Tired out but happy!

Today I feel like I've been run over by a tractor and the driver reversed several times!
Yesterday my sister & I were duely dropped off outside the International Hall in Harrogate by her partner who then went to spend his day shopping.
We got into the hall quickly with only a 3-5min queue because I'd bought the tickets a few weeks ago.

It was stash heaven lol, there were so many new exhibitors with crafts I've not seen there before, I planned on taking my camera but left it on the table so did try to take a few shots on my phone but there were several notices around stating no photography please and I wasn't risking being asked to leave!

We watched painting demonstrations by an artist who was extremely talented, a rep showing the wonderful attributes of a Bernini machine costing over £3000 which when programmed will stitch the design on it's own. I was enthralled watching the demonstration of a long arm quilting machine, it's the first time I've seen one in the flesh and I loved it but didn't buy as I don't have the room......mores the pity. I was able to increase my fabric stash considerably from many stalls offering great bargains and drooling over the ones which were what I considered to expensive by far. I'll post a pic of my purchases tomorrow when the camera is recharged. I was so pleased to be able to obtain 2 packs of Freezer paper for less than the price of 1 here in the UK. My other treat was an Omnigrip 12. 1/2" Square which I'd seen earlier in the day. Sis bought several stitching patterns, knitting patterns, wool and fabric for a table runner and an afghan to make for her new expected grandson.
We met designer Sue Hawkins who is really tiny but very talented and the two ladies who design and own Historical sampler company. They were really pleasant to chat to and I could have spent a fortune on there stall.

I haven't put my purchases away yet, I had a loving fondle last night but today has had to be a rest day to enable my body to recoup some energy and the pain to ease. I am spent up, tired out but I had a really happy day.

hugs Blondieuk

Chaos reigns!

I need to take some time out from what I'm doing so I can recharge my very depleted batteries and give my back a well earned rest!

I am sat at this moment amid total chaos! DH in his wisdom decided it would be better if I changed rooms and had my sewing room at the back of the house, now this isn't a problem I still get to view the neighbours comings and goings, just from a different angle and different neighbours.

The chaos occurred when Dh started having problems with his hip, discharging him from any lifting, moving or laying of new floors. I am only able to do small jobs, I'm not able to carry even medium weight boxes, or move furniture around etc soooo, are you getting where I'm coming from? The job stopped mid stream! I'm half moved in and half moved out. My computer is sitting on a spare table in here whilst my computer station is in the other room looking very naked apart from file boxes full of cross stitch charts sitting on the top shelf. Boxes of my 'stuff' are sat around on the floor thinking it's 1/2 term holidays and they don't need to do anything apart from playing at looking pretty.

My new sewing table is set up but has a mountain of various things sitting on it waiting for me to sort them into the appropriate drawers. Now I know that the very organised ladies amongst us will by now be looking up my name in the international phonebook trying to find my number to ring me and offer to come and organise my chaos. Ladies, I love to be organised and know where everything is but when I have 2 rooms disturbed my brain shuts down and decides to go on holiday.

DH will be occupied tomorrow with 10 of his climbing buddies discussing if they want to buy the cottage they have stayed in for the past 20yrs when in Glen Coe because the owner is retiring and selling up. The finding of an alternative cottage is a no no they love this one. I shall await that decision with baited breath as I thought I was getting a conservatory first.........

The dogs have just about had enough of the moving around, they're like children and don't take to upset easily. I'm pretty sure they are wondering what the heck I'm playing at when I'm usually sat either sewing, reading or on the computer, not dashing from room to room. Sorry I must alter that I never dash anywhere because I haven't got a dash in me !

Usually at this time of year DH and I spend a day cooking meals for the freezer because during the winter is my worse time healthwise and as he is in fultime employement I don't think it fair he should come home to a bare table and to start cooking. I must add he doesn't have these pre-cooked meals everyday just on my bad days. It works 2 ways, he gets a piping hot meal with little effort on my part and he gets to eat spicey, 'odd' meals with ingredients I haven't got a taste for.

On Sunday I'm going to Harrogate in Yorkshire to the Stitching and Knitting show with my sister, we will be chauffer driven by her partner who will drop us off outside the large International Hall and at some point in the day will join us to eat. He's a very patient man who usually takes me to oneside to ask what she's been looking at and drooling over and then he goes to buy them for her......eehh what a man!

