A Catch Up

Have realised that I didn't actually post a pic of the tag I made to take to Rosehill last Monday so thought I'd start with that:


I always pop the tags inside a plastic bag, to keep them dry, and take a large metal paper clip that I bend around so one end hooks and holds the tag firm whilst the pulled out end is pushed into the ground to keep it in place. This method works well, as the tags are usually still there when we next visit (unless the chaps have been tidying up!). The weather was rather horrible on our visit: cold, biting wind and raining. We called in at the Thornton's Cafe at The Outlet afterwards, to say Hi to my DSis and get a hot drink to warm us up. We had a lovely surprise when our Uncle T and Aunty S (Mum's brother, our last link with our Mum's side of the family, and his wife) came into the cafe while we were there - something they've never done before. I hadn't seen them both in quite a while, so I gave them both a big hug and kiss and had a natter, catching up with some of their news. I love it when the Universe brings about such happy chance encounters. :0)

We arrived back home in plenty of time for the Virgin Media chap coming to check the set top box. The upshot of that is that the box wasn't just playing up but was obsolete and officially cream crackered, so he changed it for a brand new, latest version one - and gave us a new card for the front too. It's brilliant: everything that's supposed to work does, so we can get the guide all of the time, bookmark what we want and it work and can now use the On Demand service. Yay! Such a shame that most of what's been on the TV lately just hasn't been worth watching though! LOL

The rest of last week was a round of the usual house jobs, blogging, stitching, getting out in the garden when the weather allowed, reading and cooking etc etc etc. Thrilling, ain't it? LOL Actually I don't mind things being that slow - every time I've wished for some excitement something nasty has usually happened....... so slow is good. :0)

On the stitching front Night Watchman had three nights of attention last week. Now you may think I'm aiming to be teacher's pet or going for a Miss Goody Twoshoes award with that but no, it was all down to: 1) not seeming to get much done in one night, so wanting to do more to make up for it and 2) really wanting to get to the bottom corner, so it would give me an idea as to how much more was left to stitch before that much anticipated HD would happen. Have a look-see:

I think I may take him on holiday with me, just in case I get time to do any stitching while we're away (doubtful, with my hyperactive DSis around and evenings of playing Trivial Pursuit, but you never know). He'll certainly be the easiest piece to gather everything together to pack in the car.

I started the finishing for my April Christmas Ornie last week but let's just say that it didn't go to plan and I've kind of ground to a halt with it. >:0( I've now thought of a way to hide the bit of damage that happened but it's going to take a while to do, so I have to leave it until my patience is up for it. Oh well, you live and learn!

The next Challenges have been announced. The JA/S&S Forum's challenge for May is a biscornu from any of the links that were provided - there's lots of choice and some very lovely ones too. Have chosen one and printed it off....... am now hoping I can fit it in, with one week less to do things in. The Challenge for a Finish challenge for May is a needleroll, any pattern. This one will be a first for me but I have something all ready in my stash that I've been meaning to get around to some time...... so have definitely got to fit this in. Meanwhile I've been stitching a couple of small pieces that will be going off to a new home once the finishing has been done. Not in my normal line but they were fun to do. I won't show a pic until they've reached their new home though . Sorry. ;0)

I finished my last book, Dan Brown's Digital Fortress, too. Another good read - there are more details in the side bar and over at The Reading Corner blog, if you want to know more. BTW, it's been registered with the Book Crossing site and is available, if anyone would like it. Current read is from my non-fiction stash: Mistress Peachum's Pleasure: The Life of Lavinia, Duchess of Bolton by Lisa Hilton. It's about an 18th century actress who made good, with much about the history of the times she lived in. Not as exciting as Dan Brown but interesting, nonetheless - especially when you consider the similarities between the things that were happening back then to what is happening now....... today's binge drinking crowds are nothing new and they are complete amateurs, compared to the gin swillers back in the 18th century! This will probably end up coming on holiday with me, as I can't see me finishing it beforehand.

DH and I have been stay-at-home bodies so far this Bank Holiday weekend and the garden has been getting some attention whilst the weather has been nice. Some of my pots that had empty spaces have now got violas filling the gaps. The crocus, snowdrop and daffodil leaves have been trimmed back and dropped tulip leaves gathered; the bird feeders filled; the ivy growing over the door to the Secret Garden (namely: the old air raid shelter) has been trimmed back so DH can get in there; a bit of conifer trimming and a dandelion dig out has been done and a lot of old dead bits picked out of nooks and crannies. If the weather stays fine tomorrow the strimmer will make it out for a once around the areas that the mower can't get at, then it'll be looking a lot tidier....... apart from the triffids at the bottom of the garden - they seem to have plans to take over the world, the rate they are growing. LOL The fresh air has been good and benefited the both of us...... we'll sleep well tonight.

Hope you are all having a great weekend, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Thank you for visiting. :0)

The Handsome Fella

Yes, the little fella came out again for two more nights of stitching last week and they saw me slowly working away at all the background below him. Here's where I left off:

He's getting there, slowly but surely - fingers crossed for a HD some time next month. :0)

As it was Mother's Day (in the UK) on Sunday I also got my cardmaking goodies out last week to make the tag that I like to put by Mum's plaque at Rosehill, when we visit to take flowers. With all the new growth in the garden and the reasonable weather we've been having lately I was definitely in a Spring mood this time round. Here's what I made:


The visit was a rather blustery one but, once again, the whole Cemetery was looking beautiful with all the new Spring growth and floral tributes. The only niggle was having to go searching for a pot to put Mum's flowers in - the one we used last time had disappeared and there were very few about, as it looks like the local metal thieves had been to call. Reckon they've built up some bad Karma with that rather spiteful theft!

There isn't a Sea Stars update this time round. Unfortunately everything I stitched on it last Thursday night (quite a bit) will have to be frogged - one stitch out again! It's the second time it's happened on the big motif but the umpteenth time it's happened with the whole piece so I'm rather fed-up with it at the minute. I've decided to put it to one side for a couple of weeks in the hopes that a short break will help. I still love the design and do want to finish it, so am not abandoning it altogether - just having a break that will allow me to get on with a couple of other projects I want to do then, hopefully, come back to it with renewed enthusiasm. :0)

Friday was my delayed appointment with Jan, the Herbalist. We had a good natter after we'd covered all the health stuff and discovered we have more in common than we'd previously realised. All I can say is that I am so looking forward to the up and coming move to her new home: it has an annexe that will be used as a Clinic, plus the move will see the development of the Spiritual aspect she's wanted. There'll be lots of interesting workshops coming up, which can't currently run in the Ashby place, as it's too small. I'll post more about this visit, and what else happened, on my other blog some time this week.

