100th post!! a giveaway, and other bits and bobs!

Wow... i can't quite believe i've reached 100, posts that is!!! I thought i'd be doing well to do a dozen or so!! I haven't done many lately for reasons you will all understand - rushing around like a headless chicken, trying to do all shopping, cleaning, etc. to make it perfect for christmas - but i have realised that i don't do perfect, so i have calmed down,written endless lists and decided to chill out!

Here are a few pics, in random order as blogger is playing up, which i took this morning, and which make me feel very christmassy indeed! The one with me in it shows how bl...y freezing it was!!! The little horse tree dec is one Em picked to add to our stash and she decorated the tree whilst we watched, and sang to, Love Actually!

As its my 100th post there will be a giveaway and all those who've commented on my last couple of posts and this one will be included and the winner will be announced after christmas. The prize will be either some lovely yarn or some fabric and a few other bits and pieces!


I'd better go now as have just a couple more things to get and as the word 'snow' keeps being bandied about i think i better get a move on.

I just want to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and to say thanks for all your lovely comments over the last year. Hope you all have a fantastic time!

Love and hugs

xxxxx

Christmas market

Well i did remember to take the camera but it was such an awful afternoon - it was chucking it down with rain - not that that deterred many people, or us - it was packed! So here are a few of the better pics.

Some of the pics were taken earlier in the afternoon when the weather was not too bad - i love these old fashioned merry go rounds.
These three were playing lovely carols.

gorgeous scents coming from this stand - lots of citrus and cinnamon.

After a few hours we started to get hungry - there just happened to be a crepe stand nearby and we could not resist having one each - scrumptious, especially when eaten under an umberella!!This is hubby and darling daughter tucking in!

A little bit more market shopping.

Just before we decided it was time to go home we thought we would go and have a look around the new shops that have just finished being built. Most of the shops have not moved in yet but i was sooo happy to see one of my favorite clothes shops - its called All Saints and has some very diffferent designs. But what i thought you might like to see was their window display - it was brilliant

I so wish the picture had come out clearer - but you can see that its all old sewing machines - god knows where they got them all from - there were two windows like this so there were hundreds of them - some of them were broken if you looked closely but lots of them looked intact! I wanted to take one home!

Well thats all, the other pictures are just too dark. We had a lovely time and felt very christmassy!

xxx

Starting to feel a bit like Christmas!

This is early for me - i don't usually start this early - although i know by now some people have already finished their christmas shopping and have even wrapped presents!! I don't even know what i'm getting everyone yet! I had a huge list of things to make but have decided to be realistic and realise that i'm just not going to have enough time to do it all!!

I have been doing some tho - these need to be sewn up and maybe some buttons sewn on. I love

making these wristwarmers - they are so quick !

When food shopping yesterday and i could not resist these:-

Now i know my children are 19plus but i knew that after lunch they would love this - each cracker contains a wind up robin and then you race them!!! That will keep them occupied after lunch!!! They are all soo competitive!!!

Thinking that the 1st is not far off i thought i should get something ready that my 'children' love

the advent calender!!! I made this years ago and yet they all still insist that i put it up - i'm sure the only reason is that each little stocking has 3 chocolates in it!!!

I think the reason for this christmassy feeling is that tomorrow, hopefully, we are going to Bath, to the christmas market - if you live nearby and have never been i thoroughly recommend it - its lovely, lots of little stands, each in a wooden hut, twinkly lights, carols and the fantastic smell of mulled wine! If the weather is okay i will take some pics - assuming i actually remember to take my camera!!!

Well thats all for now, i hope you have a lovely weekend.

xxx

nb. the crackers came from Waitrose!

Bit of a week!

Last week was not the best of weeks! It started last Sunday night/early monday morning - Hubby never goes to bed very early and when putting the dogs out for a final wee he noticed a car parked along the bridlepath next to our paddock. He put the dogs inside and just waited and watched - most people just park at the entrance to the path but this car was way back up near our field gate. He then popped upstairs, woke me up and said he thought someone was after the horses - i shot out of bed and stayed by the window with a phone whilst he walked down the paddock. A few minutes later the car lights went on and whoever it was drove down the bridlepath and onto the road, going past our house. Hubby managed to get part of the number plate. We checked the horses and they were all okay. In the morning we wondered whether we were being a bit paranoid!

