Sunday 31 March 2013

Happy Easter!!


Just a quick dash by, in order to wish you all a very Happy Easter! I can't stay and chat for long, as obviously, the more time I spend typing, means less time for my fingers to pop yet more chocolate into my mouth! And there is a LOT to get through. (Obviously, as a dutiful mother, I must also assist in consuming the eggs that The Son received.....I don't want him suffering from tooth decay or obesity problems, in later life, now do I?)
See you soon. xx



Thursday 28 March 2013

It's Time......

......to Break Out The Bunting! Yippee! I'm on my Happy Easter Holidays! And it's time to decorate! I have to be quite determined in this quest, as The Partner Does Not Approve. It has been known that he can be more than a little Bah Humbug on occasion! But to be honest, in all the grey dreary we've been having lately, weatherwise, there's nothing like a few metres of bunting, to raise the spirits.


And obviously with it being Easter, I'll need to add some of these....


....I can feel the Bah becoming even more Humbuggier as I type! Hopefully, I'll be able to placate him a little with some of these.....


Nothing like a bit of Heston Blumenthal to sort out the grumbles!
Thanks for popping by. xx

Tuesday 26 March 2013

The Nodding Dog......

And before you ask....no, this is not a new fandangled yoga position. This is now what I've become. You know those dogs that were popular at one point, that sat in the back of cars, with wobbly heads? I'm obviously referring to artificial, plastic varieties, not real ones.......though I'm sure some real dogs could sit in the back of a car, and wobble their heads, if the mood so took them.
Anyway, that's what I've been since 2pm today. Mrs Wobbly Head.
Let me show you why......

Ta da!

The dreaded varifocals! What do you think of the blingy sides? It's the closest this girl is ever going to get to "a girl's best friend"!!
Apparently, it can take up to a week, for my brain to get used to them. I think the young man in the opticians was being kind....or perhaps overly optomistic. But he certainly didn't mention Wobbly Head Syndrome. To be able to see clearly, you have to move your head around, well, up and down, until whatever it is you're looking at comes into clear focus. At this rate, I'm going to need massage treatments for neck strain! For the record, if you move your head round and round, it makes you feel decidedly sea sick. Terrific.
I'm going to leave you now, and go and practise my wobbling between my needlework and the television.
See you soon......obviously dependent on my getting the focus right!! xx

Sunday 24 March 2013

Let's Tessellate.......

I've had such a lovely Sunday, and so hope that you have too. Football was postponed due to a soggy pitch.....which means just one thing.....Sewing Time!! YAY!!
So I thought I'd try a new block that I'd seen on-line a while back, and it was fun to do. When the blocks are finished, you get to play around making all sorts of various patterns. I settled on using 4 of the blocks, to make a larger block, and came up with this.....


The colours have obviously taken acid, between being a block on my table, and coming out as a photo on my blog, but I can promise you, they're quite mellow in real life.
And then, I finished the Doll Quilt, already to be posted off to some poor, unsuspecting soul. I think I'm pleased with it, though I'll be more pleased with it, when it has arrived safely and officially approved of.
Front.....


Back......


After all that sewing, I obviously needed a cuppa, which I had with a good friend, over a long chin wag. Like I said...a lovely Sunday.
See you soon. xx

Thursday 21 March 2013

Flippin' Football.....

Is there NEVER any end to it? If EVER proof were needed that there is little, or no, equality in my life (I can feel melodrama brewing nicely), then football is it.
My living room (a SERIOUSLY "bijou" space) is regularly turned into a football pitch. And by "regularly", I mean "morning, noon and night". I spend 5 hours a week on various side-lines, cheering on The Son. Well ok, sometimes I just stand there, in non-cheering mode, and sometimes I go off in search of a cup of Earl Grey. I organise our local Under 9's football team.....and if ever there was a Thankless Task List, this would be at the top of it. (Hard lesson to learn: you can't keep everyone happy. Least of all The Coach, who also happens to be The Partner.)
 And then, THEN ( allow mild hysteria to creep into your voice when reading this bit) just when I was looking forward to some hand sewing, vegging on the sofa, in front of the TV, after a particularly busy day, I'm informed that The Partner and The Son will be watching the Italy v Brazil game. Neither of them are Italian. Nor Brazilian. And apparently it's "only a friendly". No "Is it ok"'s? No "Do you mind"'s?.......Let me go and find my pinny, and tie myself to the kitchen sink......
On a happier note, progress is being made....


