Well - you learn smething new everyday!

This morning I took Jean car hunting.  I have been lucky enough to always go for a new or, in the case of my current car, a demo car - so when I was told the budget I really doubted that we could get one for that low a price.  However the first local garage we went to had several within our price bracket - two in particular had done an average of around 5500 miles per year - ie a run around car for taking children to and from school.  Indeed one of the cars (the favourite as it happens) has been serviced at this garage for 5 years so they know it rally well.  It comes guaranteed and with a full year's MOT so looks good.  Jean is going to test drive it next Monday but I fully expect her to buy that one - you could say that she has fallen in love with it!




We went to several other garages and then decamped to the local garden centre for a coffee to discuss the situation and a piece of toast.  Sadly the service was so poor that my toast arrived well after the coffee had been drunk and the cup was cold.  I wasn't offered but asked for a free refill so that I had something to drink with the toast - I ask you!




Once home, I set to making a cake for Scamblesby tomorrow (I am now seriously beginning to regret offering!) and a cheesecake for the harvest supper meal on Saturday evening.  On the agenda was also preparations for the sewing day - cutting fabric to size, packing bags etc.  I also walked the dogs earlier today so that I could just lock the door and shut the world out - time for peace and quiet - if only for a few hours!

Is the boot big enough?

Last night's King Lear was long, a tad confusing but brilliantly acted - everything making sense in the end - and we lasted all the way through!!  Well done to the cast - although it was a VERY bleak film!!  I was tired when I got home - yet, by 2am, gave up sleep as a bad job and got up to watch The Great British Bake Off - eventually falling asleep for three hours to the sound of the radio on low.  What a night -I should sleep to night!


This morning was another early start - Carine was driving Jean and I down to Spalding to a retail outlet centre for some early Christmas shopping and, of course, our winning afternoon tea.  I have to say that we were looked after well and their portions were so big that we brought some home for a late tea - I am not sure that anyone wants a proper dinner tonight.  Did we do enough shopping?  Well - I am not sure that Carine's boot could hold much more so I guess so!



By the time we got home it was late afternoon so the dogs were sorted and then it was time to hunker down for the evening.  I have a Tesco order due between 8pm and 9pm - otherwise it's more hand sewing of Christmas presents.  Did I mention that I already have plans for 2017 presents?  Gosh!

Oh - and by the way - 2017 knitting challenge now has 5 participants.   It's gathering momentum!

It would really help if you could spell!!

Today was allocated as a training day for Jean - Sewingbuddy and I had been, if you recall, to that awful training course for our ScanNCut machine but Jean couldn't make it.  Instead we decided to both pass on our training which would, in turn, refresh our memories.  So, by the time they arrived, the house was fairly shipshape, the shepherds pie for lunch made and everything was ready.  Even the dogs were laid back about the invasion.




It has to be said that Jean took to it really well - confidently cutting out different shapes and resizing them - learning how to adjust the blade depth and the pressure to suit the fabric / card / paper etc.  By lunchtime I was feeling confident about the way that the day was going.  I had to nip out this afternoon to have the dressings on my leg changed but would happily leave them - what could go wrong?  Lunch, by the way, was accompanied by some Fougasse (think Great British Bake Off - thank you Sewingbuddy) followed by Apple Crumble and cream - thank you Jean.



The last thing that I showed Jean before leaving was how to cut her name out of vinyl - making sure that the 4 letters overlapped each other and so could be welded together - ie all pull off together.  No problem - mission accomplished.  Then Sewingbuddy (there's always one) said why don't we try to cut Scamblesby Sewing Group - three lines one under each other all welded together.  Now you have to understand that's he lives in Scamblesby - yet, even so, she cannot spell it for toffee - both her and Jean kept starting again as they forgot an L or an M - until we worked out that we could add it out of sequence and then move the others around to fit in.  I honestly did not anticipate the spelling to be an issue!  The next problem was going to the doctors - by habit I locked the front door - locking Sewingbuddy out who had gone to move her car for me.  When I got back Jean admitted that she had heard someone knocking but just ignore it!  So I came back to a lot of cursing re spelling and windows filled with attempts at the vinyl stickers - grrrreat!

Despite everything it was a good day and one, dare I hope, that has been very useful to Jean.  Tonight - gosh this week has been a hectic social whirl - Wendy and I are off to the cinema to see another RSC live production - Antony Sher in King Lear.  I have high hopes for this production!

Well - I've passed my Ghostbusters training!

So - last night I went to see Sense and Sensibility.  One of the lead actors was a young man that I taught many moons ago and he was very impressive - as were the other actors.  It was only a small cast and they had a lot of long speeches to learn - but they performed very well.  Sadly my vieing of the American Debate, combined with warmth and darkness, did result in the odd nodding head - but I didn't go completely!

This morning Jean and I dropped Georgina off at the hospital for her last appointment whilst we then headed to the cinema to watch Ghostbusters.  It was the all female cast remake and was very enjoyable - although I will admit to looking away at the more scary parts - not sure about its 12A rating! 

After picking Georgina up, it was then back home for some lunch, err a quick rest (ahem), walk the dogs and beat the impending rain and then gather the supplies for tonight's sewing class.  Since its the last one before half term, and we now have a class every two weeks, it will be nearly a month before our next class.  I am expecting a LOT of homework!

It's just not British!

