What A Busy Week!

Hello, hello!

What a very busy and sociable week I've had.  Whilst absolutely lovely, I am now craving some home time.  Today finds me with my hair scraped back, comfies on and looking an absolute bugger but I really don't care as I'm officially hiding from the outside world.  My face is scrubbed clean but slathered with antibiotic cream - horrid bumpy rash/infection thing all over my chin.  Hmm, attractive.  D has just told me I look "natural and sexy" though!  Good job love is blind.

So, this week, I've spent some time with my lovely sister-in-law and baby nephew, I've had lunch out with a dear friend, I've had supper out with another dear friend (big blow-kiss to Rebecca who tells me she checks my blog every day!), I've had doctor's appointments, school meetings, art class ...

As I say, busy.



Yesterday, Blondie Daughter's school year group trouped to a nearby college for a mini workshop on Victorian Life and Charles Dickens.  I volunteered as a parent-helper because the lady running it was Lucinda Hawksley, Charles Dickens' great-great-great granddaughter.  She was brilliant.  I gather she originally trained as a teacher which didn't surprise me - the way she engaged the children was fabulous.

Whilst on a literary theme, permission to indulge in a proud mummy moment?  If you listen to BBC Radio 2, you may have heard mention some time ago of Chris Evans' Breakfast Show 500 Words creative writing competition?  Open to 13 year olds and under, I encouraged Blondie Son to submit an entry.  We received this email a couple of weeks ago ...

Congratulations! The story you submitted, “Vaermina”, is through to the next stage of the Chris Evans Breakfast Show 500 WORDS competition.

Next, it will be sent to the National Literacy Trust for the second stage of the judging process. If it makes it into the Top 50 stories, we will let you know by the end of April. 

We received 74,000 stories and this one is in the top 2,000, which is a brilliant achievement. 

Well done and good luck!

The 500 WORDS Team
The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, BBC Radio 2

Even if he gets no further, we're chuffed to bits!  My son, the writer!!! :-)

In purchase news, I'm extremely pleased with this new rosy throw...

It's from Tesco believe it or not.

I've loved Katie Daisy's artwork for some time and finally treated myself to one of her prints ...

It's propped up on my bedside table while I decide where to put it.

Gorgeous isn't it?

In crochet news, I've frogged my spring ripple blanket (I was making heavy weather of it for some reason) and, instead, am revisiting this old friend ...

... but I'll tell you more about that next time.

D has a gig tonight so it's a deep bubble bath and an early night for me.  Oh yes, and new Primarni pyjamas ...

xxx

Edited to add ... I'm going to start replying to comments using the 'underneath' option so do please check back if you've asked a question or said something lovely ...

Sharing The Crochet Love x

I found the loveliest 'perfect crochet heart' pattern and thought I'd share it with you.

It's HERE.

I sat and hooked these in one evening using some of my brightest yarns.

They're now strung across the mirror in my bedroom.

Pretty aren't they?

As long as nothing falls down in the middle of the night and strangles him, D's a very crochet-garland-tolerant husband!

Hxx

January 2014.  When I originally published this blog post, the Perfect Crochet Hearts pattern was free.  The lady who designed the pattern has now put a cost on it of 99p, such was the interest I suppose, and it can be purchased from here or here.  Sorry for any disappointment.

Easter Weekend

Have you noticed how hard it is to seamlessly dip back into posting when it's been a while?

I've been popping by for ten minutes here and there and reading a few of your blogs, maybe commenting now and again, but otherwise my little blog voice has had a bit of a rest!

I'm hoping if I sidle in and shout "Happy Easter", you won't dwell on my absence!

Are you having a super weekend?

Ours started yesterday really.  It was D's 43rd birthday.  I think I rather prefer the eight months of the year when he is three years older than me as opposed to two.

Either Mr Marks or Mr Spencer provided the cake.  Didn't he do well?  (Remember, it's D who does the cake baking in our family and asking him to make himself a cake would seem a little unfair.)  The chocolate eggs were added in a random fashion to give it a little less-than-perfect look.

I am sticking to my own tradition of decorating a couple of lilac branches from the garden for Easter and seem to have a bit of a chicken and egg theme this year.  My favourite and best decoration is Miss Buttercup from the everso clever Jooles' Etsy shop ...

and this Gisela Graham (I think) bird is my second favourite ...

