From Barbara to Baking

Things never go to plan, I woke up on Saturday with a bad headache, not a migraine thankfully. We had tickets for Saturday evening  to see Barbara Dickson performing at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre. The plan had been to go to London early and go to the Tate Modern or just have a wander. Instead of an early start I took a couple of tablets and a doze a chill out afternoon and I felt better. We'd booked an early dinner at the Skylon restaurant, we had a lovely meal the table was by the window so the view was over the River Thames. I thought concert was great, Dave wasn't so keen but it was my choice, not the usual sort of gig we go to, I think our last one was Queen at Wembley, it would have been Barry Manilow if he'd turned up ( it's still a sore point with me). Anyway back to Barbara, she sang a whole range of songs from Bob Dylan, Celtic folk songs, and her more popular songs, including my favourite Caravans, boy that took me back.

London Eye by night

Mincemeat Fruit Cake

Yesterday we had more drainage problems so we couldn't go out. I took the opportunity to do more in my sketchbook, it's time I stopped playing there and started doing some stitching! I also used up a couple of jars of mincemeat left over from Christmas in a cake for Dave. I must be coming down with something this is the second time I've baked cakes in the last couple of months! Maybe it's reading all these blogs with people baking and cooking I get this left out feeling, hope it stops soon........ I might start baking bread again and I don't want to do that, I can resist the cake, bread is another story.......

 Coloured using Koh i Noor on Tea bags

Hearts coloured using Koh i Noor

Foundlings

Drawn using Faber&Castell Artists Pens

 After an eventful weekend, this week has been quiet,  I do find that when it's quiet I'm not very creative. I'm knitting another pair of fingerless gloves and also working in my sketch book (see the images). Dave was out for dinner on Wednesday, Rachel decided to come home for the night, she brought a girly dvd, we popped some popcorn and had a really lovely evening. She spotted my fingerless gloves (earlier post), I thought she was going to ask if she could have them, instead she asked if there's any wool over after I've knitted her socks could I knit her a pair of gloves, no pressure there then!!!

Today with a small group of ERTF members I went to see an exhibition in London at The Foundling Museum , "Threads of Feeling". We were lucky enough to be guided round by Janette Bright,  a member of ERTF. Until I met Janette a few years ago I'd never heard of The Foundling Museum, I went along to a talk given by her at an Embroiderers Guild meeting. She gave  an inspiring talk, relaying such sad but interesting stories,  there wasn't a dry eye in the place. This was the first time I'd met Janette, she was so passionate about her subject, the textile work she does is often inspired by her research at the museum. Today as we were looking at the exhibition  the group seemed to expand as other people there listened to Janette's talk.  This is a big benefit of belonging to a group like ERTF, members are happy to share their expertise with other members and are so generous with their time. After a lunch of a scone, cream and jam and a catch up with friends it was on the train and home, I really should not have eaten the scone, I'll have to make up for it,  I'll put in extra work at the gym????

Mum's house selling saga is still going on, contract's were exchanged today and  complete on 31st March. I'll believe it when it happens! It has really put me off the idea of moving, I don't think I could stand the stress. I think I've said this before I have no real connection with the house I never lived there, it was where my Mum lived and my Dad died there. It will be all done before the garden starts needing attention hopefully. I wont miss going to the house, of course it's not the same for my brother, he lived there, so his feelings are different.

We have  a few nice things planned for the weekend, tell you about it next week. Sitting here typing this there is a red glow in the sky, hope that means the weather is going to be good tomorrow. RED SKY AT NIGHT........

Face Lift

Hope you like the new look blog. Diane told me about The Cutest Blog on the Block  , I decided to give the blog a bit of a face lift for the spring. I may change it again, I'm not sure it's me, what do you think?

A few questions answered from yesterday, Gina, I cheated and bought the snowdrops already in bud, I  remember doing this once before, where they went I've no idea! Worth another try I thought, fingers crossed they come up again next year. I've driven on a flat tyre too, if I had been driving and Dave wasn't there I probably would have driven home, got indoors and said " I think there's something wrong, a light came up on the dash, just up the road" He would never have known unless of course the engine had fallen out!!!!!