Later that day one of the girls at hubby's office said her mum had just heard on the local radio that a couple of days ago a stables had been broken into and they had tried to take one of the horses - the horses kicked up so much fuss, breaking down stable doors, etc., that the intruders ran off. They issued a warning that horse thieves seemed to be in our area. This particular stables is about 10 minutes away from us. Hubby then went on a couple of local horse watch websites and learned that two days previously two horses had been 'targeted' for theft - this was in the next village - apparently there are 'scouts' who look for the horses they want, then mark them by putting a small plait inthe mane or tail so that the thieves can find them later in the dark!

We immediately decided to bring our two coloured cobs, who are in a field just down the road, up home. We also last friday had the vet out to microchip all five horses - this won't necessarily stop them being stolen (we will be putting signs up saying the horses are all microchipped) but if they are taking them for meat, all horses are scanned first - so if microchipped they cannot be slaughtered. Well thats the theory. At the end of the day if someone wants to steal them badly enough, they will. We can only try and make life difficult for them and hope for the best.

The fact that Em was coming home at the end of the week lifted my mood considerably - but poor baby had only been home for a day when she succombed to the flu! On saturday night her temperature kept going up and we decided to ring the swine flu hotline , having first looked on the internet to see symptoms,etc. Having chatted to someone for about 10 minutes they then decided to issue her with Tamiflu - giving me a reference number to take to the chemist the next day. Needless to say i did not get much sleep that night, kept checking on em and was relieved when her temperature started to go down a bit. To cut a long story short, she was slightly better the next day so when i went to get the prescription i spoke to the pharmacist to see if it was necessary to give her the antibiotics - we both decided to hold on for a day as sometimes it can make you feel worse and if she only had a mild form of the flu it was better to let her fight it herself..

Today she is looking more like her self and managed to have a bath and eat a little bit, although she is still very wobbly and weak. So hopefully she's on the mend - i think a bit of treat may be in store when she's feeling better.

Needless to say not much getting done on the crafting front but will try and do some tomorrow - have just received the next block for the around the world swap so will do my best to do my block tomorrow and send it on its way by Wednesday!

xxxx

Up to Town

I can't believe its been a year since i went up to London - to Country Living Fair to be exact - where i had a lovely bloggy meet up. I was hoping to do the same this year but what with one thing and another it didn't quite happen! Em and I had decided, a bit belatedly, that we could combine our day in London - morning at the fair and afternoon shopping elsewhere. But, typical me, i left getting tickets too late and they had sold out! So we decided we'd go to Covent Garden in the morning and then hit Oxford, Regent Street, etc., in the afternoon. So we caught an early train, managed to to upgrade our tickets to first class and sat happily chatting (or in my case knitting and chatting), drinking tea and hot chocolate!

We went to Covent Garden first - i do so love it there, all the lovely shops and craft markets
When the taxi dropped us off, the first thing we saw was this mahoosive rheindeer, it was covered with twinkly lights, which you obviously can't see in the daytime!

Then there were these people pretending to be statues -this poor lady nearly got blown over by a sudden gust of wind - and the one below was the invisible man!

The markets and stalls were looking very festive!

After buying a few bits and pieces we decided to go to Liberty's - i had never been and was dying to have a look around

It is the most beautiful store and the above pic was sneakily taken of the christmas room - the whole ceiling was covered in these gorgeous lights!

Next - Carnaby Street - Em had never been and wanted to hear all about it Em has a shoe passion and was over the moon when she saw this shop - her favourite shoes - usually found only in the Shuh shops - and here was a shop full of them - thats me by the way having a browse!

We decided to go on up to Oxford Street - oh my god, it was jammed packed as you can imagine - we were starving and decided to look for somewhere to eat - finally found a lovely little italian restaurant down one of the side streets and had the most gorgeous lunch - and gave my poor feet a rest!

Finally we decided to have a look round Selfridges and test out our favourite perfumes and then head off to the train station!

It was such a lovely day out but sooo exhausting, and although i love going to visit London i know i'm a country girl at heart!


xxxxx

Rainbow Swap

Eeeeek!!! I was sooo excited on Friday as i received my rainbow swap parcel - it was from Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits!!!!!

I had met trashy for coffe in the morning and she had said that my parcel was on its way!

Look what gorgeous goodies i received

this has to be my mostest (i know thats not grammatically correct!) favourite

isn't she beautiful - i have not got a name for her yet - i know the obvious would be Rainbow - any suggestions gratefully received!

There's more! Julie has been doing her research and sent me some yummy KSH from Rowan, a lovely scarf pattern and some needles!

And even more

This is a beautiful handknitted brooch - unfortunately my camera does not do it justice!

and also -

my fav chocolate! and finally

a gorgeous card with a rainbow of vintage buttons!!

