31 days till Christmas

Well A lot has happen since I last posted. I have completed many swaps and I have finsihed and recieved a mark for my first OU essay (67%) . I have also discovered that I am pregnant and therefore am currantly suffering with morning sickness.

It is only 31 days till Christmas and thinks are going quite well and basically on track most presents have been bought I only have christmas carsd to make to send out. This year I have about 80 to make so really I ought to get cracking on them

They Shall Not Grow Old

As it is Remembrance Sunday today I have been looking into war poets and I have discovered the poem "The Fallen" from Laurence Binyon (1869-1943).

Laurence Binyon was born in Lancaster in 1869. Studied at Trinity College, Oxford then worked at The British Museum. Although Binyon was too old to enlist for active service in the first world war he signed up to go to the western Front in 1916 as a medical orderly for the Red Cross with a medical unit.

Perhaps the best know part of the poem is the four stanza which many people all over the country and indeed the world will have said just before 11 0'clock this morning.

For The Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Happy Birthday Arwyn

Well Friday Was My littlest Son's Birthday.
He was six!

He had a lovely birthday cake which I bought and him, his brothers and his two school friends had a great time eating it and playing the game that came attached to it.

I also go the first set of decorations of to Sal at the shop and I finished of a Christmas decoration for a swap I am doing

Third Swap Bot Parcel

The Last parcel I had was

Knitting/Crochet Notions Swap

I had a really cool parcel all wrapped up in purple and lilac tissue My favourite colours.

In the parcel there was a selection of great things.

There was:-

A Pair of purple knitting needles size 6.5mm

A ball of Sugar 'n' Cream cotton for knitting called Landscape

A ball of Sugar 'n' Cream cotton for knitting called Hot Purple

A ball of Eyelash yarn made by Cello called Solid Dark Purple

A ball of Eyelash yarn made by Cello called Magic Purple

A Yarn Cutter Pendant from Clover

A Leisure arts Colour Splash Dishcloths (15 Knit Designs) (Watch out everyone you might get some from Christmas)

Two Darning Needles in a special case from Clover

A lovely Turquoise Notebook

A Little bundle of Lovely Mini Gel Pens.



As soon as I have finished the baby cardigan I am knitting I will be starting on a Dishcloth

Foggy & Tea

Well outside is amazingly foggy and it has been all day. We have had some friends over for Lunch it was a bit of a spur of the moment thing as most thing in life are but it was fun.

Well I promised to updated the blog with the swap bot things I have had well the second parcel I have had was a lovely package of fruity teas.

There are some really yummy flavours here and I am really looking forward to drinking them.

Swap-Bot:- Some assembly required

In the last week I have had two great parcels from Swap-Bot!

The first package was from the Swap some assembly required.

We each had to buy 3 Make it your self kits from the £1 shop and then send it to your partners.

In my parcel I recieved a kit to make a pussy cat coin purse , a set to make two Gecko beaded keyrings and a set to make some cool reindeer Christmas decorations.

Good morning World

Well what a couple of days!

Last Wednesday was the funeral of my Grandmother. It was a beautifully sunny Autumn day but I think she was watching down on us laughing cause lots of things were slightly wrong including her being late for her own funeral!

Oh well that is over now and life has started to get back to some form of normality.

My Mum gave a whole load of bits and pieces that were my grandmothers & grandfathers. I have slowly sorted them out and found homes for them.

The only thing I haven't yet dealt with is the Mink fur coat and hat that I have inherited which is sat rather forlornly in the suitcase in the front hall. Although I know she is gone it is very hard to go to that suitcase and open it hang it on a hanger and put it in my wardrobe.
It is still not mine yet perhaps it never will be mine!

New Project

My friend Sal has comissioned me to create some Christmas tree decorations for her to sell in her shop In The Greenwood.

Well these are the very first two Christmas trees which have been completed.

I secretly think Sal is trying to stop me from watching too much daytime TV by making me so busy I won't have the time :).

£2 Dress

Ok everyone this dress cost me the grand some of £2 form Petticoat lane in London.

Since buying the dress I have also managed to get a Cardigan to match the green

Sassy Seahorse

Here is the Seahorse Cut out sewn up and ready to send out

Goodbye Nan

Sorry I haven't "blogged" anything for a couple of days but my Grandmother

Mary Olive Darke died at 10:15pm on Monday the 22nd of October.

She had been ill for a little while but basically she died of a broken heart she missed my Grandad who died back in February. Then had know each other for 73 years and had been married for 66.

Through trials and tribulation, Sickness and health they stuck together. They only had one child my mum Joan Darke.

Life is slowly getting back to normal but it will take a while as I feel a bit strange not have any Grandparents left in this world.

I think I shall take the tortoises' approach "slow and steady wins the race"

Busy Weekend

Well as today draws to a close I thought I had better update everybody on what I have been doing.

Yesterday (the 20th) DH and I went for a visit to Ripon College Cuddesdon Oxford. This is one of the Vicar Factories that He is looking to attend if he gets through the selection process. It is a beautiful college set in about 90 acres of fields. It is a very peaceful place but equally very close to Oxford so that you are not completely removed from society. All in all it was a VERY good day.
This beautiful, peaceful place has now gone to the top of the list.

This morning after a very sleepy start We all went of to Church. Although have way through the service I suddenly came over all dizzy and faint. Well I did manage to stay till the end fo the service. After lunch I went to sleep for 2 hours cause all my limbs and my head were hurting.

Tonight I have worked more on my seahorse swap for Swap-Bot.




I will post a picture later when I have taken it. I have cut him out of the handmade felt I made on Thursday.



Tomorrow I will start on the Red and white ornament I have to make.

Bad Day on the Craft Front

Well I haven't done much on the craft front today due to the fact that I had a bad nights sleep and woke up this morning and couldn't move.

So after getting the kids to school I went back to bed for a short while. Then I pottered round the house not doing much But I did manage to get some unit done on my Open University course.

Dh then decided that we would go out for lunch and after driving around for a while we decided to go to TGI Fridays.

Well after a lunch consisting of Nachos as a starter and Chicken fajitas and dh's steak we came home in time to get the kids from school.

I then had to go to bed for an hour because I had developed a fibro headache and I just couldn't concentrate on anything.

Can't see much crafting going on tomorrow as we are of to visit Ripon College, Cuddesdon, Oxford to see whether it is the right college for Dh to go next October

Red sky at night Shepherds delight

This is the sunset I can see from my back garden tonight at 18:20

Well hopefully this means tomorrow will be a good day.

Red sky at night Shepherds delight

First Post

This morning I have started this new blog by creating some felt.

I bought the merino tops from Ebay in a beautiful multi green colour. I have rubbed and rolled put washing liquid on them. Plunged in and out of hot water and finally rinsed it in cold water to remove the soap. Now the felt is drying and when it is finished drying I will take it and cut out a seahorse for a swap I am doing on swap-bot.

I will upload a photo of the felt later when it has dried