas little ones, Alex and Olivia. Ethan and Alex are just a year apart in age and they get on so well even though we only get to see them 2 or 3 times a year. Ethan is so excited and I know we shall have a lovely day.

Call out the District Nurse!

2008-03-27T21:58:00.006Z

That's me! We seem to have an endless stream of illness in the family over the last few weeks and this week is no exception. This was my agenda today...

Take Ethan to school as Rachael has been ill since the weekend.

Do a bit of shopping for Beverly who is also off work ill, visit and administer cold drinks, and TLC.
Check on Jet and Sasha as they also have been off colour. I had them at my house on Tues. and Wed. ( We won't talk about the carpet!)

Visit my Dad who was up last night with tummy trouble.

Collect Ethan , play, feed and deliver him home, bath and bed.

Check on Rachael.

Check on Dad.

Call to check on Bev.

So with my back and a tummy bug, Michaels bug and Bonnie seems a little off her food today, hopefully that will be our lot for a while. Ethan would like to know why the Big Bug (gers) keep getting us?

Our family also seem to attract odd happenings. A car appeared on our front lawn on Tuesday lunchtime. It had rolled from the lay-by opposite and luckily missed my car and also Lindsays. Unfortunately it also missed the fench that needs replacing, it would have been handy to claim on their insurance. Mind you not quite as exciting as a cow on the run from the police or a jogging tortoise but thereby hang other tales!

Still, we managed a pleasant weekend away. Michael and Richard were like two little boys playing with the tractor and they also slipped in a game of golf.

off we go!

2008-03-15T13:44:00.002Z

Well, at last I am feeling more myself. My back is just about recovered, just need to be a bit careful. I also picked up the nasty bug and spent a few days not knowing which way to turn IYSWIM! Michael managed to catch it too but, of course he had it far worse !

I certainly do feel grateful for my usual good health. Being stuck indoors day after day is NOT fun and I was glad to get out with the dogs for a walk. Today I managed to cut the grass and tidy up a bit but I do feel tired now so having a rest this afternoon.

There is alot to fit in next week before we go off to Cornwall for the Easter weekend. Michael will be mending a tractor with his friend but I'm just going to have fun and do some exploring. We will be based at a B & B called Cadson Manor nr Callington. Have a look at the web site. It looks lovely and we are not paying!

IMPROVING

2008-03-06T12:09:00.002Z

Well, my back is improving. I can almost stand upright now and it is uncomfortable and stiff rather than painful. I'm not able to walk far without it becoming very achey but it's defineately on the mend. One strange thing that happened was that my left hand became very swollen. On Thursday night I was woken because my hand and finger were so sore. Whilst my wedding ring has been fairly tight of late I could stil move it around but on Friday morning Michael had to cut it off as is was so tight. I have never taken my ring off since the day it was put on and I found it quite upsetting, just a sentimental thing I suppose. I have been to the jewelers and they have quoted a price to enlarge it and I shall have my engagement ring done at the same time. They advised me to wait a week or so to let my finger recover.

Poor Ethan has picked up a tummy bug and is off school at the moment. Hope he won't be kind enough to pass it around.

Olney crop on Sunday, so looking forward to that and I know what I am going to do.

Rumbles and grumbles.

2008-02-28T10:15:00.003Z

I did feel the earthquake on Wednesday morning although at the time I didn't register what it was. It certainly made the bed shake and I remember wondering what it was but as it was only a few seconds I just went back to sleep !

So, that's the rumble and the grumble?

I went to get my socks out of the drawer on Tuesday morning and my back went PING!!! Oh, it did hurt. I think the muscles went into spasm and all I can do is wait for them to relax again. It feels a little easier this morming ( I couldn't have sat a the computer yesterday to type). The annoying thing is that I feel fine in myself and want to do lots of things but then I try to move and Ouch. Still it makes me appriciate how lucky I am normally being able to move freely . I am missing my exercise classes and it seem so stupid that after all the exercise I have done in the last couple of months a small bend to the drawer causes a problem.

Yesterday I resorted to watching some daytime TV. Good Morning was OK in parts and I enjoyed Alan Titchmarsh in the afternoon but I just can't understand how a fit and healthy person could bear to sit around watching TV all day when there are so many other things they could do.

I have Jet and Sasha here today and Bonnie is not too thrilled. She has been very brave and has joined us downstairs but is very pointedly staying in a different room.

2008-02-19T10:49:00.007Z

I have finished the hanging for our bedroom. Here it is and I am quite pleased with it. Some of the squares are 3D but that doesn't show up very well in the photo'.

I have Lindsays dogs with me today. She started her new job yesterday and can't get home at lunchtime now so has arranged various outings for them. We are hoping the sun comes out this afternoon as we will be taking them to Salcey forest for a good walk.

Last week we booked a weeks holiday in Cornwall. Dad, Dave and Liz will be with us. Dave and Liz have not been to Cornwall before and as Michael and I love it there, we are really looking forward to showing them our favourite places. Dad hasn't been for about 12 years. He will be taking his electric scooter with him so will be able to get around quite well.

These two LOs were done at the Sunday Olney crop.The first one was taken just after Ethan had his last haircut. He was very pleased with the way the barber had spiked his hair. It does make him look a lot older though. The other one is Michael and I when we were 20 years old ( 2 1/2 years apart I might add). How we have changed. Michael still does that grin though!!

Rachael, Gary and Ethan are on the move again, they are gradually creeping nearer to us! I hope it all goes smoothly this time as the last move was a nightmare. Claire , if you read this Rachael says she will be sending you a new address book!

Why get stressed?

2008-02-09T12:12:00.000Z

On the home page of UKS this week is a poll asking if you get stressed about scrapbooking. I am amazed that well over half the people that have responded say that they do. For goodness sake, scrapbooking is supposed to be a pleasure, a relaxation, a hobby. I can see that someone on a design team might get a bit stressed if they have deadlines to meet, likewise those that do it as a profession. Otherwise, what is there to get stressed about? Maybe I am missing something!

I have been busy knitting more cakes this week for Beverlys friend and the ladies at craft club enjoyed having a go too. On Monday I am going to a sewing day and have been gathering fabric to make a small hanging for our bedroom. Will post a piccie when it's finished.

It was Michaels birthday yesterday but we have transferred it to today as he had a do on at work last night. We will be having a yummy buffet tonight with the girls, Gary and Ethan.