Saturday and DH rang the holiday place and booked the cottage we wanted in Chapel Stile, so that's all sorted now. Yay! Mid-morning it was time for my monthly Reiki treatment with Aureen. It went very well once again, though I came away feeling tired this time, rather than buzzing with energy. Will post more about this on my other blog too. Afterwards DH met me in Il Sorriso, where we had dinner (they do a rather nice ham salad), then we called in at one of the flower shops where I bought some freesias to take to Rosehill on Sunday - they were Mum's favourite flowers. As I was feeling tired we didn't have the planned trip to Uncle Henry's to shop - instead, DH used the time to do an oil change on DS's Mini and I sat and did the finishing on the JA/S&S Monthly Challenge piece (will show a pic after Reveal Day) whilst desperately trying hard not to fall asleep. I slept rather well that night! LOL

Sunday we were up early to have our trip over to Doncaster. I got a card from DS before we left and my gift of The Duchess DVD is on its way from Amazon. We picked up my DSis first, visited Rosehill then went back to hers for dinner. In the afternoon DH did some work on the shed for her, to make it a little more secure. We had quite a good natter too. We came home a little earlier as all three of us were tired. The journey home got a little interesting at one point though, when we speed-bumped some roadkill - DH was on dipped headlights at the time, due to oncoming traffic, so didn't see it early enough to avoid it and swerving wasn't an option due to said traffic. Result: two rather nasty sounding thumps and two lurches as the front then back wheels went over it. Not nice! The only thing that made us feel slightly better about it was the fact that the poor thing, whatever it was, was already dead. It was a while before our heart rates returned to normal after that! Thankfully there's no sign of damage to the car.

When we arrived home there was a blue bag sat waiting on my chair and inside were these two potted plants from DS:

Aren't they lovely? Unfortunately my naff picture doesn't really do them justice. The blue flowers are a couple of shades darker than shown. They are currently sitting in the back porch, waiting for some decent weather so they can go outside - I plan on planting them out, when they've done flowering, and hope they'll keep on flowering every year. :0)

Today has been my jobs day and Alex has been for her usual drink and a natter. The rehearsal's for Carpe are gathering momentum now so she and DS are back and forth to those. They're both having to learn to speak their lines whilst wearing a set of vampire teeth - apparently it's quite a knack to speak without spitting all over the person they're facing! So looking forward to watching the performance in May. :0)

Tonight I plan on carrying on with stitching the piece for Challenge for a Finish. Am very happy with the colours chosen (without input from anyone else!) - let's just hope I can actually turn it into a half decent scissor case once it's stitched! LOL Am hoping that tomorrow I will get the finishing done on this month's Christmas ornie, then there'll be something new to show you. :0)

Thank you again for taking the time to visit and for all those lovely comments. Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend and a quiet start to the week. :0)

Better Late Than Never

Thought that was the best approach for Night Watchman last week, seeing as how I forgot about Tuesday UFO Night after getting carried away stitching my piece for the Challenge For A Finish Blog. So he got pulled out of the bag Wednesday night for a belated stitching session and, as I tired quickly Thursday afternoon, also sat and did some more on him then as well - especially as there were some rather good documentaries on the TV. Here's what he looks like now:


It's good to see this growing nicely......... especially as there won't be another new large start until after he's finished.

Thursday night was Sea Stars SAL night and I didn't feel I got a huge amount done so sat and did more on Friday night as well. Here's where I got to with that:

Would have liked to have finished that larger motif but didn't quite manage it. Never mind, it should get finished this time round and hopefully a few more smaller motifs along with it too. :0)

Saturday DH and I went into the Town Centre determined to finally get me a new mobile phone. My old one has served me well but the battery has been slowly dying for some time, meaning it developed a nasty habit of switching itself off whenever it felt like it - not good when I'm on my own down the High Street and want the reassurance of knowing I can contact DH if I need to. A visit to Car Phone Warehouse later and one dinky little flip-lid silver Nokia with a basic camera, Bluetooth capability and MP3 wotsit was chosen and paid for. Not bad for just under £20.00, thanks to an offer they had on and a trade-in of my clapped out old phone (Bye bye little phone). Now all I've got to do is learn how to use the darned thing and its gizmos..... LOL. Next was a visit to the Health Food Shop to stock up on lots of healthy organic goodies, then home. When we'd put the shopping away and had some lunch we had a trip out to Uncle Henry's Farm Shop for more goodies from there, then home again.

That night I picked up the CFAF piece and completed it. Yay! Two Challenge pieces stitched - just the finishing and one more Challenge piece to go. After changing my mind several times on how to finish the Monthly Challenge piece I've now settled on one and hope to get that done some time tomorrow. The CFAF piece has to be a heart shape, so that's decided - just need to decide exactly how I want to achieve that/what look to go for. Will post pics as soon as it's OK to do so. :0)

Sunday it was really cold and didn't tempt me out of doors at all. DS and DH disappeared off to help with the Wilton Get-In at the theatre (another amateur group in the area). No stitching while they were out though: I've really got into my latest book, Hiding From The Light by Barbara Erskine, and have spent quite a bit of time with my nose well and truly stuck into that. LOL Not much choice about that though, as my computer suffered some kind of glitch whilst DH was out, tried to reboot then crashed and then wouldn't boot up again. Aaaaaaarrrrggghhh!!!! DH had it apart after he got home: hoovered out the dusty bits, checked all the electrical connections with a meter (all normal), waggled a few bits then put it all together again. This time it decided to play nice and booted up OK so he cleared out all the Temp Files etc then ran a scan on it - all is OK there and it seems to be running fine now so we have no idea what the problem was. Fingers and everything else crossed that it stays that way! I did a little stitching on my ornie for the Christmas Ornie Challenge in the evening.

DH had Monday and today off, using some of his holidays. Monday was jobs day whilst DH pottered around getting a few things sorted: picking up his prescription and getting it filled at the Chemist, popping to Aldi and the like. Alex came for a natter in the afternoon and brought a few things to show: her finished patchwork/embroidered piece, which was gorgeous, and a knotwork garden piece that is stitched with french knots in variegated threads which was very pretty and really effective (both Embroiderers Guild projects). She also brought some bargain felt kits she'd bought from the Viking Loom in York. These were felted pics: four were of seasonal flowers and the fifth of a lily - all are designed to be embellished with embroidery to give them detailing. Can't wait to see them finished as they will look amazing. I will have to start remembering to take pics to show!

