Hectic - yet fun!

Monday rolls around again - yet another different kind of week with lots going on..

Last week we had Graeham's brother and his wife to stay for a day or two so we had a nice stroll by the beach, lunch out and a game of ten pin bowling. Oh yes, and the 'main event' - Gillingham (Steve's team) were playing Exeter City (our team) on the Wednesday evening. The game was a good one from where we were standing, but the result doesn't really do it justice - a goaless draw. Mind you in the interests of family unity I suppose ending up all square isn't a bad thing!

Taking of squares - I think I'm cracking this crochet thing! Here's the latest additions to the pile - it's about the only stuff I've made this week, but then I suppose it has been a bit busy. I'll pop over to Handmade Monday once I've finished this post and concentrate on being inspired by those more expert than myself rather than frustrated by my rather basic efforts....

I have had some nice surprises this week too.. Roz (my sister-in-law) brought a couple of pots of her shea butter moisturiser as presents - one for Graeham and a lovely lime one for me. You only need the tiniest bit to smooth the skin and they smell great.. She makes lots of goodies and you can see them here at her website.

Then I've got one or two samples - I think this ought to be thrifty tip number 10 - ask for samples.. Here's some of those that either came in the post or were given out in shops.. I find them ever so useful especially with all this overnighting in Wales. They take up next to no room in my bag and cost nothing.

Finally I opened my bank account to check something this morning and YouGov had paid in £50! All for filling in a few surveys.. I think that has to be tip number 11... online surveys. You have to be a bit picky - you don't want to spend almost the same as you receive in electricity bills for the computer, but by doing a few here and there you can build up some nice benefits whether that's in cash or vouchers!

Work carries on with a trip to Cardiff on Thursday and the last of the first set of notes for reading books. Last week's were great and I enjoyed these two as well. Can't wait for the next batch!

 

Having visitors shows up some of your old belongings though and we've decided that these have got to go!

 

 

Not only do they clash with most of the dining room and the crockery, but they are very faded.. But throw them away.. I don't think so. Perhaps some 'distressed' bunting or padded hearts or... well I'll show you when I think of something!

 

This weekend was football again - only this time five goals went in.. four of them for us! Then a party and a quiz, phew!!

 

Sorry about the lightening tour - but now I'm off again.. just a quick whizz over to Handmade Monday and then off to Wales until Thursday... never a dull moment eh?





Only just - must be tired!

OOoohh nearly missed the Monday deadline - I'm going to blame a long journey home and tiredness for being a bit late this week (I like to get this done first thing, before I start on a new week's work and play!).

The long journey was after a really nice Mothering Sunday trip up to see Mum, my sister and two nieces. I decided to gp back to cross stitch for the card this year and was quite pleased with the result. I didn't finish the lacy cardy that I showed you previously, but measured the completed back against Mum and that seems to be fine so I must push on and finish it!

 

 

It was a really nice day with just the five of us.. Rebecca's husband was busy out on a photographic job at a wedding in Kew Gardens, lovely backdrop, shame about the weather!  He's a really good photographer - his website is http://www.romahoneyphoto.co.uk/ and he also does walking photographic tours once a month for Culture Club workshops in Covent Garden where he teaches people how to get the best out of their cameras.... all that and a day job too! Perhaps I need a bit of time with him to sort out my shots for this blog??!

 

We ate over at Jenny's (my youngest niece) - both the girls worked on our mini feast - Italian style and very nice too.. with cake and cream for pudding - I'm very lucky to be able to gatecrash every year! The journey up and back in a day is do-able, but yesterday the entry to the M5 to the M4 was closed which lengthened proceedings somewhat.. Still got home safe and sound that's the main thing!

 

 

I asked Jenny for a few words for today's blog - she reckoned 'Eat cake and be merry' was about right.. Which nicely ties in with the next book I've got to write notes for...

 

 

Followed by...