Last night I found it difficult to sleep again and, finding myself still awake around 1am, I decided to stay up and watch the American Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton.  Now I can't pretend to know either really well - I have watched Donald Trump in the Celebrity Apprentice and obviously knew Hilary Clinton through her marriage to Bill Clinton. However I am fascinated by the clear animosity both towards each candidate and between them.  As I turned the TV on I then found out that Donald Trump had held a press conference parading several women that Bill Clinton had allegedly sexually abused in the past although he denied it.  I wasn't sure what that had to do with Hilary Clinton and wanted to see how she handled it.  The debate was something that I have never seen before with personal attack after personal attack - followed by a severe lack of facts / policies.  Clearly this is not my election and every country will do things their own way but, as leader of  USA, the elected President will have enormous power and influence over world affairs.  I can only hope that the next debate has more substance and less mudslinging - otherwise I don't know how anyone could decide which way to vote.

This morning I woke up to a cold, wet morning and spent some time sorting out the fabric / equipment needed for the Textiles group - as well as the usual tidying up and hoovering!  The textile group went well - this time, though, everyone was doing a different project.  I finished my Lynette Anderson bag - well, just a button needed.








Whilst Jean pinned and tacked her bag, before going on to do some more wonky house brooches.










Ev was making up some coasters to take to the Scamblesby Art Fayre and sell, whilst Carine was making the Sweet 16 bag that I shared with you yesterday out of her gorgeous charm pack.

Once home, it was a quick turn around to take the dogs up to the beach before the storm set in - the sky went extremely black!!  Tonight, as I said yesterday, I am off to  the local theatre to watch Sense and Sensibility.  Now I am not feeling old - but I taught the romantic lead actor - help!!

Carving out a new career - err, I dont think so!

This morning was due to be an informal service at church.  Having no vicar at the moment, we are allocated one priest a month but have been used to having two services so we decided to have a churchwarden led informal service on the second Sunday of the month - ie today.  The only problem is that the churchwarden who normally leads this is the friend who lost her husband a week ago today - clearly we couldn't ask her to do the service.  The other churchwarden is a nurse and was working today - cue a pleading phone call!  Would I lead the service?  Fortunately for me there is a Morning Prayer service sheet with a script for me to read, we asked the stand in organist (it was our regular organist who passed away) to pick the hymns, someone volunteered to read the bible passages and someone else volunteered to read the intercession prayers.  That just left me a "sermon" to find - but even then there are published  meditations/ reflections related to the designated scripture reading - job done!  Did I get away with it - well I think so.  People were appreciative that I had done it - it gave them a chance to talk over coffee about their own sense of loss and tears were shed by some - and I was told that I spoke clearly and loud enough to be heard.  Would I do it again - if needed to then yes.  Would I want to do it full time - no thanks!




Back home at the ranch, so to speak, it was time to complete another Splendid Sampler block





before starting to sort the conservatory out.  With Sewingbuddy and Jean coming around for a ScanNCut "lesson" on Wednesday I thought that I would sort it out.  It still has "stuff" for the "She Cave" stored in it but I thought that I would make space for them to work and create their beautiful works of art!!  Of course, whilst I was there, I was tempted to go and paint some more fence - so, given that my Wi-Fi now extends to the end of the garden, I treated myself to a sunny 75 mins listening to The Archers Omnibus painting away.  Standing back, I am shocked at how little I seem to have painted but, as someone once said, "Every Little Helps!".




I also ran up tops for a couple of bedside table mats for the cabinets upstairs.  I love the furniture but some of the reviews have remarked about how easy it is to mark the varnished wood so thought a couple of small toppers might help.  I used a mini charm pack from Moda, Lizzie's Legacy 1850 - 1880, and have a charm pack in the same range to make a longer runner for the set of drawers where I have put the tea tray.  Well - let's start as we mean to go on I guess!  I will finish them the next time I fit the walking foot on so that they can be quilted.





Tomorrow, at the Textile group, Jean and I are finishing our bag but Carine has already made hers (photo tomorrow - it's gorgeous) so I spent a few minutes looking out the pattern for her next project - ironically using a  charm pack again.  As I looked through my files of patterns I couldn't help going ooh and ahh - so many projects, so little time! 



Tonight it's more handsewing - nearly finished the Christmas present last night so there's about an hours work to be done there.  Then it will be time to start another one - 11 weeks today will be Christmas eve - allegedly!  Just saying!

Moving piles from one room to another

I don't know about you, but my mother used to say that she knew exactly where I had been by the piles of stuff that I have left!  Often my idea of tidying up was to form a new pile rather than putting something away in its proper place.  Well, today, as I looked around the house, I reached the point where the piles have to be sorted!  Now before I go on you have to appreciate that I have an incredibly low boredom threshold which, when combined with being tired, does not make for much action.  So a pattern of work emerged.  Take a pile, sort it, deal with it, relocate it and then do something else.  It might be a second pile but it also might be a quick Splendid Sampler block  or sorting out the bedroom upstairs and putting the memory foam mattress on the bed or even wash the shower screen.  In fact anything other than doing the planned task!

By lunch time the recycle bin was filling up nicely and the craft table had been sorted - and then filled again - how did that happen?  Only one thing for it - a quick hoover round and then settle down for some lunch and a quick snooze (oops did I say that out loud?).  So comfy was I, snuggled under my quilt with Daisy on my lap, that I must apologise to a friend who came round with a a book to lend me and got no response so left it in a bag on the door handle.  I just hope that she didn't look through the lounge window!

Tonight (yes I did sleep through until 4pm!!!!) it's my favourite Strictly episode - a night in at the movies - so guess where I will be.  At the moment I am debating whether to light the fire or not - its that time of year where its chilly but quickly gets too warm with the fire on - hence the quilt that can be pulled across but quickly discarded.  Craftwise - its some embroidery for a Christmas present.  You can't have idle hands now can you?