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All the photographs have been taken by myself including those of holiday.

Sunday 24 August 2014

What is it ???? the Answer



 Hi,

At the beginning of the week I asked what is it,   Well I have not seen all the answers but for those who got it right its.......................  A Grass Hooper,

He stayed on the windscreen as my husband drove to Midsommer Norton for just over a mile,

Thanks for all those who gave a comment,  just thought I would have a little bit of fun with you.

We don't see Grass hoppers very often in the UK, these days,  we cant remember when we last saw one,   so to have one on the windscreen for so long,  had to be given an honour.


Hugs
                      Margaret



   

Friday 22 August 2014

Tatted Crosses 1/ 25 Motif challenge number 3


Hi,

Another scheduled post,   I should be in Oxford by now as we are going to Vernon's Sisters for the weekend,  and a family party in Oxford on Saturday night.
 I made 14 these crosses,  I have only photographed one not going to bore you with all 14,   I gave the nurses and carers who looked after mother in Care Hall Nursing Home a separate Thank you care with a  cross.  For the rest of the staff I made a larger card,  but I wanted to thank those who spent hours looking after mother especially in her last days something to remember her.   
The pattern I used was the simple cross tatted by a Benedictine Sister at the Monastery of St Gertrude, Cottonwood Idaho.   Why this cross,  it was quick to tat but Mothers mother was called Gertrude and her last dog was called Gertie which is short for Gertrude.   I made the picots smaller than the pattern I thought they look neater.  I used Lizbeth thread no 20 in white.  I don't have a link for the pattern but it is on intatters,  and it was Grace who replied to a post about crosses with lots of links

I got fed up with the crosses twisting around,  so I tried something and played around with the pattern,
I started with a ring in the middle,  then a split ring and then continued with the pattern,  I am not sure if I like the middle with a ring in it,  but it was firmer and did not twist about.   I have not sewn the ends in as I finished this last night and it needs blocking.
A great pattern when you just want a quick cross.


This is the beginning of my third 25 Motif challenge,   I really enjoy doing them, hopefully I can find some really interesting things for it.
Have a lovely weekend   see you soon

                            Hugs
                        Margaret

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Antique Hankies


Hi,

This is a scheduled post as I am on my way to Sheffield Hospital for an appointment as my eye is not behaving properly.
Whilst cleaning out and putting away my things in my new bedroom furniture,  I found these hankies,  they were tatted by an old aunt who used to visit my fathers parents when I was small.  I would sit beside her for hours watching her tat, with a shuttle in and out.  She promised to teach me when I was older but she died before that happen.
She always brought down Pontefract Cakes,  for those who have never seen them.   They are small roughly circular black sweets about 2 cm in diameter,  made of liquorice.  Originally made in the town of Pontefract Yorkshire.
These are three hankies she tatted the edging too,   I don't use them as they are over 50 years old now.
The coloured edging I know the thread was brought in Woolworths,  but I don't know what make its looks like size 80, but I cant see the stitches any more thus I don't tat with size 80 any more.
They are now a treasure to me,  with childhood memories
Today would have been Mothers birthday,  she would have been 92 years old,   on three separate occasions throughout my life three separate gypsies have told her she would die at 92.  they were not far out?.  The day before she died a Romany gypsy called at our door,  its the first time since my husband move into this house 30 years ago has a gypsy ever called,  I did buy something off her for luck.
Hope you are keeping well,  see you soon
                              Hugs
                          Margaret


Sunday 17 August 2014

What is it ???????


Hi,

I took this picture on my way to Midsommer Norton, in Somerset,   so what is it?  

Anyone have any ideas,   I will post the answer in a few days.

                             Hugs
                          Margaret

Saturday 16 August 2014

Happy Wedding Anniversary


 Hi,
Today is our wedding Anniversary,  it does not seem like 12 years since we got married,   they have flown by.
I love these images,   so I thought I would give him a taste of years to come.   I have used these La Pashe images from the CD Something for everyone.
I matted the images onto silver card, looks black in the sunlight but it is silver.
I used a flourish and yellow roses and yellow ribbon bows,  with a yellow rose and yellow bow at the top of the card,  and finished it off with silver peel off's.
We are going out tonight for a meal,   its been a hard month and I think we deserve a meal out.
Hope he likes the card,   I put a few words inside just reminding him this will be us in years to come.
Have a lovely weekend,
See you soon
            Hugs
                                          Margaret


