Friday 28 February 2014

100 Happy Days

Another week has flown by

Afternoon drinks with my friends

Up to the arm holes on my tank top

Cuddles with my girls

New bag full of fair isle goodies

Sunshine & a big flower in my hair!
My mum brought our dog to the shop

New cats from the shop


I've passed the halfway mark this week & to be honest I'm not sure I'm any happier!
Sometimes I find it a chore to find something that made me happy…….. but I'm determined to finish the job so you'll have to put up with a few more weeks of photos!


Saturday 22 February 2014

100 Happy Days

What made me happy this week

A pint of cider after a long week!

Spring is in the air

Feeling poorly with a cold, coming home & putting my feet up 

New bargain cushion

Working late & coming home to my girls who had missed me :) 

Finally blogging about my crochet blanket 

Coming home from work & finding my favourite meal waiting for me 

So that was my week….. what made you happy?

The lovely Sarah tagged me a long time ago to answer questions about myself. I've been meaning to get around to doing it….. sorry Sarah!



So here we go….


1. What is a nickname you've had/have? Josie-Mary (as a child) & Loon (now I'm older!)

2. Spring/summer/autumn or winter? Autumn

3. If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be and why? A cat, I'd love to cap nap in bed all day!

4. What's your favourite hot beverage? Tea in the morning, Ovaltine before bedtime

5. You win an all expenses paid holiday for one week, where do you go and why? Lapland to see the reindeers & hopefully the northern lights

6. In a zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice? I have no idea! 

7. I want to come and visit you for a day, where would we go and what would we do? To the zoo!! Followed by afternoon tea followed by a few pints of cider!

8. If you could learn any skill, what would it be and why? Learn to sew so I could make my own clothes 

9. You're stranded on a desert island and can only take 5 albums to listen to, what are they? I don't really do albums, I have playlists which include a real mixture of music but I guess I would take something by The Men They Couldn't Hang & The Alarm 

10. Name a celebrity crush. Morrrissey 

11. What is your favourite flavour ice cream? Mint choc chip 

I won't tag anyone as I'm really late in replying 

Back soon










Thursday 20 February 2014

Ta-Da!!!

Over 5 years ago I taught myself to make granny squares & started my blanket.

I wanted to make a traditional one from scraps…… this is how it looked back in January 2009, just after I started blogging


I wasn't really happy with it so I decided to unpick it & do a cream edge around each square


I asked your advice & everyone agreed the cream looked better


So it started to grow


And grow!

But the problem was I had chosen a really small crochet hook, you know what it's like when you can't wait to start a project so you just use what you have! I've been regretting it every since :( 

And over the 5 years I've become busier with my selling so this went on the back burner. I was so determined to finish it by the end of 2013 you could find me beavering away every Sunday evening



And finally on New Years Day I finished!


5 years & 9 months!

It's taken awhile to take some photo's but it's been used a few times for afternoon naps!


So here it is…….





The colours look a bit weird because of the light but you get the picture.

I'm so pleased I've finished it at last, I love it!!

2014 is all about finishing projects (& starting new ones)

Do you have a project you plan to finish this year?



Sunday 16 February 2014

100 Happy Days

Another week has passed, here's what made me happy

New Cath Kidston timer

Popsy sitting on my lap for the first time ever!

Fish pie! 


Finding books I want to read in my shop

Wednesday was Popsy's on my lap again but I can't get the video to work on Blogger but if you really want to see it then click on my Instagram link on the right hand side

Flowers from mum & pops

Spotted these battling against the strong wind in my garden 

Beautiful sunny day in Exeter today, unfortunately I seem to have yet another cold & spent most of the day in bed :(
Trying to find the energy to do some housework!

Enjoy 1/2 term, I'm looking forward to the quiet bus journeys! 






Friday 14 February 2014

January Book Review

It's a bit late in the month to be doing the book review but I don't seem to have enough time to get everything done!

January was good on the reading front, I managed 3 books


A heart-warming story of love and friendship in wartime from the bestselling author of Where the Heart is and London Belles.
It's September 1940 and the London Blitz has begun. For the four girls living at No. 13 Article Row, life must go on, despite the nightly bombing raids.
Underground employee, Agnes, is working round the clock to deal with the huge influx of people seeking safety in her station, while Dulcie is trying hard to make peace with her mother.
Nurse Sally returns to Liverpool and gets a shocking reminder of the past, but this is pushed from her mind when a dreadful accident occurs.
As Christmas approaches, her friend Tilly meets a handsome young American called Drew. Could he be the one to mend her broken heart?
As the bombs continue to rain down on a wintery London, the girls do their best to create some Christmas cheer – but the only present they really want is to be home for Christmas.

