Missing In Action!

Evening All!
Sorry it's been quite a while since I posted but things happened which sort of took over the last few weeks!

My previous laptop, which I've had since 2007 was running Windows Vista. I know it had lots of programs on it as I use it for all my craft - papercraft (Serif DrawPlus and Craft Artist); Cross stitch designing (Ursa Software's Winstitch); photo manipulation (Photoshop Elements and Microsoft Digital Image) as well as my Calibre e-book library. But recently, no matter what I tried it was getting slower than ever and it kept dropping the Internet connection. So I had to bite the bullet and decide if I was going to spend time trying to sort it out, or go look for a new machine.

I decided that a new one would be a better bet! And it's PINK!!

So I've been super busy - learning Windows 8 and trying to recover all my files and transfer them to an external hard drive, so that I only have to load the minimum amount onto the new. It's taking me hours!! Almost done, but I decided to let you all into what was happening!

On the stitching front it's likewise been quite quiet - by the time I've spent hours looking at a screen I'm in no fit state to look at cross stitch! But I've put a few stitches into my cheetah - I can see the beginning of an ear now, so it might be a bit easier to see where I am stitching.

Also I made a fair start on the July mermaid from the Joan Elliott diary stitchalong -

Our weather hasn't been too wonderful lately. So I haven't been able to get out much and tidy up the garden. But the last few days of sun which followed a few wetter days has been ideal. I spent the last 2 afternoons out tidying our front garden. I have to make a few changes to the plants I've decided. I had a large lavender bush which actually BLEW OVER in the wind, splitting the stems, so it was dying. I still have to get the roots up, but I'm replacing that with a soft yellow rose. Then I want to dig up the bergenias. They look lovely in flower, but they rot from the underneath (and house loads of slugs in the damp weather!) So I have to decide what goes there instead. I think a trip to B&Q is in order next Wednesday (when they have their over 60's discounts).

Well must go, got to load the dishwasher and settle down on the sofa.

Till next time

Sandie

May Bank Holiday

Well, I don't know about where YOU are, but here it's been a bit of a mixed weekend so far. Friday we had brilliant sunshine; Saturday we had cooler weather with both a thunderstorm and a hailstorm(!); Sunday has been a much better day - wall-to-wall sunshine. I wonder what tomorrow will actually bring for the Bank Holiday?

We had a pretty hectic week just gone. On Monday we had a service visit for our gas boiler. It was firing up our heating, even though the boiler was switched to hot water only (!). That was fixed, but we needed a new part, which had to be ordered, delivery on Friday.
Tuesday we had the car booked in for its' annual service and MOT (a certificate of road-worthiness which all cars over 3 years old have to have in UK). Apart from having to get one new tyre it passed, but when they tried to adjust the tracking having put on the new tyre, they couldn't move the bolt which held it in place. We waited all day for it to be done, but by the time they tried to do this it was too late to complete because they were worried that the rod would snap under pressure!
So we had to take it back on Wednesday for them to order a new track rod and fit it. We then spent the day shopping! Our daughter rang us later that day to ask if we were able to visit the next day so...
On Thursday we drove to see her and our grand-daughter. Our daughter had what we hoped would be her final check-up with he consultant about her knee operation. So we drove them over to the hospital, and entertained Jessica while her mum was seen - and was signed off by the consultant. She still has to go to physio, but he has declared himself happy with her progress. She's been taking Jessica out on a trailer attached to her bike, Jess seems to enjoy it, and it's added weight and resistance for exercising her knee.

 Getting kitted up....

And off they go...

We went back to theirs for a couple of hours before heading home. I'd made her another dress which we took along - it was made with fabric I'd bought in Hawaii!

Then on Friday we had the gas engineer revisiting to fit the part to the boiler as well as a plumber to fit a new siphon unit to our toilet. We'd been having to pump the handle to get it to flush, and my right arm was beginning to complain about all the extra work it was doing - it was like an old-fashioned water pump!

After all that exertion for the week I've been spending a fair bit of time on Pinterest (I finally gave in and joined!) My page is here if you'd like to take a look. Decided that it makes sense for me to use it for all those  pictures which you attempt to download and keep track of ideas!

My shrug is nearly complete - I'll save a photo of that for next time. I finally chose my pattern from 1-2-3.com which I was going to get with the voucher I won from Ruth's blog As you may know (if you've been following me for a while) we love the atmosphere of German Christmas Markets. Over the years we've bought a few Nutcracker ornaments for Christmas, so (cue fanfare.....) I bought.....

And I've started to pick up my cheetah again -

 Here's where I left it...

 And here's after today's mini stitchalong.

I'm beginning to see the pattern of the fur emerging, so that's making it a bit easier to follow. But it's still hard going, and I can only stitch 2 or 3 lengths of thread before I have to get up and do something else instead. 

Better go now - got to settle myself on the sofa ready to watch Hawaii Five-0 and vicariously enjoy the stunning scenery (and the sight of Alex O'Loughlin as Steve McGarrett!!). 

Til next time - have fun

Sandie

Beautiful day!

