Lazy Sunday

It's been a lovely day today, just pottering around, set off to have a wander in the local garden centre and maybe find some little succulents for my kitchen windowsill. Imogen stayed at home, groaning about why old people like garden centres... cheeky little miss, we're not old people and I've always been rather fond of these places with all their different departments, plants, gifts, small animals, furniture and a place for a nice cup of tea.

It's a lovely drive, there are masses of wildflowers growing in many of the grass verges along the road sides. I've noticed them throughout the city and they're a pleasure to see.

We were surprised when we arrived to see lots of Christmas displays. They are still busy putting more out and there's still quite a bit of space to be filled. We could see where Father Christmas' grotto is going to be and are looking forward to taking Zack a bit closer to Christmas, not that I think it'll really mean anything to him this year.

There were lots of displays and decorations with the theme of pink and white, quite pretty.

I liked these Father Christmas figures and the girls with their long swinging legs.

More trees

I found some baby succulents in tiny little pots, so repotted them for the kitchen when we arrived home just after peeling all the veg and potatoes for our Sunday dinner.

Just the thing for this chilly day, a nice hot roast chicken dinner with steaming hot gravy, it was delicious. After dinner, Imogen filled the dishwasher while Andrew stripped the chicken carcass for the dogs to enjoy their chicken dinner too.

With my cup of tea, I went to sit down with my crochet. I started this a while ago, but it was set aside while I continued with other projects (always so many things on the go). With the turn in the weather it's quite nice to have the weight of the blanket over my knees. I'm enjoying using different colours and stitches. Here it is folded in half.

Oh I shall have so many ends to sew in, I have to face facts, I'll never be a stitching in as I go person.

I'm going to watch the Strictly results now and the last part of Vanity Fair tonight. There's been lots of good dramas on recently, my favourite being Killing Eve. It's showing on BBC1 at the moment, but we watched it on Iplayer, kept up a really good pace, definitely recommend.


Take care
xxx

Still Indoors

I think I should start this post with a brrrrrrr.... we appear to have escaped the worse of the weather here in our little corner of East Yorkshire, but my, it's chilly! A large part of the country has snow and has come to a standstill (as we often do when the flakes fall as we just aren't prepared for it due to it's infrequency here). The 'beast from the east' as the media have named it, gave us a smattering of snow, but we do have icy cold temperatures. Andrew and I have hunkered down, neither of us having shaken off this irritating bad chest and cold, keeping warm and busy indoors.

Here's a photo of our lovely fountain in the Queen's Gardens area of our city covered in ice

There is a small area where the water is still pushing through

Our garden pond is frozen over with a tiny section where the pump pushes the water out left in the middle. I wonder if our fish are surviving...

We've been slowly going through boxes in our loft, not much has been done over the last month due to illness, but I did come across these hangers.

They would have once held my clothes when I was a baby and I've used them for Adam and Imogen. I wondered if Adam and Holly wanted them for Zackary, but no, so I'm holding onto them for now.

Even though we're both coughing and spluttering, babysitting duties had to carry on. My main worry was that the poor little mite would catch this horrible virus from us so I've somehow managed to restrain myself from kissing him to pieces and so far he seems to have avoided catching anything. It's a difficult situation as Adam and Holly have to go to work and there isn't anyone else who can look after Zack. I took this picture during the week, I think it's one of my favourites. Poor Grandpoppy feeling rather worse for wear, but cuddling the beautiful boy while they sit and listen to music together.

I've done a little more on my cross stitching, but mainly crochet this past week.

I came across this short video when I was looking through Facebook the other day. It's pictures of Hull, before and now, I thought it was well made. Credit goes to the Time Travel Artist on Facebook.

 I hope everyone is well and warm, especially those who have been badly affected by our recent weather.

Take care
xxx

Keeping Warm

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes, they're very appreciated and every one made me smile as I read them.

I'm glad my birthday was when it was as we've all been struck down with hacking coughs and colds since then. Andrew started it off and passed it along, temperatures, headaches, sore throats, coughs and runny noses. It seems to be passing just leaving the horrible coughs (they always seem to linger), but meant half term was a bit of a washout and we spent most of our time in the house watching films, reading, eating homemade soup and keeping warm.

I'm discipling myself to stay with stitching Zackary's Christmas stocking and not to start any more stitching projects until this one is finished... even though I can hear them calling for me...

Still quite a bit to do, but it's really taking shape now.

To give my eyes a break from the stitching, I've started to crochet another blanket, something for my hands to do in an evening when we sit down to watch TV.

I have my first Hyacinth bulbs of the year growing in a pot

We're not the only ones staying in the warm, these 3 just wouldn't smile for the camera today.

Little Gary (the white one) doesn't like to go outside without his jumper on and likes to nestle up next to Honey and Alfie. I've put an old cushion in their bed to make it more snug.

Hope you're all keeping nice and snug too.


Take care
xxx

Scottie Dogs Christmas Prep

Here we are again, I seem to be just managing a post a week at the moment. It's so lovely to see I have a new follower too, hello.

I've been trying to have a bit of a tidy up and declutter this week in preparation for the Christmas decorations going up next month. I found some things that are no longer used, needed or wanted, so put them on eBay. I'm not sure if they'll sell or not, they have a week and will be donated to a local charity shop if they don't go. I do try to be ruthless, but I'm an old sentimentalist at heart so I'm not very good at it. I decided it was time to say goodbye to one of my craft totes/bags, it's just a small one that I often have sitting next to me on the sofa with some ongoing project or another in it (as well as my other paraphernalia such as notebooks, pens, crochet hooks, tissues and my phone). I added it to the charity pile when Andy commented 'oh, are you getting rid of that', so that made me wonder if he thought I shouldn't, oh no, will I regret it once it's gone. I was very good and let it go... am I the only one who has trouble letting things go, forming attachments to 'things'?