MK scrappers meet at Olney tomorrow so must get myself organized for that. I am determined to get something substantial done. Our retreat is booked for October. Rachael & I went to visit the venue on Tuesday, it looks fab and very good value for money.

Must get on with the preperations for this evening.

congratulations....

2008-01-29T23:06:00.000Z

to Beverly. Today she won the 'Wedding Planner of 2008' award.

Proud Mum moment!

Got to keep going..

2008-01-28T16:39:00.000Z

Two weeks into my diet and exercise routine and I'm doing OK. I just hope I can keep the determination going. Actually the exercise bit is fine, Pilates on Monday, Aquarobics on Wednesday and Body Vibe (a mixture of low impact aerobics, dance and toning) and walking the dog each day. I have lost 6 lbs. in two weeks and my goal is the Egyptian holiday in July. I really won't cope with the heat unless I loose some serious weight.

We went to a barn dance on Friday evening, what a giggle! It's quite amazing how uncoordiated some people are and the mayhem it can cause on the dance floor. I love this type of 'do' far more than a disco.

I made this cot size quilt at the weekend for the Linus charity. This charity collects donated quilts and takes them to hospitals and homes to be distributed to children and teenagers who have suffered traumas or are very ill. The quilts are theirs for life or for parents to keep should the worst happen. ( Sorry about the awful, wobbly photo').

I was reading a thread on UKS about emotional LOs and how to journal and even if we should 'scrap' them. My answer is Yes why not. Many people hide the most personal writing and that's fair enough but why hide words that tell your nearest and dearest how much you love them. Why be embarrassed by your feelings. In the light of a very sad and tragic accident that Lindsay witnessed yesterday we should always let that love show because we never know what life might throw at us.

Any one on a diet?

2008-01-17T15:56:00.000Z

If so you just might like these cakes! Totally calorie free but don't they look sweet. I knitted the cupcakes and the doughnuts are made from felt. Thanks to Lynsey for the link.

I have embarked on a fitness and weight loss campaign,there, now I've told you it might help me stick to it. On Monday I took part in my first pilates class, Wednesday was Aquarobics and today I have been to a BodyVibe class. I have to say that using the gym is not exactly fun although I shall try to have some sessions in there. I really did enjoy these classes and hope to do them most weeks.

Wednesday was a beautiful sunny day and after the aquarobics I ventured to the outside pool. submerged in the warm water up to my shoulders with the blue skys above and just the sound of a few swimmers splashing in the pool I could have been in any exotic location apart from the fact that my nose got cold! Braving the cold air in my wet swimsuit I returned indoors to enjoy 5 minutes on a hot bed. BLISS.

All three girls are off to the Isle of Wight to see Squirral and of course enjoy a girlie weekend. I shall be at home and looking after Lindsays' dogs untill Ed picks them up Saturday evening. Ethan will be here for the afternoon so I'm sure we will have a fun time and Ethan will love having his Grandad to play with.

We have been booking a few breaks this week. Our holiday to Egypt has been booked for a while now and Beverly and I are off to Italy again in August.This time to the 'heel' part of Italy which is a little more undiscovered. Michael and I will be spending Easter in Cornwall with friends. Michael will be helping to repair a tractor and maybe fit in some golf and I'm sure there will be plenty to keep me interested . The early May bank holiday will take us to Gloucestershire with the 'P posse'. We have to arrange a week or so to go away with Dad and we really must decide on a weekend to take Ethan away in the caravan with us.

Rachael and I are in the throws of arranging a scrapbookers weekend and tonight I am out with my Thursday sewing group for our Christmas meal (slightly delayed).

So lots to look forward to and hopefully less of me to enjoy it!!

Almost done.

2008-01-08T13:53:00.000Z

At last, our bedroom is finished. Well, other than .

a picture on the wall and a couple of side lights.

I am so pleased with it and it looks twice the size it was. Here are a few photo's although they may be a little dark.

The new bed is so comfy. There is a cushion of Memory foam on top of the matress.It really does mould itself to your shape.

We had a very busy weekend moving beds, laying carpets hanging curtains. The other front bedroom is almost done too. It needs a headboard and then I will take some piccies. I'm really happy with all the bedrooms now. The bathroom looks good, so, next year we will have a review of downstairs. The kitchen is fine . The downstairs cloakroom needs a bit of attention and eventually the lounge will need a new suite. Dining room done. I think will have to make a mini book to show all the rooms as they are done.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION...be more organised. Maybe I will then actually get more done instead of thinking about it! I'll stat by trying to plan what to do at the MK crop on Sunday. Watch this space.

Bits and bobs.....

2007-12-30T16:08:00.000Z

So, Christmas is over barr the decorations coming down and how did it go?

As usual I enjoyed the preparations, gift buying, wrapping decorating and joining with the girls on Christmas eve to prepare the food and decorate the table for the day. Of course the best part was when Father Christmas turned up at Rachaels, just for a quick visit to say Happy Christmas. I kid you not!

I even had a little giggle when I was at the checkout in Tescos (Thursday before Christmas.) Along the conveyor belt in order came a bottle of wine, paracetamol and Zirtek (anti-allergy pills). The chap on the till looked up with a grin and said " Mmm , In Laws coming to stay?" I had to chuckle as indeed they were. Sorry , Sylvia and Ken if you should ever read this but I did think it was a clever quip.

The day itself was fairly quiet, although there were 11 of us. Delicious dinner and lots of lovely pressies. Poor Rachael was not feeling so good and had to have a lay down for an hour or so but otherwise battled on.

Boxing day was quite too. Rachael, Gary and Ethan came up for lunch but Rachael was still feeling ill so they went off early. Lindsay and Ed had gone down to visits his parents near Bath.

Bev and I had a pleasant walk with Bonnie and in the evening enjoyed watching 'Ballet shoes' which was one of my favourite stories when I was a little girl.

Thursday and Friday we finished decorating the bedroom, ordered a new bed and bought new bed linen and curtains for one of the other bedrooms .Today I have ordered new linens for our room from Next. Just carpet, lighting and a picture or two to sort out now.

Saturday was a busy day. 13 for lunch (16 if you include the dogs!) More pressies . Quizzes and banter. Ethan and Kaila loved playing together and they were so good, a credit to their parents.

Ethan slept the night and UncleEd (that's how he says it) was conned into reading rather alot of bedtime stories.

So just New Year to come now. I'm not sure if we are going out and I shan't be bothered if we don't.