Today has been a bit of an off day for me so I spent it at home pottering and stitching whilst DH had trips out: down the High Street for a haircut and to do a little shopping, then to Wickes and Screwfix to get some DIY bits, for us and my DSis, followed by a Governor's meeting in the early evening. After the past couple of days stitching the Christmas ornie is really starting to take shape now, so that'll soon be another piece needing finishing. Yay! After all the Challenge pieces are completed I will be able to concentrate on some other smalls I want to do for Clare's Miss-Tree and for Stitching For A Cure...... plenty to keep me busy when DH goes off to Italy again next week. Yes, despite saying that the last few trips should be the last up pops another one. :0( At least it won't be for long (Monday to Wednesday) so I shouldn't complain....... especially as DS will be out in the evenings, which means that I'll be in charge of the TV remote and can finally watch some of those DVD's I bought in the Amazon sale. LOL You're welcome to join me for the veg out ladies - just bring your favourite nibbles and your stitching. :0)

Clare: it wasn't Ashby-de-la-Zouch - Ashby is our local High Street. This town was originally separate villages, of which Ashby was one, which all grew and merged into the one town due to the growth of the steelworks (there used to be several, all major employers, and they built housing for the steelworkers - now there's just the one). It used to be a boomtown, believe it or not, and was the country's youngest town until Milton Keynes was built. How's that for a potted local history lesson? LOL

Well it's Tuesday UFO Night again so I'd best be off to get some more done on NW - got to keep on the right side of Mr Stick. ;0)

Many thanks for taking the time to visit. Hope you're all having a productive stitchy time. :0)

Best Laid Plans?

Up until today it seemed to be one of those slightly frustrating weeks where not much was going to plan....... although it seems too much hassle to get bothered about it - methinks the Reiki has helped me stay chilled (or is that down to the bitter weather we're currently having? LOL).

The Fascia guy didn't turn up on Tuesday to review what was needed for the job and revise his costing (we'd asked him to add an extra job to what needs doing). OK, no sweat, he seemed to want the work so I figured he'd contact us eventually and left it there.

Wednesday morning I'd got my head round having the walk down the High Street to see the Herbalist for our two hour session..... only to get a phone call first thing, from the receptionist, to cancel the appointment. Poor Jan seems to have come down with one of the bugs that's doing the rounds here at the moment and is off sick - she'll be phoning me when she's back at work to reschedule. OK, I didn't mind too much: people can't help getting sick and the weather was blooming freezing, so it wasn't exactly filling me with enthusiasm about venturing out in it, but I really would like to know what I'm doing with my diet, so I can make those needed changes and get used to them a little before the festive season starts properly. I want to know what I am OK to eat and drink and what I have to avoid. Oh well, I'll just stick to doing the little things I'm currently doing, as they seem to be working for now.

With not having to go out Wednesday I got some extra time for reading and managed to finish Picture Maker by Penina Spinka - more about that in the side bar and on The Reading Corner. Another enjoyable read and again I've registered it with Book Crossing and also added it to my list of swaps - it's open to anyone that wants it, so give me a shout if you'd like to read it next. :0)

In the afternoon I got a phone call from the fascia guy to apologise and explain he'd been ill, losing his voice for a few days. I could tell that was genuine, as I had to ask him to repeat some of what he'd said - he was so hoarse I struggled to make out what he was saying. He arranged to come round Thursday morning instead.

I didn't pick out another book straightaway in the interests of my stitching mojo which, up until Tuesday UFO Night, seemed to have gone awol in protest. Subsequently Night Watchman came out of the bag on Wednesday night as well this week and here's where I got up to:

I got some more of the background done on the right hand side and also stitched a little more of the Watchman himself. I love the way this is turning out...... although I am biased, as I do love owls. :0) At bedtime I finally chose my next book: Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine, and made a start on it before settling......... am hoping I can better balance the reading and stitching this time round, so I can have a new small start on Friday (Sea Stars SAL today).

This morning started off well, with the arrival of a chart from my last Thread Bear order. The first one went missing enroute, unfortunately, and Kate had to wait for new stock coming in before she could send out a replacement for it.

Couldn't resist this, as I thought it would make a nice Spring/Oestre picture. :0)

He may not be a white rabbit but he seems to have brought a little Luck with him: not only did the fascia guy turn up today but he's having everything delivered tomorrow dinnertime and is hoping to make a start on the job in the afternoon, if not then definitely on Saturday. Yay! Come Summertime we'll only have the windowsills, back door header and bay tiles to repaint to make it look all fresh and tidy again. :0) I must say, though: I do not envy the guy his job at all at the minute - working out in this weather would finish me off for sure. I'll keep him well supplied with warm drinks while he's here - he's a young lad about my DS's age so the instinct to mother him is strong, especially as he's been poorly, bless him. LOL

I've also dug my box of Christmas cards out from the bottom of the wardrobe, ready to start the marathon writing session it always involves. At the moment I'm hovering between prevarication and total avoidance - there are other things I'd much rather be doing than working towards a bad case of writers cramp. Yes, folks, I'm in a full on "Bah, Humbug!" frame of mind and that despite the messages from Dad. I can't help it: I love the quiet celebration of the Yule Festival, which is far more in keeping with my beliefs and outlook on life, and just can't abide all the hype and hysterical frenzy that seems to be mandatory at this end of the year. Right, I'll stop there and climb down off me soap box before I thoroughly depress anyone who has managed to get into the Spirit of the Season. LOL

Whatever you are doing, I hope you are all managing to stay warm and cosy now Winter seems to have got underway. Thank you for visiting. :0)

Egyptian Reggae

That was my mini Happy Dance choice for Tuesday UFO Night because I did finally finish all of the cross stitch on Egyptian Tablet and here's the pic to prove it: So glad to get that done. Next week it's on to the backstitch which is in DMC's gold metallic thread....... best get Mr Stick limbering up for then Julie because I am not looking forward to it at all - that metallic is awful and there's lots of it.
There'll be one big celebration in this house when it is finally completed but be warned though: when I do finally get this finished it won't be an Egyptian Reggae HD but a full on bellydance I'll be doing which may result in news reports of earth tremors in this area. LOL ;0)

It's back to the Monthly Challenge piece today. Yay! Must admit that I was enjoying this so much I didn't want to break off to do ET last night but needs must - plus that Mr Stick is a scary dude when he wants to be! I did a little research on the Web yesterday, looking for pieces in a similar style to how I want to finish mine but didn't find exactly what was wanted - saw lots of other inspiring pretties though, with finishing techniques I'd like to try at some point. Although I'm in awe of how many talented stitchers there are out there and the wonderful items they've made - if my pieces end up just half as good then that'll be me very happy.

