An Award? for little old me? THANK YOU!!!

I am so chuffed with my award from the lovely http://angleseyallsorts.blogspot.com/

Queen of the treasure haul!

Thankyou - though I don't feel I deserve it with my lack of bloggyness of late - even though I still always am thinking of what to write!

Apparantly I am supposed to blog about 6 things never revealed about myself before...which is REALLY hard to do!

(if you get chanse - go and read Anglesy Allsorts 6 things - I love the story about her Grandad and the house clearance!)

* When I was pregnant with my daughter, while still attending collage - I had parked on the car park which at that time was just waste ground. I suffered really badly with morning sickness, and had gone back to my car to go home only to find I had been blocked in on every side...

being sick and hormonal, I squeezed my car through between the others, scratching both sides of my car and the others!

I told my dad that was how I found it...sorry dad!

*I told my daughter that when the ice cream van plays it's chimes, it is because he has run out of ice cream...Sorry Taryn!

*I told my mum when I was very little, that the labrador broke the glass door that devided the kitchen from the dining room, but only locked from one side. and he did it because he knew I needed to get to the toilet while mum was outside speaking to a neighbor...sorry mum!

*I discovered the funniest way ever to get rid of cold caller - you know when the phone rings, you pick up and say hello, there is silence, then a click as the sales person connects to you - well (try this, I promise it is worth it) only say 'penguin' - every time they ask you anything, just say pengiun. see how many you can get in before they hang up, or you do because you can't help laughing - I got a 15 penguiner once - I hung up!

*When I am alone in my van - that doesn't have a sterio/radio - I sing at the top of my voice!

*When I was a child, my best freind's mum gave us a stair carpet to play with - we spent days in the garden rolling each other up in it - until one day when we managed to roll myself, my freinds sister and my freind into a giant child/carpet sausage roll, with our arms trapped in the carpet, my freind started to giggle, then wet herself - which soaked through all the layers of the carpet whetting myself and her sister through - we never let her forget it!

I am supposed to give this award to 6 others now - but I have been out of blog land so long, I need to do some catching up first!

soon

Kath

x

knit and natter in Whalley

Time is definitely speeding up - I was sure my last post was only about a week ago!

I have been taking small steps at work to make the whole experience less stressful - taking a demotion, doing less hours, and not getting too concerned with office politics. When it does get too much, I pop onto my favorite yarn web sites, and just look at the gorgeous colours!

My favorite event of the year is almost upon us - Harrogate Knitting and Stitching show - I have been going to this for years - it is a bit of a trek, but nowadays, it is Me, my mum, my daughter and our newest recruit, my niece Maisy - we book early, take a packed lunch, and SHOP!!!!! and even better, they always organise it right by my birthday, so now my relatives give me cash for the show. This year my mum is getting me the Dianna interchangeable needle set - Bliss! AND I have booked a whole week off after it to knit and sew.

Our little Village has been organising a farmers market on the last Sunday of the month for about 6 months now - it seams to have been a real success so far. It has been held on the car park of The Swan Hotel, where - I found out recently, my relatives were the longest serving landlords from 1870 - 1911 when it was still a coaching house, so mum and I had a word with the new landlady to see if we could start a knit and natter group there on the same day as the market - a sort of Sunday breakfast club. I am so excited - I really hope people turn up - I want to feel part of a community again like I did as a child!

So - hopefully if it goes well, I will be posting some photo's here, maybe even start a group blog or something! (I think a naked calender will be some time off yet though! hehehe)

Whalley
Knit and Natter
EVERYONE WELCOME
All ages, male or female, beginners or advanced!

Come and join us at
THE SWAN HOTEL
Whalley
For our first get together!
Sunday 29th November
10am – 12pm

No need to book – Just turn up!

A New Start?

After being sent home from work YET AGAIN suffering from stress - and realising how little I have put into looking after my own well being this year (I have yet to have a full week off work, and any time I have had off has been taken to do my other job) I have decided things definatly have to change around here!

As yet, I have no idea how this is going to occur, especially as mine is the only income in the house... but I feel that in writing this I am setting myself some king of affirmation/goal/challenge/something!

so, perhaps October 2009 could be the start of a whole new life - who knows...

The JuicyFig...

Photo madness!

Ah, so many things I do to keep my mind off the drudgery of my 9 - 5 job that is sapping my soul but keeping the wolves from the door.

