A Quick Update

Just so you don't think I've done a disappearing act again: my FIL passed away on Wednesday 4th August at 2.05pm in Derby Hospital. He'd had to be re-admitted to the hospital that morning, due to a chest infection he'd developed not clearing up. His end was very quick, which left us all somewhat stunned, but also Blessedly peaceful. We were relieved that he'd suffered none of the excruciating pain usually associated with cancer and feel he left this life the way he wanted: without fuss and on his own terms.
What more could one ask?

The funeral service is tomorrow (Friday 13th) and we'll be spending the weekend with MIL, doing whatever she needs doing.

Will be back blogging again when I feel a bit more sociable.

Take care all.

A Holiday and a Birthday

Bet you thought I'd been and gone and emigrated and not told you. LOL No such luck... we've been on our annual holiday (vacation), spending two weeks in the fabulous Lake District, followed by a mammoth laundry and cleaning catch up. All the usual boring things that keep you from getting back to the fun stuff.

Am glad to say that the weather, though it had its moments, was waaay better than last year... thought we were going to grow webbed feet then. LOL Here's a pic of the back view of the cottage we stayed in:

It's a truly lovely home-from-home... but I'll not go boring you rigid by posting too many holiday pics, especially as I haven't gotten round to uploading them all to the computer yet. If I ever do get them sorted I'll post a slideshow into another post.... that way you can have a nosey or leave well alone, your choice. I can hear the collective sigh of relief as you thank your stars for that lucky escape. ROFL

It was my birthday whilst we were on holiday. That hasn't happened before and it felt a bid odd... though it was lovely to have the cards on display whilst in the cottage and then come home to find more goodies waiting for me to open. I felt like Queen Lizzy, having two birthdays! LOL As there were some lovely goodies and this post was going to be picture heavy I decided to share these via a slideshow:

As you can see, I received lots of lovely gifts and cards and felt truly spoilt. Thank you again my friends for your kindness and generosity - I loved all of my gifts and cards. :0)

So what else did we get up to whilst we were away? Well we did some walking and had quite a few trips out and about, ate some tasty meals at some lovely pubs, had a friend of DS join us for the middle weekend and they both walked the Langdale Pikes, DH and DS had a trip to Rookin House for a quad biking session, then the three of us went back the following day for archery and air rifle shooting sessions (great fun), trips to Keswick, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Coniston and Kirkby Stephen, a couple of visits to the Rhegged centre, a walk on the shore of the much depleted Thirlmere (some of the old building foundations were uncovered) and, as a birthday treat........ a trip to Fobbles.

Yes, after reading all about Fobbles on Su's blog and not getting the chance to visit last year, it was definitely on the cards for a visit this time round.... especially with some birthday cash burning a hole in my pocket LOL. It was a bit of a trek from the Langdale Valley but well worth the travelling: the lady who owns it was lovely and the place, though small, was jam-packed full of tempting goodies - so if you're ever up that way it is definitely worth a visit. If only I'd won the lottery and been able to buy all of the fabulous charts I picked out! Unfortunately I hadn't, so had to whittle down the haul from all of the ones I would like to the absolute must-haves. It was really tough going, was that, but I got there in the end. Here's the haul that made it home with me:

As you can probably guess, that wasn't all that came home... they had a nice selection of fabrics too.

Oh yes, and some lovely scissors. The stitching fabrics are a couple of 32ct and a 36ct and you can never have too much backing fabric, now can you?! ;0)

I got a few non-stitchy goodies too. As you have all probably realised by now I do have a bit of a thing about books (as well as stash LOL) and there were a few opportunities to indulge this passion too, at Rhegged, Grasmere, in a discount bookshop in Hawkshead and in the 2 Ravens in Kirkby Stephen. Here's that haul:

The bookshop in Hawkshead also had some other interesting goodies I couldn't resist, especially at the prices:

I don't really need any more Oracle cards but those Grail Code ones screamed "Buy Me". I absolutely love Pre-Raphaelite paintings and the cards are based on them. They are visually stunning, give accurate readings and also have lovely meditations to do in the enclosed guide book. It was also the only set they had... reckon it was waiting for me. :0)

One of the trips to Rhegged had DS buying me a belated Mother's Day gift and DH an anniversary gift (it was a holiday of celebrations: it was also our 26th wedding anniversary whilst we were there). These were the lovelies they gave me:

The one on the left is from DS and connects nicely with the garden and the one on the right is from DH and has a dove with the word Peace on it and also a tiny little elephant with a little flower on its flank.... a nice way of linking in with my Power Animal. :0)

The trip to 2 Ravens had DS and I indulging in our passion for crystals and gems. DS got a lovely haul of all kinds but I was restrained and just bought the one.....