...and the Doll Quilt is almost completely hand quilted. Looking good for being ready for the posting deadline.
Thanks for popping by, and listening to me moan. xx

Tuesday 19 March 2013

The Bucket List......

Or maybe "A" Bucket List? I was thinking that now I'm in the prime of Middle Age (I'm unlikely to make it much past 94 years old, when all is said and done), I might make a Bucket List.
I changed it from "The" to "A", as, being me, I'm unlikely to manage a definitive list. What might make it onto "The" list today, almost certainly wouldn't make it on next week. I'm not known for my List Making Prowess. And I can be quite fickle. Not good qualities when Bucket List making.
So. What would make "A" Bucket List today?
1. Sweden. Definately a trip to Sweden.
2. Drive a Winnebago through Canada for a few months.
(Number's 1 & 2 would be on EVERY list, as I've wanted to do these since time began.)
3. Own a VW Campervan, of the old-fashioned, done-up variety.
(Number 3 would also be on EVERY list, as I've wanted one since before time began.)
4. Hmmmm......Don't think I'm very good at this. I can't think of anything else.
5. To find a land to live in that DOESN'T show C**P television programmes, that The Partner INSISTS on watching.
(No, wait. That would also make it onto EVERY list......maybe I COULD make a "The" List after all!)
I'm going to sign off now, and leave the room, before yet another episode of "Stargate" sends me COMPLETELY looney-tunes..... xx

Sunday 17 March 2013

Doll Quilt Doubts...

I'm not entirely sure why I put myself through the swaps I sign up for. This is only the second one I've done, and last time was exactly the same.
I start off very enthusiastically, and then the self doubts start to creep in. The process is not helped by the fact that when you're participating in a swap, you're encouraged to post progress photos on Flickr. That's not the hard bit. No. The hard bit is, that while you're there putting your photo on, you get to see the work of the others in the group. And THAT'S where the trouble starts.....
The way I put a quilt together can come as no surprise to those who know me well. I obviously start with the fabric, and there is usually a vague idea in place. But then I tend to just plod on....changing and tweeking, adding to or taking away as the mood takes me. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it doesn't. Most of the time I don't mind.
And then I see what others are doing, and The Floodgates of Worry burst open. I then spend the rest of the time trying to work out what other little gifts I can put in with the Swap, so that my partner doesn't hate me! At the end of the day, that's what it boils down to. The "quilt" can always be used as a duster, if the recipient doesn't like it (it would make a very robust duster-my stitching is good and firm!)....but all that eager anticipation, trying to guess which of the Flickr offerings will be heading your way.....only to find that it's mine that drops through your letterbox. The disappointment could crush a person. And then A Person might hate me..... I might be banned from future swaps.....Oh The Shame......
This is my offering so far.....


....all ready to be pieced together, then hand quilted.
I think my best line of defense is to blame my failing eyesight (more on that soon) and blinding headaches. Perhaps if I send a letter written in Braille.....I could go for the sympathy vote?
Oh the angst. Darkened Room, here I come.... xx

Wednesday 13 March 2013

A Host Of Golden Daffodils......

Not a very original title, but apt, don't you think?


