Bon Jour.. a breakaway in France

We have had a lovely few days in France for our 8th wedding anniversary. The B&B was this huge old farm house that smelt of wood and polish. We slept well in fresh scented cotton sheets, in the quiet countryside. Breakfasts were crispy french bread, croissants, yogurt, local honey and cheese and jams and never ending coffee... just so delicious. This is the huge fireplace that was one end of the dining room. The house  has quite a history and was occupied by the Germans in WW2..
It was just two miles outside the little village of Wissant, a seaside place..we drove around through the beautiful countryside.. the lovely floral displays were in Wimereau, a little town not far from Wissant.

 I had to have photographs of the street tubs of flowers with two of my favourite flowers, rudbeckia and Cleome. We have had a restful time and ate and drank well,  but not it seems too much as we are the weight as before we went!.. I feel as though I have had a break and feel happy and well!

xx

Giveaway from Heather AND my 6th Blogaversary

I won quite unexpectantly from Heather her charts she was giving away (www.heathersstitchingstory.blogspot.com)

I never seem to win things so this was a super surprise.

These are all really sweet and I think I will be busy stitching in the next week or two as it is my 6th Blogaversary!
I never thought I would still be blogging six years on. I started it on 27th July 2008 right after having my knee op. I was at home, in pain and wondering if I was ever going to be able to walk, or garden again. Of course I could still stitch but I was having trouble concentrating..
I have loved talking to you all over the years,  my regular followers and those that dip in here and read what I have been up to.
Not a lot I sometimes think and then I look back and marvel at what I have done, what I have  seen, where I have been  and how my life has happily unfolded. And I have made such a lot of things and now added to my stitching by learning to do patchwork and quilting.
There have been some sad times but lots of happy times..
This was one of the best when this little girl came into our lives.....

And here she is today..

Doing what she loves to do, sunning herself as she watches us.. we love her to bits and her unconditional love is always there.

Nell, now  4 1/2 years old and just as pretty today.

 Watch this space for what I will be offering in my giveaway, some thing made by me and ?????
Wait and see.....
Or if you like to take a chance sign up now before you even  know what to expect.
Thank you for all your comments and encouragement over the years.

xx

Put on your dancing shoes and dance with me.... tis finished!!!

At last I have this quilt finished.

I started it April 2013 and then stopped to make a quilt for my grand daughter; then I started it again and by October it was finished.

But I left layering it and quilting while I made a quilt for my step daughter's wedding present.

 

So now is the only time I have had.. I have had it professionally quilted and isn't it beautifully done.

The design is 'Twin Stars'  by Pam and Nicky Lintott ( a mother and daughter team) and can be found in their book 'Jelly Roll Quilts.'  The fabric I used is 'French General' design by Moda.

I am very pleased with the finish and I think this one is going to be for us!

I have a new quilt on the go, this time for my eldest GS and then one is planned for my DD who has a big birthday coming up in September.. I must say I do love quilting it is so satisfying and through it I have met some lovely friends.

xx

 

Wishes and dreams...

 

What would you do?? Buy a house that is suitable and new

or buy an older pretty one that needs a lot and probably always will?

That's where my cousin is at the moment..

I say follow your dreams, wishes can come true!

 

Some people see a weed, others see a wish!

xx

 

Beautiful bag....

This is the lovely bag I have made at a workshop.. took three sessions of 4 hours,  as it had a lot of elements.. cross hatching quilting probably took me longer than I have done before,  for some reason I was nervous!

But I am delighted with the results.

I just need some buttons on the tabs as a decoration, which I will add when I see what I like

 

This is the lining to show the zipped pocket, this was easy once we were shown how.

I intend to make some more as presents for family and friends.

 

It has been a delightful workshop and I thoroughly enjoyed it. She is doing a different bag in September so I have my name down for it and can't wait!

A happy, happy sewing day!
 

 

xx

 

A lovely afternoon trip out.

This afternoon we have been to Suffolk.. just a little way from Essex where we live.

And it has been a lovely sunshiny afternoon.

We were there to pick up my quilt from the professional long arm quilter and once again she has done a wonderful job. It was the second big quilt I made, finished quite a while ago, and really a bit too difficult for a beginner like me. But it is looking very good and when I have done the binding I will post a pic of it.

Then from there East Bergholt,  Dh said we are quite near to Denham lets go and have a look.

So we did and have had a wonderful afternoon.

Its such a pretty village (Constable country and where most of his painting were done.)

 

So you might wonder why this saying? Because when my first marriage was going wrong  I prayed and prayed that my then husband's heart would soften. I even had my church praying for me.

But it never happened and so I spent 17 years after my divorce alone and then.. I met Mike!

