tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62762895082738085832024-03-13T02:08:42.470+00:00Mauls Being CreativeElainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-88942462959006326332015-05-12T23:10:00.001+01:002015-05-13T06:54:02.420+01:00Memorial Walk for Don Craig 01.12.57 - 25.04.15<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypwGix9M6gOpXJQWkA4EquXf65yMkbiyHibfnBtmeetQ8KI6gR9PGo3wbSVKyC4McyUS_MJpLC0QUkWVHaC-dR1PkYMYQ5rq9Bu93_OeOMHapcV4WC_2B-KpwKYviooJD09BSG_xFM_U/s1600/100-0010_AUT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypwGix9M6gOpXJQWkA4EquXf65yMkbiyHibfnBtmeetQ8KI6gR9PGo3wbSVKyC4McyUS_MJpLC0QUkWVHaC-dR1PkYMYQ5rq9Bu93_OeOMHapcV4WC_2B-KpwKYviooJD09BSG_xFM_U/s320/100-0010_AUT.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Craig taken 12/08/2001</td></tr>
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This must be some kind of record! Neglecting a blog for over 2 years! What happened? A bit difficult to say but perhaps I thought I was talking to myself and got bored? Still, I happened to mention on Facebook that I was the proud owner of a fitbit and would be doing more walking and Joy Shallcross that I got to know through her lovely <a href="http://joyknitt.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">blog</a> asked if I would be blogging about my walks again? It would appear that dear Joy liked my writing (thank you Joy) ...... so perhaps I shall be content with a quality audience rather than quantity!<br />
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So, why have I acquired a fitbit? Well, back on our Anniversary on 23rd April 2015, John and I went to Norwich for the day and did loads of walking and I ended up totally knackered! I couldn't believe why as I have been doing my exercise bike for 30 minutes every week day and have done so for a long time. It occurred to me that walking uses entirely different muscles and suggested to John that I'd much prefer going out walking, especially first thing in the morning, to get some air and really enjoy some exercise rather than using the exercise bike ..... a real slog if I'm honest! We've been neglecting our walking and I really enjoy it, so that's what we've been doing since then. One morning we even got up really early and just about caught the sunrise; totally wonderful being out that early in the morning. John then happened to mention that a fitbit is a good way of recording progress and steps and so ...... one early Birthday present later ...... and I have a fitbit! This is a remarkably addictive gadget that I'm sure I will report on further!<br />
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But, at this point I'm sure someone will wonder why this blog entry is entitled 'Memorial Walk for Don Craig'? With very great sadness, we found out on Monday 4th May that Don, a very dear friend, had passed away on Saturday 25th April of a heart attack. He was only 57 years old. My John had known him since they were at Southgate College together, so from when they were both 16 or 17. Don was a really great friend and, in turn, I had known him from when I first started going out with John in 1981 and you couldn't wish to meet a kinder person. It is very hard to really describe Don but he was eccentric in that old fashioned English tradition of eccentrics. When John first knew him, he was a bit of a latter-day hippy type with long hair, afghan coat and flares. Through him, John developed his love of all sorts of progressive rock music and an interest in hi-fi and over the years we went to many concerts with him. He loved so many groups that it would be hard to say what was his favourite. Don helped John make the huge speaker cabinets that we still use. They are so big they people think they are wardrobes. Don was passionate about environmental issues, with a natural garden full of native trees and plants designed to attract lots of wildlife. For many years, he did work for the British Conservation Trust Volunteers and he loved walking and bird watching. He wasn't terribly keen on conventional social activities; we couldn't persuade him to come to our wedding for instance ..... but that was just Don!<br />
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We got together pretty much every week. He had an irascible sense of humour and was good company. But why eccentric? I could never get him to share a meal at our house. However, every week he would bring round his fish and chips. Our old cat used to recognise his car and would be sitting by the front door almost before we even realisd he was there. I couldn't get him to use a plate ('why create washing up!') and so he'd eat it from the paper, having first giving a bit to our cat. Any leftover chips or batter would go home with him to feed the birds in his garden. It took me ages to work out his Birthday; John had never thought to ask! Eventually, I somehow found out and so, on the nearest visit to his Birthday on 1st December I'd give him a suitably jokey card and my Annual 'Christmas' Dundee cake would be his Birthday cake.<br />
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He was so caring in a very understating way, spending years caring for his Mum whose health has never been very good and caring for his partner's many illnesses. However, he wouldn't want praise for this; Don just got on with it.<br />
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He was able to make and do just about anything and had a wide variety of jobs over the years, most involving maintaining machines but he did so many major DIY jobs at his Mum's house and then his own that he really could turn his hand to anything.. <br />
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Without going into too much detail, we found out that there wasn't going to be a funeral and that Don was going to be cremated on Tuesday 12th May at mid-day (today). I have personally found this very hard to take. I understand how it has come to be and it is not for discussion on this blog but I can only say that I have felt a profound sadness that Don would be 'alone' at this point. In all honesty, Don would find my thoughts ridiculous! I'm sure he would say that he is no longer in his body and that, in any case, being the centre of attention would be the last thing he would want. All very true! However, I said to John that we needed to do something to mark his passing; just the two of us. I couldn't do it today, so we decided to do it last night.<br />
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I decided to make a wreath arrangement from ivy, honeysuckle and lilac blossom from our garden. Here you can see that Flossie decided that she had to come and supervise!<br />
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She looks a bit 'miffed' here :)<br />
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OK ..... I guess I won't win any prizes for wreath making but it smelt heavenly and I think Don would have approved that it was hand-made by me.<br />
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We then walked over to the Lea Valley Park. It was at a more southerly bit of the Lea Valley park that Don used to do work with the BCTV and he often walked over there bird watching, so it seemed appropriate. When we got to a stretch of the Lea that flows reasonably strongly, we stood on a bridge and I let it drop into the water.<br />
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Perhaps we should have said a few words. However, neither of us really knew what words to say. It has been such a shock and I don't think it has really sunk in that we won't see him again.<br />
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This photo looks like the wreath is going to get stuck in the bank, but it didn't! It drifted off down the Lea and out of sight. I like to think that Don will know that we were thinking of him. We really are going to miss him a very great deal.<br />
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We continued our walk round the Lea Valley park, hearing our first cuckoo of the season and coming across the first Canada geese chicks.<br />
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It is also lovely to see the male swan being so protective over his mate siting on her eggs. We'll be back on another day to see the cygnets once they've hatched.<br />
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All around, so many signs of new life and fresh greenery but tinged with sadness because Don won't see and share any of this anymore.<br />
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We walked a total of 4.94 miles and I managed to get the fitbit to 'clock' its first 10,000 steps.<br />