A gorgeous Sheen Obsidian crystal ball.... which was an absolute bugger to photograph because of its reflective qualities (as you can see). It isn't as plain as it looks, as it has areas that have a beautiful golden sheen to them. I didn't go with the intention of buying a crystal ball but DH had a particular drawer out, I saw this and as soon as I picked it up it called to me. I tried putting it back but it wouldn't have it, so it came home. The wonderful chaoroite crystal ball was still there and the owner kindly let me hold it again. It gutted me to leave it last time and it did again... but this time I have left her my details and asked that if they sell up (the shop is on the market) before our next visit to please phone me so I can have first refusal. I am now saving my pennies. :0)

In all the time we were away I seemed to be in reading mode, as I read two books and started a third, and only once managed to pick up a needle and stitch. The mojo obviously decided it deserved a longer holiday! LOL Here's the small progress I made on the tiger:

In case you were wondering: more of his throat area has appeared and a start made on the fancy border. Unfortunately the mojo is still intermittent and I've only picked up a needle once since, putting in some stitches on Mother Earth for the JA/S&S UFO Night, infilling more of the tree background:

So now I'm all caught up with the laundry etc and another weeding session had to be done on the border... those weeds decided it was a free-for-all party while we were away and tried to reclaim the bed. I was having none of that and gave them short shrift. Since then Garden Pete has kindly brought the sacks of well rotted horse manure for me and I spent a morning this week spreading two and a quarter sack fulls of it on that bed this week:

Thankfully the well rotted manure is nowhere near as stinky as the fresh stuff, so it made the job less of a trial than it might have been. LOL The greenhouse was ordered last weekend and that has a four to five week delivery date, so we need to get the soil properly levelled and compacted and some slabs laid... we had a rethink on the base and have decided that laying a square of slabs will give more leeway for errors on squareness than bricks and we can then fill the middle with more soil (allowing water run off inside) and around the edges, to stop any tripping hazard. There's enough excess soil in other areas to do this. DH is busy at work, working late and over the coming weekend, so isn't able to do much towards getting it sorted at the moment so I am now making like a chjain gang member and breaking up the hoarded concrete and broken bricks whenever the mood takes me, to give a solid layer under the slabs. It's very good for those "wings".... and for letting off a little steam. LOL

DH and DS did have a bit of a sort through some more of the metal cabinets DH has down the side of the house last weekend, ready for more to go. DS and I spent last night sorting through all of the stuff in the cupboards, moving some of it up by the shed, binning some and bagging up other bits, ready for an amenities site trip this weekend. After all that we moved the scrap into the front garden:

One of the local registered scrap places has come and taken it away today (Friday), so that's even more of the heap gone. Yay! We need a new water pipe laying and that can't be done until the drive between the two houses is clear.... we've made a good start. :0)

I also had a small cardmaking session last weekend, ready for Julie's birthday. A cute card for a special lady:

Not too obvious from the scan but it's a decoupage card, so has several layers. Hope you're having a lovely day Julie. :0)

I had so much fun making Julie's card I followed it up by making a card for my niece:

Then made another, for my "just in case" stash, whilst still in the mood:

Unfortunately I have to end on some sad news: my FIL has been diagnosed with cancer and, because it's well established, he hasn't had any symptoms or pain, and due to his age (86, going on 87), they feel it wouldn't be in his best interests to put him through the hell of chemo. They haven't done any further investigations either, as they feel these could trigger the cancer into faster growth/spread. He's had another stay in hospital, due to the fluid building up again, but is now back home. We visited him in hospital last weekend and we'll be going over there as often as we can manage, to help out and spend time with him and MIL. We hope he will continue to be symptomless and pain free for as long as possible. Make sure you give all your loved ones lots of hugs and tell them how much you love them... because you never know what's around the corner.

