day out tomorrow............

had a fantastic time last year and bought some lovely wool and fabric..........extended the budget this year so hope to come home with some interesting goodies.

Also treated myself this week to these gorgeous fabrics. Aren't they fabulous especially the first which if memory serves is by Alexander Henry. Have a great weekend x

France was FAB as always.....

This was our home for the week, a very nice pigeonnaire, part of a much larger beautiful farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Literally five miles down a windy road from the nearest village, a 10 mile trip for your morning croissants!

The silence was deafening you could hear the leaves falling from the trees and the beasts snorting in the woods.....something I've always craved but as a former city girl latterly a small town girl. it could be a wee bit scary if I was on my own (Herb having undertaken the 10 mile trip for the you know what) ...still,I would have  a go at getting used to it!

The pool was huge and gorgeous and we had it all to ourselves, we kept saying how the girls would have loved it.......

We stayed in the Tarn region not too far from Albi which did not disappoint, it has the biggest brick built cathedral in the world!.....loved it

wonderful villages,and it being September there were no hoards of brit's, no crowds, no 'hunt the parking space',we had these amazing places almost to ourselves....my,we are getting old and grumpy.

and finally this melamine plate in the gite inspired this piece of crochet so I was not completely idle.

and had a dabble at cross stitch too.....

All in all a great week, we survived our first holiday a deux....we missed the girls terribly, but on the positive side we could  suit ourselves more than normal and hey its something I will have to get used to.

The house was extremely tidy when we got back......smelt quite badly of a heavy use of oven chips and I suspect our house became the place to stay for the week, but that's OK all safe and well.

Work has been full on and quite stressful since I got back, its the time of year when its always that way, year end, new budgets and of course the coming of 'compulsaries'.....not great.

and finally thanks for the comments re my last post and the big falling out I had with an old friend. I had an extremely frank discussion with her, probably 30 years overdue on my part which felt very liberating. We have spoken since the holiday but have yet to meet up, its cost me some sleepless nights but hopefully our friendship will now be on a better footing.......

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.