How lucky am I! Thank you sooo much Julie for such beautiful gifts - and thanks to trashy for arranging such a brilliant swap!


Hope you all have a great week.

xxx

AAAARGH!!

I have to say that i don't know how you all do it!!! Do what you say? I have just been catching up on all your lovely blogs and seeing all the lovely things you are making. But how do you manage to fit it all in? Do you not sleep? No matter how i try my to do list seems to be getting bigger and things finished getting smaller. Everyday i have good intentions to get some sewing/knitting done and everyday i seem to be doing everything but!!! Its not that i sit idle you understand, but other more mundane things seem to override my day!

I'm not moaning just am in awe !

Anyhoo, am just off to do dinner and hopefully after that some sewing! Sorry there are no pics as have not had time to download them! Hopefully will do a proper post soon - i think i just need to get more organised - now where did i put that pen and paper?

xxx

Snuggle up!

I have to admit to a little bit of envy! I have been reading a few posts regarding things to do when the weather is foul - my favorite being the idea of spending the whole day snuggling under quilts!

O what bliss - to be able to sit here in the warm and the dry, with a lovely fire and do some of this

-

or just to sit and read, drink cups of tea and possibly occasionally get up and make something to eat!

On a day like this it would be heaven! Woke up this morning to heavy rain and very dull and dismal outside

But hey, never gonna happen! There are a few reasons why not - five horses, three sheep, two dogs, one cat and four chickens!!! I can never just lie in bed in the morning and listen to the rain hammering down - no matter whether its a howling gale, or snowing -don't get me wrong, i'm not moaning! Even when it is doing all of the above i know that they are all waiting for me. I love going outside because i know i'm going to get a lovely greeting - lots of whinnying and baa-ing, with a bit of clucking thrown in! I know its only what my mum would call 'cupboard love' but its lovely all the same! Also there is something immensely satisfying when you've got them all in the warm and dry - even the chickens (mine hate rain!). To stand in the stable with a wet, steaming horse, who has stopped shivvering and who is contentedly munching on some lovely hay, and listen to the wind outside is very satisfying.

When all are happily in the dry , fed and watered then i can go inside for that steaming cuppa and toast and a possible few hours under the quilt, by the fire!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend whatever the weather!

xxx

A day out and surprises!!!

Had a lovely day out on Thursday with Trashy, although it was a bit of an adventure!! We decided a visit to Ally Pally - the Knitting and Stitching show -was in order so off we went! We had thought of going by train but the cost would have been mahoosive so Trashy offered to drive us up! I won't go into details but it took us 3 and half hours to get there! Traffic onthe M25 was horrendous and when we got to Ally Pally needless to say we couldn't park and had to drive down to Wood Green to try and find a car park! Luckily, after two goes, we found one and then had to walk a couple of minutes to get the courtesy bus!

If you have never been to Ally Pally, the view when you get there is amazing, you can see over the whole of London and it was a perfect clear blue sky kind of a day so you could see for miles - i'm sorry there are no pics but my little camera would not have done the view justice, you'll just have to take my word for it! But i have to say, its a sod of a place to get to!

Although there were some lovely stands

top one was Loop, and then the Rowan stand - there were not as many small, independant stands as we had hoped!

We did manage to make some purchases though and here are mine

this is a lovely find - self striping alpaca - it is gorgeous and sooo soft and i loved this hat pattern so of course it had to find its way into my bag!!!
and then were were these two lovely yarns (sorry pic bit blurred) I seem to have a theme of pinks and blues going on!!!

There were also some lovely quilting stands, so i just had to buy these

the colours are much better in real life!!!

Its a shame that the catering facilities were rather poor - as i'm always needing tea to keep me going - if you read this post here you will see i was not the only one who thought so.




Some of the exhibits that were on display were lovely, especially the machine embroidery section - here are some that caught my eye
i just the middle pic - brilliant!




Surprises!!!! Yay - i was soo very lucky as last weekend i received two absolutely lovely surprise packages - the first was from Clara


who sent these lovely fabric packs - thank you sooo much! i love them!


The second was from this lovely lady




Marian weaves these beautiful scarves with the most lovely yarns and fibres and i was absolutely overwhelmed with such a generous and beautiful gift. Its all my favorite colours and is sooo soft - i will treaure it always! Thank you again Marian for such an amazing gift.



Well thats all for the moment, hope you have a lovely weekend - the sun is shining at the moment so am going to make the most of it.







xxxxxxxxxxxx