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RIP dear Don from Elaine and John xxxxElainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-48489937177752191722013-01-06T20:08:00.001+00:002013-01-06T20:08:55.897+00:00A Varied Old Week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Before Christmas, I spent a lot of time making extra special Christmas tree decorations for close family and friends and the Tiger was neglected. I really want to finish this during 2013 and here it is at the beginning of 2013 on 2nd January before I re-started it.<br />
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I'm also endeavouring to take more photos of Flossie. For some reason, over the last couple of years she disappears whenever I try to take photos. I don't know if she doesn't like the flash or the sound the camera makes when you operate the zoom. Either way, I've decided that this year I must try to take photos of her as often as I can to try and make her see that the camera isn't something to be frightened of.<br />
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She's actually very photogenic, so it's worth persevering with. I will be trying to take more photos of Minstrel ....... and I think his black and white colouring makes him a different sort of challenge!<br />
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On Friday evening, Mum and I visited my brother and he is much better. It turned out that he didn't have septicaemia and the clot in his vein has gone down. Rowena did find out one piece of information; apparently, during the original operation in November, his thoracic duct was nicked! Although it was grafted, there is a slight question as to whether all these 'infection like' symptoms and the swelling round the neck wound have been caused by leakages from the thoracic duct! The doctors at Queens are trying to get more definite information from Barts but it is annoying that Queens didn't originally have this information.<br />
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And on Thursday, I wrote a letter of complaint to a hospital. Not about Paul, but about my Mum. On the 4th-5th December, she was in our local hospital to have a die test on her bladder as her routine check had shown that her bladder looked a little inflamed. This routine check is because she is in remission from bladder cancer, originally diagnosed in 2005. However, within 4 days of coming out of hospital, Mum was covered in a red rash ...... and after a visit to her doctor, she was told she had scabies! She can only have got it in hospital! She was very upset about this, especially that she might have passed it onto us. Added to which, when Paul was initially ill, and very poorly, she didn't want to visit him whilst there was any possible chance of passing it onto him. In the end, she didn't feel able to see him until the Saturday before Christmas; all very distressing. It will be interesting to see the response to my letter. Mind you, Mum had her follow-up appointment on 2nd January and thankfully she's been given the all-clear. This is such a huge relief that I can't possibly begin to describe the relief.<br />
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Then Friday ....... I spent a frustrating morning going round and round the website of HMRC to complete setting up both myself and John as self-employed. I was trying to find out how to set up the payments for Class 2 NICS ..... but they certainly make it hard to find the information you need!<br />
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And finally, I spent a lot of time on Friday investigating the best approach to take in setting up a website for John's Candle making business as The Candle Cellar. So far, I've only set up a business page on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheCandleCellar" target="_blank">Facebook</a> but he does need a website as well. I will try and blog about how I get on, but by the end of Friday, I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the information I'd found :)<br />
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And after all that ...... perhaps another photo of Flossie is called for :) Unfortunately, it shows th main problem with flash; alien eyes :)<br />
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<br />Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-76674523507242338392013-01-02T20:05:00.001+00:002013-01-02T20:05:58.264+00:00More Positive Post Bank HolidayWell ... just found out that Paul has had three scans of his neck today! Perhaps scans are like buses. None for ages and then they all come together! Seriously though, the scans show that the blood clot has gone down, which is good. The neck swelling is the lymph glands in his neck. This could be because of the normal response everyone has when they get bad infections; their glands go up. It could also mean that the lymphoma is mutating into a more aggressive form which is not so good and can only really be determined by yet another biopsy. They really aren't sure but for the moment the antibiotics will continue for 7 to 10 days and they'll see how he goes. Thankfully, he slept better last night so feels better in himself. Rowena feels more positive that they are doing all they can, so that is good.<br />
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One other good piece of news. My Mum had a die test on her bladder on the 4th December because her latest checkup revealed inflammation on the lining of her bladder and they weren't happy about this. Mum had bladder cancer diagnosed in 2005 but, because she went to the doctor early enough, it was caught and merely needed treatment with primarily the German measles vaccine and she was cleared within a year and just has to have regular check-ups. Today she had the appointment to follow up this die test and happily everything is OK. No return of the cancer which was my biggest worry. The doctor said the inflammation might just have been the result of a urine/bladder infection that Mum wasn't even aware of or might even have been caused by the original cystoscopy check which can be an irritant for some people. Anyhow, it was a huge relief for me and a huge relief for Paul and Rowena as well.<br />
<br />Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-2584100380157649522013-01-02T15:28:00.001+00:002013-01-02T15:31:08.021+00:00Note to Self ... Don't Get Ill At Weekends!Seriously .... just don't!<br />
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Paul had a scan on his neck on Monday but even my sister-in-law, after watching a few scans being done, could tell that the operator wasn't very experienced! He couldn't find the clot! Only muscle! And there's Paul with a swelling on one side of his neck and not looking particularly muscley elsewhere!<br />
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The Consultant wasn't happy with the result and said he'd put a call out for a more experienced person to do one on Tuesday. However ...... oh yes ...... Tuesday was the 1st January and a Bank Holiday ....... and they couldn't find anyone! They do admit that Paul's situation is very much 'of concern' but they couldn't find anyone ....... and I thought hospitals were supposed to staff themselves regardless of weekends and Bank holidays? Clearly not!<br />
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So, you have been warned. Just make sure you can plan any major A & E situations for Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm! OK?Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-38879406128254897062013-01-01T18:50:00.004+00:002013-01-01T18:50:44.959+00:00New Year, New Beginnings?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A New Year and perhaps a New Start for my neglected little blog! Why have I neglected it for so long? Well .... since about August, John and I have been putting a lot of effort into his candlemaking business. You can see some of what we've been up to on the Facebook page I've set up; selling candles as <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheCandleCellar" target="_blank">The Candle Cellar</a>. <br />
<br />
Also ..... if I'm honest, I was beginning to think I was talking to myself pretty much and why bother! However, I've been reconsidering this in the 'quiet' period you get between Christmas and New Year and realised that I actually don't care! I merely want to record the handicrafts I do and the walking John and I do and that is an end in itself!<br />
<br />
Also ....... this New Year starts on a slightly bad foot as on the 5th December 2012, my very dear brother was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer and it has changed my outlook in many ways.<br />
<br />
Anyhow ..... not only has the blog been neglected but our walking has as well! In December, I even ended with something I've never had before ..... A Bad Back! And I realised that not walking regularly was a possible contributing factor. So, today we had a little walk round 'Our Patch' over in the Lea valley Park. It was a beautiful day for walking, although everywhere is very muddy because of all the rain we've been having. We walked for about 1.5 hours and covered about 4.5 miles. It certainly cleared some cobwebs!<br />
