Half Term Decorating

Hi There!

The storm turned out to be very noisy, but no damage done for us.  The dog whined and cried, considering he's 'hard' ~ part Staffie ~ he really is quite a wimp.  He spent the night on our bedroom floor in his bed, which is most definitely not allowed!

Sunday saw a brief respite from the wind and rain, a beautiful sunny day.  I ventured into the garden,  muddy patch, and discovered some hellebores flowering,

and the rhubarb popping up.

Look! blue sky.

It was glorious.  

Tipper was happy, having found a sunny spot.  He does love sun.

We went for a lovely sunny walk in the afternoon well,  I say walk, more of a route march/drag for me, he is very strong.

Mr Clicky would have come too, but he is laid low with the lurgy at the moment, having had some days off work with a nasty cough and no energy. 

This is not good as we are planning to do some decorating in the hall.  This had been on the cards for the past year or so, and we've been trying all sorts of different colours.  Greens, pale pinks, purply colours (supposed to be on the brown spectrum!) 

beige.  We just couldn't get what we wanted.

The other day I bought a YourHome magazine

opened it up and there it was.  Just the look we're after.  We've already bought floor tiles which are similar to those in the picture with some brown in as well.  

I can throughly recommend this magazine, a bit of decorating, up cycling, sewing, crochet, knitting and food for £1.99 ~ bargain.

Righto - I'm off to sand some more, how I hate woodwork, and get some white on the walls to cover up the terracotta and then we can do the top coat.  

Wish me luck!

Bye for now...............Clicky Needles.

Ravellenic Shawl

Hello there.

I thought you might like to see how my Ravellenic Girly Shawl is coming along.

I'm using King Cole Country Tweed which is 73% Acrylic, 24% Wool and 3% Viscose in shade Lucky Heather.  Although the yarn is a bit fluffy and splitty the colours are so nice I'll overlook that.

Here it is on my lap whilst watching Lizzie Yarnold win Team GB's first gold medal at Sochi.  Yay!

 I'm giving the shawl to my colleague as a surprise, she's admired my other Girly Shawl made with King Cole Riot, the colours are very similar.

Things are very overcast and damp here, we're on the second wave of the storms.  The rain is lashing the front of the house.  No so good for our Half Term break.  We had thought about going to France but as we have just spent £700 on the car, we're staying put.

Righto, I'm off to batten down a hatch.

See you soon............Clicky Needles.

Breakdown

Hello Folks.

I've just read Fiona's Blog over at KnitKnatKnotUk.  She had a lovely sounding time on Saturday, cycling down to  Bristol Harbourside and then "a cosy afternoon of blog writing, knitting and 6 nations rugby." 

 This was much the afternoon I had planned.  Master Clicky and Me had haircuts in the morning and that was about it.  An afternoon in front of the fire.  The haircuts went fine but on the way home the car decided to conk out. I coasted into a bus stop, the car had died.  I tried several time to turn the engine over but it wasn't playing.  RATS.  A quick phone call to the RAC and a man arrived 3/4 hour later.  He disappeared under the bonnet and, having tried a few things, declared there was nothing he could do.  "No problem," I said, "just tow me up to the garage."  "I can't," he said, "no towing license.  I'll get someone else to come."

Master Clicky and Me got back into the car, and did a crossword and played snap ~ we found not one, but two packs of cards.  Master Clicky not very competitive when it come to snap.  I won. Hands down.

An hour later we spotted a tow truck.  This was fortuitous, because having had a cup of tea at the hairdressers, I need to go to the loo. 

Badly.

Master Clicky and Me hopped in the cab, we were away and back at the garage in 10 minutes, I threw the keys at the nice man in the shop and ran home to the loo.   I'll be back there on Monday morning to see if they can lend me a car.

 At least these daffs, 2 bunches at £1.00 each, are making me feel a bit more cheery.

And now progress on my cardi.  

I've picked up and knitted the front border and now got to the sleeves.  The border is a bit wavy at the moment but I'm hoping that blocking will sort it out.  

 I've decided to join in with the Ravellenic Games, making a Short Track Shawl as part of the Team GB group. 

We've even had a bit of snow to get me in the mood.

 I've limbered up and am ready for the mass cast-on on Friday.

That's me for now.

Have a great week.

See you soon..............Clicky Needles.

Rain

Hi There!

I've not taken many photos this week due to the fact it still hasn't stopped raining.  Now, I don't like to complain but it has rained nearly every day for what seems like months.  My heart goes out to the people who are having to put up with flooding, it must be awful.

There was respite on Saturday morning so me and Miss Clicky went to see Baloo the horse.  He lives in a field ~ with a blanket on ~ and look how muddy he was.  We had spent quite some time brushing him but the mud was thick.

On the ride ~ I say ride, walk for me ~ we came across a curious ewe and her lamb.

Wild snowdrops are starting to appear in the hedgerows.

Lambs Tails ~ Hazel Catkins,

Old Man's Beard.

It was quite pleasant but not long after we got back home, it started raining again.  *Sigh.*

I took this picture this week at school.  This is the view from the fire escape in my classroom.  The mists are rising off the fields after ............. yep, you got it, a rainstorm.

I've been carrying on knitting my cardi, the main body is finished and I'm on the edging, to be followed by the sleeves.    It's going rather well.

My car turned out to be a lesser problems than the garage thought, not the gearbox but the transmission, not so bad.  

Right, I'll see you soon.

Have fun despite the rain........Clicky Needles.

Content

Hello folks!

Today has been a bright sunny day, a break from all the driving rain.

