Just popping in.

Hello, howz ya doin. I'm just out of the bath, sweet smelling and scrubbed. 

I have an idea for the next picture, fragments of fabric laid out on a backing. There will be a lot of stitching.Who knows how it will end up. Something will happen as I am working on it. 

A 'no cook' dinner from yesterday. Love the mushroom pasta with pine nuts. Watercress, iceberg lettuce and potato salad. Quick and easy. 

And the dinner today was similar, two boiled eggs and broad bean and mint houmous. Delishus.

I did three hours of walking today, my three mile route three times, back to back. I felt like I wanted to do a bit extra, and set aside the afternoon for it, 2pm to 5pm. I think I might do that again.

Just a quick one tonight. Bugsy is wanting my attention, he can't get settled. He's been off his food again.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon
Toodle pip.

Mighty chuffed with my beach huts

Hello. Well it was more than just another stitch, it was ton's more stitches to finish the job. I had to secure it to a stiff cardboard backing which took a couple of hours. But here it is, finished. I have photographed it without the glass so no glare and reflections, it looks even better with the glass, gives it a professionally framed look. The dimensions are 14 inches by 11.5 inches. I chose green for the frame, it's ordinary household emulsion from my stash of tester pots, and I think the colour balances beautifully with the rest of it. It's a bright summery happy picture. 

The yellow sandy beach colour is lost a bit in the closeups. The first picture is closest to the real colours. I made the beach huts out of plain cotton fabric and painted them. Then used felt tip pens to add a few details.

Most of the stitching is simple running stitch, with a few French knots on the trees, and some back stitching.

The orange sun is a circle of felt. It took me ages to decide which fabric to use for the sky. The natural choice would have been blue, but I wanted to steer away from convention, and there would have been too much blue with the sea already blue. So red it was. First I tried patterned fabric but it looked a bit silly, so plumped for plain red and added the sun's rays.  

The back is now covered with the hardboard that came with the frame, and sealed with tape to keep the dust out.

I have really enjoyed making that. It made a change to work on something smaller, was much easier to handle. If you want to make the pictures bigger click on one of them for a slide show.

Have to wait now for another idea to pop into my head.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Almost the end of the year, have you thought about joining our Walking Group for 2017? Add your name to the post on the 1st of January, then update your mileage on the 1st of every month after that. Do yourself a big big favour and make 2017 the year you WILL get fit.

We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip

Just one more stitch

Hello me hearties. I really shouldn't be showing you this. I've been working on it all day, hoping to get it framed, but run out of daylight. Working under artificial light is not the same, especially when my work stations are spread about between the two tables downstairs and the work bench upstairs. When I piece pictures together bit by bit it takes ages to search out the right type of fabric, plain or patterned, the right colours, and the thickness of the fabric, so it's a lot of walking up and down stairs. 

I think this is ready for framing. Just when I think I have stitched the last stitch I always find a little bit more to do. The frame is ready, an old one which was given to me has been painted.

I find hand sewing very therapeutic, even more so now I have discovered the gentle relaxing music on yoootooob.

I'll finish it in the morning and show the whole thing tomorrow. Right now Bugsy needs his hot water bottles refilling, it's perishing cold outside. I went to the church post office this morning to pay my last installment of Council Tax. Two free months now before it starts again. Picked up more free hearing aids from the medical centre because I've almost run out. Two packets last me six months. Fetched the bins back in after the council lorry has emptied them. Had a postcard from two of my readers, they are in London having a good time. Thank you for that.

I'll be glad when we start getting a bit more daylight. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

An ordinary day in the life of me

Hello. I've been doing a bit of running around today, not literally running, but doing jobs that had to be done. The car needed an MOT test, so I booked it online last night with Halfords Autocentre, and delivered it at 9am this morning. Their place is close to town so I came home on the bus and left it there because they were busy. Halfords is the cheapest place I have found at £30.

