Not sure about the yellow

Good evening on this last day of the 2012 Olympics

Don't know how much of it you've watched, but I've seen a fair bit, and think it's been absolutely brilliant.  44 World Records and 117 Olympic records set by athletes from all over the world.    I would have loved to have been able to spent some time in London these past few weeks, but it's not been possible.   And Team GB finished 3rd in the medal table with 65 medals.    I'm always very proud to be Welsh, but never been as proud of being British as I've been this past fortnight.

But Olympics aside, I've made a card specifically for the CD Sunday Challenge.   It didn't look right "flat" but I'm not sure the yellow flowers are the right addition.   At least, not that particular shade of yellow.  But at the moment, my access to my craft stuff is limited, for various reasons.   So I went with what I've got, but might change them before I actually give the card to anyone.

And here it is.

As the challenge title suggests - it has to use something from a CD, and the topic this week is Exotic birds and blooms.  I've used My Craft Studio Quintessential Country Garden.   The flowers were cut with a cricut using the Flower Shoppe cartridge and the little black ribbon was just hanging around.

later folks
xxx

And sleep ..............

Evening folks

I've worked stupid hours for the past month or so.   I took a couple of days off in the  middle of July, 11th - 13th, which were not as restful as originally hoped for as they involved a hospital appointment  (where apparently he is doubting his fibromyalgia/CFS diagnosis and has given me vitamin D supplements for said vitamin deficiency), my son's graduation (which involved a 5.00am start and a day, including 2 hour journey there and back, in the company of my ex-husband), and a visit from the gas man.

Since then I've worked nearly every day, having had 2 Sundays off, and then, after 14 days without a break, last Monday off.  The weekends were worked voluntarily, as overtime, but doesn't mean I'm not absolutely ker-nackered.   So I made the decision to not work this weekend and I also have Monday off next week.

And today I slept until about 8, got up, fed the cats, went back to bed and read my book for about 15 mins, went back to sleep until about 11.30.  Got up, lay on the sofa for a while.  Finished my book, watched the Olympics for a while, then the football came on, so I went back upstairs to get dressed.  Lay down on the bed for 5 minutes and got back up again about 3 hours later.

Maybe I was tired.

Off to watch the diving now - Good luck Tom

Later folks
xxx

A challenge for August

Well ladies and gents, I've been set a challenge by the lovely Nikky Hall, her of Polkadoodles fame.   What do you mean, you've not heard of Polkadoodles.  Well get yourself over there right now and then come back and read the rest of this.  The link leads to her website, but she also has a blog   I know I've made it sound like it's only me she's challenged, but that would not quite be true.  In fact it's not true at all, it's the monthly challenge for followers/members/likers, call us what you will, of her facebook group page.   It follows on from last month, when she was kind enough to provide with a freebie and a sketch and then told us to get on with it and design a card.   Which a lot of us did, and there was a very lovely winning card.  It wasn't mine, but that's ok, I didn't for a minute expect mine to be a winner.

Oh yes, of course I'll show you mine,  Only if you show me yours too.  (oh sorry, too much erotic fiction reading going on - yes I've read Fifty Shades - all 3 of them, and now I've read Bared to You by Sylvia Day - a much better book in my opinion but I digress)

Back to the card

the digi was by the very talented Emma Canning, who now designs for Polka Doodles.  I will be perfectly honest and say it would not have been my choice of digi if I could have chosen any of hers to use, but it was lovely to colour.  The other designs in the series are even lovlier.

And now, back to the August Challenge.   This is to post at least 3 cards to your blog during the month of August.  I will go back to check whether they can be any cards or PD specific.   But now I've come back this blogging malarky they'll be no stopping me.

I can tell you about all sorts of exciting stuff.   Betcha can't wait eh??????

Later folks

xxx



Last weekend with the bees.....

Last weekend a friend came to visit and I talked him into doing some gardening for me.  I did do a little bit, but not a lot.   My garden is, potentially, a thing of great beauty, but is a source of great frustration to me, mainly because I like the idea of gardening, but it never really comes about.

Anyway, whilst my pal was doing some gardening he said to me "why are there so many flies about?"   So I stuck my head out of the door and said "I don't think they are flies, I think you've disturbed a wasps nest", because over in the corner of the garden there were a lot of buzzing creatures.    However, this struck me as a little strange as neither of us had done anything in that part of the garden.    A little while later they were still flying around but it occurred to me that it could be a swarm of bees.   So I did a bit of googling and discovered that it was indeed a swarm.

So, not being at the point in my career where I figure beekeeping is going to be part of my future, I reckoned I need some help and found the following information about beekeepers that can help out with a swarm.   And a very nice gentleman came along and took them away for me

And these are the very bees that were in my garden. 

