Sunday 29 September 2013

Get Crafty!!

I've had a crafty week!


I made a duck for a friends little girl..... she loved it!
It duck from Sarah & duck of course!
(I've never heard of it!)


I sold some cats from my website


I'm cracking on with my blanket, only 5 more squares then I can join them & do the edging. I want it finished by Christmas..... I started it in March 2008!


On Friday I visited the Stitch, Sew and Hobbycrafts Show in Exeter.


Les Miserables costumes


This is all knitted!!! Amazing :)


My goodies..... far too much fabric!!!

And to top the crafty week off I did a new window display


It took forever & lots of balance to hang the net curtains but it was worth it as we had our best day so far yesterday, most of the things in this display sold...... the animals will be eating well today!!

And to top it off I received an email from a retail buyer for the Imperial War Museum.
She had seen my red & white tea cosy & said it was very much like one they had from WW2, she wants me to make a similar bespoke tea cosy to sell online & in their shop!!!!



I'm so flattered they asked me!

I need to contact them to find out more details but I don't think it'll go ahead as they want to retail it for £10 so I'm guessing I'll get about £5. That's the cost of the yarn & as they take approx 5 evenings to make I can't see it's worth my while...... but hey they asked me!!!!!!



Saturday 21 September 2013

Happy anniversary to me!!!


Oh good heavens today is my 5th anniversary in blogland!!

Where have the years gone??

Thanks for sticking by me..... in 5 years I've lost 3 cats, lost my job, had a hard time in my new job.... but on the up..... I've made lot's & lot's of lovely things & met some great people.

Can I do another year??



Monday 16 September 2013

August Book Reviews

Another 3 books read in August....... still way off my target of 50 books in 2013 but I'll be happy with 25

First one 


August 1939: Thirteen-year-old Poppy Brown is evacuated to a village in Dorset. Tired and frightened, she arrives with nothing but her gas mask and a change of clothes to her name. Billeted at a grand country house, Poppy is received with cold indifference above stairs and gets little better treatment from the servants. Lonely and missing the family she left behind in London, Poppy is devastated when she hears that they have been killed in the Blitz.
Circumstances soon force Poppy to move to the suburbs and into the company of strangers once more. Earning a meagre income as a hospital cleaner, as the war continues to rage, Poppy longs to do her duty. And as soon as she is able to, she starts her training as a nurse. While the man she loves is fighting in the skies above Europe, Poppy battles to survive the day-to-day hardships and dangers of wartime, wondering if she'll ever see him again...


At the beginning of July I brought 3 Lily Baxter's books from The Book People for only £4.99. I'd never read any before but I'd read good reviews on Amazon so I took a risk & I really enjoyed it!
I nice love story that had a happy ending, I knew how it was going to end so it was no surprise but all the same a good quick read. I'm looking forward to the others.
9/10 


Three very different girls sign up as student nurses in 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. Dora is a tough East Ender, driven by ambition, but also desperate to escape her squalid, overcrowded home and her abusive stepfather. Helen is the quiet one, a mystery to her fellow nurses, avoiding fun, gossip and the limelight. In fact she is in the formidable shadow of her overbearing mother, who dominates every aspect of her life. Can a nursing career free Helen at last? The third of our heroines is naughty, rebellious Millie an aristocrat on the run from her conventional upper class life. She is doomed to clash over and over again with terrifying Sister Hyde and to get into scrape after scrape especially where men are concerned.

This utterly delightful novel brings a London pre-war hospital vividly to life.