Anyway, Happy New Year to anyone who might be reading, I belive there are one or two who visit.

2007-12-09T17:36:00.000Z

So, the bedroom is now prepared for our new wardrobes which are to be delivered next week and installed on the 17/18th. I shall be very pleased to get all our clothes back in one place instead of spread around the other bedrooms.

Today was the Dickens Fair in Olney. Sadly it was very wet but there still seemed to be alot of people around. I hate using an umbrella but I also hate getting my hair wet. I did get this photo' of Lindsay and I think she looks pretty good with hers.

Here are the pics. of the canvases I made earlier in the week, the red one is going off as a Christmas card to Michaels parents.

Tomorrow Beverly and I are off to the Cotswolds, it is her birthday on Tuesday and she has two days off work.We shall have a wander around the villages and the gift shops, a nice lunch and hopefully take a few nice photos', I hope they will be wintery ones not soggy ones!

Ouch!

2007-12-04T08:46:00.000Z

Yesterday afternoon I mopped the floor in the dining room . Ten minutes later , forgetting the floor was damp I slipped over and ended up under the table! I now ache down one side particularly my shoulder and hip. Good job I'm well padded.

I managed one LO at the crop on Sunday, here it is and yes , I am that old. Also a picture of two little snowmen, who I have named Iggy and Oggy just because I wanted to.

I have a whole day at home today,other than taking the dog out for a walk. I am hoping to get a lot done. Some cooking to put in the freezer for Christmas. Some wrapping of presents and lists of things still to do. Tomorrow is Swap a craft day so I have to finish two sample canvases ( pic. next time). I also have some fabric crackers to finish and put little gifts in for a couple of friends at my Thursday evening sewing group.

So, I'd better get cracking.

Cards.

2007-11-18T18:17:00.000Z

Have enjoyed getting these cards ready for the ladies at our craft club to make on Wednesday.Sorry the photo's are a bit wonky! They are not originals by me, the snowman comes from a lovely book of christmas ideas and the gingerbread one was in a supplement with Papercraft Inspirations.

I have made another set of coasters and have been making fabric yo-yos for hair and beard of a Santa, photo' when finished.

Ethan had a sleep-over here last night and was thrilled this morning to help Grandad take down some of the wardrobe doors in our bedroom in preparation for the new ones. We have a lot of work to do before the 16th Dec. The old built in wardrobe has to be covered up, the carpet removed, all clothes relocated and paper taken off the walls and repapering and painting to do.

Our friend who has been having treatment for cancer is not doing too well. He has just started another course of chemo. Sadly it will only be holding back the problem not curing it.

Sometimes it seems that all news you hear is bad news. Lots of little things have been happening lately and after a while it begins to get one down a bit. I am well aware there are people with far worse problems that us but in the end your problems are your problems . I did however read another blog and here is a small extract that took my eye.

' Your heart can break when you loose a loved one or a good friend, a special pet or when a child suffers. But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken or bruised is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.'

Got to keep busy.

2007-11-14T11:25:00.000Z

Today will not be a good one for Rachael and Lindsay. No matter what age your children are you just want to make everything better for them. Most often you can't. You just have to be there and feel it all with them. I am very proud of the mature decision they have made for Squirral and it seems he is going to a very loving home .

Any way I have been keeping myself busy this morning. I have tidied and hoovered, walked the dog, cleaned the loos!The christmas cake is in the oven and puddings are steaming on the top. I will be seeing Rachael and Lindsay this afternoon.

Michael had another 2 small bits of skin cancer removed yesterday. I actually managed to persuade him to come home afterwards. He normally goes straight back to work, in nearly 20 years with the same company he has had only a handful of days off sick.

I did have a good 5 days at Knuston Hall and here are some of things I made.The matching set of tree skirt, mantel runner and table runner are for Lindsay and Ed. The set of coasters are a small gift for a friend. I have to make some more crackers to put gifts in and the two little trees joined together will have ribbon attached to hang cards on. I have some more things to finish and lots more ideas, just hope I have enough time!

Nice things.

2007-11-04T20:24:00.000Z

Another week gone, but what beautiful weather. Beverly and I took Bonnie for a walk along the river this afternoon and enjoyed a short rest on a bench whilst Bonnie had a paddle! We are so lucky to have such lovely places so close to home.

Last night we watched the fireworks down on the Charity field, brilliant display well worth the £3 each that it cost. Afterwards we had a delicious meal at Rachael and Garys'. Celery soup( made by me), Chilli and jacket potatoes(made by Rachael) and Bread and Butter pudding or jam steamed sponge made by Rose.) Ooooh those calories!!!

I have enjoyed making these little felt snow people this weekend. They have a little backpacks that small gifts can be put in.

On Wednesday I am off to Knuston Hall for 5 days of christmas crafts and I have plenty of projects lined up. I have been sewing more than scrapping for the last couple of weeks but after Christmas there will be plenty of time to catch up with that and hopefully some new photos'.

Good, bad and ugly

2007-10-27T14:09:00.000Z

Let's start with the Good. We had a lovely day with our friends on Wednesday. Alex and Ethan had great fun in the forest and Claire and Sheena were impressed with the tree top walk.

My sewing day on Monday went well and I finished of this table centre for Chrismas in the evening.

The bad, so sad for Rachael and Lindsay about having to sell Squirral

The ugly, don't want to talk about it.

I've cut the grass, back and front this morning (hopefully the last cut this year), and tidied up the flower beds. I am now having a really good sort out in my craft room and I can't belive how much stuff there is! I have enough fabric to keep me going for a fair while so I am going to challenge myself. NO fabric buying for the next year and no' scrap' buying apart from essentials.

Sunday dinner with Rachael, Gary and Ethan tomorrow, that will be nice and I'm looking forward to seeing the photo's of them dressed up for the haloween party they are off to tonight.

All's well

2007-10-20T20:25:00.000Z

Bonnie has the all clear from the Vet. Nothing nasty found after her op' on Monday and she is back to her old self.

Mind you, she is a little put out at the moment as we have Lindsays two dogs staying for the weekend and she is not their best friend! Still, she did enjoy a good walk with them today and will join them again tomorrow. They need far more exercise that Bonnie and my legs will be 2" shorter by the time the weekend is over!

While we were out walking I met two children that I used to teach. Conversation went like this
" Hello Mrs Pearce, why aren't you doing the cooking any more?"

" I needed to do some other things ".

