Snow & excitement in Lincolnshire!

The past week has been quite an exciting one & that is nothing to do with the snow! I do have to admit to getting a tad excited when the snow did arrive , but I am so over that now! I want a non slippery walk with my dogs & No1 man on an afternoon  & to not have things I love doing cancelled because of the snow & cold weather.
You want to know what else I have been excited about? After far too many years dithering, I returned to an art group. There is a wonderful gallery nearby called Lincolnshire  Gallery & on a Monday morning , they hold an art class. I went along with a friend & we had such a lovely time.I came away feeling as though I will eventually be able to produce something worthy of calling art. Everyone was so friendly & welcoming . I feel full of inspiration ! I am going again tomorrow even though it is snowing heavily outside at the moment.
Below is a sketch I did at the class in 10 minutes. It surprised me what I could achieve if I really pushed myself.

Our new DSLR cameras arrived this week as well. Mr T & I are now learning to use them & I am certainly  looking forward to producing some better images for this blog at least. I have been wanting one of these for some years now so this is a real treat. They came just at the right moment too with all this beautiful icy weather. I got some pretty shots & they were only taken in my garden! 

 This is the tip of a Ceanothus shrub caught in the ice.

  Bejewelled spiders web .

Mr Robin on his daily business collecting seed from under the bird feeders.

 Maisie caught on the windowsill!She is so naughty!!

 Across the fields looking towards Holbeach. The trees are entrapped in ice , making them look spectacular in the sun.

I hope you have had a great week as well.
I will be back with some more creations I have to show you very soon.

Getting organised

Over the holiday period I hardly did any crafting. I am always knitting , so I feel that somehow doesn't count.
Mr T has started to volunteer for Age UK. It has a secondhand furniture outlet nearby at Fleet & he helps with the collections & deliveries of furniture. I went down to meet the team that work there & of course I came home with some furniture I needed! I was so pleased with my find of some very sturdy shelves for £35 & an oak nest of tables for £25.

Craft room before major tidy

All this buying was necessary as I was in a real muddle with all my stuff in my craft room. I have so much stuff (as we all do) that I had no where to put it. The shelves have been so useful & along with a set of drawers that my MIL gave me for Christmas last year, things are just a bit tidier & organised in my room.Above is the before picture.

Craft room after tidy.

I still have things to find homes for as you can see!

My new shelves, home for a small portion of all my art supplies, sewing threads , buttons , ribbons & yarns.

Here is the after shot. I still have things to put on the walls, shelves, wall hanging tidy, clock & hanging rails for my pots. You can see how much better it is now & I have my computer here now as well which will be so much more practical.

I have been knitting a new bag for myself. I splashed out on some Noro Kureyon to make this bag. I am so pleased with it. It did take a while to sort out all the colours which I split into sections so each round of shells would be of a similar colour range.There would have been a lot of ends to sew in but I wove them in at the back as I knitted. This has been a very satisfying project. I just have to knit a border around the top of the bag , felt it & I think I may add some leather handles after I have lined it in some pretty fabric.

I used five 50g balls of Noro yarn & had just a small amount left after. It is great for using up small oddments of wool.
I will keep you posted on the finished article. Lets hope I can find some lovely handles to finish it nicely.

Clutter & clucking!

Today has been a lovely spring like day. Early this morning I saw my first hare. It was a long way off in the field opposite the house. It was racing around in the sunshine ,zigzagging its way over the ploughed field. The sun was catching & glinting off its fur as it darted around & was quite stunning to see. It has inspired me to get on & have a go at some more felting & create a doorstop as a hare looking up at the moon. I really must get to do it before I lose the image in my head.
The house seems quite empty now with all the Christmas decorations put back up in the loft for another year & all the presents tidied away. The family have all returned to what they do & I am going to get on with transforming the house. I have one more room to tackle which is the lounge. It only needs a lick of paint to freshen it up & to hang the new curtains I bought last year. Maybe I will find my mojo & get it done in a few weeks time. I must admit I do struggle now with my back & it seems to take me so long now. I used to be able to paint a room in a day before I hurt my back.
I spent some time in the garden this afternoon. The sun was so lovely & to be out in the crisp air was very invigorating. I let the chooks have their first roam around while I was there & they so enjoyed it. Maisie & Grouse were not so happy about being shut in the house while the chickens strutted about  but that's just tough!
Archie Rooster was in his element , especially when he found some worms in the flower bed I had turned over for them . What a gent he is , clucking away to his girls ,signalling to them there is food & letting them get their fill first. So sweet to see.
I actually got some Box bushes planted today & if it doesn't rain tomorrow , I may be able to get some Lavenders in. I thought the soil would be too wet , but its not so bad. I shall be sowing my chilli seeds this week & get them started inside. I am so looking forward to spending time in the garden this year. Lets just  hope for some good weather.
I have not been able to take any photos this week. My camera ran out of battery & my smart phone has gone off to be mended again. Lets hope Virgin can sort out the issues I am having as I really like the camera on my phone & use it a lot.
For now here is a Hare picture I quite like.

