Yucky!

I feel quite yucky at the moment,

I am not sure if its because Danny is currently unwell and spent yesterday being sick or if I am just overtired and worn out still from trying to do too much

I have managed to step down from the PTA

yay!

So surely I should be full of beans, but my beans are not jumping

I am chatting via email to a lovely ex Clare's school boy and I am getting an idea of what the boys uniforms were like and how they used the house as a school and I have also contacted the archives at the local council and a lovely man called Joseph is helping me out

its exciting to gather information and visualise how life must have been at the school back in the day's that Nanny and Grandpa lived and worked there but I am thinking that all this info should be collected together and I think kept safe for a time when my own children wonder what their Great Nanny and Grandpa use to do when they were in their 60's... So I will stop boring you all to death with my research and histories, after all they are the lives and histories of other people that I do not have the right to publish without a second thought to their feelings or their families feelings

Anyhow... I must apologise for not popping by to all my bloggy friends posts as often as I should and I have swaps to get on with and parcels to post to good friends, I have just crocheted 2 pairs of slippers the first were obviously for myself as my recently purchased Uggs have not arrived and I believe they are being held by customs... so goodness knows if I will ever receive them.

Now the thing that ticks me off about my Ugg purchase was that I purchased them from an Ugg website that calls itself "UK - Uggs" therefore giving you the impression that they send the goods from the UK, but alas no... it would appear that they are sent from China.
I have no idea if the reason for the hold up is my parcel or another parcel within the shipment so I have no idea if my goods will arrive or not... hence the cold feet! :(

now I know a lot of people hate Uggs and I promise you I am no model with skinny legs and silly furry boots on the ends of them, my last pair of Uggs were worn non stop for 2 years ( well obviously I took them off when I went to bed!... well... apart from a couple of occasions when I annoyed Mr P ;D ) anyway they are so comfortable and warm and cosy and I am really sad that I might not get my warm feet this year.... and I will not be ordering anymore as they are not the cheapest things in the world, so I will have to wait and see if the customs peeps send them on to me or whether I am going to be a fair lump of money out of pocket and one step closer to not shopping online because of the uncertainty of waiting for something to turn up in the post.

Danny has finally fallen asleep and I am feeling a little washed out, mind you I slept on a mattress on his bedroom floor last night and he was very restless in the night, he almost fell on top of me a couple times but luckily I caught him just in time... its almost like I slept with some of my senses still tuned in to him... but he has a little colour in his cheeks today and has eaten a few bits and is drinking little and often, so I hope (fingers crossed) that he is on the mend

I was lucky with the weather yesterday too as I managed to wash bed clothes and towels and get them dry all in the same day... today is quite a grey chilly day so I might be cleaning out the fire later and getting it ready for lighting when Jamie comes in from school.

Well I had better go and I promise to show you some creations soon... I really need to get back to basics and share my latest projects...

take care
hugs
Alex
x

Yay... Mr BT engineer fixed it....!

In fact Mr BT Engineer was lovely.... mind you I am very nosey and chatted away about everything and anything while he worked.... we got a new junction box and a completely new line to the telegraph pole... which will hopefully make our phone and Internet not cut out when it either rains or gets windy...! ;D

Perhaps not blowing a fuse when Jamie announced that the football boots and shin pads we had just bought and she promptly left in the trolley outside Matalan never to be seen again was paid back to me by karma sending me a soon to be retiring BT engineer that is really fed up with the way BT are treating their staff! I am annoyed that they are forcing them to change their contracts to something that suits the company and has little regard for the staff (seems to be a common trend in all large companies) but yay for him being super efficient and doing a fantastic job...

Mini swap
Anyhoo.... I have been chatting to Lisa Ridgeon online and she kinda asked and I sorta offered to make her a gecko or two and it ended up being a swap... for 2 of her fabulous felt treats... I told her my plan to sew the Jammie dodger onto a bulldog clip so that I can keep all of Jamie's school notes and letters in one place so that I might find information when I need it.... and she thought it was a fab idea and in return for her using the idea she kindly sent me the felt goodies already attached to the clips... and I have to say she has done a much more professional job of it than I ever could...

her hand stitching is remarkable...

