Goodies!

I had some goodies waiting for me when I arrived home today. Two subscriptions and some wool from Aragon Yarns. The wool is for a knitted felted bag (pattern kindly supplied by Sal at www.doolallysally.blogspot.com ) and Lucy had to inspect it to check it was the right type of yarn. One of the magazines was the April edition of Easy Living with some nice articles, one called Coming up roses and another Italian inspiration. The other magazine was my Selvedge magazine although it always feels more like a book to me. It also has some lovely articles I am looking forward to reading. I got a free bag with Easy Living, pretty turquoise and cream floral tote but I am not sure how strong it is. I use a tote bag to carry things with me back and to school so I will no doubt soon find out.

Lucy found a cardboard box in the spare room and we had to have a game where she sat inside and I moved my finger across the outside. She did enjoy herself, trouble is she would have me standing there all day playing and I have a coffee and magazines waiting for me in the lounge.

I am glad it is Friday. Friday night and all day Saturday are my favourite days, I think its a legacy from when I was a girl-Sunday meant school the next day!

Have a good weekend every body! (and Shan, I will bring my Selvedge Magazines to Leeds next Saturday!)

pancakes and daffodils

Well we had a 'flippin' good time last night! Hubby made the pancakes and I squeezed the lemon (the supermarket had run out of Jiff!) It has to be the classic combination of lemon and sugar-and white sugar at that! (I did take a picture of hubby tossing the pancakes but he wouldn't let me post it!)

Tonight we are going to the little local cinema to see a film called 'Of time and the city' about Liverpool told through old film clips-sounds boring but I know Liverpool quite well and want to see how it has changed over the years.

I was upset last night when I got home t find a dead female bullfinch in the bedroom and a suspicious looking Lucy waiting on the landing. I have to say we have been lucky over the years and not had much killing from our cats. Tilly use to catch frogs occasionally but Lucy has had about 8 birds in her 12 years. I know it's a part of cat owning but I love the birds and hate to think of their suffering. Suffice to say I shouted at her and she sulked in the cupboard all evening but I'm not sure she knew why I was upset with her.

I found a freak mini daffodil today. (It's in the centre of the picture). It had lots more petals than usual and a larger trumpet. I think it was two stuck together. Very strange! Freak or not I do love daffodils and they are a sure sign of spring. It is a little early for them to be blooming outside but inside we have quite a few pots dotted around and they always make me smile.

Follow my leader....

I would like to thank all the lovely ladies that follow my Blog! it's been less than a month and I can't believe people actually want to read what I have to say on a regular basis!

So I'm sending you a rainbow.

I know my KS Shan also reads my blog "hello Shan, when are you going to do your own?"

THANKYOU!

In a flap!

Today we had some friends and their two daughters round for tea and cake. I am known amongst my circle of friends for my Lemon Cake so that was baked yesterday and we had some butter biscuits left from Thursday so I thought I needed one more delicacy. I have been reading Jane Brocket's book The Art of Domesticity and decided I would make some flap jacks from her recipe.

The butter, sugar and syrup looked lovely as it all melted together and I have to say we ate them still gooey and slightly warm with lots of licking of fingers. My usual star the lemon cake took a back seat this time I am afraid.

It was lovely to relax and chat and catch up while the girls played outside with occasional visits to see Lucy who was sleeping in the warm airing cupboard!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

What a good day out!

I and a group of friends went to see Mary Poppins at The Palace Theatre in Manchester and it was supercallifrgilisticexpialidocious! (bet you spell checker can't find that one!). It was really well worth the money and the flying Mary was magical!

After we went for a Chinese then on to Opus One at the Raddison Hotel for a cocktail. It was a good way to end my half term and now I feel ready to face school again on Monday.

Good things this week!

I got the idea for this blog from the brill blog-Magnusmog. I have had some good things happen this week I would like to share with you.

A surprise bunch of flowers from hubby for Valentines day along with a beautiful Paperchase card and a CD.

Some time in my very neglected greenhouse.

Some precious time spent with my mum on Sunday looking at garden centres and searching through her sewing and knitting box.