He is so good, my ex would never have suggested we went to Denham, or sat outside a café for coffee and cake. Nor would he have said... you go and look in the craft centre, I can wait and give the dog a little walk, take your time, there's no hurry. In fact he would never have come with me at all, while there was tennis to watch on TV.

It was so beautiful there, such a pretty little village with painted old cottages, pinks and yellows and the scent from the lime trees,  which border one side of the little high street was heavenly. I had such a good and lovely afternoon, I looked at my DH and could have sung with joy.

 He is my 

'Mr Wonderful!'

 

Ahhh happy days..

 

x

 

 

Some cross stitch to post about at last!

Some pictures of cross stitch at last. I bet you were all thinking was I ever going to stitch anything  again. It's been such a long time since I have posted anything about stitching.

This was the Summer exchange on NH

I sent this little pillow and as the person I sent to loves France I translated the words Summer Time into French... so it says..L' heure D’ été ...roughly translated The Hour of Summer! 

And into the little cloud I stitched  some silver thread so her clouds would always have a silver lining.

I received this, which I will use when DH and I have coffee in our conservatory.. which has been painted at last.. you can just see the wall behind. The colour is called 'Willow' which will suit our lounge/ dining room colours which is all on the way to be changed from the gold/ raspberry pinks to aqua greens and red and beige plaid covered furniture..

Its all happening but oh so slowly trying to coordinate furniture, carpets and plasterer for the artex ceiling is not an easy feat!
But happy days, it will all be done in time.

It's a brilliantly sunshiny day after yesterdays drizzle in which the Community Choir of which we are members, sang in the rain in the park! We must be mad!!

Love to all.. I am walking in the park with DH and our dog Nell now, the first day of my new regime! And I am feeling good and in the pink!! Tra la la

xxx

 

I am such a 'goose!'

I am such a goose.. there are so many horrible things happening in the world and I go on about being fat!

It's a beautiful sunshiny day. I am an adult I can chose what to do.

Eat, drink what I want and I know what is best for me so no more minny- moaning..

I can enjoy the day and be happy it's within my grasp all I have to do is breathe!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the positive comments. You have boosted me up and I am raring to go.. hopped out of bed this morning, knowing today is going to be a good day..I have had my hair done and the day is mine!

 

Happy days all.

x

 

A weeks rest....

I have had a week’s rest.. rest from what you might ask.. the diet of course!

I just needed to let it go for a few days and now I have gained 1 ½ pounds.. it started with the strawberry jam, which you have to eat with scones and clotted cream and then yesterday a grand blow out. No.... not lots of chocolate biscuits but tasty bits for lunch from Waitrose. Spicy chicken pieces, veg spring rolls, and BBQ ribs with garlic bread and then lemon cheese cake with thick cream to finish. So I suppose I should be glad it is only 1 ½ pounds. It could have been more.

So today is a new day, back to the food plan and I will go for a walk. I say that every day and every day my DH goes by himself with the dog. But TODAY I will ...I really will. So I best get myself off this butt magnet.. blogging takes time. Not the writing but reading other blogs and then there is my other favourite waste of time… Pinterest.

Being overweight isn’t something a slim sylph like person could understand, its more than just fat, it’s a whole world of misery. Every day you are hit with it. TV ads, clothes shops that only sell tops and dresses that look as though they haven’t use even a half a yard to make, draped on stick thin mannequins. Drink more water, only eat fat free, walk lots, don't eat this, don't eat that.. its a world for thin people!

Shop windows positioned to show you how much blubber you have. The sight of that should be enough to give me a kick up the bum but no....  I am miserable again and feel I have failed when I was doing so well.

But today is a new day… watch out walking shoes here I come!  

x

 

PS Does anybody know if you lose a lot of weigh, do you lose it off your feet as well?

 

A silly regret

My grand daughter will be 20 this summer... where did those years go?

I was there holding her mum's hand when she was in labour!

 

I bought this violin and loved to hear her practice.

She moved on to a bass guitar when she was 18!

We went to the pub one evening when I popped to see them all.

And she played in the garden there.

Happy days.

 

She modelled her schools uniform and this photo is still on their site.

In fact that year her photo was used for their open day posters and she fronted the web site's first page.

And I love this one of her, which I snagged from her FB page..

When I said I looked at her FB page, she said, ' Grandma are you checking up on me?'

'Not at all,' I said with my fingers crossed behind my back!

 

I remember one time when she arrived home from school earlier than her Mum expected and no one was home. It was winter and getting dark. Mum didn't answer her phone and so she phoned Grandma.

I phoned back and kept talking to her as she squatted down in the porch waiting for her Mum for half an hour or so.

Lots of happy memories but I have this regret... I never pushed her in her pram.

Silly or what...but I bought that pram, ME!!  And it cost a lot.. so when I am feeling old and crotchety I think to myself..

 

 I never pushed her in that pram!!

x