And the beekeeper did have 3 hives last year, but lost 2 of the colonies over the winter, so hopefully these bees will settle with him to replace one of the two he lost.

And when I find them, there will be some other photos of my garden, then and now and hopefully in the future.

Later folks
xxx

And finally ......

well it's taken me a little while, what with one thing another, but I've finally cleared up the dining room sufficiently to allow myself a little time to play with my new sewing machine

Here's some before and after photos of the room, the befores were taken in January, the afters were taken today.

Now I'm well aware that my after photos look like some other people's before photos, but I'm ok with that.  

And here's my new machine

So far I've only done a couple of inches of straight stitch, but I think I could be in love.

Need some food now so

later folks

xxx

It's arrived

Just in case there is anybody out remotely interested, my new sewing machine has arrived.  And if there isn't well, that's no problem, I'll just pretend you are all busy

Be back later with some pics

Later folks
xxx

A week and a bit off....

Well it's been a while, but here I am again. Since I last posted I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which, although I was pretty sure I had, I took a bit of acclimatising to be "official". But now I'm all ok again, well, as ok as I've ever been. And also since I last posted my blogger has changed which has taken more getting used to than the Fibro.

So why have I got a week and a bit off? Well, last Friday I went to Quilts UK in Malvern, and also was out all day Saturday at my normal monthly quilting group, and knowing how feeble I am I took the day off before and also booked yesterday (the monday) off. And that's all the time I intended to take off. However, I have a friend who's husband passed away recently and his funeral was yesterday. So, being aware that if I went to the funeral I wouldn't get the rest I require to set myself up for the rest of the week in work, I went into work last Monday intending to ask for Tuesday (today) off as well. But Monday was such a bad day that by 10.00am I'd asked for the rest of this week off. And my boss said yes.

And what do I intend to do with my week? I don't have major plans - I want to clear up a bit as my son is back from uni on 2nd June for good. Where has that 3 years gone? In fact where has the last 25 years gone? Next Monday, would be my silver wedding anniversary (if I was still married). My eldest, who has just turned 24, is planning on leaving home to set up home with his girlfriend soon. Which of course means that the younger one will want to move into his bedroom. Which means..........

YES I can finally have a dedicated craft/sewing room. And so this week, I'm having a bit of a sort out in my dining room which is the room I try to stick to for sewing, - partly because I can't see my dining room table (or the floor for that matter) and partly because I've ordred a new sewing machine. Oh, did I forget to mention that.

I've been looking at new sewing machines for a few years. When I started looking at buy a new machine they had just started bring out the ones with the larger throat space for quilting, and now there are lots with the larger throat space and lots with fancy embroidery stitches. Every year when I go to a quilt show, I lust after the machines, but haven't bought one. And pretty much every year somebody who has travelled up on the coach with us comes back with a new machine. In the past 2 or 3 years most of my pals have upgraded, and the woman I sat by on the coach this year came home with 2 machines. A pfaff quilt expression 4 and a smaller janome one for workshops. So I thought "Right, that's it, I'm having a new machine" Now, if I'd had an ounce of sense I would have played with lots of them at the show, but we were only there a couple of hours and theere were too many othere things to be doing.

I have tried out a lot of machines in my time, and, if truth be told, I've always leaned towards Janome machines, partly because that's what all my family have had, and they are also the ones that tend to be in classes. So I'm familiar with them. But that's not what I've gone for, mainly because the one I would want is the £1799 (£1499 if you are lucky enough to find it on offer) Horizon. Most of the other machines I would like, without looking at the ridiculously priced sewing/embroidery ones in the region of £3000 or more, or indeed the very nice looking Bernina 820QE which are the rolls royces of machines (at least according to many of the sewists out there) are between £1000 and £1500. But then I found the Husqvarna Viking 875Q on offer for £999. And then I managed to get it for £899 with the quilting extension table included (possibly also a walking foot, but not sure about that)

Now, I ordered it online from Coopers/Sewing Machines Discount, and have heard both good things and bad about them. but I reckoned with £200 discount and a £100 promise of free gifts on special promotion from Husqvarna, and payable over 4 months, I thought it was worth the risk. I won't get the goodies until I've made the final payment, which is a standard thing with many promotions. Today I receive a free set of scissors(£39.99 on the website). I've had a couple of conversations with them, both by phone and e-mail and so far don't have any complaints, other than the fact that I won't be getting as quickly as I had hoped because they ran out of stock, so it's being despatched direct from Germany and I should get it by the end of the week.

When I receive it I shall do a picture heavy post to show all the goodies in the box.

And whilst I'm waiting I'll make the most of the good weather and carry on spraying my nettles with industrial strength weedkiller - it's too difficult to be green and dig them all out.

Later folks
xxx