Happy Halloween!

What are you doing?

Awards

Thanks MelMel for these 2 awards....

So the rules.......

1.link back to the lovey ladies who awarded you.........and thank them......

2.Post the logo or award.

3.Share 7 things about yourself.

4.Pick some lovely fellow bloggers to pass the awards onto!


I've put off doing this because I never know what to say about myself.
So as it Halloween tomorrow I thought I'd share some spooky stories.....

1. I did my first Ouija board when I was 16 & believe me it worked!!! The glass moved & answered a question that only I knew, the glass then flew off the table & smashed against the wall...never again!

2. I moved out of home the same year
to a shared house with my sister & a few spooky things happen. The person who I lived with had an affair with a married man, she ended it when he had triplets & it was all over the paper!! Unfortunately he committed suicide...sad story, just after this happened some really odd things started happening in the house.
Music coming on in the middle of the night, washing powder in the kettle so when it boiled it foamed up & locked doors opening! I was quite frightened so I use to lock my bedroom door, one night the door opened & everything was knocked off my chest of drawers...when I say knocked I mean swept off....this continued all around the room until the curtains started moving. I ran so fast out of that room!! I slept with my sister in a single bed for weeks after that!

3. About a year later I was living above a pub & in the top bedroom I saw a solider walk in & sit at the end of my bed.... I put it out of my mind thinking I was seeing things but years later someone else who lived there told me about it & said he was quite famous.

4. I used to work in a shop in the high street in Exeter, after a few years of working there odd things started happening but only on a Saturday night. It would start about 5pm from the ground floor..... you could hear banging then the pictures would start moving on the walls on the stairs as if there was a very strong breeze. Things would then start falling of the shelves, needless to say no one wanted to work Saturdays! The final thing was a phone call from what sounded like a little girl giggling & saying 'Hello it's me'.... this really freaked me out & apparently I was a white as I ghost...hahaha!!!

5. I've been regressed twice......... I was an old lady called Gertrude! I helped the smugglers in to Cornwall then stole all the loot...ever so unlike me!!! But I did have a very large dog called John...more like me!!!

6. The second time I was a man living in Nottingham in poverty..... I had a wife & a child (called John...see a pattern forming!!!) ....... I really resented him because I had no money to feed him & wished he hadn't been born..... it was very sad & I was crying when I was talking.
Is this why I don't have children now???

7. My nan, who passed away in 1977, visited me once on Halloween about 5 years ago. She spoke to me through a friend.... I won't go in to details...... my nan knew my mum had found a crochet hook in her living room but she wanted me to let her know it wasn't a crochet hook it was a hook for doing up boots.
I phoned mum the next day & before I could say anything she asked me to teach her how to crochet. She had found a hook on the floor but dad thought it was a boot hook!!!
Don't know how I held back the swear word...lol!

So that's it..... 7 things..... are you scared now?????

I wasn't sure if I should do this post because I know alot of people don't believe in this kind of thing & a few people will be thinking ....'she's just made that up' but I didn't, honest!
The good news is it doesn't happen so much now.

Now I know I'm supposed to past this on but I'm not sure who as you're all great!! If you read this & want to give it ago feel free.

What are you doing for Halloween?

Back soon.

My holiday

The story of Can'pastilla

12 years ago me & OH decided to head for the sun for the first time. We took a flight from London to Palma & booked in for one night, we only took small back packs & planned to go where ever we wanted.

After spending a night in a tiny but very expensive hotel we headed to the bus station & got on the first bus that was going to the sea! We went through a little town & when the bus stopped we could see the sea ahead so off we jumped. Now little did we know this was the start of a love affair that is still going!

The town is a mix of Spanish, German & English (less now), we booked into a hotel & went off to see the sights. The first street we went down had a English bar, we popped in & got talking to the owners...... OH went on to set up their web site & helped them sell the business when the time was right. We ended up becoming friends with loads of other bar owners & OH got lots of work from it.
It may not be everyone's cup of tea but it suited us for short breaks, I felt happy to walk around alone at night as there was always someone you knew about. It was all about relaxing, laying in the hotel room or on the beach & going to the bars with a bunch of great people.

I used to go about 3-4 times a year but this all stopped 3 years ago when we moved. The cats became too old for me to leave them for more then one night & I don't fancy asking anyone to come in as we now have a litter tray. OH continues to go every month, he loves it there & would like to move. He doesn't do as much work over there but because he deals with web sites he can take his laptop & work .....better then the office!

This week the flights worked out just right & cheap, so on Tuesday morning we headed to the airport. I hate flying..... not because I think it'll crash but because there's never enough room or air!!! I must confess it was a terrible flight, very uncomfortable & seemed to go on forever!

So we arrived ...at last..... the sun was out & it was lovely & warm, you know that nice warm.... sunglasses on we headed to the bars!! It was lovely to see everyone again...some people thought that OH had buried me under the patio so I think he wanted to prove them wrong!!!
Lots of kisses & cheap drinks later we went back to the hotel only to wake at 2am to listen to the rain :(
Now I'm well known for bring the rain..... I think they should send me to countries that haven't had rain for years!!!