I found this blanket in one of my cupboards. it had an awful lot of ends that needed sewing in. It seemed a shame to leave it languishing in there, taking up precious storage space. Out it came and I spent a hour or 2 sewing and weaving in all the ends.

I'm glad I spent the time doing it, I'm really pleased with it now and know a little girl who will enjoy wrapping herself up in it on chilly afternoons.

I've also been making some other preparations for Christmas. I need to make some pretty bunting with blue in it, also for a special little girl. I found some fabric in my stash with pretty blue flowers and little paisley patterns.

It's all cut out and waiting to be stitched up.

I've made this sweet little scottie dog for Christmas too. I cut 2 dogs out in felt and stitched them together with a blanket stitch. Gently stuffed them and also put in a small muslin bag that I stitched and filled with lavender. This little chappie smells quite divine and is just the thing to hang in a wardrobe or on a hook somewhere.

I think I shall make some more in different colours.

Thank you for popping by and please stop and say hello.

Take care
xxx

First Grandbaby Blanket Finished

It's not been the best of times recently. I wasn't sure whether to mention this on my blog as I like this space to be my happy space, but it's part of my life too and we all have lives with ups and downs, sadness and happiness.

It started with my husband's brother dying just before Christmas, expected, but still desperately sad to see a relatively young man (he died the day after his 55th birthday) lose his life to cancer. Unfortunately my father is now very ill. He hasn't been well since Christmas, but put it down to tiredness as he has been caring for my mum recovering from her second hip replacement. Eventually my mum managed to persuade him to go the the drs (he must have been feeling pretty horrendous to agree to go) and he was diagnosed with diabetes with very high sugar levels. He remained quite ill though so my mum tried to get him another appointment. Everything was fully booked for a couple of weeks (as seems to be the norm nowadays), but she was lucky that she was able to have a quick word with one of the drs on the phone, who requested he come to the surgery straight away. Quick examination, an ambulance was called and the hospital advised the dr to have a defibrillator on standby, my poor parents were in shock as you can imagine, thank goodness they had the phone consultation. After having his heart restarted 4 times to slow it down, by poor dad was diagnosed with endocarditis and a leaky heart valve. After weeks in hospital on IV antibiotics trying to get it under control and catching 2 infections in there, he now has also been diagnosed with cancer. How dreadful it has all been, my poor mum is exhausted, but keeping a smile on her face for her husband and everything is now in limbo until the original infection (heart) has completely gone so operations can go ahead firstly to find out what's going on with the cancer and secondly to fix the leaky heart valve. They live so far away from us, but son and his girlfriend are going down for Easter with Imogen and we're paying for them to stay in a hotel so as not to give my mum any extra work with changing beds etc.

Now I'm going to talk about something happy, things to look forward to, our forth coming grandson, my parents first great grandchild.

It's the first blanket he has had made for him. I used a Jody Pyott design, so it was made in lots of pieces... and took lots of time

I finished all the pieces a few of weeks ago, but hadn't had a chance to put them together with one thing and another.

I crocheted them all together, which still left one job,my least favourite job, but a necessary one. So yesterday afternoon, I sucked it up and sat down sew all the ends in and boy was there a lot of them!

A pile with some of the ends of the ends I had woven in.... do you feel my pain...

It was worth it, all sewn in and ready to be snuggled around my beautiful grandson when he arrives. I really wanted to make this design as I thought the words were particularly lovely.

Take care
xxx

Nearly Finished and Finished

Hello, it's been a week since I wrote anything, perhaps because not much is happening here except for soaking up the end of the summer holidays - last week next week... unfortunately :(

The conservatory is in it's end stages, though it's bank holiday on Monday so not much will happen this weekend... sigh, had hoped it would be finished by today, but should only be Tuesday until it's completed.

I finished Imogen's throw, sewed in the pesky ends (my least favourite part) and she snuggled up under it while having a nap. Bit of a lopsided picture I'm afraid!

I have to mention this because I was so surprised. We were in one of the supermarkets earlier on and as we left Imogen ran up to ... are you ready for this... a grotto for Father Christmas... it's August! Don't get me wrong, I understand preparations, gifts and cards being made, but not Father Christmas in the shops yet surely! Where's the anticipation... goodness me... OK, I've finished but would be interested to hear what others think about it... :)

Take care
xxx

How to make a Crochet Bobble

Thought I'd make a little tutorial about how to make a crochet bobble as it's so easy even for a beginner like me once you know how! All my crochet terms are UK ones (and wasn't that something that really confused me starting off, different terms from different countries!).

With the blanket I'm making at the moment, I'm doing 3 double crochets on my first line before starting (and in between) the bobbles. The bobbles are made on the back of your work, not the side facing you.

Then wrap the yarn over the hook before putting the hook through the next stitch as though about to crochet a half treble.

Go through the stitch, wrap around the hook again and pull back through the stitch so there are 3 loops on your hook

Wrap the yarn around again and pull through the first 2 loops so you only have 2 loops left, this is the end of the first part.

Now you just repeat the process. Yarn around the hook, through the same stitch as last time, yarn around again and slip through the top 2 stitches.

Do 4 of these through the same stitch. This will give you 5 loops on your hook.

Now wind the yarn around again, but this time pull the hook through all 5 loops on the hook.

This makes your bobble.

It looks quite flat until you do your next small double crochet stitch, this pulls it tighter causing the bobble to appear on the other side!

I hope that makes sense especially to anyone who's a novice like myself! I found it quite tricky taking photos while trying to crochet... will enlist help if I do it again! Imogen thought I was taking pictures of my hook and wondered what on earth her mother was up too!!

Take care
xxx