Quick Round Up

I've had a busy couple of weeks.  I've made sure everything for the exhibition next week is ready.  Not that I'm showing much more than a few books but there are three other artists and it should be a good showing. 

I also made three sets of these cute Scandi style advent stockings and I'm auctioning them on one of the dog sites for the GSP Rescue trust. Fiddly but mindless to do.  

A doggy friend had a 50th birthday so I made her a tweed A5 notebook cover with her pointer and labrador on the front. Sadly her beautiful Pointer died the day after, he was a much loved elder statesman of our group.  

My Wimborne branch of the West Country Embroiderers didn't have a web presence and it was a little frustrating not having anywhere to check up on dates etc so I built one for them and it is now live  HERE.  I really quite enjoyed putting it together and I think they're all pleased with it.  

On a dog walk recently I had this little nest fall infront of me.  

It's too small for a robin so probably Finch or Dunnock.  You can tell it was in a tree next to the horse field from the horse hair and baler twine! So beautiful and delicate but strong enough to raise a brood. 

This tiny, beautiful little pup annoying Ruger on her first day...

is 6 today!!! Though she's a very grown up and sensible dog, she still has her moments.  Love you Ellie pup!!!! 

I also wrote and hosted a Pub Quiz at our local on Halloween and I think it went rather well.  Lots of positive comments and money raised for the fund for the refurbishment of the loos into disabled access.

I'm off the rustle up some cards for the gallery next week.  Have a good weekend!! 

Garland Finish and Walkies!

I started a pick up and go project HERE back in June and I've just made a last dash to finish it.  

Of course I adapted some of the patterns suggested at Shiny Happy World and included some beads and sequins.  I made double the amount to give a set to Elsa too.  Quite pleased with it but I'm now short of a pick up and go!! I'm sure I'll think of something in no time! 

While in Ireland I actually bought myself something. 

Not just an enormous cotton reel but actually....

The amount of times we go away and I come back with the same money in my purse as I don't seen anything worth buying.  I'm a terrible shopper at the best of times and being confronted with often unnecessary, imported tourist stuff turns my blood cold, but this I quite liked. Kitchen roll is so you see the size better.

Yesterday was the day of our sponsored walk for GSP Rescue UK.   Please note the fantastic patches on the backs of the dog coats made by the lovely Benta at Slikstitches!! 

It was perfect weather especially as we took the dogs too.  

They looked very smart in their jackets but it was soon quite warm and they were stripped off so they could have a bit of a run too.  

Our local newsreader, Sally Taylor MBE, was there walking with another group and she came over and made a great fuss of the dogs as she owns a GSP too! We finished 12 miles in just over 4 hours which was good going as it included a few pup stops as well.  

My hips and knee are protesting quite a bit today but the toenails seem ok this time! 

We have raised a fantastic amount for the charity, thank you if you have given. The Rotary Club have 20% but they put on a superb walk, well stewarded and catered for and deserve it.  The 80% goes to our dogs.  There have been 30 helped this year so every penny counts! Just Giving page HERE.

Now to clear away the felt bits and start something new and not get too excited about Ally Pally at the end of the week! 

Sorry, Been Having Fun!

We went back to Ireland last week.  

The same amazing place we went to in 2014.

Which has its own beach.

Willow still can't swim well, but she's improving!

Seaweed has to be rescued, you know.

Loads of day trips to other beaches.

It is their Dogliday after all.

Plenty of fun was had.  The only thing I made was happy memories.

Plenty to be getting on with here now though, I haven't stopped since we arrived home! 

Quick Catch Up

Well, whether I'm nattering to myself, some peekers you other lovely people, here's a brief of what else I've been up to. 

I managed to collect some lovely bits in Devon when we took the girls there for our anniversary last month.  I've been trying to not go overboard on just shells, I have hundreds already, but try to find the more unusual.  I picked up some nice water worn wood, a lovely cluster of big barnacles and a fab bottle neck with cork still in it.  The cork shrank as it dried but I glued it back in before mounting them all in a deep box for one of the bathrooms.  

I think this is a lovely way of keeping memories from beachcombing and I have quite a few now.  

I really, really got fed up with waiting for the finishing instructions for the bead-a-long I took part in which started on 1st August for National Beading WEEK! Despite having several messages on her FB page from several ladies she was always doing other things. Why start something if you can't finish it? I would be devastated if I did that to others.  Anyway, I had to clear the space on my desk so strung everything together in what i thought was a pleasing way and it's finished.  

I have space on my desk!  Only a little mind and I have a commission to be doing.  Maybe I should try clearing some more first.  

I never seem to show the continuous stream of knits I do for the grandchildren any more but this little waistcoat is the latest.  Olivia doesnt seem to like sleeves, well I always seem to be knitting short sleeves for her anyway.  This is such a quick and easy pattern and I loved the repeat in the wool, quite short which is important when doing small garments or you end up with huge blotches of colour and it just looks wrong. I hope she likes it anyway 

My list for the K&S at Ally Pally is starting to grow and the next load of yarns is part of it.  There was also a fabulous button lady at Westpoint, I wonder if she will be there too?  I will have to check! 

And our wonderful Facebook Pointer dog group had another local get together when some of the northern members were down, two from the very top of Scotland and one from Yorkshire.  John calls the gatherings a stand arounds as 'walk' is a bit of a misnomer.  There is always a lot of chatter!! He didn't mind the coffee and donuts afterwards though.  The dogs love it and they really are a lovely bunch of people so worth going to. 

I have a West Country Embroiderers meeting with Fay Maxwell now so I will let you know how that goes later.