Glad to say the weather here today, although cold, is actually quite sunny. It seems to have affected the birdies because they are zipping about in hyperactive mode, ram raiding the feeders in my garden then zipping off and squabbling in the bushes. Poppa blackbird has already staked his claim to our garden again and is defending it against all comers, including the neighbours scabby tom cat. Methinks they are full of the joys of Spring already and there may well be some frantic nest building going on soon. As for the plant world: winter flowering pansies and jasmine are still in flower, snowdrops are in various stages of bloom and the crocus are fast catching up but the daffs and narcissi are trailing behind, as per usual. Yes, Mother Earth is gradually waking up after her winter sleep. Am looking forward to warmer days, lighter nights and soon being able to spend more time in my garden. :0)

Hope you're all enjoying nicer weather and having fun, whatever you are doing. :0)

Brisk and Breezy!

That's the weather I'm referring to and that's the only way to describe it: the recycling wheelie bins were tumbling like nine pins through the night, meaning unsquashed plastic pop bottles were rolling down the street in a bid for freedom and there are brightly coloured cardboard packets liberally decorating most gardens this morning. Earlier we had sudden bouts of torrential rain and hail that sent out the occasional lightning strike, now it's downpours of rain and hail that are interspersed with bright sunshine - yes, Mother Nature has got a right menopausal moody on today! LOL

Sorry to disappoint Mr Stick but I did have that delayed UFO Night stitching session last night and this is where I got to by the end of it:

Why is it that the last bit always seems to take aaages to get done? Oh well, only another one (or maybe two) more sessions to see the cross stitch complete then it'll be on to the backstitch.

Not sure how long that will take but I want to free up that frame for a new start! I've got the Ozark SAL taking up the frame that Karen sent me (thanks again!) and the other spare one has been reserved for the Amanda SAL which starts tomorrow - did think I'd got another spare but that must have been an hallucination or wishful thinking or something. >rolleyes<>

Not much longer and we'll be finding out what the Monthly Challenge for February will be - can't wait to find out which design we'll be stitching! There were 50 votes taken last time I looked!

We are supposed to be going for a wander down the High Street soon, as it's our local Market Day - we'll have to choose our moment and hopefully the weather will be kind and hold off long enough for us to get our shopping done and get back home without getting wet, although we'll definitely be getting a tad wind blown! All garden jobs are now on hold but at least I managed to get out there yesterday and fill the brown bin with conifer clippings, ready for it being emptied today.

Dawn: I might be planning on us getting some DIY jobs done - that doesn't necessarily mean that DH will extract his digit and do them. He needs a rocket up for motivation, so I don't think it would do any good to send him round to yours. LOL.

Anyway, DH needs to send an email to work before we can go shopping, so I'd better go. Hope you're all taking care, keeping safe and staying warm and thanks for visiting. :0)

ET Go Home!

This particular ET (Egyptian Tablet) anyway because the end is in sight (cross stitch side of things, at least) and I'm fast approaching the "I'll be glad to see the back of it" stage that seems to kick in with some projects. Yes, I've enjoyed stitching the bulk of it and yes, it's going to look great when it's finished but it does seem to feel like it's taken ages to get to this point.
Anyway, here's the before: Here's where I got to after this weeks UFO Night stitching:
Today got off to a good start when the long-awaited pinkie containing the first Ozark Mystery SAL pack arrived on the doormat. It's my first ever Mystery and so far I am a very happy bunny because I love the colours and the border looks interesting. Hopefully I'll get the chance to work out the start place, mark it and get the fabric attached to the frame some time this afternoon so it'll be all ready to start when I've finished the first section of the Memories SAL. Oh, and done the final finishing on the Monthly Challenge piece, seeing as how the reveal is on Saturday. Methinks a bit more organisation is needed in this house!

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Panic over re: my Thread Bear order. Got an email yesterday to let me know that the roller bars and one of the charts are currently out of stock. Arranged for the rest of the order to be sent, as it contains plastic floss bobbins that are desperately needed for my thread organisation drive - the other bits will follow when they arrive in stock. Must say the lady who emailed me seemed very nice. It also confirms what Jayne once said about me seeming to have this knack for ordering certain goodies that have just been sold out. LOL

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Whilst a cold front seems to be moving across this area at the moment (it's getting bitter out again) the one that's been affecting me since Friday seems to be finally clearing off. Yay! Snotty nose has virtually gone, so I can breathe and eat at the same time without risk of choking on crumbs, glands no longer feel like they want to burst and I can taste/smell things again. Double Yay! I've celebrated by sorting out the clothes in the tumble dryer and setting off another load of washing. ;0) Thanks for all your well wishes, they've been very much appreciated. :0)

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Sorry about the lines across the page: for some reason I can't get any paragraph breaks, even when I've hit the return key a couple of times. This seemed to be the quickest solution.

Thanks again for stopping by - hope you're all having a good stitchy week. :0)

Update Time

Another UFO Night has been and gone so it's time for another update pic. This is the progress made: That's all of the light grey half cross stitch background bit fully completed and a start made on infilling the patterned areas. I had planned on having another session on this today but have realised, since going on the Stitch'n'Stash Forum this afternoon, that it's the start of Jayne's Memories SAL tonight......... so guess what I will be doing instead! LOL

Earlier in the week I'd had a good look at the fabric for the Memories SAL. I'd opted for the Pol's Heirloom evenweave but when I got a piece of the Heirloom linen (for the latest L*K designs) and compared the two I was a bit taken aback at the difference and soon wished I'd gone for the linen choice that Jayne's original piece was stitched on. A phone call from Jayne later and a piece of the linen was on it's way and arrived yesterday. Note to self: when the designer of a piece clearly states that there's a difference between the fabric used and the alternative and said alternative will give a different look to the finished piece - don't go for the alternative! >rolleyes< Now all set to go with the linen and the evenweave has gone in my stash - it will come in useful for another project somewhere down the line.

I still haven't sorted the fabric for Carol's Amanda SAL but there's still time to get around to doing that - a Forum member called Kathy from the US is very kindly keeping a countdown that gives us all a reminder of how long there is left to get organised. :0)

There's a delay on receiving the Ozark Mystery SAL, which Jayne has kept us informed about, but that won't be starting for a while yet - there's a spare frame ready and waiting to go, so I don't need to do anything else until it's arrived.

