Wednesday 28th July, another Ta-Dah!!!!

Hi There!

I'm now getting nicely relaxed ~ staying up a bit too late (because I can) and sleeping in.

DD's work experience has finished ~ she's really enjoyed being at the Vet's and is sure that a Veterinary Nurse is what she wants to do.

I'm quite jealous ~ I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

As I mentioned the Orange Gilet is done and I must say I'm quite pleased with it.

Far too warm to be wearing at the moment but I can see this getting lots of wear.

I've got a brown skirt that I wear for work a lot and with brown boots it should be keeping me warm through the winter.

I was lacking in orangey/browny beads when modelled ~ I may have to get some!

Our lovely friends we went camping with a few weeks ago B and S came to stay on Sunday and Monday so some huge houseworky stuff had to go on hence no blog over the weekend.

As I'm sure with most of you I'd much rather be (insert anything else here) (knitting) so when I took a long hard look at the house last week I realised there was a lot of work to do!

Anyhoo it didn't look too bad when they got here and we had a super time with them.

As the weather was good we spent most of our time in the garden ~ I made scones for tea, which were rather nice ~ even if I do say so myself ~ and then talked, laughed and drank until it got dark.

We then lit the fire pit and drank, laughed and talked some more.

Even the fire pit ended up a bit wonky.

It was lovely to see them.

I'm just pottering around this week.

Not feeling guilty that house looks untidy/dirty because it's ok and knitting/gardening instead.

The garden is looking a little tired with the lack of water and attention from me but these beautiful Echinops are just in flower and are covered in bumble bees but, of course, I couldn't manage to get a photo of one.

Righto I'm off to do some more in the garden and possibly have a go at the latest project which is a ruffly shrug in a lovely silver/grey - I'll show you next time.

Byeee for now Clicky Needles.

Monday 19th July

Hello!!!

School has finished!!!!! (Well for the children.)

I've been in today and will be tomorrow and that will BE IT.

DS has had his last day and is now all ready to go off to Secondary School.

The staff are given the usual chocs, smellies etc. ~ all very nice ~ but the nicest gift I have been given this year is this little lavender bag.

It's living in my car right now and I give it a squish when I get in ~ quite lovely.

DD did point out that it may relax me too much whilst driving so I'll have to watch that!

I've managed to finish the Orange Gilet thing and it's blocking as I type (badly I have to tell you, I am totally exhausted and there are lots of red squiggly lines under everything I put.)

I'm back onto the Scrappy Blanket whilst the brain decides what to do next.

Somebody important was obviously reading my last post regarding the rain and obliged with rain, rain, rain and more rain, I suppose I shouldn't complain too much we did need it. At least now it's a bit easier to pull up weeds and the grass has turned green again.

Talking of weeds ~ I had my suspicions about this plant last year.

That Clematis is doing well I thought.

But No it's not a Clematis.

It's Old Man's Beard.

Same family but not welcome in my garden.

I think it may have been a 'proper' one that has reverted back to type.

A pulling out job there for me later in the week.

A few things that should be there........

.....pretty blue Nigella which seeds everywhere and a yellow Verbascum.

Can't quite fully relax as DD is on her second week of work experience at a Vets Practice which is about 45 minutes way so she needs taking in the morning and picking up again at night, but I'm so very near to the Big Knit Holidays it's OK.

(Big Knit Holiday nothing special - just me knitting away to my heart's content ~ I wonder how much I can make???)

Bye for now.

Clicky Needles.

Monday July 12th

Hello

I woke up to a lovely sound today.

Rain.

Not enough though ~ it made the ground a bit damp and that was it.

I'm not the biggest fan of rain but someone needs to get some sorted out ~ crops in fields are not looking good.

The bomb thing ran until Friday last week ~ the police were still guarding the site until then, it all seems to have calmed down now though.

The 'Leavers Disco' has taken place at school and we're down to the last few days for DS and me travelling to work/school together.

The end of the World Cup saw Spain winning ~ well done to them ~ and me finishing my World Cup Socks.

I just love the colours in these ~ some more of the Regia Kaffe Fassett Kemps haul.

Some nice things from the garden................

...........a Penstemon that managed to get through the winter......

...Buddleia Black Knight that Mum and Dad gave us a few years ago......

......and a clematis which has this raspberry ripple effect when the flowers start to go over.

I am feeling ridiculously pleased with finishing the socks, so now I'm back with renewed vigour on the orange gilet ~ watch this space!!!!!!

Byeeee for now.

Clicky Needles.

Thursday 8th July

Hello - just a quick mid-week post.

There was much excitement at school today and yesterday.

My DS was an ugly sister in the school production of Cinderella Rockafella.

This means he was dressed in full panto dame style complete with orange wig ~ lots of lipstick and fab boobs which drop out all the time!

He had a solo to sing and I was V~E~R~Y proud.

Whilst the production was in full swing yesterday afternoon some builders on a building site near managed to find a WW2 incendiary bomb with a digger and it went off.

No-one was hurt so that was good - but the bomb disposal unit sealed the area off ~ disrupting journeys home.

The fire brigade were then AGAIN today I think looking for more.

A few pretty garden things to show.

Day Lily.

White Daisy Thing

On a knitting note I did a bit more of my World Cup Socks whilst watching Spain and Germany ~ as I've just realised that it's nearly over and they're not finished ~ so best get a move on.

Back to school again soon for this evening's production ~ I'm not sure who gets more nervous ~ me or the kids!

Byeeeeeeeeeee Clicky Needles.

Sunday 4th July ~ Tired but Happy

Hi there!