I am really really enjoying my photography course at the moment (went through a dodgy part after Christmas where I fell out with the subject for a week or two, but back in full swing at the moment)
so - to bore the pants of y'all, here are some of my shots...

Ok, so I thought I better start with a still life of some of my vintage sylko pearl cottons... (black and white because they are vintage!)
what? me up at sunrise? well, I am in work early most mornings!

I love these little mushrooms, they look like they have been hiding.

My lovely Taryn looking all wistful

and here she is again - she was wearing a sheet, but I cropped it out. This is my favorite portrait photo.

Our new brief is 'self' and can be done in any medium - I have been thinking about printing photo's onto fabric, so would appreciate it if any of you out there know of any particularly good methods for this...

until next time!

Spring has sprung!

Our very ancient computer is heading towards the great computer graveyard in the council dump very soon, riddled with viruses and looking very sorry for itself...still not bad for a free bee almost 7 years ago - I wonder if computers are like dogs in the 'how many computer years are there in a human year?'

So, I am sitting at my desk at work, on a break!!! (ahem) updating my blog.

crafting has taken a temporary back seat, that isn't to say I haven't done any, finished a table cloth for mum, made myself a new apron, almost finished some socks etc...well you know! but have been concentrating on my Photography course work quite a bit - the last assignment has been portraiture, so will be posting a link to our class web site soon where all our work is handsomely displayed.

Ahh, the sun is shining, the weekend is imminent - 2 birthdays, and two mothers, and no money!!!

enjoy the spring-ness of this spring weekend!

Blue - I love you!

Ahhh, we might not have any 'proper' snow around here, but we have had some lovely sunny days, and since I quit working Mondays, weekends have a slightly more relaxed feel to them.

So - languishing is the key!

I knock on the floor when I awake, and hubby who has usually been up for hours already rushes and brews a fresh mug of coffee for me - ah, if only I could sit there all day tapping out instructions from the bedroom, imagining him scurrying around trying to make the house spic and span for when I finally drag my carcase out of bed!

I had been inspired to make some lavender scented sachets for the linen cupboard - well, actually they are going onto my new little Etsy shop - eventually when the computer decides to work properly (why doesn't it listen when I shout at it and bang the mouse up and down???)
Also. a new WIP for my Etsy shop - some children's socks made from a lovely vintage vogue knitting pattern

And then I noticed, how much of my weekend has been 'blue' - I wouldn't say I had a favorite colour, but looking around the house and my life spaces in general, I think I have a definite leaning towards all things blue, the colour of the sky, the sea, my eyes! it is a cold clean colour, fresh, bright...well it always makes me happy!

and my grape hyacinths flowered this week - the best 75p spent in a while!

February Snow

Can you believe it! this was taken in February 2008!

It is so cold! - February has arrived with snow and wind and left me shivering - however! my multi fuel fire is warming me twice as promised. Once chopping and gathering the wood - one again on the lighting, sitting of an evening with my feet stretched out on the foot stool, wearing my hand knit socks - knitted by my grandma about 20 years ago (and still looking like new!)

A good friend let me borrow his chain saw - I was like a wild woman this morning out in the backs, work bench set up, goggles on and safety gloved, I felt like waving the chain saw in the air and holing like a crazy wolf when I cut through my first log!

Not sure how the money saving is going - still haven't used the tumble drier once since Christmas, and the heating has been on very little - keep going round the house switching off anything on standby - we will see!

Taking life easy...

So - a couple of weeks into the new year and I am not a millionaire as yet with the frugality, and although I really can't tell a difference on my bank statements so far, I do believe I am feeling a load better in my soul!

I have not used my dryer once - I even managed to get a load of sheets pegged out and dried one day! - everything else is on grandma's trusty maiden.

The message is getting through to the rest of the household regarding switching off lights, not leaving the TV on standby etc

Yesterday I followed 'martins money tips' and purchased myself 10 low energy light bulbs for the grand TOTAL of 80p! how virtuous am I? ;~)

Not 1 single loaf of bread bought in 2009 - I am getting quite good at making a decent loaf now, and I am onto my 5th pair of socks - all knit from my stash.

I have decided not to moan about my job for the foreseeable future, and be glad it is there to pay the bills for now - and have decided that no longer shall I work to keep up a lifestyle I can never quite attain, but to get real pleasure from what I can do myself.