<br />
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There is so much wildlife over in the park that it really lifts your spirits. And my spirits do need lifting. I am sorely worried about my brother at the moment. Whilst walking, my thoughts constantly stray to saying the words in my head 'Please God, let him get better'.<br />
<br />
He is actually in hospital at the moment. At the end of November, he had some lumps removed from his neck and on the 5th December, he was told he has lymphoma cancer but that it is treatable. However, he then proceeded to develop a very bad infection in the wound that was initially just a solid mass of infection that pressed on his jugular vein and has caused a clot. He did come out on Christmas Eve but just last Saturday, he went back into hospital with suspected septicaemia. He has been having alternate bouts of severe shivering followed by drenching sweats. On Sunday, they determined that it wasn't septicaemia but today they are wondering whether the shivering and sweating is a function of the lymphoma cancer. The swelling on his neck actually got bigger on Saturday as well, which they were very concerned about. He was due to have a scan today to check that out but I haven't heard any more on that.<br />
<br />
All in all, I am worried sick about my 'little brother'. It certainly makes you sit up and re-think exactly what is important.Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-84937377213213591032012-09-10T17:14:00.002+01:002012-09-10T17:19:19.705+01:00Scratching Post Charity Needs Votes To Win £5000<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63nIGUGdSaL5dsFPcEOa2XEUw1N496tZH4xOKFVH05O-WLQe6Ia9Tj2xETugtmp95anTpe2COFC20q-8-4i0tsOTZcInmjDRhcVL1u9I8PjN0jzThJEwBG3iERRKmC8_fqIB-QFW7HXg/s1600/Flossie_and-Minstrel_in_lilac-Pot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63nIGUGdSaL5dsFPcEOa2XEUw1N496tZH4xOKFVH05O-WLQe6Ia9Tj2xETugtmp95anTpe2COFC20q-8-4i0tsOTZcInmjDRhcVL1u9I8PjN0jzThJEwBG3iERRKmC8_fqIB-QFW7HXg/s320/Flossie_and-Minstrel_in_lilac-Pot.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Phew ...... stretching creativity to its max! Although I've always thought that Tweeting was for the birdies, I've succumbed to Twitter ..... but only for a Good Cause :)<br />
<br />
I think I've mentioned before that Flossie and Minstrel came from <a href="http://www.scratchingpost.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Scratching Post</a>, a little Cat Rescue Charity that operates in the Cheshunt/Enfield/Waltham Cross area in Hertfordshire/North London/ Essex UK (and actually in the areas surrounding there as well)?<br />
<br />
Well, this month (September 2012), they are in a competition where they stand to win £5000! This is money they could desperately do with! To put it in context, £5000 would just about cover a low month of vets bills!<br />
<br />
All they need to do is collect the most number of votes from people in this month and they'll get it.<br />
<br />
Sounds too good to be true? Well, let me explain! <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="messagebody">A
UK pet insurance company (link below) gives money away each month to a charity
and the Scratching Post has been chosen as one of the charities for this month. The top prize of £5000 goes to the charity with the most votes! </span><br />
<br />
<span class="messagebody">To help, you need to be a Facebook user and need to log
onto <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FeelGoodPark" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/FeelGoodPark</a>.
It only takes 5 mouse clicks: Just go to the page, Choose Vote for a Charity
(the box near the top), Authorise the App (it's nothing sinister ..... honest!)
and then click on The Scratching Post and finally click the pink Submit paw. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="messagebody">Right at this moment, they are at 2nd place and I have been submitting messages to all sorts of groups on Facebook and cat related websites to try to get as many people as possible to vote for us. Then ..... Twitter! Decided to bite the bullet on Twitter and try to use that as well to contact people. I can honestly say I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm giving it my best shot :) </span></span></span><br />
<br />Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-64905934812313615812012-06-29T19:18:00.000+01:002012-06-29T19:58:11.286+01:00My Last Post Before Our Holiday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx528ZKdJSlwa4MlSCaYFmrk7Mki5edk4hfBb7ijCes572f-cK9CNZnDhae3qKd_G0_ZjMPbOu_a22UcN360q2oZSpvmjqbrYMy6uWY-N_C8HPX-ofnUEmp6igKu7mTmd7E2fs5cjb-VA/s1600/IMG_1194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx528ZKdJSlwa4MlSCaYFmrk7Mki5edk4hfBb7ijCes572f-cK9CNZnDhae3qKd_G0_ZjMPbOu_a22UcN360q2oZSpvmjqbrYMy6uWY-N_C8HPX-ofnUEmp6igKu7mTmd7E2fs5cjb-VA/s1600/IMG_1194.JPG" /></a></div>
Here's a little 'something' I at long last finished the other day! A crochet kitten! I used a free pattern from <a href="http://crochetrus.webs.com/documents/BasicKittyPattern.pdf" target="_blank">Beth Webber</a>.<br />
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Why did I make it? Well ..... my son left home to set up in a flat with his girlfriend in January, but he sorely misses our cats! Although they did entertain the idea of possibly having a cat in their flat, I think they have (thankfully!) decided that a flat is not really the right place for a cat. It wouldn't really be fair. So ..... I thought I'd crochet them one!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXsSZdgkSvBU8vyGzDfaeXuB7O5KHuw8gEi4n9GCeB8mxl2ftcc8zP6ZkQ7aKB5FDzI0TNBCrNwrESkLGhJ-jpckj1ym-gF5iHxnq7Sn_ApccwPY-deVYRNXDCT_hhKZwXeVIwP9Nltk/s1600/IMG_1195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXsSZdgkSvBU8vyGzDfaeXuB7O5KHuw8gEi4n9GCeB8mxl2ftcc8zP6ZkQ7aKB5FDzI0TNBCrNwrESkLGhJ-jpckj1ym-gF5iHxnq7Sn_ApccwPY-deVYRNXDCT_hhKZwXeVIwP9Nltk/s1600/IMG_1195.JPG" /></a></div>
I was aiming to make him to look like Minstrel but, as a very novice crocheter, I couldn't quite work out how to do the white on the body to make the 'tuxedo' bib under the chin. I must actually say that I found the pattern a bit of a challenge and I'm sure I went wrong a couple of times.<br />
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I also haven't quite got the ears right ...... but try as I might, I couldn't make it appear more like the examples in the pattern. Also, for ages I pondered how I could give it whiskers as the pattern doesn't have any whiskers ...... and no whiskers just didn't seem right!!<br />
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For several weeks he wasn't finished whilst I wondered what to do! Then John had a good idea! We have a swift tag gun that shops use to attach labels to things. What if we put several tags into the whisker area and then cut off the square end of the tag? We tried it ...... and they make pretty effective whiskers. So ..... yesterday off he went to be an 'indoor cat' for James and Liz :)<br />
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Finally ...... we're off on holiday to Devon tomorrow! I have a horrible feeling that they are having even wetter weather than we are ..... but never mind! I always take a craft activity with me and I shall be taking my cross-stitch tiger. I know I haven't blogged about him for ages but I have been steadily doing a little bit most weeks even though I've been doing lots of other projects in between.<br />
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Here is how he looked the last time I blogged about him back in October last year (believe it or not!) .....<br />
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And here he is now ......<br />
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Let's see how he looks by the time we come back :)Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-71365417348023327652012-06-29T17:52:00.002+01:002012-06-29T17:52:53.324+01:00A Birthday Treat!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXloOcAeCG97opksYQT-OZRfsjiLAVo4XkOeDRAEoPzdFsSyt2JIjuTQquMKhQbJfbQDUsSbMHmUZOa76vx7d_DYgaJoZieZSXvQNscNz4JBi-MPKJGCOnTdJsw06h1W2D6rk4xWxtnF4/s1600/IMG_1188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXloOcAeCG97opksYQT-OZRfsjiLAVo4XkOeDRAEoPzdFsSyt2JIjuTQquMKhQbJfbQDUsSbMHmUZOa76vx7d_DYgaJoZieZSXvQNscNz4JBi-MPKJGCOnTdJsw06h1W2D6rk4xWxtnF4/s1600/IMG_1188.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My First Ever Lampwork Bead Necklace</td></tr>
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As I mentioned in my previous post, it was my Birthday on 19th June. Just about everyone in my family was asking what I wanted for my Birthday but I didn't know!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1-YloyoiPuaS4OxXSl0d6ewWkU-9-G8Y3F39cZUIVivPh9lQKIr6Ly4RD7y_2S6ma5EoUXKygLNcHfN13I8bdMCQWjH_FsjX-Hit-a-kiFPW_JAGv2G7O3HHqDAjwgzgkDiG0_laQ28/s1600/IMG_1189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1-YloyoiPuaS4OxXSl0d6ewWkU-9-G8Y3F39cZUIVivPh9lQKIr6Ly4RD7y_2S6ma5EoUXKygLNcHfN13I8bdMCQWjH_FsjX-Hit-a-kiFPW_JAGv2G7O3HHqDAjwgzgkDiG0_laQ28/s1600/IMG_1189.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the beads in close-up</td></tr>
