Royal visit in July

One Nativity figure made each month and this month it's the turn of Balthazar. Balthazar in the song 'We Three Kings' carried myrrh. My Balthazar carries an awful lot of myrrh in a very ornate package.

It started out as an earring. Teddy is modeling this beautifully for me.

As I couldn't get the beads off easily I just bent it around and around until I could easily attach it to my figure. His beard is rather full aswell as it was crocheted in very curly wurly wool 

He joins the other King, Melchior. Gaspar took off on his travels with the Bloggy Blanket Chain so I'll have to do a Gaspar 2 one month.

Please click on the Nativity label to see more figures and to find a link to the pattern for this set.

Update BBC

The Bloggy Blanket Chain page has been updated with a superb contribution from Arwedd.

xx

Choices, choices

Today I chose to dance to 

Be My Baby

Oh Pretty Woman

It's Good News Week

Then He Kissed Me

Flowers In The Rain

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Not everybody's choice. What would be on your list?

Update BFB

Someone's been busy! I've updated the Bloggy Friends' Blanket Page. There's some beautiful squares to view from Mummy Hen. Please get in touch if you are contributing and I can put pictures of your squares on the page.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

A little bit of your wool, a little bit of my wool and a little bit of co-ordinating produced this blanket, destined to be a cot blanket for babies in India. A lady knits the rectangles and I crochet them together. Another lady sends them off. Once the first lady runs out of wool she starts another colour.

I'll just call it an abstract pattern!

It's raining here at the moment. This chap was singing in the rain in the Winter Gardens. A little bit of a floral display was going on.

Yesterday was sunny and puss went out bird spotting.

She had a little bit of help to get a little closer for further study.

I took a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make my table centre-piece.

New addition to the family

DS's 2 pusscats.

Ahh!

Everybody needs a pusscat for a pillow.

Welcome to my new follower. I hope you like cats as well as donkeys!

Kitchen window - July 2012

Can you spot the slug on the garden flowers? I only spotted it about half an hour after I'd put them in the vase. It was about 2 inches long!! Shows how observant I am! It went to the great wheelie bin in the sky.

What's for tea?

Let's look in the freezer. It's always a surprise as not much is labelled. Any guesses?

Righto, bacon. Now what shall I do with this?

DH - egg, bacon, mushrooms and tinned tomatoes mopped up with home made bread.

Moi?

bacon, onion, garlic, carrots, new potatoes, broccoli (stems and tops), celery hot pot.

Fry bacon and onion together then drain off the fat. 

Add all the rest except the tops of the broccoli.

Add water and a stock cube then simmer on the hob or put in casserole in the oven until it's cooked. I put it in the oven and left it on low for about one and a half hours. I then just turned the oven off and left it another half hour until it was tea-time. It was still hot.

Add the tops of the broccoli towards the end of cooking and also some gravy granules to thicken.

Et voila.

Same again tomorrow and the bacon is gone. DD had one portion of the hot pot so out of my little foil parcel came 5 meals.

Flitting

Thought I'd do a blog hop today and visit a few new blogs and decided to hop on to the first blog on each blog list ten times, starting with the first blog on my list.

So I visited

Edith Florence who was talking about flitting - I might call my journey a blog flit rather than a blog hop.

I then arrived at Millicent James who had just started a new blog called Dandelion Days. Check out her crocheted rug - really lovely.

Moving on I visited Court and Spark. This blog documents many crafting activities. I think I'm on a crafting journey now.

Next stop was Hen's Teeth. I recall visiting this blog before. I really enjoyed reading about her visit to Bryan's Ground.

Onward to Pantry Violets which is a shared blog. Here is the blog description.

"Pantry Violets" are women who met by chance in the Dordogne in France. We came from many different places and walks of life with as many different experiences - each of us knowing that for some reason we needed to be there. Through the course of 6 days, we swam in a salt water pool, ate magnificent food prepared by our hosts, strolled the beautiful grounds, stitched as it drizzled and danced in the sun, rummaged through brocantes, shared stories and ideas, secrets and dreams. We found friendship, inspiration, laughter, tears, simplicity, peace and a strong common bond. We embraced the creative spirit we found in one another and allowed our own to soar. It came to be much more than a workshop. We found new "life long" friends and true, kindred spirits.

We have created this blog to challenge and inspire one another and to continue to look at life and creativity in a whole new way, from a different perspective. We will continue to share our thoughts and feelings and bring our affection for each other to this venue.

Wow, what a really inspirational blog.

From this blog I flitted to the first contributer who had a blog list and I arrived at Evangeline Beulah in New Zealand who has recycled some of her collection of corks into a really cool sign.

Top of her blog list was Tiny Happy. I've been here before. Look at these spectacular pics of her garden from her site.

Alas my trail stopped here as I could not find a blog list on her site. No bother I'll have another flit another day.

The Floral Dance ...