I simply LOVE daffs, and these Mother's Day offerings are now all open, and completely at their best. And what I REALLY like about them, is when you get a bunch of tightly folded buds, you're never entirely sure as to what is hidden away inside. These turned out to be the brightest, golden yellow, double whammy kind.....
I've not much sewing news, I'm afraid. I'm still working hard on my Doll Quilt Swap, but as I'm still in the hand-stitching-needle-turn applique bit (and am likely to remain there for the foreseeable future!), there are no new photos to show you.....just many more of the same, which makes for dull blogging.
Also, I'm still nursing my TERRIFIC headache (eyeballs are now threatening to leave my head altogether) which isn't marvelously conducive to sewing. However, you'll be pleased to hear, that I've put pride on a back burner, and made an appointment to see my optician.......The Dreaded Varifocals take a step closer.....
I'm going off to find some more drugs now, to try and stave off permanent blindness. Thanks for popping by. xx

Sunday 10 March 2013

Happy Mothering Sunday!

I hope that all the mums that may be reading this today, are having a lovely day, and are being thoroughly cared for and pampered. You all deserve it.
As for me, well my day started fabulously well, with chocolate (yum, yum, yum) and daffodils (my favourite). My Under 9's football team then went on to win their game, with all three of my strikers managing to score (my son included), so everyone was happy.
And then after lunch, I was taken here.......


It's a little tea shop with nursery gardens, set a short way back from the beaten track, but SSSOOOO worth a visit.
It's called Braxton Gardens, and can be found on the road to Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, should you be out and about, and in the mood to track it down.


Actually, the gardens are the Braxton bit, and the tea rooms, which are run by Sarah, are called "Muffins Galore".
Sarah makes THE most PERFECT cream teas.


They are quite simply the best in the area. Possibly The World. And today, when we got there, Sarah had just taken the scones out of the oven. Pure heaven!
Unfortunately, it didn't take me very long to transform the above to the below......


Oh dear! More floppity-doppity bits added to waistline and hips.....Hmmmmm.......
Thanks for popping by. I hope to catch up soon. Take care. xx

Saturday 9 March 2013

It's The Weekend!

Hooray! This week has simply whizzed by. Which means I've only got two full weeks left at work, before the Easter Hols. Another hooray! Two full weeks off in which to sew,sew,sew.....AND The Son is booked on to a four day football course, which means PROPER sewing time.
We're (by that I mean I'M) also hoping to get away for a few days camping, but much will depend on the weather.....It would seem, in his old age, The Partner has turned into a Fairweather Camper. This was not always the case, but I have heard that your blood thins, the older you get, so that probably explains it......Hmmmm.....
Anyway, camping won't get in the way of my sewing, as at the moment, I'm working on the Doll Quilt Swap that I signed up for. It's a secret swap, which means some internet stalking, to find out what it is that your Swap Partner likes best in the quilt world, so the mini quilt I'm working on is involving lots of hand stitching.
And most precisely, needle turn applique.......


I've got 81 of these little squares to make, before I stitch them all together and hand quilt them. So I'd better stop typing now, and get on.
See you soon. xx

Tuesday 5 March 2013

I Know How To Live......

Meet George......


.......Full pedigree Bassett Hound, with a Kennel name of Lord Lancelot. I ask you....."Lord Lancelot" for a dog with an IQ of a pea....
It took several attempts to get the above photo. Most of them looked like variations of this.....



I hadn't realised he was quite so camera shy. (Posh for "too daft to sit and stay when asked to"!) Anyway. I've had George since he was just 8 weeks old. He is now 10 years old. He is my third Bassett. Those of you who have ever had anything to do with Bassetts, will know I'm in line  for some sort of Medal of  National Honour, for sheer patience. Before my Bassetts, I had a Springer. Mad as a bag full of frogs, but my soul-mate nevertheless.
Where on earth is this leading? Well, I was just laying the foundations as to the fact that I am A Responsible Dog Owner.
Now for the exciting bit, and why I know how to live..... In just a little while I'm going to a meeting, to discuss The Rights And Wrongs of Dog Poo On Football Pitches. Deep, profound joy. What is there to discuss? Carry a poo bag when you walk your dog. Pick up said poo, when your dog "performs". Do not walk away, leaving a steaming pile, in an area that you know is used by local children. Hardly rocket science, is it? But let me tell you, that meeting will tie itself up in knots, go back and forth over the same points a few dozen times. Teeth will be sucked, tempers might fray. And at the end of it all, I daresay another meeting will be called for, to discuss Any Progress Made In Finding Solutions For The Problem of Dog Poo On Football Pitches......I kid you not.
See you soon. xx

