Coffee in Delamere and 50 Shades of Grey!!!

Good afternoon peeps and what a cold and miserable day it is. It started off with a trace of promise but soon deteriorated into a cold and damp Friday:((
This is another owl doorstop I've made, adapted from a cushion pattern, but this time on the needles rather than the hook.

This morning my I went with one of my neighbours' to the Community Centre for coffee. There is a coffee morning and book swap held on the last Friday of the month, and having moved to a village environment over 20 months ago my hubby and I are keen to try and support whatever local activities we can, on the basis that if you don't use it you lose it. I first popped in on one of these mornings in April and was made so welcome that last month, and again today, I dragged one of my neighbours with me. My first visit coincided with a trip to our visiting Post Office (2 mornings weekly a 'satellite' PO sets up at the Community Centre) which was put in place after they closed the local sub Post Office!!!
Anyway, this morning, more people introduced themselves to Janet and myself and we were discussing, amongst other things, how important it was to maintain the community links as our village is not like your traditional village. Its quite sprawling, with no real centre, and with little mini communities within it. We don't have a church, a pub or a school as such, although they are very close by. We do have a little shop which supports the community well. So the hub of the village, if you like, is the Community Centre. The area is also largely populated by more elderly people and another subject for discussion is the recent introduction of local volunteer befrienders, especially in the winter months, to ensure people are safe within their homes and feel supported.
Some of the other interesting things we learned about from our new 'friends' was the voluntary work being done in the Romanian Orphanages, and the day the area near the old Roman Road was bombed during the war leaving a huge crater. I also met a fellow Southerner....we get everywhere....

Finally....50 Shades of Grey!!!....yep, you've guessed it.....it was on the table for the book swap...hilarious!

Have a good weekend folks, x

A beautiful day

What a beautiful Sunday its turned out to be, and hubby and  I are stuck indoors:((
Before I bore you with the details here's another one of those 'fancy' scarves I rustled up for the Little Lady....apparently she doesn't have enough!!! I thought the pretty colours would be great in the summer evenings when she just needed a little something to keep out the chill. Her response....lovely Grandma but are you making me one for the winter too???

So, why are we stuck indoors on this glorious day? Well poor hubby has been battling food poisoning since Wednesday evening following a meal out with friends...thankfully I wasn't there. He's actually considering trying some toast this evening which will be a vast improvement on water and dioralyte.

#2 Son came to stay on Friday for the weekend, planning on going home tomorrow. This was an absolute blessing as he was able to help with dog walking and other heavy 'man' type jobs that I'm still not able to do, thanks to this wretched disease I've got. Then to scupper that I had to join hubby and have been up all night with stomach cramps and vomiting....lovely! So #1 Son to the rescue came over this morning to take #2 Son home as we couldn't envisage how to get him back tomorrow and #1 Son would be working.

The biggest down-side of all of this is we missed out on the 'Beach Party' being held at my Mum's Nursing Home, and I was so hoping to share some wonderful photos of the residents in deckchairs, feet in paddling pools, sandpits in use and the obligatory ice-cream van. So pleased they've had a beautiful day for it though.

So whilst it would appear I've come out in sympathy with hubby I've told him I'm not sharing my disease with him....it's all mine and not for sharing.

I hope everyone else is enjoying their Sunday and basking in some beautiful sunshine, x

Is anyone else having problems with viewing blogs?

For the past couple of days I have only been able to view the most recent blog post and blogger isn't allowing me to 'view more', or scroll down. Is anyone else having the same problem or is it just me? Any help would be much appreciated as I'm getting withdrawal symptoms from not being able to catch up on bloggers news.
Thanks, Alison aka CB, x

Another Finished Item

You may remember a post from 25th March featuring this picture on WIP's. Well the crochet circle in the middle has finally been finished. In fact, I finished crocheting about a month ago but then decided I wanted to line it so needed to wait until I found a suitable fabric.....voila!

It's one of Lucy (Attic24) crochet bags, although in different colours from Lucy's usual style. I loved how quick it was to crochet up, being a novice. The flower embellishments were pretty simple too although after making some leaves I wasn't happy with the effect so opted to just use them on two of the handle ends.

