Well.........

..........that didn't last long, thank goodness.  Thanks to the kindness of friends and family and a total melt down when I dropped the apple pie face down on the floor the bored feeling disappeared.  I am not promising to suddenly blog every day and I am still collecting spam comments but here's what is exciting me at the moment.

First a little trip to the Big Brocante at the Hop Farm, we had been to one in the winter so were surprised by the size of this one.  I didn't resist temptation.

If you want tape, I'm your girl. I have already found a couple of uses for it.  It was a real bargain, not something that happens to me often.  I loved the scrap of fabric, book cover if ever I saw it and the books and cards were delightful, I will have to do a more detailed share at sometime.

The next thing to lift me was a video by Nik the Booksmith, I love this woman, the journals she make are wonderful but in this one she is trying eco printing of PAPER. 
https://youtu.be/DyXnnnh0SuU
 Well how could I resist.  I found a lot of other videos and taking bits from each I gave it a try.  These are my garden gatherings.

as pr usual I was too impatient to photograph the process properly but it sort of went like this

and then like this

and then about eight hours later (I couldn't wait 24)

Yeah!!! Happiness.  I put a couple of onion skins in the water so I think that is what made the yellow edges. I also put a couple of spoonfuls of alum in the water. I boiled for about twenty minutes and then let is all cool down.
Here's a few favourites, the blue flower on this one was a brown ganzia....didn't expect that.

 Streaks on this one caused by next piece of paper which was tracing paper and shrivelled in the heat.

On Friday I went to my textile group and we had a fun workshop with Diane, a very talented lady, who showed how to make little animal brooches. This is my fiesta cat.

Right I am off to find a large roasting tin (mine will on do A5 paper) and then I will be   trotting round, with my little ziplock bag, to see my son who has some beautiful deep red roses.

The boys....

My son has adopted two young cats from the RSPCA.

They are called Heimdall and Tyr, both named after Norse gods. This is Tyr

As all good grandmothers do I made toys

which I am happy to report were a great success.

The toys were made from and article in Cloth Paper and Scissors by Diana Trout way back in 2009.

Electra

For some time now our last remaing cat has been showing signs of her 19 years. She has been lonely, I think, since Thomas died just before last Christmas. Last Sunday evening she started to walk into things and we realised she had become blind. We thought we would have to take her to the vets then but for the whole of this week she has been amazing, she has found her way around, even going out, much to our concern. Last night however there was a marked change she became disorientated and was mewing in some distress and this morning we said goodbye. She was a pretty little thing and a bit of a flirt, always made a beeline for any men coming into the house. It is the first time in 33 years that we have not had a cat in the house and it seems very still and quiet. The weather isn't helping, grey and dismal. I think this is the time to try out that Rocky Road recipe!!!!!

The ultimate deterrent......

During the latter part of the "summer" I watched a lot of tennis and golf on TV. To give my hands something to do I knitted a square blanket from old balls of wool I had lying around. I know it wasn't beautiful ("Mother what you doing? asked my daughter)but I thought with the winter coming on (not much weather change there then) my ancient Mrs Fussy would like something to snuggle. She Hates It. I put it in her usual sleeping place, on the bed in the spare room, she immediately moved onto a shopping bag that was also lying there. I moved the blanket, she moved, and so on.....so if anyone has trouble with cats going where you don't want them to go, knit one of these!!

Unbelievable.....Having written the above,I just went upstairs to photograph the offending article and .......

Who said cats were contrary animals!

Thomas the Great.......

is no more. For some weeks now this once magnificent animal has been losing his weight and his strength, Yesterday his back legs gave way a few times and today a visit to the vet decided that the time had come when it was kinder to have him put to sleep.




As you see I will miss him. He loved to sit on my knee when I was stitching and was a great scatterer of beads!! The other thing he liked, apart from food, was a sunbeam, He would adjust his position to stay in one until it disappeard.
He first arrived amongst us about 17 years ago by dint of whipping in through the cat flap and finishing off whatever food our then cats had left. He was almost feral, a large cat with a big barrel chest. cock of the walk and probably father to hundreds of kittens!! One day he came in and I noticed that his neck was in a terrible state, almost open to the bone. He was too wild to catch so we hired a trapping cage and warned the vet how wild he was. When I collected him the vet said "Can you put the cream on his neck" I don't think so. So he gave me tablets which I wrapped in chicken and gradually Thomas started to take it out of my hands. Little by little I was able to touch him and then to stoke him, one finger only. By the time his neck was better he had decided that he had found a pretty reasonable billet and so he stayed with us. A great character and companion.
Rest well dear litle friend I hope you find an everlasting sunbeam.

Guild day

Embroider's Guild today, talk was "20th century collectables" , just made me wish I had hung onto even more "stuff" than I have. Paticularly the Woolworths china we had when we were first married which now, apparently, fetches £10 a plate!!! Told anyone who'd listen about TAST, stitched a bit,admired other people's expertise, set the world to rights, laughed a lot,acquired some knowledge from generous members (tips on mounting fabric) in other words what I've come to expect of a day at the guild!!
Wonderful.
I think this is the time to reveal my difficult working conditions.

I bought the basket so that I could bring things from my workroom to the living room, well, it's a bit nippy down there in the winter and I do like to spend time with my husband. Electra, my old lady cat decided that this was just what she had been waiting for and immediately claimed it as her own. She will only sleep in it if it contains something I may need to work with, if I empty it she refuses to sit in it. Thomas just likes to sit on my knee period. So the minute I pick up a needle he knows I am going to be there for some time and he arrives.
This photograph is filed under "quailty time"