Hello 2013!!

Hello my lovely readers.
Thank goodness 2013 is finally here. I have to say the last month of 2012 was a really busy one & I had no time to stop & post on here.
 I am so looking forward to this year. I hope lots of happy things happen & I can finally get my head around what I am supposed to be doing & get creative again.
In December , Mr T & I realised some wishes we had for a while. Our children unexpectedly were all together for Christmas & we got our chickens!! These were our Christmas presents. The best ones we could ever have. No 2 son came home a week before the big day & No 1 & his lovely girlfriend , flew in from Vienna just a few days before. We didn't know this would happen until just the week before they arrived. It was lovely & I fed them all with so much home cooked food, I think we must all be at least half a stone heavier.
We had a great week all together. Lots of shopping , exploring local towns & villages that none of us have seen & getting to know the locals in the village pub! The whole family went to collect our new chickens. We have bought an existing flock of Araucana's . Archie Rooster & his four hens, Annie Aggie, Blue & Bella. We were so lucky. A friend of mine was looking for a new home for hers as she hadn't been able to give as much time to them as she wanted. We fitted the bill. We all went to collect them the day after Boxing Day & their neighbour loaned her trailer for the move of the house & run. The house is an Omlet Cube. Very posh & so easy to transport as well.
In no time , with the help of dear friends husband , we had them all installed in our garden & clucking away happily. We have since been rewarded with the laying of two lovely green/blue eggs. They are still in my egg basket as I am hoping for a third one & we can all have one to eat before No 2 son goes back to Sussex for college tomorrow.
I couldn't be happier with our flock of Chickens. Even though we have a cock , he has a quiet crow & hopefully the neighbours wont whinge about him. We do live in the country after all!!
I haven't taken so many photos as I usually do as my phone has been on the blink & sent back, I find the camera on it much better than my usual Samsung digital.We are going to treat ourselves to new cameras , but as they will be digital SLR,s , we are taking our time over choosing them.

These are three Gingerbread houses our friends made when they came to stay for the weekend. We had a lot of fun!

 

 Archie Rooster with his girls.

 

 Mr T & the boys

 Trying to play the Master edition !!

 Our first egg 31/12/2012

 Second egg laid 2 days later is on the right.

Compared with a standard bought free range large egg. 

 

a month!

I cannot believe a whole month has passed since my last post!!.
Life has been pretty busy here & the lane outside has turned rather wet & muddy during that time. We have also had some major changes in the house. Ok so no walls have been knocked down but the hole in the loft was made large enough for Mr T to now get his shoulders through & it has also had electric lighting installed & flooring put down. Our lovely chippy ,Mike did such a great job. He also thoroughly cleaned the space out for us & considering the first few days of his work he came out looking like an old time chimney sweep, it was no mean feat. Mikes achievement has enabled us to move a lot of our "stuff" into a storage space out of our way.Bliss!! No more tripping over boxes.Talking of boxes, as I sit writing this on my laptop & look around the lounge , we have no more boxes in here!!! I am just waiting  for the chimney to be swept net week & I can start decorating & put our own mark in here.I have just finished the dining room .The transformation from peach to white is very pleasing. Add in our newly painted dresser & its much more our style.  

 

Hope you like it.It took quite a few days to sand the surfaces down & then paint two coats of lovely blue paint on & then after it had dried ,wax it all.

Our new range cooker arrived as well .After we had it installed I was able to cook this most yummy sour cream

 apple pie.

The recipe is over on one of my favourite blogs ,Posie gets Cosy. The link is here if you would like to make one.We can certainly recommend it as can our neighbours who also had a slice each.Alicia Poulsons blog is so lovely , she is a very talented lady. Her lovely applique ,knitting & patchwork projects are very inspiring.

 

I have been getting back into my spinning again.I went to a Guild meeting where we had a masterclass in felting flowers. Here is my effort. I shall show more pictures of the meeting on my next visit with you.

