Spring Time!

The daffodils are out, the sun is shinning & the Cheltenham festival has started. That can only mean one thing……. my holiday!!!!

This must be the first year when I wasn't chomping at the bit (get it!) to have a break from work…… that's a good sign isn't it?

My deputy is unwell at the moment so my only concern is what I'll be going back to.

Yesterday was my first day off so I had a lazy day with the girls watching Forest Gump & knitting. It doesn't get better than that

Popsy's 1970's soft focus pose! 

Went to get a cup of tea & Jean stole my seat!

Today will be a bit different….. meeting my friend for lunch then spending the afternoon in the pub watching the horse racing….. shhh don't tell my employers!

Hope I win my millions

I'm back!!!

So sorry for the unexplained break from blogging..... not sure what happened!

The time has just flown by & I haven't felt I had much to say.

So today it St Patricks Day..... as you know I love to celebrate but this year has been different.

I've been off for Cheltenham racing this week as normal...... however I haven't really got into it & it's been the first year in many I didn't put a bet on.

I've spent most of the week asleep...... not sure why I'm so worn out but hey I'm happy to go with it.

I was due back to work on Tuesday but I was told on Thursday I had to return on Monday..... this made me very unhappy as I had plans for the weekend which I was told I had to cancel.

So for the first time in over 20 years I'm not celebrating today.

Feels kinda weird!

So today OH went out to celebrate while I stayed at home finishing the list of jobs..... well ok I did have a nap this afternoon too!

So what have I been up to...

In my last post I mentioned the Crikey Spring Fling...

My 1940's crochet brooches went down a storm!

Hoping to get them on my website & Folksy shop later.

On the Sunday it was Matthew's birthday so we had a party

Can't believe he's 4!

Tuesday was Make, Do and Mend.... this month it was yarn bombing!

You can read more about it on our blog and the local newspapers website 

I have been busy...... lots going on at work too so no wonder I was worn out!

This week is was nice to relax with the girls

And try to finish my blanket

Remember that?

I started it about 5 years & I still have about 60 squares to make!

I hope to be back to normal next week..... commenting & blogging!

Happy St Patricks Day

To you all!

What plans do you have this weekend??

I can't believe my 2 weeks holiday is nearly over...... only 2 days to go :(

We celebrated St Patrick's Day yesterday while watching the last day of Cheltenham & the gold cup.

The good news is this year I only lost 50p with the bookies!!!

That's the best Cheltenham I've had for years...... a weeks entertainment for 50p..... can't be bad!

I'll be in a mad panic for the last 2 days doing all the things I should've done in my 2 weeks holiday!

Busy week next week...... a interview for a new job (I've found out my job will finish in September as planned) & a visit to the doctors to get my blood test results. I've been feeling out of sorts for a while & keep having dizzy turns..... I went to the doctors & told her the symptoms, before I knew it I was rushed in to have blood taken! Hope it's nothing to serious :(

I will be back with Grease photo's..... it's been a while now!!!

Have a good weekend

PS Hope you like my updated blog...... boy did I regret making the changes yesterday when everything went wrong!!! But a change is as good as a rest!

Happy St Patricks Day

Top of the morning to you all!

Well this is the 3rd St Patricks day I've spend with you my lovely blogging friends & this year we've decided not to celebrate with drink!!!

For the last few years we've been flogging a dead horse ....sat in the pub on our own watching the racing & trying to find Irish music on juke boxes. So this year we're going to stay in & watch Cheltenham :(

It will be odd but I think it's a good plan as I've been naughty for the last 2 days & gone out to watch the racing. You know how it goes.... ohhhh lets go to the pub for lunch & come home early....mmmm doesn't happen does it?

Cheltenham update: Lost every race..... rubbish!! But 2 days to go :)

One of the reasons I've been out is the fact our Internet has been really playing up this week..... typical when I've got the week off!.... I have so much work to do with Folksy & Make, Do and Mend but couldn't do anything :( 

OH got it working this morning but I'm not sure how long it will last..... sorry for not leaving any comments but I will be back when things are sorted.

On Monday I treated myself to an ipad.... hooray!!! 

