WOYWW 143

Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Yn Annwyl i Mi,
Gwlad Beidd a chantorion, enwogion o fri,
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Trod ryddid collasand eu gwaed.
(Welsh National Anthem)
I'm away at my mum's again this week (she's doing well for an 86 year old but it's been a lot of work...) so haven't got a desk to show you...but as it's March 1st tomorrow, in honour of the National day of St David, the patron saint of Wales, I thought I'd share this with you to give you a laugh!
Yup, I am soooo old that this is in black and white!! I'm four, all dressed up in my best national costume for the celebrations at school. Awwwww, bless :)
I have been knitting for Wrap up a Kid (see WOYWWer Jackie's blog) and these are the results of my labours all ready to send off to The Kids Company. There's a pair of wristwarmers and beanie hat in each colourway. Hope they're useful.

Thanks to DH, G3 and Ron for modelling! If the cat's looking grumpy, it's because he had two teeth out at the vet's the previous day!
This is where my folks live, just an ordinary small Welsh town, but it's a nice place where everyone knows you and stops to chat :D


As I am incommunicado for another week (the internets can't cross the border, you see, LOL), if you are kind enough to leave a comment on this scheduled post, I can't return the compliment until next week. Sorry....
Hope you have a fab week xx

WOYWW 141

ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING
REMIND ME OF YOU!
Sorry, but the raison d'etre of WOYWW, that of showing your desk, has fallen by the wayside this week. My work area has been dismantled and shoved unceremoniously in another room as we fill cracks, sand woodwork, wash down walls with sugar soap and prepare to redecorate! And yes, I AM doing my fair share of this, even though I hate prepping the room prior to painting!!
So instead, for your delectation, here are some pics taken on my phone at the craft fair..
Recognise some of the items?? I did really well - the big sellers were the shopping bags, six went and everything in that beigey doggy fabric as well. Some bunting, carrier bag holders and aprons went as well, so I was pleased. But best of all was being approached by a very smart lady asking if I'd be interested in taking stalls at some country fair events she runs on private country estates!! I was so chuffed :)  I don't actually know if I can do any of them until I receive the booking forms and dates as my diary is already booked up with band commitments and craft fairs....but I'm thrilled that she thought my stuff was good enough!
My friend Jenny dipped her toes into the craft fair water for the first time. Here's her stall
She handknits everything from mug hugs to cupcake pincushions to fingerless gloves. The chickens at the back are all handmade from felt that Jenny produced. Their expressions are priceless!
Slightly bonkers, like most chickens are!! She sold a couple of them as well as a good number of other items, so we were both pleased. Start planning for the next one now, 2nd March I think..


It was blooming freezing last week into Saturday. DH and I are still trying to get out every day and we enjoyed the briskness of the walks, even though our breath was taken away when we turned into the wind....Brrrrrrrrrr!

Not huge amounts of snow but enough to make it pretty - and very slippery when it froze later on...
My tree was looking handsome..
A detail of the moss and lichen on his branches..
There must be a few insects still lurking there as the long tailed tits have been having a field day seeking out all the nooks and crannies.
The sparrows, however, have been entertaining us in other ways...
We can see these from our living room. The squabbling that goes on is unbelievable - it's worse than any daytime soap opera!! But they're fun to watch :)
Hope you all have a wonderful week - I shall probably miss posting next week as I'm probably going to be in Wales looking after my mum. Fingers crossed, she goes in for a knee replacement tomorrow, so I'm going back to do what I can.
See you all soon! xx

WOYWW 140

AND IF YOU THREW A PARTY
INVITED EVERYONE YOU KNEW,
YOU WOULD SEE, THE BIGGEST GIFT WOULD BE FROM ME,
AND THE CARD ATTACHED WOULD SAY
THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND.
I am really enjoying being part of the WOYWW phenomenonomenon - sorry, couldn't stop spelling there! LOL. Thank you, Julia, for the inspiration (and also for being my techy helpdesk when I ring up and ask so many stupid bloggy questions... thanks, mate, you're very patient!) 


My desk, covered with sewing bits and pieces. Here are the makings of a bread basket..
I've made a few items in the same fabric for the fair on Sunday, reasoning that people might want some matching stuff..maybe.. The funny tubey thing is a carrier bag holder that seem to be popular - I've been asked to make these. I just keep my carrier bags stuffed in a cupboard, just like my pegs are in a plastic box!!
I had some oddments of the doggy fabric left, so decided to make a doorstop with some contrast fabric - there's a different pooch on each side!

