Holiday week

We have had a busy week. It started last Saturday John and Biddle went walking and left me to my own devices at home. I pottered about and did some sewing. Grace's dress is coming along but got neglected after the weekend. On Sunday Elizabeth and Steve came. We went to the garden centre and bought a few plants for the tubs. Then had a very nice curry. They left me a pressy bag ready for Wednesday and a present and card for Biddle.

On Bank Holiday Monday we went off to Headingley to watch a 20/20match between Yorkshire and Leicestershire. This was quite nail biting at the end but Yorkshire did manage to win. The weather was sunny to start but clouded over a bit which was better for me


Then we caught a bus to Saltaire for the Seth Lakeman concert. We had to eat too but nowhere much was open so we decided to have fish and chips and we sat in the bus shelter because there was rain in the air. The concert was great and Seth plays a mean fiddle.

Tuesday was spent at home pottering about doing not much at all.

But it was a beautiful sunny day and we walked through a variety of scenery
Wednesday the birthday was a good day. I had some brilliant presents. John bought me a book of Ashes facts and a book from the Cloud appreciation society. I am sure you have all made pictures in clouds and this book showed some really good ones. In the year 2000 John bought me a minimum/maximum thermometer for the garden. I have been recording temperatures daily since then. I have no been upgraded and have got a new gadget that is radio controlled. And can record all sorts of things now. I have also got a rain gauge/thermometer and weather vane. I haven't taken a photo of this yet.

Mum sent money and when we went to town I spent my Christmas money on a new digital radio and my birthday on a jacket for walking etc.

We then went to see Coraline

I enjoyed it immensely but think that some of the small children in the cinema might have found parts scary. After the film we went for a meal and Nando's. Biddle came too of course. I think it was his first cinema visit. We were home to watch Barcelona beat Man Utd!

Thursday was a day catching up at home doing boring stuff like washing.
On Friday we travelled by bus to The Waterton Countryside Discovery Centre in Wakefield

I cannot find a very good link to it.


We could hear lots of different types of birds singing in the trees but they were hard to spot in many cases.

Biddle enjoyed it here and found some interesting things.






The meadow of buttercups looked amazing and the woods gave us some respite from the sun


On Saturday and Sunday we caught up with some planting in the garden and John fixed up the water butt we have had in stored in the cellar for far too long. So... I can guarantee a rain-free summer, new shower-proof jacket, rain gauge and a water-butt ....

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Cross stitch and things

I have neglected my cross stitch over the past couple of years. I am not a quick stitcher and when I see how much some stitchers can accomplish in a day, week, month I get disheartened. There is me plodding along. So I have been knitting and sewing a lot more lately. But I am determined to finish
Ye Olde Chocolate Shoppe. And she is coming along very nicely


I have all the easy bits left now so I can stitch with out too much counting ( yes I know its counted cross stitch). I have so many projects and I will hopefully get to grips with a few more. One problem I have is that we moved the table out of the front room and I haven't got anywhere to spread my stuff ( and it certainly used to spread).

My local shop had McCall patterns half price during April and it seemed a shame not to take advantage of this. I could not find a jacket pattern I liked - all too boxy, short, fitted and so Grace has benefited. I have bought a toddler patter which will be a good fit for the chest measurement but I will have to alter the length. She is one spoilt bear.This is the fabric from my stash.

It will have a plain collar and a plain facing for the sleeve ties. I am out of practice with dressmaking and this will ease me back in.

The pots in the garden are changing the spring bulbs are finishing and the summer ones I planted a few weeks ago are all showing through. The sweet pea seedlings will need planting out soon, but there is no sign of any pepper seedlings coming through in the mini greenhouse. It has been so miserable here the last week or so, with several heavy showers and even some thunder. But the garden looks fresh and clean. I just hope it warms up a bit soon. It is half term next week. To be fair I can hardly acknowledge it as I haven't work much but John is on holiday for the week and certain festivities will take place. Including a visit to Saltaire to see Seth Lakeman

so this week I will be listening to his music. Do you sing? I sing all the time. I harmonise along with various singers while listening. I join in at shows when invited with most people around me not doing. My sister used to tell me off because I used to sing out loud walking to school.

But the time to worry is when I don't sing! Singing means I am happy, singing means I am content.

I wonder what kind of singer I would like to have been. Folk, rock, opera. In my daydreams I have been them all.

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