Thank you for visiting - may you all be Blessed with good health and good fortune. Take care and have a good weekend. :0)

Christmas Revisited and the Garden.... Again

Due to the total lack of any stitching being done - not even a token few stitches in the Weekly SAL piece, to keep me from going under the naughty chair yet again - I thought I'd show you the Christmas ornies that were revealed when I moved a stack of stuff off a table earlier today. It's amazing what you find lurking, ain't it? LOL

This first piece was stitched some time ago and I finally got around to finishing it towards the back end of last year... I just didn't keep the momentum going enough to actually post a pic of it at the time.

Design: Hardanger Christmas Tree

Designer: Lynda Bodkin - LoopyLou Designs

Fabric: Polstitches 28ct evenweave, Fairy Footprints

Threads: hand dyed, as supplied in kit

Finish: pillow style ornie with beaded edge

After checking in my stitching diary I've just discovered that this was actually stitched way back in 2005.... and I only got around to finishing it in 2009. Oops! > hangs head in shame< Mind, I do have an excuse: I was finishing phobic back then and it wasn't until the Monthly Challenge began on the JA/S&S Forum that I plucked up courage to actually start trying different types of finishes... and the rest is history, as they say. It just took me a while longer to rediscover this stitched piece in the back of the cupboard and do something with it. BTW, that's a piece of Kate's Kloth hand dyed felt backing the hardanger cutwork area..... my stock of that is slowly diminishing and Kate is no longer producing her lovely goodies, so I won't be able to replace it once it's all gone. Does that count towards making these pieces Heirloom standard, me wonders? LOL

Next up is an ornie that I stitched and finished in the same year, I'm pleased to say. In fact, it was stitched and finished on the same day (12th December 2009).... but only because I used a pre-finished tuck ornie that I was lucky enough to win on eBay. LOL

Design: Peace, internet freebie

Designer: Elizabeth's Designs

Fabric: Polstitches 28ct Jobelan, Ice Ltd Ed

Threads: Weeks Dye Works; Carrie's Creations; Wisper thread

Finish: Tuck style ornie, pre-finished

This one was a delight to stitch, as I Love ED pieces... several in my stash that I must dig out and stitch at some point. 

I also discovered some more Christmas ornies that I stitched last year but they are in a little heap, waiting for me to get into a finishing mood. Unfortunately that just hasn't happened recently... guess it's packed its bags and gone off on holiday along with my stitching mojo.  

Still, whilst the stitching mojo has declined the gardening mojo seems to have gone into overdrive. Why does it have to be either or? Why can't we have our cake and eat it? LOL Anyways, earlier this week DH and DS moved the other strawberry planter and removed some of the slabs from the greenhouse base area, then DH did a bit of weeding there, which left us with this:

DH then spent another evening removing the slabs you can see in the foreground and removing the rest of the weeds, then the two Pete's came round with the rotavator on Sunday and flattened the whole area for us. This is what it looks like now: 

We've left the slabs there because we need to re-lay some of them: a path at the end of the workshop, to allow access to the greenhouse door. The door will be at that end so we have all of the growing area within facing sunlight throughout most of the day. The other path will be at the side of it, in line with the one to the workshop. DH wasn't the only one who had been busy out there, as I'd been busy tackling the last area along the new fence, the closest section to the house... the most weed intensive and full of snowdrop and bluebell bulbs. So I did the weeding and went on a bulb rescue mission, whenever it was cool enough to be out there, as the area will end up covered by a patio. Here's what it looks like now:

The soakaway is a temporary measure - when the patio is laid there'll be a water butt in the corner to collect all the run off and that will be used to water the plants. And here's a pic of one of the self-set plants (snapdragon, I think - don't know the posh names) that I left in the border... it's just starting to come into flower now:

Other news: DS has got a part in the LTC's next production, which is An Inspector Calls. Lots of lines to learn, so he's going to be busy! He's also had an interview for a new job today (29th) - it's within the same company but at a different site. It's a big step up the ladder from what he's doing now, so will mean more money to go with the extra responsibility. Fingers and everything else crossed!