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However, when we went to the Herts Heavy Horse Show at Capel Manor over the Jubilee weekend, I noticed an advertising postcard for a place called <a href="http://www.artshedarts.co.uk/" target="_blank">Art Shed Arts</a> in Ware that run lots of different craft courses. Now, I had heard of them before and, in fact, a long time ago after being fascinated by some Lampwork beads, I had searched out for places where you could learn to make them and found Art Shed Arts straight away.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8AGFcV4gt7s5Szjv4rJlPacgG49f_byzfhE50rFutfaEa6fcwyo5RYeM1l1afQzUc3tB0q06bdP16jPpDgEeKBMdEYLdYZt4fgCvt6F3hm6soxhxjBqbdV7McT3BuLMXUqtGsIDkNgfE/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8AGFcV4gt7s5Szjv4rJlPacgG49f_byzfhE50rFutfaEa6fcwyo5RYeM1l1afQzUc3tB0q06bdP16jPpDgEeKBMdEYLdYZt4fgCvt6F3hm6soxhxjBqbdV7McT3BuLMXUqtGsIDkNgfE/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of the beads in close-up</td></tr>
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Seeing the postcard reminded me of them ...... and I thought ...... if my family give me money I can go on one of their courses! So that's what I did!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCb9Onr7V9YDmeLGkSjQmnPSJidtVfh5ST_slENcq2uN3E57Vi4shBhsHI12BXl7SCM0fLl7xt9KmLN37-Tof09T4K9hM9LEVGZYN_wrToRCv2cVkGJ_tBcQ0asLsCUcyNZeS0x2uNFA/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCb9Onr7V9YDmeLGkSjQmnPSJidtVfh5ST_slENcq2uN3E57Vi4shBhsHI12BXl7SCM0fLl7xt9KmLN37-Tof09T4K9hM9LEVGZYN_wrToRCv2cVkGJ_tBcQ0asLsCUcyNZeS0x2uNFA/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yet more close-ups!</td></tr>
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It was a fantastic day! We were shown how to use the equipment to initially produce quite simple beads. Potentially, the blow lamps are quite dangerous things to use, so safety glasses and keeping safety aware was paramount! We then added other colours to make different patterns.<br />
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We were shown how to use more of the glass to produce cylindrical beads. I found these more difficult to do as far as getting a nice even shape and a 'clean' area around the theading hole and I think they'd need more practice to produce really even beads.<br />
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The glass beads had to slowly cool by using, of all things, a slow-cooker! By the end of the day, they had cooled enough for us to clean them up and take them home! I have strung them all on a piece of voile type ribbon and tied the ribbon to a 'clever-clasp' as the fastening.<br />
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So ...... my first ever lampwork bead necklace :)<br />
I am really chuffed with how it has come out and can thoroughly recommend Art Shed Arts in Ware for a fantastic day where I learnt a lot :)Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-67417474283370166562012-06-27T22:50:00.001+01:002012-06-27T22:50:50.804+01:00Birthday Day Trip to London<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BxBs2kii0Lyd1u7ZbOufEk80s1_tXx8gVCEYGKw2bSRZF3YrfB26ptnJBqKwM-UGXKkqm9H4R0OO1ua_6p_j8kIVSmrjnLQGjVlprk9Hl9uM3-6GpZCsbUCsTT4MbP-wFUR8uiQS83k/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BxBs2kii0Lyd1u7ZbOufEk80s1_tXx8gVCEYGKw2bSRZF3YrfB26ptnJBqKwM-UGXKkqm9H4R0OO1ua_6p_j8kIVSmrjnLQGjVlprk9Hl9uM3-6GpZCsbUCsTT4MbP-wFUR8uiQS83k/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben</td></tr>
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It was my Birthday on the Tuesday of last week (the 19th June) and we decided to go up to London for the day ..... although, in truth, it's not 'up' but 'down' to London, given that we live in Hertfordshire!<br />
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Still ...... although we live so close to London, we really don't visit places in London anywhere near as often as we should.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m1PLAlsJbbEUmziLFAQMldDwXVUTEepKJpN6YdNn4a6fdyWuxW9u3nOMEQ-44Xgc5sMC5dJ-dDfQSo_k0MY6-xwofD7cYwEitThnD4sKtogDABROZu-dZ5y4_WwlaybokGWhtzSAtfc/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m1PLAlsJbbEUmziLFAQMldDwXVUTEepKJpN6YdNn4a6fdyWuxW9u3nOMEQ-44Xgc5sMC5dJ-dDfQSo_k0MY6-xwofD7cYwEitThnD4sKtogDABROZu-dZ5y4_WwlaybokGWhtzSAtfc/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The London Eye</td></tr>
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So ..... determined to do the whole 'tourist' thing, we went to Trafalgar Square and took a trip on an open top bus. These first few photos are from the top of this bus and taking photos whilst on a moving bus isn't all that easy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinik423O6c6CtRs1uJ_Ty0HAoF07uoFhC5N8-b2L2VyKBzN-JrxY8ZWN0zy5aHfpnf44feepMXdo8YiHEygcKJGT5W0DKgSPdFR2gBlAcEdOGXLZ4SpQ7woTNSVGmmwFl9EF_oADH8ZE4/s1600/IMG_1125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinik423O6c6CtRs1uJ_Ty0HAoF07uoFhC5N8-b2L2VyKBzN-JrxY8ZWN0zy5aHfpnf44feepMXdo8YiHEygcKJGT5W0DKgSPdFR2gBlAcEdOGXLZ4SpQ7woTNSVGmmwFl9EF_oADH8ZE4/s1600/IMG_1125.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strange Sculpture at the back of South Bank</td></tr>
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This strange sculpture could be seen just before we went across Waterloo bridge! I have no idea what it was in aid of!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFBjlohAMdmNJ3iBgfa5DA43bivdd7UAaUVzGWwluGz8xqQfvC4iYmPa77VpzBhx1HpoekZWtWhryTWgBBI1e35JYHThH5Ue6BACjOdyQzjq8RqjSlFGjfOxx7yr_QAsro2O8ZAAzB1k/s1600/IMG_1134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFBjlohAMdmNJ3iBgfa5DA43bivdd7UAaUVzGWwluGz8xqQfvC4iYmPa77VpzBhx1HpoekZWtWhryTWgBBI1e35JYHThH5Ue6BACjOdyQzjq8RqjSlFGjfOxx7yr_QAsro2O8ZAAzB1k/s1600/IMG_1134.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Paul's</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn6m2dxp4jjUKWpmsd6UMxv73GY0szUquBYnRvNMBxMWBrUJAPPHePZfQhZMLWH2tpKsFYwPn_0QemjWdwzKAhRKPAlBWnYqx05nSE-pLMWrbTWjlQ1jURGxmq406opv0nluXrfz_orI/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn6m2dxp4jjUKWpmsd6UMxv73GY0szUquBYnRvNMBxMWBrUJAPPHePZfQhZMLWH2tpKsFYwPn_0QemjWdwzKAhRKPAlBWnYqx05nSE-pLMWrbTWjlQ1jURGxmq406opv0nluXrfz_orI/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Glimpse of the Shard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Dragons 'protecting' the City of London</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Closer View of the Shard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial to the Women of WWII on Whitehall</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another View of Big Ben</td></tr>
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We then went on the London Eye. Thankfully the weather was very good on my Birthday, so the views were incredible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Engineering Close-up of the London Eye</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Westminster from the London Eye</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOswy359vg7QsFlwvKuz1otdY2LgP8yt8IWBb5T6Pq4lZ2g3kPK3q9NqPx6bpoIACW4wlmzAWz_o_xuJn1cVIpUKsqldWSrD65BmOKRiCY6dnfBE_2bfSW2k9Ozk4vEVfPxpQPq-54oc/s1600/IMG_1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOswy359vg7QsFlwvKuz1otdY2LgP8yt8IWBb5T6Pq4lZ2g3kPK3q9NqPx6bpoIACW4wlmzAWz_o_xuJn1cVIpUKsqldWSrD65BmOKRiCY6dnfBE_2bfSW2k9Ozk4vEVfPxpQPq-54oc/s1600/IMG_1165.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterloo Bridge from the London Eye</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down on Westminster</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Engineering Shot of the London Eye</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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After going on the London Eye, we then went on a boat trip from Westminster Pier to Tower Pier.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower Bridge from the River</td></tr>
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All in all, a fantastic day :)Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-79886097319614508162012-06-16T09:37:00.000+01:002012-06-16T09:37:08.926+01:00This Rain Can't Last Forever, Can It?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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.... or perhaps it can!<br />
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Yesterday morning, the skies were blue and I suggested that we go out for a walk. Especially since the BBC website said rain wasn't forecast until the early afternoon and I really felt the need to get out! My hip has been aching over the last week or so and this is a sure-fire indicator that I haven't been walking enough.<br />
