Wah hey!

Yes, you guessed it, next February I'm going to be winging my way to NZ with my MIL. Excited - yes!

Although very worried as last night my Dad told me his PSA levels had risen which is not good news as it looks as if his cancer may have returned. I didn't get hardly any sleep last night. Won't know more for a few weeks yet. I feel so helpless this far away, and I know both he and Mum are quite worried about this. So any of you out there who would like to pray for healing for him, it would be very much appreciated.

Carboots & Cavies

What a lovely day it was today. The sun was shining and it was lovely and warm. What a difference nice weather with blue skies makes to how you feel. I had a great day at Essex Cavy Society Show and did very well with both my abyssinians 'Owen' & 'Victor' and my lunkarya 'Alexander'.

Yesterday afternoon I remembered the carboot that was on up the road from where we live, and although it had already been on for nearly two hours I thought I might as well pop up there, even if it was just to buy an icecream! Well I was in luck.

These six jars were £1 for the lot. I will use them as button jars - perfect!

Next I found a milk jug and sugar bowl that matched a cup and saucer I have that was my Nan's. I asked how much they wanted for them and was told £1.50 - well I'm useless at trying to bargain and admire anyone who can stand in the hot sun all afternoon at a carboot trying to sell their wares so handed £1.50 over. I was still pleased as they were in lovely condition and matched the existing cup and saucer I already had. Just as I was leaving though I came across another stall and they had a cup, saucer, plate and cake plate from the same set.... how much I tentatively asked and was told £1 for the lot! Of course I snapped them up. So now all I have to find is one plate and I will have a nice 'tea for two' set.

On the same stall I also found this pretty trio as well, also for £1.

The whole table was full of cups, saucers and plates and I could have bought more, but I was wearing my sensible head and just picked the two that I liked the best.

Feeling very lucky

I had a good day yesterday – I felt quite lucky, or rather spoiled. My three new books arrived, one of which I will discuss in much more detail later as I am already finding it challenging due to my sceptism as it seems slightly unbelievable in places. I found a lovely blanket box in an antique shop that I absolutely love, and it is now safely ensconced in my corner lovingly polished and I got to talk to my Mum & Dad in NZ for ages last night.

Having suffered from depression myself and been a similar position i.e. sobbing my heart out on the floor asking, no begging for some kind of help I have to say I have never experienced any kind of 'voice', reply or anything - either that or I'm not observant enough so although only a few pages in, I do find this slightly unbelievable. But as I say I've only just started reading the book.

This is a lovely book with some great ideas - shame the corner was damaged when it arrived!

I love this book and had been borrowing from the library for ages, but finally it was available on Amazon again so I ordered it. I have already started a new pattern block that I haven't tried before.

This book I found in the charity shop, and as I like bags and it has full size patterns, I thought Why Not? Probably some are a bit too 'fussy' for me, but I'm sure I'll be able to adapt them.

My proto type tea cosy - I'm quite pleased with how this turned out so will make some more.

And now for the piece de resistance - my lovely blanket box. Well I think it is lovely!

Sorry about the glare in the photo below and the cleaning rag etc.... I had to do some major reorganisation to get it where I wanted it. (Although have to confess although my corner is 'finished' the rest of the lounge isn't LOL

I also changed the cloth on my little table as well.

More good things happened today, first off it was a lovely warm sunny day which always makes me feel better, Joy oh joy some car boot finds! An air conditioning unit for my caviary, especially for when we go away, and a new clothes line - yippee, I have been waiting 8 years for one of these! Fortunately we went in when it was half price and we also had another 15% off the top of that, oh and two nice hanging plants for out the front.

Singapore Airlines are also offering a superb discount on flights to NZ and hubby has said I might be able to go out early next year which will be fab as it will be right in the middle of our winter when I am often at my lowest point suffering from SAD. So I feel slightly excited about this possibility although I had sworn never to go back to NZ unless it was to stay, but if I can convince my MIL to come with me, then I'm bound to come back to England!

Show & Tell Friday - A Walk Down Memory Lane.

Today is 'Show and Tell Friday'. Thanks to Kelly at There's No Place Like Home I can have fun 'Showing & Telling' about some of my treasures. Although if I'm honest, I would probably do that anyway!

Whilst sorting through a couple of draws in my merchants chest today earlier in the year I came across three sets of toys from my childhood. These were amongst my favourite toys and I am so glad I still have them as many are lost, given away or left behind. I looked after all my toys very well and as such they are still in working condition.

