tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-235964642024-03-13T15:15:50.683+00:00Crafting with The Night Owl :)A view through the window of my crafting life. Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-90482928812091581342019-06-17T18:43:00.000+01:002019-06-17T18:43:23.927+01:00<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well! I've just come on here, only to discover that my last post was on 25th Feb, 2016!<br /><br />I knew it had been some time - but 3-odd <i>YEARS</i>?<br /><br />Admittedly,
my health has been attrocious for a very long time, and then, last
year, I lost my darling husband to heart failure, which all but
destroyed me for a very long time - but I was totally <i>gobsmacked </i>that it had been so long since I'd been on here!<br /><br />I
have to admit that I don't know how regularly I'll be able to continue
posting on here - as I won't make promises I can't keep - but I'll try
my very best to at least do <i>some </i>posting, especially as I've recently found the<i> Crojo</i> I'd lost, when my hubby died!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because
there's such a gap in time, I realise there are quite a few items I've
crocheted that I haven't posted about, so I'll do my best to start
putting them on here from now on - although it's possible that I've
forgotten details about the items I made - that old Fibro-fog is still
alive and causing me grief! :/ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To
start with, I had started on a CAL on 5th April, 2016, called Frida's
Flower Blanket - something I made for my daughter, who has become the
recipient of quite a few of the blankets I've made over the years! Lol<br /><br />I
have to confess that I've forgotten most of the details but,
fortunately, I took photos of my work-in-progress, so at least I can
show them to you all :) <br /><br />Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you're
not keen on sewing) this CAL Blanket was done in small parts, which was
easier for me, in that I wasn't trying to crochet around a huge blanket
but, as stated above, did involve sewing those parts together which,
honestly, took me about 4 times as long to do as the actual crochet work
itself!<br /><br />Having kept the pattern instructions also I can, at least, let you know that it was made with Stylecraft Classique Cotton DK:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />100% Cotton – 50g 92m 100y<br />39g x 3093 Black<br />12g x 3567 Plum<br />48g x 3669 Nocturne<br />24g x 3665 Ivory<br />14g x 3672 Poppy<br />12g x 3566 Teal<br />40g x 3674 Shrimp<br />20g x 3097 Leaf<br />28g x 3662 Sunflower<br />22g x 3095 Greek Blue<br />44g x 3658 Mauve (26g left after tension swatc h)<br />36g x 10904 Toffee (21g left after tension swatc h)<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blanket Measurement: approx. 90c m x 120c m<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also used 3.5mm, 4mm, and 4.5mm crochet hooks.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Block 1 was called White Cosmos:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cVW2FeKjjQ/XQfOb5gywbI/AAAAAAAAU2o/Zvc2-5cW5ukALYriS8_FVyaaIHfkGadKwCLcBGAs/s1600/Block%2B01%2B-%2BWhite%2BCosmos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="978" height="251" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1cVW2FeKjjQ/XQfOb5gywbI/AAAAAAAAU2o/Zvc2-5cW5ukALYriS8_FVyaaIHfkGadKwCLcBGAs/s320/Block%2B01%2B-%2BWhite%2BCosmos.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Block 2 was called Dahlia Bud:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JbY882kcgf4/XQfOi1yImqI/AAAAAAAAU2s/I7fHHRJqRpMPNFVYzBgnjq3l093yeAqGgCLcBGAs/s1600/Block%2B02%2B-%2BDahlia%2BBud.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1024" height="234" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JbY882kcgf4/XQfOi1yImqI/AAAAAAAAU2s/I7fHHRJqRpMPNFVYzBgnjq3l093yeAqGgCLcBGAs/s320/Block%2B02%2B-%2BDahlia%2BBud.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Block 3 was called Bird of Paradise:</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVS_TrQv2vc/XQfOo4ozTMI/AAAAAAAAU2w/d7FTXT9kF0wZm4zB5te3mHtqvtSo8WBqQCLcBGAs/s1600/Block%2B03%2B-%2BBird%2Bof%2BParadise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1024" height="178" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVS_TrQv2vc/XQfOo4ozTMI/AAAAAAAAU2w/d7FTXT9kF0wZm4zB5te3mHtqvtSo8WBqQCLcBGAs/s320/Block%2B03%2B-%2BBird%2Bof%2BParadise.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Block 4 was called Rosa:<br /> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-enWfhlTU8EY/XQfPDlPAjcI/AAAAAAAAU3A/6jOptNlUC4csrkjyNJug8OZ7uIxWW3YUACLcBGAs/s1600/Block%2B04%2B-%2BRosa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-enWfhlTU8EY/XQfPDlPAjcI/AAAAAAAAU3A/6jOptNlUC4csrkjyNJug8OZ7uIxWW3YUACLcBGAs/s320/Block%2B04%2B-%2BRosa.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Block 5 was called Heart Rose:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2YuFYtT_yk/XQfPK3GiIEI/AAAAAAAAU3E/VFeIcuxxz4gb_iYG6EQF58YMBV73TNgrQCLcBGAs/s1600/Block%2B05%2B-%2BHeart%2BRose.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2YuFYtT_yk/XQfPK3GiIEI/AAAAAAAAU3E/VFeIcuxxz4gb_iYG6EQF58YMBV73TNgrQCLcBGAs/s320/Block%2B05%2B-%2BHeart%2BRose.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Block 6 was called Ring of Roses:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-beFuzBB1xV8/XQfPUDZyOhI/AAAAAAAAU3M/1djTMiUvRNwQ67YH6hAGCE1i2AwSG06_wCLcBGAs/s1600/Block%2B06%2B-%2BRing%2Bof%2BRoses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1024" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-beFuzBB1xV8/XQfPUDZyOhI/AAAAAAAAU3M/1djTMiUvRNwQ67YH6hAGCE1i2AwSG06_wCLcBGAs/s320/Block%2B06%2B-%2BRing%2Bof%2BRoses.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Block 7 was called Bouquet:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tzMvXEAIsZc/XQfPbLNw9EI/AAAAAAAAU3U/CWPoFv2or18sksDGHM4n2YRDKc4cCF5VgCLcBGAs/s1600/Block%2B07%2B-%2BBouquet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1014" height="242" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tzMvXEAIsZc/XQfPbLNw9EI/AAAAAAAAU3U/CWPoFv2or18sksDGHM4n2YRDKc4cCF5VgCLcBGAs/s320/Block%2B07%2B-%2BBouquet.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I managed to find a pic of the completed blanket - I used a few of the colours to edge the blanket, making it complete:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nlVBmE0VcXQ/XQfNUum33rI/AAAAAAAAU2c/mCDXw0bpQ3oH_SwPLfZXMS64F4H-s8VUgCLcBGAs/s1600/2016-08-01%2B-%2BFreda%2527s%2BFlowers%2BBlanket%2BCAL%2B-%2Bfinished.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nlVBmE0VcXQ/XQfNUum33rI/AAAAAAAAU2c/mCDXw0bpQ3oH_SwPLfZXMS64F4H-s8VUgCLcBGAs/s320/2016-08-01%2B-%2BFreda%2527s%2BFlowers%2BBlanket%2BCAL%2B-%2Bfinished.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyhoo, that's all for right now - I <i>will</i> try and post more of the completed items I've made over the last year or so, as and when I can, though :)</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-41559460911249637092016-02-25T20:51:00.000+00:002016-02-25T20:51:50.174+00:00TalkTalk - Service with a smile . . . or maybe not!<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For much too long a time, I've been with TalkTalk as my internet provider.<br /><br />This wasn't actually my original choice of providers, as I had first registered with AOL, and they had been providing me with a reasonable service - one that did fine for me, given that, at that time, I had only just started to learn about computers and the internet, and was ready to apply to the Open University, in order to study for a BA in Literature and Creative Writing - which necessitated in me having internet to the house.<br /><br />For the six years it took me to take my BA, AOL did a grand job of providing me with that necessary link, and I managed to get through it all with only one small glitch - which was my own fault, through lack of knowledge where computers were concerned - and one major glitch, caused by who knows what, where my laptop was fried (forunately, I'd learned by the small glitch to back up <i>everything </i>by then!), and so I had to get a new laptop, which had a much bigger memory, and even a built-in webcam, which meant I could talk face-to-face with my daughter, who travelled all over the world with her work! Wonderful!<br /><br />Unfortunately, and without my prior knowledge, AOL was taken over by TalkTalk, and I only learned of this after the fact, when I got an email, then a following letter, telling me that my service, and the cost of it, would remain exactly the same.<br /><br />Fortunately, everything seemed just as they'd told me, and it all seemed the same - I could still stream the occasional movie from Amazon as I had done previously; I could still talk on Skype to family and friends; and my internet usage as a whole seemed fine but, slowly and surely, all of this seemed to degrade over the months, until it started to take an age to do anything on line, and I became hauntingly familiar to the 'wheel of doom', as I named that buffering circle that would appear, every time I tried watching anything online!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />After having my new laptop and router checked by a local computer engineer, who assured me that it was working fine, I started to phone TalkTalk with my complaints, all the while talking to someone different every time, and knowing that they were in a call center somewhere abroad - and each one would ask me to do certain tests with ethernet cables, and various other things that sounded so complicated that I couldn't understand the instructions, let alone know how to do them, even if my health had been better! <br /><br />I told them, time after time that, even if I understood what it was they were asking me to do, all of it would be impossible for me, given that I was housebound, and virtually 100% bed-bound, and with a husband who was a total technophobe!<br /><br />And so the ever-decreasing circle started between us, of me asking for an engineer, and them promising me that the 'glitch' would be fixed, as long as I did the tests required first - which, as I told them time and time again, was a physical impossibility for me and so, having no choice, I would persevere with the problem, as I was told by another internet provider that I couldn't change providers until the problem was fixed!<br /><br />I sat there so many times, hoping against hope that it would improve - which it occasionally did - and, being ever the optimist, this kept me from going elsewhere, especially as one advisor after another told me that it was actually the area where I lived that was at fault; it was the phone lines; there was a temporary fault on the line that would be dealt with as soon as possible, etc., etc., etc.<br /><br />Now, during all of this, I had been (and still am) battling various health problems that are only getting worse, and so fighting TalkTalk was becoming such a stress on my health, and what energy I had, that I just left things as they were - until December 2015, when my internet became so bad, that the only way I could get online, was if I phoned somebody (or they phoned me), and we stayed on the phone while I did what was needed, such as checking my bank account, or putting in a shopping list - it had got so bad that this was <i>all</i> I was able to do!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And so I phoned TalkTalk yet again - but this time I lost all patience with their excuses, and told them that they should send an engineer to my property to investigate something that should have been fixed many months ago! I told them that I was fed up of paying for a service I'd very rarely had, and if they didn't do something soon, then I would let the world know about it. <br /><br />They promised me an engineer on the 2nd January!<br /><br />When the day came, the BT engineer appeared. He checked my equipment via a laptop/tablet thingy (I'm <i>sooo</i> technical, aren't I? lol), and assured me it had nothing to do with the fault - that whatever the problem was, it was outside the house, and had something to do with the telephone lines near the house. He promised that someone else would be sent to fix the problem, as his only remit was to check for a fault, and not to fix anything. He then left.<br /><br />Later on that day TalkTalk actually phoned me (a <i>real</i> rarity), and told me an engineer would be coming on the 8th of January, to fix the problem. The 8th came, and nobody knocked on the door but, later that afternoon, my internet access improved very slightly - well, enough that I had access for more than a few moments at a time.<br /><br />A couple of days later, it went right back to me having to make a phone call to get internet access, but I was so ill at the time, I couldn't do a thing about it.<br /><br />February came, and my health improved enough that I wanted to go online again - only to face the same problems so, once again, I phoned TalkTalk, and explained everything that had happened, and that I needed the engineer to call again, as the problem was still with me.<br /><br />I was told that it couldn't be the same problem, because engineers had fixed it. I asked when, they told me an engineer had called at my home on the 8th - to which I replied that nobody had called at the house that day! The person I spoke to practically called me a liar at this point - and so I lost my temper!<br /><br />I admit to feeling bad about this, but to be called a liar, when I knew for a fact that nobody had come to the house that day (we had deliberately made sure we were awake early, and had sat in the house all day, waiting!), made me mad!<br /><br />The operator told me that the only way an engineer would call, would be if we paid for it! I asked that, as I had been paying them for a service I hadn't had for months - if not years - then surely I was entitled to an engineer calling to finally fix the problem? But they insisted that, the only way they'd send an engineer, was if I paid for it! At that point I really lost it, and said 'So, in fact, you are holding me hostage - you won't fix this problem, unless I pay you even more money?' <br /><br />At that point, they put the phone down on me!<br /><br />By this time I was at my wit's end! I had been putting up with such a shoddy service for so long, that I really didn't know what to do - then, that evening, my hubby was watching TV, and he called out to me that a firm called Plusnet, who were based in England, were advertising, and that they seemed like a good service (not that hubby would know one, if it bit him on the nose, bless him! Lol)<br /><br />At this point, I should add that the only way I had figured getting online without constantly disturbing family and friends, was by phoning my hubby's mobile phone, which, because there was no mobile signal in our part of the village, would go onto answerphone, and so open up the telephone lines enough to get internet access, so this is what I did to get online, and look up Plusnet.<br /><br />The deals they had seemed really good and, being a British firm, I hoped it would help where customer service was concerned, and so I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained, and filled in the forms to apply to them, paid the initial fee, and waited.<br /><br />I heard almost immediately by email - which told me I would be transferred to them on the 16th February and a week later received the router I'd need, along with a booklet with comprehensive, and easy to understand, details on how to get the router working! Compared to the instructions I'd been given by TalkTalk, it seemed even <i>I</i> could manage to do this and so, on the day stated, I got into the living room with my laptop and the equipment and, between us both, hubby and I managed to get everything working!<br /><br />And it <i>was </i>working!<br /><br />I actually got online without having to use the phone to do so!<br /><br />Admittedly, there was a crackling noise on the phone when we used it, but I was actually getting online!<br /><br />For the next few days, I went online a couple of times, to do my usual bank checks and shopping for food, but wasn't well enough to do much more, but my husband told me the noise on the phone was getting worse, and so I went onto Plusnet's site, signed into my account, and looked for something on there to see if it could be fixed.<br /><br />There was actually a test that I could do from my laptop, to check my line and, when it finished, a page came up, telling me to contact Plusnet on the number provided, and so I did, with my heart sinking, as I expected the same old go-around that I'd had with TalkTalk.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />To my wonderful surprise, I had a great chat with the person who answered, explained my situation to him, and he asked if it was okay if he did some tests on my line, and then <i>phoned me back</i> with the results! Of course I was okay with that! So I put the phone down and, 15 minutes later, it rang, and the chap I'd spoken to told me that there was definitely a problem, and would I mind if an engineer called on my home <i>the next day</i> to see what the problem was!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was gobsmacked that they were that quick and so, of course, said 'yes, that would be fine'! :)<br /><br />The next afternoon, as promised, 2 telephone engineers called, and did a thorough check on my eqipment, then told me there was definitely a fault on the line outside my home. <br /><br />I expected them to tell me that somebody would come sometime to fix it, but the 2 chaps immediately went outside to check the lines. After about half an hour, they knocked on the door again and, when they came in, told me that they'd found the fault - a connector had literally fallen to pieces in one of the engineer's hands as he checked it, and so he had replaced the connector, and they asked if it was okay for them to check to see if the fault had been fixed by using my telephone.<br /><br />I was absolutely delighted to say yes, and they did another thorough check, and stayed until they were certain the fault was fixed, even going online to check that, too :)<br /><br />One of the engineers told me that it might be a few days before my line settled down, as the internet was really low, but, if it didn't get better within a couple of weeks, to contact Plusnet again, and they would sort that out, too!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Well, a week later, and I am actually able to get online whenever I feel well enough to. It's not super-speedy or anything, but it's the best it's been since before TalkTalk took over so, until Fibre Optics comes to our neck of the woods, I'll be a happy bunny to use the access I have now.<br /><br />As for TalkTalk, they actually had somebody phone me a few days ago, asking about the complaint I'd made! I asked if I was going to get any compensation for all the grief I'd been through, to a hurried, 'I can't authorise that' as a response - the chap who phoned wasn't even aware that I'd left TalkTalk, even though they'd been informed!<br /><br />As far as Plusnet are concerned, I couldn't have asked for a better firm to go to. They were so quick to respond to my problem, the engineers who called couldn't have been kinder, or more helpful where fixing the problem was concerned, and I know I can get back to them, and any problem I have will be dealt with quickly, with courtesy, and treating me as if I am a real person, and not just a bother to them.<br /><br /><b>Well done, Plusnet!</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As for my blogging - I can now start letting you know all that I've been doing since the problems getting online started, and I promise to start that within the next day or so :) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></span>Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-64840689762672306942015-12-31T23:06:00.000+00:002015-12-31T23:06:21.135+00:00Happy New Year for 2016I've been absent most of the year, with health problems, operations,