The branches are also peppered with these hilarious teeny chicks which make me laugh every time I see them ...

In other news, my youngest brother has just returned, indefinitely, from Australia with an addition to his little family ...

Introducing my newest little nephew.  He's just so adorable and I've had some wonderful snuggles with him.  Between you and me, I love having my little brother (the youngest of my three younger brothers) back in this country.  He's my parents' blue-eyed boy and it's a wonderfully refreshing distraction to have him around again.

He and another of my brothers and their wives are coming for supper tomorrow.  I'd rather be chatting and quaffing than hanging over the oven or hob so I'm making spaghetti bolognese using Sue from The Quince Tree's fabulous mince recipe.  Seriously, I've done it several times now and it's delicious.

On the craft front, I really am a bit behind in showing you my latest crochet makes.  I'll do a show and tell soon, I promise.  In the meantime, I fancied starting a new Spring break project so I've starting hooking a ripple lap blanket using bright, fresh seasonal colours.

By the way, I'd like to say a very warm "hello" to any new followers.  I've received the kindest messages from some 'no reply bloggers', particularly in response to my bunting tutorial.  I appreciate each and every one - thank you so much x

Whatever you're doing this weekend, enjoy, be happy and go easy on the chocolate ...

xxx

Lucky Me ...

Have you come across Fee's wooden blocks yet?  Oh my, they're completely charming.  A little while ago, I ordered a block from her NOTHS shop for a friend's new baby and was absolutely delighted with it (and truth be known a little reluctant to give it away which was silly since it was personalised with baby's details!).

Imagine how thrilled I was when I won my choice of a yellow block with the word 'sunshine' on it in Knitsofacto's recent giveaway.

I so love it!  And the spooky thing?  Pretty much since it arrived, the sun HAS been shining!

Look, she's even personalised it for me ...

Thank you so much Fee and Annie.

I'm obviously on a bit of a roll because I also won Country Rose's giveaway.  I know!  I had to pinch myself.  Just look at this little lot ...

They were an absolute joy to unwrap.

I shall sew the buttons onto a plain yellow cardigan I have ...

... the little floral pouch is now housing embroidery silks while I dabble a little with cross stitch (Ashley, did you make it yourself?) ...

I've worn the crocheted flower on numerous occasions ...

and the little strawberry cruet set is sitting oh-so-proudly on my kitchen table.

I know everybody always says the same but, seriously, I never win things.

Before I go ... D has been invited to a corporate golf weekend in Portugal in a fortnight.  Having not that long returned from a boys' skiing trip, he was a little sheepish when he mentioned it.  "Would you mind?" he asked.  Girls, you would have been proud of me.  "No, I suppose not ..." I said "but a new Cath Kidston duvet cover would make me feel a little bit better" ...

... *sigh*.

Right, just off to pick some lottery numbers ...

Hxx

Art Class

So I've just given the downstairs floors a good going-over with a cinnamon-fragranced disinfectant and the house smells like Christmas.  It's heady and horrid but I'd run out of the normal stuff.

It's proper 'curly hair' weather today - moist and very windy (no jokes please!) - and not conducive to going out so I've escaped upstairs to my craft room for, what I consider, a well-deserved fiddle with my paints.

It's art class again tonight.  Do you remember me mentioning it here?  Well, I went every week for a term and then signed up for another.

It's quite hard motivating myself to turn out in the dark, particularly if the weather is grotty, but I thoroughly enjoy it when I'm actually there.  Of course, my motivation would be far worse if it weren't for the fact that I go with my friend Peter.

We're currently a class of about twelve and there is a reasonable range of ability.

To be honest, I don't feel that 'my skills' have improved at all.  I seem to have a pad full of wishy-washy quickies.  I've certainly not produced 'a finished painting' but I must admit that my technical knowledge is definitely better.

We've covered colour, tone, positive and negative spaces and composition (loved that).  I've used masking fluid for the first time (which I really enjoyed) and charcoal (which I didn't) ...

We seem to have done a lot of work from pictures which I'm not so keen on and the occasional still life, which I much prefer.

We've touched on landscapes using 'layers' (never done that before either!) ...

So, as I say, I've definitely been dithering around outside my comfort zone, trying things I never have.  That's probably why my confidence in my own ability is a bit trembly at the moment.  I'm wondering if I preferred it when I just sat down and painted what I wanted?  No thoughts of the technicalities, simply letting my instinct take over.  It's not just me, Peter's been feeling the same.