DH's Dad (86 years) is currently in hospital undergoing tests. He was getting extremely breathless and that was discovered to be caused by fluid build up in his chest cavity, which has since been drained off, but that has only just been done.... and it's almost two weeks later and we're still none the wiser as to what's actually causing it. So much for merging two smaller hospital's into a much larger, all-singing and all-dancing one.... there's a severe lack of organisation and a worrying lack of communication between all levels of the staff working there (he would have been injected with Warfarin the day before he was due to go for a biopsy if he hadn't queried it!). Thankfully he's been gradually improving during the enforced bed rest and the drainage has helped his breathing.

We are due to go on our annual holiday at the weekend, going to the same cottage in the Langdale Valley, Cumbria, that we stayed in last year. We are hoping that FIL will be OK so we can actually go.... especially as we don't have Cancellation Insurance... mainly because DH doesn't think it's necessary. I sometimes find it really hard to bite my lip.... I'm sure every woman out there will know exactly what I mean. LOL

Thank you for visiting and for all your lovely comments - I really do appreciate it and they really do make my day. Hope you're all enjoying the same lovely weather we've been having. :0)

Poor Neglected Blog!

Yes, this seems to have become a poor neglected blog of late and you can blame it all on the garden, as I've been out there whenever the opportunity has arisen, often only coming back inside when it's got too dark to see what I'm doing. Of course, that means that there's been a minimum of stitching progress.... and without much stitching progress to show you all there didn't seem much point in blogging.

There has been a little progress on the tiger since my last post though, so I thought I'd pop in to share that:

He's looking like the master of all he surveys now, isn't he? There's still a fair bit to go, as there's his neck area to stitch in, as well as a fancy border down the left side. Unfortunately the stitching mojo has decided to get the hump because the gardening mojo has taken over the evenings, so even when it was raining and I was stuck inside a couple of evenings last week the needles stayed in the case and I had to go find something else to do. Annoying that, ain't it? LOL

Still, the garden is slowly starting to take shape... or, rather, parts of it are. ;0) DH and I spent a little time figuring out what size of greenhouse we would like and doing some measuring out, to get an idea of how much of the garden it would take up. The sticks are placed where the corners of the various sizes would end up being:

We finally decided on a 6'3 x 6'4 layout. The roof will be aligned to face the same way as the workshop, with the door facing the back of the workshop, where we'll be laying a few slabs first to make a small path. So it will be the back of the workshop, then some slabs laid to make the path (about as wide as the slab that the smaller green strawberry pot is on), then the greenhouse. So that means the existing path at the back of the workshop (you can just see it beyond the grass) has to come up and a few things had to be moved. 

So, one evening, DH and I moved the large strawberry pot and the slab it's on to a new spot on the opposite side of the garden and moved the composter and all of its contents into a new home too:

The pipes show the final choice for the position of the greenhouse and that dictated where the composter had to go. All that area has to be weeded, rotavated and flattened. That should, hopefully, get done this coming Saturday (26th). There's a four week wait for delivery, so we will hopefully order it on the Sunday... then we're on our holiday for two weeks, so there should only be another week to wait after that. Perfect timing. :0)

Can you see just how tidy the garden looks to the left of the composter? Well, that's all down to little ole me. During the latter half of last week I felt the need to really connect with Mother Earth, so decided it was time to tackle the weeding in that bed.... and the fact that I've managed to put on half a stone in weight since my operation and want it back off again was an added incentive because while I'm out in the garden I'm not tempted to eat and it's giving me some exercise! LOL I opted for the old fashioned way of working: a hand trowel, a pair of gloves and a plastic seat to sit on, to avoid the worst of the bending, with regular forays to the recycling bin to empty the weed bucket and forays up the garden to empty the stone bucket into the gaps between the path to the workshop. Starting at the end nearest the house I gradually worked my way along, with the aim being to eventually reach the composter, taking out all the weeds and as many stones as I could along the way. I realised if I thought about just how long that piece of garden is it would get really daunting.... so I concentrated on the little patch of earth in front of me at all times and ignored the rest, only stopping when my back told me it needed a rest or when it just got too dark to see. I reached the composter by Saturday tea time and here's what it looked like when I'd done:

Just a few plants got left in, along with the bluebell and tulip bulbs that will hopefully flower again next Spring. The plant in the old tub is waiting expectantly to go back in the bed somewhere.