Lisa kindly sent this Jaffa cake for Danny's Pre-school notes...

And to finish it off at the back a lovely button....
Thank you Lisa, I think I came off the better here in this little swap...

by the way the real Jammie dodgers are a perfect size for popping in your mouth! even Danny has had a few... mind you he first wanted to eat the Jaffa cake... took me ages to get him to believe me that it wasn't real... ;D

Beach Hut round up....

On asking "Danny, are you cold? do you want your jacket?" this was the response...

This is the response when you turn a camera on a maturing 11 year old
.... go on Jamie suck it in... pose a little.... that's my girl! ;D
I think if we lived right on the coast she would really suit being a beach bum tom boy!
We had a lovely week... we didn't pop down as much as I had hoped as the road down from Yeovil to Lyme Regis was really quite tiring... and parking once there was horrendous... I booked the hut for 2 weeks but this last week I was hoping that Danny and I could pop down in the afternoons but unfortunately Jamie didn't get a seat on the school bus and as its not her catchment school they apparently don't have to provide one...
My week days are now:
8:20 everyone in the car
8:50 drop Jamie at school
9:30 drop Danny at pre-school
10:00 home
12:10 leave to pick up Danny
12:30 Pick up Danny
1:00 home
3:00 leave to pick up Jamie
3:30 pick up Jamie
4:00 get home cook tea....
needless to say a crochet project almost permanently lives in my car with me... thank goodness its so portable.. ;D

Giveaway time...

On the 1st of September all the names were written on paper and placed into the jug I found in mums cupboard... I really love the old enamel wares...
Jamie delved in and pulled out

Pink Fairy Gran

then Danny said "hey what about me!?"

so he delved his little hand into the jug and pulled out

Lisa Ridgeon

I managed to contact both people via email... before it got too windy and wet and Internet was lost... So I apologise for keeping you in suspense and big hugs to all that didn't have the luck of the draw... this time!

Well I am starting to get back into a routine and I am being hounded to give local tuition to ladies eager to learn to crochet... if the parish councillor who nabbed me in the village shop yesterday organises the mornings at the village hall I will gladly attend and give anyone who asks as much help as I can... but I really can't take on organising the venue, refreshments and money...

I am desperately trying to take a back seat but the people in front of me keep moving their chairs behind mine...

Well I had better get on with the washing up and make some mid morning snacks...
I have apples to pick, a crumble to make.. and a friends lawn to mow and some pruning and garden tidying to do... A PTA fun day to organise (even though I no longer have a child at the school...) but I will be standing down in October at the AGM... and a graffiti wall to organise for a youth event in October... I am so glad I am slowing down and taking it easy! lol ;D
Its starting to feel very Autumnal, my thoughts are turning to pumpkins and all the new recipes I have found for warming you up on a chilly evening...

I must get the chimney swept too and fill up the coal bunker.... and ...... I mustn't forget to..........


x
Alex

Its my birthday....
as a rule my birthdays are flat and a little boring.... that's nothing to do with Mr P and the children its just that I haven't found a nice way that I would like to spend it....

until this year!

I ordered a cake from Emily at the cake house, she has just started doing cakes to order and she made and decorated a beautiful cake for my mum and dads golden wedding, as her mum runs a little cake stall at the village cafe my mum paid for thecake on Thursday as part of my birthday present, thank you mum!

I asked for a daisy cake and its a vanilla cake with jam and butter cream icing...
it will be cut later when Mr P's mum and dad get here for afternoon tea...

On Friday I received a parcel in the post from Denise (a bun can dance) we have become good friends since the Seaside swap and have a chat every now and again...
I decided (after a lot of humming and haring) to take my surprise parcel to the beach hut today....
so you can see its contents later in this post....