Below are my 'Wizzer's'. The one on the right was my first and the one on the left is the newest. I guess they date from the 1970s. I've looked them up on the interest and only found a little bit of information on them, but this site gives some more information. http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/wiz.html and here http://www.retroland.com/pages/retropedia/toys/item/2629/

Next up is Mickey Mouse bought for me by my Nan & Pop on one of their trips to New Zealand. I think it was the first time they came over. Although he never really worked as a puppet, I still really liked him as he was the closest I was ever going to come to Disneyland!

These two little things are magnetic. You would put one magnetic under your clothing and then the mouse or ladybird on the top and you could make them move up and down as if they were alive. Unfortunately the mouse's tail got broken at some stage, by my sister I think.

I've also decided to take part in my first swap and found one I thought would be fun and that is Stacey's over at Polka Dot Daze. I already have some ideas as Stacey has made things nice and easy for us by specifying certain items to be included. Thank you Stacey - I am looking forward to this.

Just in case I haven't got enough to do I am also going to be part of Nina's 'Pay it Forward' over at Tabiboo. So these activities are going to keep me busy, busy, busy.

Right, better get my thinking cap on whilst getting on with some more of those mundane jobs that need to be done this morning such as attacking the washing pile in my boys rooms.

Oh and I'm looking forward to receiving some books in the post this morning, not one, not two... but three! More on these another time.

Almost 18 - Part 1

While looking through a book I have written in poems over the years I found one I wrote about my son.

S.....

With blond hair and clear blue eyes

A cheeky grin and Oh! that smile

He chatters away for hours on end

Sometimes nearly driving you around the bend!

But who could resist

Being enveloped within those little arms

Of that three and a half year old and all his charms.

Always active and on the go

Never sitting still except for a moment or so

Unless, of course, it is for

The umpteenth story told in a row

For stories they delight him

And music excites him

Dancing and jigging around and around

It must be like being on a merry-go-round.

From the moment he awakes

Until the time he goes to sleep

Quiet times are few and far between

When he's gone to bed you sit with a sigh

And think of your little whirlwind with a smile

It's then you know without a doubt

That he is the one you couldn't be without.

Written 3rd May 1995.

Hard to think of him like that now he is fast approaching 18, tends to stay in bed for as long as possible, communicates using as few syllables as possible and takes some effort to get a smile out of!

Can we go...

Here I was thinking nobody had commented on my blog today and feeling a bit sad about that as well as worried that I might be boring people, only to find that when I went to create this post this evening that I had 5 comments waiting for me to moderate! LOL, I'd forgotten I'd changed the settings! I must work out how to get blogger to send me email notification of comments.

Anyway back to business on hand. As the weather was shoddy today ee decided to go out today for lunch as teenage boy wanted to do some '18th birthday' browsing. I think he has ideas above his station personally, looking at the cost of some of the things he was looking at, or should I say heavily hinting at! Certainly he is going to be disappointed.

I of course hitted the charity shops while they did the 'computer' looking. Oh and I also managed to squeeze some time in the sewing/craft section of John Lewis and with a bit of twisting of hubby's arm managed to convince him of the need for several items for my craft kit, one of which was absolutely necessary - some bonding web to repair my beloved, worn every summer, most favourite trousers.... well you get the idea.

Look at that - disaster! Not sure what sort of patch to put on the outside - perhaps a butterfly or a kiwi?

A couple of crochet hooks I was missing, some no-sew adhesive for applique, the iron on mender for my trousers, a ruler for my patchwork at the tool for eyelets etc...

And from the charity shop...

A cornishware pot

Another roses picture for my bathroom.


As if that wasn't enough for today anyone who has read this blog long enough, will know that I never do things by halves.... so I have just a few photos today for you, that I took this afternoon once the rain stopped.

So there are some positive aspects to bad weather... the prettiness of the photo opportunities, raindrops on leaves... not having to water the pot plants or garden.

Mutterings

Feeling really tired at the moment and extremely fed up with being cold - I mean for goodness sake it was only 10 degrees celcius this morning when I went to work and it is supposed to be summer! Does this mean we had our summer last week and that is going to be it again. I really don't think I could cope with a repeat of last years (not) summer. I need blue sky to be able to function!

How's the tidying of the conservatory going? You may well ask....

I've got some pretty plants on the cabinet that sits in there.

But that is all I can show you.

I thought I might make the crochet Owl in here. There are a few crochet patterns I would like to try. But can't quite get motivated for some reason.


Today I found this teapot in the charity shop. Perfect I thought! But it leaks when you pour it. Grrr.... I am trying to find a non-spill teapot - is there such a thing? Dear hubby nearly always spills the tea when he pours it and I thought it was because he overfilled our other teapot so got this bigger one instead.... hmm back to the drawing board.

After taking off our winter duvet the other week, I have put it back on today as I have froze the last few nights.