Next was a dog walk, I'll have to take a picture of Jade. She is easy to walk, though I think she is a bit confused that we don't walk the same route that Ken walks her. He lets her off the lead to run through fields, that's ok because he has been walking her for over a year, but I will be keeping her on the lead. We will be walking around the village on tarmac. I don't want to be paddling through mud.

Back home for lunch, a big salad, and some sewing to pass the time while I wait for the car to be done. I rang them at 3pm and they said, yes, its' ready, so I caught the 3.30 bus back to town. I don't normally go to the bus station, no need to, but I was disappointed that it looked so scruffy. Literally rubbish everywhere. Visitors must think we are a mucky lot. The bus driver put his foot down a bit, seemed to drive ever so fast. Or maybe my driving is getting slower so I notice it more.

I then had to go to the vet's to pickup some tablets for Heidi, it's at the other end of town. Traffic was busy  so I diverted around the queue's and went through some country lanes, and now the car is all dirty again.

Dinner tonight was a pile of steamed vegetables, drizzled with toasted sesame seed oil. Someone said they like seeing pictures of my meals, but the steamed vegetables look much the same. I had brocolli, potatoes, carrots, fine french beans, and mangetout peas. Did you know that Aldi's super six this week are only 19p. I believe all the supermarkets have cheap veg, now is the time to buy plenty. Skip the meat, just have the veg.

This is my latest work in progress. Lots of hand stitching. It's not a big picture, this is the sea. Above it will be the sand, then the sky at the top. The darker blue is the nearest shade to the real thing, difficult to get the true colours when using flash.

Right, I'll get off, evenings are taken up with mostly cat cuddles, they all want my attention. Bugsy has been a bit picky with his food, but if I prod it around in his bowl he will eat some. He wants to eat, but grumbles about what I serve up. Sometimes his head is in the bowl as I am emptying a pouch into it.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Crafty Club Christmas Tree.

Hello. I remembered to take my camera with me this morning to Crafty Club, and called in at the church on the way to get a few snaps of our tree. Eeeee, it does look grand. I think it is better than the conventional tinsel adorned artificial tree they have on display at the front of the church. You can't beat hand made. 

There is a children's party on Thursday and they have a competition to name ten of the decorations on our tree. 

We were a bit short on numbers this morning, people have other things to do on the run up to Christmas. We are not meeting again until the second week in January because the next two Mondays are Bank Holidays.

Several people have asked about doing the 1000 mile walking challenge next year. I have already mentioned that I will not be making a separate page to log the monthly miles, however, in view of people's interest in the challenge I am willing to give everyone a day a month to log their own miles in a monthly comment. Therefore it is up to you to keep track of where you are, but everyone can see it.

So, starting on January 1st you can register your name as a participant. and on the 1st of every month you check in with your mileage. Note, there are people with the same name, please add something to your name to make it different from the others. Please try and stick to this plan because then it is a group effort and everyone can support each other. You can comment on your walking at any time of the month, but it would be better if you logged your mileage on the 1st, then everyone is in the same blog post.

Basically, I am not going to hold your hand, you need to do it for you. I will be there to urge you to keep going, and to encourage you. I want to see those number increase month by month. It's up to you how you do it, long walks, short walks, and how you check your own progress. Whether you use an electronic gadget, or use a site like bikehike. you check your own miles.

People start New Year Resolutions with good intentions, but run out of steam part way through the year. If there is a good reason why you physically can't do it, don't worry. Maybe you could scale it down and find an exercise plan a bit easier. If there is nothing physically preventing you from walking then get off your bum and make the effort. 2.73 miles a day can be done in just under an hour. Remember, you are doing it for you, for your health, not for me or anyone else. Best of luck.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

In a creative mood

Hello. Can't stop, I'm playing with bits of fabric and it's a bit fiddly. A picture, a bit smaller this time, got an idea, needs lots of stitching, want to get on with it. 

