Electrical problems, plans and knitting.

Last week has been busy, so nothing new there, but I have been quite good at working on my projects. At the start of the week we needed to get an electrician to sort out a problem with the ring main in the kitchen. It blew the consumer unit one evening but we managed to isolate the problem. Our insurance arranged an electrician for the next day but he didn't have the time to fully investigate so he made sure our system was safe and arranged to come back two days later. Whilst the ring main was turned off, in order to use the washing machine, dishwasher, and  microwave we had to use an extension lead from another room. At least the cooker and fridge freezer are on their own circuits. Fortunately, when he came back, the electrician was able to resolve the issue and everything is now working well again. Having resolved that problem the foot pedal for my sewing machine stopped working. For straight stitching I can use the forward or back buttons but the foot pedal is easier for free motion quilting. I will need to get a new foot pedal.

I have been working on the Grandmothers garden quilt. The red round is complete and Lucy and I decided that a full round of orange was needed so that the quilt hangs down over the sides of the bed. We had originally decided that it was time to stop doing rounds and to square up the quilt. I don't think I've posted a picture recently of this quilt

Over the week I've been slowly knitting the first sleeve of my jumper. I'm making very slow progress on this knitting but at least it is growing and I'm hoping to finish the sleeve tis week.

As I had marking to do I haven't had a lot of time for my embroidery. So today is just a quick catch up to say I've done a little work on the cross stitch and the tablecloth but not enough to bother taking a photograph. I'm hoping to have more time for fun activities this coming week.

I hope the weather hasn't been too bad where you are. This last week we've had lots of rain, sleet and a little snow in London. This weekend the wind has been very strong and branches have been blown down in the local park, all due to Storm Bert. We have been lucky as other parts of the UK has experienced a lot of snow and rain causing flooding and are now coping with very strong winds. 

Wherever you are take care and stay safe.

Lyndsey

Slow Sunday Stitching.

Yesterday I was working as we had an open day for prospective students and in the evening I and our younger daughter babysat my grandson while older daughter and her husband went out for dinner with one of their friends.  As a result there was no sewing time. Today I spent an hour working on the Thomas quilt. I didn't finish the quilting but the end is in sight. 

Sunday is about slowing down and so is perfect for slow stitching. I spent a little time to make sure I had the right position to start the Star Trek stitching. It is a long piece but not very wide. As I  had decided I would work from the left hand side instead of starting at the middle I needed to be sure I got the positioning correct. I don't want to find there isn't enough room to fit all the length on the aida. Finally I made a start on the stitching. I didn't get very far as I am finding it very difficult stitching on black fabric. I'm pleased with what I have done so far.

I wasn't sure if the pattern called for half cross stitch or cross stitch. It doesn't state it on the pattern. Anyway I started with half cross stitch but I will go back and complete the cross as this will give a deeper colour.

I also continued with my knitting. I am currently completing the first sleeve of my jumper. It is growing fairly quickly but I can't knit for that long as it causes me pain in my right shoulder. I should have this finished before Christmas.

I'm linking this post with Kathy from Kath's Quilts for her Slow Sunday Stitching It's fun seeing what everyone is working on.

Now I'm going to snuggle in bed and read a chapter of my book. The weather here has gone much colder and further north in the UK there is a possibility of snow. It's unlikely we will see any in London.  

Take care

Lyndsey

A lunchtime walk and other things

 I went into work yesterday with the intention of doing a major catch up but I'm still quite snuffly and my chest is tight so I soon ditched my massive to do list in favour of slowly working through some of the more urgent items. Progress was slow but good. By lunchtime I felt the need to head out for a walk to clear the head. Luckily there is a park fairly close to the office so I went out and enjoyed the cold, but fresh air. The sun was shining and had some warmth to it. I walked round the park and lake but as I headed back to work I decided to pop into the house, Boston Manor House, to see if they had a new exhibition on. I was in luck. The exhibition was art work by a female artist, Bonnie Gibbons.