bereivements, and other stuff that tends to put a block on a person but,
with just under an hour to go before 2016 starts, I figured it was
time enough to wish everyone who calls on my blog a Very Happy New Year
:)<br /><br />I hope to be a good girl, and start posting again in the new
year, especially as I haven't actually stopped crocheting over this last
year, so I've lots to show you :)<br /><br />So, until my next post, I wish
you every joy, happiness, and the peacefulness that comes with these
things, for the new year to come :)Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-42408563210151755502015-01-09T21:06:00.000+00:002015-01-09T21:06:41.896+00:00A New Year and, hopefully, a new start . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once again it has been some time </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">since I posted anything on here. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />To be fair, because of yet <i>another</i> flair-up of the Fibro and ME, I've had a lot of problems with staying awake, plus I'm still coping with the gall bladder problem (which is probably why everything <i>else</i> is playing up), as it turns out my blood platelets are far too low for the surgeons to risk operating on me, at least until they get to a reasonable level and, as I've been informed that only my bone marrow can boost this aspect of my blood, it's a case of waiting, and hoping, that it will get on with it :(<br /><br />It turns out that I can't even have a gall bladder problem, without it becoming something even worse, which is a pain, both physically, and mentally, as I'd - just for once - like to quickly get over something that goes wrong with me!<br /><br />But, as far as crafting goes, I haven't exactly been totally idle, as there were plenty of times, normally at silly O'clock in the morning, when pain would wake me up, and I needed to do something to distract myself - I thank God that I was given the chance to learn how to crochet, as it has been such a blessing for me this way :)<br /><br />Anyhoo, my parents and brother came for a visit in September and, due to both of my parents being in bad health themselves (Mum has a variety of health problems, including a weak heart, plus was diagnosed with cancer last year, and Dad has Parkinsons), I decided that, to make them more comfortable when they sit down, I would make a foot stool of some kind. We already had one, which I knew would be great for Dad to use, but I wanted one for mum, too. So I looked through my stash, and came across a box full of bits and pieces left over from other projects, and so I decided to use them to crochet up something bright and cheerful for her :)<br /><br />I hadn't got a pattern for anything like this so, as I tend to in this position, I immediately went to Ravelry, to see what I could find - and what I found was this lovely, and free, pattern from <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sitting-bag--puff--pouf" target="_blank">Sonea Delvon Designs - Sitting Bag</a> which seemed like the perfect thing :)<br /><br />I used the pattern as the basic start, then just let myself enjoy the act of creating something both pretty and colourful, but also useful:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4w0kAfalggw/VLAgXHgECpI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/klKvvyFcnas/s1600/Footstool%2B-%2Btop%2B-%2B5-9-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4w0kAfalggw/VLAgXHgECpI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/klKvvyFcnas/s1600/Footstool%2B-%2Btop%2B-%2B5-9-14.JPG" height="272" width="320" /></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wSVphP2sIVI/VLAgu6UKynI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/_bRz5ScTD-w/s1600/Footstool%2B-%2Bside%2B-%2B5-9-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wSVphP2sIVI/VLAgu6UKynI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/_bRz5ScTD-w/s1600/Footstool%2B-%2Bside%2B-%2B5-9-14.JPG" height="264" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hadn't thought much about how I was going to stuff this, especially as it was quite big but, fortunately, we had just replaced an old sofa for a couple of armchairs, and so I used the seat pads, cut into rounds, to fill most of it, then used a sleeping bag whose zip had broken to make a nice and soft padding on top. Fortunately, I also had a lovely set of plain wooden buttons in my button stash, and so I used them as fasteners around the lid, so that I can easily wash the cover when needed. I was quite pleased with the results :)<br /><br />After my parents went back home, and I had recovered somewhat from the visit, I started to feel restless again and, after making Sam the gardening Squirrel, as mentioned in my last post, I then made the Elf Coat for my daughter to wear - and it was just a few days after finishing it, that I was rushed to hospital with a badly inflamed gall bladder thing - and my health went rapidly downhill again :(<br /><br />It was quite strange for me that, although I then spent the next 10 days in hospital on a permanent drip of antibiotics, I didn't miss my laptop too much, but I <i>really </i>missed my crochet work! Lol<br /><br />Unfortunately, poor Mr Night Owl was too worried about me to be able to work out what project I might like to work on (I always have several things on the go at once), and so I made do without my usual comfort, and it took a good week after I was able to come home again before I felt able to choose which item I would work on next.<br /><br />As it happens, I still had plenty of that wonderful <a href="https://secure.deramores.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Stylecraft+Trendsetter+Chunky" target="_blank">Stylecraft Trendsetter Chunky</a> yarn left, and so, as I mentioned in my previous post, I made my daughter two pairs of fingerless gloves - one pair in the Ebony, and the other in the Lilac, then I used both colours to make some striped legwarmers to match:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SioOfTsdgNI/VLA7qwrgMzI/AAAAAAAAA38/xo-yJJBMQ1c/s1600/Brex's%2BGloves%2B%26%2BLegwarmers%2BSet%2B-%2B17-11-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SioOfTsdgNI/VLA7qwrgMzI/AAAAAAAAA38/xo-yJJBMQ1c/s1600/Brex's%2BGloves%2B%26%2BLegwarmers%2BSet%2B-%2B17-11-14.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that, I wanted something quick and easy to make, and so I decided to make an earring and brooch set for a dear friend of mine, who happened to be visiting my corner of the world for a few weeks, and so I settled on a lovely pattern I had come across only a few weeks before on the <a href="http://www.redheart.com/" target="_blank">Red Heart.com</a> site.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />These were called <a href="http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/rosebud-earrings" target="_blank">Rosebud Earrings</a>.<br /><br />I didn't have any of the crochet thread needed in my stash, so I searched out the thinnest yarn that I could, and used that instead. Once I had made the earrings, it only took a short while to make 3 more rosebuds, then I glued some green felt onto a brooch back, and sewed the 3 rosebuds on top - and here is the result of my labours:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cUleBfZ2s30/VLAm1mKKWUI/AAAAAAAAA2w/q_KY2Eaznf8/s1600/Brooch%2B%26%2BEarrings%2Bset%2B-%2BGill%2B-%2B5-9-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cUleBfZ2s30/VLAm1mKKWUI/AAAAAAAAA2w/q_KY2Eaznf8/s1600/Brooch%2B%26%2BEarrings%2Bset%2B-%2BGill%2B-%2B5-9-14.JPG" height="320" width="220" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that, I made a toy for my little friend, Harry :)<br /><br />I'd come across a free stacking toy pattern, on the Lion Brand site, that I thought he would enjoy, as it was made up of a frog in the centre, then a stack consisting of a Bee, a Ladybird (or Ladybug to our friends over the Pond), and then a Dragonfly on top - and here's the link to the pdf download:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/printablePatterns/90075AD.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.lionbrand.com/printablePatterns/90075AD.pdf</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HLqFhg1gS20/VLApbpoeieI/AAAAAAAAA28/v1eqoll2BPI/s1600/Pond%2BFriends%2BStacking%2BToy%2Bfor%2BHarry%2B-%2B17-11-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HLqFhg1gS20/VLApbpoeieI/AAAAAAAAA28/v1eqoll2BPI/s1600/Pond%2BFriends%2BStacking%2BToy%2Bfor%2BHarry%2B-%2B17-11-14.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I enjoyed making this, as I'd not done anything like it before, and I could also use up some of my large stash of yarn that always seems to build up from other projects I do :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, being bed-bound so much of the time, and feeling the cold quite badly, I'd often wished for something that I could snuggle into to keep warm, and so, after finishing Harry's present, I decided, for the very first time since I started to crochet, that I'd make <i>myself </i>something - preferably a lovely warm shawl - and I decided to use a wonderful yarn that my Mum had given me as a gift, as I knew this was something I'd enjoy for a long time to come. Unfortunately, I can't remember the brand name of the yarn, but it was a 400g ball, a Tweed Aran, that Mum had bought from her local Aldi's store.<br /><br />I looked through my shawl patterns, and I found one, by a wonderful designer called Kathy Lashley, who has a crochet Blog, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">called Elk Studio, which is </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">just filled with the most amazing patterns, and just appealed to me no end - it was the <i>Dixie Charm</i> Shawl. That decided, I took yarn and hook, and started on the pattern there and then.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a ink to the pattern: </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.elkstudiohandcraftedcrochetdesigns.com/2014/06/23/dixie-charm-a-free-summer-crochet-shawl-pattern/" target="_blank">Dixie Charm Shawl - Elk Studio</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and here's the results of my work:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATpOgt27rXY/VLA3r_DX-dI/AAAAAAAAA3k/5v1x4tP7Pkw/s1600/Shawl%2Bmade%2Bwith%2BTweed%2BAran%2BYarn%2Bfrom%2BMum%2B-%2B17-11-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATpOgt27rXY/VLA3r_DX-dI/AAAAAAAAA3k/5v1x4tP7Pkw/s1600/Shawl%2Bmade%2Bwith%2BTweed%2BAran%2BYarn%2Bfrom%2BMum%2B-%2B17-11-14.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k-o1GcKdjvU/VLA4ul51TfI/AAAAAAAAA3w/AupC0cmYIbg/s1600/Kushka%2B-%2B17-11-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k-o1GcKdjvU/VLA4ul51TfI/AAAAAAAAA3w/AupC0cmYIbg/s1600/Kushka%2B-%2B17-11-14.JPG" height="400" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My cat, Kushka :)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About this time, our daughter informed us that she'd be able to visit us for 6 days at the beginning of December, so I then looked through my yarn stash, to make her something pretty, and came across a lovely, sparkly, purple yarn that I knew she would like - unfortunately, there wasn't a label on it, and I can't remember where I got it from, but I knew she'd enjoy anything made with it. I looked through my patterns, then finally settled on a really pretty shrug pattern that I'd found a while back. The design is called the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sweet Spring Shrug</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, and was designed by Michelle of</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Painted Hinge</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. As soon as I saw it I knew my daughter would love it, and didn't have anything like this, so I went ahead and made it, and had just enough of the yarn to complete it, with not much left over! Lol</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Here's the link to the free pattern: </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bianchisbarn.com/2014/01/17/sweet-spring-shrug-no-seam-crochet-pattern/" target="_blank">Sweet Spring Shrug - Michelle of The Painted Hinge</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xE_7twxFAAI/VLAtJebrj6I/AAAAAAAAA3I/5Ck-TMTH664/s1600/Shrug%2BFor%2BBrex%2B-%2B4-12-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xE_7twxFAAI/VLAtJebrj6I/AAAAAAAAA3I/5Ck-TMTH664/s1600/Shrug%2BFor%2BBrex%2B-%2B4-12-14.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fortunately, I was right, and my daughter loved it - and it fitted her perfectly :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />While Brex visited, she mentioned that a close friend loved Dachshunds, or Sausage Dogs as they're commonly known (or Weiner Dogs to our American friends) and, as I had only just come across some Amigurumi patterns of some, I asked if she'd like me to make one - and so I did :)<br /><br />I really enjoyed making this. It wasn't too difficult, and I'd not made an amigurumi dog before, so it challenged me in that respect. Brex was delighted with the result, and so I was, too :)<br /><br />I got the free pattern from the Lion Brand site, and here's the pdf link:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/printablePatterns/70579AD.pdf" target="_blank">Amigurumi Weiner Dog Pattern Number: 70579AD</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UUKsj0Min30/VLAxebWOW2I/AAAAAAAAA3U/lQhmmYRFcFk/s1600/Dolly%2BDacshund%2Bfor%2BDanger%2BGrainger%2B-%2B14-12-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UUKsj0Min30/VLAxebWOW2I/AAAAAAAAA3U/lQhmmYRFcFk/s1600/Dolly%2BDacshund%2Bfor%2BDanger%2BGrainger%2B-%2B14-12-14.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, what with all the holidays, and my health being so poor, I've only just got around to posting all these pics, but I will have some more to show you soon, as I've kept myself busy making a few more items for my daughter. Once I've had the opportunity to give them to her, I'll post the pics on here :)<br /><br />Until then, I hope you've all had plenty of opportunities to create your own things, too :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-47976159478691723162014-11-02T23:46:00.000+00:002014-11-02T23:46:11.965+00:00Oh dear - has it really been that long?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I admit that, when I </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">finally</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> got around to looking at my Blog today, I couldn't believe just how long it had been since I posted anything!</span><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Due to unforeseen circumstances, including serious illness, and hospital stays, for both myself, my mum, and my dad, I'd got into a real fug where creativity was concerned, and my output dropped accordingly. But I'm slowly, but surely, getting back into the swing of things, and so have a few items to show for all the time I've been silent :)</span><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, I've finally got some more pictures of the fancy dress outfits I'd made for a friend's gorgeous little boy (I'd made them in June), so here they are:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's Harry in his Frog outfit - and thoroughly enjoying it, too :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TO8tgTOOsTc/VFagX7VO6PI/AAAAAAAAA0o/kLSkh-_sqmE/s1600/Harry's%2BFrog%2BCostume%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TO8tgTOOsTc/VFagX7VO6PI/AAAAAAAAA0o/kLSkh-_sqmE/s1600/Harry's%2BFrog%2BCostume%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" height="400" width="271" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here he is in his Fox outfit:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r1NQT8hP7lQ/VFagbO7wZZI/AAAAAAAAA0w/52mGps75Xek/s1600/Harry's%2BFox%2BCostume%2C%2Bfront%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r1NQT8hP7lQ/VFagbO7wZZI/AAAAAAAAA0w/52mGps75Xek/s1600/Harry's%2BFox%2BCostume%2C%2Bfront%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" height="400" width="227" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . with a back view, showing his bushy Fox tail! Lol</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nf6e5pgZrIY/VFageAHNNjI/AAAAAAAAA04/rrC2mZHPkuM/s1600/Harry's%2BFox%2BCostume%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nf6e5pgZrIY/VFageAHNNjI/AAAAAAAAA04/rrC2mZHPkuM/s1600/Harry's%2BFox%2BCostume%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" height="400" width="365" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's another occasion Harry wore the Fox outfit - and looking extra cute doing so:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsdjDVX31-A/VFagmDxHqcI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/JLqRwcvFq9A/s1600/Harry%2Bin%2Bhis%2BFox%2Boutfit%2B-%2B25-8-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsdjDVX31-A/VFagmDxHqcI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/JLqRwcvFq9A/s1600/Harry%2Bin%2Bhis%2BFox%2Boutfit%2B-%2B25-8-14.jpg" height="400" width="303" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's Harry wearing his Bee outfit:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cu-LWCoL4mM/VFaghInsXaI/AAAAAAAAA1A/8vu6SWjUD9w/s1600/Harry's%2BBee%2BCostume%2C%2Bfront%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cu-LWCoL4mM/VFaghInsXaI/AAAAAAAAA1A/8vu6SWjUD9w/s1600/Harry's%2BBee%2BCostume%2C%2Bfront%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" height="400" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. . . and with a back view of his folded wings (as with all the other main outfits, I didn't have a pattern for this, and so used Google to find some close-up pics of bees, then made up the shape, using the pictures).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zOnANgvaNZc/VFagjQvHv9I/AAAAAAAAA1I/oVx7lxGhjkw/s1600/Harry's%2BBee%2BCostume%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zOnANgvaNZc/VFagjQvHv9I/AAAAAAAAA1I/oVx7lxGhjkw/s1600/Harry's%2BBee%2BCostume%2B-%2B6-8-14.jpg" height="400" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's a lovely picture of one of Harry's best friends, wearing the Bee outfit - can you see the sting I made? Lol</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PW6TgApmEqg/VFagqCE6AII/AAAAAAAAA1Y/_fFvZuHi3dE/s1600/Carlisle%2BCammack%2Bin%2BHarry's%2BBee%2BOutfit%2C%2B%26%2BHarry%2Bin%2Bhis%2BFox%2BOutfit%2B-%2B25-8-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PW6TgApmEqg/VFagqCE6AII/AAAAAAAAA1Y/_fFvZuHi3dE/s1600/Carlisle%2BCammack%2Bin%2BHarry's%2BBee%2BOutfit%2C%2B%26%2BHarry%2Bin%2Bhis%2BFox%2BOutfit%2B-%2B25-8-14.jpg" height="400" width="232" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />There are still a couple of outfits that Harry hasn't worn yet so, when he does, I'll show them here, too :)<br /><br />As for the things I've been making since my last post in July, as I mentioned in that post, I had been working on a gift for Mr Night Owl. I had bought a wonderful book, published by amigurumipatterns.net, called <i>Amigurumi Animals at Work</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />You can find it in the list of books for sale, here:<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.amigurumipatterns.net/books/" target="_blank">Amigurumi Animals at Work</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book has 14 of the cutest, and very different, patterns of various animals, all dressed up in their work clothes - and the pattern that brought my attention to this wonderfully creative book, was the design I fell in love with, which was by one of my favourite designers, <i>Moji-Moji Design</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Her <i>Cyril the Squirrel</i>, all dressed up as a gardener, with his own wheelbarrow, was just so cute, and also very relevant for Mr Night Owl, that I had to make a start on it straight away!