Welcome to our beach hut holiday, this is the hut I have rented for 2 weeks, unfortunately I don't think I will be able to use it very much after the bank holiday as Jamie didn't get a place on the school bus and I will have to drive her to and from school from Wednesday 2nd September onwards... there was only 1 place available on the bus and the other lady in the village works and would have really struggled to get her daughter the 11 miles to school so I asked the County council to give the place to her... maybe one will become available eventually...

anyway back to birthday fun...
We took the cake down to the beach hut this morning, thinking that we would have a slice with a cuppa, but as we had to be home in time to let the dog out and be here for the in laws we ended up settling in having some dinner and coming home again...

This is the view towards the Cobb.... apparently as its quite a rocky beach not many people come down this end.... which is absolutely perfect as far as I am concerned... very peaceful

This is the view from inside the hut...

My darling (long term) fiancee bought me a fantastic card and Jamie chose two matching cards from her and Daniel....

and Denise's fantastic gift was this beautiful bag.... isn't it amazing.... I have filled it with my Cotton yarn all ready for making more Regis dogs...

Sat next to the bag is a "Boofle" bear, he's a little knitted bear that is the same character as on the cards... I am so chuffed as its really connected to my love of yarn and its the first cuddly anything that Mr P has ever bought me....
Jamie gave me a necklace with a Peridot heart pendant, and Daniel gave me a pair of matching earings.... I love the green of Peridot... One day I will commission a ring with all our birthstones.. perhaps it will be my wedding ring ;D

Denise's fab bag!

Jamie and Danny watching the sea go out...

Looking to the right from the beach hut deck...

All next weeks projects ready to go...

We had to pack up and come home at 1pm, it takes about 55 minutes to get there tomorrow we are taking the dog down as its a fairly quiet beach and Smudge will love watching the world go by from the deck.... and we aim to go rock pooling as well...

When I got home there was a note from the postman saying there was a parcel in the shed... ooohhh how exciting another gift!

It was from Nicola (smilernpb) I got to know Nicola when I did the freestyle swap, and I had already received a lovely birthday text message while I was at the beach... we often chat via email too.... I am so amazed that you can really make such good friends via the Internet...

Look at this selection of lovelies... back along I saw her lovely owls on her blog and I secretly wished she'd make me one and she has... and a fab badge to match it... I think I will pop the badge onto my lovely bag from Denise... the owl is so cute I think he will live with Boofle to remind me of my best birthday in longer than I can remember...
Nicola made me a beautiful card, and sent a notebook, yummy chocolates and a cross stitch bookmark...

Her lovely children sent me their own birthday wishes too...

Thank you so much...

Its 4pm and Mum and Dad P will be here soon.... Mr P is clearing up the yard so that we can sit outside, and I had better get the tea things ready....

I am having a fabulous day....
and we will have a full day at the beach tomorrow!

It is indeed a Happy Birthday!

take care
Alex
x

Lost ......

Hi guys and gals....
Sorry for disappearing for a while, but I got a little lost in my stressed out mixed up world, but with assistance from a new friend I think I have been handed a much needed internal compass and I am on my way again...
I know most of my acquaintances family and friends think my blogger world a little weird but I have to say that I love the fact that none of you judge me or make assumptions about my choices and aspirations, you listen, you freely give advice and you accept my chosen direction... even if it was wrong...
and I know that when I come back and fess up to a mistake or poor choice or jump around like a lunatic because something has happened that is so fantastic I could burst you will all be there to join in the sorrow or the joy...
and I really appreciate you all for being there, a few words from you guys makes my world a little easier to traverse...
Thank you

Now after a good and yet bad weekend I had something at home on Sunday that had a very strange, but positive effect on my tired and fed up mind....
let me briefly fill you in with the weekend... I will try not to bore you to death...
This weekend gone was my Mum and Dads 50th wedding Anniversary, now let me set the scene and I realise that this is only my perspective of events and others namely my siblings would see it all differently... but this is my blog and I don't think they visit anyway...