 

TTFN.xx

 

 

 

 

 

Hedgehogs & Mollie Makes!.

October has begun.
With it comes colder weather, Mr T's birthday & the man who will do a miracle job on our loft.
 Mike will be visiting in 2 weeks to make a larger loft hatch, board the floor & put in lighting & a ladder.I know, not something you would normally get excited about but it means the tide of brown boxes will lessen & my quest for a tidy & useable craft room will become closer.
I attended a guild spinning meeting today.A nice gathering that ended up just over into Cambridge! On the way home we got a bit lost until I saw a sign. The girls in the back said ," you don't know the way round here!". I said "Yes but I know I live in Lincolnshire & that says its the county line!".Normally I wouldn't have a clue, but something told me I was right!!ha ha!!
I finished painting the dining room yesterday & tonight we put the dresser back. Now all it needs is a coat of clear wax. I cant wait to show you photos of the finished room when its completed. Soon, very soon!!
The dogs were going silly again tonight.It gets to a certain time & they are convinced they need to go in the garden. We are sure they think that the hedgehog will be out there. I leave you with a picture of a cute creation that is in this months Mollie Makes.It is on my to do list!

Changes

Autumn ,I always think, is a time for cleansing & change.I so love the change in the weather. The cool freshness of the mornings then as the day goes on , the warming of the last rays of summer sunshine. This year I feel even more of a cleansing. Maybe its to do with the complete change around of my life . Leaving work, moving home , leaving my dearest friends, making new friends & being put into a completely alien environment.
Things were very hard for me the first couple of weeks. I am starting to feel more settled & have started making new friends. The house is getting there slowly. We are still in boxes. I have just been hunting for my keyboard! Thankfully I found it quickly in a box & that should now aid me writing my posts.
The garden is also shaping up. Having previously been a paddock for a pony, we are very short on interest in the garden. Borders & beds are currently being dug by myself , which in itself is back breaking work , so I have to take things very slowly & carefully so as not to re injure my back again. Mr T is thankfully helping to dig as well ,with Magweed & the Grouseman , watching on & noting anything that comes out of the earth with a wriggle with great interest.
Being surrounded by great flatness & fields , the wind whips across the land. We have little shelter apart from a huge hedge which takes me all day to cut & fills a compost bay with clippings when its done.Thankfully this hedge also provides great shelter for some fabulous birds. We have a visiting song thrush , robins , sparrows , house martins & many other species. We also have an owl that swoops through the garden very early in the morning. I have yet to see it, but have been assured by my neighbour that I will around 7.30 in the morning. I cant wait!
The plan for the garden is to create two circular lawns that link together. The resulting areas around the lawns are to be filled with shrubs & perrenials. I also need to have vegetable beds & a space for some chickens. They will come later, maybe in the springtime. For now I am needing to increasing my plant stocks.
I always have felt that the main garden centers make such a large profit on their sales . I plan to only buy from only either local nurseries, car boots , seed & plant sales ,damaged stock or greatly reduced stock, seeds , cuttings ,swaps & gifts .Few!! Thats quite an order but I really want to stick to it &create a beautiful garden on a budget.
We have made a start. The compost bays are in using recycled materials found in the garden.The sheds have had some guttering added at great expense to stop the walls from rotting with the rain & to collect water into butts . (i feel a song, I got big b...!!) The first vegetable bed has been dug & strawberry plants & cabbages along with purple sprouting broccoli have been planted up. These were either reduced in a local nursery or bought form another local discount nursery.We have a fabulous place locally called Butters. They supply to companies like Marks& Spencers & Next. Whatever they have left over , they sell at greatly reduced prices to the public.You should have seen what we bought for £45!! It filled the car up.
For now I shall leave you with a few images from the last week in the garden/house & go get on with digging & directing the digger.
Have a great day. xxx 

Still here!

Yes I am still here.
Its been a very busy summer & a fraught one at that! We have only just moved house.We have been in Lincs for only 3 weeks.There are still boxes to be unpacked, gardens to be dug & rooms to be decorated. Busy but great.
I will be back again with an update very soon!

An update of sorts....

Please forgive my absence. Major things have been going on in our household & its been a roller coaster of emotions.
Firstly our little Scottie , Peggy passed away. At thirteen years of age I felt it would be someday in the not too distant future. She was a happy little soul & although she spent much of her days sleeping ,she enjoyed her food & coming up on mums lap to see out of the window.
Now if you read back ,you will find the history of how little Peggysue came into our family. She was our little foster girl & we loved her with all our hearts.

