Today you’ll find me trying to adjust to a new world order. We lost my Father-in-law on Wednesday. I can’t even begin to tell you how much he’ll be missed by us all.
My boy, The Mechanic and Pappy. Three generations. Taken at a family party last Summer. I wasn’t happy with my effort at the time. So grateful I didn’t delete it.
Today I’m quietly reflecting, while I watch Moonrise Kingdom catch up with the ironing, on the past few days of family festivities.
On Tuesday….
…..the children decorated the tree.
On Wednesday…...
…..I packed the hampers…..
…..ready to deliver……
…..and whipped up a chocolate tart for the Christmas pudding haters.
On Thursday we….
…..ate…..
…..drank (the shandy that defied logic) and were merry with the inlaws.
On Friday…..
…..we did it all over again at home with Mum.
And we had clementines, always clementines, because…..
…..”Nobody likes the tangerines.”
That was ours. How was yours? Waving to Sian for the last time this year.
I’m linking up with the lovely Abi today. She invites us all to “Sit and have a cup of tea” with her and share our news.
Being British, we might well start by talking about the weather. Specifically, the endless rain we have had this month. I took this photo standing on the bridge, that leads across the river to the library. The water was sloshing right under my feet and was more or less level with the bank on the far side. We’ve lived here for six years now and I’ve never seen it quite that high before. Imagine if the library were to get flooded. In fact, no, I don’t even want to think about that. *shudder* Here in the South it’s been a very mild Winter without the crisp cold days and clear skies I love.
It’s mock exam season around here and with one embarking on his A Levels and the other her GCSEs, there’s a lot of revision needing to be done. Everyone needs a break though and not being able to get out much, we’ve been getting cosy and enjoying a film or a good board game and plenty of hearty casseroles. I’ve tried a few new recipes this month, some of which I’ll be sharing here, on the blog, very soon. Have you got a favourite tried and tested Winter warmer? I’m loving my slow cooker and it’s had quite a workout these past few weeks. So glad I bought it.
Have a look at this lovely selection of fabrics I received in the mail last week. I’m trying to be a bit more organised this year and get ahead with my blocks. The colours on the right are for Amy’s theme of “Seaside colours, washed and worn.” The silvery grey reminded me of driftwood. The two on the left are for Beverly’s Caribbean colour scheme. I already have some fabric in my stash to go with them. It’s so much fun picking out colours for everyone and I’m really enjoying this project. Maybe you’re joining in too. How are you finding it so far? Are you getting a little more adventurous as the months go by or, like me, sticking to a plan for everyone?
I’m a little late to the party, but in other news, I joined Instagram this month. Of course you may have already guessed that from the square photos gracing this blog post. The above being the almost mandatory lunch shot. I’m loving it. Beverly suggested that Friendship Quilt folk could post fabrics, that fitted their own colour scheme, to give others an idea of what they were hoping to receive. Does that sound like a good idea? I think most of you are already members, although not necessarily active ones. I am @angelfishcrafts over there and will be using the hashtag “friendshipquilt” unsurprisingly!
It’s been lovely to see you here today and I’ll be round to catch up on all your news soon. ‘Til the next time x
….with Abi from Creating Paper Dreams.
Where to start? It’s been such a busy month and I have so much news to share with you. We had a chilled out first few days of the school holiday. My girl was so happy to finally have some relaxing time at home, after a busy term, and join her brother, who had finished school at the end of his exams, in the middle of June.
And yes, we do all have the same shoes!
During the first full week of the holidays we planned some more constructive activities. I wanted to get my girl more comfortable with the sewing machine, after her textile lessons at school had left her feeling wary. She tackled the first project with ease and ended up with a lovely new head band cut from an old school dress.
My boy likes to get out and about, but hay fever had other ideas and he was cooped up, with the air purifier going full blast, during the early part of August. He enjoyed spending time skyping and online gaming with his friends, painting a succession of Warhammer figures and having fun with his sister’s collection of Hama beads.
Last Thursday was GCSE results day, one anxiously awaited by 16 year olds all over the country. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of my boy. His results are good by anyone’s standards, but even more so when you know that he is on the autistic spectrum. The school environment is such a challenge for him every single day and he has done amazingly well, in spite of all that life has dealt him. So proud.
We celebrated by taking a trip to Stonehenge. We walked around the stone circle and I had a few attempts at capturing sun flare. Something I love to see in other’s photos. We parked the car nearby and enjoyed a picnic as the sun went down.
On Friday we went to Bristol and spent a good few hours hunting Gromits. This one, aptly named ‘A Close Shave’, was in the Tourist Information Centre. They closed 5 minutes before we arrived and I had to content myself with snapping him through the window. The most tantalising thing was the sight of the passport franking gadget on the table at the back of the room. You can just see it top right in the photo. We tracked down 31 of the 80 on display all over the city and surrounding areas. I don’t think we’ll have a chance to visit the one on display at Paddington Station.
Yesterday we went to visit magnificent Montacute House and I had another attempt at capturing sun flare! We admired the architecture, played croquet on the Cedar Lawn, took a tour of the house and spent an hour among the past Kings and Queens of England, in the portrait gallery at the top of the house.
It was interesting to stand in front of the painting of Richard III and think of the actor who played that part in the recent dramatisation of The White Queen. Did you watch it? What did you think? I enjoyed it, but felt they tried to pack a bit too much history into the series. It was well acted and I like the witchcraft element, which made it a bit different.
There’s not been much time for TV this month, although I did manage to catch Top of the Lake, on the iplayer, which I enjoyed immensely. The acting was superb and it was beautifully shot among the mountains and lakes of New Zealand. A dark story set in a rural community. It reminded me a lot of the Red Riding trilogy, which co-incidentally also starred Peter Mullan. He plays damaged characters so well.
We’ve also been to the beach and the bowling alley, caught Monsters University at the cinema and celebrated my inlaws’ Golden Wedding Anniversary, with a big family party that lasted all day and well into the next one!
The Mechanic has gone back to work today and will probably be glad of the rest. I always let the housework slide during the holidays, because I’d much rather spend time with my children, but there are some things that still need to be done. It’s a catch up day for me today and now that my coffee is drunk and I have rambled on quite long enough, I’d better get back to those chores.
Thanks for dropping by. I’m looking forward to reading what everyone else has been up to, but that will have to wait until lunch time and perhaps afternoon tea as well.
I’ll be back with my desk tomorrow.
PS That lovely swing, big enough for me and my girl, is at Montacute House and sadly not in our garden.
Yes, it’s the 200th instalment of this weekly hop around the creative workspaces of the world. Ably hosted, as always, by the lovely Julia.
Lunch has been cleared away and before the next round of feeding, I’m taking possession of the kitchen table for an hour, or two, if I’m really lucky. On the agenda today, birthday cards for two of my nieces. Sisters, born within 3 days of each other, although 2 years apart. The eldest will be 21 and we’re gathering for a birthday tea on Friday. I have an idea in mind, but that will probably change once I get started!
Lots of stamps, I like to mix and match the sets, a few punches and a brand new pack of card. I just need to decide on some ink colours, then I’m away. The plastic containers hold leftovers from previous classes, Easter carrots and extra flowers from the Twinchies I made for a swap . The Inchies can be seen in Monday’s post.
I’d best crack on, if I’m going to be finished before I need to start cooking the dinner. Why not see what everyone else is up to, or show us your own crafty space. I’m hoping to get round a lot more desks, this evening, than I managed last week.