Making biscuits and cake, shopping and planning and spending time catching up with my Kindred Spirit Shan.

Doing a bit of dry felting-not nearly as much as I would of liked.

Looking at Shan's stash of new glass beads and making her promise she will take me to the new bead shop she has discovered.

Hanging a beautiful new picture in the dining room.

And a promise that spring is on the way....

Kindred Spirit Day!

Well it arrived. The day started off dull and unpromising but this did not dampen our spirits. I met my friend Shan off the train at Hebden Bridge and we went straight for some lunch and to catch up. Then we wandered around the shops and looked for some creative inspiration, we were not disappointed. We went into 'Heart' where I bought three beautiful heart shaped buttons.

Then on to 'The Yorkshire Soap Company' where we "ooohed" and "arhhhed" over soaps in the shape of cup cakes and chocolates and others in slices of scenes with palm trees and people. We called in 'Spirals' where I bought a felt purse and all the time Shan was making mental notes of colours and patterns all around us. The greengrocer had a beautiful display outside his window and I couldn't help taking a photo of it.

We drove over towards Halifax to 'Studio 339' where I purchased a beautiful silk rose corsage/brooch, I said "I haven't got a black and grey one" to which Shan replied " It will be good for funerals" I bought it anyway!

We got lost on the way but found some interesting places like the wide cobbled lane winding down a hill and the stripped bare tree in the middle of a field.

We got home to have afternoon tea. The cake went down well and Shan had tea out of my rarely used, Beryl ware teapot. The bits and pieces of chintz ware and Cath Kidson were also dusted off for the occasion.

Shan brought me a print (see photo-Shan is hiding behind it-she's very shy!) It's a print of hers called 'Favourite Chair' and fits in with the decor of our dining room so I guess that's where it will go. I am trying to get Shan to do a blog and show her jewellery and prints but she's reluctant to start something she feels she won't be able to give 100% to.

When Hubby came home we had meatballs and spaghetti for dinner and I made banana bread and butter pudding- mmmmmmm very nice!

The perfect end to a perfect day!

Baking Day

Today was Baking day. Having watched the recent series on BBC called The Victorian Farm, I quite like the idea of each day being a day for a different chore, although I doubt very much I would have the energy of a Victorian Farmers wife to be able to live!

This in mind and the fact my friend Shan is coming to stay tomorrow for a night I decided to bake a cake and some biscuits.

The biscuits were fiddly and I don't think much success but the cake I have made before and is lovely. I make it with Bournville Cocoa so not to sickly but the sweetness is in the butter icing. The recipe is from English Teatime recipes, one of those little booklets published by Salmon.

Derbyshire Chocolate Cake

3 oz drinking chocolate

4 oz self raising flour

6 oz margarine

6 oz caster sugar

3 eggs, well beaten

1 tablespoon hot water

filling and topping

2 oz margarine (I use butter)

2 oz drinking chocolate

4 oz icing sugar

warm water to mix.

Method-

Set the oven at 350'F or gas mark 4. Grease and line two 2lb cake tins or 8" sandwich tins. Sieve together the flour and chocolate in a bowl. In another bowl cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture to prevent curdling. Fold in the remaining flour and chocolate mixture and stir in the hot water. Put the mixture into the tins and smooth the tops. Bake for 25 minutes or until surface springs back when pressed lightly. Remove from tins to cool on wire rack.

For the filling, mix all the ingredients together adding water to bind until smooth and light. Sandwich cakes together and smooth the rest on top.

Books, books

I just love books, I can not resist them, I have a need to go into every bookshop I see, I can spend a whole day in Waterstones (with lunch at their cafe) and don't get me started on Amazon and second hand book shops. I read book reviews and listen to radio 4 and often buy books on recommendations from friends. I just love them. There does come a point though when they start to take over your house.

When we moved house four years ago it was the books that took most sorting and I have to say I was very good and sorted the wheat from the chaff and recently after languishing in the garage for three years we took boxes and boxes of unwanted books to Oxfam. But there are just some you know you will never part with. My Oxford book of children's verse I got when I was a girl, well thumbed and penciled I might add. My gardening books-always handy to look up that unusual blight on my vegetables, my craft and art books, coming in handy now I teach Art and Design to Primary school children and my many cook books that are lucky if I have attempted one recipe out of but are there just in case.