I started this one just after Christmas, I read A Christmas Promise by the same author & thought this was the 2nd book. Unfortunately this was the 1st so I got a bit confused with the characters!
I found it really hard going & lost interest in the beginning but managed to struggle through.
This is not a reflexion of the book, I would just recommend if you plan reading it just make sure you read this one first!!
8/10


When Imogen and Anna unexpectedly inherit their grandmother Vivien's ice cream parlour, it turns both their lives upside-down. The Brighton shop is a seafront institution, but while it's big on charm it's critically low on customers. If the sisters don't turn things around quickly, their grandmother's legacy will disappear forever.
With summer looming, Imogen and Anna devise a plan to return Vivien's to its former glory. Rather than sell up, they will train up, and make the parlour the newest destination on the South Coast foodie map.
While Imogen watches the shop, her sister flies to Italy to attend a gourmet ice cream-making course. But as she works shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best chefs in the industry, Anna finds that romance can bloom in the most unexpected of places...

This book had been on my Amazon wish list for sometime after I read/hear about it through a follower blogger. I was lucky to find this in a bag of donations that came into the shop & after reading so many WW2 romance books I thought I needed a break.
A quick easy read that was really enjoyable……. someone said 'like a bar of good chocolate'!
The plot lines were easy to work out & I can safely say there were no shocks but I still really enjoyed it.
A great summer holiday read & the ice cream recipes will make your mouth water!
And it's cheap as chips on Amazon at the moment!
9/10


In my dreams, I was always in some vast landscape on a long, straight road. Driving. Always driving.'
Gwenda had always loved the open road, but her home town of Newcastle didn't really offer the sort of adventure she longed for. So, in 1957, with friend and fellow nurse Pat in tow, she left the dismal British winter behind, and embarked on an amazing American adventure.
After a year nursing in Cleveland, Gwenda, Pat and three new friends set off on a road trip around North America, driving in a rickety 1949 Ford. What follows is the charming true story of five remarkable young women. Over the course of eighteen months, the girls go to a 4th July rodeo, visit San Francisco and Las Vegas, learn to surf in Hawaii, spot movie stars in Hollywood and celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Wherever they go, the travelling nurses cause a sensation. This is a delightfully nostalgic memoir of friendship and the romance of the open road.

Another charity shop find. I wasn't sure about this book as I hadn't heard of it before & it certainly wasn't on my wish list but I thought I'd give it a go. Oh boy was I pleased I did…… I loved it!!
It was one of those books I didn't want to end. I would loved to have visited America in the 1950's so I really enjoyed reading all about Gwenda & her friends adventure.
10/10

And just because it's Valentines day





Saturday 8 February 2014

100 Happy Days

Another week of #100happydays

Saturday was pizza but unfortunately the photo has disappeared!
But I can tell you it was a very nice treat after a long day at work :)

A lazy Sunday morning with some sunshine


Extra cheese on my cottage pie!


Cuddles with Jean

Subway 

New watch…. I've wanted this for about 6 months!

New record player

I couldn't believe my luck when my manager turned up at the shop late on Friday evening saying he had a treat for me! It turned out he found this record player at our shelter, it was going to another shop when he rescued it for me…… he thought I would like it & how right he was!
I'm not suppose to be buying anymore but this is small enough to hide away so OH will never know! 

I've now completed 32 days & I'm finding it's getting harder….. as you can see there's lots of food this week! No wonder I'm so tubby :) 


Wednesday 5 February 2014

January 2014


1 month into 2014!

I started the year poorly but it soon got better, lots of #100happydays, time spent with my girls, making a fair isle hat, afternoon naps, lots of new goodies…… January has been good, if not a little wet!!

I even managed to tick 2 things off my things to do list & read 3 books…. result!

I can't believe we're 5 days into February already, time really does go too fast :( 




Sunday 2 February 2014

Knit For Victory

Hurray I've finally got around to taking photo's of my Knit For Victory hat! 

I started knitting on January 6th


And finished on 12th January…… not bad going for me!


I used a larger size needle & thicker wool as I have so much hair but unfortunately it's still slightly too small :( 







It's turned out beautiful……. I love a fair isle hat & this is another to add to my collection!

If you want to give it a go you can find it here

Thanks Tasha for organising the knit-along….. I hope you do it again!

I'm now planning to knit another for a friend in 4 ply, I even treated myself to the wool!