… have had some glorious summer days here in Nottinghamshire this week, with lots of sunshine and high temperatures.
It certainly was lovely in the garden, although probably best to stay sitting outside in the shade! lol we have fields at the bottom of our garden with views all the way to Derbyshire so we see lots if wildlife and get lots of birds, butterflies and dragonflies too!
I was SOOO sad to spot this kingfisher in the car park of a local supermarket. I dont know if it was a baby on its maiden flight, because he was a good flight from the river Loire.
He was so larger than the palm of my hand.
But it got me to thinking that I had never made a card with a kingfisher, so here it is.
A quadra easel card for you, and to help you celebrate with me our National holiday (14th July- start of the French revolution with the storming of the Bastille prison and the liberation of the handful of prisoners therein) Im on special today so that you can enjoy my kingfisher at a discount.
Glad to be back with you, and ENJOY!
A few weeks ago I wrote about my daughter conquering her fear of horses and Harry developing a friendship with a Shetland pony called Bink.
Since then my daughter has had a few more rides on her friend Megs horses and on this occasion Alfie went along too.
Whilst he was keen, he was also a little apprehensive and was a little more nervous than Harry first was.
Harry just seemed a natural and soon picked up control of the reins and have a little ride. Alfie on the other hand was content just to sit on the horse for a photo.
Whether he decides to take it on the future who knows, but he was happy to help muck out. Harry enjoyed his time with Bink, who also enjoys Harrys company too.
I really enjoyed making this one. It was quite a simple pattern, and I was working with some lovely, soft faux leather and waterproof canvas, so my sewing machine was happier than when Im trying to use the thicker materials.
I even made a feature of my handmade tag on the front. I also got to use one of my pretty zipper pulls. I think this is my new favourite bag ..... for now lol
…. Youngest granddaughter, Olivia, aged 14 has just set out for the English Track and Field Championships, which are being held in Birmingham.
She was selected via a series of qualifying races starting with the local Clubs, then County Clubs and so on till more recently the last one was 10 Counties …. where she came 2nd but qualified on her time in the 800m!
Funnily enough her Dad, my son, also qualified when he was her age and competed in the same race too!
Lol
For the last few months Ive been busy crafting for an upcoming summer fair that the children of the Air Play youth clubs at RAF Benson wanted to do.
My daughter is the youth leader and she was happy to let them get on with the planning and what the wanted to raise funds for.
They decided on a local dog rehoming charity which was a great idea. As I still manage to do some crafting other than designing and had a few months to get cracking I paced myself as my leukaemia can tire me out.
I didnt realise until I started packing up all the things just how much I made. The pictures only show a fraction. There were bearable pens and keyrings as well as resin items I had casted. There were phone grips and necklaces etc. The dragon I made was a request from one of my daughters work friends.
The children have also been making things and I really hope the weather is good on Saturday for them.
My hubby and I live in a retirement bungalow. Its part of a terrace and built about 9 years ago and we moved in as soon as they became available.
There is a communal lawn at the back and raised flower beds at the front with beautiful lavender bushes.
Over the years every summer weve happily watch the bees busy themselves gathering pollen, but by the same token weve been saddened to see the decline of our fuzzy friends.
Earlier in the year we received a packet of seeds which are bee and butterfly friendly. We have a tiny patch just outside our front door so my hubby sowed them there a couple of months ago and watered them with loving care.
We watched as tiny roots pushed through and grew and grew and now they have started to flower. So far we have Fiddlenecks, Starflowers, Cornflowers and Californian Poppies. The best thing though was when a few days ago we saw a couple of bees going from flower to flower.
They are a bit slow at coming but fingers crossed its just the start.
… was my great grandson, Noahs, 1st birthday this week. I just cant believe a year has passed already since he was born!
He is such a happy little boy who finds anything and everything fascinating and exciting …. especially at mealtimes when he tries to spread his food anywhere and everywhere! lol were sooo lucky to live just a few streets away from him and his Mummy and Daddy so weve seen a lot of his as his grown!
I belong to a few bag-making groups on Facebook, and one of them hosts a monthly challenge to create a bag of a specific design.
This month, the challenge was to make The Clamshell Sling by Spencer Ogg Patterns.
Since this bag is quite small, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to use some vinyl off-cuts that I had on hand.
However, using two different shades of vinyl made the process a bit more challenging, as I had to keep switching threads.
But I love the colours, so I am happy. My 4-day SALE starts today! With 20% off of my WHOLE store.
Last week we went down to southampton for a few days we visited the old dock yard at portsmouth and went on board the victory in search of a replica nelsons chair that my partner made 40 years ago and yes it was still there worse for wear but still there in the room its also featured in the guide book i took this pcture of Mick looking well chuffed ,
Last Sunday my daughter and family had a day out at Newbury Country Funday. It was a windy, warm day but quite cloudy but that didnt stop them from enjoying themselves, albeit an expensive one.
The event wasnt free they pre paid for a family ticket which was £33.00.
One of the rules was no one could take their own food or drink, but what they werent prepared for was the ridiculous prices, with food concessions not displaying prices which was a bit naughty, so sausage and chips x 4 and 4 cans of coke came to £49.00.
The fair rides were a fiver each person to go on so it did turn out a pricey event. Having said that they did enjoy the monster truck, the music and a picture with the transformer Bumble Bee.
Youngest granddaughter, Olivia age 13, was competing in the 800 meters race at Northwood Stadium last weekend. There were 10 counties competing in the Masons Trophy race and she was representing Nottinghamshire.
She came 2nd in her race with a new PB (personal best) of 2:17:45 and she has now qualified to compete in the English Schools track and field championships in July!!
Every year we have the Mason City band festival parade. It is a great time to support local businesses, area bands, family and friends. We eat carnival food in the park. My favorite is the funnel cakes. There are carnival rides and games.
There are also local craft items for sale. Friends and families line the street to watch the grand marshal ride in their convertibles.
The last four months my son in law who is a sergeant in the Royal Air Force has been deployed out in Akrotiri, Cyprus.
It was his second tour there in twelve months.
Its always hard for the families being without the other parent for several months and the amount of times Paul has been on deployment in various parts of the world you would think the family would be used to it by now but it is always a trying time and on occasion a struggle.
Paul had already been delayed an extra week and its been tense wondering what was going to happen because of Middle Eastern conflict.
Thankfully last Sunday he was on his way back home. He always likes to surprise the boys so they dont know the day.
It was a fabulous surprise for them and Otto their dog insisted he had first dibs at cuddles.
… youngest grandchildren were competing at our local athletics club in a Mini League on Sunday. It was a lovely day with lots of competitors in a lovely friendly atmosphere. Austin age 10 ran in the 100 metres and came 2nd with a new PB (personal best).
Olivia age 13 was competing in the 300 metres and the relay and came 1st in both!! She had been running on the Saturday too, but I wasnt there and once again she came 1st in her race!