"We don't like it so much now, the new one is really stressy, you didn't get stressy even when I spilt the flour".

"Well, your new teacher has to get used to doing a different job and that can be difficult".

" Couldn't you come back when you have done the other things?"

I excused myself and went off with a grin. It's nice to know someone appriciated you isn't it?

I've been busy cutting fabric for the projects I hope to do at Knuston and am also at a sewing day on Monday. Will post a picture next week. I have lots of christmas projects in mind and must really set to and get on with them.

Tagged..

2007-10-17T20:51:00.001Z

My DD has tagged me and I'm happy to give 7 facts but I think everyone I could tag has been tagged so this may be the end of the line.
1. I actually consider being a Mother and housewife the best career ever. (Controversial hey?)

2. I have appeared on TV four times and in the Wembley Ice show once.

3. I hate wearing anything on my feet.

4. I am T-total simply because I don't like the taste of any alcholic drink. ( Bad enough without it.)

5. I love to travel, UK and abroad, but I am always happy to come home.

6. I want to see whales in their natural habitat.

7. I hate shopping apart from craft shopping of course!

Bonnie seems to be recovering well from her op. Today she is eating and drinking quite well and looking less sorry for herself. She has to go Friday morning for a check up. How does a dog who weighed 20 kgs in the car suddenly weigh 200 kgs when you try to get her into the Vets?

Appreciation and apprehension

2007-10-13T20:35:00.000Z

Michael and I have just returned from Yorkshire where we very much appriciated the scenery and the friendliness of the local people. Of course I had to visit a few 'scrapping' shops ,it would be rude not to. We used our National Trust membership and visited, Fountains Abbey, the Treasurers House in York and East Riddlesden Hall. In Howarth we enjoyed the Bronte Cottage museum and wandered around Hawes, Grassington (shop called Chocolace is well worth a visit), clambered up some of the Brimham rocks . Our campsite was in Strid woods where there are some beautiful walks, the river Ouse and Bolton Abbey.

The only down part of the week was thinking of poor Bonnie having her investigationn on Wednesday. Still, she coped well but has to go back in on Monday to have a 'mass' removed. The vet. tells us that it shouldn't be anything nasty as the size it is would probably mean she wouldn't be here if it was. She also has an ear problem and does not like having the drops put in! Here's hoping all goes well.

Murphys' Law.

2007-10-06T16:44:00.000Z

The last place you look should have been the first! I met Lindsay in MK today to help her find a hat for the wedding she is going to in a couple of weeks. We walked the whole length of the centre... too big, too small, too wintery, right shape- wrong colour..TOO expensive. Ended up in House of Fraser and found just the right one. Very light and young looking and a bargain price. It was nice to spend some time with Lindsay on her own, I don't often get the chance.

Michael and I have a few days away booked next week and yesterday we were told by the vet. that Bonnie needs to go in for an exploratory op. and maybe some surgery ,depending on what they find. She will be going in on Wednesday, I won't go into details here but it is to do with her rear end! Anyway, we have decided to still go away, Michael really needs a break ,we really can't do much and she is fine in herself. She will be well looked after by the girls and Dad and we will try not to worry too much.

MK Scrappers crop tomorrow, I have loads of projects in mind so must try to get down to some of them. Maybe I should sit in a different room so I don't chat so much!

Hope to have some good Autumn photo's when we get back. Watch this space.

I've succumbed..

2007-09-27T13:00:00.000Z

to turning the heating on this morning. Just on low but it really was cold indoors especially at the back of the house which faces north.

Last night I went to the cinema with Beverly to see Atonement, good film. You really do have to watch and keep track as just when you think you know the truth of what happened, you realise that you don't.

Michael parents were here to stay last weekend. We didn't really do a lot but we spent time talking about other generations of our families and I am gradually putting together more facts and gathering photographs. This is the first photo' I have ever seen of Michael as a small boy, probably about 7 years old.

Poor Squirral has been a bit poorly for a week or two. He seems to be on the mend now and it seems to be a problem with his back. Hope he will soon be back to his old self. Here he is concentrating hard on a jump in his first one day event.

I have just booked a few days away in Yorkshire next month. Better get the winter woolies out!!

No Mojo...

2007-09-19T20:31:00.000Z

Isn't is strange that sometimes you can have so much to say but you can't seem to be able to write it down.. I don't mean that anything bad has happened, on the contary, nice things have been taking place. Maybe I've just lost my blogging mojo for a while.

The MK scrappers retreat last weekend was great. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, with many requests for a re-run next year. It was nice to get to know some of the girls that I hadn't had a chance to talk to much at the crops. Don't some people suprise you by being quite different from the impression you have of them? One in particular thatI had down as very nice but rather shy and quiet turned out to be, yes, very nice, but also very cheeky and had me laughing out loud!

Ethan will be 5 years old on Friday and seems to have a few celebrations lined up. Friday evening is the Pearce family celebration. As well as his Mummy and Daddy, he will have 3 great grandparents , Micheal and I and his aunties to share a birthday tea with him. My job is to make a cake. (No suprises there.)

I have been reading a book by Richard Dawkins, ' The God Delusion'. It is heavy reading in parts but it is very interesting and thought provoking. It has certainly confirmed to me what I have been thinking for quite some time but, as it says in the first part 'didn't realise I could say'. You will have to read it yourself to see what I mean.

Made this LO at the weekend. Beverly and I got lost in Lucca (Italy) we had a silly 5 mins asking this lady the way!

I certainly haven't missed going to work so far and with so many thing planned to do I can't imagine I will.

Oh, forgot to say, Rachael and I were held up by a tortoise crossing the road the other day!!!
We managed to find the owner and return the 60 year old . Rachael said the tortoise gave me a really dirty look. After all it had taken him all morning to make his escape from the garden!!!

Do you think my mojo is returning?

You never know...

2007-09-06T21:43:00.000Z

what will happen next!

It's strange how you can be pretty sure of the way particular person will react in certain circumstances and then they floor you by reacting in a totally different way. Not going into details but I've know Michael for 37 years and I think he is mellowing in his 'old age'.

Second suprise this week is that I have handed in my resignation at work. Head Teacher wanted to change the hours I worked to 5 afternoons (1p.m.-3 p.m.). Hmm , no thanks, everyday messed up for the sake of 2 hours work. So, this finally decided me to do what I had been thinking of doing for some while. As the room I worked in is being decorated at the moment and won't be ready for at least 2 weeks, I am now on gardening leave 'till the end of this month and then I shall be a 'Lady of Leisure'. I'm sure I shall find plenty to fill my time.