Sorry Diane if you thought I was having a breakdown, No not me, well not this week!!!! Standing beside the M25 is terrifying, really noisy and dirty, the mirrors were filthy, if I knew how to put a movie on here I could have shown you.  I don't know if your fingers get cold I've never worn fingerless gloves before. I decided to knit them after the last trip to London I was taking photos and kept taking off my gloves, in the end I left off the gloves and it took hours to get any feeling back into my fingers so thought I'd give them a try!

Breakdown

The snow drops I planted a few weeks ago have become well established in the front garden and look as though they have been there for ever, with any luck next year they will have spread a bit.

 

Snow Drops

The cardigan I knitted for Rachel as I suspected didn't fit it was more like a size 12 than a size 8, luckily it fitted Becky, she'd already said she liked it, I asked her to take a photo of her wearing it but.......
Last Friday my sister in law, Michelle and I went to Textile in Focus at Cottenham, we had a lovely time. I bought threads and bits and pieces I need for the projects I'm working on at the moment. Michelle has decided she'd like to have a go at felting after watching a demonstration, so she bought some wool tops.

Rachel photographing the sheep at Unravel

Saturday Rachel and I went to 'Unravel' at Farnham, thanks to Yarn to Knit's  generous prize. It was quite a day, Dave offered to drive us, then meet up and have lunch, I'm so glad he did! After spending and hour or so there and buying more yarn than I planned, sock wool for Rachel and me, and for Becky yarn for a scarf, we met Dave for a lovely lunch.
The weather was awful with a hail storm as we left Farmham, we were travelling on the M25 an alarm went of in the car, a light started flashing, engine malfunction. After standing on the hard shoulder for an hour, waiting for the AA(it was freezing, Rachel wore Dave's gloves to try and keep warm). We were towed off to a service station, the car was checked, it was safe to to drive home!  No kicking down or accelerating  hard, (my style of driving) good then that Dave drove. I took the car  to the garage yesterday, it has the all clear, it was a connection to the throttle? Means nothing to me, things were easier when you drove the car until smoke came out of the engine, or the car stopped, all these alarms and lights flashing make life so complicated.

I have been doing a lot of work in my sketch books over the last few weeks so nothing to show at the moment. If I'm not stitching I knit, I've made a pair of fingerless gloves (pattern from Jacqueline) for next winter. I've started knitting another pair using some of the wool from Saturday, a girl can never have enough fingerless gloves!

dianehobbit: Scrap Quilt

dianehobbit: Scrap Quilt
http://77belle.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-was-right-it-has-been-busy-week.html

Yipeee!!!! I'm a Winner

A week or so ago I entered a competition to win two tickets to 'Unravel' through the Yarn to Knit blog, it's  a site that I've been following for some time, I'm really pleased I won. Rachel and I are off to spend a day browsing and buying lots of lovely wool. So a big thank you to Yarn to Knit.

http://theyarntoknitblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/win-pair-of-tickets-to-unravel-2011-in.html

Sunshine, Daffodil's and Snowdrops

When I opened the curtains in the dinning room this morning, the sun was shinning and the daffodils looked lovely, it made me feel bright and cheerful. The feeling has carried on all day!

After breakfast it was off to Lady Bugs, Diane had made a couscous and lemon cake delicious, she also made a scan bran cake, that one I'm not 100% sold on, an acquired taste I think, but thanks Diane for the low sin cakes. On the way back from the group I drive past a garden center, I dropped in to see if they had a plant for the window sill where the vase of daffodils are at the moment. As a consequence I now have snowdrops in the front garden, 20 potatoes chitin on the kitchen window sill, two scented candles and a plant for the dinning room! Next time I should drive past, but I wont, I think this will we a regular drop off. I met another of the group inside she was buying potatoes too! In the car park I met Pat from the group she was going in for a coffee, she suggests that we all go for lunch there in a few weeks time after class, it's obviously a regular haunt since we moved the meeting hall.

When I got home I blocked the cardigan/jacket, the colours don't really come out well in the photograph, it needs a kilt pin to fasten it. I'm not sure that it will fit Rachel it looks too big, but she's coming home on Sunday for Vince's birthday lunch, (that's Dave's dad) he'll be 88. So she can try it on then, or maybe Dave can take it to work with him to pass on (they work for the same company). Rachel gave me some brilliant news yesterday, they have moved offices from St. James's Park to the South Bank near to the Tate Modern, on a lunch time walk she discovered I KNIT LONDON, not such great news for Dave, I think I might send him along occasionally to pick up the odd ball of yarn for me!