This is it after I've added the lining. I can't believe I actually managed this without mucking it up. Chuffed to little mint balls with it.

Originally I was going to keep it for myself but once it all came together it shouted  birthday present to me....so in August it will be going to my eldest Step-Daughter who appreciates anything handmade. I will of course fill it with some crafting goodies for her too.

I may just have to make another one.....

Remember those hexies?

Good Evening and Happy Fathers' Day to all those Daddies and Grandaddies (is that a word?) out there. #1 Son, partner and Little Lady came and we managed to have a BBQ before the rain came but it wasn't really warm enough to eat outside so the dining room it was. Afterwards we enjoyed 2 games of junior scrabble which I'd picked up in a charity shop on Friday for 50p, bargain.

Remember a while ago I showed you some hexies I'd pieced together (my first attempt)? Well I finally got round to making them into a circular bag for the Little Lady

Not a brilliant effort, but seeing as she spends more time swinging the bag around her head than being 'elegant' with it, I considered it a good enough job.

She's happy with it and that's all that matters.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend, x

Springwatch in Delamere

I just had to share this fabulous sight with you. Five bluetits feeding from our bird feeder. Unfortunately the camera wasn't at hand the day before when there were eight....YES 8.... 6 babies and 2 adults all either feeding or playing on the feeder. It was like their own adventure playground. The babies were grooming and feeding each other too. It was a wonderful sight to see and I was afraid to fetch the camera for fear of missing any of the action.

I would like to point out that since the photo was taken hubby has changed the water bowl.... the birds didn't seem to mind the 'gunk' but I did. So now they have a nice clean swimming pool/drinking bowl.

I also wanted to share these beautiful tulips. I've grown to love tulips as I've got older and appreciate their gorgeousness...is that a word???

They're nearly finished now so a fresh bunch will need to be purchased at the next opportunity.

Next time I'll share some of my finished UFO's, x

And now for something completely different...

OK, don't panic....its not mine, lol.

I wanted to share some lovely news....we're to be Grandparents again. #1 Son and his partner are expecting their first baby together, due in December. A beautiful little brother or sister for the Little Lady, who is so excited.

We've known for a while but were sworn to secrecy until after the scan.

Expect sparks to be flying from the knitting needles.

'til next time, x

Fit for a Prince

Good afternoon everyone. Is it me or has it turned very chilly today? So much for flaming June.

Well hopefully the above cardigan will keep my eldest Grandson warm. The pattern was an old one I borrowed from my neighbour. She knitted this for her Son who is now approaching 50!!! Although it looks like a complicated pattern it was in fact so easy and quick to knit up. I also find raglan sleeves so much easier to sew in. They always seem to sit so much neater. I also loved this shawl collar, just the thing for a growing little man. He will be 4 in a couple of weeks so this is part of his birthday parcel.

I also managed to pick him up a stripey collared t-shirt that blended just perfectly with the cardi, then 3 lightweight books finished the package. I had to think about the postage. Normally we would travel north of the border around the time of each of the grandees' birthdays, but at the moment that amount of driving for me is definitely off the agenda. Perhaps next month we may take a trip up by train.

Keep warm and fingers crossed the sun will be back out soon, x

More Owls

Afternoon Peeps. Have you too had that downpour? Goodness, I couldn't believe how much rain could fall out of the sky in the space of a few minutes, and after such a lovely weekend too. Still, I'm not complaining, as it will do the veggies good.

As you can see I'm still crafting away, a little slower recently, but that's only because I've been trying to do a little bit in the garden here and there. About 20 minutes at a time is my limit but that's better than nothing, and hubby is slowly beginning to learn a few things so is helping out where he can. Weeds and flowers can be a bit confusing for the humble male...

So above you can see another one of my crochet doorstops, and below, using up scraps of chunky yarn I made 3 more hanging owls. These are so quick and simple to make thanks to the easy tutorial by bunnymummy blog. Thank you Jacqui.

I'll be back soon with another cardigan, x