Sunday 28 March 2010

What an UGLY Baby!

I don't have a very sweet tooth (chocolate being the exception...of course!) but someone gave me a Haribo Jelly Baby the other day and I had to search them out for myself.

They have to be the ugliest, scariest babies around - and as such need to be eaten head first.


if only they didn't taste so damned good!

If you like your jelly babies though, look at these... Jellyatrics

Thursday 25 March 2010

Dogs and Cats and Chicks and stuff!

As the (reportedly) most spectacular spring since 1976 unfurls before our eyes, I decided that getting up early and walking the dog would set me up for a better day, you know, fresh air, bird song, flowers, exercises etc - so this morning I set off with my trusty terrier through the field, up the country lane to the main road where the paper shop is. We have two 9 month old 'kittens' Bodkin and Stitch. Stitch has recently started to follow us on walks, and the little sod pot followed the dog and I, no matter what I did to put him off, so when we got to the main road and he shot across it and back almost causing a crash I decided not to bother with the paper shop, and we set off back. We must have looked quite comical to other dog walkers, me, 1 black and white dog and 1 black and white cat to match.


When will Easter get here? - I know I know, it is the weekend after next (I think?) but like all the other yearly events hijacked by the shops, it seams like it has been Easter for weeks now.
Baby Fig in her infinite thriftiness discovered a shop in London that goes that one step beyond poundland - a 99p shop! - she bought a box of these chicks, Easter Geek chicks! brilliant.



and now - some finished projects!!!!!

My luxurious kid mohair scarf wot I designed myself is now finally finished - Mr Fig said it had an 'ethereal quality' - I am just very chuffed!

And below is another - yes, I said ANOTHER finished project, a lovely ballet style wrap for my littlest niece for Easter - She can't eat dairy products, so no Easter eggs, and refuses to wear anything but pink - I hope this fits all her requirements!

Not sure if you can see this - tiny little charm on the sleeve that just says 'made with love' which it definitely is.

so - time is ticking now, only another week to finish knitting egg cosies, bunnies, chicks, making simnel cakes, roasting lamb and loosing an hours sleep. Easter keeps me busier now than when baby fig really was a baby!

Tuesday 16 March 2010

I went to London and all I took was 1 photo!

EEEK! it never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes between blogs...
The past week has been very busy - working (bleurch...) knitting, sewing, watching BBC's Master crafts and desperately wanting to become a weaver now!

On Wednesday Baby Fig and I drove down to London as she had her first University interview at Westminster Uni - at the Harrow Campus for Art - and even if she doesn't get a place I am incredibly proud of her.

We stopped with my Aunt and Uncle in Balham, and met up with another Aunt at Harrow who took us through Harrow on the Hill to lunch - I had never been there before - it is like a lovely village in the middle of the city, and obviously a 'money' area.


So, after dashing here and there, the only photo I ended up taking was of Baby Fig herself back at Balham station while we waited for the crowds to disperse before maneuvering her art portfolio back to the flat.



Sunday 7 March 2010

Guess who's been on match of the day?


As I no longer work Mondays (a stress busting move) I have taken to pottering about our nearest market town on that day. There are plenty of shops in our village, but they are all a bit posh, and way out of my budget! (well, except Spar...)
Clitheroe is a gorgeous little town, a bit behind the times usually (certainly in respect to opening times, still honoring half day closing, lunch time closures and shutting up completely on a Sunday) and it now has the obligatory Boots store and a WH Smiths, it still retains a whole load of independent retailers that are unique to the town and one of the largest concentration of charity shops in the country!

Above is a really bad photo of the Chocolate Box - it has been there forever! A tiny shop with gorgeous original dark wood cabinets and shelves full of sweets and chockies - ahhhh, heaven.
Mr Fig and I went all out extravagant and invested in a quarter each of cola cubes, pineapple chunks and sour apple cubes...how old are we????
Yesterday was my first day off with sunshine this week - and having only seen snowdrops from the car window for a while, and after seeing the lady farming them on last Sundays country file, I went to get some shots and have a closer look at these brief jewels!

The ones above were in the English Martyrs Church Yard, a sea of white!
And yes, I picked the one bellow from someones garden, it was behind a bush next to the fence, and I couldn't get close enough with the camera....well, that's my excuse! but isn't it lovely!!!!

And the ones bellow reminded us of lop eared Easter bunnies!

And then....Last night at The Grand in Clitheroe we went to see Frank Sidebottom and Charlie Chuck - what a night! Mr Fig and Baby fig had never seen them before, and Baby fig is the same age I was last time I saw him in 1989!

I honestly couldn't tell you what was funnier - Frank Sidebottom, the bloke behind who laughed like a drain all the way through or the two women in front who were utterly bemused by the whole evening and nearly fell of their chairs when Frank asked "Guess who's been on match of the day?" and the audience replied "you have, in your big shorts!"

Ahhh, the simplicity of northern humour....