I've been saving for a while & planned to buy the new one but I went to the Apple shop on Monday & was told if I didn't queue up at 3am on Friday 25th March I would have to wait months! Well I'm really not that bothered about it! The new ones are going to be faster, have a camera & lighter...... but the old ones now have £100 off! 

I do love it & being cheaper it means I can now buy a CK case!!!

Hope you're all having a good week so far..... loving the sun, in fact I even took my cardigan off yesterday....heavens above it must be spring!!!!

Back soon

Kitchen clear out

Here are my kitchen shelves at the beginning of the week.......messy eh?
I've been dumping stuff on here for weeks knowing I was going to sort them out on my holiday.
I hate doing it as it takes for ever & my collection has grown since I moved in........I need more shelves!!!
You can read about the last time I did it here....whoops how long ago???

Better????

I found some cup hooks to display the mugs to try & free up space but it didn't work.

Spot my Homemaker china??

More about that another day.

After completing this mammoth task I realised I'd forgotten my EB mugs......oh no.....I'll have to slip them in somewhere. I've had to take loads off & hide it in cupboards.....OH hates my collections!!!

Just to remind you Show & Tell Sunday will be Sunday 4th April.....Easter Sunday.

The topic will be your favourite photo or picture & why.

I watched a TV programme about this & thought it was really interesting how everyone's taste varies.

It's ok you can have more then one!!!!

Back to work on Monday.......groan!!!
I didn't make my millions at the races so back to normal.

Happy Patrick's day....

What plans do you have?
I read on Twitter this morning that St Patrick's day was an excuse for English people to drink & get drunk mid week!!!!

What to do today????
I go out every year, to pubs, see bands etc......you can read last years post here. It's getting really boring now because no one celebrates it in my area.....the pubs aren't even offering cheap drinks. So the question is should I stay at home & do the gardening or try & party on my own????

Cheltenham update:
All my horses lost yesterday :(...........
However we did go to the pub & did a sweep stake for each race, I won 3 out of 4 which was £30.....yippee!!!!!
I did feel really bad so ended up buying a couple of rounds....... didn't have much to take home.
Today is another day.......fingers cross I win so I won't have to go back to work on Monday!

Another busy week......

Hello everyone, yet another week has flown by...... it's been a busy week here in sunny Exeter.

The week started with a lovely surprise, I won Sam's giveaway a few weeks ago & couldn't believe my luck when this arrived for me......

Fantastic isn't it??? I love it..... I've never been able to draw, my sister can but it's not something I've mastered...... I think Sam is a very talented lady don't you??

Attached to the parcel was another little parcel....what could it be???

How lucky was I????
The box of Maltesers is empty in this photo...lol!!
A CK travel purse & some lovely hand cream. Inside the purse was a pocket mirror & 3 beautiful homemade badges.
I felt very spoilt by this...thank you soon much Sam.....sorry it took so long to do this post.

I've been a very lucky girl because the week before I received this crochet flower brooch from Rose.

I mentioned this in my last post but the photo didn't come out so I had to try again.

I was off on Tuesday & headed out for the day. Me & OH spent the morning doing cleaning jobs while the sun was shinning so at midday we thought sod this & headed off to the horse racing at Newton abbot.
This is the view from the train window......

This train journey always reminds me how lucky we are to live in beautiful Devon. I didn't win any money but OH had a very good day.

I just had to show you this photo....

We brought a new printer & the box was left on the landing waiting for one of us to remember to bring in down to be recycled!! Well Nanny has decided to make it his new bed!!!
He sleeps there all the time now & I've even put a towel on it to make it more comfortable.

So we're only half way through the week..... I'll be back later to tell you what I did on my other day off.... it involves trains, shopping & animals. Also to keep you updated with my birthday challenge.... I've been doing the exercises all week so I'm hoping I see some results tomorrow morning... only 2 more weigh in's before the deadline.

Hope you're all enjoyed your weekend.

A week of sunshine & showers

It's been a funny week this week, on Sunday the weather was lovely but on Monday the heavens opened with a very big storm. The road outside was flooded but I was safely tucked up in bed watching TV!! The rain was so bad it lift up the road near me!!!

Tuesday the sun came out again so as it was the first day of the Royal Ascot meeting we decided to pop to the pub for lunch & meet some friends to watch it.

Normally when we do this it's fun but the day was full of crazy people..... ever had one of those days??? Should have just stayed home!!!

