Oh joy of joy's its the weekend

It is source of bemusement to me that I always feel worse and more tired after a short working week than after the full five days.... Work is incredibly busy at the moment as we are approaching the end of term and as we are interviewing for a new post on Monday, we have been preparing for that, I spent a happy two hours with the lovely Steve at the bookshop just picking stuff off the shelves and not worrying about the cost.... oh soooooo much fun!!!! Anyhoo less of the boring stuff! Actually I have been v boring this week - (apart from obviously Monday!) The smallest quilt in the world is still small... but getting bigger all the time... see below as modelled by Sophers!

I now have no ideas on what to do with it... so if you have a suggestion I'd be pleased to hear it!

I managed to get this photo in the Garden at the weekend and I thought I'd show it (see I really have had a lean week!!!)

Obviously was feeling brave... perhaps birdie knew that it's nemesis was otherwise occupied and it was safe to be about.....

It's now on to mega shop shop weekend , Lark Lane Farmer's market, then George Henry Lee's (John Lewis) for the Debbie Bliss sale and then Azkaban (or Abakhan/El Kilo) for an up to 70% fabric sale...then... Car Boot on Sunday..... Phew - I'll be glad to get back to work I think! I'll certainly need to if I'm going to spend as much as I think I will.

Hope everyone out there has a great one too!

What happens when bloggers meet....

No....David Tennant doesn't turn up and inform you of some sort of strange distortion in the space time continuum... although we wish he had ;-)

Well, I suppose I better tell all...

The exciting thing that happened today was... I met up with a fellow blogger!!
I met the Lovely Jo from Angel Jem's city cottage! I think we were both concerned that there would be awkward silences...welllll no... I've finally met my talking fifteen to the dozen match!!! Before you ask, yes she is as funny in person, no we didn't shut up and yes we were there for hours I did wonder if we were going to be asked to leave!!!!!! I suspect that we'll have to meet up again as we did have fun, we both thought it'd be fun to meet up with even more bloggers but we all live so far apart! I was well behaved on the way out Jo - I promise I didn't spend much dosh.... just a tiny little magazines (oh and LSM wanted stamps!!!)

I hope that everyone else has had a fab day!! Oh and if Jo and I decide to make it up to Scotland... there are several people that need to watch out!!!!!

Perhaps we should plan a bloggers convention.... What about the quilting show in Birmingham??? Leave a comment if you are planning to go!

French Leave

It has to be said I do like it when Mr & Mrs LSM go on their Jollydays as they always return with something lovely! She has posted about some of the fab things she got so too so go and have a goosey!

A few weeks ago I posted regarding some fab vintage hankies she gave me... well... I got some more - sooo cute!!!

Look at the Birdies on this one!

And how cute is this!!!

I also got some fab larder goodies in a fab reusable bag from "Eddies" - otherwise known as E. Leclerc!!! Dad has Christened it Eddies for some reason, I think it sounds fab said in your best scouse as Eeeeee Leclerc!!!!!

I shall have no need of plastic bags ever again!!!!

I hope that the weather is better everywhere else than it is here!!!

Make sure to come and visit tomorrow too as I suspect that there will be exciting news!!!!

Be good, and if you can't be good... well don't bother!!!! ;-)

Quick Thursday evening post!

What is with all this crazy weather???? I left the house this morning - beautiful sunshine - I get to work the same! Then 9.30 hits - I walk round to the other building to see my boss (for my appraisal - which was fine!) and the sky was black on one side of the road and sunny on the other. I prayed that it wasn't an omen of impending doom and gave thanks for the sensible bone that being a Librarian has endowed me with due to the fact I'd remembered to take my brolly!

There are lots of things that I really love, ribbon, peach jam, toile du joie, tea, reading, buttons and French brocantes, but this photo sums up something else I adore... bubbles... I'd forgotten I'd taken this, a quick snap that I didn't think had worked, but it has... sort of so I'm going to show it!

Just look at that sky, you wouldn't think it was thundery the day after....

Happy Solstice everyone, enjoy the light!!!!!

AFRICA OYE!!!!!!!

What a weekend we had!!! The Annual Africa Oye music festival on Sefton Park was on this last weekend. Always a brilliant event with lots of visitors from far and wide!




It was amazing, the company of friends and mbira players as well as the thousands of other people celebrating the fab weather and brilliant music from bands like Culture and Ska Cubano

Lots of dancing in Muddy Sefton park and fabulous Morrocan Food. There were great stalls where you could get anything from Jewelry to bags to African and South American art and clothes of all types.




This band had the oldest person on stage I think he was nearly 80 !!!


We played mbira in the park, I learned a new piece (which I now have to practice!!)Legs, hands and mbira courtesy of Eve!!! I really love the shells on hers!!

We all ended up very tired, mostly subburned and with very muddy feet!!!!

All in all a brilliant time, I hope that your weekend was as good!!!!

Happy Daddy's Day!!