Tuesday - felt awful, chest pains really tired and fed up
Wednesday - more of the same
Thursday - Village cafe, picked up golden wedding cake
Friday - raced around town picked up balloons, table cloths, confetti, wrapping paper and cards, picked up keys to hall
Saturday - spent 3 hours decorating hall, Mr P, lovely cousin and 2 brothers helped
1:30 raced home got Jamie, Danny and myself ready, Mr P went back down the hall to meet caterer at 2pm and stayed until I got back down there at 2:45, Mr P went home to get showered and changed came back at about 3:30...... spent the afternoon talking to family and friends and making sure everyone was fed and watered.... cleared up hall home by 7:30
children fed watered and in bed by 9pm
Had a fantastic Chinese take away and crashed out in front of the telly
crawled up to bed.....
Sunday - informed of "family dinner" at pub in my village.... Mr P informed me he was not going... he'd rather clean the kitchen
Got children ready went to pub, chose a bad seat, was penned in no means of escape
endured 3 hours of older brother preaching why fat people are fat... apparently we eat too much! duh!
he then went on to explain all about carbohydrates and proteins and basically berated fat people for being lazy and taking the easy option of taking the car to the supermarket and buying convenience food.... then proceeded to tell mum that she ate all the wrong food, mum trying to be polite ( a skill my brother gave up when he got his Doctorate) asked which documentary this was that he had garnered all of this fascinating information was given the "it was probably on the opposite channel to the soaps"
now I am sorry but how rude is that... he thought it humorous....
Apparently we should all have veg patches and tend their every need, talk to them and water them, peel them and lovingly prepare them and eat healthily....
This from a man that lives in France in a farmhouse that he is renovating with his own land and not one child, just a poor wife that talks to her veg...

I know I am fat, I know I need to exercise, I know I need to grow or buy and prepare healthy meals, I know I have to keep house run here and there and bring up 2 wonderful children that sometimes drive me nuts with their constant niggling at each other, but this proctotomist's dream is delusional if he thinks we all live like he does

Well after 3 hours of trying to ignore him, at a family meal where I couldn't finish a beautiful roast chicken dinner for guilt and denying myself a pudding because I was fat, I politely kissed everyone goodbye and wandered back up the hill to my little home, I informed Mr P of the dire state of my fragile mind and set my eyes upon the wonderfully clean and clear kitchen that he had so thoroughly cleaned...

I decided that I would clear my head and unwrap my seaside swap parcel that had arrived amidst the turmoil on Saturday.... thank you to Rachel at Contented for organising this swap and partnering me with such a lovely lady

This is where the compass and clearing of my mind occurred and I cannot thank Denise at a bun can dance for being my angel in my time of need....

Beautifully wrapped... as you can see....

and inside a superb array of goodies...

This "all at sea" fabric art is on my lounge wall and reminds me to keep calm and let it all float away...

the little pouch has pockets inside and I think I may fill it with a few of my calming herbal teas so that I am always equipped with a refreshing brew... the post cards are pictures that she has taken herself...

These 2 postcard lavender filled cushions are being regularly inhaled...

The windmills are popped into my aloe vera plant on the window sill to remind me of bright and cheerful times.. and the book... to be honest was just a book.... when you look at the cover its a book that you would not necessarily pick up, but as it sat on the kitchen counter I kept picking it up and looking at it and eventually I read a few lines.... then a paragraph.... then I took it to bed and read some more.... its all about how an American lady (the author) went to a little island to attempt to relax and the dawning realisation that woman are the hub in the wheel that is family, and that a woman only has so much to give before then run dry and that we need time and space to recharge and refill so that we can keep giving.... and this got me thinking....

