A little more of portugal

My daughter in law Alison in the shade of an orange tree

Cheers Alison

We went on a hike with residents from the hotel . Half way we stopped for coffee and a little R& R.

It really was a short break to remember .

 

I have just been looking at a site on Pinterest called Crochet Inspiration .If you like crochet this will give you the go go to get hooking . I'm making baby blankets at present ready for 2 new additions to the family in the summer .

I have also restarted quilting on a big flannel quilt .

My other D,I L had one on her bed when I stayed the night after my holiday. It really gave me the dig I needed to get sewing again .

 

Time for tea come supper . Bye for now.

Winter break

On Sunday I rang my daughter in law .  Was she ready for a short winter break . 6 o/clock Monday morning we were off to Portugal for a few days .

We stayed in a fabulous hotel . The only hotel in the area . All bedrooms facing the sea .

We were given what was called a superior room . For a last minute booking we could not have done better .Every thing was top notch . Lots of residents over wintering for several months .It really gave us a taste of retiring to the sun . Long walks on the beach, complimentary coach trips .An organised walk . fun bingo evenings , the winning prize a cuppa coffee . A couple of quiz evenings , we came about half way on the score line each time , in other words we failed miserably .

We saw men dredging for cockles ,their bicycles on the sand with nets tied to the handlebars. 

I ask myself what am I doing back here in the cold and rain .

 

On my return I visited family in  Bristol . I'm hoping after seeing my patchwork quilts on the beds it will give me the urge to sew again .

Me Time

Today I have planned to do the things I really like to do to relax. Of course we all know that as the day goes on things change but my plan is to browse this book and try to come up with a new bag front .a little inspiration goes a long way .

When I got up this morning I sat in my conservatory putting this plan into action .

I sat with my cup of tea ,I had indulged in a digestive biscuit to help fuel the brain cells .

My plan was thwarted when my resident blackbird looked through the window , half the biscuit went to him , then he came back with another two friends ,they didn't want the bread from the bird table just biscuit , Ah well!.

Bluebell and me went to our usual Thursday afternoon sewing group yesterday.It is at a friends home in the next village .The conversation is usually about anything that has occurred in the past week such as how the coffee morning went ,how many had turned out for the latest funeral etc,.

Bluebell said , each time we come here someone has died , Oh well they said almost in unison , it's an age thing . I'm still trying to get my head round this one.

The weather is looking rather bleak at present if the sun does manage to come from behind the clouds I shall fizz with energy and hopefully achieve all I have planned .

No Apologies ,I'm re ,hashing but please read on

I have been researching charity sites this afternoon . I have found by putting Loving Hands , in my Google bar there are lots of charity info.

These little jumpers are the thing my friends and myself are involved in at present but there are lots of knitting patterns.

We don't have to pay postage . One friend takes them to Infacare in Syston , Leicestershire .  They also collect unused medication that is still in date , Quilts and other things . I think it is a branch of Unicef . The items collected are taken to other countries and handed over personally

On my blog yesterday I had a comment from a blogger who said her group made about 50 jumpers last year . They found the postage a drawback ..This need not be so if you read further down my blog.

In the past we have knitted teddies for children abroad who have no personal things of their own . We have made dresses from pillowcases that might have ended up as dusters .

Looking through the Loving Hands site there are lots and lots of knitting and crochet patterns .

A local Rotary Club collected a lot of the teddies .
If a group of friends get involved in charity knitting . crochet or quilts please enquire at a local Rotary organisation if they would be willing to pass your contributions on to Unicef .

Charity Knitting

At present my friends and myself are knitting small jumpers for African babies . These babies are called fish and chip babies owing to the fact they are usually wrapped in newspaper . Their mums don't have the luxury of a layette or even the money for the basics a baby needs when born .

It is fun to knit a small jumper . It is all in one piece . preferred to be brightly coloured , can be striped , different on the front to the back .

If you think you could or would like to knit I have put a photo of the pattern  . Enlarge it so it can be read .

You could send your jumpers to me or I would tell you where to send them .

 

There is a site where you can read called Loving Hands . put this in your Google bar .It is an official charity site . I'd love to see pics,. of any jumpers that are knitted .

I'm beginning to wonder if the bulbs I planted will flower or just rot in the ground due to all the rain . Even a snow blizzard this morning but sunshine again at present .  Even the fish pond keeps overflowing

As promised

Yesterday I said I would show the blanket I had crochet for my Grand daughter .

She moved into a new house two weeks ago . Her furnishings are a black settee so I thought this would compliment her scheme of things .

Due to the sitting around more than usual I have managed to get a few things completed .

Tonight I will just sit and enjoy a dvd .

Don't you think

Don't you think these bags are just so pretty ?  They are from the Anni Downs book called   The world as it should be .

You must enlarge the pictures to appreciate how they look.

 

I'm a big fan of Primitive designs . The pattern on the front is felt blanket stitched on ,such a change from needle turn applique .

 

This afternoon I have almost finished a crochet blanket for my grand daughter , I just have to weave the ends in . I will show that tomorrow .

 

I hate sitting around but the weather is too awful to do much else but at least it means a lovely afternoon doing what I like best.

Sunny today at the moment but the weather changes in the blink of an eye .

The sun is shining through the garage windows  .I keep my fabric in there so I might go and have a root around and a tidy up .

A good idea to have tea and toast first . It's so easy to lose track of time when stroking fabric and elevenses is a ritual that must be kept /

This little montage of flower pots is from a couple of years ago but fires me up ready to prepare for spring .

Bye for now.

wondering

I wonder why my last written blog didn't show up on the reading list/

 Yesterday I actually managed to get the urge to be creative . Nothing sensational , just a fresh looking cushion cover . Out came the machine . It's still on the table so who knows, I might have another session .

Bluebell and myself went to the fabric guild today . I needed pink fleece to back baby quilts , bluebell needed quilting thread . Needless to say we called at our favourite garden centre on the way home . these pots , £2 50 each contain polyanthus , hyacinths , tete a tete daffs . So much happiness for a small spend . The beauty is, all these things can go into the garden after flowering . I bought 2 more pots of Aubrietia , they are now planted . also a choisa, the yellow variety. It stays yellow through the winter and a few more perennials  that will have to be started into growth . . I also bought another Hellibore .  I had washed my hands and cleaned and cleared up when I noticed a pack of Lupins I bought about 3 weeks ago were shooting into life so back to square one and pots and soil to plant them . They would have been too weak and sappy if I had left  them any longer .

I have been watching a box set of dvds called Homeland . It was a gift from my D,I Law . I'm well and truly hooked , waiting for the next series .

For my dinner today I had Lambs liver with onions , potatoes and peas . I bought the lambs liver from M/Sp . I will only buy Lmbs liver from there in future . It was the very best .

Well , it's time for the last cup of tea of the day . Time to settle down for the evening . Must get knitting , I have been handed a pattern to knit small jumpers for African babies .