Bonnie Gibbons’s works on paper to explore surface, pattern and colour. She was originally trained as a knitwear designer and she loves textures and layers. She states that her artwork is about hope and chaos. She was born in Stafford in 1993 and lives and works in London. Since 2011 Bonnie has had many exhibitions most with a group of artists.

I really liked the pictures on display but many of them were framed and glazed so it was difficult to get a good photo without any glare or reflection. This one is titled Sam Jones feet and uses soft pastel and coloured pencil.

and this one is 'Kaisa's  Putney' using soft pastel

I didn't make a note of the title for this one but I really like it.

There were other paintings but the glare from the glass was annoying so I didn't take any other photos. As I walked back to work I stopped and watched this squirrel for a while. He was having a great time finding things to eat.

Today is my none working day and so sewing was on the agenda. I want to get the Thomas quilt finished. I'd already started the quilting but hadn't got very far. I've gone round the outline of Thomas and I wanted mainly to work on the background. I did a large meander using a matching thread

In other areas I did more outlining and echo quilting.

On Sunday I will work on Thomas and hopefully have the quilting finished.

After dinner I pulled out a project that I bought a long while back but have never started the stitching. It is stitched on black aida and should look amazing if I manage to complete it. Here is a picture of the pattern.

This is the starting point but it is rather difficult to see the individual squares on the pattern grid. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can do this.

Tomorrow I am in work as we have an open day for potential students. That means very little time for sewing but I'll fit something in during the evening. Sunday I have nothing booked so I may get the quilting finished.

Take care

Lyndsey

Catching up with projects

Last week was a bit of a washout. A cold that worsened to a chest infection was not what I needed just as the weather got colder. I'm now feeling much better but I didn't have much energy for doing anything. The thought of doing any quilting made my arms ache without doing anything and even reading my favourite blogs took a lot of effort. On Saturday I pulled out my embroidery and spent a little time stitching. I didn't do very much but I'm happy with what I achieved.

Over the weekend I completed the knitting on the front of my jumper and I cast on the first sleeve. I spent yesterday evening knitting and watching TV with two dogs at my feet. Twiglet was a bit miffed that I wouldn't let him sit on my lap but unfortunately he wriggles too much and gets tangled up with the yarn.

Today I'm working from home as I have marking to do. That means I have no travelling time so I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to make my Christmas cake. I like to make a rich fruit cake and it takes a little time to get it all set up before you can start the mixing. First I lined the cake tin.

Next there is a lot of weighing out of the dried fruit. I had bought whole glace cherries and so I had to cut them and I also cut up the almonds as I could only get whole almonds. Eventually everything was ready.

The mixing is very quick and then the cake has to cook. It takes 3 hours and so I got on with my marking, just checking the cake at hourly intervals. The smell is delicious as it cooks. Once it's cool I will wrap it in foil and store it. I usually add brandy once a week which makes the cake very moist. I do warn everyone that it has alcohol in it. The cake is also spicy with cinnamon and mace in it.

We love Christmas pudding as well and on the weekend of Stir up Sunday I will make three Christmas puddings, one for us, one for older daughter and one for a friend. Stir up Sunday, which is the last Sunday before advent ( November 24th this year) is the traditional day in the UK when Christmas puddings were made. Traditionally Christmas pudding are steamed to cook them but you can also cook them in the microwave which is much quicker. However steaming does ensure they stay nice and moist.

Since neither John or I were feeling well we decided to get out a jigsaw. This is a new puzzle which we started during last week and this afternoon, once I'd finished work, we got on and finished it.

There is just so much to look at in this puzzle. Lots of birds.

and I love the deer and other animals.

This evening I want to do some planning as I have a baby quilt to make for a friend of older daughter. The baby is due in early January and she knows she is having a boy. If I had time I'd also like to make a toy, well two so that big sister has one as well. I need to spend a little time going through my fabrics and decide on the design.

