la belle france

at last we have a holiday booked..... in the Tarn region.....so so excited, its a pigeonnier with a pool right in the location I wanted to be, as I have a list as long as your arm of places I want to see......don't tell Herb, he's ordered lots of heavy tomes from Amazon so he obviously has a different agenda to me ha ah.....just the two of us, so a bit of a test all round. Eldest and youngest will be home alone, I declined my mothers offer to stay here on their behalf....they owe me.

On the crafting front I have made a few more cushions for the Christmas fair, although that is in jeopardy as the friend I was doing it with has pulled out and I'm not sure I have the confidence to do it by myself. What if etc etc.

On the negative side I think I have today lost the friendship of one of my oldest friends.....35 years we've known each other and gone through many ups and downs, seen each other through divorces and other traumatic times that life has thrown at us..........not sure whether to let it go or try and salvage it......any one had a similar experience?

do you like the new header picture?

A little clue to how we spent my two week enforced break from work (why is she moaning, I hear you say)

We joined the National Trust and its FAB....granted on our outings we were amongst the youngest adults but still we have visited some lovely places. We even developed a bit of a routine........do the house and gardens followed by the NT and second hand book shop and finally the cafe for cake and coffee. Its the best money we have spent in ages.

We started the week at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk. An Anglo Saxon burial site that Herb had wanted to visit for many a year. It was really interesting and informative BUT....... all the fabulous treasures that were found in the grave are now in the British museum. Herb was very disappointed but still a good trip, great book shop and gorgeous cafe. Followed by a little foray into Woodbridge.

Wimpole Hall next, a beautiful house inside and out (I will take snaps next time, I didn't realise you could until we left), wonderful gardens, shop and more cake.

 Oxburgh next.....in Norfolk, wonderful Elizabethan house with some tapestries initialled by Mary Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick. Not such a great tea room but highly recommended all the same.

 Lastly, my favourite, Anglesey Abbey near Cambridge........its the most gorgeous house that was renovated in the 20's in the style of the day. It has a working mil and wonderful gardens including that magic copse of Himalayan birch trees, that took our breath away it was such a surprise. I'm sure i saw some fairies flitting about under the trees.

the dahlias were majestic and so much variety and colour....and of course great cake and cafe.

and of course no summer break would be complete without a trip to the seaside.......beautiful Southwold, Herb even swam in the sea, still it was the best day weather wise in the fortnight.

I have been busy with the hook as usual, building up stock for this Xmas fair I have been talked into, but I also made this cushion(at the bottom) for a fellow blogger. She has a great blog prettyshabby and she had had a really tough week so I offered to make her something for her little caravan of the vintage variety. Don't ask me why, I have only made for a couple of close friends and after I made the offer I thought she might of thought me a bit odd, but its done, sent and received and by all accounts she is very happy with it.

and finally we have a friend to stay...............Toby, he's been a joy to have even though he has a poorly leg and we couldn't take him anywhere, he is extremely loving, good natured and very obedient even at 10 months old. We shall miss him when he goes back on Friday.

the things we do for love......

Up at three this morning to take youngest and her pal to the airport for their 2 week trip to Zante. There are six girls going as last year. They were so so excited. She has sent a text to say they got there OK......sea's blue and its very hot.

They have had all the lectures about staying together come what may. Fingers crossed.

Eldest came back from Spain, had a wonderful time in Nerja, loved it.......and did I say, we are going nowhere, have I mentioned that before? To make matters worse, for the first time ever at work they are operating a 2 week shutdown in August, at a time when for once I don't need to have my holiday in school break time.

Apart from last year when we went to my sisters house in Cyprus we have always gone to France.

We both love it there and even the girls, who moaned like hell the past few years have been waxing lyrical over our traditional french hols. You know the routine......up and out, head straight for a village or small town ....with a church or chateau (has to have one or t'other), a river an added bonus then lunch out then back to the pool , books out and just do nothing but relax

.......oh yea then I make a 'french' type meal or we go out.....Herb and I sit outside the gite and drink Jameson's and put the world to rights....we have done this for years all over France and then this year I just did nothing about it.....maybe in September.

18 today....and a rare stroke of genius

...on the part of yours truly.


Youngest child's 18th has been fast approaching , no party was required, she was planning a full day out with friends, beach during the day, clubbing at night. All that was required of me was some drinks and nibbles in between.
Then last Thursday all her friends dropped out of the day trip, all good reasons, she was so disappointed but putting on a brave face.......I suggested a family lunch during the day but was hoping to find something better........then a little play on the net and ting the light went on....a day spa....and as luck would have it there is a lovely place 30 minutes away. Even better it was doing a pamper day two for 1, so she and eldest were driven there yesterday early. She was very surprised and looked a bit nervous but at 6pm when she came back she had had a brilliant time. It was a raving success! Meanwhile I had made a cake, food, decorated and mixed cocktails.
Her friends arrived laden with gifts, beautiful flowers and champagne to get ready. Fed and watered off they trotted in those belts they call skirts and 6 inch heels. Herbs face was a treat.