She became quite poorly & went off her food. I took to hand feeding her & for a while she was happy with this.After a few days she stopped eating or drinking & we knew she had decided it was time to say goodbye. I miss her terribly but I know she is happy & will never be in pain again.
The next thing that happened was in a space of days the following happened!We found a house we liked . The next day we sold our house & the following day whilst on our way to a wedding ,we bought the house!
I am quite excited /apprehensive!Its a huge move for both of us & our remaining No2 son. He will be moving out for a year & into  student digs. We will be moving away from jobs, family & friends & making a new life in Lincolnshire.

Many people have asked us why there & the answer is simple. We no longer wish to be a slave to the mortgage & enjoy the time left together.We have bought a smaller house with a much much bigger garden & will have the luxury of off road parking & surrounded by fields.Here is the view in the garden looking towards the house. I know its not quite ours yet but it all seems to be moving along & I am sure we will get there.Goodness knows we are having a bit of a time at the moment but I am sure things will work out.

The next thing that happened is about 2 weeks ago ,my mother became very ill.Mum had a complete mental health breakdown. We are not really sure why but I am sure she has had a lot of stress recently with us moving & my brother had a fire at his farm & she had recently had a knee replacement. I have found things very difficult & although I was visiting mum every day I found it too much & now go every other day.Its so frustrating to watch her & her moods & trying to make sense of what she is trying to say & get across to us.I am reassured by the nursing team that she will get better but some days I am not so sure & it breaks my heart.
Through all this my constant has been my loving husband & children. They are always there ,even No1 son who is hundreds of miles away. Thank goodness for smart phones!!

My other constant has been knitting. I have at last finished my Debbie Bliss shrug made out of Angel. It was not easy for me to concentrate on this & I was pleased when I finally got it finished. I must get some pictures of it. I had hoped to wear it to my friends wedding but with going up to Lincolnshire house hunting at the last minute that went out the window.The pattern is in the current summer Debbie Bliss magazine. Its well worth getting. There are some fabulous patterns in there.

At the moment I am knitting a very simple project in Katia Cotton yarn. This is lovely cotton to knit with & comes in some really bright zingy colours. I am knitting a round cushion.

Its from this book

This is a great book & well worth getting hold of one to add to your library. It has some lovely classic pattern in from a retro tea cosie to a patch work blanket all using colour block work.
The Queens 50th Jubilee is coming up fast!To enter into the spirit I have made a small strip of bunting to go across the fireplace.I used the yarn from the knitting set i got from the Works. The colours are not fast & the red dyed my needles somewhat.This wont be getting washed in a hurry so should be ok.

I shall miss this pretty fireplace. Our new one is a little plain at the moment but when we have time , maybe we will have a new mantle & a log burning stove! How cosy that will be.
Hopefully my next update will have some happier news in it. I may even have some completed projects to show you.
Enjoy the current lovely weather.
Lxx

Busy busy busy!!!!!

I cannot believe how busy we have been the past couple of months.
At long last our family countdown to Mr T's retirement has ended. At the beginning of March he officially became unemployed & was retired from his job!I have to say he has never been quite so busy since!
Our house is now on the market & we are looking for our dream home to buy. We don't have a huge budget & really want to have as small a mortgage or be mortgage free if possible.
For now ,we just keep as tidy a house as possible & entertain strangers looking around our home. Some have been very nice, others downright rude! Is it just me or should you really ask if you can use someones loo before taking to a squatting position in their house?!!I think I would....!!!
I have also been busy , making bits & pieces.I really must show you what I have been up to with the things I showed you the last time I was here.Some have been for the house ,others for my pure indulgence!

I finished off various rooms in the house for the market place & in doing so I made a blind for our bathroom out of an antique linen tablecloth.I also made blinds for our bedroom to match the wallpaper

from linen & beautiful Laura Ashley fabric.I need to get the bedroom blinds down again as they are not perfect & the defect is sooo annoying!!I am not going to say what it is, but its just driving me crazy!!!

I have a number of projects now finished. I really must get them photographed.
Our son & his girlfriend are home from Austria for a week & we are so enjoying their company.I shall really miss them when they go home again & I will be back to work myself.
For now I shall enjoy having a month off work. I so needed it.
I found this lovely sewing blog,Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. I love her retro style & very handy hints & tips to brush up my sewing skills.Pop on over to have a look.