A Quick Update

Just so you don't think I've done a disappearing act again: my FIL passed away on Wednesday 4th August at 2.05pm in Derby Hospital. He'd had to be re-admitted to the hospital that morning, due to a chest infection he'd developed not clearing up. His end was very quick, which left us all somewhat stunned, but also Blessedly peaceful. We were relieved that he'd suffered none of the excruciating pain usually associated with cancer and feel he left this life the way he wanted: without fuss and on his own terms.
What more could one ask?

The funeral service is tomorrow (Friday 13th) and we'll be spending the weekend with MIL, doing whatever she needs doing.

Will be back blogging again when I feel a bit more sociable.

Take care all.

Heart Stitcher

Remember I mentioned finishing a small item but couldn't show it because it was on it's way to a new home? Well it's now arrived safely with Barb (no blog) so I can show you what it was.

Design: Heart Stitcher

Designer: A Mon Ami Pierre, internet freebie

Fabric: Zweigart 32ct Murano, Ivory

Thread: DMC 816

Finish: Floss ring tag

This piece was, initially, going to be the heart-shaped finish for February's Challenge for a Finish but soon realised it was too small and fiddly for me to be able to complete it as that. Once I'd chosen the new piece for the Challenge it was a case of knowing exactly what I was going to do with this and where it would be going off to live. :0)

Here's a view of the back, which has our initials and the year.



Am glad to say that Barb likes it and the Ozark threads I put on it, which she hasn't tried before........ well you can't send an empty floss ring tag, can you? It just doesn't seem right somehow. :0)

The Crop-A-Dile certainly makes short work of adding those eyelets and is the best piece of kit ever! LOL Though I've still not gotten around to using it in my cardmaking..... yet.

Thank you for all the well wishes and I'm pleased to say that the after effects of the migraine were short-lived - now my fingers are crossed it was just a one-off as I really don't want to go back to how things were when I was in my teens and twenties, when I used to have one or two a month. Not nice!

Good job I had recovered OK as the three of us went over to Doncaster on Friday night to celebrate my Auntie M and Uncle W's Golden Wedding Anniversary - there was a disco and karaoke, complete with flashing coloured lights. Auntie M didn't know Uncle and their sons had arranged the party and they just told her to get herself dressed up and they'd take her out for a meal, giving her an excuse for calling in at the Welfare Club on their way.... where we were all waiting to greet them. It was a good night (despite my restriction to plain water all night) and it was lovely to catch up with quite a few of the seldom-seen relatives, as well as meet some of the newer members of the family (my eldest cousin's grandchildren, the latest being little Curtis Jack who is around six months old and was blissfully unaware of the party going on around him, as he slept virtually all the way through it. Bless!). Thought I'd share a pic of the lovely cake that the cousins had had made for the occasion:

Unfortunately I couldn't have any but DH and DS made short work of theirs, so I guess it must have been good. :0)

Saturday we had a late start but I still got out of bed feeling like an old cronk - anyone would have thought I'd been up doing the cancan at the party! LOL The aches soon wore off as I got moving around so DH and I popped into town to the health food shop to stock up on my cereals and get some more camomile tea. Whilst in town we popped into TJ Hughes - we didn't stay in there long, as DH didn't find any trousers suitable for work and I didn't spot any jeans...... or a changing room to try anything on. Do they have them in there? I need smaller clothes now, especially trousers and jeans, but don't know what size I'm down to so I wasn't going to buy anything I hadn't tried on first. Yes - I can actually start to shop in regular clothes shops again. Yay! Never mind, there's always another day. We stayed in last night, so I started - and finished - the stitching on the March Ornie for the JA/S&S Monthly Christmas Ornie SAL....... told you it was a quickie. :0)

Today (Sunday) DS went off early, to go swimming, and DH and I had a trip out again, once it had stopped snowing. Yes, that's right: snow..... again! It settled initially but as soon as it stopped the temperature went up a little and the bulk of it melted, leaving everywhere waterlogged. I went from wanting to go out, to wanting to hibernate with my stitching and then back to being happy to go out again, all within the hour or so it snowed. First port of call on our delayed trip out was The Range: they didn't have the cereal bowls I wanted (am I the only one who doesn't like square bowls or ones that remind me of dog dishes??? LOL) but I did come away with some smaller circular templates I've wanted for ages (they're X-cut and the cutter and larger templates I have are Fiskars but reckon they should work together OK) - they'll make small circular ornies and pinkeeps much easier to do. I also came away with: foam dots (for 3-D cards); a pack of PaperMania flowers in yellow (for Spring/Easter cards); a pack of beads (for the Christmas ornie finish); cool melt glue sticks and a storage box (in the interests of organisation!). Into Poundstretcher next for some Lock'n'Lock boxes for the cereals (Spring really must be in the air, with me this interested in getting organised! LOL). One quick call into Tesco Express later and we then went home. It's amazing how fast the day goes when you're pottering around like that.