Bugsy has just scoffed some tuna fish. Need to watch him for a few minutes, in case it comes back up. He is hunched up and burping a bit. Nothing happening. So far so good.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

A really nice book cover

Hello. Bit late tonight, I thought I would get the Tesco dash over and done with before the busy weekend starts. I also had an £8 off voucher on a £40 shop which needed using before it runs out. Did well on the yellow stickers, had a laugh with the boy who was marking down, and a chat with the lady on the checkout. Shouldn't need to buy any more food now till after Christmas. 

I finished the notebook cover today. This is how I began. A piece of cotton fabric bigger than the book when it's opened out.  

I started by adding the square piece of fabric, then kept adding more until it was covered.

This is it fully covered. I then did cross stitch along all the seams, with some other stitching as well. 

I cut another piece of red cotton the same size and pinned the two together, right sides in. Then I marked a line around the book, and machined them together on three sides, leaving one end open. I cut off the excess, then turned it the right way, and stitched up the open end by hand.

The front of the finished cover. 

 And the back.

Inside front.

Inside back.

This is the whole thing opened out. 

I did blanket stitch on the top and bottom to make the pockets to slip the book into.

The twisted elastic is sewn into the back cover and flips over to the front to hold the book closed.

I am very pleased with how it's turned out. The cover can be removed when the book is full, and put onto a new book.

Right, half an hour chill time and cuddles with Bugsy, then I'm off to bed. Thank you all for visiting Amy's blog, I bet that gave her a surprise. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

I made a card

Hello. What a miserable day it's been outside, overcast and dark all day. We had extra food at Crafty Club this morning, it was our Christmas Party. I took a bottle of sherry, only one other person, and me, had some, the rest were happy with coffee and tea. Our club Christmas Tree which we made for the charity exhibition is now installed in our village church. I didn't get to see the exhibition, so I'll take a photo some time this week when the post office is open in the church. 

I stopped sending Christmas cards a few years ago. The postage is so expensive now, it costs more than the cards. There is one exception, I do send one to my friend Carol, this one will be going to her new home. I don't like using glue on cards, in fact I hardly use glue at all for anything. I prefer to stitch pictures and messages onto blank cards. A scrap of fabric frayed at the edges, a piece of sticky back silver foil, and two pieces cut from old cards. 

Neat stitching on the inside.

I put a blank piece of paper inside to hide the stitching and to write the message on. It's held in place by embroidery thread tied into a bow inside. 

People are getting their Christmas lights out now. I posted a picture of this display last year, and I see a few more characters have been added. I like this one because it's not over the top, and doesn't look quite so tacky as some of them. It's the best one in our village. 

No news on Bugsy tonight, he is comfortable. I had arranged to have lunch with my sister on Wednesday but I have cancelled that. I don't want to leave him.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

All the fun of the Village Christmas Fair

Hello. I can breath again today after two busy days. The Christmas Fair was a great success for the village  residents, and visitors from neighbouring villages. A very good turn out all round, the place was packed. The children did their singing and dancing on the stage and all the proud mums and dads looked on. Santa was there of course, and there were lots of stalls selling Christmassy things, nice things to eat, and tombolas to win things. 

Our Chat and Craft stall had a good selection of hand made items to show, and some to sell. Only four shopping bags sold, I tried my best with a lot of humour, to get people to buy one. Those left over will be given away. I have a talk in January to do, so some will be donated there as raffle prizes. 

The two patchwork bags sold, and a few of the felt hearts and stars. I was able to make a £15 donation to our cat rescue. For me it wasn't all about selling, it was about the community coming together, it was great to see so many people, and chat with them. I think I have lost my title of, 'the bag lady', I am now known as, 'the shed lady', ha ha.  

I took the photo's before the official opening time, to show some of the colourful stalls. The Cat Rescue stall was opposite me this time. looks full and ready to go.

Today is sunny, I've got a line of washing out, and I will potter around the house and garden. I don't need to do my regular walk as I've got some walking in Derbyshire coming up soon.

Enjoy your Sunday. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip