But I wanted a...

...playstation.

Don't you just love the expression on this LOTV image...

...you can tell that she is not amused.

Whilst colouring this little miss I was reminded of so many Christmas gifts from my gran. She always bought clothes for everyone and they were always too big - "so we could 'grow' into them". This might have been fine for the grandkids but she also did it with the adults...socks was the traditional gift for the men and my poor Dad (who didn't have the largest feet in the world) would receive socks that were so big that you could tuck the toe under the foot and it would reach back to the heel LOL

Did you have folk that gave 'strange' presents?

I would love to know if there are others out there that had family members who had similar mind-sets - I think with my gran a lot was to do with her up-bringing and the era that she grew up in. Things had to last so it was common practice to buy things bigger than needed so that you could in deed 'grow into them'.

Still, the thought was there and the gifts were always given with love - bless you gran................

On this day...

...in 1987.


We had snow - lots of it.


Nothing unusual considering the photos that have appeared in the media recently.


However, the heavy snow in the area where I live was a problem back in 1987 as my Sister was pregnant and went into labour.


It was touch & go whether the ambulance would reach her or if it did, it wasn't certain that they would make it to the local hospital. Luckily, she arrived safely at the hospital accompanied by my Aunt and there she gave birth to my niece.


Where I live is near to a main road linking with the oil refinery down by the Thames (now it is the Gateway Port) so at least part of the main road had to be kept clear for access. This helped with our getting off the estate but the hospital was accessed via country lanes so the family had fun & games visiting. But that was 30 years ago and now a distant memory.


So today my niece celebrates her 30th birthday.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY Pestie...here's hoping you have a fabulous one.


Best wishes from those of us 'down south'.................................................

Happy New Year...

...out with the old; in with the new.

2016 has been quite a stressful year but it finally rounded off in a far more enjoyable manner.

For the first time in a good many years, Christmas was actually fun. This was because I wasn't running around like a loon at other folks insistence. The family get-together took place at my Sister's on Christmas Eve (boy were we stuffed after all the fabulous food she served up) and then Christmas Day was a quiet day at home just enjoying the quiet and playing with some of my gifts. It was wonderful not having to quickly open presents and then dash off somewhere at the beck-&-call of others. It may seem selfish but I actually enjoyed being on my own on Christmas Day...in my own home (I can't remember the last time that I spent Christmas Day at home).

I hit the sales after Christmas - not the big store ones where folk have been battling for the large (still expensive) goods. No; I hit my local stores to see what they were clearing out "post-Christmas". I also visited some of the well known high-street supermarkets and picked up some bargains. I am also very organised for next Christmas - I purchased a lot of the 'reduced to clear' gift wrapping stuff and have actually put it all together in a storage box so it doesn't get 'misplaced' by next Christmas LOL

I have enjoyed watching the Harry Potter films each evening and sitting knitting (don't groan but I've already made a start on 2017 Christmas pressies - after all, there are just 357 days to go...).

I will not be making any resolutions as I do not want to set myself anything that could make 2017 stressful but I do hope to get myself a little more organised as that will help to reduce stress levels.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas & a very Happy New Year and that 2017 will bring you all that you could wish for.................................................

This time last week...

...I was on my way to Excel by the Thames.

No, I wasn't lucky enough to be heading off to some craft show or a concert - I was heading to a management conference for work. It wasn't even in the Excel Centre. It was tucked round the back by the Royal Victoria Docks at a placed called "Centered at Excel".

The day started very foggy and even by the time I was walking to the venue, London was just a hazy vision in the distance...

 ...and things looked just as dull & gloomy...

 ...looking out into the old dock area...

...the Spiller's building is currently being gutted to remove asbestos but the shell is listed and has a protection order on it. Planning permission has been granted to create a business enterprise site...

 ...it is hoped that re-development of the area will breath new life into it...

...there are certainly some strange buildings dotted around.

Later in the day, the sun did break through and there seemed to be a bit more life on the water...

 ...and the skyline was a bit clearer...

 ...but although there were small boats to be seen...

...the busiest thing in the area is the London City Airport - we were right under the flightpath and boy was it noisy. Lots of building work going on...

 ...and as I said earlier - some strange shaped buildings...

...a very different sight to that which my maternal grandfather would have been used to. His father worked in the London dock area and my grandfather would often play at the waters edge or even go swimming with his friends in the warm water from the outflows of the factories in the area (it is anyone's guess what was in that water as there were no H&S regulations back then).

The day never fully brightened up and the area is very run down compared to Canary Wharf where I visited earlier in the year but it was interesting seeing a different part of London as it is being re-developed..........................................................

They just wont...

...ripen.

Earlier in the year I bought Mum two tomato plants. To begin with they didn't seem to do much and then they just went mad. The plants grew huge and they have been smothered in tomatoes.

Here are 6 I picked about 5 weeks ago...

...and they just don't seem to want to ripen...

...apart from the one on the end.

Anyone got any tips?.......................................................................

Sunday I said...

..."Bye-bye" to the Focus.

Mum decided that after 18 years, she no longer wanted a Mobility car so I arranged to return it.

It was strange taking everything out of the vehicle knowing that this was the last time I would drive it...

 ...18 years driving the same style of vehicle (Focus Estate) has almost become second nature...

 ...but I have to say, one thing I have noticed over the years is that the 'finish' on the vehicles has become quite poor...

 ...these two panels over the front wheel (driver's side) were misaligned when we received the car two years ago and things like welding around the tailgate was very rough...

...but on the whole, the car was a pleasure to drive and met its purpose.

This was the first time that Mum had chosen anything other than a blue car and it reminded me a bit of a gingerbread house. So bye-bye "Gingerbread House" and thank you for all the safe miles that you provided us with................................................................

Someone was not...

...very impressed.

After the initial excitement of a 'family invasion', my Sister's dog Lexi decided she was not amused...

...there were far too many people & animals in 'her' house for comfort...

...and I think you can tell by her expression that she wasn't impressed.

On August Bank Holiday weekend my niece & partner were planning to visit but unfortunately they broke-down on the motorway and ended up being towed home. So when they announced that they were going to make another attempt on the 10th September - it was everything crossed in hope there wouldn't be any mishaps.

It was the first long journey in their 'new' car (yes, it was cheaper to source a replacement) and they had their 3 dogs with them as there wasn't anyone who could keep an eye on them for the day.

My Sister lives in a two bedroomed, mid-terrace house and she has 2 cats and a dog.

As the animals don't 'play nice' together there were segregated zones - one cat in the back bedroom, the 3 visiting dogs in the front bedroom, the other cat in her cage and Lexi in the lounge. It certainly made for a fun time with taking the dogs for walks as Lexi couldn't understand why she couldn't go with the other 3 and then she got very vocal when they came back. A challenging day on the animal front but lovely to see my niece without any major mishaps.

You'll be pleased to know they got home safely even if it did take an hour longer than it should have due to road-works. Ho hum.......................................

Memories are...

...made of this.

Yesterday as I left the office I passed a young mum and her little one playing "don't step on the cracks" - it was such fun seeing the pure enjoyment on the little ones face as he held his mom's hand and tried to step from paving slab to paving slab without stepping on the joins. This is the stuff childhood memories should be made of...not 24/7 in front of a TV or stuck to a mobile phone. Life should be fun - the world makes children grow up quick enough without robbing them of simple joys like this.

As a child (pre-school) I stayed with my Grandparents for extended periods as my Mum was in and out of hospital during her pregnancy with my Sister and in those days there was no 'paternity leave' so Dad had to continue going to work each day.

One of my fondest memories of that time was captured in this photo...

...I loved to spend time 'helping' Granddad in the garden (running back and forth carrying veg or flowers to Gran in the kitchen) and if I had been good, I would be given one of Granddads Gold sweets. He loved butterscotch and the brand he bought were in a box with each rectangular piece wrapped in gold foil. It was such a treat to be given one of these treasures.

The garden at my Grandparents house was very long and narrow but Granddad had the borders brimming with colourful flowers and at the end of the garden was the raised veg area along with his "little shed" (it had originally been the family Andersen shelter). Next to the house was the coal bunker and the larger shed, along with Granddad's 'planning' bench.

I was too young to know or realise that my Granddad had been retired early due to Emphysema and as much as he loved his garden the effort involved made it difficult for him to breath - so we would sit for a while and plan the garden or plan how we would spend the day.

It makes me sad to see so many children now relying on phones and things to keep themselves amused because the adults in their lives don't seem (or want) to have the time to spend with them. We live in a digital age but there are some things that all children should have the joy of experiencing.

I'm just glad that at least I have these wonderful memories...............................................

Gizmo doesn't like her name...

...so it would seem.

My Sister has been calling her "little tinker" or referring to her as "tinks"...

2.

Britishinformal

a mischievous child.

"little tinkers, we were"

 

...and it would seem that this little bundle of fluff will only respond to that. All I know is that she is a devil to photo as she stares at you whilst you focus the camera and just as you go to take the shot - she moves...

 ...one nice fuzzy shot through the baby gate and a rear view...

...after she had been looking at us in such a cute manner.
Lexi seems less than impressed...

 ...you can almost see the 'raised eyebrow' expression and imagine her saying "oh really; what is that cat up to now"

This was probably the best shot of the day...

...and the little madam didn't stay there very long.

So it would seem that this member of the family is now called 'Tinks' or I suppose if we are using her 'Sunday-best' name - "Tinkerbell".

All very different from the name she was originally going to have; Salem.............................................

Introducing...

...Lexi's "baby".

If you visit from time to time you will have 'met' my Sister's dog Lexi - she was a rescue dog and has now settled in very well and is such a sweetie.

About a week ago, Lexi found herself a "baby" whilst out on her walk. In the long grass at the edge of the green where she has a run, she found a baby kitten. My Sister pulled her away not wanting to disturb anything in case 'mommy' cat was on her way back. However, on returning to the green on their way home the kitten was still there and mewing. My Sister was concerned because the green is right by the side of a busy road and to make matters worse - the Council workmen had just arrived with the big industrial mowing machines. The kitten was 'rescued' and has taken up residence.

This was Lexi on Sunday when I visited...

...she was standing guard over her "baby"...and this is the little bundle of fluff...

 ...who just wanted to play with the camera lens so it was very difficult to get a reasonable photo...

 ...she is very happy in her travel cage as although Lexi has taken to her, she is a lot bigger than the kitten and could hurt her unintentionally...

 ...although saying that - this little bundle is quite able to 'bash' any inquisitive doggy noses that come too close...

...and in the space of a week, this little madam has grown considerably - probably because she has been getting food on a regular basis...

...isn't she a cutie...

...she is also so amusing to watch. The yellow felt mouse that you can see in the photo was given a good 'killing' and then thrown in the litter tray to be used as a pillow.

Lexi has found that she can get her tongue through the cage and can reach the food plate - it was quite funny watching her 'clean' the remains off the plate whilst squidged up as close as she could get.

Since my Sister has had Lexi, it has been clear that she is not fond of cats. She and Kiya (my Sister's Persian) stay away from each other. However, perhaps because she 'found' this little one she seems to be quite taken with it.

So now you have been introduced to the latest addition to the family and Gizmo (yep, that's what she has been named) is settling in nicely.......................................................................

What a bargain...

...reduced from £14.99 to £2.00.

If you are a knitter you will probably have come across the name 'Debbie Bliss'. She is a lady who has her own range of knitting yarns, patterns etc. - and obviously as you can see, books.

The Works stores seem to have been having quite a promotion on their Arts & Crafts products recently and this includes lots of craft books. When I saw this one...

...I just had to grab a copy and it didn't take me long to make a start LOL.

I do not have a dog but my Sister has a rescue dog - Lexi.

Lexi is now four years old and has been with my Sister for two years - she is a little sweetie but she does feel the cold so she has a variety of coats and jumpers to keep away the chill when the weather is damp or windy.

I think one of the reasons that this book caught my eye was because the dog on the front reminded me of Lexi. I'm not sure how many will actually get made but even if it is just the one that will be fine - knitting patterns alone are so expensive these days and it is not uncommon to end up paying more than I did for this book for just a single pattern.

I'm keeping this one fairly plain just so I can check the size. Let's hope Lexi lets me take some photos when it is done...she does tend to be a little camera shy......................................................

Happy Birthday Mum...

...78 years young.

Mum has a thing about owls - she has quite a collection in glass, china, stone, resin and then there are the pictures and other bits.

When I saw this cute canvas shopper...

 ...I just had to grab one for Mum...

 ...aren't the family of owls just adorable.
In addition to the owls, Mum is rather partial to 'hedgies' so this seemed the perfect gift to pop inside the shopper...

...it is a t-light holder. Mum is still rather wobbly on her feet since coming home from hospital so rather than risk her having flames I bought some battery t-lights so she can enjoy the effect without any worry.
As for her card...

...this was one that I made at one of Andy Pearson's workshops. The little 'steampunk' owl has a variety of self-adhesive, flat-back rivet & screw-heads dotted amongst the cogs. The flowers originally had black beads in the centres but it didn't quite look how I wanted - so I swapped to the facetted flat-back metal gems (same as I used the other week) and I was much happier with the finish.
I picked the black beads at the time to match in with the eyes of the owl but there was just something not right - you know when you look at something and there is a niggle in your mind but you can't work out what...well the Marianne Design "Diamond Gems" were the perfect solution.

So Mum's birthday is well "owled" - Happy Birthday Mum..................................................

Nice things do happen...

...occasionally.

On my way back from "Member's weekend" at Pinnacle Crafts I got caught in a traffic jam that would have been hard pressed to compete with a snail. A jam that turned out to be caused by roadworks but one of those situations where the 'wonderful' workmen didn't see a need to place any road signs until you were right on top of the closed off area. As a result I cut through a different way and as I was passing Craft Plus, I thought I would pop in and pick up a Joy stamp that I had been considering.

It is "Tombola" weekend (a fact that I had forgotten with everything else that has happened this week). The wooden box was being spun and everyone was being invited to draw a ticket which could have resulted in a discount of 10%, 15%, 20%...whatever.

The ticket that I pulled was for 50% off all purchases so I came away with a bit more that I went in for as you can see...

 ...this little lot would have been around £60 but at just under £30 I was a very happy bunny and you might notice there is a Tim Holtz Christmas blueprint set in amongst it all - this was the cherry on the top of the cake. I have looked longingly at this set for some time but couldn't justify the expense but now it is all mine.

Did I remember to get the stamp that I actually went in for?

Yes I did and here it is...

 ...I have some pretty pastel rainbow papers and I'm looking forward to having a play with this on those papers.

At Pinnacle's member's weekend I treated myself to this...

 ...as my pencil case has run out of spaces for the tools I have...

 ...I also added a couple of shaders to my collection...

...along with some pens...

...and a couple of grids.

I also picked up the G45 Worlds Fair in 12x12 & 8x8 as well as some Sweet Dixie dies that I have been thinking about. All in all I managed to get the things that I had budgeted for and a few extras (I hadn't planned on the Pergamano pens).

My friend Hilary was very pleased with her purchases and she is looking forward to the Sue Wilson dies that she pre-ordered.

The café at Barleylands is still out of commission but my suggestion of putting some seating in the barn has been taken on board so at least folk can sit out of the weather - there is also background music playing LOL.

Hilary and I had a lovely catch-up chat whilst tucking into a fried egg roll (Me) and a bacon roll (Hilary), washed down with nice hot coffee.

The latest about Mum - and thank you for all the lovely messages I received - she is still in hospital, still in pain (although the Doctor thinks some of this may be that she is tensing assuming there will be pain) and not very mobile. We have had to lodge concerns that the hospital are not being very 'open' about her condition as on Tuesday I visited to find that she was barely conscious but we had been told on the phone that she was "fine". Now the latest thing is that she isn't eating because she says it makes her feel sick - she has been in hospital a week and they only thought to mention it when my niece questioned them about something else yesterday (Friday). So I went in yesterday afternoon with a supply of baby rice because I know that it is something that she uses at home to help her swallow her tablets. She still wasn't keen but hopefully we can encourage her.

Today, I have to take her walking frame into the hospital because it would appear that they don't stock any that can be lowered sufficiently for Mum's height (???) - she's 4ft 10ins - not exactly minute. Hopefully having her own frame will encourage her to at least have a go at what the physios have been trying to get her to do.

Each day as it comes................................................................................

It's Wednesday...

...and VERY windy.

However, the WET seems to be holding off at the moment.

This is just a quick post to say sorry for my sporadic visiting at the moment but life is rather hectic as my Mum is currently in hospital. She took a tumble on Sunday as she was getting into the car after our shopping trip to Morrisons.

Because she tensed-up as she fell her back went into spasm and we ended up at A&E - that was 3pm Sunday afternoon. Two sets of x-rays later she was moved to CDU (Clinical Decisions Unit) at 6pm to await a bed on a ward.

9pm on Monday she was still awaiting a bed.

She was finally moved to a ward - depending on who you speak to; late Monday night or Tuesday morning.

So as I said, things are a little hectic at the moment what with work, keeping an eye on her bungalow and visiting.

I will try and work my way around so that I can catch up with you all but for the moment I'm not posting much.........................................................

So what did Santa...

...bring you this year?

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and if you are lucky enough to have some holiday time, I hope you are able to spend it how you wish and with the folk you wish to be with.

My main present arrived early and I've already shared photos with you - my set of Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens. I love the sheen that these pens give and will be looking forward to having a play over the holiday period.

I was very lucky this year because in addition to my pens I also received lots of lovely candles, chocolates, books, CDs, wine and this...

...it is a Sentiment bracelet - part of the 'Pure' range from Coppercraft. This was from my Mum. The sentiment appears on all four bars of the bracelet and the edges of the bars have a lovely scroll etching along them. The beads are Jade which is a stone that I love - Thank you Mum.

The usual family phone calls took place between those that couldn't be together on the day. The call to my sister was hilarious as all you could hear in the background was a lot of high pitched squeaking - that was my fault as I had bought her dog a selection of toys with squeakers in. My sister said that Lexi couldn't make up her mind what to play with so she was running in circles around the lounge jumping on all of them. Kiya the cat was being rather more refined and just sitting there giving one of her toys the occasional pat LOL

I hope you all received some lovely goodies.

I will not be hitting the sales. In fact, I will be trying to keep as far away from them as possible - I just can't be doing with all those crowds.

I intend to spend a lazy day today. The TV will be on in the background and I'll have some knitting to play with. Mum & I will also be tucking into the leftover meats from Christmas.

Have a lovely day folks.................................................................

Happy Birthday...

...to Me.

I thought I'd share some photos of some of my pressies.

My folk at work bought me a lovely Yankee Candle advent...

 ...20 tea-lights and 4 votives. Roll on December 1st so that I can see what the first fragrance is.
I received a lovely hand-made card from my friend Hilary...

 ...and a lovely friendship notebook & pen.
Some of the money I received in advance allowed me to buy this cheery chap...

 ...he is full of mini gingerbread men. How yummy...and Mum gave me a new Poinsettia...

...which looks lovely and provides a fabulous splash of colour.

The weather seems to be behaving itself today but it is not wall to wall sunshine. It is chilly but dry.

Mum isn't feeling too good as she has picked up one of these winter bugs that are going around, so we wont be going out for lunch. Still - I had a lovely lunch with my friend Hilary yesterday and we chatted and planned our course of action for next weekend's Members Weekend at Pinnacles.

The shopping list is growing....................................................................