<br /><br />As it happened, I had a huge plastic box, full of partial skeins of various yarns, that I'd used for different projects, so I thought this a wonderful opportunity to use some of it up. I wanted this to be a complete surprise for Hubby, and so found myself working on it at the oddest times of the day and night. I guess that, in actual hours, it didn't take too very long to make but, due to the secrecy, it was actually a couple of weeks before I'd managed to finish it :)<br /><br />So, here he is - one Sam the Gardening Squirrel! Lol<br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uFeKNpjOryI/VFanccW7X0I/AAAAAAAAA1o/RUBp3gCdZKs/s1600/Sam%2BSquirrel%2B(Gardener)%2B-%2B21-7-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uFeKNpjOryI/VFanccW7X0I/AAAAAAAAA1o/RUBp3gCdZKs/s1600/Sam%2BSquirrel%2B(Gardener)%2B-%2B21-7-14.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a lot of fun making this, as I needed to source some tiny items to go with it, such as the seed packets in Sam's waistcoat pocket, and some gardening tools, for the wheelbarrow. I was fortunate enough to find a seller on eBay who deals with Doll House items, and so managed to get what I wanted from him - Mr Night Owl was so chuffed to receive Sam, and he now stands in pride of place on a shelf in our living room :)<br /><br />I've made a couple of items, for my brother's new dog, Sheba. The first was a bone I crocheted with pure cotton, and a 2.5mm hook,so that it would crochet really tight, as she is renowned for chewing up her toys! So far, she still hasn't made a dent in it, which I'm happy about but, unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it before she got a hold of it - but I used a pattern that I had bought from <i>Crochet Spot</i>, created by <i>Rachel Choi</i>, which gives 3 different sizes of bone to crochet. <br /><br />You can find it here, if you're interested:<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.crochetspot.com/store" target="_blank">http://www.crochetspot.com/store</a><br /><br />I've also got another, nearly finished, toy that I'm making for Sheba. It is a Star Ball, and the pattern was created by another of my favourite designers <i>Dedri Uys</i>, whose Blog, <i>Look at What I Made</i>, has a plethora of amazing patterns to try out :)<br /><br />The ball was actually designed for a child, but I figured that, if I did as I had with the bone pattern, and used a tough cotton yarn, with a smaller hook size than normal, then I'd get another Sheba-proof toy! Lol<br /><br />Unfortunately, a spell in hospital set me back, and I've still got a little bit more to finish up before it's done but, as soon as it is, I'll try to remember to take a picture to show you - and, in the meantime, here's the link to the pattern, if you'd like to give it a try:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/free-crochet-patterns/starball-%20crochet-amish-puzzle-ball-pattern/" target="_blank">Crocheted Star Ball – A Crochet Amish Puzzle Ball Pattern</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The one item that has really taken up most of my time though - when I was well enough to wield a crochet hook - was a coat that I made for my daughter, something that would be thick enough to keep her really warm in the winter. <br /><br />I got the idea after I'd purchased a wonderful pattern from Ravelry - it was a set of 3 patterns, designed by <i>Sylvie Damey</i>, that I'd bought recently, due to the wonderful detailing of her patterns - she'd created Elf Hoods, and that was just the look I wanted. So, selecting the <i>Jehanne Hooded Cardigan</i>, which can be found here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jehanne-hooded-cardigan" target="_blank">Jehanne Hooded Cardigan</a><br /><br /><br />I then looked at my stash for a suitable yarn, but couldn't find anything there jazzy enough to suit my daughter's wonderfully outgoing personality - which then drove me to look at all my favourite online sites, to see if I could find something I liked. Fortunately, I came across a wonderfully sparkling yarn at the <i>Deramores</i> site. It was called <i>Stylecraft Trendsetter Chunky</i>, and came in a variety of colours, but the ones I fell in love with, and knew would suit my daughter to perfection, were the <i>Ebony (1685)</i>, and the <i>Lilac Cloud (1688). </i>The yarn was, and still is at the moment, on sale, and so I couldn't resist getting it :)<br /><i><br /> </i>Here's a link for you to see the gorgeousness of the yarns:<br /><br /><a href="https://secure.deramores.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Stylecraft+Trendsetter+Chunky" target="_blank">Stylecraft Trendsetter Chunky</a><br /><br />Now, as I said, the pattern was for a hooded cardigan but, as I crocheted away, and got to the point where a change in pattern came, I realised that it would look great, and be more suitable for my daughter, as a coat, rather than a cardigan so, going back online, I bought some more of the yarn, then made my first real attempt to adapt a pattern to something else. I made some adjustment to the hood as I went along, making it a lot longer than the pattern specified, due to my daughter having <i>very</i> long dreads, and the skirt part of the coat was made in A-line panels, that I crocheted together after completing them all. I then went back to following the pattern to make the edging specified.<br /><br />This coat was to be a complete surprise for my girl, as she was due to come for a visit with us, to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary in October so, as soon as I completed it, using a set of buttons that I'd had in my button stash for ages, and adding some shell stars to the tip of the hood, and around the bottom edge of the coat, I made a granny square belt, using the square used within the pattern.<br /><br />I then hung the coat in my wardrobe, waiting eagerly for my daughter to appear.<br /><br />Unfortunately, a couple of days after I finished the coat, I was rushed into hospital with a badly inflamed gallbladder, and was kept in for almost a fortnight, which meant we had to cancel our anniversary plans :(<br /><br />My daughter came rushing from Bristol to Wales while I was still in the hospital, and so it was her Dad who gave her the coat - thankfully, it fitted her to perfection, and she wore it to the hospital to show me but, because of that, I hadn't taken any photos of it, and so had to wait for my daughter to get some taken - which she sent to me a few days ago! :)<br /><br />So here it is:<br /><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0sVpC-Ir2OQ/VFa9e0GGZlI/AAAAAAAAA14/N4WxzrkUWOc/s1600/Brex's%2BElf%2BCoat%2B-%2B29-10-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0sVpC-Ir2OQ/VFa9e0GGZlI/AAAAAAAAA14/N4WxzrkUWOc/s1600/Brex's%2BElf%2BCoat%2B-%2B29-10-14.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I've now almost finished a couple of pairs of fingerless gloves to match the coat, one pair in the Ebony, and the other in the Lilac Cloud, and then I want to use up the last of the yarn to make some legwarmers and, if there's enough after that, maybe a scarf to match!<br /><br />At least I know my girl will be warm this winter! Lol<br /><br /></span><br />
<strong style="color: #404040; font-family: arial, verdana, arial, calibri; font-size: 12px;"><strong></strong><strong></strong></strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-28431185206655202942014-07-16T10:26:00.002+01:002014-07-16T10:26:51.903+01:00Bubbling with Creativity . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once again, I've managed to keep my creativity bubbling this last few weeks although, due to a downturn in my health once more, not as much as I would have liked to do! Lol<br /><br />I managed to crochet a cushion cover for a dear friend of mine. The pattern was a Chevron, and I used Caron One Pound yarn, in a lovely burgundy and cream colour scheme, as I knew my friend loved burgundy - I got the pattern from:<br /><br />http://solgrim.blogspot.in/2012/10/chevron-pillow.html<br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5_NRuR7rHS8/U8Y4ro7ZcUI/AAAAAAAAAz8/aWMqq-Mzzeo/s1600/Cushion+for+Suzanne+-+17-6-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5_NRuR7rHS8/U8Y4ro7ZcUI/AAAAAAAAAz8/aWMqq-Mzzeo/s1600/Cushion+for+Suzanne+-+17-6-14.JPG" height="254" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also made a Lacy Market Bag, as my June challenge with <i>The Crochet Crowd</i>. I really enjoyed learning a new stitch for this - the cross-stitch - and the bag I created went to a friend, who much prefers a 'real' bag to use for shopping, rather than the plastic variety :)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IRWmEBFH428/U8Y6C6mvsMI/AAAAAAAAA0I/sAEMgn6idfo/s1600/Lacy+Market+Bag+-+10-6-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IRWmEBFH428/U8Y6C6mvsMI/AAAAAAAAA0I/sAEMgn6idfo/s1600/Lacy+Market+Bag+-+10-6-14.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />I used a Bernat 4-ply for this one - unfortunately, I can't remember the exact name of the yarn! Fibro-fog wins again! Lol<br /><br />The pattern for the bag is here:<br /><br />http://thecrochetcrowd.com/market-bag-challenge/</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />As I had plenty of the yarn left over (minus the label, unfortunately), I decided to make a small shopping bag for my friend's young granddaughter, who delights in 'shopping' with her grandma :)<br /><br />I used the same basic stitch pattern, but changed the shaping, to get the more 'shopping basket' shape I had wanted for her - I also lined the bag, using single crochet, to prevent little items from falling through :)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qvfUkxbdgoQ/U8ZAuhFJ9TI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/xK7llc5nFsw/s1600/Leonie's+Bag+-+14-6-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qvfUkxbdgoQ/U8ZAuhFJ9TI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/xK7llc5nFsw/s1600/Leonie's+Bag+-+14-6-14.JPG" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />I also managed to crochet a hat, jacket, mitten and booties set, for a newborn baby boy, which I was very pleased with :)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0N7PHjS4PPw/U8YwW9cIybI/AAAAAAAAAzw/h0g4hd5IE6s/s1600/Baby+Jame%2527s+Outfit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0N7PHjS4PPw/U8YwW9cIybI/AAAAAAAAAzw/h0g4hd5IE6s/s1600/Baby+Jame%2527s+Outfit.JPG" height="300" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />I used Red Heart Super Saver to make this and, as the yarn can feel a little bit scratchy, I gently soaked the outfit in some slightly warm water, with a small amount of fabric conditioner in, and the outfit dried out feeling really soft :) <br /><br />I also used a mixture of patterns for this:<br /><br />The booties pattern comes from Mikey, of The Crochet Crowd. The pattern is called the <i>Sweet High Top Baby Booties</i>, and was designed by Mikey, or Michael Sellick. Here's the link to them:<br /><br />http://thecrochetcrowd.com/crochet-sweet-high-top-baby-booties-2/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bobble hat and jacket come from a Hoodie and Hat pattern that I found, and I just changed the hoodie pattern to become a jacket. I got this pattern from the Caron website. The link is here:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.caron.com/projects/NEWPROJECTS/br/br_cno986_baby_hoodie.html</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The mittens were a basic pattern that I purchased a while back. I bought it from the Crochet Spot website:<br /><br />http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-pattern-classic-baby-mittens/<br /><br /><br />I was also really pleased to have been able to start on an amigurumi pattern, taken from a new book of amigurumi animal patterns, called <i>Animals at Work! </i>I bought this from Moji Moji Designs, as I'd fallen in love with her Squirrel pattern:<br /><br />http://mojimojidesign.com/2014/05/10/amigurumi-animals-at-work/<br /><br />It was Cyril who had initially caught my attention, as he was a gardening Squirrel! I just fell in love with that amazing character! <br /><br />I'm so <i>very </i>glad I that I bought the book, as the other patterns are also amazing, and I've already ear-marked some of them to make for various family and friends. But it was the squirrel I was determined to try first, as it is an ideal pressie for Mr Night Owl, what with him being a very keen gardener and all :)<br /><br />At the moment, I've almost finished it, but there are still a few things that need to be done before I take any pictures of it. I didn't follow the exact colour choices of the original, as I was determined to use up some of the huge amounts of scrap yarn I've got, and so I chose the colours from what was available. My Squirrel, which I named Sam, isn't as professionally made as the original - but then, I wouldn't expect it to be, considering my amateur status where amigurumi is concerned! But I've had <i>so</i> much fun in it's creation, that I'll probably make a few more - well, Sam will need some company while working in the garden, don't you think?<br /><br />All in all, I think this book of patterns is going to be my absolute favourite source of amigurumi animals! Lol<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-30610948586333577742014-06-25T00:08:00.001+01:002014-06-25T00:12:07.591+01:00Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: Open letter to the BBC<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having just read this open letter, by Sue Marsh, to the BBC, I felt I had to post a link to it, as the sentiments involved are very close to my own. Sue has written exactly the way that I, too, feel about what used to be considered a national treasure, one that showed us all the truth of the things happening to the people of our nation - and of the World - whatever else happened. <br />Like Sue, I despair that a body that takes our money in license fees, can ignore, or even suppress, the truth of the misery caused by our welfare state as it is today.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/2014/06/open-letter-to-bbc.html?spref=bl">Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: Open letter to the BBC</a>: Dear BBC, In a list of my favorite public bodies, I value you second only to the NHS. For me, you have always been a shining beacon of tru...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-2885243567755365382014-06-10T02:26:00.001+01:002014-06-10T02:26:45.110+01:00The Art of Being Creative . . .<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 14pt;">Due to being tired, I posted the following post in my other Blog a few days ago, and only realised what I'd done earlier on. If you're interested, here's a link to my other Blog, where you can see the original post: </span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 18.66666603088379px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://katythenightowl.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/being-creative/</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 18.66666603088379px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />As I wanted to keep all the records of my crafting together though, I decided to re-post the original post here, too - I hope you find it interesting - and the links a handy step to creating something yourselves? :)<br /><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 14pt;">Despite
having a really bad time, health-wise, this last month or so, </span><span style="line-height: 18.66666603088379px;">I've</span><span style="line-height: 14pt;"> also had plenty of odd moments, where </span><span style="line-height: 18.66666603088379px;">I've</span><span style="line-height: 14pt;"> been too bad to do much, but not bad enough
to do nothing, and so I decided to use whatever time I had free to take care of
various crochet projects </span><span style="line-height: 18.66666603088379px;">I've</span><span style="line-height: 14pt;"> been working on.</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 14pt;">It actually amazed me how much
I could get through, doing it in dribs and drabs, but </span><span style="line-height: 18.66666603088379px;">I'm</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 14pt;"> quite pleased with
the results of my labour</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: blue; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 14pt;"> <span style="display: inline-block !important; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; min-height: 1.2em; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden;" title=":)"></span><span class="wp-smileyemojiemoji-smile">:)</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0cm;">The first things I had to
finish off were a set of 6 fancy dress costumes, made for a little baby boy I
know and love. He is going to be having his first experience of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Glastonbury</st1:place></st1:city> this summer,
and his mum, who is one of my daughter’s oldest, and dearest, friends, had been
telling me that there would be fancy dress competitions for the little ones.
This decided me and, after talking about what she’d like, I started to make the
costumes!</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 14pt;">Now, very much unlike me, once
I’d finished making the outfits, I’d forgotten to take any pics of each of
them, so baby boy’s mum has promised me that she’ll take pics of him as he
wears them – and, as it happens, she posted the first picture she took, of him
wearing his Cat-in-the-hat outfit, for me. Unfortunately, he </span><span style="line-height: 18.66666603088379px;">wasn't</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 14pt;"> wearing it
properly, but I still think he looks as cute as anything in it – and the hat
fits beautifully! Lol</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><img height="400" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/harry-as-cat-in-the-hat-31-5-14.jpg" width="280" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/harry-as-cat-in-the-hat-31-5-14.jpg" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t"
path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="i-890" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt="Image"
href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/harry-as-cat-in-the-hat-31-5-14.jpg"
style='width:370.5pt;height:528.75pt' o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"
o:href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/harry-as-cat-in-the-hat-31-5-14.jpg?w=650"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;">Just as I’d finished the outfits, a friend called in, and
noticed a pile of items I was preparing to send to my daughter, and one of the
items caught his eye – a cowl I’d made for her, using Red Heart Super Saver
yarn, in the Tealeaf colour, and with highlights of the Peacock Shimmer yarn.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;">He asked if I
could make one for him, as a present for his sister-in-law, and so I agreed.