It was a good end to the week, as it didn't start off too good, as my DH was unwell and had to have three days off work. The first day and a half he spent in bed, gradually picking up as he was able to eat light meals on Tuesday (more exercise, as I was up and down those stairs so often I started to feel like a flippin' yo-yo! LOL)... so it was a relief when he came down on Tuesday afternoon and for all day Wednesday. He went back to work on Thursday. He's feeling much better now. :0)

As he was feeling OK and in the mood for helping out we went back out into the garden tonight (Monday 21st - Litha/Summer Solstice) and he planted out the plant in the tub (you guessed it... I've absolutely no idea what it is! LOL) and two shrubs that my Dad gave us before he passed away. They were being very patient too. ;0) One is a Hebe and the other... well, that's another one that remains nameless. So here's what it looks like now:

My neighbour, Garden Pete, is going to get me some well rotted horse manure and that should also be getting dug in on Saturday, ready to improve the bed for the fruit trees going in this Autumn. Oh, and that old washing line is there for me to tweak, until I get the right curvy look for the edge of the bed. :0)

We had a trip to my DSis's on Sunday. A lovely day, catching up on gossip, indulging in some retail therapy and doing some jobs for her. She now has a flat screen monitor for her computer (no internet connection yet though) and a whole lot less stuff in her loft. Boy, was our Dad a hoarder! LOL Some items were only fit for the bin but I've brought several things back with me and put them up on Freegle, so someone can have the benefit of them. Unfortunately we arrived back home on Sunday night to the news that FIL is in hospital at the moment, undergoing tests. He's 86 so it's a bit of a worry, though I am staying calm in an effort to keep DH calm. Getting him into the garden tonight was a good distraction. Hopefully the results from the tests and today's (Tuesday) biopsy will be back so MIL will be able to tell us more when we phone her tonight. Fingers crossed it's good news.

And to end on a better note, I thought I'd share another pic from my garden. Remeber the new metal scrollwork planter I got for the back wall? Well this is what it looks like now everything is a little better established:

I think they're happy in their new home, don't you? LOL

Hope you're all having and enjoying the same lovely weather we're having in my neck of the woods. Thank you for visiting. :0)

Stitching, Gardening, Cardmaking and Chatting

After being really good last time around and having two update pics to show - Mother Earth, as well as the tiger - I'm now back under the naughty chair once again, as only the tiger came out to play this time. You can carry on blaming the garden for that because I've been out there whenever the weather allowed..... and that just doesn't leave enough time to put needle to fabric. Still, the tiger has grown some again:

He's looking a lot less disgruntled and much more dignified now, don't you think? LOL I thought I'd have this done in a couple of weeks. Hah! Seriously underestimated that, didn't I? Perhaps if I didn't garden, go to Development Circle or out to the garden centres.... and if I didn't need to eat or sleep too, I might have managed it. ;0)

As for the garden: it's fast becoming obvious that I'm a dab hand at container gardening, as they are all looking rather good now (even if I do say so myself!).... and there have been a couple of additions too - a wall hanging trough and a new small pot; it's also fast becoming obvious that I'm not too hot on the larger scale. The lawn is kept trimmed and tidy but the rest...... well, let's just pretend that you all believe me when I say that it's being left as a wildlife garden. LMAO Rather than post lots of photos I've made a slideshow for you all to view what I've done so far:

Take a good look at the pic of the strawberry plants and compostor - that area should be changing soon. Our lovely neighbours, the two Pete's, have done a job trade with DH: he fixed the electrics in their workshop and, in return, they are going to come round with a rotavator and flatten the area where the strawberry pots and compostor currently are and help us make a base for a greenhouse. We've already made a start ourselves, by moving the compostor and its contents this week - those lighter and cooler nights are a blessing! We have also been to have a look at some greenhouses and have more or less decided which one we would like - an alteration to the original plan, which was seeing if another neighbour would sell one she had that was surplus to requirements. DH is quite tall and, as he fancies pottering in there quite a bit, we need one that can accommodate his height comfortably - so the ones we've looked at have the option of higher eaves and a taller door. It would be so good to get it all sorted and have some tomatoes and cucumbers growing in there before it's too late in the season. :0)

All that bending in the garden has done for my back, so those magic needles my acupuncturist uses have been helping me with that. What it also needs is for me to rest up a little.... but that's not something I'm overly good at - if the weather is fine I want to be out of doors and once out there I find myself pottering, rather than sitting. I shall have to grab a book out of the huge pile and force myself to sit during this current warmer spell though, or I'll really start to suffer.