On Wednesday I headed to my parents for lunch......yummy roast turkey..... my favourite!

You can't beat your mum's roasts can you??

I had a huge plate full but managed to eat the lot!!!

What was this birthday challenge thing???.....lol!!!!!

My parents have a few pets but I must confess I do love this one......

Her name is Sophie & they've only had her a for about 18months. her owner passed away & she was being offered free to a good home!!! Can you believe how lucky were they???

Mind you she does have a very good home..... we curled up on the sofa together .... just don't tell dad!!!!

Today has been a odd day weather wise.... this morning the sun was shining but then it got very cloudy & has been a bit hit & miss all afternoon.

Never mind there was house work to be done........

How often do you clean your oven????

I hate doing it..... when I brought it 3 years ago I thought.... 'oh look at me with my nice big oven' .....now I'm thinking 'OMG why did we buy such a stupid oven'!!!

It's really hard to get in to clean & now I've got a sore neck. So house work done I headed to the garden.

My lovely Jasmine over the arch......

The flowers came out on Tuesday but I must say it's getting harder to get to the washing line.

My runner beans are doing well......

Picked some strawberries today....

Won't be getting fat on theses!


Hope the grapes do better......



What is this?????

It's growing at the top of the garden around my poppy. Last year I planted up a load of plants my friend gave me from her garden so I though it might be something really beautiful but now I'm thinking it's a weed.

What ever it is I don't like it because when I touch it I come out in a really bad rash, even if I wear gloves, that lasts for a few days .

Sorry if the photo's are rubbish I'm really enjoying the fact I don't have to fight with the camera batteries. The battery in my phone last about a week which is fantastic so you'll have to put up with bad photo's I'm afraid.

I'm going out for the day tomorrow..... can't wait!!!

Back soon with the details.

BTW.... I've updated my shop with some bargain flower corsages.... the ones from the photo shot.... go on check them out.

A day at the races......

I'm back from my very long day at Ascot. My friend collected me at 6.15 yesterday morning & I remembered to take my camera!!! I'm not very good at taking photo's....some people just love it don't they???

I haven't been to Ascot for years, not since it was re built, I couldn't believe how much it had changed. Everyone was really impressed with the stand but I thought it lacked charm.

It's very big!!!! What do you think???

We were guests of Exeter race course so we were allowed to go to most areas. Everyone was really dressed up..... they looked like they were going to a wedding!!! This wasn't even a big meeting & the racing wasn't that good..... no top jockeys there. I don't really do this kind of meeting even though I've been to some top race meetings in the pass. It's just not me...paying £4 for a pint & £9 for fish & chips.

As we were waiting to go in the course we met up with some of the top bods of Exeter, they had been drinking champagne on the train at 8.30 & were all dressed up to the nines .....more on that latter.....

We were rather sensible & took a picnic lunch & some wine then found a quite corner as we were there 2 hours before the racing started.

These are my friends.... Claire in the sunglasses is my closest friend, we've been friends for about 16 years... I went to Bristol last year for her birthday. Her sister is in the bright dress, she works at Exeter race course so hence the free tickets!! The lady in the middle is the Deputy Editor of Horse & hound...... it was great to have someone to talk to about the racing because the others just choose the nice colours!!!

Just before the first race I spotted this.........

Can you see Willy Carson??? He's the little fella!!!! Sorry not very clear as they were a long way away.

This is the winners enclosure......

Sorry to say none of my horses came in :(

We didn't have any winners between us...... lucky I was only betting £1 to win!!!

At the end of the day we needed to clear up our picnic area.......

opps!!!!!

So we headed to the nearest pub....... big mistake..... we couldn't get in the door but thankfully found the toilet!!!

Lots of people had been drinking all day & it was starting to turn in to a nightmare. After a terrible journey back to Reading we then had to wait for nearly an hour for our train home. The station was full of police, football & rugby fans & race goers..... it was not nice.

The train was very busy but we had booked seats so thankfully got to sit down. I at this point had really had enough....... I'm a bit of an odd ball & don't really fit in with these people. The top bods from Exeter got on...... how funny was this...... one of the Ladies came over to sit with us... remember she was drinking champagne at 8.30???? She had lost her shoes & her stockings were around her ankles.......her hair was a mess & she had been crying so her make up had run....LOL!!!! I had to chuckle!!!

