Sadly Not So Far....Not So Good....

Good morning everyone.
I hope you are all well.
Just a short post to say that my aim to post everyday in January sadly fell by the wayside last weekend when we had a car accident....a slide on some ice, resulting in our vehicle on its side, sliding down an icy sloping road, coming to rest mercifully on the brink of another drop through the trees.
We are fine....a few bumps and bruises....mainly my elbow and a sliver of glass in my foot....surprisingly the neck is 'Good' but it could have been so much worse....we are not dwelling on what could have been, only how lucky we are.....
It was a bizarre and surreal experience and a complete freak incident but we are here.....suffice to say there were at least a dozen other vehicles that were struggling or in trouble....we were just unfortunate.
My partner had gone for help as there was no phone signal in the forest....and I was looked after so well, by so many people and I only wish I could 'Thank' them all personally from the walkers, drivers, cyclists, police, forestry commission staff, car rescue guys and a wonderful family...who gave me hugs, hot tea, heated hand warmers and gloves as mine were trapped inside our car....
They were all amazing....I only wish I could 'Thank' this amazing family.....but sadly I may never find out who they were.....but I will offer a prayer every day for them....what a wonderful family.
My faith in human nature and kindness is truly restored.....
And I still and always will love Dalby Forest.....no matter.....
It was an accident.....just that.....an accident.
But if anyone reads this and knows or is part of this lovely family who came to my aid in Dalby Forest on Saturday 16th January I would love to hear from you.....

I hope to get back to some blogging soon.....things were going so well!!!!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.

Enjoy the rest of your day. 

So Far...So Good...

Good morning everyone.
I hope you are all well.
All in all it's not been too bad a week....apart from the snow and cold but Hey~Ho it is Winter.
I hope you have all had a good week.
So far....
My pain is continuing to improve and ease and I am managing to do a little more craft wise.
I have had a hot stone massage....for my neck and shoulder....wonderful.
I have had physiotherapy.....for the same problem.
I have arranged a date to go back to work....and we'll see how I manage. The plan is to increase my hours slowly....
I have managed to lose 5lbs in weight since New Year's Day which I am thrilled about especially as my will power is almost zilch normally....
I have read my first book in my 2016 Good Reads Challenge.....my target is 26 books this year....I over estimated my capabilities last year and failed miserably to read the 52 books I planned.
I have also nearly finished 3 of my unfinished crafty projects that I had abandoned to the depths of my work basket for month's on end.....
I did want to start the 1000 miles walking challenge on New Year's Day but I needed a new battery for my pedometer.....so I think I will start this on 1st of February......my date for starting back at work. I understand I need approx. 2000000 steps to reach this goal....it would be good if I could find something to plot my progress here on my blog....to keep me motivated you understand!!!! Any ideas?....

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.

Enjoy the rest of your day. 

The Lincoln Baron's......

Good evening everyone.
I hope you are all well.
So it's arrived.....the sleet and snow that is and Boy!!! is it cold....
Today I have been having a look through my photos and realised that I have lots of pictures that I took last summer while doing the Lincoln Baron's Charter Trail. I thought I had blogged about them but on looking back I don't think I did....to be honest I hardly blogged at all last year due to one thing and another.
The trail was to celebrate 800 years of the Magna Carta....
Looking at these photos really cheered me up as the Baron's were all beautifully decorated and I remember that it was a lovely warm summers day when we did the trail.....seems so long ago now.
All the Baron's had a letter hidden in their decor and you had to collect them and find the hidden phrase.....the prize was bags of gold coins....chocolate that is....we didn't find all the letters but had fun looking....
Here are some of the Baron's....

And yes I do know that strange man in the photo.....

Look....he's there again!!!!

There's a strange woman now!!!

I think there were 25 Baron's in all....dotted around the city....
And I think my favourite one has to be The Red Arrows Baron....I love watching them practise over Lincoln and the local area. I am often treated to a display while driving Brogan to and from the university....
I noticed last time I was in Lincoln a lot of the shops had their own tiny decorated Baron's displayed in their windows....another trail maybe....
While browsing through these photographs I thought they would look good on a scrapbook layout....now I haven't made one of those in a while....

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.

Enjoy the rest of your evening. 

Knitted Lace Flower Brooch...Almost.....

Good afternoon everyone.
I hope you are all well.
Well I'm keeping to my crafting mantra....Keep It Simple (& Small) for the time being at least...
I bought this little knitted flower petal brooch kit about a year ago, when I first started learning to knit and it has languished in the drawer until this last week or so.....
I have now been told by my physiotherapist that I can start to do a little bit of crafting....carefully......but not too much!!! 
So.....I thought this was the perfect 'tiny' project....

It is slow but I have behaved myself and only knitted one petal per day...there are six of them and now they are ready to be sewn together...I feel sure it won't look anything like it does on the leaflet though.....but we will see!!!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.

Enjoy the rest of your day. 

 

The Daz & Bertie Show....

Good evening everyone.
I hope you are all well.
Today I would like to share a few photos of our furry companions taken on Christmas Day.....sadly it was only the boys this year as we had to say 'Goodbye's to our lovely Stella a few days before.....
So here is Daz....sporting his Santa hat.....

And here is Bertie....

(I'm not sure how many toys/chews he can fit in that bed)
Poor Daz looks a tad bewildered....

And I think hysteria has crept in for Bertie....

(I think that this was actually taken more mid-yawn but he looks as though he's having a good laugh to me).....
I have some crafty work on the go but nothing to see as of yet....