It hasn't been all gardening and stitching though, as I did finally get around to having a cardmaking session earlier in the week. Nothing too fancy - just basic matting and layering of some Habico pre-printed pictures. Here's another slide show for your perusal:

As you can see, I've also been playing around with my blog layout. DH and DS are out at the Guild Room today (Saturday), helping to lay a new level floor, so I have lots of time to play now my jobs are done. I think I've finally settled on a blog look that I like.... but don't quote me! LOL

I did get my new glasses..... unfortunately I keep forgetting to ask DH to take some pics. Well, it's not my most favourite thing to do. LOL Hopefully I'll remember for my next post, so you can see the total new look. :0)

Oh, before I forget: last week was time for another first for me. As DH and DS were both involved in the Blackadder II performance (DH was stage manager - DS had a small part in it and crewed backstage for the rest of the time) there was no one to go to the theatre with me. So, as I really wanted to see it..... I went on my own. Yup, drove myself there, sat and watched the performance and then drove myself home again. It was well worth the effort too, as I really enjoyed the show. I do like being this strong and independent person. :0)

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to stop by for a visit. Hope you're all enjoying the lovely weather and having a great weekend. :0)

The Tiger and The Mother

Well the tiger is coming along, slowly but surely.... unfortunately a bit more slowly than planned, due to the start of a bad case of gardening fever. Yup, the warm weather finally kicked off this week making it impossible to ignore the pull of the garden. Who can resist being out there when the blackbirds are putting their hearts and souls into their songs? Not me, that's for sure. :0)

Here's where I left off the stripey one by the end of the week:

It's rather intimidating having those eyes staring right back at you whilst you're infilling the rest of the face, I can tell you. The expression seems to say: Come on woman, get on with it and get me finished.... this is totally undignified! LOL

I was really good at the start of last week and brought Mother Earth out again. Well, I'd spent that long under the naughty chair I was in danger of taking root there! I didn't do a great deal (just about enough to make an update pic worth posting) but it felt good to be working on Her again. Here's where I left off:

In case you're not sure where I was working: a start was made on infilling the last section of the trees on this page. I forgot to zoom in on the pic so you get to see just how disgustingly grubby the material has got along the edges. * Hangs head in shame* Still, this piece has been on the go for several years..... but I'm not fessing up as to how long or my head will be hanging even lower! LOL

So what have I been up to this time around? The usual Development Circle session on Tuesday night - this week we did psychometry. I like doing this, especially as I seem to do reasonably well at it.... though do better on personal objects that have been worn, rather than not so personal items. Then there's my weekly acupuncture session..... those little needles are wonder workers where my arthritic aches and pains are concerned and I highly recommend it. Then I had my monthly Reiki session on Saturday.... always a guaranteed chill out, and this session has made me realise that I want to pursue this avenue but from the other side - I want to take this up as part of my development towards doing healing work. I hope that Aureen, my Reiki practitioner, will be willing to teach me..... or be able to recommend someone, if she's unable to do so. I also bought a couple of plants from a local shop and planted them up in the evening, when it had gone cooler. DS had also brought back another five strawberry plants from the market so I planted those up in a large container - we should have a good crop very soon. :0)