I'm not in a finishing mood tonight so won't be tackling the ornie........ I guess I'd best pick out some fabric and thread for one of the other Challenges...... or maybe do a little more on Sea Stars.

Thank you all for visiting and for the kind comments - hope you're all enjoying the end of a great weekend. :0)

A Little Something About The Weekend.

We were out in the garden on Saturday, thanks to one of those lovely late summer/early autumn days of sunshine - not been much of that sunshine around this year, so we made the most of it to get some outside jobs done and also sit and enjoy it all. There were lots of birds and butterflies fluttering around though we didn't see the dragonflies this time. Thought I would share some pics and let you see what certain bits look like now. Here's the door to the Secret Garden again:




Helen: we didn't cut it back after the last pic to show you what happens when the ivy is allowed to do it's own thing. We won't be able to get in there soon, so it's going to have to have a trim. :0)

The triffids have decided they are on a mission to take over the bottom end of the garden - before going on to take over the world! LOL They've had a second flowering:



Think the Green Man has just about disappeared now. This is a view of the large daisy type flowers DH's Dad gave us quite a few years ago:

They flower every August and also seem to want to take over the garden. The little pile of dead wood at the front there is for the frogs to hide under, although I'm not sure if they actually use it. The butterflies and bees love those purple flowers on the bush next to the daisies - it's another one that has to be thrashed back hard every year or it takes over and also decides it wants to be a tree rather than a bush.

Saturday evening I finally got round to starting the Jayne's Attic Good Friends Count SAL. Parts 1 and 2 were waiting to be done, so I stitched them whilst watching the first LOTR film on TV. Here's what it looks like so far:

It's on 28ct Chocolate Crush, hand dyed by Jayne, and the threads are: Dinky Dyes silk Ironbark and Finca Perle #8 shade 4000. The piece is one of Jayne's own designs, the second she has released via her Stitch & Stashers Forum, and is just as much of a pleasure to stitch as the Memories piece was. Am looking forward to Part 3 coming out. :0)

On Sunday we had a trip over to my DSis's. We had a meal at hers and DH watched the Grand Prix. Later he took down the old light in the front bedroom and put up the new one for her. He's quite taken with the lights she's bought and has suggested we get one for our living room, as the current bulb and shade makes the room look quite dingy. Not one to stop him willingly spending money on home improvements I've told him to go for it. ;0) Her re-decorated front bedroom looks lovely so far - the wallpaper looks and feels like she has a fabric on the walls. I had hoped that would also have DH wanting to dip his hands in his pocket for wallpaper for our bedroom but he wasn't feeling that enthusiastic. LMAO.

Oh, and here's a pic of something that arrived last week and I forgot to share - the Halloween issue of the JCS magazine:

Of those on the front, the top two and left middle one are definite must-stitches and the right middle one is a maybe and inside are a few more must stitches too. I do love this end of the year and it's celebrations. :0)

Well I've got all my jobs done and Alex is due any minute so I'd better go and put the kettle on.

Thank you to one and all for taking the time to visit. Hope you've all had a good weekend and an easy start to the week. :0)

Birthday Memories

Hope you're having a Happy 75th Birthday in the Other World Dad.This is how I know you want to be remembered: enjoying fun times with your youngest grandson Finlay at yours and Mum's favourite holiday place at Pelham Farm, Lincolnshire. Boy, did little Fin's eyes pop when he saw that blue tractor! LOL

I had decided to post a pic of my Dad in his RE uniform, taken when he was serving out in Egypt but couldn't find it. Instead, an envelope full of photos "appeared" where I don't remember seeing it before but when I looked inside and saw this one among them I knew it was more than a co-incidence.

Remembering all the happy times and great memories Dad. :0)