 

Then when I've finished this spell of writing it's back off to Wales for the end of the week... I'll be able to take that cardy with me for evening-in-the hotel-knitting as I've now finished the scarf I made with the sari silk waste that I spun a while ago... still didn't get enough alpaca spun up to add too much to the blanket I'm doing - I did enjoy having time out last week to spin though...

 

Think that just about covers this week! Now I've just enough time to dive over to Handmade Monday to see what everyone else has been up to before I get some of my writing off for proof reading!

 



A Quieter Week....

Good morning all!

After the hectic rushing around of late it's been a much quieter week....

I should have been desk deep in writing new materials, but due to a bit of a hold up sending me the books I ended up with a bit of editing and more breathing space.. lovely!

The first of the books have now arrived and as soon as I get sent the template for the task I'll be at it again. Here's one of the first I'm doing..

It's a great read with a lovely message..

I know I was all confident about Mum's top for Mothering Sunday, but when I got over halfway through I realised that the yarn was going sooo much further than I thought at first so I changed my mind.  Here's what I'm working on now - whether I get it done in time for Sunday could be in the balance, but at least it's a spinning day on Wednesday so I can get some more done during the day.

The 'girls' at spinning are great especially when I'm nearing the end of a task (generally at the sewing up phase). I jsut have to say that I've brought something to finish and they are happy to keep nagging (broken up by plenty of tea and cake) until I've completed the job. I'm looking forward to Wednesday as I haven't been spinning since the first week of January so have missed it a lot. I'm also keen to spin up some more alpaca to get on with one of the shawls where progress has stalled through lack of yarn!

With the 'spare' time this week I've been able to have a good sort out in the study and re-organise everything, putting older work away in the loft and getting the things I'll need for the work that's about to arrive ready at hand. It might not look any more organised to anyone else, but I know where everything is now. It reminded me of when we first moved here and had to get our stuff sorted to change from one way of life/work to another.

So here's 101 tips for thrift number 8..... if you don't need it pass it on...
After we'd moved and put a lot of things in the loft 'just in case' as we didn't know what could be useful, if either of us would need to find teaching work, etc. By the first September we were ready to get rid of some more stuff. (We'd already thinned a lot of things out in a Boot Sale before we moved - getting rid of it rather than packing it up and moving the storage problem with us!) Encouraged by my sister I investigated Ebay, tried it out with one item, found out how easy it was and off I started. With a book from the library for advice I started to clear out the surplus. About £300 later I was stunned and delighted. It was also helped by the fact that the move had left us with tons of bubble wrap and tape stacked up in the loft. Some books and CDs went better on Amazon - you just have to check it out and see. Since then I seem to have regular mini clear outs. A little while ago I dealt with a pile of old badges, photographing them first for posterity and then selling them - it's amazing what you can get! That saying about one man's rubbish being another's treasure certainly seems true.

In the sorting I opened our lounge cabinet door...

 

I'm not sure how long it would take to watch all the DVDs or listen to all the CDs, but I know that we've already got plenty to watch stored on the hard drive too so it looks like tip number 9 has to be prune your collection! I think it's time I used those long drives to listen to some CDs and then discard any that no longer appeal (so that's a no listening to favourites until I've been through the stockpile rule I guess!) and then the evenings in hotels could be put to use with the DVDs that I bought ages ago and not watched. Of course there are plenty that I want to keep and watch again and again (my sister's choices are usually in this category) - you can tell those they're usually the ones at the front!But the older ones that I don't want to revisit can go on Ebay or Amazon or one of the newer sales sites as I get through them!

 

I feel quite exhausted already.. Time for a break and some cake before relaxing over at Handmade Monday...

 The cake is courtesy of Graeham.. we went to our local craft centre for a bit of an outing yesterday only to be a bit disappointed at the way it seems to be developing - there were still some nice pieces here and there, but there seemed to be far more mass produced stuff than ever before. We then wanted to go over to the Craftsman's Guild place at Bovey, but the new exhibition doesn't start until next week. So Graeham decided it was time for some cake.. and quite right too....

Enough from me - sorry about ramblingon - I suppose that's what happens when you have a bit more time!!

See you next week....