Sad news today that a sweet lady ,called Gwen who loved to come to our Olney craft group, died on Monday. Gwen was 90 years old and loved to come just for the company and chat. Her hands didn't work too well but someone would always make one of whatever we were doing for her to take home. She had quite a twinkle in her eye and a lovely sense of humour. We will miss her at our meetings.

Will have to stop typing now as I have a rather swollen and sore little finger. I was playing with Ethan earlier today and he landed on it!!

2007-09-03T20:42:00.000Z

So, here I am home again from a very sunny and hot Italy. We had a great week with lots of sightseeing, relaxing, pizza and ice cream eating and my poor old legs managed to cope with all the walking. We admired the arcitecture of big cities and enjoyed the narrow streets of villages. We sat in cafes and people watched in the piazzas and tried to learn some of the history of the wonderful places we saw and managed to converse, just a little, in Italian. Add in a few silly , giggly moments and a paddle in the sea. What more could one ask of a holiday.

We almost got lost in Lucca, Beverly tried asking directions of this lady but was met by stony faced silence!

Time again to sort the washing and try to get back into some sort of routine. First job though is to take in the waist of Ethans school trousers, he needs the length but is a real 'slim Jim'. I just can't believe our little fella is off to BIG school . It seems even more odd that he will be at the same school his Mummy first went to 24 years ago.

2007-08-25T08:07:00.000Z

Here I go again..

2007-08-24T20:57:00.001Z

Off to Italy on Sunday morning. We shall be in Tuscany this time. Hope to visit, Florence, Pisa, Lucca and a few other places. Hopefully lots of photo' opportunities.

I am going with Bev.She called this afternoon to ask if I would take some shampoo as she only had a very large bottle of 'the one that is supposed to make you go OOOH , Aaahhh in the shower'.Hmmm maybe I'd rather use that one!!

Bye for now.

Little things...

2007-08-21T10:19:00.000Z

make me smile. Lindsay came for dinner on Sunday evening. Yesterday whilst sitting in my craft room I glanced up and saw this message on my white board. Ahaaa! (sorry about the flash but I cant take the board off the wall).

Still tidying..

2007-08-21T10:05:00.000Z

This week we have had a good clear out in the garage. All the 'stuff' left by the girls has now gone and now Michael just has to clear his work top and tidy the cupboards . We can actually walk through it now without risking life and limb!

At the moment I am having a sort out in my craft room. Lots of 'stuff' has been just put down in there and it was getting a bit crowded. It wasn't encouraging me to scrap or sew. I have two lots of curtains to alter so that was the impetus to make some room.

I finished this LO last night at MKScrappers and the clock at the last Sunday one,it is up on the wall and working although it took me a while to get the hands moving properly and not snagging on each other or the sparkly gems.

Just had a new chest of drawers delivered for the back bedroom so I'm off now to arrange that and then the room is almost finished.

Comparisons.

2007-08-12T20:39:00.001Z

Well, here I am home again. We had a lovely week in West sussex, so lucky with the weather, sun every day. We enjoyed a visit to Brighton , wandering the 'Lanes' and then a promenade along the pier. Arundel is a very nice little town with some lovely shops ,one of which benefitted extremely well by our two visits. The castle there is beautifully kept but a little too clean and tidy to be able to picture it as it was 900 years ago. We spent Wednesday at a super Farm Park where there were pony , tractor and combine harvester rides, carousels, big slides and bouncy castles, paddling pool as well as all the animals.The beach at West Wittering is beautiful and we had a picnic there on Thursday, a real English seaside day. Friday was our second visit to Arundel and then a walk along the sea front at Littlehampton.

As I mentioned in my last entry I spent quite a lot of time in Littlehampton as a child and we came across some photo's of me on the sea front green there, probably around ( dare I say it ) 1956 ! We decided to try to find the same spot by using the buildings in the background as a guide. We found them but it all looks very different nowThen cars could park all along the green ,now there is a car park and although the buildings are still there there are newer ones slotted in between. Here are some now and then photo's for comparison.

Off again

2007-08-02T20:47:00.000Z

on my travels. This time just a week down near Littlehampton in our caravan. Rachael, Ethan and Beverly are coming too. Michael and I are going down Friday afternoon and will be joined by the others on Saturday plus Gary. The caravan and awning will be a little crowded but only for one night as Michael and Gary will be leaving Sunday morning and have to work all week, poor things.

As a small girl I remember a whole gang of us, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins often
setting off for a day at the seaside.One day that sticks in my mind was when we children found a whole hoard of pennies and half-pennies at the top of the beach. We took them to a police man ( yes, they did just happen to be around in those days) and he told us to keep them. Wow, riches indeed, kept us all in penny chews for weeks!

Thinking about this has made me determined to do a book of random memories, I may not have photo's of many of my memories so will have to journal more, this will be a challenge for me.

Here's hoping the better weather holds...

Life laundry.

2007-07-29T12:59:00.000Z

One of the jobs I have set myself for this summer is to have a good sort out of STUFF. So, I started this morning with the cupboard under the stairs. How did I fit soooo much STUFF in there!! We can now walk right into it and the ironing board looks quite lonely ( pity I couldn't get rid of that). When I've had a sandwich, banana and a cup of tea I'm off to the local dump. The rest of the STUFF will go to a charity shop and I have a little gift for the local Lace circle. During the week I hope to make a start on the garage and tonight I will begin an overhaul on my scrapping supplies.

Getting ahead, we have booked next years summer holiday, we are off to Egypt, can't wait to see the pyramids in real life. Michaels' Grandma was born in Egypt so we are particularly pleased to be going.

My 'baby' will be 23 years old tomorrow. Here she is with one of her lovely black labs.. She celebrated with friends yesterday evening so a family meal is planned for tomorrow. HAPPY BIRTHDAY 'FLUFFY'.!

Oven to Freezer!

2007-07-23T13:17:00.000Z

Well, it seems like we have moved from the oven to to freezer. Two beautiful sunny weeks in Turkey then back to DULL and WET and CHILLY.

We all had a great time, mostly being very lazy around the pool but also took some super excursions. A 'Gullet' cruise saw us in pretty coves, swimming in the warm sea water with lunch on board. The mud baths and thermal pool were an experience and the Ecoventure was such fun and an excuse to act like a 10 year old for the day!