... at Stanley Park. Please click 'play' if you wish to have music on in the background.

Floral beauty then,

and now.

Less formal floral beauty is found around the lake.

Soon be Autumn!

Along the pathways more floral delights can be found.

All together in the floral dance.

Welcome Betty - love your pic.

One Lovely Blog Award

Kate from GTMTC has awarded me this One Lovely Blog Award. Ooh lovely!

Award  Criteria

a. Thank the person who nominated you on their blog - Thank you so much, Kate.

b. Tell 7 things about yourself - What do you want to know? I've already told you 7 things about myself here.

OK here's 7 more.

1. I have a very large stash of Lego (from DS's and DD's childhood days) that I'm reluctant to part with. My excuse for not de-cluttering the Lego was "When I retire I'll make all the models again." I did retire and I've not! Yet! I must give you a peep sometime. I love Lego. This lot's quite vintage now.

2. I had a heart attack 5 years ago which makes every day now a day worth living. (Take care of your diet and keep up the exercise.)

3. I like picking scabs! (Better than picking one's nose, I suppose.)

4. I love having a bubble bath.

5. I've still got the tier stands from my wedding cake - we've just had our 38th wedding anniversary.

6. When I fold my arms my left hand shows and when I clasp my hands my right thumb is over the top of my left.

Gosh, this is hard.

7. My stash of wool runs to 2 large drawers full, 2 smaller drawers full and 3 baskets full. Hmmm!

c. Nominate 15 blogs and then tell them of their nomination - This is difficult aswell. Lovely to me? Lovely to look at? Lovely coochy, coochy coo?

All your blogs are lovely. I know - if I put 'lovely' in a comment on your blog please accept a 'One Lovely Blog Award' from me. I'll keep a note of the blogs and then list them later. 

That's another fact about me - I'd rather tackle a job in small steps rather than try to do it all at once. More successes that way.

New volunteers

Hi Amanda and MummyHen. I thought I'd answer your queries here in a post. Firstly the Bloggy Blanket Chain - this will require people to post a growing blanket on to other bloggers so only volunteer if you are prepared to do this. I envisage a smallish lap blanket, hopefully, at the end which can be donated to a suitable recipient. I'll put both your names on the Chain Blanket page and if Arwedd is prepared to send it to Amanda then Amanda can add to it and send it on to Mummyhen. I'll leave you to get in touch with each other.

Now to the Friends' Bloggy Blanket. This is not as complicated. Any squares you make you send to Fostermummy who will sew them all together to make a blanket. Again this or these blankets can be donated to a worthy cause. Squares should be 12cm x 12cm and either crocheted or knitted.

Again, look at each page for details.

Happy hooking and clicking.

Bloggy Blanket update

Check the Bloggy Blanket Chain page for an update on the Bloggy Blanket. It's on its way again.

xx

Gleaning

A sultry sun shone down on the crops below, onto plants dishevelled by constant rain and biting winds. The time had come as it did every year. Death to one plant so life could be given to another. Droplets of water fell to the earth as she passed the drenched leaves, leaving her dress clinging damply to her body. The crop was dying, its job done, having fed the family for many days but it was necessary and good husbandry that she utilise all that the plants had to offer. As each plant was torn from the ground, its tendrils resisting stubbornly, she pulled off any edible remains, tossing the dying parts into one bucket, the pods into another. Back breaking work indeed but she toiled on, fighting the desire to just clear the land as quickly as she could before the rains came again. She could not countenance wasting one morsel of precious food having spent many backbreaking hours nurturing the vines. Every few minutes she tramped to the edge of the field to add the contents of her heavily laden bucket to other dead and decaying plants forming a huge mound of sweet smelling organic matter which would help to make her small plot fertile for the next season. It seemed hours had passed by until the last of the plants was wrenched from its moorings but her work was not over as each old pod had to be stripped of its bounty. Tearing apart the outer covering revealed the glorious beauty of each green, lush, polished pea. Hour after hour she toiled until her task was done and she could relax in the knowledge that she could feed her family for another meal.

What do you think, Diane, budding author or what? I don't really think I've got it in me. :)