Hello Daddy,

Happy Father's Day!!!!

We hope that you have a fab one!!!!

Sarah, Sophie and Michael

xxx

and so Tuesday comes around again!!

I do suspect that it'll be wednesday by the time this appears its 8 mins past midnight and I'm shattered.

LSM has we really pleased with the feedback for her blog and has just posted again!! I'm so glad she decided to do it! She is becoming more and more concerned with environmental matters and I found this little book for her that she can keep in her handbag! The ISBN is 9781903998403 and it cost just £3.95!!! Bargain I say

A little update on my patchwork project. I've decided to make it into something else rather than a tablecloth, however I can't say what.. so I'll just have to post the pictures and keep schtum!!! I'm being good and using my scraps and offcuts, the squares are 5 cm by 5 cm and are a pain to tack but after the 2cm by 2cm square mini one I did its nothing!!!!

Anyhow, I'm off to bed now with my book and a cup of tea I'll post again very soon! Enjoy the rest of the nice weather before the rain hits! I'll leave you with this picture taken in the garden, I wonder who's flying this and where they are going....

LSM has finally gone and done it!!!!

Heaven help us all.......Long suffering mother now has ablog of her own, why not pop over and say hi!!!

http://marymaryfairlycontrary.blogspot.com/

a little preview for you!!!! Mother's mock orange!

Round two

It seems like such a long time since I last posted.... well actually it is for me, not since Sunday!

I'm at Mr & Mrs LSM this evening and I thought I'd post not only another photo to please Sophie, but also the view next to me!

Such a nice view, with homemade bunting (yup me again!) some of LSM's collection of.. well I don't know what its called, but it comes with her accent written on it!! and the little miniature from Dad's Mum and Dad's house.

I love that little picture I have often wondered who it is and if I'm related, what they grew up to be like, if they went bald like my Grandfather and my Father. Did they go to sea like my Great-grandfather or did they turn bad and drink and gamble. I wish I'd been old enough to ask.

I've tried and tried to get the following photo of Grandma and Grandad to go right, but this is going to be the best go I'm afraid! So here they are .... presenting Mr & Mrs Rose

Its strange for me to look at this photo. I remember my Grandma quite well, but I never met my Grandfather, he died from polio when Mum was eight. I see him in my Uncles, cousins and brother now. From all accounts he was a pretty remarkable man. He was an engineer and teacher, he could knit and sew and cook. He could turn his hand to most things and he's passed that on to each of us in different ways.

My other grandfather was a much different man. He was very quiet and imposing and had the hugest hands and feet you have ever seen. He was also an engineer and was a dispatch rider in North Africa and Italy during the second world war and had been known to befriend Hell's angels helping them fix a broken bike whilst my grandmother served them all tea and cake and everyone else in the village battened down the hatches!

I think this provenance helps explain my personality, I come from a long line of strong people and its been fun to share them with you!

The post with no name

Nope - I haven't been watching Clint Eastwood, I've just to many things happening in this post to name it properly (I know it doesn't usually stop me!)

Firstly I discovered a new blog via LSM a few days ago Sophie Honeysuckle. It is a fab blog go and look this instant if you haven't already! She really likes wedding photo's so I said I'd post ones from my Grandparents. I can't get a good one of them both in this light so I'll post this one of my Grandma on her own and then the both of them another day!

That is my Grandma Eileen, LSM's mummy, doesn't she look happy!!! You can't really tell, but the photo has been touched up with colour and she has proper rosy cheeks and rosebud lips! quite apt really as she became Mrs Rose!

Its been rather a strange weekend all in all. Like a game of two halves, yesterday it was beautiful, sunny, warm and fab. Today however has been another matter, rather grey, muggy and yup, you guessed it, raining... still Sophers, LSM and I took the opportunity yesterday of a trip to Lady Heyes craft and restoration centre which is out near Frodsham in Cheshire. We had a great time spent our pennies on buttons, ribbon a dinky table and craft supplies. One of the friendliest places there is Crab Apple crafts, they have lots of supplies to make you squeal with glee! I got some fab paper and some gorgeous ribbon, as did LSM and the lovely lady Tracy let me take some photos to show you!

I just love ribbons on reels like that it reminds me of jewels and sweeties and craft afternoons at School and Charlie and the Chocolate factory!

Then after an afternoon in the garden I was looking forward to similar today, but had to spend the time trying to sort out my house before Kim and Aggie come a knocking on the door!!!

One of the things about this blog that I didn't expect is rather than inspiring me to make more, which in a way it has, it has made me shy, I've got a sort of crafting stage fright after seeing (and receiving) some of the fab things that the people out there make. In an effort to ease myself back in gently, I'm making a little patchwork tablecloth for my garden table (only v small enough for tea and book... and maybe a little sewing) out of all of the scraps that I've got. I'm doing it the "English" way with papers, so it's going to take a while! So today I'll sign off with the beginnings of its construction.