The resort was brilliant, everything very clean , good food and entertainment. I wish I could have put that lovely hot holiday feeling in a box to be opened when needed, which would be all the time at the moment!!

We're off!

2007-07-05T16:51:00.000Z

Yes, we are off to Turkey , just finishing our packing. Can't wait to see some real sunshine.

My aforementioned mission has gone well and will be carried on whilst I am away.

See you in a couple of weeks.

Ups and downs

2007-07-03T20:38:00.000Z

Yes, a very up and down week. At Olney crop on Sunday, I made an altered clipboard for our Deputy Head who is leaving at the end of term and also completed a LO. Good company and our new venue along with lots of ideas put forward for future kits and classes made for a really good day. Will post piccies later.

The events on Sunday in Glasgow made me feel a little uneasy about travelling next weekend. Having said that I do truly believe we must not let these lunatics win by not carrying on as normal with our lives.

Michael was away last night and not expected home until late tonight but his plans were changed. He actually got home far earlier than usual and so, took me out for dinner at our favourite Chinese resturant as it is our 31st wedding anniversary.

I had some very sad news today. My cousin died this morning at the age of 52. She was 10 weeks younger than me and although we haven't had alot of contact over the past few years, we did spend alot of time together during our childhood and teenage years. I will remember her for her happy and loud laugh. We always knew where she was just by listening for that. She leaves her husband and two teenage sons , two sisters and her Mum. They are in my thoughts tonight and in the difficult days to come.

Finished it.

2007-06-28T14:57:00.000Z

Some of you saw me struggling with a LO at the crop on Monday. I had a headache and just fiddled around with the papers, getting nowhere. Anyway I got myself and it together on Tuesday and finished it as you can see. Not a good colour representation, the letters are a willow green with glitter glaze on them . They look sort of gold on here. Not sure about the writing, I wish it was a more flowing style but having had to write in italics in my formative years, my writing is still sort of 'square'.

Well, I have now finished work until September so that sun had better shine! I've got so much planned for the next 10 weeks it will go too quickly no doubt.

This next week sees two wedding anniversaries. Rachael and Gary will have been married 7 years on the 1st and Michael and I will have clocked up 31 years on the 3rd. Michael will be away on the 2nd and not home until late on the 3rd... any ideas for his penalty!

Poor Beverly has had a leak in the hallway of her flat. it has taken some time to locate but we a now pretty sure it is coming from outside (probably something to do with another flats balcony) so, hoping that will be sorted soon. Squirral has had a bad leg this week and Lindsay has had a bad brain (Ha Ha Lins, serves you right. Forgetting that book)

I am doing a workshop tonight, making a beer mat book, hope it goes well. MK scrappers crop on Sunday, first one in Olney so more room to move about and not far to travel for a change.

Only just over a week 'till we are off to Turkey so will update before we take off.

Oh bother!

2007-06-22T20:25:00.000Z

Last Sunday Beverly and I took Ethan to Salcey Forest again. I asked Rachael to dress him in old clothes and wellies and pack in another set of clothes. We started off with lunch at the little cafe and a quick turn in the playground. Then came the fun bit. As you know we have had rather alot of rain and so there were some wonderful puddles. We told Ethan
that he could run and jump in as many puddles as he wanted so off he went. Oh, what fun...big puddles little ones, deep ones and best of all VERY muddy ones and he found them all and frequently ended up on his bottom in them and guess what...........I FORGOT THE CAMERA!!! I will have to figure out a way to do a pictureless Lay out to remember a great afternoon by.

Last weekend was busy. Liz, was here and onFriday we made a visit to Bramble Patch for their exhibition and had a lovely lunch of bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon whilst sitting in the car in the pouring rain. Saturday, we went off to a work shop at Poppy Patch to learn a new technique called 'A slant on Cathederal windows'. We really enjoyed it and are both going to carry on and make some more blocks.

Saturday evening, at Lindsays' with Rachael and Beverly along with a few more of her friends. Good fun, but driving through a flooded road on the way home at 1.30 a.m. was not.

Any other news? Oh, went to see 'Notes on a scandal' at Wellingborough on Tuesday and on WednesdayI met Beverly to help her choose a hat for Ladies Day at Ascot.

Going to a B-B-Q tomorrow night...HaHaHa.
Previously mentioned mission is going well so far.

It's my money!!

2007-06-12T21:12:00.000Z

Just having a rant.
I went into our local Woolwich branch today, it is to be combined with Barclays next week.
I wanted a cheque drawn on my savings account. The cashier informed me that it would cost £10!! It is MY money that that they have been using to make a Profit and how can they justify that sort of charge? Also mentioned that I would be sorry to see the pass books go and the cashier said" Yes, alot of customers have said the same". Do they listen? Customer service? What customer service? Guess who will be moving her money?

On another subject ,I am on a mission at the moment. Results will not be obvious for a while.

Call out.

2007-06-08T21:19:00.000Z

Thank goodness for breakdown insurance. Had just left Cosco today and suddenly my car sounded as if it was going to fall apart, terrible clunking sounds from under the bonnet. Oh, did it sound expensive!! Anyway, luckily the break down man came along( very nice) and discovered it was the drive belt that had shredded and was flailing around, hence the noise. He did a temporary repair and home we went. In fact I dropped the car at the local garage to have the proper belt fitted and left it there as it was booked in for its MOT tomorrow morning. I was a bit disappointed though, I was hoping for a ride in his cab!

Have done a couple of canvasses this week including this one , which is for my Dad on Fathers Day. The ladies at our craft club did some on Wednesday too and really enjoyed themselves.

I have been busy in the garden this week, putting in some bedding plants and sorting out the wall pots and hanging baskets. A pair of pidgeons have been driving me mad, flapping about in the trees. Their wings make soooo much noise. I suspect Mr Pidgeon is rather amorous and Mrs Pidgeon is none to keen!

Tomorrow is our quarterly 'Patchwork people' meeting and we have our Posse meal in the evening . I am doing two main courses, tarraggon chicken with puff pastry rounds and pork fillets with apricot stuffing.

Just eaten a WW toffe apple yogurt... mmm quite nice.

Bed or bake?

2007-06-02T14:42:00.000Z

As I said Ethan stayed over last night. After his bath I wasn't sure if I should put him to bed or pop him in the oven. Apparently Grandad had sprinkled him with 'Baking powder'!! Well, he is good enough to eat.