Unfortunately, I didn't have enough of the Red Heart Tealeaf, but I did have
some Robin’s Chunky yarn, in Pistachio that he really liked, and so I used that.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;">While I was
making it, I realised I had enough of this yarn to make a hat and fingerless
gloves to match, and so, using the same popcorn stitch pattern, which can be
found right here:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.5pt; padding: 0cm;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://calleighsclips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/candy-stripes-hooded-cowl-free-pattern.html" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">http://calleighsclips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/candy-stripes-hooded-cowl-free-pattern.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;">I went ahead
and made the cowl, and then used the same popcorn stitch to complete the set
for her :)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;"><img alt="Image" height="328" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/cowl-hat-fingerless-gloves-set.jpg?w=650" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/cowl-hat-fingerless-gloves-set.jpg" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="i-903" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Image"
href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/cowl-hat-fingerless-gloves-set.jpg"
style='width:345pt;height:284.25pt' o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image003.jpg"
o:href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/cowl-hat-fingerless-gloves-set.jpg?w=650"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">During our conversation, he
also asked me if I could crochet a teapot cosy, in the shape of a chicken –
well, I'm always eager to give things a go, and so I accepted his commission,
and we added some other stuff to make a kitchen set up, all with the theme of
chickens – but they had to be black ones, as these were, apparently, her
favourites! Lol</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Here’s what I came up with:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="Image" height="249" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/blethyns-chicken-teapot-cosy-28-5-14.jpg?w=650" width="400" /></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I bought a pattern for this, from Etsy, the link is: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Millionbells?section_id=14018297&ref=shopsection_leftnav_4"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Millionbells?section_id=14018297&ref=shopsection_leftnav_4</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I then adapted a pattern for a
set of 4 egg cosies to match, from a free pattern, called the ‘Eggstremely Cosy
Set’ designed by ‘funkynitter’ on Ravelry (here’s her link: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Funkynitter/eggstremely-cosy-set" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Funkynitter/eggstremely-cosy-set</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; padding: 0cm;">The free
pattern was made by the clever blogger ‘The Very Savvy Snail’, at:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://piecesofmylife-victoriag.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/well-after-having-spent-morning-trying.html" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">http://piecesofmylife-victoriag.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/well-after-having-spent-morning-trying.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/4-egg-cosies.jpg" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="i-918" o:spid="_x0000_i1028" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Image"
href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/4-egg-cosies.jpg"
style='width:417.75pt;height:246.75pt' o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image007.jpg"
o:href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/4-egg-cosies.jpg?w=650"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="Image" height="236" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/4-egg-cosies.jpg?w=650" style="background-color: transparent;" width="400" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided that I might as well
have some cup coasters, too, and came across a free pattern that looked ideal
for my purpose – you can find it here:</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: blue; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0cm;"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20060425232136/http:/irenecrafts.com/patterns/chicken_coaster.htm" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;">http://web.archive.org/web/20060425232136/http://irenecrafts.com/patterns/chicken_coaster.htm</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 17.85pt;"> </span><img alt="Image" height="400" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/4-chicken-coasters.jpg?w=650" style="background-color: transparent;" width="398" /></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/4-chicken-coasters.jpg" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="i-923" o:spid="_x0000_i1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Image"
href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/4-chicken-coasters.jpg"
style='width:308.25pt;height:311.25pt' o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image009.jpg"
o:href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/4-chicken-coasters.jpg?w=650"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">And then I thought, ‘why stop there?’, and so
added a Chicken hot pad to finish the set. I had a pdf pattern for one of
these – it was one of the free Annie’s Crafts ones, though, on looking for it
on the site, I couldn't find it, so I can only assume I got the pdf pattern
from somebody else’s blog – but I can’t remember who, and I didn't save the
link, unusually for me<span class="apple-converted-space"> <span style="display: inline-block !important; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; min-height: 1.2em; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden;" title=":("></span><span class="wp-smileyemojiemoji-sad">:(</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span class="wp-smileyemojiemoji-sad"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span class="wp-smileyemojiemoji-sad"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span class="wp-smileyemojiemoji-sad"><img alt="Image" height="400" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/hot-pad.jpg?w=650" width="389" /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/hot-pad.jpg" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="i-931" o:spid="_x0000_i1030" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Image"
href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/hot-pad.jpg" style='width:327.75pt;
height:336pt' o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image011.jpg"
o:href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/hot-pad.jpg?w=650"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;">This pattern was called the Chicken Hot Pad & Chicken
Shelf Set, and so I decided to crochet the cute little amigurumi shelf chicken,
too:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><img alt="Image" height="300" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/blethyns-shelf-chicken.jpg?w=650" width="400" /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
<a href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/blethyns-shelf-chicken.jpg" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="i-934" o:spid="_x0000_i1031" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Image"
href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/blethyns-shelf-chicken.jpg"
style='width:470.25pt;height:352.5pt' o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image013.jpg"
o:href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/blethyns-shelf-chicken.jpg?w=650"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;">Our friend was really pleased with what I had made, and,
as he just loves hats, and loved the pistachio yarn, I used the last of it to
make him a hat to wear this coming winter, with a little of the Tealeaf
yarn I had in my scrap yarn box as an accent colour:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><img alt="Image" height="312" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/winter-hat.jpg?w=650" width="400" /></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
<a href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/winter-hat.jpg" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="i-945" o:spid="_x0000_i1032" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Image"
href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/winter-hat.jpg"
style='width:358.5pt;height:279.75pt' o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image014.jpg"
o:href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/winter-hat.jpg?w=650"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;">Next to make on my list, was a Peppa Pig toy for that
gorgeous little man I’d made the fancy dress outfits for. Now, I hadn't a clue
who Peppa Pig was, until I searched online, but, as it was his favourite TV
character, I decided to have a go. As I'm not clever enough, as yet, to make up
my own pattern, I decided to have a look at what was available, and I came
across this one, by Samarara, on Ravelry:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/peppa-pig-amigurumi" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;">http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/peppa-pig-amigurumi</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="Image" height="240" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/harrys-peppa-pig-4-6-14.jpg?w=650" width="400" /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;">Little man really laughed when he saw her, and
immediately stuffed her into his mouth (he’s teething, poor chap!), but his mum
says he’s delighted with his new friend, so that’s made me very happy<span class="apple-converted-space"> <span style="display: inline-block !important; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; min-height: 1.2em; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden;" title=":)"></span><span class="wp-smileyemojiemoji-smile">:)</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">My next project to complete was a Rainbow
Project Bag. I’d seen the link to this on a friend’s Blog and, as I was
familiar with Lucy, from ‘Attic24′, I thought I’d have a go. I really
loved the look of the bag and so I decided to make it
specifically out of some of my scrap yarn, to use for my WIP’s.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I finished it yesterday, and I'm delighted
with its capacity, and the friendliness of its bright and breezy colours, and
I've already filled it with the yarn I need for my next project – well the
next, next one, anyway – I might even make another one, too!</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Here’s the link to the blog page:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; padding: 0cm;"><a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/jolly-chunky-bag.html" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;">http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/jolly-chunky-bag.html</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="Image" height="379" src="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/rainbow-scraps-bag-6-6-14.jpg?w=650" style="background-color: transparent;" width="400" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 17.85pt;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/rainbow-scraps-bag-6-6-14.jpg" style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #333333; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="i-967" o:spid="_x0000_i1034" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Image"
href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/rainbow-scraps-bag-6-6-14.jpg"
style='width:401.25pt;height:380.25pt' o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image018.jpg"
o:href="http://katythenightowl.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/rainbow-scraps-bag-6-6-14.jpg?w=650"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px;">
</span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="line-height: 17.85pt;">Right
now, I've made a start on a Lacy Market Bag pattern that’s the June challenge
for The Crochet Crowd. I must admit, it’s a new stitch for me, and I'm finding
it challenging but, between that, and starting on my main Crochet By Numbers
project, I'm pretty sure that the rest of this month is now spoken for – unless
I have a few minutes free to make some small items, anyway! Lol</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="line-height: 23.799999237060547px;">http://thecrochetcrowd.com/market-bag-challenge/</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 17.85pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.85pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: blue; font-family: Verdana; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-27987145436062376442014-04-02T02:06:00.000+01:002014-04-02T02:06:40.304+01:00What Katy Did Next . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know! I hold my hands up in shame!<br /><br />It's been over a month, <i>again</i>, since I last blogged - and I do feel <i>very</i> ashamed of myself for ignoring all my bloggy friends out there!<br /><br />Mind you, I guess 'ignore' is the wrong word for it, really, as I've been physically unable to sustain more than a brief look at my emails, and a lightening check on FB, to see if I've had any messages which, apart from my daughter, and one of her friends, I had a sad lack of :(<br /><br />'Mrs No Friends', that's me :(<br /><br />Right, now I've got all the whiny, self-pitying stuff out of the way, I guess I should start telling you what I've been up to in crochet world - and, looking back at the past month, it's been a surprising amount, considering the poor state of my health - so I'm happy that at least I've been fairly productive, despite everything :)<br /><br />To start with, I had to remake the gloves of a hat, cowl and gloves set that I'd made as a wedding anniversary present for my Mum - as she lives over 360 miles away from me, I'd had to guess her hand size from memory (it was meant to be a surprise), and had forgotten that her hands had become quite swollen due to her own health problems so, as soon as she sent the offending pair back to me, I tried to take them apart, so I could reuse the yarn, as I didn't have any more of it left.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I quickly realised that this wasn't going to work, and so sent off to the USA for some more. I had bought the original yarn from Red Heart - their Worsted Weight Super Saver brand, in a <i>gorgeous</i> Honeydew colour:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.redheart.com/yarn/super-saver-economy/honeydew</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took around 18 days to get to me, and I was waiting impatiently for it to arrive, and so decided that I might as well make an additional present for her while I waited. I used the same brand of yarn, in Ocean:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.redheart.com/yarn/super-saver-economy/ocean</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to make her a lighter Cowl, ready for the slightly warmer late spring days we'd been promised:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oy6IzYABvfI/UztIdQfB_mI/AAAAAAAAAx8/VdID-A6VgSk/s1600/Mum's+Ocean+Cowl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oy6IzYABvfI/UztIdQfB_mI/AAAAAAAAAx8/VdID-A6VgSk/s1600/Mum's+Ocean+Cowl.JPG" height="211" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't use any particular pattern to make this - I decided to just go mad and make it up as I went along - but I think it turned out nicely and, once I'd sewn on a button, and one of my little owl tokens, I figured it was bright enough for a nice late spring wear - fortunately, Mum agreed, and tells me the colour reminds her of her favourite heather, so we were both pleased.<br /><br />What made it better was the gloves, that I had decided to make up with the same stitching as the cowl - which fitted her perfectly - whew!<br /><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V1onYnhtWCg/UztJ8PZA9EI/AAAAAAAAAyI/kBKzfbSZedc/s1600/Mum's+Ocean+Fingerless+Mitts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V1onYnhtWCg/UztJ8PZA9EI/AAAAAAAAAyI/kBKzfbSZedc/s1600/Mum's+Ocean+Fingerless+Mitts.JPG" height="270" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I waited for that pesky yarn to arrive, I decided that I'd make my daughter some more house slippers, as she'd told me that the previous pairs I'd made had worn out so, using some of the Red Heart Shimmer yarn:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.shopredheart.com/default.aspx?PageID=62&CategoryID=7&ProductID=3683</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I'd stashed away previously, with a mind to making something for my girl, who loves her glitter, and so I made her 3 pairs of slippers, using a wonderfully easy, and free, pattern that I'd found at Jay's Boutique Blog.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">jaysboutiqueblog.blogspot.fr/2012/05/free-pattern-womens-house-slippers.html</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It really was easy to make and, as my feet are only a wee bit smaller than my daughter's, I was able to make them to fit just right for her. I used the black, and the peacock, colours for 2 pairs, and then remembered how quickly she gets through slippers, and so decided to make another pair with some worsted weight Red Heart Super saver yarn, in a lovely Tea Leaf colour </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that I already had from making my Mum's previous present</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.redheart.com/yarn/super-saver-economy/tea-leaf</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I doubled up the yarn for the sole of the slipper, and so hope that they'll be a bit more hard- wearing for her to use, and I chose to make them using a mix of different styles that turned out into a creation of my own (I wish I'd written it down as I went along now, as they have turned into a sturdy, yet comfortable, pair of slippers):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6gOTfA-lkU/UztOcPz9RmI/AAAAAAAAAyU/vRIdL6knIzg/s1600/Brex+-+3+pairs+of+Slippers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6gOTfA-lkU/UztOcPz9RmI/AAAAAAAAAyU/vRIdL6knIzg/s1600/Brex+-+3+pairs+of+Slippers.JPG" height="184" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I still had some of the shimmer yarn left, along with a whole 100g skein of the pewter colour, I decided that I might as well make a cowl for my daughter, too and, as I had a lovely pattern for a Mobius Cluster Cowl, designed by Candace Barr, that I'd bought from crochetspot.com, I decided to make it with this lovely yarn.</span><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.crochetspot.com/store/index.php?pattern=238</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b-TliJuHo8M/UztQxkkphjI/AAAAAAAAAyg/MQftvNCN7l0/s1600/Brex+-+Mobius+Cowl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b-TliJuHo8M/UztQxkkphjI/AAAAAAAAAyg/MQftvNCN7l0/s1600/Brex+-+Mobius+Cowl.JPG" height="195" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jhlXL3a9iro/UztQ1aydHlI/AAAAAAAAAyo/X2-ivkHxeWY/s1600/Brex+-+Mobius+Cowl,+back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jhlXL3a9iro/UztQ1aydHlI/AAAAAAAAAyo/X2-ivkHxeWY/s1600/Brex+-+Mobius+Cowl,+back.JPG" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't think it turned out </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">too</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> badly, considering it's the first time I've ever made anything of a mobius nature :)</span><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By this time, the much-awaited yarn had arrived, and so I went ahead and made a much simpler pair of fingerless gloves, with cover, than I'd made previously. I didn't use any particular pattern, but cobbled together the gloves using parts from a variety of patterns I'd made before and, thankfully, they, too, fitted Mum perfectly :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZVSwqTIcSQ/UztTcDuE_WI/AAAAAAAAAy0/Z02XGxD4WSw/s1600/Mum's+Fingerless+Gloves,+both+sides.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZVSwqTIcSQ/UztTcDuE_WI/AAAAAAAAAy0/Z02XGxD4WSw/s1600/Mum's+Fingerless+Gloves,+both+sides.JPG" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, in the parcel that brought this yarn, was a couple more skeins of the Red Heart super-saver yarn - this time in a lovely mix of intriguing neon colours, called Blacklight! (9th row down, on the far right)<br /><br />As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to buy it, to make something for my daughter and, when it arrived, I was <i>so</i> glad that I had done :)<br /><br />http://www.shopredheart.com/default.aspx?PageID=62&CategoryID=4&ProductID=1969</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I immediately decided to make her a set of earwarmers, a cowl, and some fingerless mitts, which I knew would be handy for her for those cold nights that can happen in Scotland, where she's currently working. I decided to use my firm favourite of a pattern for the earwarmers - one that Brex likes very much, and I know fits her well - it was designed by Clare of bobwilson123 fame - here are the links for both the written pattern, in PDF form, and the first part of the video showing how it's done (the 2nd part is right there with it): </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.bobwilson123.org/headband.html</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJLIsyyn_CM</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used the same stitches when making up the cowl, and the gloves, too, so they would match - and here's the result:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SSLDPnQWlO8/UztW6QShtRI/AAAAAAAAAzA/cHlS-tcaLJg/s1600/Brex+-+Headband,+Cowl+&+Mitts+-+Red+Heart+Blacklight.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SSLDPnQWlO8/UztW6QShtRI/AAAAAAAAAzA/cHlS-tcaLJg/s1600/Brex+-+Headband,+Cowl+&+Mitts+-+Red+Heart+Blacklight.JPG" height="300" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really do love these bright and jazzy colours, as they remind me so much of my zany girl :)<br /><br />Once all of this was out of the way, I told Brex to expect a package and, when she asked if the cowl was the type that could also be used like a hood, it got me back to the crochet hooks, and looking for a pattern to make one for her - fortunately, I came across a pattern which seemed perfect for her - and challenging for me - as it uses a popcorn stitch that I had previously attempted, but had failed to make.<br /><br />I found this pattern at:<br /><br /> http://calleighsclips.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/candy-stripes-hooded-cowl-free-pattern.html<br /><br />I followed the pattern, and was really surprised at how easy Elisabeth Spivey, who designed it, had made the instructions for crocheting the popcorn stitch. The free pattern is downloadable as a PDF, so I did that, and was soon crocheting away, using the last of my Red Heart Tea Leaf yarn, and also the last of the Peacock Shimmer yarn, to do so - and I was <i>very</i> happy with the result :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6cFmbD2MXlE/UztXXdiV_II/AAAAAAAAAzI/E1-KjE5Gv7Y/s1600/Brex+-+Popcorn+Cowl-hood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6cFmbD2MXlE/UztXXdiV_II/AAAAAAAAAzI/E1-KjE5Gv7Y/s1600/Brex+-+Popcorn+Cowl-hood.JPG" height="311" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, now that I've finally finished everything for my girl - for the moment, anyway - all it needs is for her parcel to be sent on it's way, to one very happy daughter :)<br /><br />I'm now having a break from the crocheting for a few days because, as soon as my hands recover enough, I'll be starting up a Crochet By Numbers course that I put my name down for. I've already sent the photo that I'll be making up into a crocheted picture, and have had the pattern sent back to me, along with others that Todd Paschall, the owner of the site, and my tutor, has provided for me to practice with so, hopefully, the next time I write a post, it will be to tell you how I'm progressing with it all :)<br /><br />Until then, have a happy, crocheting, time :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-37276515110196745582014-02-24T19:56:00.001+00:002014-02-24T19:56:17.317+00:00What Katy Did . . .<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just had a look at the date of my last post, and it shocked me that it was almost 3 </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">months</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> ago!</span><br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really don't know where that time went, although I have to confess that I slept through much of it, so it shouldn't be such a surprise that so long has gone by :(</span><br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, despite the lack of posts, and the slow-down in my ability to crochet right now, I have kept myself busy doing what I can, and when I'm able to.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spent a lot of the time I was able to crochet, in making items for my new step-granddaughter, as I'd promised her mum I'd make a cot blanket for her and, as I've never been able to just make one item at a time, I decided to make a cushion cover to go with it, and a birth date hanging, too.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Skyla's mum loves butterflies and hearts, and the colour pink, so I made sure there were plenty of all of them to brighten up Skyla's room :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TOYjj0BMgWk/UwuR0jGrkUI/AAAAAAAAAwk/VJfyGQ1BzMg/s1600/Skyla's+Cot+Blanket+-+29-01-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TOYjj0BMgWk/UwuR0jGrkUI/AAAAAAAAAwk/VJfyGQ1BzMg/s1600/Skyla's+Cot+Blanket+-+29-01-14.JPG" height="320" width="197" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rf_U4cq_PiM/UwuR5MIHnQI/AAAAAAAAAws/DktTXVNIgoQ/s1600/Zoe's+Butterfly+Cushion+Cover+-+29-01-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rf_U4cq_PiM/UwuR5MIHnQI/AAAAAAAAAws/DktTXVNIgoQ/s1600/Zoe's+Butterfly+Cushion+Cover+-+29-01-14.JPG" height="320" width="317" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yJwaU0Pcd9g/UwuR8n5KsGI/AAAAAAAAAw0/ISA6ZwMMmNo/s1600/Skyla's+Birth+Date+Bunting+-+29-01-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yJwaU0Pcd9g/UwuR8n5KsGI/AAAAAAAAAw0/ISA6ZwMMmNo/s1600/Skyla's+Birth+Date+Bunting+-+29-01-14.JPG" height="168" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I crocheted well over 100 4" squares to make these items, and it took me a long time to sew them together (a </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">definite</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> labour of love for my poor arthritic hands), but I thought it was worth it to give Skyla a hand-made gift, with love in every stitch, rather than just buying something that lots of other people would have, too :)</span><br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also made a few bits for Skyla to wear, as I had some gorgeous baby yarn in my stash, so I made her a jacket, headband, and booties set with them, making 2 sizes of booties, so she can still wear them all as a set as she grows. The Jacket doesn't quite fit Skyla as yet, as she's a tiny little thing, but her mum reckons they'll fit by the time she's 3 months old - if I get a pic with her wearing them, I'll put it on here :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhNu1ZaAhlk/UwuUIH9JfzI/AAAAAAAAAxA/ciDEDVY8fBM/s1600/Skyla's+Jacket,+Headband+&+Booties+set+-+22-01-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhNu1ZaAhlk/UwuUIH9JfzI/AAAAAAAAAxA/ciDEDVY8fBM/s1600/Skyla's+Jacket,+Headband+&+Booties+set+-+22-01-14.JPG" height="243" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I was about it, I also made some bits and pieces for baby Harry, my daughter's best friend's new son. They haven't been given yet, but I couldn't resist putting them on here, too:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I made a lovely hoodie and hat set for him, and I used a new pattern I'd just come across on the Caron website. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRfBMwQxCZk/UwuVj-_t52I/AAAAAAAAAxM/JGTyxZXD7xs/s1600/Harry's+Hoodie+-+27-01-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRfBMwQxCZk/UwuVj-_t52I/AAAAAAAAAxM/JGTyxZXD7xs/s1600/Harry's+Hoodie+-+27-01-14.JPG" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IxwiKuYmc7g/UwuVoDIJPdI/AAAAAAAAAxU/v7a5TJfLPrw/s1600/Harry's+Bobble+Hat+-+28-01-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IxwiKuYmc7g/UwuVoDIJPdI/AAAAAAAAAxU/v7a5TJfLPrw/s1600/Harry's+Bobble+Hat+-+28-01-14.JPG" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the link for them:</span><br /><br />http://web.archive.org/web/20100926005238/http://caron.com/projects/br/br_cno986_baby_hoodie.pdf</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also made a Bunny rattle, from a pattern I found on Crochet Spot. It's my very first attempt at making a rattle and, although there's definitely room for improvement, I think I did a fairly good job of it - I just hope Harry finds amusement with it, anyway :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ohzOK0Fz7c/UwuVrjkrWBI/AAAAAAAAAxc/_f5kXppRwEQ/s1600/Harry's+Rabbit+Rattle+-+30-01-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ohzOK0Fz7c/UwuVrjkrWBI/AAAAAAAAAxc/_f5kXppRwEQ/s1600/Harry's+Rabbit+Rattle+-+30-01-14.JPG" height="320" width="233" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The link for the pattern is:<br /><br />http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-pattern-baby-ring-and-rattle-toys/</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also attempted to make a mini Amish Puzzle Ball, from a free pattern by that awesome designer Dedri Uys - unfortunately, I'm a terrible photographer, but you can sort-of see what it's meant to be like. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGR5vwtfeOU/UwuVvNeu58I/AAAAAAAAAxk/fPty-7axe8c/s1600/Harry's+Amish+Puzzle+Ball+-+29-01-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGR5vwtfeOU/UwuVvNeu58I/AAAAAAAAAxk/fPty-7axe8c/s1600/Harry's+Amish+Puzzle+Ball+-+29-01-14.JPG" height="320" width="313" /></a></div>
