Southend picnic in the rain!!

On Wednesday we had a delightful day when Dh's grand children visited us for the day.

Little three year old wanted to go to the seaside for a picnic, so we did in the rain!

Yes the huge bum is me bending over helping to make a sand castle in the rain!!

 

She enjoyed herself so much, that her joy over ran onto us all and although it rained, we had such a happy time.

Can you see behind us the sea creeping closer and closer?

We did leave the beach before it swamped us although we had to tip toe through the waves. Little Miss had on her wellies so she was ok!

Here is Dh et moi under the umbrella

He is wearing one of those ponchos you can buy to keep dry.

We left the beach and ate our picnic in one of the shelters, watching the waves break upon the shore line.

I wish, all the time we lived in Southend and always look up houses for sale there.

We could afford quite a big house there and near the front; but here we have a house that has had everything done to it to make it comfortable for us and it is near the local shops, with regular buses to town, and Brentwood, Chelmsford and Basildon and with a fast train link to London, so it would be unwise to move unless we had the same there. Possibly as we get older we might not be driving so we have to think of that.

But Wednesday was magical, the joy of that little girl spilled over and we had such a happy day.

 And here she is eating her ice cream while we drank hot coffee in Rossi's, the Italian café on the front.

We had ice cream too, because we love love love it and that's where we always end up when we visit Southend.
Hope all you have had a happy child filled day  too during half term!!

XX

Crab apple jelly?

Our little crab apple tree is loaded again this year even though I chopped the top off the year before last, as it was hanging over the path.

We have left them to really ripen on the tree this year so they are really red.

So we will have rosy coloured jelly again this year.

It is very tasty with cold meats and a roast lamb dinner.

I have had a busy time last week. Dh has been away all week in Jakarta on a job, so I have had to walk the dog, not something I usually do, but surprisingly I have enjoyed it.

And it is helping with my weight loss, which is going down slowly, oh so slowly!! But each pound adds up and although I don't think I look as though I have lost 16 pounds since last February, my clothes are loser and  I can wear skirts and tops which were too tight beginning of this year.

I met DH off the train wearing a straight skirt which was much too tight to wear last spring... yeh!

Only 9 weeks till Christmas so I will be making Christmas cake this week. Don't you love the smell of it cooking in the house.

I love Christmas!

Happy days to all

xx

 

 

A very little bit of cross stitching!!

I have really neglected my cross stitching but I got this out of my basket

the other evening .

 

It's the design from a magazine and I really like it so I am going to do some more

this evening.  It's a rather nice feeling to be planning to stitch, almost like coming home!

The days are definitely cooler although we were hot out today as we were wearing jumpers.

The evenings are drawing in so time to get my cross stitch sorted and finished.

I have no plans to make another quilt just yet, just a table runner for Christmas

 

( Why are my photos so awful? But photos do show things we don't always see, so it did show a very wobbly cross sewn line on the quilt for my DD so I undid it and re-sewed it.. so it was perfect when I gave it to her.

She ripped off the tissue I had carefully wrapped it in  and although she didn't gush, she smiled and said.. she wondered when she would get one,  as two of her children have one each for Uni, so I guess she was pleased)

Happy Days

xx

 

PS If you enlarge the pic of my cross stitch by clicking on it, it is clear.

The day I went to Yarndale.......

.... it was amazing! I had booked us B&B right back in June. I was thrilled to get one right in Skipton. So imagine my horror when I was told that Yarndale was outside Skipton and a good 30mins walk! But there was a bus, free and here I am in front of it. I wore my crochet shawl, as you do when you go to a yarn festival! A few women remarked about it and asked about the pattern which was a free one on Ravely. I saw one young man wearing a very colourful shawl/ scarf and asked DH would he like one, but he said it was happy to wear the socks I knit him and that was all!  LOL

 All the mandalas were displayed. I think it said there were 1040 from all over the world. I couldn't spot mine, but then I couldn't remember which one I sent to Lucy, as I made several and gave them to friends.

 

Here is the bunting from last year.

 

 

 

 Isn't it  amazing?

I bought several different yarns and would have liked to have bought a lot more, but I did spend more than I thought I should have!

 Some lovely hand painted 100 % wool from Cuddlebums to knit a shawlette.

 Some 100% wool to make mittens

And this was for some fingerless gloves

 for my GD.

The pattern was free..

and  I have knitted them up already. 

 

Some Alpaca yarn in this lovely coral colour for cardi for myself.

But regardless of what I bought I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The yarn there was beautiful and watching how it was spun and listening to how many of the traders dyed their yarn was fascinating.

It was such a lovely day, although my feet and legs were killing me after being there close on 4 1/2 hours, walking round and round. It was like an Aladin's cave and quite magic! 

I want to go again!!!

 

xx