I found this one at work, a bargain price of just 99p!
You can buy from Amazon on Kindle or paperback. Once again a really good read, light hearted & interesting. 
I was really pleased to see there are 2 more in the series & I've added them to my wish list..... just hope I get time to read all the books I'm adding!!
9/10



Kathy Burton longs to escape the drudgery of her life as an unpaid labourer on her father’s farm. With only the local church choir and the occasional dance at the village hall for amusement, she yearns for the bright lights. Spurning Morry Robinson’s proposal of marriage, Kathy goes to live in the city with his aunt, Jemima Robinson. In turn, she finds employment for Kathy in a department store, but is anxious when Kathy is captivated by the sophisticated and handsome floor manager, Tony Kendall. ‘He has a reputation,’ the outspoken Jemima warns her. ‘He’s had more girl friends than I’ve got shoes in my closet.’ Kathy has fallen deeply and irrevocably in love and, even when the country is plunged into war, she can see no obstacle to their future. But she has reckoned without the devious mind of Tony’s invalid mother, Beatrice Kendall. ‘You’ll never marry my son,’ she vows. ‘I’ll see to that.’ Determined that the possessive woman won’t win, Kathy plans her wedding, but the day is ruined and Tony is called up before another date can be arranged. Feeling deserted, Kathy is forced to face yet further heartache and shame alone. At last, she finds solace in joining a concert party entertaining service men and woman and war workers. But behind the songs and the smiles, her heart is breaking . . .

Can you see a theme going on here?
I'm addicted to reading novels set in war time, a good love story with the back drop of WW2. I seem to be living in my own little world but minus the bombs (thankfully!)
I've never read any Margaret Dickinson before but I couldn't put this book down! Find it here on Amazon.
Once again I knew what the ending would be but it didn't ruin the story. Another book brought from work for 99p & the good news is...... it was 2 books in one!! I enjoyed this one so much I read the next straight away then donated it back to the shop as I had a customer waiting.
I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.
10/10

So that's my August books..... I'll be back soon to tell you how I'm getting on in September


Thursday 12 September 2013

Back to the 1940's..... yet again!!

Years & years ago when I was looking for 1940's event in Devon there was nothing but as it's becoming more fashionable they're cropping up everywhere!

This time it's Lupton House in South Devon


The weather forecast was heavy rain & the heavens opened on the journey down but when we arrived the sun came out & we had a lovely afternoon.


Matthew was invited to drive a classic car.... fine until the man showed him the horn!



Fantastic vehicle display & a full battle re-enactment that was VERY loud!!


Matthew meeting Mr Churchill 


And Laurel & Hardy 


Time for tea!


Loved this display..... although it does look a bit like my house!


The highlight of the show!
They started the engines every 30 mins...... wow what a noise!

I planned to sell here this year but the deadline was when I was having problems at work & I decided I didn't need anything else to stress about! I might give it ago as the crafts for sale weren't fantastic so I think I could do well. I spoke to a few sellers & they said business was slow but the table hire for the weekend was a very low price.

Now I have my family sharing my passion for WW2 please let me know if you hear of any events in the Devon area.

oh by the way the photo's of me & Matthew dancing to Glenn Miller in the sunshine have been cut!! 






Tuesday 10 September 2013

Remembering....


Our lovely Charlie who passed away after a long illness 5 years ago today

Sunday 1 September 2013

August 2013


2013 is marching on & autumn is just around the corner!

But what a beautiful summer we've had this year?

August started with a trip to Totnes & the cat cafe but I also checked out the gorillas in Exeter, made lots of cats, had a rainy day out with the family, had too many cider cocktails, spent time with my girls, read lots of books & finished off with my birthday!! 

Phew it's been a hectic month!

So wanna see what I got for my birthday?


A lovely new record player...... I had one like this when I was a child & I've been looking for one the same for about 10 years! This was very over priced for what it is but hey it's red & white & that's all the matters! It took 3 people to chip in to buy it for me.


A pretty kitty brooch



A jar of M&S sweets, a mug (it wouldn't be a birthday without a mug!), a coaster, DVD & some Cath vouchers...... I want the new birthday bag.

So that's summer done & now we're heading in to my favourite time of the year...... the mornings & evenings are getting chilly so it's time to dig out the cardigans. 

Bring it on September....... we're ready for you!!