The Challenge piece is proving to be that: the 1 over 1 stitching is playing havoc with my eyes. I've got the border and lettering up to T completed so far. One magnifier/light combi desperately needed now, so am going to step up the research for that. Someone did tell me there was a place in Grimsby that sells all kind of hobbyist lighting which is generally at a cheaper cost than you pay in specialist stitching shops.......... only I didn't write it down at the time and now can't remember for the life of me what it's called or whereabouts it is. If I could we'd be having a trip over there on Saturday. Meantime, I've still got a scroll frame going spare, the one that Karen very kindly sent, and Tanglewood and Rosemarkie waiting in the wings. To make another new start, or not to make another new start - that is the question. What do you all reckon? LOL

DH did some more work on the Mini last night. He muttered something about "rubber boot" and "nipping up" when I asked what he was doing. Any ideas what he was on about? Nah, me neither. It involved setting up a light (so he could see) and taking a wheel off and banging about for a bit, then it all went quiet but he was still beavering away out there. The outcome: he got wet and cold for a second time this week but didn't moan (so he must have enjoyed himself again) and the Mini is back on the road again. It must be OK because he and DS gave it a run out to Tesco and back afterwards - with a bit of shopping done while they were down there - and nothing fell off. DS has been to work and back in it today and it's still OK and they're muttering something about MOT and re-test, so it must be sorted. As you can tell cars innards don't mean a lot to me. All that concerns me about them is: if it's got four wheels attached at the four corners, you put fuel in it, switch it on and it goes it'll do fine, thank you. ;0)

One of the results of the Tesco trip was a partly filleted duck which is currently in the oven and roasting. As it and the veggies are just about done I am now off to go serve up and eat it.

Hope that no one is suffering from the horrible flooding due to the bad weather and that you're all having a good day/week so far. :0)

First 2008 UFO Update & More

UFO Night began again this Tuesday but, thanks to a dental appointment involving treatment under sedation, I couldn't stitch then, so did a little on Monday and Wednesday nights instead to make up for it. Here's the progress made:


More work along the bottom section and a little on the far right too - growing slowly but surely. I didn't pick it up at all over the festive season as I concentrated on my HAED Mother Earth piece instead, managing to complete between a third to a half of a page of stitching: no pic yet, as I'd really like to complete the whole page before posting an update.

I received some lovely pink parcels from Jayne this week. One had my regular Monthly Club rainbow of Carrie's threads, another had the new Carrie's colours, which are rather nice, and a third contained the goodies for Jayne's Memories SAL piece:

I thought the colours were rather nice when I saw the design on the Forum but they're even better IRL. The SAL starts soon (16th?) and I can't wait - with these lovely colours it'll be a real pleasure to stitch this piece.

So, what else have I been up to? Well, the Land Registry has finally completed the registration on Dad's house and transferred the Deeds to my DSis, so that's the end of what has been a rather stressful and long-winded set of legal processes we've had to go through since my Dad passed away last April. It's a relief to know it's finally over and that everything has been done as Dad wanted it. My DSis has her independence and can now go ahead with her plans for the future.

The kitchen cupboard still hasn't been completed, so no fireworks yet......... except for the ruddy great rocket that will be needed to motivate DH! ;0) Although he did finally get round to tackling the loose/dodgy floorboards in the back room downstairs (currently my computer and storage room which may well become the intended dining room one day - she says, fingers and everything else crossed). Mind you, after I tripped over an uneven slab and had a fall in the front garden last week and going off on one about that (when I'd recovered from the shock and treated the scrapes - he's been promising we'd have that resurfaced for the last four/five years at least) I almost fell again when the dodgy floorboards cockled under me just a few days later - so he didn't get much option about sorting them. It's only taken a few years for him to get round to doing them. >rolleyes<

I was honoured to have been nominated for the Stitch'n'Stash/Attic UFO Night Stitcher of the Year 2007 and absolutely gobsmacked when Julie told me I'd received the most votes! A BIG thank you once again to those who took the time to vote, to Jayne (without her there'd be no forum) and to Julie & Mr Stick, who's dedication keeps so many stitchers noses to the grindstone each Tuesday night. :0) I received a lovely surprise package in the post: a card, a certificate, the UFO Night Cup (which I will stitch a piece to put in and have earmarked for my friends little girl, who is starting to use big cups), some Fererro Rocher (now long gone LOL), a bunch of artificial roses and a Mr Stick calendar. The calendar has LS Lowry pics and Mr Stick made Julie mark every single UFO Night, just so I won't miss them - that made me laugh. ROFL. UFO Nights in 2008 are going to be really busy for Mr Stick: the regulars are there and lots more stitchers have joined us, so there are plenty of folks for him to wave his stick at. :0) There's such a different range of UFO's - I shall enjoy wayching them all develop each week.

It's Sleeping Beauty Panto week this week and DS has been coming home each night buzzing from the performance. It's had a good write up in the local paper. DH and I went to see it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it: lots of shouting "It's over there", Boo'ing the bad witch and cheering the good Fairy etc etc and singing along to Daisy, Daisy at the end when Daisy the Cook (Panto Dame) got herself a man. It was almost a Full House and there were lots of Junior School age kids in, who really got into the swing of things and gave it a good - and noisy - atmosphere. DS is obviously enjoying his role and gets the kids shouting their heads off for him. LOL. Shame we're not allowed to take pics: he has to wear tights and I'd love to have a pic of that for future use/bribery. Eheheh ;0)

The Dentist visit didn't go well. Let's just say that, when I go back to have the crown fitted, I shall be letting him know I don't enjoy coming round from the sedation mid-way through treatment and that I remember everything that was said and done and am not happy about it. >:-( Another outcome of that visit was finding out my blood pressure was on the high side, borderline on being refused sedation, and he recommended I go see my GP for a check-up. Great: dentist and GP in the same month - oh, joy of joys! Hope it's just a blip but I guess this last year or so has taken its toll plus various family members on Dad's side of the family, including him, had or do have high blood pressure, so it's best to be safe. As my DSis says: most families leave nice things like heirloom paintings and pottery and lots of money and suchlike for family members when they go - ours leaves more of those manky family genes. ROFL.

I shall just have to see if I can get stash on the NHS, rather than meds, as stitching has been proved to have a beneficial effect on such conditions. Do you think they'd go for it? :0)

Crimbo Cards & UFO Update

I can now show you another of the Christmas cards I made as Sally has let me know it's arrived. I had fun making this one, so glad you liked it Sally. :0) I thought I'd share a pic of a card I received yesterday. This one was made by my friend Alex who is heavily into freestyle embroidery and being really creative with textiles and threads etc.
This looks much better IRL, very snowy and is so touchy-feely - one of many beautiful items she's made over the years. A love of needlework is one of many things we have in common.

As for my UFO: I've been a good girl this week and actually spent both Monday and Tuesday night stitching on ET and it's showing the benefit of it. Here's the update:
Although this Tuesday was the final UFO Night for this year I think I may still have the odd stitching session on it over the festive season. Meantime: thanks Julie, Mr Stick and my fellow UFO Nighters for keeping me going with this. :0)

My right knee was playing up again yesterday, making walking painful, so I had a nice quiet afternoon and evening with my feet up, watching Dawn Bibby on QVC (no spending, just enjoying seeing the samples and goodies) and some interesting documentaries whilst stitching. So I split the day into two stitching sessions, with the new start in the afternoon and UFO Night stitching in the evening.