Then I've been out in the garden quite a bit. As DH and DS were busy for much of the weekend, what with the local farmer's market and the theatre Get In for this weeks performance of Blackadder II, I had a trip out in my car to one of the local garden centres........ unfortunately a big proportion of the local population had also decided it would be good to do this too. To say it was heaving would be an understatement.... but the Angel of Parking Spaces was with me and someone pulled out of a slot opposite the doors just as I drove through the gates. Thank you Angel! LOL I had planned on staying for dinner but the busy-ness of the place soon made me change that plan.... too many rude, impatient and ignorant people around, it just wouldn't have been enjoyable. So I grabbed a barrow (the last one by the doors - thank you again, Angel!) and started the rounds of the plants and into the barrow went: a lovely Lavendula; five assorted alpine plants and two Osteospernum (sp?). I couldn't find the decorative wall planter (menopausal brain fart moment) so I found a very obliging female member of staff who took me to where they were.... and she was also good enough to show me a selection of plants that would do well on a north facing wall, for which I thanked her. I wouldn't have had a clue, otherwise! LOL So into the barrow went the wall planter, three trailing plants and two flowering plants...... but please don't ask me what they're called because I can't remember. The Angel was still with me because, when I got to the tills, the large queue that had been there when I arrived had totally gone (thank you, again), so I paid, loaded up the car, put the barrow back by the door for the next customer and exited so the patiently waiting chap could have my parking spot. I guess his Angel was looking out for him too. LOL It was a very hot day on Sunday so, once I'd unloaded everything from the car, I had a cold drink and a sit down before doing much of anything else. Later in the day, when it had cooled off some, I planted up some of that days buys. I'll post pics in another post once the planter is up on the wall.

I've also had a cardmaking session. Nothing too taxing, just making up some kiddies cards from a kit I bought from Tesco a while ago.

Don't you just love those goggle eyes?

Very quick and easy to make.... and a lot of fun. All I had to provide was the foam pads and glue dots. I shall add numbers to the cards when I send them out. Am hoping that this will kickstart the cardmaking mojo, as it's been sadly lacking this year.

The sorting and moving things into the craft room has stalled again..... the garden can take the blame for that. LOL Oh, and I'm now waiting for my new specs to arrive, to complete the new look - hopefully they won't be too much longer.

Many thanks for all the lovely comments on my new look.... hopefully it hasn't scared too many of you. LOL Hope life is being kind and you're all having a good week. :0)

Giveaway Winner, Other Things.... and a New Me

My apologies for the late draw posting for the giveaway but things have been a little busy here.... and the call of the garden is strong, now that Spring has finally sprung..... eeerrmmm sort of. The nice weather we've been having here in my neck of the woods has just given way to rain which is why I'm finally in here and on the computer and not out in my garden. LOL

Firstly, the drawing for the Lily Maiden kit has been done: a piece of paper pulled out of the Crystal Chalice of Fortune with the lucky winner's name on..... and the name is..............

Kindly modelled by DH - thought you'd prefer to see his hairy arm, rather than the "Stop the Bloody Whaling" Greenpeace t-shirt he's wearing, as the blood spots on that look too real for comfort. Congratulations Gaynor. :0) If you could please leave a seperate comment on this post with your email on (which will NOT be posted) I will contact you to get your snail mail details, so I can have the kit winging it's way to you, courtesy of Royal Mail, in the not too distant future. :0)

Amongst the sorting out, jobs and gardening I've been doing I have found time for a little stitching. I'm afraid none of it was on Mother Earth though, so I am probably in the bad books over at the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog with a third consecutive no-show. Actually it's getting quite comfy under that naughty chair, as I've now got lots of cushions and the fleecy blanket to keep me warm, a stack of books (well, I've got to get through all those books I've bought from the Hospice Bookshop somehow!) and a couple of Carob bars. The Carob is because I'm dairy intolerant and don't do chocolate.... and because there's not much chance of anyone else who's under the chair wanting to nick any - it's definitely an acquired taste! LOL So when I've been sat in my armchair, instead of under the naughty chair, and the mojo has been around it's the tiger that's been getting the attention. Here's last week's update, which I didn't get around to posting:

And this is where he's at now:

I'm still undecided about that reddish-brown thread - at the moment it seems to stand out like a sore thumb and doesn't seem to go with the other colours. Am hoping that, as I stitch more, it will kind of blend in better.

Some of the gardening has involved trips around various local garden centres, along with rather nice meals out, to buy some plants, then putting them into the five wall pots: the Lady by the front door, Arthur and Guinevere on either side of the side door and the two pots that are either side of my Lady face plaque on the back of the house. I shall take pics of them and share when they're a bit better established. Whilst we were at one of the garden centres I just couldn't resist this beauty:

The bees and hornets were ecstatic over it and I just fell in love with the colours. I'm still pondering on the best spot for it to go in the garden... DH couldn't resist going round with his spray pot of poison (weed killer) one weekend, whilst I was out at the Healing Course (taking advantage of my absence, as he knows I wouldn't let him loose with the damned stuff, otherwise) so it's staying in its pot until I know it's going to be safe!