Here are acouple more piccies from last week..

Sorry about the weather!

2007-06-01T22:11:00.000Z

Well, it seems that when we left for Southern France last week we took the sunny weather with us,but at least we bought it back for you all today. We had a very restful holiday and found new places to visit ( this was our 4th time ). We discovered some different villages and had a super sunny day exploring the Gorges du Verdon, WOW, stunning scenery.

I have lots planned for the next week or so before I go back to work. The small bedroom is still not finished being decorated but, we now have a carpet for it and a bed. So, that must be finished. I must catch up with housework and get some plants in the garden.

Sunday is MK scrappers , so cakes to make. Next Saturday sees the 3p's dinner, my turn for main course.

Tomorrow , Beverly is taking part in the 'Run for Life' so good luck to her and Lindsay has a jumping comp with Squirral, Michael and Rachael are going to watch. I feel bad not going, but I find it too worrying and I feel I might transfer my anxiety to her and the horse. I think she understands.

Off now to check on Ethan who is staying over. I missed that little fellow whilst I was away and I like to think he felt the same about me as he told me he "HAD to stay tonight".

Catching up?

2007-05-20T22:11:00.000Z

Am I catching up with myself? Well , not really, still very busy but enjoyably (sp?) so.

Rachael is much better now after another visit to the Doctor for some stronger anti-biotics. It's just a case of her not doing too much too soon but she is looking more herself now.

On Tuesday I spent the evening showing a small group how to make a mini book,and they left clutching their own version having thoroughly enjoyed the process.

On Wednesday I did a few extra hours at work to make up for the hours I missed last week and in the evening enjoyed a meal with Beverly and Lindsay.

Thursday saw the arrival of Liz, (my sister-in-law) ready for our weekend at Knuston Hall. Friday morning we had coffee with Rachael , stowed our kit in the car and set of for lunch in Earls Barton and a look in 'Poppy Patch'. We enjoyed our time at Knuston, ate too much as usual but were productive. I made the front of a wall hanging and a cushion. I'm really pleased with the results. We arrived home about 5 p.m. tired out. We popped around to Rachaels' to the see the new decking in the garden, very nice.

Tomorrow I must go shopping for some holiday stuff as Michael, Dad and I are off to South of France on Wednesday . Oh, and Mk Scrappers in the evening.

Am I here or there?

2007-05-10T21:55:00.000Z

Some of you will know that Rachael has been very poorly this week with a kidney problem. Must have been bad , she allowed the hospital to give her medication and pain killers by injection. Normally she would have to be tied down to agree to this! She is improving and today has managed to walk around a little, albeit gingerly.

The week has been busy for me as I have been looking after Ethan. He's a good little lad, he doesn't whine or moan and loves to help out when he can. Of course he is not perfect and will occasionally 'try it on' but accepts a "No" or a gentle rebuke with good grace. Gary has been geting home as early as possible and has been able to get Ethan to Pre-school in the mornings and I have collected him. It is lovely to spend so much time with him but not for the reason .

On Tuesday morning I rang into work and left a message on the answer phone to say I would not be in untill the afternoon. Unknown to me the machine was not working and my message hadn't been delivered. The teacher whose class I would have been taking had left me a note first thing in the morning to say that her class could not cook that day because of tests. So.. when I arrived about 12.45 p.m. nobody had even realised that I wasn't there!!! Talk about feeling valued still maybe I could use this to my advantage!!!

The piccie is from a couple of weeks ago when we went to Salcey Forest to try out the tree top walk. Always time for a cuddle up.

I wonder what games and puzzles I will be doing tomorrow and what characters I will have to play. Maybe the weather will improve and we can spent a while at the park to run off some energy, HIS... not mine!!

weekend

2007-04-29T19:55:00.000Z

I have really enjoyed the Cyber crop on UKS this weekend. I got such alot done and didn't buy anything new so managed to use up a little bit of stash. I had photo's waiting to be scrapped that just fitted so well into the classes and I also had a go at some of the challenges.Here are some of my favourites .

We were invited by Lindsay and Ed to a BBQ last night wich was great, I think Lindsay had bought up the meat section of her local Tesco.

The sun was out in the afternoon yeserday and we spent an hour or so in the garden with friends. We made a few plans , over a cuop of tea, for next w/es caravan trip to Cambridge . Lets hope the sun shines on us then!

Tiptoe through the tulips.

2007-04-24T22:19:00.000Z

Michael andI have just spent the a long w/e in the Netherlands. Apart from a rather long coach journey there and back we had a good time. We stayed in Valkenburg in a small cosy hotel with a staff of 2. They were so friendly and helpful. Saturday morning was spent in the town and we also had a trip down into the 45 miles of man made caves and then spent some time exploring the town.

In the afternoon we went into Germany ,to a village called Munchou. ( will have to check the spelling). Lots of quaint and very old buildings and a castle.

The highlight of the tour was on Sunday with our visit to the Kuchenhof gardens and the bulb fields. The gardens were beautiful, swathes of colour everywhere. So many varieties of tulips and other bulb flowers.A band was playing and the weather was perfect.

A stop off in Bruge on the way home completed the w/e with a lazy lunch sitting in the sun in the main square.

So a lovely w/e and a great welcome home from Ethan who gave me a big cuddle and shouted 'Nana, I have mis-ed you.'

What a racket!!

2007-04-12T07:47:00.000Z

Yesterday was my Dads' 83rd birthday. There were 11 of us for dinner, plus 3 dogs. If Dad was hoping for a quiet birthday dinner, I'm afraid he didn't get it. Lots of chatter and banter made for a lively and noisy evening. I love it, hope he did too!.

Here he is blowing out his candles. Not the most flattering of photo's I'm afraid but it just wasn't possible to take my time.

Dad still works 2 days a week at the local car showroom and never complains although we know he has a lot of pain with his knee. Three weeks ago he had an operation on his eyes and was at work two days later. He looks after himself and his house and garden. Insists on doing our grass cutting and much of the tidying work in our garden. He is always eager to help in any way he can and is bereft if there is no washing up for him to do! Heres hoping for many more birthdays to come.

Easter and all that.

2007-04-09T19:12:00.000Z

Well what lovely weather we have had for Easter this year, although a little chilly this afternoon when the sun went in. Beverly and I have been to Wimpole Hall, a National Trust property ,today. Quite a facinating place, lots of unexpected things to see in the house. We were especially pleased by the bath room and the basement servants quaters.