The new start wasn't the freebie chart by GiGi or the Alchemy Humbug SAL or any of the others I mentioned: it was a cute little Mill Hill pin kit. It's of a Santa's head in cross stitch and beads and, instead of making it up into a pin (or brooch), I'm going to finish it as another ornie for my metal scrollwork tree. When I put the tree up on Monday and found the other ornies and put them on it looked awfully bare: I hadn't made nearly as many as I thought I had (or if I have I can't find them!), so decided to try and get a couple more made.

Hoping to get Santa finished tonight and start another one after - will put pics up when they're done. I'm so glad I invested in a Tacky Bob a while back though: it really does stop me from pinging beads and decorating the whole room with them! ;0)

BTW, if anyone happens to be trawling that well known auction site (UK branch) and finds any of the Mill Hill Christmas ornie or pin kits at reasonable prices PLEASE give me a shout and point me in the right direction. Likewise, if anyone has any for sale/trade please let me know. Thanks. I have several in my stash still to do but they won't all fill my tree, plus I love making them as they are so much fun. :0)

Panto rehearsals are now coming thick and fast for DS, so we barely see anything of him at the moment: it's straight in from work, washed, changed, a meal (if he's got time) then out to rehearsal and back some time around 10 - 10.30pm, then he catches up on emails and the like and has a meal if he didn't get one earlier. We may see him for an hour for a catch-up before we're off to bed - not that I'm complaining, as at least we know where he is and what he's getting up to. He's thriving on it and, so long as no one makes any last minute changes to what he has to do, he will do OK.

DH informs me he's hoping to have tomorrow off work so he can have a catch-up at home. Not exactly sure what that involves yet but hope it means he's going to finish off the kitchen cupboard so I can finally get my pots and pans back in there before cooking for the festive season starts. If you see and hear lots of fireworks going up and brass bands playing in this vicinity you'll know it's done at last and I'm celebrating. LOL ;0)

Julie: will try and do a pic of my broomstick Santa and get DH to upload it for me.

Have managed to get behind with every one's blogs again, so hope to have a catch up tonight and tomorrow.

Distracted

That's been me the latter end of this week, trying to get various things done but getting distracted and thus side-tracked on the way. Result: the week has got away from me, with no Blog update until now; no Christmas cards written, let alone sent and no cards made for the birthday's that are coming up this month.

Finally, here's this weeks update of Egyptian Tablet:
I stitched on it Tuesday and Wednesday night again. A bit disappointed, as I thought I'd achieve a bit more than that, but I guess any kind of progress is good.

Here's where I left off the Christmas Chick after the frog visit:
I haven't stitched since Wednesday night, just haven't been in the mood, but hope to get back into the swing tonight as it would be nice to finish the chickadee over the weekend, then maybe I can start the Jayne's Attic/Alchemy Humbug SAL next week. Yes, I know, it's already started but: better late than never. ;0)

The first thing to get me distracted this week is the solicitors re: the Land Registry procedure for Dad's house. Some jobsworth at the LR Office has decided they need a copy of our Mum's death certificate and proof that the house is worth what we stated. Fair enough on Mum's certificate: they need to have proof that Mum, whose name remained on the house deeds, is no longer here and we're not trying to screw her out of anything (as if we would!!!) but the house price? We took a couple of cuttings of equivalent type houses for sale in the same and next street to us and came up with the value that way, as suggested by our solicitor, for the Probate Office. The Probate Office were quite happy to accept that and probate went through without a problem............ so why isn't that good enough for the LR people??? They're both government offices, with (presumably) the PO being the more important, as that concerns the Tax Office trying to get more money out of you after you're dead, so why the hell don't they talk to one another??? Better still, why can't they get on the internet and check local house prices on there and save some time/hassle?
The solicitors secretary dared to tell my DSis that she would have to get the house valued: she told her no she wouldn't, as we were not going to incur any more costs - if the PO were happy to accept the valuation then the LR Office could damned well do the same! Our solicitor has since rang and apologised and DSis has sent them the DC and another newspaper clipping of a house for sale on the next street that is identical, plus in the same condition, and is actually going for less than the price we stated - bet we won't get anything knocked off the LR fees for that though! Here we were, thinking everything would be done and dusted before Christmas and it now looks like it won't be. >:-(

Then DH threw me off kilter yesterday morning when, on waking up, he announced that we'd got a Dentist visit at 4pm that day. Going to see the Dentist isn't my favourite way of spending my time and has, in the past, been responsible for setting me off with a panic attack, so this is how it works: when I've got a tooth problem I mention it to DH; DH then eventually gets around to making us an appointment, without telling me; DH is then supposed to give me a warning the day before the appointment, so I can make sure I will be presentable enough and, hopefully, in the right frame of mind for going and not giving me a chance to get overly wound-up about it. Well, I certainly didn't get chance for that!
I really hate walking into the place: that first waft of air, a combination of that medicated mouth wash and whatever else they use, just makes me want to retch. The procedure when we get there is: we are both called into the Dentist's room together (they know what I'm like); I get in the chair and have my check-up first, telling the chap what my problem is, he'll examine my teeth then tells me what needs doing and giving me the options for treatment, I pick one and remind him I want sedation; I then grab my stuff and leg-it out back to the waiting room as fast as I can, leaving DH to have his check-up; when he gets out we are given quotes for the treatment and I sign mine; I then leg-it outside, leaving DH to make the appointments for treatment and he keeps that all to himself until I need to know. Getting myself to go there on treatment days is a case of forcing myself to do it - once I'm there and the chap is getting me ready for the injection I know I'm going to be unconscious, so I'm not bothered and when I'm unconscious I don't care. :0) It's good stuff that injection: I highly recommend it! LOL

To cheer ourselves up after getting the quotes (we both need a big filling and crowns fitting, so that's the best part of £750 worth of treatment between us - faint!) we walked down to our local chip shop's Restaurant for a fish and chip tea. It's the first time we've been in there: nice atmosphere, pleasantly busy, friendly staff and very nice meal - although, if we go again, I'll be going for the small portion. My fish was so big I reckon it must have been on steroids!

Karen: ROFL at your magazine surfing. Luckily my DH just sits there contemplating - usually his navel - so I haven't tried that. Maybe we should get it introduced as a new Olympic sport and see if you could win us a gold medal. LOL :0) BTW, thank you for my card and watch out for the postie. ;0)

Sally: OK about the chart. Now you mention it, I think it was in one of the mags, though I can't remember which one for the life of me.

Julie: sorry, I'll try not to give too much information in future - hope the mental image wasn't too traumatising and you're now fully recovered. ROFL :0)

Thank you all for visiting and I hope you have a good weekend. :0)

UFO Update

Thought I'd better show the latest progress pic of Egyptian Tablet. I stitched a little on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, as I'm doing little and often - my concentration levels are all over the place at the moment.