<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the link for the pattern, on Dedri's </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look At What I Made</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Blog, and you can see clearly on there what it actually looks like, although I've used a different selection of colours for mine:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/free-crochet-patterns/mini-crochet-amish-puzzle-ball/</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a lot of trouble crocheting after making all this, and it was another week or so before I could make anything else. I then started on a series of woodland animals that I've now finished making, for my friend Candi, who lives in the USA. Hubby posted the parcel to her today so, after she's received it, I'll be able to post the pics I took of them all - although, once again, my photography isn't as good as I'd have liked it to be - but, despite this, the pics will give you an idea of how they look - and I'll also post the links to the patterns I used :)<br /><br />So, that's everything I've done - that I can show you now, anyway - since my last post, and I'll, hopefully, be posting again in a couple of weeks to show you the rest :)<br /><br />Have a great time crafting until then! :)<br /><br /></span>Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-14452762087525981912013-11-28T20:32:00.000+00:002013-11-28T20:32:49.120+00:00. . . and The Night Owl is back again! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm ashamed to say that the last Crafting post I did was </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">way</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> back, on September 11th!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I hasten to say that this doesn't mean that I've haven't <i>done</i> any crochet work - it just means I've been so overwhelmed with health problems, that writing about anything I managed to make was just too much - plus, there was also the restraint that a<i> lot </i>of the things I was working on were presents, and I didn't want the recipients seeing them all before the right time :)<br /><br />In my last crafting post, I mentioned that I'd had the privilege of testing a pattern for a wonderful designer, Dedri Uys, who's Blog is called: <i>Look At What I Made</i> (she can be found here:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/">http://www.lookatwhatimade.net</a>).<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She wanted people of all levels of skill to test out a cute bonnet pattern, using the Crocodile Stitch - something I'd not come across until then - and she bravely allowed me to give it a try :)<br /><br />This is what I made:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hur3srnAY9w/Upd3OAiBKNI/AAAAAAAAAu8/Qa9Bay4m4eY/s1600/Crocodile+Stitch+Bonnet.+designed+by+Dearest+Debi+-+14-09-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hur3srnAY9w/Upd3OAiBKNI/AAAAAAAAAu8/Qa9Bay4m4eY/s320/Crocodile+Stitch+Bonnet.+designed+by+Dearest+Debi+-+14-09-13.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the only yarn I had available, in the weight that she wanted used, was some Red Heart Super Saver, in Pumpkin, so that's what I had to use. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually love the colour - it's just that, with my abysmal photographic skills, I couldn't show exactly how lovely the colour really <i>is</i> - but you can definitely see the crocodile stitches! I'm quite fond of this little bonnet, as it was my very first item made with the crocodile stitch, and there had been quite an amount of frogging involved before I caught the knack of using it :)<br /><br />I think that's one of the main aspects of crochet work that I love most - there's such an <i>infinite</i> variety of ways it can be brought together to make so many things, that I'll never get bored with it :)<br /><br />I also tested a pattern for another lovely designer - Candace Glabas, who's Facebook Page, <i>Crochet Dans L'air and The Grey Lady</i>, is full of wonderful craft work:<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crochet-Dans-Lair-and-The-Grey-Lady/131901040286310">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crochet-Dans-Lair-and-The-Grey-Lady/131901040286310</a>).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candace had asked me to test out a pattern, which involved using another new stitch for me, the Half Double Knit Stitch - which is actually a crochet stitch, and can be found here:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pG8YuAfQfU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pG8YuAfQfU</a>. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candi's pattern was for a Laptop case and, as it happened, I had need of one, so I was happy to attempt yet another new stitch, and have something useful at the end of it - and here's the result:<br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kPOB2Vo8iwY/Upd-aOCjJtI/AAAAAAAAAvM/NeICgvcY6Fo/s320/Candace's+Laptop+Pattern.JPG" width="320" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Because I didn't have the appropriate yarn to use, and was already </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">w</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">aiting on an order of my favourite Red Heart Yarns, sent from the USA, I made it up to the thickness needed, using three strands of DK yarn I had in my yarn stash - a dark purple, a lavender, and a white. I used 2 buttons from my button stash as a closure, and I'm very pleased with the result - as was Candi, thank heavens :)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Since then, I've made quite a few items - including some bunting in various leaf patterns for a friend's craft stall - which I forgot to take a pic of! But I'm hoping that she will take one of it in use and, if so, I'll show you on another post :)<br /><br />I've been quite busy making winter outfits (hats, scarves and gloves), for my parents, as it's their 58th wedding anniversary on 27th December and, as they both use scooters to get around now, I figured they'd keep a little warmer with some snuggly winter wear :) <br /><br />I was given some <i>gorgeous</i> cream-coloured Aran Yarn, flecked with tiny spots of green and brown, which was, unfortunately for me, 25% real wool, and so was a total trial to use - but I was determined to make a really warm set for my Dad, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and so I made him a lovely warm Hat, a scarf to match, and some G</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">littens - or fingerless mittens - that I'd got as a Premium pattern from </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crochet Spot</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, which can be found here:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.crochetspot.com/store/index.php?pattern=99">http://www.crochetspot.com/store/index.php?pattern=99</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- I managed it in the end, after having very frequent breaks to ease my hands (it's a pain figuratively, as well as physically, to be allergic to real wool!), to get them finished - along with a set of house slippers that I l</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ovingly crocheted with the same yarn, too - but </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">my Dad is well </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> worth the pain of using the wool-blend yarn! :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my Mum, I was very fortunate to be given a wonderful pattern called, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lady Victoria's Winter Warmers</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, a set of Hat, Neckwarmer/Cowl, and a combination of fingerless gloves, with a Mitten cap, to keep fingers toasty while not using them for anything intricate :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The set was designed by a lovely lady, called Sue Pendleton and, if you like these, then you should go onto Ravelry, where she has a load of free patterns to be used - you can find her patterns here: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sue-pendleton/patterns">http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sue-pendleton/patterns</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mum loves blue and green and, while I didn't have any suitable blues, I did have just the right amount of greens available - Red Heart Super Saver Solids - in Tea Leaf, and</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Honeydew, and I also </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">used a tiny amount of the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hunter Green for leaves,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> along with some vintage buttons I had just purchased, and so I was able to make the set for her :) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KqsROIYwM-4/UpeEzpXfbsI/AAAAAAAAAvc/GhRebpsJFyE/s1600/Lady+V+outfit+for+Mum+-+finished+25-11-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KqsROIYwM-4/UpeEzpXfbsI/AAAAAAAAAvc/GhRebpsJFyE/s400/Lady+V+outfit+for+Mum+-+finished+25-11-13.JPG" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hat and Cowl part of the set :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8hTcyFECies/UpeFEMFYiXI/AAAAAAAAAv8/9cKpERcdQsM/s1600/Lady+V+Hat+&+Flower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8hTcyFECies/UpeFEMFYiXI/AAAAAAAAAv8/9cKpERcdQsM/s200/Lady+V+Hat+&+Flower.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the vintage button in the flower? :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_6a8pCI8eo/UpeE3WyUXiI/AAAAAAAAAvk/xEsS40pG1tE/s1600/Lady+V+Glittens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_6a8pCI8eo/UpeE3WyUXiI/AAAAAAAAAvk/xEsS40pG1tE/s320/Lady+V+Glittens.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the gloves/mittens :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> By the time I'd finished making the set, there was plenty of the accent colour (the Tea Leaf) left, and so I decided to make Mum an extra gift of some Leg Warmers to keep her legs snug on her scooter - and a pair of light house slippers to wear indoors :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gCoHRrykoYQ/UpeE72PdFEI/AAAAAAAAAvs/XlToN2YKDRQ/s1600/Leg+Warmers+for+Mum+-+26-11-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gCoHRrykoYQ/UpeE72PdFEI/AAAAAAAAAvs/XlToN2YKDRQ/s320/Leg+Warmers+for+Mum+-+26-11-13.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used the Alicia Leg Warmer pattern, designed by Leah Addis, which can be found here:<br /></span></span><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alicia-legwarmers">http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alicia-legwarmers</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />I followed the pattern, except that I left off the frilled edge and buttons down the length :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lbBY0W-VZgE/UpeFAk3LVpI/AAAAAAAAAv0/W1B5nzAIwEw/s1600/House+Slippers+for+Mum+-+26-11-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lbBY0W-VZgE/UpeFAk3LVpI/AAAAAAAAAv0/W1B5nzAIwEw/s320/House+Slippers+for+Mum+-+26-11-13.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These house slippers, minus the contrasting, frilled, edging, were from a free pattern on Jay's Boutique Blog, to be found here:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.jaysboutiqueblog.blogspot.fr/2012/05/free-pattern-womens-house-slippers.html">http://www.jaysboutiqueblog.blogspot.fr/2012/05/free-pattern-womens-house-slippers.html</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two other items I made - which were posted all the way over to Canada, were a couple of amigurumi sea creatures, to be placed on display in a Crochet-arium, organised by Michael Sellick, of <i>The Crochet Crowd</i> fame:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(</span><a href="http://www.thecrochetcrowd.com/">http://www.thecrochetcrowd.com</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">)</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">took place on October 13th, at the <i>Creativ Festival</i> in Canada, where each item was sold on behalf of <i>Crafting for A Cure</i>, a charity project, which also covers North America. I don't know what my two sea creatures went for, but I just hope that they helped a child somewhere :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I made a Narwhal, and an Octopus - unfortunately, I can't find the photos I took of the Octopus, but there's a nice photo here (even if Mikey did get the place I lived wrong - it's Wales, Mikey, not England! Lol), along with my Narwhal:<br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeyssmail/9836843594/in/set-72157635299722849/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeyssmail/9836843594/in/set-72157635299722849/</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I did make a collage pic of the Narwhal, so here it is:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hmjsXu7a1ZE/UpeYcLg1qEI/AAAAAAAAAwM/75n7Bo0SKf8/s1600/Narwhal+for+the+Crochet-Arium+-+20-9-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hmjsXu7a1ZE/UpeYcLg1qEI/AAAAAAAAAwM/75n7Bo0SKf8/s320/Narwhal+for+the+Crochet-Arium+-+20-9-13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I've made quite a few other bits and pieces but, until they are given to their recipients, I can't show them on here, in case they see them before time :)<br /><br />I <i>do</i> hope this has made up for my silence for so long? :)<br /></span><br />
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-60168740974461537902013-10-21T02:45:00.002+01:002013-10-21T02:45:11.231+01:00Ten Things of Thankful #12<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This last week started with a death, and sort-of went downhill after that.<br /><br />I've been soul-searching all week, trying to find 10 things to be thankful for, but my sorrow kept getting in the way - and so I decided that, despite how I feel, I should do my best to at least try to list 10 things that I can be thankful for. <br /><br />So here it is:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful that I'm still alive. My spiritual brother died at
the age of 50 and, at 52, I've had 2 years more than him on this beautiful
earth. I hope to enjoy many more, God willing, and so I<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>should</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>be thankful for this extra time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful for my other spiritual brothers and sisters, who were
concerned about me, despite their own grief. That they could still worry about me
shows just how much love there is between us all, and so I am always thankful
for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful that Lizzi was able to do so well with her run to
raise money for Cancer Research.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm also thankful that Lizzi's post during the week, while
shocking me terribly, wasn't actually real, but got the point across to many
people about how devastating cancer is, and how much <i>more</i> research is needed if
we're to eliminate this awful disease!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful that I'm one of the survivors!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful that, despite my bad week, I'm still able to look
forward to the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">7.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful for a daughter who has such a strong work ethic, and
who enjoys her work so much that it never wears on her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">8.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful that my daughter's gigs this weekend went so well,
and that she has so much to look forward to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">9.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful for my husband's love and care this week. He <i>always</i>
loves and cares for me so well but, despite being ill himself this week, he has
been even more solicitous of me after we got that bad news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 54.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">10.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I'm thankful that I've been able to find things to be thankful
for. It has been a very hard week for me this week, as my health has been very
poor, as well as coping with the sorrow of loss, and so I doubted whether I could find<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>anything</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>to be glad about!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ten%20Things%20of%20Thankful" nbsp="" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank" title="Ten Things of Thankful"><img alt="Ten Things of Thankful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvMF0YXKNVw/UbMREOGIjOI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FnqVghiIhIo/s1600/TenThingsBanner.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-78427817808863121472013-10-13T17:11:00.001+01:002013-10-13T17:11:19.056+01:00Ten Things of Thankful #11<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm very late with my post this weekend because, frankly, it's taken me this long to get over my daughter's wonderful visit to us!<br /><br />So I'd better start my TToT straight away :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) I'm so very thankful for the pleasure I've had at my daughter's company over our anniversary week (hubby always makes it last a week - he's such a romantic! Lol)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) I was thankful that she was able to get a lift right to our front door this time, instead of having to take so many changes between trains and buses!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) I am also thankful to good friends of ours who gave her a safe lift back to the train station - where the train was there, waiting for her!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4) I'm thankful that she will be able to visit us again in November - much, much sooner than we had hoped to see her again!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5) I'm thankful for good friends, who made our anniversary dinner such a special one :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ij9Cvt3N2xo/Ulq5h11UfmI/AAAAAAAAAs0/Sw66IH-nloM/s1600/Bob,+Katy,+Helen,+Tony+&+Rachel+-+8-10-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ij9Cvt3N2xo/Ulq5h11UfmI/AAAAAAAAAs0/Sw66IH-nloM/s320/Bob,+Katy,+Helen,+Tony+&+Rachel+-+8-10-13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Helen, Bob, Rachel, Tony & Myself :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LOCfe6_O-gw/Ulq50JILkAI/AAAAAAAAAtE/37Q9NJOAR84/s1600/Bob,+Katy,+Brex,+Tony+&+Rachel+-+8-10-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LOCfe6_O-gw/Ulq50JILkAI/AAAAAAAAAtE/37Q9NJOAR84/s320/Bob,+Katy,+Brex,+Tony+&+Rachel+-+8-10-13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left: Brex, Bob, Rachel, Tony & Myself</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6) I'm especially thankful for my friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lindsay.ogden1?hc_location=stream" target="_blank">Lyndsay Ogden-Talbot</a>, of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PrettyGlassy.co.uk" target="_blank">Pretty Glassy</a>, who so beautifully decorated the clock I'd chosen for Bob as an anniversary present. Her design was so very apt for us both, and we'll treasure the clock forever :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoE5Y5IwCkY/Ulq7M5KRAzI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/G5SnZigwasQ/s1600/Bob's+Anniversary+Clock+-+8-10-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoE5Y5IwCkY/Ulq7M5KRAzI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/G5SnZigwasQ/s320/Bob's+Anniversary+Clock+-+8-10-13.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob's Pearl Anniversary present, from me :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7) I'm also thankful to her for the amazing heart pendants she created for all three of us, as a family. She made the exact right choices for us all, and I just wish my photography skills were good enough to show just how amazing the hearts are!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_j2RqVyCT7g/Ulq9WAdkUvI/AAAAAAAAAts/RYPzQFOAjrM/s1600/Bob's+Tree+Heart+Pendant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_j2RqVyCT7g/Ulq9WAdkUvI/AAAAAAAAAts/RYPzQFOAjrM/s320/Bob's+Tree+Heart+Pendant.JPG" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob's Tree Heart Pendant, with his name, <br />and the date of our anniversary on the back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C1f4b8hs83Y/Ulq9f6Dw8rI/AAAAAAAAAt0/XMSn8TZZEvo/s1600/Heart+Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C1f4b8hs83Y/Ulq9f6Dw8rI/AAAAAAAAAt0/XMSn8TZZEvo/s320/Heart+Owl.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Owl Heart Pendant - <br />with the Mortar Board I never got to wear! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8) I'm also very thankful to my friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/milly.rees.7?fref=ts" target="_blank">Milly Rees</a>, of <a href="http://millyanatrees.weebly.com/index.html" target="_blank">MillyannaTrees</a>, who made such gorgeous Steampunk Owls for Brex & myself. As we both love Owls, and Steampunk, they couldn't have been a more welcome present from Bob if he'd tried! :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4H9fPCuW3LM/Ulq8v_aOaXI/AAAAAAAAAtc/yhXnU-LlmQM/s1600/My+Oswald+Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4H9fPCuW3LM/Ulq8v_aOaXI/AAAAAAAAAtc/yhXnU-LlmQM/s320/My+Oswald+Owl.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Oswald Owl - Steampunk Style :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7bIbbDUprLY/Ulq9LruiJuI/AAAAAAAAAtk/kaoQGrGb6MM/s1600/Brex's+Steam+Punk+Owl+&+Heart+Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7bIbbDUprLY/Ulq9LruiJuI/AAAAAAAAAtk/kaoQGrGb6MM/s320/Brex's+Steam+Punk+Owl+&+Heart+Owl.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brex's Owl, along with the Phoenix Heart Pendant, <br />made for her by Lyndsay :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9) I'm thankful to my friend Helen, who not only got me a big bag of chunky yarn (she knows me so well!), but also included another little friend for me to love:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OypVDW0XJCc/Ulq_VZZdLLI/AAAAAAAAAuE/ljejCARezCk/s1600/Little+Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OypVDW0XJCc/Ulq_VZZdLLI/AAAAAAAAAuE/ljejCARezCk/s320/Little+Owl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Little Owl, from Helen :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10) And, finally, I'm so very thankful for the gorgeous Roses (plus a load of chocolate) bought for us by Rachel & Tony, plus the 2 gorgeous Cyclamen plants by Helen - and the many cards we received from our family and friends - we were thoroughly spoilt! :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5n82GZhY4IU/UlrBE9oGmGI/AAAAAAAAAuM/N8QaI4dfGgg/s1600/The+Roses+&+Cyclamen+bought+for+us+from+Tony,+Rachel,+&+Helen+Hind.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5n82GZhY4IU/UlrBE9oGmGI/AAAAAAAAAuM/N8QaI4dfGgg/s320/The+Roses+&+Cyclamen+bought+for+us+from+Tony,+Rachel,+&+Helen+Hind.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roses & the white Cyclamen :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nq8V8CKHuIw/UlrCaqtf6gI/AAAAAAAAAuU/vNM56y2e9OU/s1600/Our+Anniversary+cards+-+8-10-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nq8V8CKHuIw/UlrCaqtf6gI/AAAAAAAAAuU/vNM56y2e9OU/s320/Our+Anniversary+cards+-+8-10-13.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the gorgeous cards we received, plus the red Cyclamen, <br />and a bouquet of flowers from my Dutch friend, Mirjam :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All-in-all, we've had so <i>many</i> things to be thankful for this week, it's been amazing :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-45349897800927615122013-10-05T03:19:00.000+01:002013-10-05T03:19:37.619+01:0010 Things of Thankful # 10<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Is it me, or is time galloping along? It only feels like a couple
of days since I posted my #9 post, and here's Saturday rolled around once more!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
I'm feeling a little guilty, actually, as I wasn't
well enough to contribute to many Blogs last week - but I did try to read as
many of them as I could, when I could and, once again, everyone amazed me with
the things they'd found to be thankful of.<br />
<br />
I guess I've procrastinated long enough now so,
without ado, here are this week's 10 things of Thankful:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I’m thankful for discovering an amazing Blog a few months ago. It’s
called 23 Thorns, and is written by an amazingly funny man who lives with his
wife and children in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South
Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region>. He not only writes some amazing
stuff about the local flora and fauna, but he can be hysterically funny while
doing so! I read his post of the 3rd October, and I laughed so much I nearly
wet myself! I haven’t laughed like that in <i>soooooooo</i>
long, so it was an amazing boost! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here’s the link – go </span><i style="font-family: Verdana;">on</i><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> - read his post, you’ll have </span><i style="font-family: Verdana;">such</i><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> a laugh! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://23thorns.com/">http://23thorns.com/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I’m
thankful for the amazing artistry of a friend who has decorated a special clock
I bought for my hubby for our Pearl Anniversary. She managed to add everything
that symbolises us, our love, and the things that mean a lot to us both. It’s
something I know we will both treasure for the rest of our lives </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I’m
thankful that my girl is coming to stay for a few days from this weekend. I
haven’t seen her for what seems like an age, and I so want to see my amazing
daughter, and hug her for all the time I’ve been missing her </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Following
on from that, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> just so very thankful for the wonderful relationship I have
with my daughter. I never could talk to my mum in the way that Brex and I can
talk, and I thank God every day for my miracle child, and the fact that we are
firm friends, as well as mother and daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;">With
that, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> also thankful for amazing friends. My best buddy, Mirjam, moved back
to </span><st1:city style="font-family: Verdana;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Holland</st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> to
be near her mum, who isn't well, and I’ve been missing her something terrible. Just
a few days ago, there was a knock at the door, and it was a local florist
holding a big bouquet of flowers from my dear friend, who sent them in plenty
of time for our 30th wedding anniversary. It made me miss her even more, but in
a nice way </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vFfkIeUTtUo/Uk9me8-KxiI/AAAAAAAAAsE/eCALFUWVjyY/s1600/Mirjam's+Bouquet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vFfkIeUTtUo/Uk9me8-KxiI/AAAAAAAAAsE/eCALFUWVjyY/s320/Mirjam's+Bouquet.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe"
filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:297.75pt;
height:264pt'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"
o:title="Mirjam's Bouquet"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m
also very thankful for my spiritual brothers and sisters, who do their very best
to keep me spiritually alive and well. Being unable to go to my meetings really
hurts me at times, as I really miss that amazing feeling I always used to get
in our mutual worshipping of Jehovah God and Christ Jesus - but my spiritual
family have banded together to help me, and go out of their way to make sure
that I don’t miss out <i>too </i>much on that special meeting of minds, hearts and
spirit.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">7.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I’m
thankful to Lovefilm, who have all the old series I used to love watching –
like Married with Children – and who give me an unlimited amount of viewing
time – I think </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> watched more films, and old series, this year than at any
other time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">8.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I’m
thankful, once again, for the internet, as it not only keeps me close to family
and friends, but is the means for my entertainment, as above! Lol<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">9.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I’m
thankful for digital cameras. My hubby kept talking about the small river that runs through our little woodland (we get otters coming through here regularly),
which </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> never been well enough to go look at, and he eventually realised
that he could take photos of it for me! Lol He did this today, even though it
poured down for most of the day! </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yTPcSiQE6AQ/Uk9m10Y-DPI/AAAAAAAAAsU/LAYeyKLaOMw/s1600/Bob's+Woodland+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yTPcSiQE6AQ/Uk9m10Y-DPI/AAAAAAAAAsU/LAYeyKLaOMw/s320/Bob's+Woodland+10.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zy5rkZGpKAU/Uk9nRsSVMoI/AAAAAAAAAsk/lc7NM5nyCGM/s1600/Bob's+Woodland+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zy5rkZGpKAU/Uk9nRsSVMoI/AAAAAAAAAsk/lc7NM5nyCGM/s320/Bob's+Woodland+6.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:310.5pt;height:228.75pt'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image003.jpg"
o:title="Bob's Woodland 6"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">10. And, lastly, I'm really thankful for the amazing ladies all
over the world </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">that </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> currently sharing a </span><st1:street style="font-family: Verdana;" w:st="on">Granny Square</st1:street><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> swap with.