Of course I have donated lots of fiction as I know I will never read them a second time but there are always favourites I need to keep. I love to read and as I get older I find it easier to curl up with a book rather than watch TV.

If you look through my 'library' you will see many different subjects, family history, gardening, biographies, house and homes, crafts, cats, poetry, Italy, films, the list goes on and on. I doubt if I will ever be cured of my addiction but I can't help but think I may be responsible for keeping publishers in business!

Bright as a Button

I had a lovely day yesterday and went to visit my mum. After lunch I remembered I needed a circular needle to make a bag (pattern kindly supplied by Sal) and asked if I could look to see if she had one. In amongst all the bits and pieces of things she keeps that may come in handy one day I found two tins of buttons. I sat for the next hour sorting them into colours, it was such fun!






Some where old and some cut off garments long ago forgotten, some where new but all were like jewels. She then said I may as well take them so I brought my little stash home and now they are all tidied into little colour compartments, just waiting for a new project.

I took some photo's with my new camera, it's only been a week since my camera broke but I have missed it. I think this new one takes better close up photos than my old one so be prepared for a lot more photos on my blog!



Half term and I have a week all to myself. I can't wait to see my friend on Thursday but until then I plan to get some more felt animals done.

Happy Valentines

Wishing all bloggers a Happy Valentines day!

Wild in Art

Today we finished for half term, It's been a long week. I had my class 2 for Art this afternoon and we finished off their self portraits (no photo's-see earlier blog!) This morning a little boy called Jack gave me a picture he had done for me at home. It was lots of lovely scribbles but done 'artistically' and in the top corner(not sure if you can read it from the scanned picture) it says "you can let yo'ru mind go wiyld in art" (You can let your mind go wild in art). I love it and am thinking how I can display it in my study. Sometimes my mind looks like that picture I'm sure.

On my week off, I plan to do lots of crafting and I am also catching up with friends too. I am going to see Mary Poppins on the 22nd and one little girl at my school told me she actually flies! Hubby and I will have a meal at home for Valentines and exchange a small gift, then will no doubt end up watching a DVD curled up in front of the fire. Lucy may even curl up and keep my knee warm!

Wot no photo's!

This is a sad day. As any one who knows me will tell you I take my camera every where with me but after only 2 years my latest digital camera has died. I think it fell out of my bag at school and it's never been the same since. I will have to just use photos stored on my computer for now until I can get a new one. Such a bad time, I could do with out the expense, hey-ho!

This little dilemma made me go searching for something interesting in my photograph folders and I came across two pet portraits I had previously scanned in. One is of Tilly, or as we use to call him "Bob" and the other is of Lucy. I still need to get them framed, something else on the to-do-list. I sell raffle tickets to win pet portraits for my local Cats Protection at their Christmas Fayre and it always makes a good bit of money to help needy cats. I have helped at fund raising events for them for years now and it's the one time I sit down and spend a whole 4 hours just painting. (usually the ironing makes me feel guilty!)

They are watercolours done on A4 paper and one day I will illustrate a book about cats, I have lots of ideas but no real time to do them, but one day........

PS this blog was originally called 'Dead Camera' but after reading the comments, thought I had better change it!

Thankyou Ladies!

As I am new to the world of Blogs I am not quite sure of the etiquette regards comments. I always read your comments and will reply to them on my blog. I read so many of your lovely blogs and leave comments all over the place too. So as I have now been doing this blog for....wait for it......just over a week I would like to say a big THANKYOU to the following for reading and commenting on my blog. Of course there may be others who have read it but have not been inspired to leave any comment and I thank you too but I would like to name the one's who have-
Tracy at Dragonfly
Lou at Ludabelle
Sam at Gingerwine
Michele at Cowboys and Custard
Whitney at Box of Light
Alice at The Magpie files
and Sal at Doolallysally (who also very kindly tried to send me a pattern for a bag!)
You have all made me feel very welcome and I look forward to reading and continue to be inspired by your blogs.