I've completed the Christmas Exchange card and got everything parcelled up today, ready to go off to my partner. I shall reveal all once I know it's been received. :0)

While I'd got the gift wrap etc out I also wrapped and parcelled the hand knitted cravat/scarves I bought from Jenny, as they've got to travel up to DH's nieces in Glasgow.

I made the mistake of browsing the Sew and So site on Tuesday. Initially it was just as a distraction, as I was feeling pretty low, but it turned into a shop when I spotted some gorgeous JBW Designs charts. The French Country range are so sweet, resistance was low and I was unable to resist them. Hopefully they'll get here tomorrow. Don't think I'd better do any more browsing of any sites for a while or it might get really expensive.

Sorry Julie, I will have to disappoint you: DS tells me that no one took a camera out with them last Saturday night, so there aren't any pics of him dressed as a pimp. The outfit was: black shoes, black Thai silk shirt, a black cane with silver handle (plastic) , a wide brimmed velvety hat, velvety trousers and a long coat as well - the hat trousers and coat being bright orange with zebra trim. Think of some of the Gangsta Rap "singers" and you'll get the general idea. He took all the gear and got ready at his mates house, so I didn't get to see him all dressed up..... unfortunately. ;0)

BTW, I've had an invite to join a Yahoo group called xstitchfreebiefinder which says it's taking over from where Sue's group left off. Does anyone know anything about this group? I wasn't ever a member of the other group, so don't know how they've got my email address or who the invite is from, so - erring on the side of caution - would appreciate any further information before I contemplate joining. Thanks. :0)

On A Cold And Frosty Morning

It seems our central heating boiler lost pressure some time during the early hours, due to the hard frost we've had, and didn't come on to warm up the house before we got up this morning. It was definitely a tad nipply, as my DS calls it (charming child) . :0)
The frost had also claimed a victim outside: a poor cyclist seems to have come a cropper on the crossroads and had to be taken off in the back of an ambulance, all before 8a.m. Hope he/she is OK. What a way to start the day!

Anyway, as promised here's the latest UFO Tuesday and Wednesday night progress on EgyptianTablet:
As you can see I've been stitching on the opposite side to last time and that's not the edge of the border on the left corner either, there's some more to stitch there yet. Not complaining though, as I'm quite enjoying this at the moment. I actually fancied carrying on with it tonight but decided I'd better concentrate on my Christmas card for the exchange instead - I suddenly realised that the posting date is fast approaching and I'd better extract my digit if it's to be finished in time.

That Christmas card is turning into a bit of a saga. The sparkly fabric, although Christmassy enough, just wasn't working with the design so this afternoon I went for a root round in my stash for a more suitable fabric. As it was all piled together in a crate this led to me finally sorting through it all and arranging it into the 4-drawer plastic storage unit I bought some weeks ago: top drawer is all 28ct; next down is for 32ct and miscellaneous linens; next down is all different aida, hardanger fabrics and banding and the bottom drawer is for cloth items that can be stitched on. By the end of that I was a little surprised, as it made me realise I'd got way more fabric than I thought........... but don't tell anybody I said that, especially not DH. ;0)

The upshot of all that was that (as well as getting nicely organised fabrics and backache) I came away with a lovely piece of Jayne's Count On Me fabric that I reckon will look much better and restarted the design on that tonight. It's certainly helping my eyes working on a darker, non-sparkly fabric, it's definitely standing out more and I'm much happier with the result. It's my first exchange so I want it to be just right.

So that's no new start for me yet, no matter how much Tanglewood, Rosemarkie and that empty scroll frame calls to me. (BTW, Karen: have emailed you, hope you got it OK.)

I also got busy on the HollieStitch site today as well. I started by ordering some goodies intended as pressies but somehow three charts just fell in the basket as well........... isn't it weird how that just happens? ;0) I couldn't resist Pelin Tezer's Labyrinth and Romance and the Wal d' Champs Arabesque designs. I have plans to make Arabesque into a 25th Wedding Anniversary piece for DH and I - we've got two years to go, so there should be plenty of time to plan and stitch it (she says, tongue in cheek). As for the PT charts - I just love her monochrome pieces and had to add these to my collection.

As for that stash wagon, well all I can say is: what wagon? ROFL.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering: the Chocolate Button cake is very nice. LOL :0)

Stash, Stash, Glorious Stash!

Big apologies to Sally and Karen: somehow I managed to delete your last comments instead of publishing them. Good job you couldn't hear what I said after that mistake........ it definitely wasn't Doh! ;0)

Today has been a great stash day with the arrival of two pink parcels. The first one opened was my monthly clubs from Jayne's Attic which was another rainbow of Carrie's Creations and a piece of Sugar Maple Fabrics called Quicksilver, a gorgeous opalescent that begs to have a snowman design stitched on it. One of the Carrie's is called Halloween which made me smile, as I think it'll go lovely with the Black Ash fabric I got earlier. I've already chosen and printed out the freebie design I want to stitch, which is called Coeur Halloween and it can be found here.

The second package contained a surprise for my exchange partner (don't think she reads my Blog but didn't want to risk spoiling the surprise, so didn't put it in the pic) and some other goodies that just happened to fall in the basket as I was ordering the gift. ;0)
There's the beautiful Scented Rose Tree Ornament chart by Polstitches - now who could resist it? Then a piece of Pol's Pearl fabric that I wanted to try and a skein of Camphor Laurel Kaalund Silk yarn to add to my collection. Not a bad haul.

Tuesday night was UFO Night and I didn't manage to do any stitching then but made up for it last night and got on with the background area from the point of the collar downwards. This is where I got to:

Tonight I made a start on the stitched card for the Christmas exchange and will concentrate on that the next day or so. It will need some concentration too, as I'm stitching it 2 over 1 on 27ct opalescent - hope my eyes cope OK.

As for other stuff: I had a chat with my DBro yesterday. He's had the camera procedure done and it turned out they decided to have a looksee both ends. DBro told them he hoped they were doing his throat first, which had the team laughing and assuring him they used different cameras for each procedure (he is so like our Dad, a chip off the old block). The upshot of this is that they found some scarring, redness and possible infection in his duodenum? (where the stomach meets the bowel) and his stomach acid is too strong. They took a scrape to send for testing and he goes for the results next Friday. Meantime he's on a course of anti-biotics and antacids which they feel should sort out his problems. BIG relief all round. :0)

DH and I have had a couple of garden tidying sessions in the last couple of days. The lawn has had what should be the final cut of the year and DH gave the mower a good clean off and oiling before putting it away. The kitchen shelf is just about done but the cupboard needs another coat of paint, or so I've been told, so I won't be having that sort out and putting things back just yet.