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We set off at about 10.30am, although even in such a short time period, the blue skies had become grey and there was rain in the air! Still ..... we're British ..... we don't let rain put us off, do we!<br />
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It really does seem like a while since we last walked through the Lea Valley Park and everything has certainly grown! 'Lush' comes to mind! Must be all the rain, obviously! I guess it's thanks to the rain that Britain can claim to be a 'Green and pleasant land' rather than 'dry and arid' but we do seem to have had a bit too much of the wet stuff recently. Some sun would be nice, for a change.<br />
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However, 'sun' wasn't on the agenda! By 11.30, it really started to rain and, even with water-proofs, we got soaked. I know Mad Dogs and Englishmen Go Out In The Noon Day Sun ..... but they also go out in the rain as well. We took shelter under trees a couple of times when the downpour got a bit too heavy and eventually got home by about 12 noon having only walked about 4.5 miles ...... the last little bit of which was with sun and blue skies! Amazing! You really couldn't make it up but, without this weather, what would us Brits talk about :)<br />
<br />Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-17480505639528345592012-06-11T11:48:00.001+01:002012-06-11T11:48:32.848+01:00In Sheds They Can't Hear You Scream!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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.... although thankfully I could have also named this post 'The Prodigal Son Returns!'<br />
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On the evening of Thursday 6th June, Minstrel went missing. Now, much though I like cats, I also like birds and I always make sure our cats are in at night as cats catch most things at dusk and dawn. This is usually no problem, but if you mis-time the 'getting them in' bit, both our cats think that the growing darkness is very exciting and they're off!<br />
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Flossie came in quite easily when she heard the rustle of the 'Dreamies' cat treat bag, but there was no sign of Minstrel. Since this has happened before a couple of times, I wasn't unduly worried and we left our outside conservatory door open, thinking that in the morning he'd be there, curled up on the settee, waiting to come in for breakfast. However ...... no Minstrel ..... and as Thursday was a very wet and windy day here, I started to get increasingly worried.<br />
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On the whole, I don't think Minstrel goes far. If you call him when you go out into our garden, he comes back very quickly, often only appearing to jump over one fence to get home. He's also quite shy. When new people visit, he usually disappears upstairs, unlike inquisitive Flossie. Although once he knows someone, he quickly sits on their laps and likes a good fuss.<br />
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On Thursday morning, John and I walked all round our estate to see if we could find him, going far further than I really thought he would roam, but you never know! I must have sounded like a mad woman, calling his name and giving bushes and shrubs a good look but I really didn't care! I did attract the attention of at least two other cats ..... but no Minstrel.<br />
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By Thursday evening, I was very worried and contacted the database holders for his micro-chip to report him missing. What was worse ..... I was due to go to a conference for the Foresters Friendly Society from Friday morning to late Sunday afternoon, and I hated the thought that I wouldn't be at home to do things to help!<br />
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First thing Friday morning, with still no sign of Minstrel, I contacted our vets and they said they'd pass his details, plus a photo I sent them, to all their branches in the area, which I thought was nice of them. I then had to go off, although I left John with the task of doing a poster/leaflet to distribute round the houses immediately near to us to ask people to look inside their garages and sheds. It really was most likely that he'd got shut in a shed or garage. He can be very nosey! We have to be careful when we go inside our own garage to make sure he doesn't slip in without us noticing ....... and I have shut him in the cupboard under the stairs a couple of times as he can't resist a cupboard!<br />
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Over Friday and Saturday, I had to have my mobile phone off most of the time but at every available opportunity, I texted home for news. There was none! However, a nice lady did phone John on the Friday afternoon to say she'd seen a poster for a 'Found' little black and white cat on a road near us. Although this wasn't likely to be Minstrel, given the short time lapse and the fact that I don't think most people would call Minstrel 'little', John trudged up the road in the pouring rain but the poster wasn't there. However, it was so nice that someone cared enough to ring and let us know.<br />
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I must confess that by Saturday evening, I did send a frustrated text to John that just said 'Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger ............. where has Minstrel gone!' It was so upsetting to think that he might be somewhere scared or, even worse, hurt and I couldn't bear the thought that we might not see him again.<br />
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By the way, John did say that all day Saturday, Flossie was wandering round the house from room to room meowing! He said he wasn't sure whether she was moping for Minstrel or for me ....... but he said the pair of them made a 'Moping Couple'!<br />
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However, at 4.30am on Sunday morning, I got the best ever early wake-up text from John. Minstrel was home! In the early hours, Flossie had started meowing loudly and John thought ...... OK ...... I'll go downstairs and look. So down he goes, without even putting on his glasses ...... so that there stretched up at the conservatory window was the black fuzzy outline of Minstrel!<br />
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He was obviously hungry and Flossie stood back to let him eat ....... and thirsty as well. But when I immediately phoned John, he said Minstrel hadn't stopped purring. That he felt rather skinny but was clean and not injured and seemed to be OK. I told John to update the poster on the lamp post outside our house to let people know he was home and to thank them for looking in their sheds and garages, which he did.<br />
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I can't express the relief I felt and it was the best home-coming ever for me! As to where he's been ..... who knows! Perhaps if whoever let him out sees the poster, they might let us know, but other than that, it will be a mystery!<br />
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However ..... Minstrel ...... please don't do that again! And stay away from garages and sheds!!Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-54965090003162478692012-06-10T06:00:00.000+01:002012-06-10T06:00:05.712+01:00Stotfold Mill Steam Fair and Country Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is really another catch-up post from a gloriously sunny day back on 12th May when we visited the Stotfold Mill Steam Fair and Country Show. The weather had been horribly wet in the week leading up to that weekend, but thankfully the sun came out and it was a fabulous day.<br />
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There were lots of displays in the ring but the steam powered vehicles were the most impressive things to see.<br />
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<br />Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-66203717879070894192012-06-09T06:00:00.000+01:002012-06-09T06:00:06.062+01:00Jubilee Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I hope everyone in the UK enjoyed last weekend's Jubilee Celebrations. I was glued to the TV, enjoying the Boat Pageant, the Concert and the St Paul's service and carriage parade and the flypast.<br />
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We didn't go to a street party or anything like that. However, on the Monday, we went to the Hertfordshire Heavy Horse Show at Capel Manor in Enfield. As a great horse lover, I'm sure the Queen would have approved and I think she would have enjoyed it more than a pop concert to be honest!!<br />