The move into the craft room is progressing slowly but surely. Most of my books are now up there, allowing me to rearrange the downstairs bookshelves in the process and accommodate some herbal and gardening books that my DSis gave me (they were our Dad's), and a few more of my books were added to the charity pile. I finally got the boxes needed and carried on with the sorting and organising of my cardmaking stash: the bulk of the peel-offs are done (need another box to do the rest) and the rubber stamps. We also had a clear out of another cupboard and the caravan too. So when The British Heart Foundation posted a bag through the door at the weekend it was perfect timing: I filled it, left it out the front on Thursday and it's been collected, saving me from having to heft it all down the street.

As for the Healing Course: I had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed both weekends. Jan's cottage, where it was held, is beautiful and so much quieter than where I live - loved the peace and quiet. We'll all be meeting up again soon to have a get together and receive our certificates and booklets. I've since done a little healing on my DH, a willing guinea pig, and helped to ease a painful shoulder problem he had... and also did a little self-healing when I had a very arthritic session with my left knee, which alos eased that. Looking forward to receiving the booklet, as it will have some of the meditations and other things in that I can use as a memory jogger. On the Sunday of the second weekend I took my drum and Tibetan Singing Bowl and Wayne (the chap giving the course) took his drums and we all got to have a play - great fun. Now the others on the course have decided they're going to the Mind, Body and Spirit event at the Lincolnshire Showground next month with the intention of buying Tibetan Singing Bowls. LOL

The Course has set off some positive developments for me. I've been driving myself to Circle and back ever since, leaving DH to amuse himself at home, and have met my DSis at the Lemon Tree Tea Room in Epworth Garden Centre (it's half way between the two towns we live in) where we had a lovely meal, some warm drinks, a wander round and lots of chat. It was way outisde both of our comfort zones but we enjoyed it so much we plan on doing it, and similar trips, again. :0)

Another thing has been my decision to have a much-needed make-over. Due to the agoraphobia and panic attacks and the grief issues I'd been sadly neglecting myself. My weight had rocketed in that time and my hair grew long and straggly. Would you believe, it's been over 10 years since I last stepped foot in a hairdressers/salon and had my hair cut! It was a case of putting my hair into a scrunchie to keep it off my face.... and if the fringe got too long I just used to hack a bit off with the nail scissors.

Well, I tackled the weight and health problems, along with many of the grief issues, and have been feeling much better for it - now I am out and about and even back driving once again. So last week I finally decided that it was now time to tackle that last sign of the old, agoraphobic me..... time to do something about my hair...... and because I now know that I am also worth the time, effort and money that is involved.

So now you're going to finally find out what I look like - those with a nervous disposition or a weak heart be warned! LOL Here's a pic of the old me, taken at my DSis's one Christmas before Dad passed away, with much of the weight, untamed eyebrows and the straggly tied-back hair - believe me when I say I looked a whole lot worse than this the year after Dad passed (more weight and an ashen/grey complexion) but there aren't any pics of me from then.

The legs and arm belong to my DS, who didn't want his pic displayed, but it was the only half way decent pic I could find of me. Now here's me the evening after the waxing and hair styling session, courtesy of S, one of the ladies who goes to the Development Circle with me:

Can you tell that I hate having my pic taken? LOL Nicely shaped, under-control eyebrows and a layered-look hairstyle - though still a little red from the waxing. It's so easy to look after too: I just wash it or damp it a little, then scrunch it with some serum on my hands, then spray it with a spray gel to hold it. It takes five minutes to do, at most. I'll just be pulling the fringe a bit further forward in future, as I'm not so keen on all that forehead showing off the receeded hairline, otherwise I like the new look me...... though I do occasionally look in the mirror and double-check it's actually me! LOL The make-over isn't going to end there though, as I've made an optician's appointment for next week and I'm going to get some new specs..... and I'll be going for a new look with those, too. And plans are afoot for finding and joining both yoga and bellydancing classes - for Spiritual development, toning up and just plain fun! LOL :0)

Thank you to you all for your continued visits and kind comments. Hope you have had a good week and also have a great weekend. :0)