The door off our multi fuel fire is being mended, and SSB and I have been wood scavenging for free fires! (I can't believe I have spent a fortune in the past on bags of pre-cut kindling when nature blows the darn stuff off the tree's for me, all I have to do is bend down and pick it up!

Early potatoes planted into big pots in the pollytunnel, rhubarb patch on it's way to a new lease of life...phew!

So - to end, a quick photo from warmer days last summer, sitting by the river one Sunday morning with the latest WIP!

A frugal 2009

After a hard year in 2008 I am now determined to make the best of 2009 - no matter what it brings!

It hasn't exactly started how I hoped it would, after returning to work last Tuesday, and only being in the building for a few hours, I managed to put my back out and was whisked away in an ambulance, laughing heartily at my predicament with the help of many lung fulls of gas and air - I have been off all week walking around like a duck with constipation! on the bright side, this has saved me a fortune in petrol, and given me time to catch up on some knitting, plan out what gifts I am going to make for the many up coming birthdays, and to watch SSB run round after me!

Money is tighter than it has ever been this year, so my resolution is to live as frugally as I possibly can and get my finances back on track - and believe it or not, it is something I am relishing. Shopping lost its excitement for me a long time ago, (unless it is a fabric or wool shop) - so here are my first few frugal plans...

the first ones are because my current gas and electric bills for a small terraced house come to a staggering £170 per month!!!!!!

1. Use the dryer less! - I have already dug out the huge antique drying maiden from my Grandma's house, and this is now dominating the living room where we have the largest radiator.

2. use the kettle less - we are now utilising the camping kettle on the gas hob, boiling just the amount we need.

3. Planning my baking - so when I bake bread, we also have to have baked potatoes for tea, of lasagna etc etc so the oven gets used once and is full.

4. Baking my own bread - luckily I had everything in the store cupboard for about 20 loaves. the only thing I have had to get in extra is yeast so far - and if I lived closer to an asda I would even have popped in for free fresh yeast from the bakery.

5. On the way home from work, I pass an ALDI - this is where I will be doing more and more of my shopping for basics.

6. Kicking ass on the Allotment - we have neglected this so much in the past few years, so to make it a less daunting task, my brother will be taking one square, us another and we are making it into a fun competition type project - the first being to grow new potatoes in large tubs in the polytunnel, then we can tip them out and see who managed to get the most spuds!

7. utilising the myriad of books on self sufficiency and country living I have collected, instead of reading then and dreaming about that lifestyle.

8. collecting all the loose change I get, especially when cleaning up - down the back of the sofa etc - this is now in a huge jar in the kitchen with a picture of the new food mixer I am saving it all for as an incentive, and to stop anyone borrowing from it!

9. FREECYCLE - I love it! I have found all sorts and got rid of all sorts!

and finally - well, so far!

10. USING MY FABRIC AND WOOL STASH INSTEAD OF BUYING ANY MORE!

Top tip of the day...

from my country wisdom book...

to get rid of ring marks made by water on polished wood, mix some cigarette ash with olive oil, wipe on with the grain, leave for 30 minutes then buff up.

I have just put it on the top of my lovely treadle machine, and not much is happening yet...hehehe

On the final day of a very long year...

Here I am sat at work on the final day of 2008.

I will freely admit that this past 12 months feels like there have been more downs than ups, but I am determined to at least be more optimistic about 2009 as I sit here wondering about my new years resolutions ready for tonight.

My baby girl has up and left home - not sure if it is for good or not yet, and she has quit collage. I can quite honestly admit that parenthood has been the most difficult job I have ever undertaken - rewarding? sometimes. would I do it again...? who knows!

on the up side, I have become an avid sock knitter - neglecting my lovely sewing room, and carrying a ball of wool and 4 double pointed needles with me everywhere - everyone got socks for Christmas!

Today is Shauny sugar buns 40th Birthday - so it is always double celebrations on New Years eve in our house - due to the credit crunch he has received a rather fetching pair of hand knitted 100% wool, walking socks - he was thrilled to bits with them knowing the time involved in such a gift.

I think my first resolution will be to blogg more often, and get the camera back out - I need the therapy!!

I will hopefully be posting some of my photo's submitted for my first assignment on the photography btech.

so for now, all that remains if for me to wash up my coffee cup, close down the computer and bit farewell to this god forsaken office until next year - and of course to wish everyone a happy healthy thrifty crafty utterly splendid new year!!!!!