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Although it rained a little bit a couple of times, we had a great day. The horses were lovely! I think I'll just let the photos say it all!! :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Suffolk Punch called Thor</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was Thor's first show</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shire foal; one of two. One 3 weeks old, the other 5 weeks old. Gorgeous :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaiebAcNaPFtTsfH1zWS9wBTUOuoDoG4X3rht0Pqna_whRnRr9x5vx3RirizHDtc1pHEMI__of4_1VCfnvs_jq2NvZahnYDcC4EBbhKHt2EaHV9d3ktNvoh_hnB3AE-bvN6ZOxGD8NI8/s1600/IMG_1104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaiebAcNaPFtTsfH1zWS9wBTUOuoDoG4X3rht0Pqna_whRnRr9x5vx3RirizHDtc1pHEMI__of4_1VCfnvs_jq2NvZahnYDcC4EBbhKHt2EaHV9d3ktNvoh_hnB3AE-bvN6ZOxGD8NI8/s1600/IMG_1104.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a Heavy Horse clearly! A rescue Shetland that was a stable mate for a Heavy Horse</td></tr>
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Such lovely horses and ..... even at 52 ..... I'd still love to have a horse of my own! :)Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-54491331953534593482012-06-08T06:00:00.000+01:002012-06-08T06:00:02.715+01:00Work on the Way To Completion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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OK! What on earth is this I imagine you are saying!<br />
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Well, the year before last (I think it was anyhow!!) I had two little needlepoint projects on the go that were small enough that I didn't need to do them in a frame. However, this did mean that they did get very slightly pulled out of shape in the course of stitching and needed to be stretched before they could be made up.<br />
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At long last, just recently I asked John to mark up a couple of sheets of marker board with ruled lines so I could do this stretching.<br />
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This little kit is from <a href="http://www.cleopatrasneedle.co.uk/prod_info.asp?prodid=111#" target="_blank">Cleopatra's Needle</a> and is a spectacle case worked entirely in tent stitch using wool. As you can see above, in the working the canvas has been very slightly been pulled out of the true square.<br />
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Now ...... in looking round the Internet, some sites say to damp the work before trying to stretch and some say to do it after pinning it out on a board. Nevertheless, one thing for sure, as I live in a hard water area I decided that if I used tap water, I'd probably end up with limescale marks on the work.<br />
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So, I bought some ironing water and, deciding to damp first, I lightly damped the back of the work.<br />
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I then set off and started to carefully pin it out on the board.<br />
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Never having done this before, I wasn't really sure how best to do it! In the end, since the top edge was straight and 'true', I carefully pinned this edge, putting pins in approximately every centimetre. I then carefully stretched and pinned the left hand edge, then the bottom edge and then the right hand edge.<br />
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I used stainless steel mapping pins; rust proof and strong!<br />
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One minor hiccough! The pins are long enough that they go through the board a little bit and can stick in you if you're not careful!! But ..... hey ..... perhaps 'art'(?) needs a little pain :)<br />
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Since the spectacle case went so well, I went onto a square pin-cushion that I bought a long time ago when we visited Winchester Cathedral. I really enjoyed making this since it involved several different needlepoint stitches that I hadn't tried before. However, you can see how these stitches have pulled the side pieces out of true.<br />
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A back view of the work! Something people don't often see!<br />
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The following closeups show more clearly how the side pieces have been pulled out of true. You can also see some of the different stitches used. <br />
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Again, I damped the work before pinning to the board. Stretching was a little more tricky but here is the finished pinning.<br />
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Once they are dry, I can remove the pins and see how well the stretching has worked!Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-75215459339350259542012-06-07T06:00:00.000+01:002012-06-07T11:14:57.541+01:00Another Creative Catch-Up Post!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Am I the only Mum who inherits mobile phones from their children? Although I like technology, I resisted mobile phones for a long time as ...... well ...... people seem to become welded to them, and I fiercely resisted this! However, even I could eventually see their worth, but my first phone was a free one after applying for a credit card and I had if for ages!! It was bright pink and I got a lot of stick about it from my son!<br />
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It was very basic but eventually, when James was making one of his frequent phone changes, I inherited his old one and this pattern has continued ever since! My latest inherited phone is an iPhone but I decided it needed some some of case to protect it.<br />
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One blog I follow is Wendy Gratz's Shiny Happy World and I was inspired by a <a href="http://wendigratz.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/free-pattern-make-gizmo-cozy.html" target="_blank">pattern on her blog</a>. Also, recently I found a lovely embroidery book for sale in a local charity shop for only £1.50.<br />
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The embroidered butterflies in this book are gorgeous! I was especially taken with the Orange tipped butterflies you can see on the cover. We've seen quite a few of these on our walks recently (when it hasn't rained!) and they just shout out 'Summer' to me.<br />
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The felt I had already bought some time ago. It is very thick woollen felt, approximately 4mm thick, that I got from <a href="http://www.bloomingfelt.co.uk/100-wool-felt-sheets-4mm-thick/100-wool-felt-sheets---fuschia-pink-p5-1021-p.html" target="_blank">Blooming Felt</a>. The beauty of this felt is that, since it is so thick, you can do embroidery on the surface just by holding it in your hand; no hoop or frame is necessary.<br />
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You can see from the jumble of my supplies that I traced the male and female butterflies onto thick tracing paper. I then used the prick and pounce transfer method, using cornflour as the 'pounce'. It just about worked! I traced over the cornflour spots with a permanent marker, happy that all the pen marks would be covered by the embroidery.<br />
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I did the female butterfly at the top first. It has been a long time since I last did any freehand embroidery, so she was my trial run, if you like. She's not bad, although I can see one or two places where my stitching is not quite as accurate as I would have liked. The male looks better ..... although overall I'm pleased with how they've come out.<br />
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I then just used black cotton a broder to stitch the sides of the pouch ..... and now I have a very practical, girly, phone cover :)Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-44060158356882810752012-06-06T13:46:00.002+01:002012-06-06T13:46:31.885+01:00A Creative Catch-Up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is definitely a catch-up post! I really should have posted about this little cross-stitch card I made for my Mum back in March, but I just never got round to it!! I made it for Mother's Day ..... and for us in the UK, this is in March. This little card was a freebie from a cross-stitching magazine from several years ago; it was a kit that John's Mum gave me, but it has taken me until now to do it.<br />
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It's on quite a fine Aida but only took me a couple of evenings to complete. I love making things like this for my Mum. In 2013, it will be her 80th Birthday, so I need to decide what to make her for that :)<br />
<br />Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-81351782434799815762012-04-30T19:07:00.002+01:002012-04-30T19:08:32.491+01:00It's Stopped Raining!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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..... for the moment at any rate! In the UK, this must be the wettest draught on record!<br />