Sunday 10 August 2014

My New Shuttle and one antique one with hooks


Hi,

Today was going to very bad weather,   well its not as bad as we were told,  OK we have had some very heavy rain storms and its blowing a gale,  but I expected worse.   I am sure some parts of the UK are getting it, but here in Somerset we seem to be over the worse, and the sun is shining in between the rain storms.
I treated myself to a new shuttle,  its made from Maple by Stewart Johnson,  and hand painted with Orchids on by Chris Parsons, of Lace-bobbins.co.uk.    I am really pleased with it,  its feels lovely and although I have not used it,  it is very light.   The nice thing I was able to just walk down the road from my house to his workshop.   I think I will be buying another one soon.

While I am showing a brand new shuttle here's an antique bone one,  we found this one and we think it belonged to my fathers mother and I found her hooks the other day,  they are really fine thin hooks and very sharp. I never saw her tat,  but I have some very old tatted mats which we think she must have made.   I wont be using them,  I would rather just keep them.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend and until we meet again
Take care


                          Hugs
                      Margaret

Wednesday 6 August 2014

Mothers Funeral

Hi,

Another sad day,  my Mother is being buried today,  these are the flowers that I have done for her coffin,  just thought you might like to see them.  I took the picture on our patio.
I have arranged a funeral with her wishes of the sailor hymn and we have the sailors poem,  Mother was in the second world war,   on the high seas higher either on Troop ships or Hospital ships and was captured by the Japanese and held in a POW camp for two and half years.
When I was a child mother had a little travel business,   we travelled Europe visiting hotels etc and seeing what places had to offer.
One of the stories was she took a party to Spain, I was only three at the time,  we meet them all at Victoria Station in London,  this lady told her that she was not going to eat octopus,  all the way down on the Barcelona Express we were told she was not going to eat octopus.  When we got the the hotel she told the hotel owner she was not going to eat octopus.  The first meal that night was octopus,  she liked it and no one told her it was octopus,  she had it several times before going home and when we arrived back at Victoria Station she told my mother she was so pleased she had never eaten octopus,   I don't think she ever found out.
When I was five we went to see a hotel in Italy,  I wont say where or what hotel. The hotel manager did not speak much English, we did not speak much Italian,  everywhere he showed us he said we charge the beds every day,  up to the bedrooms,  this little girl took him at his word and went over a bed and stripped the bed the sheets were black we don't think had been changed for months,  exit one English travel Agent,  we never used the hotel,  I think Mother was too horrified to tell me off.
I will finish with this little story of the day she left me at home,  I had been seriously ill and not at school at the time,   but she had to do some shopping,  it was only for a short while,   the phone rang and this man wanted to book a holiday,   so I took down the details,  the holiday was for Inghams, and I knew Mr Ingham senior,  so I rang him and I got the holiday booked,  I was just about to ring the man back when mother walked in,  a bit horrified she checked I had done it correctly and rang the man back,  He said we were a funny firm he had to spell every word,   I can still see her standing there, saying "Well you were talking to my five year old".  I hope he enjoyed his holiday.
I was the most well travelled child at school.
Mother went around the world three times and there is only two countries she never visited which was Russia and Ireland.

Rest in Peace Mother
Margaret

Monday 4 August 2014

4th August, 1914 to 4th August 2014


Hi,
A day of memories for me today,  this is was the day my father was born on 4th August, 1914 and he would have been 100 hundred years old,   it is also the day the first war world began,  and the day the Queen Mother was born.
When my father was shaving in the morning he used to have the radio on and they played the national anthem for the Queen Mothers birthday he always said they played it for him too.
We should never forget the sacrifice that our countrymen made for our country,  time might go on but they should never be forgotten
.
Margaret

Sunday 3 August 2014

Loom Bands Crazy

Hi

I have joined the crazy,  well not exactly but I keep buying them for my grand daughter Bethany, last Friday she gave me a lesson on how to make a  bracelet and key ring which is on my keys. This is the bracelet I made,  I used a French Knitting holder under instruction and this is the result. She did tell me their is not a video on YouTube about using a French Knitting Holder,  I think that was a hint,  perhaps we will give it ago next time.
The shops are full of them,  plain, spotty, and glittery ones,  in every colour you can think of.
Hope you are having a nice weekend.
Hugs
Margaret