I'm hoping there are some stalls for quilting included, the last time we went I wasn't a quilter but I'm sure I remember seeing some stalls selling fabric in FQ's, yardage and packs. We shall come home pleasantly tired, with our heads and hearts full of the beautiful goodies we've seen and I can guarantee there will be regrets for not buying something.

I spent some time in a shop I 'found' the other day which has actually been there for 14yrs but I've never seen it not even when I was doing a lot of making clothes and toys. It was like an Aladdins cave, as well as fabric of all types on bolts and rolls there were shelves which held miriads of remnants from the end of the bolts etc. I found some real treasures amongst these shelves. I popped them into the washing machine when I got home which took several loads, dried them then spent time the next day ironing them and putting them away. I was like a child with a new toy.............which leads me nicely onto my next 'new toy'. My Toyota Quiltmaster 60, my other s/machine is great to use but isn't happy when I put thicker fabric through it so as I wanted to make a good effort with quilting this is the pressie I got from DH....bless him. I know those of you who have been quilting for a long time will pity me for my simple joy but I'm really looking forward to stitching with it.

I'm hoping to get some xstitching done tomorrow too as I like to stitch for at least part of each day and sadly get withdrawal symptoms if I don't. I have quite a few sampler wip's on the go and they've been sadly neglected for the past couple of weeks.

The autumn is changing into winter here, the beautiful tree I can see from my kitchen window has given me such a gorgeous array of autumnal colours but due to the high winds we've had this week it is now reduced to a few stragly leaves hanging on for dear life. I feel as if an old friend has left me, the weather now is typically English, cold, damp and misty. In the mornings there may be a little ray of sunshine so you dutifully put out the days washing only to look up a short time later to see it's tippling it down with rain and that washing is now drenched again and needs rewashing and you're asking yourself why you didn't just 'pop' it in the dryer in the first place!

I think that's all I can recall for now, my brain is lacking in the bits which give you literal inspiration so I'll wish you all a great weekend, may you enjoy time with your families, enjoy peace and good health

hugs Peg

A Lazy Day

Today has been just that, a very lazy day. I'm ashamed to say I have done nothing creative unless you count lunch, I arranged the veg and the beef in a swirl pattern and drizzled a light touch of gravy over it :o) It must have looked and tasted good because DH cleaned his plate completely!



I've read through a lot of blogs today and delved into other peoples lives, looked through their homes, admired their latest works and whilst reading one blog almost fused my computer completely. It should have had a hazard warning on it, the blog in question, Smoking needles..... http://cushie66.blogspot.com should not be read when you have just either taken a bite of your sandwich or taken a sip of tea! I had a great time reading Jacqui's very funny blog I can certainly recommend it.



I've also picked up a lot of tips and ideas from the many quilting and stitching blogs I've read and I've also won some fabrics on ebay!



It has been the most gorgeous autumn day again, I shall be sad to see this season leave us, I think it has the most wonderful array of colours out of all the seasons. I am wondering if we shall have a really cold winter this year as the day's are already cold even for me, I'm usually the one who's still in a short sleeve top whilst DH is in woolies and hugging the heating system. It's a woman thing which only another woman would understand!



Just around the corner from us is a wood which has the most amazing colours at the moment and this will only be upstaged by the winter frost. Before I became less mobile I used to walk through the woods with the dogs, it was just like a fairytale land. The ground and trees were covered with a sparkling magical frost. I know I have some pics of it from a few yrs ago I'll try and find them out and post them that you too may share in the beauty of Gods winter creation. My friend and I used to call it our trip into Narnia Land.





hugs Blondieuk

Finished at last!

During the last 2 months of 2003 I was in a Lizzie Kate RR eventually mine arrived back in February 2004. I had every intention of finishing this as a wall hanging but to balance it up I needed to stitch another 2 LK charts on it. I popped it in a box and forgot all about it until a couple of weeks ago when I came across it.

Recently having taken up quilting I decided I'd make the wall hanging but would separate the blocks with quilted blocks. The picture is of my completed wall hanging which I put the last touches to tonight. It isn't perfect by any means but I'm pleased with it and will be able to think of the ladies who stitched on it also whenever I look at it.

This is my first attempt at a quilt wall hanging, I took part in a SAL with the ladies of for the love of stitching an online group. The project was Prairie scholars Autumn leaves.

