Another Year Done!

On the whole 2013 has gone quite quickly.The weather has been mixed with periods of freezing cold days and snow, wet and windy and milder and very few in our part of th ecountry that were too hot. I wrote at the end of last year how awful the rain had been at times and the same can be said this year. The part of Scotland  (Dumfries and Galloway) where we go on holiday has been badly hit the past few days. It just about made the news unlike the coverage of the South East and Kent which went on for days.

We spent Christmas on Teesside and were entertained by Jaco who is now over  a year old.

 He here is in 2012

and now.

He has such  a lovely nature. He must have as I am not a fan of most dogs. Tia had a lovely time too. Usually she stays in one part of the house but this year she was running around Libby's as if she owned it.

We came back on Saturday and Sunday found us at The Texere betwix event where I spent a happy hour buying various types of yarn and a couple of books. I have plenty to keep me busy over the next few months. My  next sewing project will be a fourth Mother Nature Doll.

Tonight we will catch up on at least one episode of The Bridge so we will be ready for the new series on Saturday. As I have many times  said before I am not a fan of New Year's Eve.

Wishing everyone who visits a Happy New Year, may it be a good one.

There's a blog give away at...

... Soggibottom you might be lucky enough to win this little chap

pop over and find out what to do.

Christmas decorations.

This year I did a straight Christmas ornament swap with Terri . This is what I made for her.

here is the back. It is much greener than it looks in th is photograph.

And here is the one she sent to me.

It is such a cute little bird.

The tree and decorations have been up a while but I had not got around to taking photos.

 We have a new angel on the mantle piece and a couple of new santas among the snowmen.

Every year we think we might replace the tree but never find anything as nice as this one in size or shape.

I have not made many new Christmas bits this year but did these last week.

They have a little bag of cloves inside.


Happy Christmas to everyone who has visited over the years. I know more people visit than just those who comment  :)

last Sunday...

... we went to Skipton  and met

some very small Reindeer.

A very tame robin who watched us eating our lunch

A festive sheep

and a band

We were going to stay for the torchlight parade and Christmas carols but the rain got steadily worse as the day went on. So we decided to catch an earlier train home.

What weather...

...everyone has been having. My sister on Skye had snow,  we had gale force winds that luckily did not cause too much damage. And there has been flooding on the East Coast and houses have fallen into the sea. I cannot imagine how that must feel.

Today was Michele at Soggibottom's birthday and I can now show what I made. I had a panel with cat pictures so I made one section into a needle case.

I was pleased with how it turned out. I have got in a bit of a rut with my sewing so after Christmas I am going to make the fourth of my Mother Nature Dolls she will be summer. I can fit other things around making her as she is quite a long term project.

It's all quiet here....

... at the moment. Most of the sewing, knitting etc is secret so I cannot post any details yet. You never know who is reading. Although I am sure my mother won't be.

The only item I can show is this. I started it this time last year and knew it would not be finished in time to hang so put it in a safe place. Then after Christmas could not find it.   Over the summer there it was sitting in a box on the shelf laughing at me.

 

It is now finished and hanging next to my winter Mother Nature doll. And they set each other off very well. No photo of them together until the Christmas decorating is finished. I have to confess the snowmen were out early this year and the tree will be out sometime in the next few days.

We have had lots of birds in the garden. Although I am still concerned because there is no sign of the blackbirds. The robin, sparrows and tits all share out the supply of food between them. But the starlings 

and the magpie tend to eat everything that is put out in one mad grab.

While the gold finches usually have this feeder to themselves. Last week I discovered that the fatball feeder and the crook shaped metal pole it hangs on has disappeared. Stolen I fear by a human.



We had a lovely sunset  on Thursday.

Last week end we went to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate. I enjoyed it especially the exhibitions. But it was so crowded, I think we might go on an earlier day next time. They need to sort out the stash buyers who come with shopping trolleys and crates on wheels though. I tripped over at least two.

I am sure many exhibitors lost sales because people could not get to the stalls