Well ~ we've had a lovely weekend camping.

Went went to a farm near Witney in Oxfordshire which is bang slap in the middle of us in Stroud and our lovely friends B and S who live in Hertfordshire.

Poor DS has had a tiring week ~ he went on a residential trip with school from Wednesday to Friday ~ luckily not too far away from home.

I picked him up early on Friday so he could then do 1/2 a taster day at his new Secondary School. I then packed the car and we set off.

This camping trip was extra good as Mr Clicky Needles was working the other side of Oxford so WE HAD TWO CARS!!!!!!

This meant of course, there was no really, really careful car packing to get stuff in as Mr CN took all the sleeping bags, clothes and squashy stuff in his car.

I just had the tent ~ which I had to wrestle out of the cupboard under the stairs ~ cooking things, chairs and beds.

Poor DS fell asleep in the car on the way ~ unheard of ~ but we soon arrived and got the monster tent up.

Our's is the one on the left, on the right is B and S's NEW NEW NEW tent. They are rightly very proud of it. It has a H~U~G~E sitting area inside, so great if the weather is inclement. It even has a carpet!! so lovely on the toes. As it was the weather turned out to be quite good ~ a little rain on Friday night so we made use of it then.

The rest of the time was warm and sunny.

Just because we're camping we don't need to be dull.

Here's my new kettle...........

...............Mr Clicky Needle's new barbeque..... with matching Crocs.......

............and a super stripey drinks blow up drinks chiller which is stocked well with beer, fizz and lots and lots of ice.

We were treated to this wonderful sunset on Saturday night.

The Dads and children did some fishing while I played Travel Scrabble with B. Unfortunately whilst we were on holiday last year we lost an O. Earlier this year B and S lost an E down their decking ~ after some searching I managed to find replacements on Ebay ~ and made the special little bag to give them to B in. I made the big bag last year as the old bag was on it's last legs.

So, the set is now complete and we can play Scrabble without bits of paper standing in for real letters.

I did try to knit a bit, but to honest the company was sooooo good and the fizz flowing sooooo freely I found it a bit difficult. This was the project I was hoping to have a go on ~ a gilet type thing in a yarn I bought from the Plassard Factory shop in France whilst we were at Les Cerisiers at half term. I'm not sure what the yarn is ~ but I think it may have Alpaca in.

That reminds me ~ there were Alpacas at the camp site ~ but stupidly I didn't take a photo of them ~ sorry.

We've arrived back now ~ I've done loads of washing and we're smiling at the thought of our super weekend. Thanks B and S.

Byeeeee Clicky Needles

P.S. Have to now fix the bit I did wrong on the gilet.

There is a moral here.

Sunday 27 June ~ Blimey It's Hot!

Hello!

Well, what fabby weather.

I am loving it very much.

Oopsy ~ England are out of the World Cup. The flags on the car will come off and the Cross of St George is no longer hanging out the window.

Hey Ho.

I've been having a lovely time pottering around the garden today ~ sometimes having to find a bit of shade to cool down, drinking the Elderflower Cordial which my Mum made and I have to say it was very nice.

Flowery!

Recipe is here if you fancy trying it.

Do you like my lovely new tray I got from Tesco this week?

I've got a few bits and pieces done this week as well. DD asked for a Cosy for her I-Pod Nano, so always happy to use up bits of sock yarn I produced these two. I dyed the yarn myself a while back with food colouring. I couldn't decide which colour to go for ~ so just went for the lot!

The other thing I've made is this crochet market bag. The knitting group I go to met yesterday ~ the only problem being is it is in a Anderson Classroom which heats up much like and oven ~ so I took some cotton which was in the 'use it or loose it' pile and made a market bag.

I think it might live in the car ~ so I've always got a bag ~ just in case.

I had this little bit of cotton left and ~ takes a big breath ~ I THREW IT AWAY.

I may need a lie down.

I also managed to get some Ripplyness done yesterday whilst DD had a riding lesson.

Again heat was a problem ~ so I draped the blankie over the steering wheel and made a bit of a wooly tent ~ but staying cool myself. It's coming along quite nicely now.

Here's a pretty Clematis which is rambling up through a Twisted Willow ~ doesn't that sky look beautiful.

My Favourite Place is under this and the bubble pool is on the other side of the deck. The buoy was a present from from lovely neighbours we had.

DS is away for 3 days on a Residential ~ so a quiet drive to school/work for me.

We're away camping next weekend with some wonderful friends ~ I hope that the weather holds. You can expect lots of tenty pictures!!!

Have a good week.

Byeeeeeeee Clicky Needles.

Thursday 24th June

Hello All!

Just a quick report on the two trips this week.

On Tuesday I went to The Cotswold Wildlife Park with the littlies in school.

We had great fun and saw all sorts of fabby animals, and what's so great, you can get really close. (There is a deep ditch between but no wire.)

It was a lovely summer's day.

We were told by a member of staff that latest thinking is the stripes of a Zebra are not for camouflage but for identification.

The lions had the best idea ~ just sunbathing.........

.................but my favourite ~ Meerkats ~ this Dad on look out whilst his family were having a nice time.................

.....................lying in the sun too.

We had several fall asleep on the coach on the way back ~

and that was just the adults.

On Wednesday I went to Cattle Country with the Year 3/4 class ~ which to be honest, involved charging around, zip wires, drop slides, trampolining and getting wet in the splash pool.

Everybody had a wonderful time and there was no need for the sick bucket on both trips ~ which is always a bonus.

I even managed to get a bit on knitting done on the coach!

Byeeeeee for now. Clicky Needles.