We had nothing planned so laid in bed reading.... OH said 'you could've done that at home' but no I couldn't because there's always things to do...... how come men don't notice mess??

At midday I was hungry & the rain had stopped so we went out......it was flooded & the wind nearly knocked you over! The bars & restaurants were all closed but the KFC was open.....yay!!! .... at least it was food!
We decided to go for a walk before heading back to the hotel but the heavens opened again so we had to dash to an open bar....thankfully..... then the storm came!
Now you all know how much I hate storms!

This was the beach just after the storm.... look at those crazy people!

It was amazing that within a few hours the sun came out again but look at the wind!

It was really mild so although the wind was strong we found shelter & enjoyed a coffee in the early evening sun before hitting the town for our final night.
All to soon it was over & time to head back to the airport......until next time!
The flight back wasn't so bad but we came back into Bristol...... hence the travelling with a very bad back :(

I've been taking my pills so it's not as bad but I can still feel it hanging around...... it must be this time of year because last year I was signed off with a trapped nerve.

Today was the last day of my holiday :( I don't want to go back tomorrow but I must say today has been trying! Lots of clearing up of crafty things before getting out the sewing machine..... the needle broke & hit me in the face :(
I changed it but couldn't get it to work without snapping the cotton..... after fighting with it for about an hour I put it away..... any tips??? I've changed the tension.
Then I made my dinner & spilt the whole lot down me...... now I've really had enough so maybe an early night is on the cards. I told you those pills make me crazy!!

Show us your Cath...........

ooohhhhhh I'm late for the party......sorry everyone but I did want to join in.
I've had this on my blog list for a while (does anyone else have a blog list?) but hadn't got around to it, thanks LissyLou for inviting us.

First things first....breakfast....

I do like the boat design.

Now which bag shall I take to work??

My lovely lunch bag & other goodies that I have in my handbag....

Lots of purses! I have a travel purse for my bus pass & money, the clip purse is for my food shopping money & the really big purse is my 'to spend' money! I know this might sound crazy but I've been doing this for nearly 2 years & it's really helped me sort out my money. The gadget case is for my mobile phone.

Now do I need a hankie.....

Hope I won't be needing this today....

No I'm not traveling today so I'll leave my weekend bag at home....

Loving the shoe bag at the moment. It's been really handy for traveling, I took my knitting on the train, then used it for underwear & socks when I went to Majorca.

Now I can relax with my sewing....

Pop to the bathroom before bed...

My new PJ's (thanks for the tip off Kelly!) & my welly socks that I'm using as bed socks....

Whoops....someone got there before me!!!!

I realised I haven't taken photo's of everything Cath...boy that would take all day..... my knitting bag was too messy & my books (all 4 (!) were on the top shelf)
Ok I think I have a Cath problem!!
I started buying just after she opened, at the time I could only afford little things & it would be a real treat......now I think things have got out of hand!

I'm glad to be home after my break in Majorca..... 48 hours is not long enough!
I'll be back soon to tell you all about it, unfortunately I've got a really bad back. It came on late yesterday afternoon..... the last time it was this bad I was taken to hospital in an ambulance!!
I remained calm & continued to travel home but I've never been so pleased to see my bed!
I'm back on my 'crazy' pills....so called because I can't speak properly when I take them or walk in a straight line!!! It's only happened twice before but it's so painful, I loose the feeling on my right side & can't breathe. Fingers crossed the pills will work........

Didn't we do well!!!!!!

Hello, did you miss me??
Sorry I've been away so long but I've had a really busy week.

A quick post tonight because I'm trying to watch Strictly at the same time.

So didn't we do well????

Wow just look at all those hats!!!

They've been coming in thick & fast this week. I returned from London to find them covering the kitchen table & when I went back to work they were everywhere!

Thanks so much to those who took part.

Here's a close up......

Did you spot yours???

Can you guess the total???

Thank you, thank you ..... Rosie, Hen, Kelly, Karen, Jayne, Louise & Stephanie.

Also to Kim, Pippa, Sadie, Jill, Jacki, Liz, Milly, Erica & Penny for coming to The Big Knit event.

So did you guess??

We made 96!!!!

That's fantastic.....well done everyone..... here's to next year.

I was very lucky & received gifts from Hen & Karen, how kind, thank you.
I will take photo's for the next post when I've got my breath back from this busy week.

I'm on holiday now...yay!!!! I'll be away for a few days & also housework to be done & lots & lots of crochet & knitting to be completed. Can you take a crochet hook on a plane?

How Much?????

Ok so I'll give you a clue.... you find this cutlery at boot sales but they're normally a bit dirty & the sort of thing you wouldn't want to eat from. I've seen good condition knives in bundles of 6 for £5 & once paid £2 each for 2 knives & 1 butter knife.