For a while I have been hankering to have some me time, alone ...
away from everyone...
I just wanted to sit on a cliff top and feel the breeze (and probably the rain) on my face and forget about everything and just breath...
I think I knew I was running on empty and I don't mean fuel (food) but emotionally and deep within my being I am empty... I have been stripped bare by family, friends and school and I need to be quiet and calm and creative....
Being creative apparently feeds the soul and that is why I think I love to create and give things away, I knew it made me feel good but until I read this book I thought it was just me being daft... but just reading the words that have been thoughts fleeting through my own muddled head at times almost gave me permission to be selfish and do something to help myself....

So I have....


it will be my 38th birthday at the end of the month and I have booked a beech hut at Lyme Regis for a week.... I am going to take the children down but I am also having a couple of days when I don't.... and as Mr P is a contractor and the best I can do is to get him to finish work early on a Friday I have asked mum to have the children Friday and we can sit in our beach hut and watch the sun set and have a candle lit fish supper...

I haven't finished the book yet, but I am so grateful to Denise for somehow seeing the need in me and sending me such a saving grace and helping me see that the center of the wheel needs some attention and love and then the life and lives at the ends of the spokes will be happier for it...

Now if you have made it to the end of my ramblings I applaud you, and I apologise for it being so long but to be honest I needed to vent otherwise it would sour and take me with it... I realise all and sundry can read this and to be honest I don't mind because we all have problems and issues and to share them makes them seem less, plus if one of my siblings should read this perhaps they will listen long enough to realise that I am not so much in control as my exterior would lead people to believe, and that perhaps they can understand my resentment to attend family gatherings... if something makes you feel so low why would you willingly want to put yourself through it?

I am who I am, I use to like myself, and I will like myself again

Take care everyone
stay safe and well

and now that I have sent my parcel to Denise I have a couple more bits to make and I will do my give away... I think I will give all 7 items to one lucky winner as it is simple and clean

hugs to you all
Alex

PS Little louie kitten is a girl!

x

So busy!

Well do you remember this little guy?

Well little Louie is settling in well.... we kept him separated from the dog but eventually after several attempts to climb the barrier I took it down and waited with baited breath......
after a few weeks I walked into the lounge and found this....

Smudge does not look overly impressed by the new sleeping arrangements, in fact he's poking his tongue out at me... the cheeky mutt!

The mouse is not real but appears to be getting in on the photo shoot!

Jamie and I took part in the village Flower Show at the weekend....

Jamie entered a Rabbit made from veg (he's looking a little shriveled now) and she won first place and £2 prize money...

She also entered a garden on a plate... and won first and another £2

She also entered a colouring competition and won 1st place and yet another £2, she was very please and I am glad I pushed her into making the effort...

I entered the floral arrangements, this one was a profusion in White, this won first place...

I entered the foliage arrangement class, and I was really pleased with this one, I love all the different greens and colours that you get with foliage... when I was at college I hated the leafy stuff and coveted the flowers when doing designs but now I really see the beauty in the variety of colours... any hoo I digress.... apparently the arrangement was too big for the vase... so I came third....

I also entered the painting class but I had to rummage around in a stash of watercolours I had at mums.... I came second with my mouse watercolour...
and the card was very quickly thrown together and came nowhere... not surprised really its a little naff! lol ;D

I also entered my afghan blanket in the hand knitted/crocheted article class and came third, I think I was beaten by a cardigan and a knitted clown.... I have to admit those knitted clowns scare me! ;D

Jamie has taken the watercolour C in to school for her teacher, with a couple big bars of chocolate and a bottle of wine... its Jamie's last day today and her teacher is leaving the school to go to another...

I am almost there on the giveaway, so I hope to do a post on Saturday....
I am coming along with my seaside swap, but all this rain is not inspiring me to make summery things... its typical really that during the creation of my cosy crochet swap we had a heat wave...

I have the table cloths and decorations for my parents 50th wedding anniversary party to get sorted (1st August) and have to drop a deposit into the ladies doing the catering...
half of the invited have replied, so we have about 50 people so far...

and to top off my weekend I received a letter from the lady I rent my office space from asking me to leave (my 6 month contract comes to an end in August) as she has a new use for it... she said in the letter that I have been a good tenant etc but you just feel a little hurt in a way....
So I will admit you were all right and I should have had the cabin in the garden, and that is what I will do.... when I can afford it!

