Placebo

‎In an unexpected turn of events a wonderful friend offered me a spare ticket to see Placebo at the Cliffs Pavilion. They were AWESOME!! 

Frantasia!

This is the newest addition to my little rose collection, Rhapsody in Blue, also known as Frantasia. I first saw it last year when we were staying at a campsite called Bridge Villa where it stood majestically outside the toilet block, a mass of proper purple flowers that smelled heavenly. Whenever i visit a garden centre i look for it and yesterday i got lucky at Coolings. I don't think it will be very happy in this tub for long but it should be okay as a temporary measure :)

Crafty Retreat

‎I am friends with some very lovely ladies online, we are spread out all over the country so meeting up can be tricky! However, we arranged a crafty retreat weekend in Kettlewell which took place last weekend where 12 of us enjoyed a weekend of mostly laughter and chat and walks and wonderful dinners plus some knitting and crochet and spinning and sewing. 

I can't wait to do it again. To spend time with so many strong women is just an inspiration :)

The view wasn't bad either. I took this in the churchyard. It struck me as quite beautiful how the gravestones were pieces of local stone.

Moogly CAL Block #1

It was a little tricky but I persevered!

i fought the beetroot

and i WON! :oD
(eventually!)

It's not really beetroot, that doesn't work as a dye apprantly but that's the colour it has come out and i LOVE it! :oD

Spend a quid - win a shawl! Potentially!

I, like a lot of people have been very shocked by the recent earthquakes and the tsunami in New Zealand and Japan and it got me thinking about what i can do to help. the answer is: not a lot really.
I can offer no practical help but i can try and raise some money so when i saw the Japanese Garden Shawl (rav link) designed by Wendy Johnson (who is donating all profits from the pattern sales to the American Red Cross) i knew exactly what to do!

I checked through the stash but found nothing with a suitable yardage so i popped over to Stash Fine Yarns and picked up some Aracaunia Ranco in this gorgeous pinkypurple - it's not a luxury yarn but it is lovely and soft.

It arrived on Saturday but what with my busy weekend i didn't get to play with it until yesterday! I wound one skein up and spent the day knitting a small sample. This is what you get if you knit just Chart A as it is with no extra repeats. I'm happy with the colours, my needle size, knitting from the chart and everything so i'm casting on the shawl proper today!

So how is this helping?
My plan is to take donations of £1 per entry to a prize draw with the 1st prize being the finished shawl. I have had offers of donations for other prizes as well but i will post about them when the details are finalised :o)
(I still have details about how to take the donations to iron out as well but as i haven't started the shawl yet i figure i have a little time before i need to worry about that too much!!
I am hoping that the money i raise will be split equally between the British Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres if i can just work out how to do it ;o)

Japanese Garden

I've just bought the Japanese Garden Shawl from WendyKnits and i will have some very exciting news to share with you next week. Keep 'em peeled! ;o)

Spring is in the air

Tis a lovely day today, clear blue skies and warm spring sunshine...

The cherry blossom is out on half the tree...

No idea what this is but it's pretty <3

Sunshiney tulips

Cheeeeeeesecake! :oD

Well, it's New Year's Eve and i am getting ready to head out to spend the night with some very lovely friends and get very drunk!
I've made some cranberry vodka which had been infusing in the fridge for the past week or so and i have just finished the After Eight cake. An online friend had mentioned it so i tried it on Boxing Day but didn't put any cream in it so it was very hard indeed, but it tasted gorgeous so today i have improvised a little!
I crushed half a large pack of digestives and mixed with just over half a slab of melted butter and put it in the fridge to set. Then i melted a box of After Eights in the microwave, it took about a minute but i stirred it after 30 seconds. While that was doing i whisked half a tub of double cream and added about two thirds of a tub of softenened Philly then when the chocolate was done i stirred the other half a tub of cream into it until it was smooth. Next i folded the chocloate mix into the whipped cream mix and finally i poured it over the digestive base and it's now sitting in the fridge setting (hopefully!!)

Fingers crossed it all works out ok and if i see you tonight ENJOY! :oD

Wishing you all a happy New Year, i hope it brings all you wish for xx

Six Legged Freak!

Four on one side, two on t'other!

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Size doesn't matter

When you're a pansy lol
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Saturday Sky

it brought rain... funny that!



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ehehehhhhh

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I love my view!

We're back at Malvern for Vanfest at the Three Counties Showground and i have an awesome view :-)
Our two week holiday is nearly at an end, on Sunday we'll be driving home and sleeping in a proper bed again! We've had a fab holiday and done so much, from the steam of Blandford to the caves at Cheddar and the lions of Longleat and everything else in between!

Oh i do like

To be beside the Swanage seaside :-)
I just wish i'd put my cossie on so i could go for a dip!

Lavender's blue dilly dilly

I met up with Noo and Spot at Mayfield Lavender Farm today for a stroll, lunch, knitting and some good old fashioned conversation :oD
It was rather lovely despite the few spits of rain and the screaming children and the grumpy Lukey who thought Spot was in his personal space lol

The lavender was swarming with bees, and so many different types too

I am looking forward to another day out there next year!

FIRE!

Matt has taught himself fire poi and he gave us a couple of shows

Didn't he do well!!

Oh i do

Like to be beside the seaside!

BBQ Banquet

Usually when we camp everyone just does their own thing but this weekend we decided to organise ourselves and eat together.
I did a bulk shop of meat for the BBQ and then everyone brought along a side dish and a dessert of some kind if they wanted to and this was the result...

Isn't it AWESOME!! :oD
I think we all did really well and hardly anything went to waste and the cold meat for tea on Sunday was FAB! :oD

A big thanks to our chefs for the evening, they did brilliantly and nobody went home with food poisoning!! LOL

Don't fall asleep....

In your chair....

Or in your van....

Especially if Becky is around!!

:oD