New scarf.

Thought you would like to see a picture of a new scarf I am knitting. I started it just after Christmas but made it a bit too wide and now need more wool. The wool was a Christmas present from my mother-in-law so she kindly said she would get me some more. She got it from a wonderful shop in Much Wenlock, called Ippikin (01952 728371). It's like an Aladdin's cave full of wonderful things, we go every time we visit her and I could spend hours just looking at the wool, buttons, patterns and made up crafts. The people are very friendly and helpful and enjoy talking to you or are always happy to help. The wool I am using is from Colinette in Llanfair Caereinion in Wales and is so soft. I just hope I finish it before Spring!

The cardigan-cum-jacket I am wearing was a Christmas pressie from My mum. She's so talented, she just makes things up, no pattern required, I guess that's how it goes when you have been knitting for as long as she has. It's such a cosy warm cardie, I have been wearing it a lot since the weather turned so cold.

Thank goodness it's Friday

Well, thank goodness it's Friday- and I only had a three day week this week due to the weather. The weather, we Brits love to talk about the weather and for once we have something interesting to say about it. These photos were taken on the way home from work on Wednesday, a cold frost hung in the valley and I had to pull over into the snow to take some photos-I am always doing that.

I think the photos are so blue because of the light reflecting off the snow and the fog, I like them anyway. I have just booked two workshops for March. The first is in Leeds at Fabrication to make felt jewellery with Angela Barrow and the next is in Manchester Royal Exchange to do Mono printing. I am going to these workshops with my best Buddie Shan, so we can be crazy together, the creativity makes us crazy and we craft and scribble till we are exhausted! I am seeing her before then when she is coming to stay for a night in the half term, I can't wait to see her. I have not seen her since before Christmas when she jetted off to Montserrat to visit her Dad and to sell her prints and other handmade goodies over there.

Knitting a bag

I thought I would post a photo of a bag I made just before Christmas. I booked on a one day workshop locally with a lovely lady called Pat Osborne. I panicked a little when she told me I would be knitting a bag to felt. On the day, we sat round in a relaxed atmosphere and it all came back to me, I could hear wise words from my mum and my Nan whispering in my mind and Pat gave me all the help and encouragement I needed. I left with instructions on how to finish and felt it. And here it is! I really enjoyed making it and I have already planned my next one. The bag was huge before I put it in the washing machine to felt and I was shocked at how much it had shrank when it came out. The toggles (hard to see in the photo) where a perfect colour match. I knitted in various textured yarn with the pure new wool but kept the strap just wool. The next one is going to be plain mink pure new wool and I would like a different style bag really, so will need to keep my eyes open for a pattern.

Meet Elvis

Hello, thought you would all like to meet Elvis the sheep. He is the second felt animal I have made (stands about 3'' high) and I am please with him. The glass eyes look much better than the felted one's I did on the cat the other day. I am so happy some one has been to see my blog, thank you to Sal, alice and Lou, I am getting a bit obsessed with this blogging though, I kept wanting to be at home all day today to craft and blog-sad!?

I needed to play with Lucy and put the dinner on and then I was able to log on but after adding a few things to my blog and taking and adding the photo of Elvis, I am sure there is a faint whiff of burning coming from the kitchen so I had better dash!

Winter Wonderland

So today I had hubby at home too so we decided to go for a walk in the woods opposite our house. It was so magical and such a lovely day because although cold not too cold and with a lovely blue sky. The snow was very deep where it had drifted at the top of the hill and by the time we got home my feet were wet and cold and we were glad of the home made soup I had made yesterday. I could get use to this staying at home lark!

Snow Day

What a treat, another snow day. This time the Head gave up and closed the school so I feel less guilty! I had such a lovely day yesterday because I finally got round to making a felt cat. I have been meaning to start this new craft for months and this unexpected couple of days has given me the chance to start. My first attempt is not fantastic (left front leg a bit shorter than the right) but I was very proud of my effort. I have put some photos on so you can see the stages. I have a lovely book called little felted animals and I want to try some of these.