Sunday 3 March 2013

Nuts And Bolts.......

Strange title, but it was the name given to the "Churn Dash" variations, asked for this month, by Bee Blessed.
I have followed a blog called "Just Jude" ( you can find it here judith-justjude.blogspot.com ) for a while now. It's written by a lady called Judith, from Belfast, and (obviously??) the majority of what she writes is to do with needlework.......Hmmmmm.......Why else would I follow her blog??
Anyway, Judith is invovled with something called "Bee Blessed", which from what I can gather from the blog, is a Quilting Bee ( I can feel shades of Cranford creeping back in) that makes quilts for children and their families in hospital.
The idea is, that if you wish to, you can join the Bee, via the joys of Internet Access and Flickr......though I'm sure if you'd prefer to join a Quilting Bee in someone's front parlour, once a fortnight, they can probably be found too! Anyway. Once you've joined the group, you can see what everyone else in the Bee is up to. Stitching wise. And once a month, the Bee asks for a couple of new blocks.
If you are able to ( and there is no obligation!) you follow the tutorial for the design, make it into a block (or as many as you feel like) and then post them off to Judith. Simple. Once your blocks arrive in Belfast, Judith and her friends add them to the others that have arrived, sew them into quilts, and then give them to those who need them.
I, for one, think this is a lovely idea. It's what quilting should be about......a group of people making a quilt for someone who would benefit from it.
So this is how I've spent my Sunday afternoon. Sewing away, trying to ignore the last scragg ends of The Headache. And tomorrow these will be heading over the Irish Sea.........




Judith asked that they were bright, as they are intended for children and teenagers....I hope they fit the bill!
Thanks for popping by. xx

Saturday 2 March 2013

The Cuppa Just Wasn't Cutting The Mustard.....

I woke up yesterday with The Mummy and The Daddy Of All Headaches. They not only had several Enormous Siblings, they had Copious Quantities of Offspring. And were looking into adoption.
I'm not prone to headaches, and I realise that it is A Universally Known Fact that my Pain Threshold can't even manage to crawl to the bottom of the ladder, never mind reach the lowest rung of measurable scale.
However. My skull felt like it was being S. L. O. W. L. Y. squeeeezed in one of those clamp things that my grandfather had attached to his workbench, to hold pieces of wood. Tightly. And you could even tighten it further, should mere "tight" not be tight enough. Anyway. That's what I woke with.
I took a couple of paracetemol, and put a brave (grumpy) face on it.
By the time I'd finished work at lunchtime, a morning spent with 18 little darlings and a routine Advisory Teacher Visit, it felt like my eyeballs were going to pop, such was the pressure. More paracetemol......
Long story short. Paracetemol don't work.
The pain woke me at 4am THIS morning. It was TRULY excruciating. More Non-Working-Paracetemol.......
At midday, JUST before I snapped off a head too far (grump had now been taken to whole new echalon), I discovered these........


.....THEY WORK!!!!!!! Apparently I only have three pain free days available to me, but believe me, I'll take them! The Headache is now just a dull, managable little splodge, so I'm hoping for great things......namely waking up in the morning, and finding that said Headache became bored, and wandered off in the night.......
In the meantime, and in spite of being practically cross-eyed with pain, I did manage to cut out these lovelies........


........And who knows? Tomorrow I might even get to show you what they are destined to become.
Thanks for popping by. xx