It </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">will be so </span><i style="font-family: Verdana;">very </i><span style="font-family: Verdana;">nice to put all of those squares I’m getting </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">together, and make the baby blanket that I
promised to a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">friend </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">of my daughter who has </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">just given birth to a
baby </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">girl. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">She loves to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">travel, so
will appreciate that every square </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">will have been </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">lovingly made by
somebody from a different </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">part of the world to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">us. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/p/ten-things-of-thankful.html" target="_blank" title="Ten Things of Thankful"><img alt="Ten Things of Thankful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvMF0YXKNVw/UbMREOGIjOI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FnqVghiIhIo/s1600/TenThingsBanner.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></span></div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-67541733841318951612013-09-28T09:53:00.002+01:002013-09-28T09:53:25.420+01:00Ten Things of Thankful #9<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been telling friends about my joining in with TToT recently, and they had to agree that this is a great way to be able to focus on the positive :)<br /><br />There's something almost addictive about this hop as, despite anything bad happening in our lives, we are almost <i>forced</i> to see the positives in our lives because of it. On reading Lizzi's post just now, and following the links she gave to Dyanne's thursday post: <a href="http://iwantbacksies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/two-stories-one-nicer-than-other.html" target="_blank">Two stories - one nicer than other.</a> , I immediately came face-to-face with a very dark period in my <i>own</i> life which, thanks be to God, I managed to endure, and come out a stronger person because of, or even despite it :)<br /><br />This has added an impetus to this week's post for me so, without ado, I give you my Week 9 of TToT:<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. I thank Jehovah God that I came through my struggle with cancer when
I was 32 and, although I lost any vestige of a chance of having another child -
a hysterectomy was a necessary evil - I am so <i>grateful </i>for the quickness of diagnosis, the speed of the NHS in
dealing with it, and the amazing relief at not needing any of the more brutal
treatments afterwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. To follow on from the above, I'm also very, very thankful that I
was blessed with the child I<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>did</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>have, and I thank Jehovah every single
day for that blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. I’m thankful to have reached the age of 52. 20 years ago, the
possibility of reaching this age was just a hope for me, but I came through to
the other side and, despite other health problems now, am still alive and,
figuratively, kicking! :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. I'm thankful for the gift of friendship that this hop has given me – something more
precious to me than gold or pearls - and I’m so grateful for the really amazing
people I've had the privilege to be in contact with because of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5. I'm thankful that, although my pain levels never reach the 0
factor, I'm also blessed with this, as I'm actually still<i> here</i> to feel it :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">6. I'm thankful for those people, like Lizzi of <a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/">Considerings</a>,
who is training
hard, and who is doing a job that will probably be a bit thankless at times,
but who does it cheerfully, and with a wonderful spirit, as she helps to keep those
people with diabetic retinopathy in as tip-top a condition as she’s able to :) Having had<i> my</i> bad eyesight – although being caused
by something totally unrelated - improved immensely over the years, I really do
appreciate everyone who works in the Ophthalmology line :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">7. Just as Zoe, from <a href="http://www.rewritten-redo.com/">rewritten</a>, listed in this week’s
hop I, too, am thankful to have been born a woman of this generation (well, of
the 60’s, anyway). If I had been born earlier, I probably wouldn't be sitting
here, in bed, with my laptop in front of me, writing something that will be
available for anyone around the
world - with internet access - to be able to read if they want to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">8. I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn so much more about the
people I'm in contact with through this hop. Their courage and convictions
shine through the words they use, and the choices they make in their Thankful
lists – and I'm often left breathless at the scope for bravery displayed here
online :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">9. I’m so very thankful for the choices I've made throughout my life, as they led me here, to a place where I'm comfortable talking about aspects of my
life I <i>couldn't</i> speak about
previously, even to those closest to me. There’s something about the –
albeit false – anonymity of the blogosphere that helps so <i>many</i> people to be able to face their demons, and win through to a
better way of thinking!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">10. Finally, I'm thankful, as always, to my hubby, who often goes above and beyond the call of duty in his efforts to cheer me up when I'm down, or to
bring me comfort just when I feel there never will be any :) Through his efforts over the last week,
I've been able to get my blog done relatively early for a change :)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div align="center">
</div>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/p/ten-things-of-thankful.html" target="_blank" title="Ten Things of Thankful"><img alt="Ten Things of Thankful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvMF0YXKNVw/UbMREOGIjOI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FnqVghiIhIo/s1600/TenThingsBanner.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-43892774435699373052013-09-22T09:59:00.000+01:002013-09-22T09:59:52.131+01:00Ten Things of Thankful #8<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's hard to believe that yet another week has gone by, but I guess when you spend your life mostly asleep, that's what happens :(<br /><br />I've had to think really hard this week for my list of thankfuls but, by doing so, it helped me to see all the lovely little things that can outweigh anything bad - and that's got to be a good thing, right? :)<br /><br />So, on to my list of 10 thankfuls:</span><br /><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm really thankful that the surgeon told my Mum that he didn't have to operate on her wrist - Mum fell and broke it while visiting family in southern Ireland for a funeral and, because she's on Warfarin, the surgeons couldn't operate, and so had to take special care to manipulate the bones back into place. Mum's surgeon in East Anglia, where she lives, has told her it's healing well without surgical intervention, which is a relief to the whole family :)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful that the downturn in my Dad's health, after he said goodbye to his last sibling, was due more to a minor infection, than the desperate grief we thought it was. At least it was something fixable.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm so very thankful for antibiotics, which have helped my dad very quickly, and are something with which I wouldn't have survived to adulthood without. It makes me so very glad to have been born at this time, rather than in the past, where so many died through lack of this relatively simple cure.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful to Lizzy Allen, of http://muddleheadedmamma.blogspot.com.au/, who cheered up my day on monday, by nominating me to the Leibster Award - it brought a smile to my face, which was no mean feat, believe me!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful that my daughter has returned safely home from her American jaunt - even though she was whisked away immediately to one of the last festivals of the season.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful that it'll only be a week or two before she's here with us in Wales for a week, where we can catch up on all she's done this last 4 weeks, and where she'll be ready to celebrate our anniversary with us :)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for my hubby's friends, who unfailingly turn up to keep him company while I sleep away my days. They stop him from feeling alone while he watches over me, and they keep him distracted, and entertained, to stave off his worries over my health :)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm so very thankful that we both have a keen sense of humour - and a sense of the ridiculous! Hubby has now convinced me that I'm actually a vegetarian vampire (I'm definitely a 'nice plate of veggies, with maybe a bit of fish', in preference to hubby's 'still-dripping-with-blood' enjoyment of meat), which, according to him, is why I shy away from the light, sleep all day, and can't be woken without him pulling out the stake! Lol</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the lovely days we are still having, despite the drastic downturn in temperature, and the fact that I can still look out of my window, and see the sun glinting through the many and varied grasses that hubby loves to plant around our garden, while watching the local doves bathing in the bird bath. This is such a wonderful thing for me to enjoy :)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm really thankful for my cat, Kushka, who is always there keeping me company, even while I sleep - in fact, especially while I sleep, as she can then get plenty of uninterrupted snoozing herself! Lol</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ten%20Things%20of%20Thankful" nbsp="" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank" title="Ten Things of Thankful"><img alt="Ten Things of Thankful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvMF0YXKNVw/UbMREOGIjOI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FnqVghiIhIo/s1600/TenThingsBanner.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-61027356697421592332013-09-16T09:19:00.001+01:002013-09-16T09:19:26.492+01:00I've been nominated for the Leibster Award :)<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now I've got to be honest with you, and tell you that, until I got a lovely message from Lizzy Allen, from the </span></span><a href="http://muddleheadedmamma.blogspot.com.au/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://muddleheadedmamma.blogspot.com.au/</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">,<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>I hadn't ever heard of the Liebster Award - but then that wouldn't be hard, as I rarely have the chance to look around at the many excellent Blogs I'd love to keep an eye on :)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reading Lizzy's post about it, it appears to be an award that acknowledges up-and-coming new bloggers, with the aim of encouraging them to continue writing, and work at making their blog grow - something I'd be quite happy to see happening :)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to Lizzy, the word Liebster comes from the German, and means approximately the following: </span></span><span style="background-color: #ffebf2; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;">sweetest, kindest, dearest, beloved, lovely, endearing and welcome</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- definitely words that I'd <i>love </i>to be associated with :)</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I'm not 100% sure what I'm supposed to do now that I've been nominated, except to follow the rules Lizzy wrote on her blog, and answer the 11 questions that Lizzy set for myself and the other nominees but, as I feel very honoured </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to have been nominated, especially as new as I am to the blogging scene, I'll do my very best to follow the rules, and to answer the questions as well as I can :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7qUHitH1xNg/UjXHI7A0jpI/AAAAAAAACDI/ZbUNP0bfh1c/s1600/liebster-award-1.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;">To be nominated for a Liebster Award you should have less than 200 blog followers and less than 200 Facebook likes.</i><br style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: magenta; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="color: white;"><b>Here are the rules:</b></span></span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;" /><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;">1. Answer the 11 questions set for you by the blogger who nominated you</b><br style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;" /><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: #ffebf2; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;">2. Post 11 things about yourself </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: #ffebf2; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;">3. Choose 11 bloggers who fit the criteria above and link them in your post</b><br style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;" /><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: #ffebf2; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;">4. Create 11 new questions for your own nominees to answer</b><br style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;" /><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: #ffebf2; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;"></span><b style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -24px;">4. Visit their blog and let them know you have nominated them</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">So, here we go with my answers to Lizzy's questions: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">1. What is the</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> best holiday</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> you've ever been on?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think it would have to be the 2 weeks I spent in the Lake District with my best friend Alison, and her family. I'd only ever had caravan holidays in Great Yarmouth before this, and so the Lake Districts were an amazing, beautiful, and eye-opening delight for me :) I used to wake up every morning to the sound of cow bells, as a herd was driven past the little cottage we were staying in. I had more new experiences on that holiday than at any other time previously in my life, and so it has stayed with me, even after going to many other spots afterward - it was wonderful :)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 2. Do you have</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">/</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">have you ever had a </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">recurring dream</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">? What is/was it?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ooh, yes I do as it happens - I've had this same dream periodically throughout my life, and it used to scare me silly as a child:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm very small, and for some reason, I'm walking in a wheat field, with the wheat so high it's over my head. I can feel the hot sun beating down on my head, and can smell the ripeness of the wheat, and all I can hear is the whisper of the wind as it blows through the wheat stalks, and the chirping of crickets and birds. I then hear the sound of an engine in the distance but, because I can't see over the ears of wheat, I don't know what it is, until I suddenly step out from all the wheat onto a path of sorts. I look around and, there in the distance, I see a big yellow harvester slowly coming towards me. I don't feel any panic, as it is going slowly, so I step out into the path made by it's first sweep, and decide to follow it to the end of the row. I'm walking quite quickly but, because I'm only little, it's not very fast really and, before I know it, the harvester is getting closer and closer. Suddenly I trip over a loose sandal strap, and I hurt my ankle so I can't get up, and I'm watching the harvester coming closer and closer to me until it's almost upon me. I can't see the driver as he is so high up and, despite me shouting and waving, the harvester keeps on coming. Just as it gets to about six feet away from me, my great-grandmother appears out off the wheat rows, snatches me up, and steps back into the wheat, and I'm overwhelmed with the sounds and smells of the harvester as it goes by. That's always when I wake up :) </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 3. If you had to live on a deserted island for one year and you could only pack </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">one book</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">, which one would you pack?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It would have to be the Bible, of course. Despite being a sci-fi and fantasy buff, I've found that there are more tales of adventure and derring-do, of love, hate, passion, war and peace, in this amazing book, than anything I can find on the fiction shelves. Anything that can be attributed to the human condition is there if you look, so it would be a great companion for me - plus there's all kinds of wisdom to be had to survive almost anything life throws at you :)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 4. If you had to live on a deserted island for one year and you could only watch </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">one film</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> in that time (there happens to be a TV and DVD player on this island!), which film would you pack?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hmmm, that's a hard one, as I have so many films that I love. I guess it would have to be one of my favourite disaster and survival movies - probably The Day After Tomorrow, which I never tire of watching :)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 5. What's your</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> favourite meal to cook </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">when you have a guest over for dinner?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm quite experimental with my cooking, and always love trying out new recipes on my family and friends - when I'm able to cook nowadays - but I guess the two menus I cook most often, as we all love them, are either Kedgeree, or my Indian food spread, probably with my homemade Profiteroles, or Tiramisu, for afters :)</span><br />
<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 6. What's your </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">funniest childhood memory</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think it's got to be my baby sister's Christening party - I'm 10 years older than her, so that must have been my age -and this was when we lived in London. Without a drop of booze in the house, we started the party quite soberly, and it ended up with half the street doing a conga in and out of everyone's homes - while picking up the local Bobby into line as we went! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I still remember how exhausted with laughter we all were when it was over :)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 7. What is the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">most challenging job</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> (besides being a parent) you've ever had?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hand's down, it has got to be when I worked with my hubby, as we would be painting and decorating one week, gardening the next, and then laying miles of hedges, or felling dangerous trees, after that! It was all hard, physical graft, but we loved working together, and I got quite proficient with the chainsaw :)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 8. What was your </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">favourite movie when you were a kid</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first one that came to mind was Mary Poppins, as I found Dick Van Dyke very funny as a child, closely followed by Bedknobs and Broomsticks :)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 9. What's the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">most romantic thing</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> you've ever done?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think it must have been the time when I arranged a lovely picnic for my, then future, husband and I. We sat on a small island with the river running all around us, and fed the ducks, and talked, and laughed, until the sun set - we still think back to that one particular time, as that's when we told each other of our love.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 10. If you could have </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">one extreme talent</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">, what you want and why?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've never even thought about this much really, so I'm not sure what I would choose - I dreamt of being a world-class singer as a child, and I've always wanted to write a book, but I can't think of anything <i>extreme</i> that I might like. I guess I've read too many sci-fi stories, where people with extreme talents tend to have things go wrong! Lol</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;"> 11.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">What's</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">something about yourself</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">that</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">most people </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">you know</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"> in real life don't know</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">about you? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Century Gothic', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only thing I can think of here, is the fact that, with my total love of books, I desperately wanted to be a librarian as a child - until I realised that I'd have to let people take <i>my</i> books out! No <i>way</i> would I let that happen! Lol</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>11 Things About Me</b>:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">I can be very OCD about things that I do - they've got to be done in a certain way - as long as it's </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">my </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">way!</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">When I'm in the kitchen cooking, I can't bear anybody else being there - if someone comes in, they're quickly scooted out again.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">I've still got the terrible habit of biting my nails when I'm anxious - not something I do much now, but it's a habit I haven't managed to break.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">I never learned to ride a bike, due to inner ear problems as a child - and I'd really love to have one of the adult tricycles I've seen around - amazing things! Lol</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">I can't bear seeing a piece of writing where there are lots of spelling mistakes - I've just got to correct it, or it drives me nuts!</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">My favourite toy as a child was a Gollywog my mum got by saving up coupons from her Robinsons Marmalade jars.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">I can't bear the smell, or taste, of celery - if there's celery in a recipe, I'll </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">always</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"> leave it out - putting leeks in it's place!