Spinny

Well, in my excitement for New York I've been looking at lots of blogs and trying to compile a list of places that we absolutely have to go.... I think that louie might just shoot me if I go to all of them and frankly, my head is spinning from the choices!!!!

What I do need to know is a great place to go and have some cocktails!!!! This occupation will be second only to hunting for fabric and trimmings to help clutter up my already fully full house (my English is getting worse with every post I write... )

So anyone out there suggestions please!!! I'd be more than happy to suggest places in Liverpool to visit should anyone ever decide to visit on a Beatles tour!!!!

I leave you tonight with this lovely photo of an Iris from Long suffering mother's garden, pretty ain't it!

Background

I've always wanted to live in the countryside. There are some beautiful places all over the UK and one of my favourite places is where my Grandparents used to Live in Mid Wales. They lived in a very small place called Dolanog. They have both died now, but about 5-6 years ago after my Grandfather came to live in a nursing home about 10 mins away from us (rather than an old house unsuitable for his needs about 80 miles away) it was entirely apparent that he was never going to live there again and we spent all our holiday entitlement and most bank hols/weekends there filling skips and sorting out not only a house full of generations worth of stuff, but a small business and post office. (My grandfather was known in the village as "Newton the post office"!) There was lots to clear out. Regardless of lovely incidents such as hunting for and finding an old rusty service revolver (we had asked him where it was... he told us "its in the Hampshire"... helpful? - not really!) wrapped in newspaper in my grandmothers sewing box and assuming because we knew what my Grampy was like, it was loaded (it wasn't) ringing the police and asking how we should dispose of it and them turning up to collect it! oh and a suspicious substance (I shan't tell you what) which necesitated my father getting a police escort to the nearest small town! (oh the fun! - and it was!) Well about 10 skips, a ripped out kitchen, bathroom, shop, store, two garages, a large garden, a piano, three piece suite and sooo much rubbish later we sold the house. We did however save this as a momento, it is a picture of the house when it was two houses and a blacksmiths many years before my grandparents bought it.


I'd loved to have seen it then, I wish we'd kept it, but times change and I'll just have to keep my fab memories of clearing it out, taking mallets to piano's (to this day I'll never know how they got it in...) scrubbing old quarry tile floors, having baths with the window open whilst watching the cows and sheep in the field opposite, sewing and playing cards with the others by dodgy electric and sometimes candlelight, calling Dad to remove the MASSIVE spiders that sometimes chased you out of rooms and eating breakfast sitting on the wall outside the front door.

Rain, Rain go away

Why is it that as soon as the peonies come out (see this post) that the heavy rain starts?.... I'm not impressed, we've been waiting years for it to flower properly and what do we get... rain... still the garden is enjoying it for the most part even if we are not.

I must admit one of the things I like is pretty china. I'm coveting these from Royal Albert, they are designed by Zandra Rhodes and are my current favourite... I'm trying very hard to contain myself (am saving hard for New York), but can you imagine these at afternoon tea......!

Well.... I think I'd better put the kettle on!

Happy Birthday you old tart

Dear Bertie,
It has been brought to our attention that you have now been our brother for the last 24 years. I'd like to say in that time, you have driven us mad and made us laugh, tormented us and been tormented by us all in equal measure, just as a siblings should. Have a great day mate, see you later and the first round is on us. Your fabulous sisters Fern and Dawn xxx

Just a little note to all those who aren't Bertie, when he describes Sophers and I to people we have not met, he says we are like Fern Britton (Me) and Dawn French (Sophie).... We choose to take this as a complement, but are never really sure about the likeness (apart from Sophie who is and I'm sorry to tell you this Dawn, but she's funnier than you)

LSM's Quilts - with a little help from her friends

LSM (now a nickname that seems to have stuck) is a quilter, not your usual type on the sewing machine, oh no, she does everything by hand (bar the edges.. which I do anywhay so she does do everything by hand)

Here is one she made for her friends daughter

And another as a wedding present for my cousin and her husband

See - she should get a blog of her own then she can post all about the process seeing as she is just about to start on her next. I say she is I get the job of cutting out templates, the fabric and helping tack!!!