I'm hoping to feel more like sewing by the weekend as I have two quilts that need quilting. I also have a blouse cut out and waiting to be stitched. Now I think it's time to take a nap.

Take care

Lyndsey

A weekend away part 3.

I've been unwell for the last few days with a bad cold and haven't felt like doing much at all. Trying to sort out my photos for a post proved stressful so I left it until I felt slightly better. In the meantime I've been picking up my knitting and doing a few rows, having a short nap and repeat! Anyway let me tell you about the last day of our short break. 

We drove the short distance to Studland Bay.  This is yet another place we had both been meaning to visit for a long time. The day was perfect. The sun was shining and there was a gentle warm breeze. The sea was calm. Looking across to our right and out to sea this is what we saw as we headed down towards the beach.

We decided to walk just up from the beach and along a path that took us by the beach huts. Most of them were closed up but I like the different colours used. The bracken was changing colour but most of the trees still had green leaves rather than autumn colours.

We went down onto the beach for a while as the dunes were roped off. There could have potentially been ground nesting birds still with young. The tide was going out and there were quite a lot of people walking their dogs. The dogs were enjoying playing and swimming in the sea. Once past the roped off area of dunes we turned into them to continue our walk.

The gorse was giving a beautiful display and there was several different types of heather..

At times the gorse disappeared and left grass covering the sand.

There were several paths to choose from and so we meet very few people, which was lovely as we both enjoy the quiet.

At one point I saw something small move by my feet and further investigation showed it to be small sand lizard. Having become aware of them I saw many more. Sand lizards are one of the UK's rarest reptiles. 

We came off the dunes and continued along the beach until we  were almost at the entrance to Poole harbour. The beach was getting busy by this point and time was passing so we turned to walk back to our car. On the walk back we watched this large vessel making its way towards the harbour. As it got closer in it had a bevy of tug boats around it. 

The cafe back at the car park was very busy and so we decided to stop on route for a late lunch. The journey home was good with no hold ups and I finally managed to get a good picture of autumn leaves. This was at the service station on the M3 at Winchester where we stopped. Along the motorway the autumn hues were amazing but it proved difficult for John to get a good picture.

As I haven't been feeling at my best this week I haven't done very much sewing but I have managed to finish the front of my jumper. Just two sleeves left to knit. I'll start the first sleeve this evening. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get back to doing the quilting on the Thomas quilt and I'm still debating how to quilt the dinosaur quilt. I also need to get on with some Christmas sewing I have planned.  Tomorrow I have to take Twiglet for his regular grooming session, but apart from that I have some catch up time.

Take care

Lyndsey

A weekend away part 2.

Day 2 of our weekend away was beautifully warm and bright. After a delicious breakfast we set off for Abbotsbury swannery. I'd never heard of a swannery before so I was interested to find out more. It all started with the Benedictine Monastery of St Peter being founded at Abbotsbury in the 11 century. Like all monasteries it had to be self sufficient and so the monks grew vegetable and caught fish. In addition from about 1393 they farmed the swans on the Fleet lagoon and this continued until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. A few years later Giles Strangways bought the land , including the swannery and the Strangways family was granted the privilege to claim ownership of all swans hatched at the swannery. Swans are large birds and therefore provide a lot of meat.

Over the centuries swans have been used for many purposes such as food as the meat was seen as a delicacy and luxury food. The female swan's flight feathers were used to make quill pens and for hat decorations whilst the down was used to stuff quilts and pillows.

Apart from Abbotsbury there are three other private owners of mute swans. These are the Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers, who have ownership rights on a stretch of the river Thames and the Mayor of Maidstone has ownership on the River Medway. All other mute swans in England are the prerogative of the Crown.

There were mute swans of all ages plus Mallard, Widgeon, Coots, Tufted ducks, Pochard, Teal and Canada geese. The swans were all mute swans (but they do make a noise) My grandson thinks the juvenile swans have got dirty. I have told him their feathers will be white when they are grown up but he insists that they need a good wash.