Yesterday morning, Ethan had his egg hunt in our garden. Typically, at first he had a job to locate the eggs as he was doing 'man looking', you girls will know what I mean by that! He soon got the idea and found them all and enjoyed opening the plastic eggs to see what was inside, mainly money, but a few choccie treats.

Lindsay and Ed have spent Easter with his parents along with the dogs. I have made her a mini book from ber mats with the photo's taken last week. I have some ideas for some more mini books, really enjoying making them at the moment.

Managed to get a few photo's of Rachael and Gary together on Sunday, still can't get used to Rachael having dark hair but I do like it.

Very tasty.

2007-04-05T20:15:00.000Z

I took some photo's of Lindsays dogs today. They and Ethan were playing in the garden and when I uploaded look what I found when I clicked on the thumbnail of this pic! Two captions came to mind 'Oh you said fetch the ball not the boy' and 'I said I'd like a tasty morsel not a tasty mortal!' Well, it made me giggle anyway, it was a complete accident, not set up in any way. So this is Sasha, the new addition. Just like Jet she has settled in very quickly and already we can see that she adores Lindsay as much as Jet does.

I have enjoyed the sunny weather today, hope it continues through the w/e. Tomorrow Michael, Dad and Beverly are off to Hendon Air Museum. I shall stay home and have a nice day crafting,hopefully in the garden. Maybe we will visit a National Trust property over the w/e. We are members so need to make the most of it.

Reporting in..

2007-04-01T17:17:00.000Z

Just got back from MK scrappers monthly crop. I finished off a mini book of seaside pictures of the girls when they were small and did a LO with a Photo' of Rachael when she was a few hours old. I don't have many photo's of any of them when they were really new. At the time I didn't scrap and probably couldn't afford the film and printing costs back then. It makes me a little sad now so I just have to do the best with what I have. The result is here using a kit from Jay (Crafywotnot), I think it is very pretty.

Lindsay and Ed have a new addition to the family. Another black Labrador, this time a girl dog( hate the word 'bitch') called Sasha. Photo to come soon.

I now have the Easter holiday off from school so have some jobs lined up. I really must get the little bedroom decorated for one. Hopefully there will be a few outings and picnics if the weather is kind. I have all sorts of ideas for craft work, cavases, sewing and scrapping. I will also try to update on here a little more often, so Lindsay won't complain any more.

Naughty, naughty..

2007-03-28T09:37:00.000Z

I have been told off by youngest DD for not updating my blog often enough. I will try harder . Sorry Lindsay!

So, what news? Afraid, nothing earth shattering to tell.

I was very pleased with the way I turned up Rachaels' curtains last week and she was even more pleased with the cushion I made from the bit I cut off.

We had a 'skills day' in Olney last Saturday. Local people showing off their arts and crafts. I

(wo)manned a stall for our wednesday craft club and for Scrapping. Lots of interest but don't know if anyone will follow up.

Yesterday my dad had a op. on his eyes to correct the muscle tone of his lower

eyelids (Eeeeew!). Of course, he coped very well with it and today he has two very black eyes (dare I take a photo' ?) some discomfort but already you can see the difference it has made.

I have been busy sorting our project for craft club this afternoon. Have mad some easter Bunny cards and an Easter tree.

Lindsay, I still keep seeing the image of Jet and little Tess in your car on top of the trailer. It makes me smile!

Had such a good weekend.

2007-03-18T21:33:00.000Z

Ethan stayed with us from Friday lunchtime until mid morning today as Rachael and Gary went of to a Golden wedding celebration. We spent an energetic couple of hours in the garden on Friday and then went to our local pizza house for dinner. Goodness can that boy put away the garlic dough balls!!! On Saturday Bev and I took him to 'Rookery Farm'. It is a lovely outing for little ones. Lots to play on and so many baby animals and plenty of opportunities to get close and touch them.

Today, I spent a fair bit of time crafting( Michael was busy putting in a kitchen for someone). The girls treated me to a tasty meal this evening to celebrate Mothers Day. Rachael cooked and there were flowers and a beautiful necklace. Beverly had laid the table with a theme of butterflies and roses and each place setting had a scrummy white chocolate rose. Just having all my girls together at one time is such a treat for me. Just for the record girls, I am one very lucky Mum, I love you all so much.

Visits.

2007-03-14T09:23:00.000Z

Dave and Liz visited on Monday for the day along with their little Granddaughter, Kaila., (my great niece). We spent an hour or so at the park with them and Ethan. Kaila was happy to run around and didn't seem to notice my camera. Ethan on the other hand must get fed up with it. He very politely said"Nana, please leave me alone, I'm trying to concentrate." However I was rather pleased with the photo at the side here, taken from the steps of the slide. Must confess, I didn't intend to get the reflections , it was just a happy accident.

So, what else have I been up to apart from the mundane every day jobs and work?

Went to see 'Becoming Jane' at the cinema last night, not bad but a bit slow. I do love the manners and way of speaking from that era.

Patchwork People was good on Saturday, good company and a very interesting speaker in the afternoon.

Have been doing some stitching and made two fabric bowls and started another candlewick cushion.

The MK Scrappers retreat is almost arranged now, just have to send deposits to the hotel.

Have just booked a weeks holiday for August with Beverly. Off to Tuscany, visiting Pisa and Lucca and staying by the sea.

Looking forward now to our long weekend in Holland next month, can't wait to see all those flowers in bloom.

Trying very hard to loose weight at the moment, with all the flights I am doing this year, I need to be able to do up my seatbelt!!

Mad Cows.

2007-03-04T23:40:00.000Z

Well, what a crop we had today . A whole herd of MK Scrappers, many resplendent in our cow aprons, thanks Linz. Some great paintcans thanks to instructions by Caz and love Rachaels accordian book of the Pudding Party that she managed to fit in between making sure everyone was having a good time. Quite some excitement about our retreat coming up later in the year, if Jay doesn't calm down we will have to have her inoculated.

Jay also bought along some great stash to tempt us andI caved in and bought a cartridge for my Cricut and some yummy 7 gypsies goodies.

I saw part of the lunar eclipse last night but didn't get any photo's so will be pinching some off the web to scrap and record the event.

I managed one LO today using a photo' of Michael whilst in France last year. I didn't want to make it particularly masculine but wanted to go with the quiet mood. Actually , maybe he was just wondering where his other sandal was!!!