I've been a bit frustrated about not being able to get my teeth into anything.  By the time we stop faffing and Sam (the tutor) has done her demonstration, and we actually get our pencils or paints out, there isn't much more than an hour of the lesson left.

For the next couple of weeks, however, Sam is re-covering some of the subjects from last term for the newbies so a few of us are able to embark on our own projects.

My original thoughts of painting a portrait have been shelved for now.  I don't think I'm good enough yet.  Twee or not, I think I've decided to concentrate on painting flowers in watercolours.

 

So, I've had a bit of a play and tonight I'll be taking a jam jar of blooms.  (Greengate jug will stay safely at home, don't worry!!!)

Look Cathy, your candlesticks!
Look Ashley, your salt and pepper pots!!

I'll let you know how I get on!

Ooh, is that a bit of blue sky I can see?

Hxx

PS.  Thank you SOOO much for your wonderfully supportive comments about the grumpy school mum.  She did get in touch with me again to say that she didn't want to fall out with me and that, yes, we should let the girls sort it out themselves.  Which, of course, they did!

Photo Scavenger Hunt - February 2012

Better a little late than never, I have finally completed my Scavenger Hunt photos for February.  I must admit I did struggle a bit this month so one or two maybe a little tenuous!

5 inches!

(Couldn't resist including this photo - Bertie is SO not supposed to be on the sofa!)

The Champs Elysees.

TENUOUS ALERT ... Bellini's Madonna And Child featuring three cherubs.  The very nearest to Cupid I could get I'm afraid!!  I took this photo at The Louvre in December.

Our local park last Wednesday ... TENUOUS ALERT ... which also happened to be 29th February of this Leap Year!

The 'leaping' part of Leap Year!!  My son looking like Billy Elliot!

Fried egg on toast - yum!

Corfe Castle in Dorset.

Another view from our lounge window.  The sun was sinking in the sky and it's glow was catching the edges of the heavy clouds - stunning!

Gorgeous card!

My son's keyboard.

One of the treasured trains my son inherited from my late Father In Law, his grandfather.

Roll on March ...

Hx

Missing Page In The Parenting Handbook?

CHARACTERS:

Me : Me

Blondie Daughter : Blondie Daughter

Rose : Blondie Daughter's Best Friend

Rose's Mum : Blondie Daughter's Best Friend's Mum

Buttercup : Blondie Daughter's Friend Who Came To Tea Today

BACKGROUND:

Rose's little brother was poorly Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week so Me has been picking Rose up from school and taking her home each night.

Rose's Mum sent home a pretty pansy for Me by way of thanks.

Tonight, Blondie Daughter had Buttercup around for tea.

TEXT MESSAGES:

Me :  Aah, thanks for the lovely little pansy - very sweet of you, you minx! x

Rose's Mum : You're very welcome. Don't want to bother u because I know u have Buttercup round, but Rose has come home very upset today because she said Blondie Daughter has been telling her she's not her friend and ignoring her and she is confused why. xx

Me : I've had a chat with Blondie Daughter and she was very surprised that Rose was upset. Her words were "why would I say that to my best friend?" I wonder if Blondie Daughter and Buttercup were excited about this eve and Rose felt a little left out? Please assure her that, as far as Blondie Daughter is concerned, she is her BFF (best friend forever)!!  Hope helps. x

Rose's Mum : Rose isn't jealous at all, she has a very full life and lots of other friends.  She just isn't a nasty girl and doesn't understand why people turn on her for no reason.  Oh well we all believe our own don't we. xx

... stunned silence ...

Me : Gosh, Rose's Mum, I'm very shocked and saddened by the tone of your response.  May I suggest we let the girls sort it out themselves?

...

Blondie Daughter is in bits.  She is worried that Rose's Mum is going to shout at her in the playground tomorrow and she has no idea what she has done wrong.  I have assured her that won't happen.  Between you and me, if Rose's Mum so much as raises her eyebrows at my daughter, she'll rue the bloody day.

My daughter isn't perfect but I know when she is telling me the truth.

Am I missing something here?  It seems to me that the chips on the shoulders of the parents are weighing heavy on the children.

And I thought, at 40 years old, my playground days were well behind me ...

xxx