Anyway I switched off by listening to my music & drinking my cider....... then everything turned nasty.... the socking lady had a go at me for being rude & not speaking to her..... the lady in the photo with the bottles turned on me saying I lived in a really common area etc etc......

I gave up & left them to it, I stood up at the door praying I would be home soon.

Then we had tears & shouting & hugging.... OMG!!!

Why do people drink if they can't handle it??? I was so embarrassed!!!

Finally got into Exeter at 9.30 & after trying to get them in the car I arrived home...thankfully!

So the morale of the story is....... don't mix with ladies & wine!!!!

Hope you've all had a great weekend. Back to work tomorrow for me :(

Freedom!!!!

My Holiday is finally here!!!

I did have to work all weekend so it only started yesterday but it feels so good having 2 weeks a head of me with no plans. I've cancelled somethings because I had lots going on & I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't have anytime to do nothing!!! Oh yes I do enjoy doing nothing!!!

So what's new......

Window update.... Thanks for all your kind comments on my last post......on looking at the window more closely I don't think the paving slab did the job, the hole is very small like a bullet hole.... could it be an air riffle???? Well I've heard that some of the kids do have them..... what would have happened if it came through the window??? What if my lovely Nanny cat was sat in the window as he likes to do???? Well I can tell you what would have happened...... I would've killed them if they hurt my Nanny!!! I've heard nothing from the police so called today to get a crime number to sort the insurance. Oh how I love our helpful police force..... I explained that no one had called & I was told that they are very busy & as far as the police are concerned the matter is closed because the children said they didn't do it. Well it still leaves me with a broken window!!! I explained about the air riffle theory & she updated the records but didn't seem interested. Unlike a lot of people I know I was brought up to respect the police but after this I'm not so sure.

On a happier note my brother's girlfriend had her baby on Thursday 5th.... a little boy called Matthew weighing 10lbs 15ozs.... normal size for our family!!! She went into labour on Tuesday 3rd & finally had an emergency C section about 11am on Thursday.... I have a feeling this will be her first & last baby!!! I have no photo's of him as I haven't been to see him. She was feeling unwell & on Saturday she became very ill.... they're now pumping stuff from her tummy, not sure whats happened but I think they left some stuff in... I'm not sure what, I must say it makes me feel a little bit ill!!!! Here are the gifts I've brought him.....

Bargain.... all from Primark.....I know...it's very bad but hey it was £1o for the lot & money is tight at the moment.

I also made this........

I used to sell these taggie blankets.

Yesterday was a right off because we went to the pub for lunch & stayed all afternoon...whoops.... I'm sure the house work can wait!!!

Today I was up early & the sun was out so a wash went out on the line.....

I think I need to spend sometime in the garden this week..LOL!! I get such joy from seeing washing blowing in the wind.... is it just me???

Then it was a sit down with a cup of tea to chose my horses for the Cheltenham festival that started today.... so far no winners.... guess I'll have to go back to work!!!!

I brought these magazines last week & they've been sat waiting for my holidays. Does anyone else get the Sainsbury's mag??? I really enjoy it & it's cheap too.

Then it was back to bed to read.......

I haven't read a Miss Read book for years but I saw them in the book people catalogue & I thought I'd dig mine out. They have a whole set for £9.99 so I think I'll treat myself because I haven't got any of those.

Reading Attic 24's blog today she said that everyone should have flowers beside their bed so here's mine.......

I popped to Lidl today & daffs were only 99p for 20, I have some in the living room & these were on the dining table.

I read somewhere that you should have something that makes you smile beside your alarm clock so you wake up with a smile everyday. What do you think of this beautiful cat???? She's so lovely.... I've had her for years, brought from a cheap home ware shop.... everyone laughed at the time but all theses years on I still love her.


On Saturday I took my flower brooches to the local florist......

Hope they sell.....



I'm going to put some on my other blog if anyone would like one, also the purse.... I've had some emails about that.





Well I think that's enough for one day. Back soon.



EDIT: I've just won the champion hurdle!!! Punjabi.... I had a cat called that! I always bet on him but he was an outsider today... yippee!!