And here's one I made earlier!! The pink ribbon looks a bit garish in the flash, it's a lot quieter in reality and picks up the pinky tones in the flower centres.

I love making soup! Along with baking, it's my favourite thing to do on a cold winter's day.  My boys like their soup/custard/porridge to be thick enough to stand a spoon up in - anything to oblige... :D

Sweet potato and red lentil soup - yum

And finally....
I was very touched to receive two nominations for the Liebster Blog last week, from Sue H and Sam. Thank you sooo much, girls - I was thrilled silly as it's my first ever bloggy award - yay!!
So, for my part of the bargain, I have to nominate five of my favourite up and coming blogs that have fewer than 200 followers. Blimey, that was hard because I like and follow so many. But a decision had to be made. So here, in no particular order, are my five nominees:


1. Katie   I like Katie's carefree attitude to life and crafting. Her blog makes            me smile a lot!!


2. Mary Ann  I deeply admire the astonishing work and creations that Mary Ann produces. Her Russell Crowe steampunk crow was AMAZING!!  She is very talented :)


3. Princess Judy  A relative newcomer to WOYWW, Princess Judy's wacky, offbeat sense of humour appeals to me - she also does some great crafting! Just don't mention origami...lol!


4. Jaki  So much of what Jaki writes resonates with me; I like her humour and the fact that she's a fabric fiend as well :D


5. Lisa Jane I like the fact that Lisa Jane tells it how it is! Having met her, she has a fab sense of colour and design - AND I like that she has a go at stuff :)


As instructed, I've posted the award on my blog - thanks to ALL you lovely people who comment every week, it means so much to me xx


PS. The lyrics were from the theme tune of The Golden Girls (Dorothy was always my favourite!)

WOYWW 139

AND THE ECHO FROM THE GREEN HILLS
RUNS THROUGH THE CITY STREETS
AND THE SUN WHEN IT SHINES ON ENGLAND
WELL IT LIFTS THE HEART IN ME
(Ralph McTell)
It's a patriotic workdesk this week! I've got an apron cut out ready to have the toning neckband and waist ties attached. Also featured, on the left hand side, is a heap of fabric to fold and put away...
I've been making a variety of items for the craft fair (in 10 days time); as I've said before, this doggy fabric usually goes down a treat!   

Do you remember citrus/flower fabric from last week? Well, here's the other colourway which looks more floral, not citrussy at all!! Isn't it amazing how colours deceive the eyes and brain :D 
The ribbon was bought a week later at Shopkeeper Gal's place in Tidworth, Kraft Krazy and very reasonable it was too. It goes really well with the fabric, don't you think?

Now, all this lovely lot was dug out after I visited Mary Ann's blog and started following links. Firstly to Needles and Threads blogspot (like WOYWW but for fabric fiends in Canada) and then onto gogokim.blogspot for her amazing cathedral window pincushion tutorial.
And this is what I made!! I love it and am quite impressed with myself. But, the tutorial was so clear, it was fab and it was easy to follow the stages. Most of it was done by folding and ironing - fabric origami!!
 G3 suggested I do one like a Union Jack - this was the only blue and red fabric anything like. It's turned out nicely but I think the red needs to be where the blue is and vice versa. They took hardly any time to make - I love 'em!!
Thanks again to Mary Ann (Cloth Doll Makers Diary) and GogoKim for the links and tutorial. Brilliant!

I've been walking a lot recently as I'm trying hard to shift some flab, so here's a couple more pictures from where I live...
Seymour Pond is in my village - it's called that for the Seymour family (Jane being the third wife of Henry 8th) who lived at a manor called Wolfhall which is a mile away. You might have read the novel of the same name by Hilary Mantel. The heron in the pond is a decoy by the way, cos we've got loads of the real things around!
Here's some signs of Spring..
I love snowdrops, so pure and white! Unlike these chaps...
 A smallholder keeps old British breed pigs! I'm not sure what the one above is - looks like a wild boar to me!! It was fast asleep and dreaming, twitching just like my cats do :)
I know this one is a Gloucester Old Spot..it was so enjoying riffling through the mud, snorting away!
But this Berkshire Black is my favourite...
'Can't a girl get ANY peace around here??' 
Porky heaven.....

Hope you all have a fab week!

WOYWW 769

 WE'LL MEET AGAIN.... I'm going to take a break from blogging for a while - please don't worry, all is ok! - think I just need a...