Today has been the first day this Spring, when I've felt it was warm enough to get out into the garden and do some long-needed tidying. I've managed to fill 3 garden rubbish bags, and nearly 2 of those are full of dead leaves from my Cordeline which sits on one side. I also pulled up the clematis which dies back every year (didn't know that when I bought it), and after 4 years it only reached 4 foot high last year. So I decided that I will replace it - this time I'm trying a passion flower. I also cut down my vine last year which was lovely, but made so much mess if you left the grapes too long. Two years ago we were away when the starlings descended en masse and stripped it bare of grapes in a week! It was like a scene from Hitchcock's "The Birds"!
Once I have managed to get all the way round I'll post an update picture of both my front and back gardens. Neither of them are large, but as I am the only one who goes out there to tidy, it's plenty big enough for me to manage normally. We had a local celebrity gardener (Sven Wombwell) design and build them both for us, so I REALLY have to keep them looking good!

What else have I been up to?

My sewing machine got a bit of a run-out last week as I sat down and made a few things for Jess. We were going to see them last Tuesday, and I'd promised my DD that I'd make her a couple of things. Here's what I came up with -

 An apron with elastic in the top and hook and loop fastening so she can do it up herself.

 Summer dress - with a few rows of machine embroidery around the skirt to brighten it up

 Tunic top. I wish I'd had more of this fabric - I got a fat quarter at a show last year, and it was the last one. It's full of references to "Grandma"! This tunic crosses over at the back, so does away with the need for fastenings. I think I'll make this again as it was a fairy easy make and looks quite sweet.

Cross stitch has been progressing, although not as fast as I wanted it to. I'm finally getting round to the backstitch, so as it's close to being finished I'll wait and show it completed next time.

My knitting - THAT cable shrug is slowly progressing. I'm back to about halfway down the second sleeve, so probably where I was when I had to rip it all back two months ago! So FINALLY I feel like it's progressing again. I tend to knit this in the evening while I'm watching tv, so I do about an hour or so each night - if I can stay awake long enough that is!!

I heard from Ruth that she's organised my $10 credit with 123.com, so watch this space when I reveal next time what I'm going to get!! 

Until next time
take care
Sandie

I'm a winner!!

After posting about Ruth's giveaway in my last post, I was astounded today to discover I'm a winner of the $10 card for 123 stitch! So I'll have to head on over and see which pattern/kit comes to the top of my wish-list!

I've been slowly grinding away at my November stitch from the Joan Elliott diary stitchalong. Here's today's photo.

I've been stitching a bit more today, and have finished the 2 fairies at the bottom, Apart from a few butterflies and a lot of leaves (!) this ones nearly ready for the backstitch, then I'm going to move on to ???? Not sure. As I'm half a month ahead - I've done four months' pictures now - I might put a bit of solid work onto my cheetah. I think it must be feeling neglected as I've put in barely more than 2 lengths of thread since the beginning of the year! So watch out for progress on that one I think. 

Take care and keep smiling no matter what the weather does - I'm cold and fed up of winter now - can someone please turn up the thermostat!!
Love

Sandie

Heads up on a giveaway

Ruth's Little Leprechauns is having a giveaway for her birthday. Pop over and have a look at what she's offering - and add your name to her comments!

It seems too cold for Easter here - normally I'd be hoping to get out and do some tidying in the garden, but there's still snow on the ground - not as much as in some places I know, but the grounds so hard!

Maybe by the end of the Easter break ??

You can but hope eh?

Happy easter everyone
Sandie

Easter and birth samplers

I was catching up on some blog-reading today and on Jo's blog she was talking about birth samplers she has completed. So here goes with some of mine. (WARNING - picture heavy post!) And I'm sorry about the quality of some of these photos - they are rather old!! And some have been scanned in from original prints as I no longer have access to them all!

 Obviously first has to be my own daughter's sampler. It was after all the one that started me on my cross stitch journey. Stitched on linen, with one strand of thread, patterns gathered from various sources to my own design. 

This was the next one I stitched - for friends of my husband. 

These next two were stitched for a friend's first two grand-children. The first is "Bluebirds for baby" and the second is from a book of Mother goose designs. 

Now this one started a whole series which I designed myself from a variety of images. I worked in a large library, and when one of the staff became pregnant I thought it would be a lovely idea to design a birth sampler for her. Several other colleagues volunteered to stitch out a motif, so it became a kind of round robin! When all the main motifs were done I took it round most of the rest of the staff, inviting them (or twisting their arms!) to put a couple of stitches in - even caretakers had a go! Then as a finishing touch I put everyone's names around the sides.

This one design spawned more and more - not just birth samplers but wedding ones too for other colleagues. I continued doing these until I retired. (More of them perhaps in another post!)

Friends too had their babies - 

 

and of course my own dear Jessica came along - my grand-daughter who is now approaching her third birthday - 

At Easter time we seem to hear of more babies being expected. But at the moment it's all quiet on that front as far as I can see. Hopefully I'll get some more of my own work done before I need to start searching out baby patterns again. But if anyone has heard of a new arrival recently, I pass along CONGRATULATIONS!

Until next time when I'll try to fit in some photos of what I've been up to recently!!

Sandie

I'm trying a test post!

Afternoon everyone
I've tried really hard to clean up this blog, and hoping it might now have worked! Please do let me know if you get any strange messages popping up!

In the meantime I've been posting on my other blog (newly created) - http://grandmasplaceinthecountry.blogspot.co.uk/ If you hop over there to have a nosey round, please let me know if you can't leave a comment as I've had a comment to my email today that it wouldn't allow postings! NO PEACE FOR THE WICKED EH??

In the meantime I happened across a giveaway for some goodies on Karen's blog -
http://mystitchyramblings.blogspot.co.uk/
I hope you'll hop over and give her a look too.

Best wishes
Sandie