Crafts

Trying to get back into doing my crafts more and spending less time on the computer!  

Yesterday I had to go out to get ONE ball of wool so I could finish a sweater I was making.  I was only a few rows from the end before I ran out - typical!  Did I come home with only one ball of yarn?  Of course I didn't...a few more seemed to make their way up to the counter and into my shopping bag as well.

I was pleased to find the silk/cotton blend balls in the plastic bags for 50p for two balls - definitely a bargain indeed.

With my love of birds I thought I would try this cross stitch, it was only a £1 in the CS.  I used to do a lot of cross stitch when I lived in NZ but it seems to have fallen by the wayside in the UK partly due to the lack of real good light.  Still I am determined to give this a go and if I find I am struggling I will take it with me to do while in NZ.

After the discovery that the diary/planner I had bought for 2014 didn't include Saturdays or Sundays (are we not supposed to have any plans in the weekend?) I had to go and buy another, so took advantage of the Pound Shop.

I also treated myself to not one, but two fountain pens!  They cost rather more than a pound each from WH Smith! One to use at home and the other to take out and away with me.

I have started practising my cello again - hoping I will be more consistent this time.  I have a lesson booked as my teacher is well again fortunately so I am looking forward to that.

Movement on Monday!

It seems the last couple of days the temperature has really plummeted and I have been cold for the last couple of days.  Even keeping busy hasn't kept me warm for long.

I am doing well with my 'list'.

Yesterday I managed to get hubby to help me with the front porch and it no longer looks like a rubbish tip and is lovely and clear.  My car is full of stuff to take to the charity shops and hubby's is full of stuff to take to the tip.  Our paper bin is full, as is the rubbish and plastic/tin/cardboard bins.

We had finished by late afternoon and while hubby popped to the supermarket before it closed I quickly made some little currant cup cakes.  Needless to say there are none left today!

The job on my list today was to clear the conservatory/utility room.

It has been hoovered, dusted and mopped.  I now have a usable space and the ironing board can be left permanently up should ever the urge to iron occur!  Actually I had to iron DS2's school shirts today.  How come he only went to school three days last week, and yet there were six shirts to iron?!

It feels good to see progress being made.

It has been raining on and off all day, but I managed to snap a few flower shots.

Rhapsody in Blue

Nostalgia

Raindrops

I have started playing the 'cello again.  Pacing myself very slowly, just doing 10 minutes at a time.  I am hoping to build up to about 30 minutes a day so that I can re-start lessons again, but at the moment can only do a couple of days and then need one off.  It is hurting so important that I don't overdo it. 

My birthday cards, flowers and gifts.

 I received some gorgeous birthday cards for my birthday...

The one above is from my lovely Mum and Dad in New Zealand - how I miss them, especially this year as my last three birthdays have been spent with them.

This cute card is from my younger son...

and this is what he wrote inside.

From my lovely Mother in Law and her partner 

From my simply wonderful husband

Butterflies!  This one had me guessing for a while as I tried to work out the names inside. 

From Pam and her husband Peter, quilting group friends of mine...I didn't realise she knew when my birthday was.

I also received some beautiful bunches of flowers.

These are from my younger son who knows how much I love yellow roses.

Keeping with the red and yellow theme are the wonderful flowers from my husband as seen in the next two photos below.

Aren't they beautiful?

My MIL gave me these, also knowing of my love of yellow and purple flowers.

She also gave me these daffodils.

My present from my husband was of course my 'cello which was a slightly early birthday present :-)  But a bit too big to hide, and of course I needed to play on it.

My present from my husband was of course my 'cello which was a slightly early birthday present :-)  But a bit too big to hide, and of course I needed to play on it.

Knowing of my love of Pandas, my first ever bear being a Panda, which I still have, my husband bought this little guy to add to my Panda collection - what a cutie!

Daily Doodle and my 'Cello

Better day today than yesterday afternoon, no headache today - yeah!

I enjoyed my cello lesson yesterday morning and have some more pieces and fingering to work on.

I took a cello that I have on 'approval' for my teacher to look at, and she approved!  I like it very much and it has a much nicer sound than my hired instrument so it is all looking positive.  Mark has said that he will consider getting it for my birthday, he is so pleased I am able to enjoy playing some music again as he knows how much I have been missing it.  I'm sure though he wishes I could play it like I could play my clarinet though! 

Here's the beauty!  Not only looks good, plays well too!  It isn't anything 'special' but in my price range, I couldn't even hope to get something other than a cello like this.  It is a Contemporary Chinese Make Westbury.  Certainly the Chinese makes are far better now than they used to be years ago, and I am quite impressed with it.  Should last me a very long time.  I love it.

Added bonus is it comes as a complete outfit with the case below as well.

Which happens to be blue - one of my favourite colours!  Not that, that should make any difference...  It is funny but on the way to collect it last week I was wondering what colour the case would be and I was hoping it would be yellow or blue.  Yellow of course would be highly unlikely, but blue more of a possibility, and blue it was!  It has a few marks on it, but then being second hand, you've got to expect that.  The cello however is in immaculate condition.

I don't really like the bows that it comes with.  One is no good at all according to my teacher and the other is 'OK'.  I am hoping that the shop will allow me to keep the bow I have got with the hired bow in exchange for these two.  Something to negotiate anyway.

Daily Doodle, Me, Wool & Music

Bit of a nothing day yesterday...due to bad pain during the night.

Started decreasing neuropathic pain meds today 120mg down to 60mg...

Still got quite a bit of pain today.

Burning pain right side, and also painful back right side - probably a pulled muscle from when I fell the other day.

Some nice surprises in the post today...

Wool for my knitted dress challenge - one in every colour of King Cole Splash for the American Girl Dolls.

Had my cello lesson today, really enjoying it.

Bought four music books from a new music shop on the way home.  Wow, it has been four years since I last bought some music!

A bit of fun, a bit of a necessity

and some nice easy pieces...

Music!

Loving my cello!

My new baby!

She/he's arrived...do you call 'cello's female or male I wonder?  With my propensity to name everything, I feel I should be naming it, rather than just calling it 'it'.

After having lunch out with my lovely husband and his Mum, we went to collect my new 'cello.  I have it on trial for 10 days to see how my arm copes, and if it seems okay I will hire it initially.

I had my first lesson yesterday borrowing my teacher's 'cello to show me where my fingers go, remind me how to hold the bow properly and to give me some exercises to do.  Loving it so far!

Since my good start on New Year's day, my housework/declutter has gone on a bit of a go slow as we went out to Cambridge on Wednesday to visit friends and yesterday, I had my music lesson and we had to take the big dog to the vets to check his kidney function due to him being on medication for his arthritis.  Fortunately all good!   This morning I had to take my car to the garage to have the windscreen wipers checked as they were making a horrendous squeaking noise.  The were fixed thankfully.

Better try to get back on track tomorrow!