Let it snow! Let it snow!

Saturday morning woke up to a snow covered garden - very pretty should have gone to Taunton, for various things, last minute shopping and a hospital appointment. Cried off the appointment on Friday as I had been listening to the local radio and television weather forecasts. OK the receptionist said I'll just mark you off on the computer to say you rung in and gave me a number to ring on Saturday morning which I duly did, only to be moaned at, obviously they hadn't looked at the computers but it was my fault and I should make an effort was their attitude (I'm just becoming a grumpy old woman!) but as it was a 25mile trip to Taunton and the same back we were not going to risk it for anyone! Did what we needed to do in town and came home.

What is it about trees with snow on them?

Michael and Lizzie still came for Christmas lunch yesterday, seemed the only frozen dangerous bit of the journey was our road, he said the motorway from Bristol was clear and empty. We swapped Christmas presents, I had an album of lots of lovely photographs of their wedding, they absolutely loved the Sampler from the last post. On the back I stuck a montage of all the wedding stationery, and a list of the meanings of the motifs.

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This morning just before 8am I took it into my head to take the sitting-room mat into the garden and lay it in the snow. Mum always did when we had a good fall of snow, apparently it is a very old fashioned way of cleaning mats. Snow is a natural bleach (did you ever taste it as a child or after a snowball fight?). Well I thought I would have a go, what could go wrong, the mat was 15 years old and grubby.

Mat laid in the snow..........

.........twenty minutes later - erm.........

where is it?

Janet my boss rang, to say stay at home, her and Roger would open up about 10ish if they can get in from Dunster. So I have decided I am having a duvet day when I have written this, mind you my brain and body thinks it should be working in a shop and is getting agitated! Right I have had enough of the snow, and feel sorry for the people further up country who are snowed in, this snow is getting a wee bit tiresome now and I am sure they think so too, dreading the defrost all that water! Two lots of snow in one year is just not on! Go here for a picture of Parks Walk, Minehead, it a pretty walk whatever time of the year.

FINISHED!

I haven't blogged much recently, I haven't left many comments sorry for that. I had flu and I have made things for a craft fair. The 'swear box' is full too!! My other little bit of spare time was taken up designing and stitching a wedding sampler for our son and daughter-in-law.

I completed it and washed and pressed it by 9pm last night, mounted it and took it to the framers this afternoon, it will be ready for next Saturday.
I washed it in a pillow case. Pin it to one side of the pillow case and then turn the pillow case inside out so the Sampler is inside. Follow these instructions


Yes they are Space Invaders you can see, they were on the all the wedding stationery and table settings and Michael and the two best men Simon and Ewan had cuff links.

RIGHT...........now I can think about Christmas! Off to make the Christmas cake now - if you haven't made on yet either my recipe can be found here!

"E" for effort!

I'm am bad blogger at the moment, what with flu, craft fair and everything else something had to go! I am so behind with everything, I haven't even made my Christmas cake yet! Not happy about that........

I would like to say a big thank you for all the lovely comments on my previous post, I have to say I actually didn't sell anything, well I say I didn't sell anything, three cards, a scissor keeper and a knitted brooch so everything is here now, please feel free to take a look. The only thing that isn't there is the green Christmas sack, but if anyone is interested in that I can make another but with red lining. Father Christmas now has the sack for Caitlin's pressies - shhhhh!

Yesterday morning I had a lovely chat with my friend Jackie. A few months ago I mentioned in an email to her that I had heard the cows but in the many visits to her farm never actually seen them! So yesterday morning I had a tour of the farm!

The calves - not sure how old they are

Bull Calf - he has a name but cannot remember it

but I'm sure Jackie will read this blog and

answer all the things I have forgotten!

Ferdinand keeping an eye on his harem!

two more cows!!!!

This one is called Marion

Exmoor Craft Fair on Sunday

My stall at the Exmoor Craft Fair at Porlock on Sunday

I wanted something unusual..........

..................on which to display my brooches and smaller items at the craft fair at the weekend, so I made this!

I didn't take photographs of how to do it, but the instructions are quite simple! Find an old 78rpm record that you aren't likely to want to listen to, and find a smallish casserole dish. Upturn the dish onto a baking sheet and place the record centrally onto the base of the dish and place into the oven after you have turned the oven off and have finished cooking and while the oven is still warm. I had the oven on 200 degrees centigrade and left the record for about five minutes then removed it. You can either leave to cool on the dish you moulded it on or place it on to another cold upturned casserole dish. Do not place it on a flat surface because it will go flat again! I then used my cake stand fittings to make the stand.

Voila!

If anybody is in the area............

Craft Fair next weekend

Help.........

............I need virtual motivation, I think I just need a virtual kick up the botty...........I am doing a craft fair in less than two week, I need to finish a few things and start another couple of things.
I came in from work put the computer on to do my blog as I haven't done a post since 4th November, cooked myself some toast and sat down to eat it and didn't move from the chair for a while, Oh dear I thought I must do something at which point I got up picked up the camera and took a walk round the garden, perhaps this is the start of my motivation - I hope!!

The little flowers on the Bush Fuchsia dancing in the winter sunshine.

the last of the red leaves on the Sumac Tree

and the "happy" Violas in the hanging basket.

On Sunday we visited this lovely little person who is now running round
she really put a smile on our faces, she is as bright as a button!

and now I must go and make something with this material and print off some notelets, cards and patterns off for the craft fair. The little walk round the garden did blow a few cobwebs away after this horrible flu I had.