To start off today here's some pictures of a Blue Tit taken with our lovely SLR camera.  Mr Clicky and me treated ourselves to a new lens at Christmas.  I put this nut feeder near the kitchen window and waited, these pictures were taken with a quick fire shutter.  The Blue Tit was very industrious.

Mr Clicky left for Vienna and the Czech Republic early this morning on a business trip.  He'll be away all week, which is probably just as well because the last time I saw my car it was up on a ramp at the local garage.  It's juddering, whining and producing odd smells.  Whilst it's having a short holiday at the garage, I can use Mr Clicky's car to get to work.  I hope it's ok.

The dog and me went for a walk in today's sunshine which was lovely and when I got back I lit the fire.  I resisted the temptation to sit down in front of it, and, with Mr Clicky away I tidied the study, pottered around, got the duster out, (Two weeks in a row.  I know.) had a hoover and a bit of me time.   This has made me most content. 

Something else making me happy, a bargainous bunch of £15.00 flowers reduced to £4.50.  They are lovely.

My Temari Cardi is coming along a pace, thanks for your lovely comments on it last week.

And lastly a finished thing.

Puff Daddy footstool.  

The pattern is here, if you're interested.  Just a rectangle of garter stitch, I used Hoooked Zpagetti which is t-shirt yarn and 12mm needles.  Dead easy knitting which I completed last May.  Stuffing proved little more tricksy but eventually I plumped on a large polyester pillow with a single basic quilt wrapped around the outside.  Me and Mr Clicky man-handled it into the pouch and then I laced up the bottom.  Phew!

 Master Clicky and the dog modelling.

 That's about it I think, Mr Clicky back on Friday so a quiet week for me.

Have a great week.

See you soon..............Clicky Needles.

Who'd Have Thought It?

Hello Folks!

Well, it turns out that if you put the iPad down, play less games which are entertaining and fun but suck time into a never ending time vortex, stop oohing and aaahing over beautiful grey cabled jumpers on Pinterest and then try to find the patterns on Ravelry and getting lost for several hours there,  you can actually get some knitting done.

Saturday and Sunday morning this week have seen me having a cup of tea in bed (brought by Mr CN) and some Temari Cardi knitting.  I was also greeted by a very excited dog.

In days gone by it would have been two little children chucking a book at us and demanding a story.  Sometimes they'd climb in, snuggle down and before we knew it, be asleep again.  Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh.

That was nearly fifteen years ago.  Master Clicky (smaller one of the two)  has just picked up his Christmas bike.  He's used saved money and we put some in too.  He now has legs longer than Mr Clicky and towers over me.  It is  impossible to get him up in the morning.  Miss Clicky is  getting University offers.

Where did that time go?

Not that I'm complaining you understand, but if your children are little and cute, savour them.  Time will go.  Fast.  

My Saturday morning (after I'd had a second cup of tea in bed) was spent moving a load of wood.

It was a lovely sunny day, almost springlike.  I did try to get Master Clicky to lend a hand but the bike ("did you know the spokes are made in Switzerland?") proved too alluring.  The stack always seems to be neater on the bottom!  Anyhoo a job done.  

And so, back to knitting.  A really nice pattern, top down and then into some really easy cables which I'm doing without a cable needle.  Rubbish pictures I'm afraid, today is nothing like the sunny day yesterday, we've had low wet cloud and dingyness all day.

I'm rather enjoying knitting again.

Righto, I'm off to do the ironing, not such a mountain today but still quite a lot.

Bye for now.

Have fun..........................Clicky Needles.

A Happy New Year To You!!!!!!!!!

Hello All!

Well, all the decorations have come down.  This was a two day job as I decorate virtually every room.  The Christmas Tree was left for one night with just lights on, I took them off this morning and packed them away in the decoration box(es) and they were stowed in the attic by Mr and Master Clicky.  

 Mr Clicky and me took the tree to the recycling skip provided by the council, as there wasn't much room left so we had to leave it by the side.

As much as I hate taking the decorations down, the furniture can be put back how it was and I even wielded as duster (I know!) for a bit.  We had a good clear out in Master Clicky's room and sorted out old toys and games that he didn't want.  Lots of things have gone to a local Charity Shop, although some things (train set, toy farm) have been shoved in the attic too.  Mr Clicky tells me we need to board it out some more as we're running out of usable space.

Master Clicky has been making a model of a Vulcan he got from Granny Clicky.  I did point out to him that the Avro Vulcan production line was probably tidier than his, but he just laughed and didn't take the hint to tidy it a bit.  An Airfix model has become a Christmas tradition for him.  It keeps him occupied for a couple of days; he wants this model hanging from his ceiling.

Unfortunately the mess meant I couldn't  enjoy my Christmas table, here it is ready on Christmas Day.

The dog has enjoyed us all being at home and getting lots of attention although I couldn't find him the other morning.  I  searched the whole house eventually stopping in Master Clicky's room.

Can you see him?

 No!  Look again.

 Sneaky.

I've had a lovely two weeks off, and used to the time catch up on everyone's blogs and different Christmas celebrations around the world, it's been a big party.   I've also been having a good think what I'm aiming to do in 2014. 

Bloggy things:

 I've decided to join in with the Photo Scavenger Hunt again, run by Greenthumb.  I didn't last the whole year in 2013 and I am going to try harder.

Get back with Monthly Mosaics.

Blog every week and not get behind.

(These are pretty much last year's ~ oh dear!)

Knitty things:

Try continental knitting ~ I said this last year, not managed that yet.

Spend less time on the iPad and more time knitting.

Righto I must go as I have a pile of ironing the size of Everest to do and it's back to school tomorrow.

As always, have fun.............Clicky Needles.