DS's rehearsals for the panto are going OK and he's learning his lines well. He recently bought himself a replica of Frodo's sword Sting (LOTR) from that well known auction site and the panto Prince is going to borrow it to wear on stage. It should look pretty impressive - I'll find out when we go to see the panto.

Thanks again to all who take the time to visit - hope you're all having a good week.

Monday Mutterings

OK not mutterings but a full blown moan - so don't say I didn't warn you in advance.

The weekend was OK, well as OK as it could be in the circumstances. Saturday we got my pots planted with bulbs and some winter bedding plants and did some general tidying up in the garden, as well as a few other jobs, and I got some more stitching on ET done in the evening.
Thanks for all the encouragement, here's how she looks now:
Sunday we had a trip over to Doncaster to my DSis's and went out for dinner. Afterwards we went to see our DBro to see how he was doing (coping: not a lot else you can do when you're in limbo, waiting for tests/results) and to fill in some more forms for Dad's bank (yes, more forms....) and DBro faxed them back for us. It was good to see Erin and Fin as well - every time we see them they've grown even more. :0)

Today is D-Day for my DBro, as he is having the camera investigation of his insides done. Fingers crossed all they find is healthy guts! I'm hoping he will feel up to phoning tonight.

It does seem like it's just one thing after another at the minute though, as I've had to phone Dad's bank and the Crematorium to chase things up today and neither of them helped my stress levels any. >:-(
Dad's bank haven't got a good track record with us as we've been through the complaints procedure with them once already, so I rang up today just to confirm that they'd received the faxed forms OK - yes, they'd got them alright but they didn't have any record of ever having received the Grant of Probate...... this is despite this same woman telling me a copy had been faxed through to her last time I phoned, which I reminded her of. After making it clear that, as far as I was concerned, we (the Executors) had already supplied everything that was required to various departments of their bank - including yet another copy of my Mum's death certificate as this hadn't been forwarded to the relevant departments back in 2003 - it was up to her to sort this latest mess out, as we had had enough. I left her sorting it out.
Then a phone call to the Crem in Doncaster to find out why we hadn't heard from them about the memorial plaque being ready, even though it's looooong past the 10 weeks wait they quoted. Only, I got the jobsworth at the other end, didn't I? Despite the fact that it's my parents plaque, the money has long gone from my sister's account and it was an enquiry as to non-contact from them the guy started quoting "Data Protection Act" and similar baloney at me because my sister sent the cheque and everything is addressed to her. As I told him, that was because the money for it went through her account - I was phoning because my DSis works and was unable to phone in the daytime when they are there, which is why it hadn't been chased up before now, and why she had asked me to do it on her behalf. It's a good job he got the message because I was about ready for tearing off somebody's head by this point.......

I've calmed down a bit now: the woman from the bank has phoned back and the "missing" Grant of Probate has miraculously re-appeared. The words: booze-up, brewery, organisation and lack of, spring to mind - I will be so glad when this cheque has arrived and we can finally kiss that damned bank goodbye!!!
A much nicer fella from the Crem has phoned back too: they've tried contacting the plaque makers but haven't been able to get hold of anyone. They'll be contacting them again to find out why there's been such a delay and will get back to me, hopefully tomorrow. There's only one place left on the monument and that's been reserved for our Mum and Dad's memorial plaque but I'll be a whole lot happier when it's actually in place.

My friend Alex came for her regular Monday visit this afternoon and we've had a coffee and a good natter, so I'm feeling a bit more chilled now........ amazing how putting the world to rights with a friend does you the power of good. A bit of stitching tonight and normal service will be resumed once again. ;0)

Belated UFO Night Update

Glad to say that I managed to do a reasonable amount on my belated UFO night stitching. Here's the before pic: Here's where I left off last night:

It's coming along, slowly but surely.

Today started out a good day with a pink parcel and I knew I was feeling better when it was dived on and opened straightaway LOL. It contained the November Count On Me Fabric from Jayne's Attic: a very pretty lemony yellow, nicely wrapped with a curly ribbon and a sweet little flower attached. I love those little personal touches, they make pink parcel days extra special.

I've also had what I think is a good idea about what to stitch for my Christmas Card Exchange partner. I spent some of this morning looking through some of the downloaded charts I have on the computer, spotted one I liked and decided it was a bit basic by itself but it would be nice to develop it a little further........... but you're going to have to wait and see if it works out. I can't go spoiling the surprise for my partner now, can I? :0)

This afternoon brought some news that I'm trying not to worry about: my DBro phoned to tell me that he'd been to the GP's and he is being sent for some tests. This year has already been really difficult for us, so we hope it's just a minor health problem and that there's only positive news to come from this.

Some days it's only my stitching that keeps me sane.......... although I think DH and DS might argue that one.

UFO Night Update

Tuesday nights are UFO nights on the Stitch'n'Stash Forum, encouraged by Julie and the scary Mr Stick. My designated project is Egyptian Tablet by DMC and this week I was really keen, so Tuesday UFO night turned into Wednesday UFO night and a reasonable amount was achieved.

Before:

After:

I even stitched a little of the hair band. I love all things Egyptian and I started this piece very enthusiastically but that soon disappeared when I started on the hair/wig areas - it may look effective when completed but it's an absolute pig to stitch, believe me!

Todays weather is windy and cold with showery rain so not a day for being outside, which is a shame, as I'd planned to trim the buddleia bush in the front garden. If it holds off for long enough I shall pop out and fill up the bird feeders out the back so I can watch the birds for a while. That's more fun than it sounds: the young starlings are like a bunch of quarrelsome football hooligans when they start, quite happy to stick the beak in each other whenever they can; the sparrows are like persistent ram raiders, a mob of them all flying in and grabbing as much as they can before flying off and returning again within minutes for another go; Poppa blackbird is more careful and elegant, carefully sizing up the area and who else is about before hopping forward for the ground seed; the ring neck doves are like housewives at the supermarket, queuing up (more or less patiently) along the workshop roof waiting for their turn; the other pigeons are the bully boys, always greedy and taking more than their fair share and seeing off other birds that dare to stray into "their" territory. There's a robin redbreast and a pair of blue tits that put in an occasional appearance but I'm lucky if I see them, as they only appear when the other birds aren't around and that's not often. You can learn a lot about behaviour just by watching birds.

Well, as it's cold and I can't do the gardening I shall have to think of something else to do....... how about a bit of stitching? :0) I have the couched border on "The Princess" to do to complete that piece, or there's my HAED Mother Earth that I haven't touched in a while >blushing in shame or I could make a new start. Decisions, decisions!