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.

Enjoy the rest of your evening. 

Grey Seals At Donna Nook

Good afternoon everyone.
I hope you are all well.
I just wanted to share some photos of this years grey seals at Donna Nook. 
We went a few days before Christmas....it has become a bit of a tradition over the years to brave the cold and visit the beaches here to see this wonderful sight.
I am always in awe of these amazing creatures and feel so lucky to live as close as we do to be able to see them up close.....
Donna Nook Nature Reserve

As of the 21st December 2015 there had been a total of 1,889 pups born.

Just like this little one.

Such a poser....

And very cheeky...

I'm sure they must get rather fed up watching us watching them....

'Do you know they don't even let us bathe in peace'....

Even he enjoys himself.....even if I have to drag him there.
(Caught nattering away to a young pup huddled up against the fence)....a big softy really, but don't tell him I know....!!!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.

Enjoy the rest of your evening. 

Photo Scavenger Hunt ~ December 2015

Good evening everyone.
I hope you are all well.
I thought I would join in again with the Photo Scavenger Hunt over at Made With Love. 

I really enjoyed taking part last year and I loved to see everyone's different interpretations that the prompt words inspired......
Here are my photos for December....
Joy ~ I spotted this friendly little chap while walking at Falling Foss.

Together ~ Yes I know 'A Family Selfie' Christmas Day.

Tree ~ Our Cream & Gold Tree.

Ornament ~ Mum bought all her grandaughters china angels for the tree....each of the girls has eight of these little beauties....all different too.

Light ~ Twig Tree In The Hall.

Christmas ~ Our log burner in the dining room. It felt very Christmassy in here when it was lit.

Sparkle ~ My Daughter Made This Christmas Cake.

Giving ~ My Gifts From Amy For The 2015 Twelve Days Of Christmas Swap.

Food ~ My Mince Pies.

Red ~ Well Simply Red Actually....I took this photo when we went to see them in Manchester....I love Simply Red and we had a fabulous time....

Kitchen ~ Cosy But A Bit Cluttered....

Whatever You Want ~ My Living Room At Christmas Or The Fireplace At Least...

Thank you to Greenthumb over at Made With Love for hosting the Scavenger Hunt.

I hope you have enjoyed my photographs....I will do my best to join in with the January hunt.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.
Enjoy the rest of your day.

Beaded Santa....

Good afternoon everyone.
I hope you are all well.
At last I have started a little bit of sewing. I'm keeping all my crafting projects small for the time being and this year I am going to try and work my way through my WIP/UFO's.....so I shall be retired by the time I'm up to date then....!!!
After a rummage through my craft basket(s)....I decided to stitch another Mill Hill Beaded Santa....
Here are the ones I have completed....a few years ago now though I might add....

And here is the one I have just started....

I will keep you updated with my progress....

I wanted to try and take part in Amy's Five On Friday yesterday but didn't get round to it. I plan to try and pop in as and when I can....I also want to try and take part in Friday Night with Friends I missed this too but I will try to join in next month.....

Yesterday, while dropping Brogan in Lincoln for an exam at university I popped into a fabulous soap shop near the castle and met a lovely lady called Jo. We had a really good chat about lots of things, mainly crafty.....Jo was wearing a beautiful necklace which I admired and which she informed me she had made herself....very clever and very pretty....Jo has since looked at my blog and left a lovely comment....

So if your reading Jo....Hello....it was lovely to meet you too.

I drove to Lincoln to see how I would manage driving a longer distance as I have only been doing short trips for the last few weeks....the idea being if I struggled Brogan could take over and I would potter about in Lincoln until after the exam....and she would drive home but I managed ok to drive home by myself but boy was I tired and I'm suffering a bit today but heat pads and pain killers are doing the trick....now!!!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.
Enjoy the rest of your day.

Mince Pies To Be Proud Of....

Good morning everyone.
I hope you are all well.
I'm trying to get back into the swing of things as I want to try and go back to work at the end of the month...so last night I went back to the WI meetings....
It was lovely to see familiar faces and to catch up with everyone. Our speaker for the night was the lovely Kate who owns our beautiful 'and local' knitting shop where I go once a month for a knitting club...well I had stopped going there too but am going to return this month and I will see how I get on.
Kate talked about knitting and crocheting and then everyone had a go....those that could knit or crochet helped those that couldn't....there was a lot of chatter and laughter and frivolity and it seems there may be a blanket in progress....all knitting/crocheting squares....to be made up when finished....mmm I don't envy the person who will put this little project together as I noted everyone's tension was different...
Anyway we had a lot of fun and it was good to be back... 
My neck and shoulder continue to give me quite a bit of discomfort but I need to see what I can do....so I plan to be sensible and take my time with everything and slow down a bit...doing a little at a time with my hobbies and interests is better than nothing at all......
I am amazed at all the things I stopped doing last year or rather had to stop doing due to pain and discomfort....including baking.
Before Christmas I had a bash at mince pies....I normally love baking and I hate shop bought mince pies and have always made them myself....I didn't go over board, I took my time and 'Thank you' to my trusty Mary Berry recipe....
This was the result...

They were lovely and went down a treat....and they look even better on my lovely vintage glass cake stand...although they didn't stay there long....I think the secret to these mince pies is the orange rind and the icing sugar in the pastry......

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I really do appreciate your visits and lovely, encouraging comments.
Enjoy the rest of your day.