The day was perfect for a walk around the swannery. The blue sky was so different to the leaden sky of rain earlier in the week.

There was also one lone Whooper swan. Whooper swans are large like the mute swans but have yellow on their beak instead of the red orange of the mute swans. The mute swans live in England all year round but the Whopper swans travel from Iceland and other colder areas in search of food. This could be the first of many Whooper swans to visit or it could be on it's way further south for the winter.

We had lunch in the cafe before heading to Lulworth Cove. Both of us have wanted to visit the cove for some time but it is better to avoid the area during the summer months, due to the number of visitors.

The cove was very calm at the time we visited, with children happily playing on the pebble beach and splashing around in the clear water.

The rock formations were amazing. I found the drops rather scary. I used to like heights when I was younger but now I feel a little queasy.

Two smaller coves and beautiful rock formations.

We enjoyed our walk at Lulworth and ended our visit with a delicious ice cream. The sun was starting to set as we headed back to our hotel. We had booked our dinner at an Italian restaurant and it made the perfect end to a great day. Tasty food and good wine. We walked back to the hotel in the dark, this time avoiding the sea front as the wind had got up a little and the temperature was much cooler. 

I'll tell you about day three tomorrow but for now I need to go and cook dinner.

Take care

Lyndsey

A weekend away, part 1

 Last weekend John and I were away. We went to Swanage on the Dorset coast and had planned some walking, bird watching and generally relaxing. The last few weeks have been very busy with work, family, two dogs and other activities. We needed space to just be the two of us. On the Friday we planned to stop at Kingston Lacey to see the house and have a walk in the grounds.

The house was built by William John Banks, a wealthy land owner, between1834 and 1855 in the style of a venetian palace. Over the years it has been remodelled by different members of the family to suit the changing times and styles. All of the furniture and items within the house including an amazing art collection is as it was when the family lived there. The estate is now in the care of the National Trust.

As we climbed the stairs to view the rooms I took a picture of part of the garden and grounds. We didn't get to walk round the grounds as we had left London late in the morning and so had limited time. I did enjoy the reds and oranges leaves. The autumn colours this year have been amazing, especially as many trees are still holding onto their leaves.

I took a picture of the dining room as the table had been decorated for Halloween but unfortunately the sun was so bright it cast shadows over the scene. I did like the dinner service being used in the display. This tapestry was to one side of the chimney breast.

In the Spanish room there was a lot of art on view. I found the room rather dark and over the top but other people really like it. I did like these 3 panels which have flowers to show the season. I didn't take a photo of the 4th season but I'm not sure why not.

The walls in this room were covered in leather panels with tooled work on them. This in part is what made the room feel heavy and dark to me.

In the next room there was several settees covered with tapestry/ needlepoint

and this delightful Indian cabinet. The cabinet was made in around 1760 in the east Indian port town of Visakhapatnam, a centre for textile and furniture making. The town became well known for creating inlaid ivory work. 

I didn't take photos of the main bedrooms but I liked the ones in the attics. This room was for a child.

The attic bedrooms had been decorated to look like the inside of a striped campaign tent. The rooms for adults would have been reserved for bachelor guests.

On the way out of the building we visited the wine cellar. There was a lot of dust on the bottles.

Having toured the house we visited the stable cafe for some tea and cake before continuing our journey to our hotel. We had to contend with some road closures and some drivers on their way home from work were getting a little ratty. We arrived at our hotel with time to chill out before goin in search of dinner. No expensive restaurant for us. We headed to a fabulous fish and chip shop we know and sat on the promenade enjoying our meal while watching the tide roll in and the sky slowly turn dark. We took the long route back to the hotel and enjoyed a glass of wine to end our day.

Tomorrow I will share what we did on the Saturday and Sunday. For now I want to get on with some slow sewing since it is Sunday. I also need to plan my sewing month as I didn't get time to do that yesterday.

Take care

Lyndsey