</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">All of my books are not only in alphabetical order, but I've even put the authors in order, too.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">I can't resist collecting ever more yarn, and crochet hooks, and patterns, even though I've got enough of them to last me a lifetime, there's always something new, and prettier, coming out.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.390625px;">I'm a chocoholic!</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.390625px;">I bought a second-hand sewing machine months ago, determined to re-learn how to use it, and haven't touched it since :/</span></span></span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My 11 Nominees</b>:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">Lindsay @ </span><a href="http://crochetdlane.blogspot.co.uk/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;" target="_blank">Crochet d Lane</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">Candace </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">@ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CraftiCandi?ref=hl" target="_blank">CraftiCandi</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Joy @ <a href="http://fooddiaryofteacher.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/plans.html#comment-form" target="_blank">Food Diary of a Teacher</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Doris @ <a href="http://idealdelusions.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ideal Delusions</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Martyn : <a href="http://insidemartynsmind.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Inside Martyns Mind</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lynnette @ <a href="http://manicstitcher.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">ManicStitcher</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kari @ <a href="http://www.missbloggypants.com/" target="_blank">Miss Bloggypants</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mel @ <a href="http://mydiaryofacatowner.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">My Diary of a Cat Owner</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jesselle @ <a href="http://ohforsweetnesssake.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Oh For Sweetness Sake</a><br /><br />Hannelore @ <a href="http://paperbeadsinspiration.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Paper Beads Inspiration</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Milly @ <a href="http://millyanatrees.weebly.com/index.html" target="_blank">Millyanatrees</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>My 11 Nominees Questions</b>:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">What was the very first thing you made in your chosen craft?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">What is your favourite TV show?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">Do you drink Tea, or Coffee - or something else - all day?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">Who is your favourite TV Chef?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">Where is your most favourite place to eat out?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">Have you got a bucket list, and if so, what's at number 1?</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -18pt;">Do you have a favourite pet?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">If you had a choice from all over the world, where would you prefer to live?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">Do you play any sport and, if so, are you any good at it?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">Are you a morning person, or a night person?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px; text-indent: -24px;">If you were stranded with a flat tyre, could you change it yourself?</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.390625px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.390625px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.390625px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"> So there you are - all done!</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"> Now let's see what answers come back :)</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-38825856495393539842013-09-14T16:49:00.002+01:002013-09-14T16:49:39.074+01:0010 Things of Thankful #7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I feel so bad that I missed last weekend's TToT but, having had a couple of really bad weeks, healthwise, it just wasn't possible for me to come online and participate, unfortunately :(</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Because hubby has been so marvelous in his care of me, though, I really feel that I should dedicate my 10 things of thankful to my him as, without all of his loving care, I wouldn't be doing it <i>this </i>weekend, either. </div>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So without ado, here are my 10 things:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for such a loving husband, who has stood beside me for this last 30 years, through good times, and especially through the bad. It's our 30th wedding anniversary in October, and I can't believe so many years have flown by.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yb6GqpCyXOk/UjRwyolr84I/AAAAAAAAArA/zwQkPdTQnvM/s1600/Signing+the+register.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yb6GqpCyXOk/UjRwyolr84I/AAAAAAAAArA/zwQkPdTQnvM/s320/Signing+the+register.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signing the register, 8th October,1983</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the loving and dedicated father that my hubby is, and that he would walk on hot coals for both our daughter, and myself.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qOBFQhUis9Y/UjRo4tXcJSI/AAAAAAAAAqU/VpRPDDYUF-E/s320/Brex,+7+days+old,+at+home.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brex born, 13th August, 1984</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qOBFQhUis9Y/UjRo4tXcJSI/AAAAAAAAAqU/VpRPDDYUF-E/s1600/Brex,+7+days+old,+at+home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for hubby's great sense of humour, as it has been the difference between laughter and tears at times - and occasionally both, as I've cried tears of laughter more than a few times! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VqOlO4QIwtY/Uip-26-n6WI/AAAAAAAAAps/u1LHFdXoBuc/s1600/Bob+in+front+of+Caravan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNNC_OlW0M8/UjRzDBo7EOI/AAAAAAAAArg/UaarQ0MwFiI/s1600/Bob+in+front+of+Caravan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNNC_OlW0M8/UjRzDBo7EOI/AAAAAAAAArg/UaarQ0MwFiI/s320/Bob+in+front+of+Caravan.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Messing around - as usual! Lol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uwVxmFigDMM/UjRoZJ7LyuI/AAAAAAAAAqM/IrdMv1g6W6c/s1600/Bob,+Holly+&+Bramble.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for his gentle, and humble, nature, and the way that he cares for everyone, and everything, to the very best of his abilities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uwVxmFigDMM/UjRoZJ7LyuI/AAAAAAAAAqM/IrdMv1g6W6c/s320/Bob,+Holly+&+Bramble.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="308" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Looking after Holly & Bramble<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the amazing green thumb my hubby has, how he managed to shape the bit of field he divided off from it to be our garden - and the way he has made sure that there is always something lovely to see through our bedroom window, to cheer me up on my down days :)</span></div>
<div>
<br /><br /><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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vIUiFLucKc8/UjRxl9zG9GI/AAAAAAAAArM/MqKf3VYFPwU/s1600/IMG_7006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vIUiFLucKc8/UjRxl9zG9GI/AAAAAAAAArM/MqKf3VYFPwU/s320/IMG_7006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the garden, July, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vIUiFLucKc8/UjRxl9zG9GI/AAAAAAAAArM/MqKf3VYFPwU/s1600/IMG_7006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AfRRr5S7KNo/UjRx0RB_ytI/AAAAAAAAArU/82r5GS7kmLM/s1600/IMG_7008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AfRRr5S7KNo/UjRx0RB_ytI/AAAAAAAAArU/82r5GS7kmLM/s320/IMG_7008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view of garden, July, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for his gift of making friends so easily. Having always been the opposite to him, and finding it very hard to open up enough to make friends with people, my hubby has been very patiently guiding me over the last 30 years, and has brought me out of myself, and into the great world of friendships, extended families, and the best Céilidh's </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in Wales!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qE9u33aRN5Y/UjRvY-71TBI/AAAAAAAAAq0/9MnU5OauATg/s1600/BRUCE+&+CO.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qE9u33aRN5Y/UjRvY-71TBI/AAAAAAAAAq0/9MnU5OauATg/s320/BRUCE+&+CO.JPG" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Backroom Boys, @ our Summer Ceilidh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the way he has always helped around the house without hesitation or complaint, and especially the way he took over cooking and housework after I fell ill - all the more so as he could barely boil and egg at first :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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;"><img height="206" src="http://www.schwartz.co.uk/~/media/Recipe%20Photos/Schwartz/Beef/Easy%20Spaghetti%20Bolognese.ashx" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spag Bol! Yummy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VqOlO4QIwtY/Uip-26-n6WI/AAAAAAAAAps/u1LHFdXoBuc/s1600/Bob+in+front+of+Caravan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uwVxmFigDMM/UjRoZJ7LyuI/AAAAAAAAAqM/IrdMv1g6W6c/s1600/Bob,+Holly+&+Bramble.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I'm thankful for his love of nature, and his patience over the years as he taught this town girl how to see the most glorious gifts of God's creation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AhjICtiTXLE/UjR3ZmRR6YI/AAAAAAAAAr4/b6gOtEO16SI/s1600/Lovely+Yellow+Roses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AhjICtiTXLE/UjR3ZmRR6YI/AAAAAAAAAr4/b6gOtEO16SI/s320/Lovely+Yellow+Roses.JPG" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow Rose, blooming outside my bedroom window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful, too, that he brought our daughter up to fully appreciate</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> all of God's creations - including spiders, unfortunately {</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">shudders</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">} :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vNstRfAGdVE/UjR0TV88SxI/AAAAAAAAArs/XMsmFRaivCQ/s1600/Brex's+Jiminy+Cricket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vNstRfAGdVE/UjR0TV88SxI/AAAAAAAAArs/XMsmFRaivCQ/s320/Brex's+Jiminy+Cricket.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brex's photo of Jiminy Cricket, our garden, 2010.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mostly, though, I thank God every <i>day</i> for the miracle of finding my heart's ease, and for knowing the instant I saw him, that he was the other half of my soul :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t"
path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:424.5pt;
height:150.75pt'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\KATYBO~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"
o:title="Prawn Risotto with Peas"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></div>
</div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-133833417962629582013-09-11T20:01:00.000+01:002013-09-11T20:01:25.208+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been very quiet on the web this last few days, due to the frequent bouts of ill health that this constant change in the weather produces, but I managed to finish off the Little Boy Owl Outfit I've been crocheting for Jo, which pleased me enormously :)<br /><br />I'm really happy with it all, especially the little cloak that I had to make up a design for myself, as I couldn't find exactly what I wanted in the patterns I searched through :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've also been playing with the Picasa 3 software I recently uploaded onto my laptop, and discovered the collage-making facility again - so here's one of the Owl outfit :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jG_rkgl0sWo/UjC5TDRmAZI/AAAAAAAAAp8/S-kyL7VjoW4/s1600/1-Desktop-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jG_rkgl0sWo/UjC5TDRmAZI/AAAAAAAAAp8/S-kyL7VjoW4/s320/1-Desktop-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jo hasn't seen it yet, so I'm hoping she'll be pleased with it all :)<br /><br />I'm becoming ever busier with my crochet now, as I've taken on the trialing of a pattern for a brilliant designer - in the 'very amatuer' category, of course! Lol<br /><br />I'm enjoying it very much so far, although I'm dreadfully slow, as I'm learning how to do the Crocodile stitch as I go - but I figure it's yet another stitch learned, which will help me develop my crochet work enormously :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've not only taken this on, but I've also offered to make some bunting for a friend's stall, which I'm really looking forward to doing and, not only that, but I'm now taking part in a 'Granny Square Swap around the World' thing - which I've only just started, but the first 2 squares are on their way to the USA as I write this :)<br /><br />Hubby keeps telling me off, and saying I shouldn't do so much at one time but, like every other crocheter I know, I'm not happy doing crochet in a linear way - it's gotta be 3, or 4, or more, projects on the go at the same time for me!<br /><br />I'm also continuing to crochet the squares for my future granddaughter, though that's at a halt until I get the yarn I ordered weeks ago but, until it comes, I think I've got enough to keep me busy for a while - don't you? :)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-8492674368505229092013-09-01T05:54:00.001+01:002013-09-01T05:54:09.367+01:0010 Things of Thankful #6<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can't <i>believe</i> another week is over, and that, once again, my list of Thankfuls is due :)<br /><br />I've been thinking all week about what I should list, and I came to the conclusion that, this week, it will all have to do with my ability to read, as this is something that has been so important in my life that, at various low points in my life, it has kept me sane :)<br /><br />So, this is my 10 things of thankful:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful that, due to being born with
multiple health problems, my mum taught me to read at a very early age. I
was reading junior level books as I first began infant school and,
although this set me apart from the other children, as I was already a
loner, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana;">and</i><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> a total bookworm, this
never bothered me, and gave me the chance to keep on reading in every
spare minute I had during school, which I loved! </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful that, due to my ability to read
so well, I was chosen to read to the class whenever our teacher had to
leave us – I still have very fond memories of sitting perched on a cushion
at my teacher’s desk, and reading Hansel and Gretel to the class </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful for the wonderful schooling
system I grew up with, as it gave me a firm grounding in all the subjects
I needed to fire my imagination </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="4" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm also so </span><i style="font-family: Verdana;">very</i><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> thankful for the brilliant English teachers I had
throughout my school life, as they encouraged me to express that
imagination, and taught me the value of learning as much as I could, about
everything I could. My Senior English Teacher, one Mr Cyril Smith, gave me
the encouragement to try my wings at writing, and helped me to build up
the skills needed for this.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="5" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful for the centuries upon centuries of
amazing literature and poetry that is available to me, especially now in
our age of the internet. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="6" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful for the countless authors and
poets whose words gave me a springboard to my imagination, and whose
example has kept me going, no matter what </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="7" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful for the opportunity I was given,
so long after leaving school, to continue on with my interrupted education,
so that I was able to study part-time for 6 years, in order to get my
much-wanted degree </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="8" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful to my darling husband and
daughter, who encouraged me, and supported me in everything I did while I
worked toward my goal, and who were the first ones to congratulate me for
the effort I’d expended in reaching it. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="9" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm especially thankful to my husband for
nursing me so tenderly, and willingly, when my health took such a nosedive,
after the strain of studying with so many things wrong with me took it
toll.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<ol start="10" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm so</span><i style="font-family: Verdana;">
very</i><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> thankful that my all-time favourite book, the Bible, was written,
so that I could learn the Word of God, and use it to aid and sustain me through
all the bad times - and that it was there for me, throughout my life, to help me, and teach me the ways in which I can give thanks to God for all the many </span><i style="font-family: Verdana;">good</i><span style="font-family: Verdana;">
times I've had in my life </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 24pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div align="center">
</div>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 24.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 24pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/p/ten-things-of-thankful.html" target="_blank" title="Ten Things of Thankful"><img alt="Ten Things of Thankful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvMF0YXKNVw/UbMREOGIjOI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FnqVghiIhIo/s1600/TenThingsBanner.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 24.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-10280553724180671992013-08-25T06:29:00.004+01:002013-08-25T06:29:59.364+01:0010 Things of Thankful: # 5<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have to admit that this listing of things to be thankful for has become quite addictive for me. I was writing to my pen-pal yesterday, and I was telling him about my new pastime of writing thankful lists in my Blog when, before I knew it, I had written a list of 10 things that I'm thankful for in our relationship <i>as</i> pen-pals! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because my pen-pal is within the prison system in the USA, I won't give any details about him, but I will be using some of the thankful points I'd written to him, in my Thankful list today, as there really <i>is</i> a lot I'm thankful for in having got to know somebody who is living in a worse situation than my own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I won't go into the reasons, or the moral issues, of his situation, as they are between him and God but, because of a strange quirk of fate, we were connected, and I've gained much insight, and felt much compassion, for everyone who might be in his situation - the phrase '<i>there, but for the grace of God, go I</i>', always comes to mind when I read his letters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, here is my 5th week of Thankfuls: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for
my step-daughter, who has honoured me with the title of Grandma, even though
she has her own mother to fulfil that role.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for
the gift of being taught how to type - so<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>many</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>years ago now - as it enables me to
keep in contact with everyone I know, without going through all the pain I feel
when I try to write with pen and paper. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm also thankful
to the Open University, who provided me with the software that allows me to
talk to my laptop when my hands won’t do as they’re told! </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for
the gift of patience – a lesson in life I needed to learn, in order that I
could then understand the problems that other people have in life. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for
the many gifts of friendship I've been given, as friendship is such a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>precious</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>commodity in our day and age, and it’s
something that I treasure all the more as I get to know all of my friends
around the world. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful
every<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>day<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that I have the freedom to
be <i>able</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>to keep in contact
with my friends, wherever they are in the world. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">7.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful that
I saw an article in one of my course books while I was studying, as it made me
aware of the desperate need of pen-pals within the prison system, and then led,
eventually, to me coming into contact with my new pen-pal. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">8.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm so thankful to God
that He gave me life, as this is a precious thing - even when things are so bad
that I don’t know how to go on. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo9; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">9.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for
God’s forgiving spirit, and that he loves us all so much that he was willing to
allow his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to sacrifice himself for our sins –
and that, through acts of genuine repentance, we are freely forgiven of those
sins. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo9; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">10.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm so<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>very</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>thankful for the gift of prayer, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> so
that I can speak to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">Jehovah
God about </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> anything in life that bothers me - or that </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> makes </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">me
glad – and to know that, no </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> matter</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">what</i><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">ask of Him, He will </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">listen </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> to me, and answer </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">my prayers,