Translation

A sultry sun shone down on the crops below, onto plants dishevelled by constant rain and biting winds. (It was sunny so I thought I'd better clear the mange tout to give me room to plant the leeks.) The time had come as it did every year. Death to one plant so life could be given to another. (Can't leave dead plants lying around. The garden looked a bit of a mess.) Droplets of water fell to the earth as she passed the drenched leaves, (I should have done this later in the day because I got sopping wet!) leaving her dress clinging damply to her body. (!!!!!) The crop was dying, its job done, having fed the family for many days but it was necessary and good husbandry that she utilise all that the plants had to offer. (I don't have to buy it if I've grown it. I like to save my pennies.) As each plant was torn from the ground, it's tentrils resisting stubbornly, she pulled off any edible remains, tossing the dying parts into one bucket, the pods into another. Back breaking work indeed but she toiled on, fighting the desire to just clear the land as quickly as she could before the rains came again. She could not countenance wasting one morsel of precious food having spent many backbreaking hours nurturing the vines. (I planted it and I'll make sure we eat all of it - no waste here.) Every few minutes she tramped to the edge of the field to add the contents of her heavily laden bucket to other dead and decaying plants forming a huge mound of sweet smelling organic matter which would help to make her small plot fertile for the next season. (The bits without slugs and snails went in our compost bins, the ones with slugs and snails went to the great compost bin in the sky - the council recycling bin.) It seemed hours had passed by until the last of the plants was wrenched from its moorings (about 20 minutes) but her work was not over as each old pod had to be stripped of its bounty. Tearing apart the outer covering revealed the glorious beauty of each green, lush, polished pea. Hour after hour she toiled until her task was done (Actually this took a heck of a long time) and she could relax in the knowledge that she could feed her family for another meal.

Not much to show for all that work. I open froze them then tipped them into a take-away tub - just the one!

Welcome, new follower, good to have you on board.

In a mess

It's very messy up here with squares, and wool (and music and notes and teddies and wrapping paper and baskets and unfinished projects and knitting needles) all over the bed. No room for cats tonight.

There's only just room for me to squeeze in each evening. There's so much to do. Where to start? I think that's where I fell down - I've started too much.

Large granny blanket

Crocheting knitted squares together

Hexagonal granny jacket

The circular needles are for knitting a woolly bag (a crafty gift from a pupil 2 years ago. I've only just got round to buying the needles).

The list on my knee is a list of dances which I'm going to look up on Youtube so I know where to put my feet in the Tower Ballroom!

The side of the bed's not much better. Hospital appointments, squares (again! to be posted to FM), scissors, hooks etc. Can you see the squares on the shelves. My piles are growing!!!!!!

The shelves aren't anything to write home about either. They need a good straightening.

So does my candle!!!!

So much goes on up here it's just having a rest! I've not wilted yet though.

Welcome to my 2 new followers. I promise to tidy up - sometime.

Sailing by

"Afterglow"

I'd like the memory of me to be happy one.

I'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.

I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,

of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.

I'd like the ears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun

of happy memories that I leave when day is done.

Helen Lowrie Marshall

Yamas, cousin P.

Not a bosom

Just a ball of wool ...

or a couple of paws.

Every pusscat needs a pillow.

Thank you Kate and Arwedd for your help and thank you to all who can help with the squares for FM. Please show us your creations before you post them off.

PS Welcome new followers. Anyone for crochet?

Redbarli, I can't seem to find your blog - it's not on your profile.

Help?

Remember the Bloggy Blankets? Here's an update. Fostermummy has been busy sewing squares together (May we have a pic of work in progress FM?) and thanks to all who have contributed squares so far. More squares are needed so if you have any scrap DK wool that you can crochet or knit into a 12cm x 12cm square to send to FM we would be extremely pleased. For full details of the Bloggy Friends' Blanket click on the Bloggy Friends' Bloggy Blanket page.

These squares from my current blanket will soon be on their way to FM.

The Bloggy Blanket Chain never really got off the ground. (Mrs. T. I think you sent that first square to FM) so I'll start another one if anyone is interested. For this blanket I'll send one square to one blogger who will add (sew) one or more squares to it and then send it off to another blogger. Each blogger will add one or more squares until a full blanket is completed. The end volunteer is then free to donate the Bloggy Blanket to a worthy recipient. For full details please see the Bloggy Blanket Chain page.

Here's the square that will start off this blanket.

Who would like to receive it? I think I'll also send a small giveaway pressie with this first square just to help it along. Please leave a comment here or on the Bloggy Blanket Chain page. Let's hope this one has a terrific journey around the Blogosphere and we can follow its progress.

Not Knott End at all

No - this time it was Blackpool's south promenade. We took a tram to Starr Gate and then walked back towards South Pier. We passed the Mirror Ball and ...

the Solarium, where we stopped for a cup of tea and a look around the art display.

Photographs of 'old' Blackpool were on show.

It wasn't as packed today as it was here even thought the weather was fine.

Coming out of the Solarium we continued along the prom.

One of our largest attractions is the Pleasure Beach. Here you can see the Big One. 

Want to go for a ride?

Various works of 'art' are scattered along the walkway. They are called the Great Promenade Show.

This pier is not my favourite. The boards wobble causing sensitive souls like me to feel a little queasy and the rides blast forth very loud music.

There are wonderful views of the coast line though.

The seating arrangements are not as grand as North Pier but have the requisite sea side theme.

This is the back of the Sandcastle - another attraction.

I had to walk to the very end of the pier but my friend didn't dare. It was very un-nerving to see the beach umpteen feet below.

I made it and looked back towards the prom.

You can be relieved of your money very easily in Blackpool.