The cutlery wasn't priced but mum had offered to buy it for me for Christmas if it was out of my price range. When we asked the man I didn't hear him......all I heard we my mum saying ...'yes, yes we'll take it'!!
I thought he said £25 pounds but he actually said £5!!!

I couldn't believe it...£5 for all of this!!!!
Now I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but you'll be hard pushed to get any cutlery for that price. I left it on the counter while we looked around & saw a man going through it....nooooo..... I ran back, he was a local dealer & was trying to see if he could buy it off me at a better price.

It's not about money is it????
I've always wanted this so I'm not going to part with it.
However the novelty did wear thin when I tried to take out one of the knives & cut myself :(
They're so sharp, much sharper then my dinner knives & I paid £4.50 for one from Habitat!

Can you tell I still love my cutlery???

Today my friend came to see me with my birthday present....yes I know it's late but it was worth the wait......


Now just need to find the time to 'Sew'!

Big Knit update:
Thanks to the people who have joined in since Hen did her post, I think we should get 100 now.
I need them by the weekend if you're planning on posting me any.

Don't think I'll be around much for the next week, tomorrow I'm heading off to London to meet OH as he's been away for a week. We're going to see The Men They Couldn't Hang..... again!! .... this time it's in Camden. Back to Exeter late on Friday then work at 8am on Saturday :(
Working all weekend & getting the train on Sunday back to London for work..... managers meeting...oh joy....how I look forward to them!
So 2 night in a lonely hotel on my own......or not!!!!!

I'll be back to tell you all about it soon

Lovely goodies & help needed (again!)

Hello again, I was so looking forward to today as I had so much planned but after getting up at 6am the day has run away...again!

About 2 weeks ago I popped to the local charity shop, I go once a week just in case, for months now I couldn't find anything I wanted but this time I hit the jackpot!

All of this was £3...bargain!!!
The pillowcases were only 25p each, not sure about the frill around the edge but after a wash & iron they may look better (if not I'll cut them up!)
I keep on looking at beads but never buy them, I never wear jewellery, but I fancied some. My friend says that jewellery is a fat girl's friend! I normally wear scarfs but theses beads were 10p so I thought I'd risk it. I love the plates & the cats are sure to like the little pussy bowl.

On Friday I received a little gift.....

It was from Mel, thank you. I'm hoping to find time to make it soon.

Today I headed off to the boot sale with my folks, it was so busy but I brought nothing. I went because I'm doing my first craft fair (more about that in a bit) very soon & I needed some props etc but couldn't find anything. It didn't help that I took my parents lovely golden retriever with me so I couldn't look at every stall. I was pretending she was mine & I think she was the best looking dog there until we saw the most beautiful St Bernard, I love them!

So we were heading off for breakfast when we spotted Steptoes, our local 2nd hand shop, before I even entered the shop I found these.....

I had a pair before but I left them behind when I moved so for the last 3 years I've been kicking myself as they're so useful. I then saw Hen had made over a pair & I was really angry with myself yet again! These were only £3 which I think is a bargain, I don't think I'll leave them like this.

As I walked in the first thing I saw was this....

Any guesses?

A fantastic canteen of cutlery, now I never thought I would want to own a canteen of cutlery....suddenly I feel very old! I've been collecting this cutlery for a while but it's hard to find nice clean pieces at boot sales that don't cost the earth. They sell it in our local kitchen shop but the knives are £10 each so I think it would take a while to build up a collection.

Place setting for 6 including dessert, soup & fish, also fruit knives, craving knife, serving spoons....wow!

Lovely fruit spoons..... is that right?..... & a serving spoon to match.

What is this????

Sorry my camera hates close ups!
I'm thinking pickled onion spoon....hahaha!!
My mum was saying that both of my nans had the same set but she didn't remember this.

It smells a bit old but hopefully that will fade over time & once all the pieces have been washed. I just love it..... it's fantastic......my best find to date!
I keep thinking who did it belong too?
This shop deals with lots of house clearances, I think it may be a wedding gift which is why it's in perfect condition..... I just hope who ever owned it before knows that they have made me a very happy girl!

Now this is where I need your help....

Do you know the name of this cutlery? I thought it was called Old English but when I've looked on net it seems that lots of china is called Old English!

How much would you pay for this?
Not sure if I paid the right amount.
I'll let you know how much I paid in my next post.

So my first craft fair..... I've been thinking about doing one for about 3 years now but never got around to it. Exeter city council hold an annual craft fair & I sent an email with a link to my web site & they loved it so now I'm booked in for 7th November.....aarrrrggg!! That's only a month away & I have nothing made yet! Today I was planning on making list....can't beat a good list....of everything I need to do & buy. I guess I'm going to have to have about 10 of everything, not that I think for one moment I'll sell that much but the table would look a bit empty & rubbish otherwise. I've taken the bull by the horns & been asked to do another one in December so wish me luck!

Busy, busy now for a while but I'll be back soon to let you know how much I paid for the cutlery set..... ooohhhh did I tell you how much I love it!!!..... don't forget to let me know how much you think it's worth!