even </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> when those answers </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">are </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">ones I don't </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> expect - or if the answer isn't the o</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">ne </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> I was </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">waiting for!</span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 13.5pt;">So, these are <i>this </i>week's list of my thankfuls - and if you feel like joining in, please click on the following, and it will take you to one of the brilliant organisers of this hop, where you can then join in with this merry band of people, who find the Thankful in everything they do, or are:<br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12.0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/p/ten-things-of-thankful.html" nbsp="" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank" title="Ten Things of Thankful"><img alt="Ten Things of Thankful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvMF0YXKNVw/UbMREOGIjOI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FnqVghiIhIo/s1600/TenThingsBanner.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-41456481959772029102013-08-21T19:00:00.000+01:002013-08-21T19:00:30.988+01:00Carrying on Crafting . . .<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been very quiet here on the crafting front. Not because I've been neglecting my crochet hooks and yarn, of course, but because I've been making a series of things as a present to one of my daughter's best friends, who is expecting a little boy within the next 8-odd weeks.<br /><br />I've actually got 3 expectant mum's I'm making things for but, as Jo is due first, I figured I'd do things in order :)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always enjoy making things for other people, and it gives me so much pleasure when they like what I've made for them :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For Jo, who loves Dolphins and Unicorns, and the sea, I had a great choice of colours to use - lots of blues and greens - and, as she's having a little boy, they couldn't have been better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made a Jo a baby blanket, using Red Heart yarn, in Amethyst, Light Periwinkle, Real Teal, Windsor Blue, and some Oceana, along with some Robin DK Turquoise, as I didn't have that colour in the Red Heart yarn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I actually made the blanket as the summer's challenge for <i>The Crochet Crowd</i>, as we were making a blanket using the Red Heart free crochet pattern, the <i>Juicy Fruits & Whipped Crème Throw</i>:<br /></span><a href="http://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/LW3562.pdf"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/LW3562.pdf</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With a few modifications of the pattern, I crocheted the blanket, hoping that it would look a little like a tropical sea, and I think it turned out OK. I also added some Dolphin appliqués, to go with that theme and, although they didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped, I think I didn't do<i> too</i> badly for someone who's never done any of this before:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h962OUANaZQ/UhTxiO_FWxI/AAAAAAAAAoE/Qb3vHUKC1sc/s1600/Dolphin+Applique+Juicy+Fruits+Blanket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h962OUANaZQ/UhTxiO_FWxI/AAAAAAAAAoE/Qb3vHUKC1sc/s320/Dolphin+Applique+Juicy+Fruits+Blanket.JPG" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolphin-themed blanket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As Dolphins were the theme of the day, I also made a dolphin toy for Jo's baby, crocheted in the same colours as the blanket, and made as child-friendly as is possible:</span><br />
<br />
<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J3qaETOsDLo/UhTxpD2UOJI/AAAAAAAAAoM/IhYGu9I1_iQ/s1600/Jo's+Bottle-nosed+Dolphin+-+front+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J3qaETOsDLo/UhTxpD2UOJI/AAAAAAAAAoM/IhYGu9I1_iQ/s320/Jo's+Bottle-nosed+Dolphin+-+front+view.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottle-nosed Dolphin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And to keep on with the theme, I also made what Americans call a Lovey - or we Brits call a comfort blanket - done in the same colours, with a dolphin as the main toy, and with a tiny baby octopus as his companion. This was my first attempt at making something like this, and I'm very happy with how it all turned out :)</span></div>
<br />
<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OKcqZ8_TEFY/UhTxu-AfWQI/AAAAAAAAAoU/6RHClFdrrKA/s1600/Jo's+Lovie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OKcqZ8_TEFY/UhTxu-AfWQI/AAAAAAAAAoU/6RHClFdrrKA/s320/Jo's+Lovie.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolphin & Octopus Comfort blanket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, as Jo is so mad-keen on Dolphins and Unicorns - and everything so far was aimed at her baby, I decided to make her a Unicorn of her own, using a couple of the colours from the baby blanket and appliqués, to keep the theme going. I found the sweetest pattern for this, a free one, created by Rachel H, of <i>Little Yarn Friends</i>: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Lil-Baby-Unicorn/">http://www.instructables.com/id/Lil-Baby-Unicorn/</a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IlzhGL_Dk7U/UhTx2bFmbNI/AAAAAAAAAoc/l1k-RTiwb0Y/s1600/Jo's+Unicorn+-+sitting,+side+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IlzhGL_Dk7U/UhTx2bFmbNI/AAAAAAAAAoc/l1k-RTiwb0Y/s320/Jo's+Unicorn+-+sitting,+side+view.JPG" width="309" /></a></div>
<br />
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-83jr97XlMPg/UhTx7vgn4lI/AAAAAAAAAok/68Z2VDlK_So/s1600/Jo's+Unicorn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-83jr97XlMPg/UhTx7vgn4lI/AAAAAAAAAok/68Z2VDlK_So/s320/Jo's+Unicorn.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hubby calls him Donkicorn, and has got quite attached - <br />I can just see the tussle as Jo tries to take him home! Lol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I've said before, all this is very new to me, and so the dolphin and unicorn are only the 2nd and 3rd amigurumi-type items I've ever made (with <i>RaggaRory</i> the Lion being the 1st), and so, when it came to the mane and tail, I just couldn't seem to follow the directions well, so I decided to make my own version - it was only after it was complete, and I was chatting to a friend who was also making the same Unicorn, that it suddenly clicked where I'd gone wrong, which helped my friend, but was too late for me :)<br /><br />So, as you can see, I have actually been quite busy with my crochet hook and yarns and, rather than that being the end of it all, I've already made a start on the cot blanket I'll be making for my future step-granddaughter, due in December :)<br /><br />The theme for this, is Butterflies & Hearts, and using a pink & cream colour palette. The blanket is to be made using 4" squares, so I'm going to need 112 of them, using 4 different patterns. Here's the first of them:<br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FtIErUsKkms/UhT3_8UzxvI/AAAAAAAAAo0/LY8wnJPUSTU/s1600/Zoe's+Butterfly+&+Heart+Blanket+squares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FtIErUsKkms/UhT3_8UzxvI/AAAAAAAAAo0/LY8wnJPUSTU/s400/Zoe's+Butterfly+&+Heart+Blanket+squares.JPG" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I'd never made a heart, or a butterfly, before, as you can imagine, there was an awful lot of frogging going on, before I got something I was happy with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I also chose to make a flower-type square, and I used the <i>Not So Square Granny</i> Tutorial by Clare, of <i>bobwilson123</i> fame for this, as I think it goes well with the whole scheme. Here's the link to her tutorial:<br /></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q55fHGE8iLg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q55fHGE8iLg</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />The blank square will stay that way mostly, except those that I'll be using to add my granddaughter's name on to, of course :)<br /><br />As I've got another 27 butterflies, hearts and flowers to do, I'm going to try and use different shades of pink, so that there's a little more variety to the colour scheme. But I'll see how that goes as I keep on with them :)<br /><br />So, as you can imagine, I'm going to be keeping busy for some time ahead - and loving every minute of it! :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span>Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-5837344448988814542013-08-17T01:45:00.000+01:002013-08-17T01:45:25.333+01:0010 Things of Thankful . . .<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">are sometimes very hard to find, let alone think about. <br />When life starts handing you the pits, instead of the cherries, all the stuff that can weigh you down can get in front of what's still good in your life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, if you just take a few minutes, and try to think of the pluses, instead of the minuses, it's amazing how many things you can come up with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here are my cherries:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful that God had such a sense of humour that he made <i>me</i>. I </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">know he has a sense of humour, because I do, too, under all the pits :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_xaf1JHLODA/Ug66cOOgNFI/AAAAAAAAAm8/45eoWSaPGKE/s1600/Start+as+you+mean+to+go+on!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_xaf1JHLODA/Ug66cOOgNFI/AAAAAAAAAm8/45eoWSaPGKE/s320/Start+as+you+mean+to+go+on!.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start as you mean to go on? :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful that I was given the gift of carrying a child for 9 months under my heart. Having been told I'd never have children, this was such a gift for me that I still thank God every day for my beautiful, amazing girl :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L8ueBP9peXE/Ug65JUmDuII/AAAAAAAAAmU/vy_REjbb6hA/s1600/Bob+and+Brex,+2+hours+old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L8ueBP9peXE/Ug65JUmDuII/AAAAAAAAAmU/vy_REjbb6hA/s320/Bob+and+Brex,+2+hours+old.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hubby, & Brex at 1 hour old :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for a husband who is so unselfish that he always puts myself and our child before himself. My hubby is an amazing man, and we will be married for 30 years in October - and I love him even more than I did at the beginning and, even better, he loves me like that, too :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7BDYTvu1RQ/Ug65ZAZe3ZI/AAAAAAAAAmc/laIZLIRVFpU/s1600/Leaving+the+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7BDYTvu1RQ/Ug65ZAZe3ZI/AAAAAAAAAmc/laIZLIRVFpU/s320/Leaving+the+church.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">True Love :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for a warm, dry house. We lived in so many places that were falling down around our ears - houses that weren't that old, but so badly built that we had to battle mould or drafts all the time. We now live in a 300 year old house that is as warm, and snug, as we need, and wanted :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89YOz6LMJDw/Ug65s_OFMVI/AAAAAAAAAmk/lgarLxHmdRo/s1600/Fred+in+back+door.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89YOz6LMJDw/Ug65s_OFMVI/AAAAAAAAAmk/lgarLxHmdRo/s320/Fred+in+back+door.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred, guarding the house :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the gift of love that our dog, a Jack Russell Terrier called Fred Barker, gives unstintingly to us. He will be 19 next march. He is as deaf as a post, and is so arthritic he has a job stepping over the tiny lip on his bed but, the minute he sees either of us, his tail wags, and he gives us that amazing doggy smile we fell in love with when we first rescued him 18 years ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BGCfw_rvUtU/Ug6513e_5II/AAAAAAAAAms/E8czZ14OqEs/s1600/Can+I+play+with+her+.+.+..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BGCfw_rvUtU/Ug6513e_5II/AAAAAAAAAms/E8czZ14OqEs/s320/Can+I+play+with+her+.+.+..JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred, aged 10.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for our cat, Kushka, who was rescued as a tiny kitten. We took her into our home, and our hearts, when she was barely 6 weeks old, and had to keep feeding her replacement milk for a month as she had been in such a bad way. She'll be 5 next birthday, and she is my constant companion, lying as close beside me as she can - she has always seemed to be aware that sitting on me would only bring pain. She purrs like an engine when pain takes me over, as if she is trying her best to soothe me, and she has always been there for me, no matter what.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BNKcM7SRM60/Ug66A2yDJxI/AAAAAAAAAm0/TdOIVlqMNIY/s1600/Kushka+enjoying+the+new+blanket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BNKcM7SRM60/Ug66A2yDJxI/AAAAAAAAAm0/TdOIVlqMNIY/s320/Kushka+enjoying+the+new+blanket.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kushka, breaking in the new cover I crocheted :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the gift of crochet. I hadn't crocheted before I started to learn last July, and had got into a bad place in my head when I'd had to give up knitting and cross-stitch, as my hands couldn't cope with either any more, so to find that I was able to hold a crochet hook enough to use it, was a fantastic thing to happen to me :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8hKNthcq6IY/Ug67ZxXSQdI/AAAAAAAAAnI/OJZrHd0UVOI/s1600/1+-+Feb-March+-+Spring+Fling+Pillow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8hKNthcq6IY/Ug67ZxXSQdI/AAAAAAAAAnI/OJZrHd0UVOI/s320/1+-+Feb-March+-+Spring+Fling+Pillow.JPG" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Spring Fling cushion cover.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the internet, as it took me out of myself, and brought a world full of the most <i>amazing</i> people into my life, and into my heart. After I got housebound, the world became a very drab place, as I had come from a large family, so was used to company, and noise, and all the other things that come with family life. I had always loved visiting all of our many friends homes, and going places and seeing people whenever I chose to, so to be housebound was a kind of torture for me but, once I had the internet in my home, it opened up a world of possibilities I couldn't have imagined - and also enabled me to keep in touch with my daughter, wherever in the world she goes :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Pbz_8sSnP8/Ug694M_PNqI/AAAAAAAAAnc/kxYoiITriHM/s1600/Brex+and+Parrot.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Pbz_8sSnP8/Ug694M_PNqI/AAAAAAAAAnc/kxYoiITriHM/s320/Brex+and+Parrot.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brex, in an Amazonian village, in Peru :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the bounty of things that surround me, for internet shopping, for a free health system that is very much needed for me now, for the chance to be able to do what I can to stay focussed on the future, so that I can stay true to myself, and true to God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--QWS2oXEBnU/Ug7BH5_8c3I/AAAAAAAAAn0/lV2TkCurKBo/s1600/29th+Wedding+Anniversary++do.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--QWS2oXEBnU/Ug7BH5_8c3I/AAAAAAAAAn0/lV2TkCurKBo/s320/29th+Wedding+Anniversary++do.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, on our 29th wedding anniversary :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm thankful for the chance to have lived this life that I have - whether good or bad! To have been born in a time, and a place, where women are able to make whatever life they dream of, and for the chance to be able to have my voice heard all around the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div align="center">
</div>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/p/ten-things-of-thankful.html" target="_blank" title="Ten Things of Thankful"><img alt="Ten Things of Thankful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvMF0YXKNVw/UbMREOGIjOI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FnqVghiIhIo/s1600/TenThingsBanner.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-79225165414957620252013-08-10T17:18:00.000+01:002013-08-10T17:18:40.971+01:0010 Things of Thankful . . .<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've decided that I'm going to try and get my 10 Things done well within the weekend this time, so I sat here, trying to get some sort of list together, and heard the sound of numerous tractors going past, and that gave me my thankful list:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for our very first tractor, Cedric, an old 1952<span class="apple-converted-space"> <st1:placename u1:st="on"></st1:placename></span><st1:placename w:st="on">Fordson</st1:placename><span class="apple-converted-space"> <st1:placetype u1:st="on"></st1:placetype></span><st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype>, that hubby bought to help
with his work in the Forestry here in <st1:place w:st="on">West Wales</st1:place>. Cedric had a life of his own
and, because the headlamps and grill looked like eyes and a smiling mouth,
we had to give him a name </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 13.5pt;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm also thankful for the
Igland Winch hubby fixed to Cedric, as it allowed him to move a lot
more timber than using any others available at the time </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <u2:p></u2:p></span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 53.85pt; text-indent: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for the tractors
that slowly rumble by our house every year, either taking manure to
the fields to fertilize them, or groaning under the weight of bales
of hay and straw at harvesting time. They are the lifeblood of our
area, and the farmers would have a much harder job than they already
do without them.<u2:p></u2:p></span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 53.85pt; text-indent: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="4" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful that the yearly
steam engine fair has just this minute finished! Don't get me wrong,
I like to see the old steam tractors chugging by as they join the
crowds of people going to the fair, but we are so close to the fields that
it's held in, we quite often can't hear ourselves think because
of the noise of the tannoy. It's great that so many people still go
to these fairs, but it is a relief when they all go home again! </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 53.85pt; text-indent: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for the term Tractor, which is derived from the Latin
word 'Trahere', meaning 'to pull', and is also a shortening of the term<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Tractive Effort</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Torque</i>),
which gives the power to pull a trailer, plough, or any other
machinery used by the tractor. <u2:p></u2:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="6" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful that we now use
the term Tractor, rather than Traction Engine, which was used until
1859. Although I must admit, I do love the term </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Verdana; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 53.85pt; text-indent: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="7" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful to John
Froelich, the inventor and builder of the
first gasoline/petrol-powered tractor in 1892, in Clayton County,
Iowa. His invention made the tractor a
more manoeuvrable beast, and enabled it to be made lighter,
so that it could cope with a better variety of terrains.<u2:p></u2:p></span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 53.85pt; text-indent: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="8" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful that tractors
improved no end by the 1920's enabling them to be used for a variety of
different uses. I'm sad they totally took over the jobs of horses,
though.<u2:p></u2:p></span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 53.85pt; text-indent: 4.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="9" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for the skilled
wood carver who made a wooden tractor for my daughter, when she was
3. It was strong enough for her to sit on and move around the
house with, and she cried when she got too big for it a year or so
later :) <u2:p></u2:p></span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 89.85pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<ol start="10" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm thankful for the many
varieties of tractor available today. From farming to felling,
from clearing snow, to helping to prepare the ground for<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>building work, they've made life
so much easier for people.</span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are well over 16 million tractors being used in the world today :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23596464.post-17906031264649652622013-08-04T22:02:00.001+01:002013-08-04T22:12:12.826+01:0010 More Things to be Thankful For...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div align="center">
</div>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://summat2thinkon.blogspot.co.uk/p/ten-things-of-thankful.html" nbsp="" rel="”nofollow”" target="_blank" title="Ten Things of Thankful"><img alt="Ten Things of Thankful" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rvMF0YXKNVw/UbMREOGIjOI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FnqVghiIhIo/s1600/TenThingsBanner.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oops! It's almost the end of the day, and I've only just had the time to write my <i>10 Thankful Things</i> post - <i>naughty</i> me - and so here I go . . .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful for my faith, which keeps me going when I might want to stop.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm so very, very thankful for a loving and
understanding husband, who has been putting up with my bad temper as
I try to cope with yet more pain.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful that, despite the extra pain,
I've still been able to do a few things, rather than being comatose with
all the meds I have to take.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="4" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful for the small mercies - that the
sky has been relatively clear, that, even when it's rained, it meant
our very dry garden got a thorough soaking.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="5" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful that, no matter how bad my life
can be, I know I'm fortunate to be able to do things others can't. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="6" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful to still be able to chat to my
mum and dad, whereas my hubby has lost both of his parents, and
so can't tell them all the small miracles of life that happen to him.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="7" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful that my step-daughter is having
her first child, and is deliriously happy with her partner.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="8" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful that my daughter loves her life,
and her work, and that she is just starting a whole new business for
herself.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="9" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm thankful for all the love, and help, we're
given from all of our sweet and kind friends.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<ol start="10" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm so very thankful for the creation of the
internet, as it makes so<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>many</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>people that much
more connected to each other :)</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It amazes me that, the more we think about our lives, the more there is to be thankful for :)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
Ouch Potatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08342564916734604495noreply@blogger.com6