We then settled outside with the remains of the food and cocktails, pina colada for me, sex on the beach for him ha ha and ruminated on where the last 18 years had gone.....a very successful day(until about 3.45 this morning when they tumbled out of the cabs and up the stairs, that was me fully awake and no sleep since-still managed to finish another cushion front)

Eldest came back from uni last week.....with a years worth of clothes that needed to washed, I kid you not....it wasn't that they were all dirty but they smelt of the halls, and it was not pleasant. Before we left we visited the house she will share with 7 others in October. Granted her room is twice the size of halls and lighter but that's it really, not marvellous. Still they are all really thrilled and consider themselves lucky to have found such a great place. Who are we to argue.

However we have had to fork out £900 rent for the summer when of course the house will stand empty.....if anyone has some spare cash, with interest rates so low, you could do worse than buy a house to rent to students in a uni town. The landlord is getting about £30k a year for not a lot of effort. Not bad eh?

University blanket came back in one piece and just needed a good airing.....

redundancy announcements probably this week.....joy of joys x

have you seen the film marathon man?.........

Friends I kid you not, it was the most traumatic 1 hour and 45 mins of my life! and I'm not talking about the football.


I am not generally given to dramatic prose, I promise you. Anyone that knows me would tell you that I am generally a woman of few words and known to play down every stressful situation. But this was third world stuff and I am still recovering. (with the help of elderly parent's strong painkillers)


Did I really give thanks on Wednesday to the footie fan who had given up their appointment!


So with a teeny hint of melodrama, I can promise I will never watch poor Dustin Hoffman in that film ever again(for those too young or too sensible it includes a terrible scene involving a dentist played by Lawrence Olivier- say no more)....as it is I have hardly slept since.......without a doubt giving birth felt easier and safer.



So on to far happier things. EXAMS are finished.....not for me of course but youngest, though it has felt a lot like we were under the same pressure at times. Every teeny weeny thing we asked her to do was met with the retort 'exams remember'. Well no more ha ha.
Housework duties start Monday........you can imagine the response that got.

Look what came in the post today. ooh I do love little parcel deliveries and this did not fail to delight.
Also as we are short of a wool shop in the small town (and I could not be bothered to go into Cambridge for John Lewis this morning), I also bought these in the charity shop. £1.50 for 100g. Granted of course it is acrylic but its nice acrylic, quite soft and very easy to work with. I will get some merino dk when I get to JL cos that's my fave.

So...... youngest is at work, Herb is watching football and I shall adjourn to the garden for some hooking and a glass of rose.

lovely weekend everyone.

Toothache Tulips........

from my family to help ease the pain. (actually its only serious painkillers from elderly parent that is helping).

I have the mother of all toothaches which will end hopefully this afternoon at 4pm with the extraction of said tooth. I know I know the football but after four days of serious pain and when you are this close to taking a hammer to your own jaw , a game of football just does not figure. Actually thank goodness for the footie.........I would have had to wait until Monday otherwise, so god bless the person that cancelled their appointment this afternoon.


Have finished one front for the little crochet cushions and am really pleased with the effect. Am awaiting yarn to finish the back but am more than occupied with these lovely little babies.
Again, there is just not enough hours in the day for all the lovely things I want to try.

Am off now with the yarn, hook,sun, painkillers and ipod (latest archers omnibus to catch up on-poor sid)
Enjoy the match!

Things that take your mind off work....

Work is not good, it's public sector so no funds equals less jobs. It will be very unpleasant for the rest of the summer and is affecting me sleep wise. However I am trying not to be pulled down by it, so am filling the space with stuff.

Tuesday youngest took a break from revision and we went to see a film.....here's a clue. Guess? indeedy those four lovely ladies from NYC. We loved it despite the reviews and the ridiculousness of the tale. We ate popcorn and laughed a lot. Do go for a giggle, nothing heavy.

Yesterday we promised ourselves a trip to the coast. I had imaging a lovely picnic on the glorious sands, youngest sunning herself with a nose in a text book. Me with i pod and hooking, surrounded by gorgeous yarn and Herb with his binos, bird watching and bringing us ices and cold drinks. But of course this being blighty it was raincoats, scarves and woolly hats. Still we had the beach to ourselves apart from some nesting plovers and oyster catchers ( its rubbing off.)

we had a wonderful time and finished with a quick trip to Chelsea on Sea, sorry Burnham Market, (this gorgeous pad would do me)for a cream tea before rushing back for youngest to do her shift at the posh peoples supermarket. (note 25% off wine and champagne this week-well worth it)

Today has been doing what I love best, pottering round the house. I sat in the little sun we've had today and with the Archers on ipod carried on with the four way bargello. A little experiment, fun to do but am not sure I like the effect. .........and started a new crochet granny using old bit of yarn. I have sorted my threads and finally sewn the last end in the blanket finished last year. Altogether a productive crafty day.

Finally we have this at the front of the house....classily done with black tape dont you think? but Herb insisted. ........its the only flag in the street!.........

beautiful flowers in the garden......enjoy the rest of the weekend folks