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The gloriously blue sky and sunshine were a welcome change this morning. Having seen that the weather forecast is for more rain and blustery winds, we thought we'd make the most of it and go out for a walk. We didn't go far ...... only through the Lea Valley Park down to Waltham Abbey ..... a round trip of 5.37 miles. We chose this route because we knew everywhere would be very wet and the Lea Valley Park has lots of good paths.<br />
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One thing that has changed in this part of the Park is the appearance of some slightly odd looking wooden 'sculptures'. Someone told us they are there as 'interest' for anyone walking through here when the Olympics is on; the White Water centre is just down the road from us in the Park, near to Waltham Abbey.<br />
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Whether this is true or not, I have no idea!!<br />
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Still .... the walk in the sun was a nice change and it included a brief visit to Waltham Abbey Church itself. I didn't take any photos inside the Church ..... my little camera can't quite cope with that sort of interior .... but it is a very peaceful Church with lots of interesting features.<br />
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It was great to get outside before the rain comes back again!!Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-36971015541308839472012-04-27T22:14:00.000+01:002012-04-27T22:14:11.735+01:00RootsMagic 5 Essentials ReviewI guess I'd best not publish screen shots of the software in case this breaks any copyright rules!!<br />
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However, a quick glance down the comparison website I mentioned in my earlier post does show RootsMagic 5 in a favourable light! Since I have easy access to the 'Essentials' version of this via the free CD that comes with my monthly Family Tree magazine, I thought this would be the most logical one to start with!<br />
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Having installed the software, my first impressions are favourable! Each tab in the window has a 'hover' information pop-up and from this, without even typing in anything, I can see that there is provision for creating notes linked to a person or to the family and you can also create a source for just a person or for a family ..... this should be useful when linking Census information to a family.<br />
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Creating a person is very easy and only the gender, date of birth and death is entered at this point. It is quite easy to then add subsequent facts such as a marriage and enter source details for a marriage.<br />
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It is very tolerant about entering dates in different formats; for a number of people, at the moment I only have some dates as 'circa Dec 1904' for instance and it is quite happy with these.<br />
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It is easy to add more than one marriage for a person. John's grandfather had a marriage before he married John's grandmother. This spouse died in childbirth, and unfortunately the daughter she gave birth to died at birth and infact, both deaths are recorded on the same Death Register page.<br />
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You do have to keep your wits about you though to notice where it shows you that another marriage partner exists by looking at on one of the tabs near the top of the screen.<br />
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It copes well when entering the details for John's great-grandmother whose surname was 'Benjamin' on her son's birth certificate but was 'Bingmann' at her earlier marriage. It also appears to allow you to set up a fact, like a Census entry, and share it between lots of people. However, this feature can't be tried in the Essentials version; it is only available in the full version.<br />
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The reporting features are quite good, although some are only available in the full version, as is the feature to generate webpages from the data. Nevertheless, all sources that you enter are cited in the indexes of the reports so everything is self-documenting.<br />
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As the first piece of software I have attempted to look at, I am quite impressed with it.Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-68058223398949808822012-04-27T14:56:00.000+01:002012-04-27T14:56:07.621+01:00Family Tree Software<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Maternal Grandmother - Emily Smith</td></tr>
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One thing that has been on my do-to list for ages is to investigate different Family Tree software packages. For ages and ages, I have used Brother's Keeper. This was a free download, although you can get additional features if you pay for the registration key. I have only been able to find one supplier in the UK who sells this key but I have repeatedly hesitated to buy it as I'm not entirely happy with Brother's Keeper.<br />
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It is OK .... up to a point ...... but it has a very old-fashioned feel to it and it's a bit 'clunky' to navigate round. Also, the reports it produces aren't particularly nice in their layout. I also don't think it enables you to easily make use of Census information. It would also be nice to easily produce PDFs from the data to share with other people and having a way to automatically produce web pages might be a nice feature.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7G4JJVLuvQnQawxTQtyZF3eF7XUUq4tiGGQrqIbf_UWFkipQmw3Hykb9UXeoOR-2354Msf19jf7HqAWWdxN8Mydrm7_epWQ1qcLgcB6H7DMOtCOHW4s8E7pUnZNvL9XNHyrSyGgA6e8/s1600/F_Brett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7G4JJVLuvQnQawxTQtyZF3eF7XUUq4tiGGQrqIbf_UWFkipQmw3Hykb9UXeoOR-2354Msf19jf7HqAWWdxN8Mydrm7_epWQ1qcLgcB6H7DMOtCOHW4s8E7pUnZNvL9XNHyrSyGgA6e8/s320/F_Brett.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Maternal Grandfather - Frederick Brett</td></tr>
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Although I subscribe to The Family Tree magazine, I can't recall seeing any comparison reviews of different software in there and, in any case, on the free CD that comes with the magazine, they always give a copy of RootsMagic 5 Essentials, so seem to be biased towards them I guess.<br />
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Nevertheless, some considerable time ago, I found a <a href="http://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/softwarecomparisonMH/compare_15.html" target="_blank">website</a> that has a high-level comparison of different software and I thought this would be a good start.<br />
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For many of these, you can download a free version that enables you to try it out, so this is what I think I will do!! Luckily, a have some pretty good 'live test data' in my own Family Tree in that both my Maternal Grandmother and John's Paternal Grandfather married more than once as an example of 'slightly challenging' data to take account off.<br />
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Well .... better get started! Let's see how I get on!!Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-55941966507281205072012-04-25T06:30:00.000+01:002012-04-25T06:30:03.074+01:00Our First Radishes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year, John has been planting all sorts of seeds as he wants to grow more in our garden this year.<br />
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He's planted all sorts of things ..... tomatoes, onions, beetroot, carrots, sweetcorn, peppers .... as well as different flowers.<br />
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But here are our first crops! Some radishes! John has grown them in one of two raised beds he put together this year. Although the raised beds had some copper foil around the outside to deter the slugs, some did get through (probably up through the soil) as you can see a little bit of slug damage on the leaves.<br />
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Nevertheless, these radishes were lovely! Very crisp and slightly peppery! Delicious!Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-6265031244420017662012-04-24T17:07:00.002+01:002012-04-24T17:07:59.918+01:00Hang Dog Cat!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As cats go, Flossie seems quite a cheerful kind of girl :)<br />
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Normally, she spends all her time rushing around looking for things to play with or 'talking' to anyone who will listen!<br />
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But this morning, her get-up-and-go had got-up-and-gone!!<br />