We also stitched BDD Autumn Silhouette, BOAF Quaker Garden as SAL's. We have a WIP's encouragement going, thanks to this I finally finished Mirabilia's Garden Verses after 4yrs!

I've also been stitching on my 3 Chatelaines all these can be seen in my webshot albums. I have uploaded a pic of a PS Autumn sampler which I stitched in August 04 whilst on holiday in Wales and a birth sampler I stitched in 2001 for our youngest grandson Jacob.

I've been sorting out some of my fabric for pillows and quilts, it's surprising how much there is when you start and I have seen some more which would make really pretty quilts and pillows. I am going to be strong though and resist for now as I'm going to a large Knitting & Stitching show in Harrogate in Yorkshire in a fortnight so will get my fix there. It is a really large show which takes all day to get around the many different stalls, there are many different crafts catered for.

I also need to rearrange things in my sewing room I thought I was very organised but I was looking for something the other day and it wasn't where it should have been which really threw me so a big sort out is on the cards! I've been looking for a suitable sewing table to accommodate my sewing machine but which is also big enough for me to cut fabrics on. At present for anything large I have to use my dining table which is frowned upon and watched over by DH because we inherited it from his Mum when she died and it cost more money then we would ever be able to spend on a dining suite. I do cover it with a felt cloth first and I'm very careful with pins and scissors honest.

I'm excited tonight because I've won the ideal thing on ebay! The seller has had several of these on his listings for the past few weeks and I've bid on them occasionally but have been outbid because in the last few minutes. I bid on one last night but was beaten by a £1 and I had bid a few pounds higher than before. There was a purpose for being outbid I'm sure because tonight I won another of his auctions for the same table and won it at £13 less than I'd bid last night for the same thing so I'm a happy bunny tonight. It will fit perfectly into the space under the window where I get the afternoon sun.

I baby sat for an hour last night for Jacob and this time he was asleep so I was able to stitch on my Blue sampler it's been a wip for quite some time so I thought it deserved a little attention.

Heidi of the neneedle necessities blog, link above, who is our resident encourager and sometimes teacher will be taking us through the making of a pin keep the next week or so. As I type this she is probably taking photos of hers and planning out the instructions for us. We need to have a stitched piece ready for the off date. I have a piece I'd already stitched a while ago which I would love to use for this and I've also managed some stitching on another piece which I'd love to make into a pin keep or needle work book.

Well I'm off to read some of the lovely blogs I found on here.

take care and have a peaceful happy weekend

hugs Blondie

Monday 6th November

What a weekend.........I managed to get caught up with my blog and reading a few new ones I found, I was truely blessed by those I read.

Our weekend has been quite hectic, Saturday was shopping day, we decided to go to Sheffield for this because I needed to go to Hobby craft. I bought a few quilting accessories and some gorgeous FQ's of orange to mid yellow print. I know autumn will be leaving us soon but I am determined to eventually make a quilt with a pumpkin on. :o)

I won a wonderful auction on ebay which included a 24" x 36" Olfa rotary cutting mat, an Olfa rotary cutter + a Fiskars 6" x 24" quilters ruler, these are 2nd hand but in excellent condition and it didn't cost me 1/2 of what the cost would be for new.

Sunday I had planned on working on my friendship
quilt, however Zebedee had other plans! Like the other dogs
he has been very unsettled with the fireworks going off nightly. He'd been hiding under and behind chairs or anywhere else he could get. I fed them all at lunch time and being Shih Tzu's they tend to get everything in their eyes, ears and beard so I have to wash their faces after a meal. It really is like wiping your child's face they struggle and want to rush off to play! I did his last and we always have to be on our guard with him, I let my guard down and before I knew it he'd taken a really nasty bite to my fingers. He has bitten me before but he's never broken the skin or bit hard enough but boy did he make up for it this time. Because I'm on aspirin along with other meds I bleed quite a bit when my skin is cut or broken. After cleansing it, which wasn't pleasant as he'd taken quite a large chunk and part of the top of my nail I had to sit with my hand in the air for 30 mins to stop it bleeding. Afterwards Neil managed to pull part of the skin in line and put butterfly stitches on it. He grumbled because I wouldn't go to hospital but Sunday at the hospital would have meant a stay of at least 8hrs and as it wouldn't be classed as urgent I'd be sat there waiting.