Hope you are all having a fab Wednesday
take care
Alex
x

Can I call this post 99b....

Its just that I am not ready to call this post 100 as my give away goodies are not quite ready...
so I am calling this 99b....

I wanted to show you the lovely items Lesley from Tintocktap sent me...
I managed to post her parcel yesterday... and I hope it arrives safely and that she likes it as much as I enjoyed making it...
This was the cosy crochet swap organised by Mel and it was really tricky trying to crochet something cosy in last weeks heat wave... but look what Lesley has made me....

A Fabulous cushion... it is soooo clever and pretty...
I also received a pom pom key ring kit... a ribbon flowers project pack and a crochet book....
and don't forget the double chocolate fingers... (they are chilling in the fridge)

The cushion was soon grabbed by Jamie, and was grabbed back by me...

It really clever though... its a square that has been sewn around the cushion and then has an envelope style opening with buttons... how cute is that... under the front flower is a recessed bit that I haven't looked at hard enough yet to work out how Lesley did it...

The book is half crochet and half knitting, and I have spied fingerless gloves, beanie hats, and a lovely afghan blanket... but the afghan takes 24 balls of wool and if I managed to get the wool for £2.50 a ball it would cost me £60 to make it... Yarn work is not cheap is it....
but it is oh so addictive! ;D

Thank you so much for my lovely parcel...
you are way too kind...
Take care
Alex
x

Hello again...

Hello.... I am sorry I haven't posted in a while but I have been sooo busy that I have just realised that I hadn't blogged in an age....

Well since the Fayre... sorry Fete I was washed out and worn out for a few days... we did make just over £2,100 so that was well worth it in the end....
Then Jamie was off school with a cold, which Danny had a little bit of and luckily I dodged it... mind you I could have turned into an orange the amount of juice I was consuming...

I have been trying to clear the house up but with the introduction of Louie the kitten I tidy and he pulls stuff out again, rolls around the floor and then goes off for a nap!

The garden had a make over at the weekend, so both 60ft hedges cut (they run down either side of our long narrow back garden and boy did they need it) and the lawn cut and the front hedge cut, oh and my car died.... my dear little Mitsubishi RVR has a sea lion living in its rear wheel... that was the only way I could describe it to Mr P... apparently that's the noise of a wheel bearing going and then it developed an oil leak... So it was decided that it would be easier and cheaper if Mr P rode his motor bike to work and I got his Freelander mot'd.... so that has been done and I am now driving a soon to be half soft top Freelander.... I have just bought the soft top off eBay... so the dry weather will hopefully return soon...
Creatively I have been trying to complete my Afghan blanket.... that I started using the green, gold, red, charcoal and silver Paton's Jet wool...

The blues are going to be the beginnings of another blanket... not sure if it will be a ripple or a afghan....

I have had to order more wool to finish it though...
and it will be a Christmas present for a poor unsuspecting relative...
If any of my family are reading this they will all be crying "oh no... whats mad Auntie Alex going to give us now"
Mind you the amount of wool this blanket is eating it might be cheaper to give everyone a £20 gift voucher and keep it for myself... lol

I have been reading lots of these looking for inspiration for my Cosy crochet swap which I hope to post tomorrow, and my Seaside swap that I need to complete by the end of the month

My Auntie Bridget bought me some crafty books from her book club, the only one I won't need is knitted cakes... as I don't knit!

I am about to "frog" this crocheted hat... I used a cotton mix wool and its too floppy... it was a good experience to make and it only took an afternoon, but its not right...

The hat band is nice though so I might make it into a bag or something...

Well that's me... I have been crocheting and cutting and sewing and making a few other bits and bobs but I can't show you any of those just yet as they are for swaps and the big 100th post give away.... this is post 99 so next time will be the big reveal....

ooohhhh how exciting!

take care
Alex
x