ABDEFHILM

You'd think at my age I'd know the alphabet but it appears that's not the case

Maybe next month I'll learn the first bit in full

I spent a little time with ABC lessons while I was away and a little more time with it yesterday so thought I'd better make an effort and post an update.

I'm feeling better today but still don't have a voice and I've pulled muscles in my back with all the coughing I've been doing the last couple of days

Happy Dance with me

Magic in Motion is complete at long last, yay

I apologise for the not so good pic this was the best of the bunch and I've not felt fit enough to retry today

I have no idea when he was started but he does appear in the first list of WIPs I did back 2004 when I started a rotation. He went out on the first UFO RR I took part in back in 2007 and he came home in July with some BS (he spent some time with the last person in the group with my blessing) , french knots and the cording to do. Thursday I was suddenly struck with the urge to finish him which I did yesterday between.

I'm feeling alot rougher today and so tired, the simplest of tasks wears me out and I've lost my voice to boot.

Mary Wigham's tour of Devon

I took Mary Wigham with me on holiday and she came along when we went places.

First up was the The Donkey Sanctuary

Then she spent some time on the beach at Lyme Regis

After a day's rest she went to Cold Harbour Mill

Where Fibrefest took place

Monday saw a trip to Plymouth to visit family in the morning before a bit of sightseeing.

After shopping she saw Ark Royals anchor

Followed by a visit to the Hoe and the Mayflower Steps

Had a ride on a carousel (are you surprised?)

And lastly she saw Smeaton's Tower but it was getting dark by then so you have to look really closely for the really hard to see light patch in the middle

Mary also spent time in the caravn and watching the girls play frisbee but I forgot to get pics of those

Fun on the beach

I killed a WIP today but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for a pic, it's currently drying after having a bath.

I came home thinking I was coming down with a cold and yesterday it hit me fully, I've got no energy at all so get to sit on behind all day and as normal for me I have larigitus so can barely talk.

Mel is being really good and helping out alot and keeps telling me off when I do say anything

Holiday pics

TUSAL

Yes I know I'm a few days late but I was on holiday remember so wasn't home on the right day and it was dark by the time we'd got back and unloaded yesterday.

I even saved all my orts while I was away in a little bag that a very dear freind gave me, how sad am I?

It's filling up nicely

I'll be back later with holiday pics

A quick hello from Devon

I do have internet here but it's via a dongle and it's really really slow so I won't be posting often and definately won't be adding pics!

We had a trouble free trip down on Saturday and spent the evening watching Kung Fu Panda, very entertaining and Id recommend you watch if you get the chance.

Yesterday we went into Honiton to have a look around and to find the Tourist Information place only to discover that apart from the big chain stores and one lonely newsagents the entire town shuts down on a Sunday! Bit daft really for a town in a torist area that's well known for it's connection to lace making and has a museum dedicated to it. As we wandered around we spotted a poster advertising a family fun day at a Donkey Sancutary near Sidmouth and decided to go and find it but never did. We did end up in Sidmoth itself and spent the afternoon wanderig around the town and sitting on the beach in the sun

Today we decicded to have a lazy day at the caravan apart from having a run into Honiton to stock up. So far we've watched Tranformers and I'm now sat outside enjoying the sun while the girls are inside sorting ot tea for us all. They have spent the afternoon playing frisbee, doing cartwheels and lying in the sun doing puzzles.

The site is small and will only take 5 caravan's max so it's lovely nd quiet. We did have it to ourselves until about this time yesterday when an old couple arrived and entertained us for almos an hour while they got set up, most of that time was ile he was reversing the caavan back and he took more attempts at it than I would of!

Home Exchange received

I was all set to post on Exchange Heaven to warn my partner for the home exchange that I was off on holiday to day and so wouldn't be home to let them know if it arrived or not.

That became unneccessary this morning when the postman brought this from Elisa

Isn't it gorgeous and so very true a saying.

I'm taking the one I'm stitching away with me to do and will make it up the day after I get back

Mel has stripes

I got her to pose for some pics

This badge is the one she passed SCIC for

and then got promoted for this one

The purple one is the BTEC award she got earlier this year and the other is for sharp shooting (she also made it on to the shooting team at one time)

And her 3 star badge that's hiding in the other pics

We are off to Devon tomorrow for a few days holiday before Fibrefest next weekend so don't worry if I don't post until I get back (I will have internet access but it will be limited and slow)

Woo Hoo they are done

To say that I'm happy to have them done is an understatement!

Sunflowers

Jan Kooislta

Lanarte kit

Jo you asked what I planned on replacing them with well I plan on going back to my normal work on whatever WIP grabs me and have spent this evening on ABC lessons

More Sunflowers & proud Mum moment

Not a huge amount of progress to show this week, I didn't even finish the other leaf at the top but that's because I went and spent a few days with a very dear friend at the end of last week and refused to take them with me.

I did start Mel's birthday present and made some good progress on it but as she reads my blog your going to have to wait until mid October for a pic.

I've already finished the leaf off and started on the remaining yellow so next time you see it it will be for a Happy Dance as I'm determined to finish before I go to Devon at the weekend

Now the proud Mum bit :)

Mel rang me earlier to say that she was signed off for the day and that she had passed her SCIC (Senior Cadet Instructor Course) at camp not only that but she may well be a Sargent by the time she gets home on Thursday

Sunflowers again

So last week's effort was the leaf on the right.

I've made a good start on the left hand left that goes with that one and then there's just the bloom to finish.

I was hoping I'd get it finished this week with Mel being away at camp but I'm not going to spend a few days visiting a friend at the end of the week and although I will take stitching with me I refuse to take this.

So unless a small miracle happens in the next couple of days it's going to be early next week (busy couple of days first but I should get that leaf done before I go)

Thanks for all the comments on my new bead stash yesterday and to answer a couple of them....

Dieflyn ~ I'd forgotten just how close Haydock is to me, a mere 4 juctions up the M6 and less than 1/2 hr.

Karan ~ I doubled my delica collection with that little lot but that's a mere drop in the ocean to the amount of seed beads I have

Beads galore

I've been to a bead fair at Haydock race course today and spent way to much but at least now I'm all set to do all the Christmas decorations/ornaments/presents that I want to get done this year. And I can now finish the beaded needlecase I started at a weekly class I used to go right before they stopped so we never found out how to finish them off (plus the book has some really cool patterns in)

I love these charms and I'm thinking they would work on the back of exchanges & Christmas ornaments
Pretty colours
More pretty colours

And lastly this weeks update on Mary Busby.

I did have the flower pot that goes with bloom done but I've discovered that the part done yellow motif, C and the blue have all got to come out as they are one stitch too far over to the left and it will be too much of a headache to try and fudge it for the remaining 2/3rds of the sampler.

I am not amused

July Progress & August Goals

For July I said
Finish the Sunflowers I have a leaf to do, a bloom to finish and the odd bits round the edges
Finish off Magic in Motion Never touched it
Work on a WIP Mary Busby got worked on every Friday

For August I'd like to
Finish the Sunflowers
Start Mel's birthday present
Pick a new UFO to send out
Work on a WIP or two

I stitched for a total of 87 hours 11 mins last month over half of which went on the Sunflowers. I had no new starts or finishes (apart from the bag but that doesn't come under stitching) and I stitched every day of the month