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It's OK .... she's not ill! Just in case you were wondering! I think she was just having a 'resting day'.<br />
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Shush! I think she needs her beauty sleep! Well .... all that playing takes it out of a girl :PElainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-20688501389860705912012-04-23T22:16:00.000+01:002012-04-23T22:20:18.313+01:00St George's Day and Our 29th Anniversary<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Mary & All Saints Church, Chesterfield</td></tr>
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Today is not only St George's Day but our 29th Wedding Anniversary. We went away over the weekend to the Peak District, staying at a Best Western hotel in Mosborough, courtesy of using Tesco Clubcard vouchers ...... so it didn't actually cost us anything! And Free is Good :)<br />
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We went up on Friday and visited the nearby town of Chesterfield, famous for its Church's twisted spire. It really is amazingly twisted!<br />
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We had to wait quite a while before we could go into the Church as a funeral was taking place. A very formal affair with a horse-drawn glass hearse ..... such lovely horses. I was sorely tempted to take a photo .... but didn't seem quite right somehow!!<br />
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We took my Mum away with us as well, as a very old friend of hers lives near Matlock that she hasn't seen for 18 years! On the Saturday, we dropped her off to visit her friend and we went off to Matlock to do a bit of walking.<br />
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We got a surprise when we parked the car in the railway car park at Matlock ...... a steam train came through!<br />
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John had worked out a route that took us up into the hills around Matlock so we could view Matlock and the Heights of Abraham.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down on Matlock</td></tr>
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The scenery in the Peak District is stunning! We were also very lucky in that, although the forecast was for a lot of rain, we pretty much missed it! However, where I have had a horrible sinus problem and haven't been feeling all that well for some time, our lack of recent walking was definitely apparent! We both felt a bit unfit and weren't able to do as much walking as we'd like! We only managed about 3 miles but this did include some very steep ascents; we climbed about 650 feet!! Nevertheless, thankfully, at long last I think I'm getting the better of this sinus infection (that has hung on since Christmas!!) so hopefully we'll be able to sort that out soon and get out and do more walking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Heights of Abraham Cable car</td></tr>
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We then drove round to the cable car that goes up to the Heights of Abraham. The views from the cable car are fantastic!<br />
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And here is my Mum and her friend, Rene. Amazingly, Rene is actually shorter than my Mum :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Mum (on the right) with her friend Rene</td></tr>
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On the Sunday, we visited a lovely garden called Renishaw Hall and garden.<br />
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Most of the garden is a formal layout with lots of box and yew hedges and formal planting.<br />
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There is also a more informal woodland area with a sculpture trail.<br />
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A really peaceful place with lots to see. Any garden lover would love it!<br />
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A perfect weekend to celebrate our Anniversary :)Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-4218546367881999982012-04-09T10:22:00.001+01:002012-04-09T10:22:39.922+01:00Easter Chicks Party?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Had to share this photo! It perfectly sums up my John's sense of humour!<br />
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On getting up this morning, the Easter chicks have been arranged around a little glass chicken ornament I bought when we were on holiday in Jersey.<br />
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Are they set to party? I think if I was that chicken, I'd feel a tiny, weeny bit intimidated :)Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-68285538715644806152012-04-07T21:16:00.001+01:002012-04-07T21:26:19.300+01:00Happy Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just a quick post to send Happy Easter greetings to all :)<br />
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Here are two little crochet chicks to get in the Easter mood :)<br />
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They are a mix of two different patterns I found on the web. The body comes from a lovely website called <a href="http://www.pepika.com/" target="_blank">Pepika</a> who has got some lovely tutorials explaining the mysteries of the crochet magic circle with some fantastic photos to explain how to do things.<br />
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The feet, beak and the coxcomb on the left hand chick comes from <a href="http://www.amiamour.com/2010/02/eggypattern/" target="_blank">Ami Amour</a>. In actual fact, the first chicks I made came from Ami Amour. You can see them in the following photo ..... the two on the left. Sorry for the 'busy' photo. The tissue box in the background is my constant companion due to a horrific sinus infection that has gone on and on and on ....... and on! Currently on a course of penicillin and instructions to steam my face at regular intervals. Sigh! But I digress ........<br />
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For reasons that I'm not sure about, the wings came out bigger than the photos at Ami Amour suggested they aught to be! Also ...... looking at them again, I think I sewed the wings on slightly incorrectly! They look like big ears rather than wings :)<br />
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I think I will treat them a proto-types!!!<br />
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It was my Mum's suggestion to sew the coxcomb on the white chick at a different angle. She has a point ..... on a chicken they do go front to back rather than side to side. But then I thought ...... baby chicks don't really have coxcombs, do they? So the final one I made ..... the yellow one on the right, doesn't have one!<br />
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I think he's the one I like best :)Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276289508273808583.post-11831802917561410392012-04-02T21:04:00.000+01:002012-04-02T21:15:16.432+01:00Monthly Make for April No 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Really this is cheating! It should have been in the Monthly makes for March since, as you can see, it is a Mother's Day card I made for my Mum for 18th March.<br />
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However, I do have an excuse! The fact that I have continued to not feel very well means that I have just not been interested in taking photos and manipulating the images or putting together blog posts! In fact, a trip back to the doctor's last Friday has confirmed a bad sinus infection. I am SO hoping that the penicillin he has now given me will do the trick!<br />
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Anyhow ..... this little card! It has a history! My late Mother-in-law, Rose, used to buy a variety of cross stitch and needlework magazines, quite a few of which are no longer produced. A number of them always had a 'cover kit' that was usually a small project of some sort. Rose never ever wanted to do these and she'd give them to me. I rarely did any of them straight away (if at all!) but could never bear to throw them away. During my craft clear out just recently, I sorted through them all and found this one and thought it would make a nice Mother's day card for my Mum.<br />
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The cover kit came from a magazine called 'Needlework' and was from the March 1995 edition!! It's actually quite small, being sewn on 18 count Aida, measuring only 4" x 3 1/4" (10 x 8 cm) and a very simple design that I finished over a couple of evenings. Still, I think it looks quite cute and my Mum always appreciates if something is made for her :)<br />
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<br />Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565138584945080707noreply@blogger.com0