I rang the dr's this morning and went to see the nurse, she gave me a tetanus shot and dressed the wound again. We'd done the right thing with it, I have to watch it for the next 48hrs because that's when they have a tendancy to go septic. Needless to say Zebedee has been even more subdued today. It's very hard knowing what to do at the moment, we know he had a horrendous 3 1/2 yrs with his first owners who badly abused him. We've had him 8 mths and although we are firm with him I hoped he was coming to realise we wouldn't hurt him. I'm not sure if it's the fireworks that have upset him or if he has a problem with anything physical, he wont let you look in his mouth or touch his feet without snapping. I do worry as he loves to be around children but I know that if it had been a child he'd bitten it would have been a lot worse. The groomers aren't to happy at grooming him either because they can't get near his face without him trying to bite.

This of course has stopped me stitching or quilting for a few days at least until the stitches can come off and I know it's not going to open or bleed.

One of the groups I'm on has started another SAL, this time it's one of Tanya's first lady samplers, Mrs Jefferson. I wasn't starting straight away so will perhaps catch up later with the ladies. I have 3 Chatelaine designs on the go too, I have finished part 2 on one of them and part 1 on 2 of them. These also will have to be put on hold.

Neil's been out for the day with school today to a place in Yorkshire called Eden camp museum, this link will take you there www.edencamp.co.uk it's great to take school children there to see their history.

I am still waiting for some more of my fabric I won on ebay to arrive, this is coming from the States so will take longer. The fabric I have bought recently is gorgeous!! I'm also waiting delivery of a new sewing machine, a Toyota Quilt 60, my present machine is a good one with several stitches but I don't want to use it for quilting, I don't think it would easily take the bulkier fabric ie top, batting and back all at once. It is coming straight from the manufacturers so can be up to a 3wk wait.
The pics above are of the stitched pieces which will go on the quilt. I took part in a friendship RR with 4 other ladies and these are the result. I have several fabrics around the pieces at the moment but dont want to touch them at the present.

The weather here in the daytime has been beautiful, a slight nip in the air, wonderful sunshine and all the autumnal colours your heart could desire. At night I've be able to lay in bed looking up at the night sky, through the window not a hole in the roof ;O) ! It's been amazing the moon has been shining really bright and along with the stars has made the most wonderful scene to behold, the dark dismal sky of late has made way for a very light dark blue sky, if that makes sense. The ground has been completely covered in the glittering, sparkling white of frost. Even in the darkest hour there has been some beauty to appreciate and thank the Lord for.

Take care
Blondieuk

What season are you?

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Saturday November 4th

Well autumn is well and truly with us, I love this time of year, the air is crisp, the days are sunny and the trees put on their wonderful cloaks of colour. Traveling over to Yorkshire Bridge last Thursday the scenery was wonderful and the beautiful landscape God created over there was a pleasure to behold. I stopped to take a few pictures of the area Paul, Philly and the girls live in. It's just the other side of a small village called Bamford in the Hope Valley area of the Peak District.







This is the road just before Paul's small village of Yorkshire Bridge.















The lane leading down to their row of cottages













To the left of the Patio










From the Patio












To the right showing in the distance the wall of the famous LadyBower Dam










The view from their front window over the village green. The car at the gate is mine. I love visiting or going to stay with them, life there is so much slower than here near the town. The scenery is something to treasure.




I was there to take them to collect their new car from the garage, it had to go back in for repairs to the electrics. They have bought an automatic this time so Paul can drive, his left foot is still not sufficiently responsive so he wears a splint on it which keeps his foot from flopping downwards. He is starting to get some movement in it though which is encouraging.

He is still going for physio and will for a few months yet, the consultants are really pleased with his determination to get his life back and be as mobile as possible. He does get rather wistful when we see or talk about m/bikes, he knows his riding days are over but his interest is still there, just as his Dads was after his horrendous crash whilst racing.
He amazes me with his determination and grit, his sense of humour is still as wicked as always. Apart from breaking many bones including all the vertebra in his back he had internal damage to his lungs, kidneys, liver and bowel and we don't know how much this will affect him in the future but to hear him talk you'd think he just fell off and grazed a knee!! They have told him he will suffer arthritis later because of the damage to the bones.
To us he's a walking miracle which we thank God for everyday!

hugs Blondieuk