Hare Finished

I finished the needle felted hare I had started in my last post.  

I chose to put him a slightly more active pose than others who made one.  Most of my hares here, and there are many all over the place, are moon gazers so I thought I'd be different.  

Other than that I have been pottering in the garden when cool enough and not too much else creative.  I did have a day with West Country Embroiderers yesterday with guest Margaret Beal. 

The village hall was stifling and using hot soldering irons only added to it. I put together a little sample piece of some of her processes but concentration was lacking! The car which had been in the shade all day read 32 centegrade. 

I have a current pick up and go project, other than the continuous knitting, of some felt garland pieces.  The pattern is on Shiny Happy World.  It's small and simple and nice to do sitting the the shade of a tree.  

We had a lovely day, before it become silly hot, at West Wittering with some friends and the Pointer dogs.  

It was glorious and cool with the tide out.  All 16 dogs could run and run and run. 

And run a bit more.

There was plenty of snores going on afterwards.  

We have Remi staying with us for a while.  I think he enjoyed the trip home in the convertible. 

Also Chris arrived with his Rotti Polly for a visit so we had a family photo opportunity. They actually sat still for 10 seconds! 

Remi, Ruger, Polly, Tully, Willow and Ellie

And finally our Robins fledged but I missed it.  I did see one go but it was all so quick.  However this little lady and her beau has been back again. 

We now have more Blackbirds in the studio nest. This was Sunday 18th June.

And this was this morning.  

Growing like weeds!  I'm quite pleased it's a shady part of the garden at least.  I count four this time.  

We have a house of men changing the boiler for the next couple of days and a few visits out and about.  I hope you can keep cool if you have the heatwave too. 

Golden Gifts is Done

I've been managing to sit in the studio quite well for the past couple of days.  By the end of the afternoon I can be a little sore though so trying not to over do it.  Thank you for all the messages, they are much appreciated. 

I turned the pages in the previous post into a book.  

I've decided to put more into books for an Exhibition in November again in Shaftesbury.  I will be doing other pieces too but want to mainly have the 3D of the books at this one.  

As always the photos are terrible and at the moment I really dont have the patience to faff about with it.  I will set it all up properly before the show and hopefully take some then.  

The covers are really quite shiny though so they are not liking the light very much.  They are also a little on the soft side so I have been thinking of a stand I can make to display it better.  

This week we also noticed that Ellie had a bit of a swollen face so yesterday she had to have a tooth out.  One of the big ones at the back was split vertically and she also had a baby tooth still which has now gone.

She's been feeling very sorry for herself and taken to holding on to a aerosol top.  Even putting her in har jimjams didn't mean she let it go!! 

We are sharing the sickie flag this week.  

Flying Visit!!

Long time no blog!  Life has been interesting, heartbreaking, fast, full and just time eating lately! Never sure why everything always happens at once!   This is a super quick round up. 

At the end of this week I will be at the Brockenhurst Needlework Fiesta with Maggie Grey and Fiona, come say hello if you're there. I've been in two minds what to demonstrate, either the embellisher again or soluble.  With that in mind, and the fact that my next exhibition in November I wouldn't mind showing some 3D pieces, I made up some fabrics using soluable and loads of dead balls of wool.  

As you can imagine the texture is fabulous.  I made up two of these strange maquettes.  Far from my usual doll shape and very much self evolving! 

They're wired inside and have weighted bases so quite stable though they are 20 inches tall. I have never been any good at depicting human form, loath trying to be honest, and so gave myself permission to go comfortable abstract on thier shapes and faces with no features as such and I'm quite pleased with them.  

The cloaks are felt made on the embellisher, totally dry and quite thin.  

Luna, the white one, is almost there.  I just need to add some embroidery around the Shisha mirrors along the hem.

Aurora, the dark one, I've only just managed to start the cloak embroidery.   Still a fair way to go.  Whether they will be ready to take to Brock is another thing but it's not vital.  It's been quite a nice journey in a different direction for a change.  

We had a fair bit of this in the nest.

The a glimpse of these.  Sorry it's blurred but my camera refused to focus on the eggs. The pinkish blob below the blue eggs is a hatchling. 

An awful lot of feeding of these.

And they've grown into these! I can only see two chicks although there is a hatchling and two eggs above.  I don't know if we've lost one or I managed to catch the baby just as it came out and that is the shell of its egg as yet unremoved by mum.  Either way the two left are very demanding of thier parents! 

The bluebells have been fabulous up in the woods beside one of my dog walks.  I was a bit peeved to be there last week and pass a couple and their spaniels just charging around in the woods knocking them all over them place.  Dog's aren't actually allowed in there anyway and the gamekeeper has signs up all over the place but I was sad to see the disregard of the flowers. 

Hayfever hasn't actually been too bad so far this year even though this is the view from our bed.  Love how sharp the contrast is! The next three fields to the right and up behind us are yellow too. Thankfully it's not for too long.

This is our fig tree Elsa bought us for our wedding 10 years ago.  It often goes into winter with it's embryo figs attached but not many make it but this year it's covered!  We could be searching out lots of figgy recipes later in the year! The birds love them too, sadly so do the wasps. 

This is our Solanum over the terrace.  All green at the moment but I will take more photos over the next couple of weeks and it will soon be a huge ball of blue. 

This is where the blog is fabulous, as a diary.  I had to look back to see when the robins nested a couple of years ago and all the info was there.  Also this week on the 15th John heard the first Cuckoo.  If I look back I can see it was 15th of April in 2016 and 2015 but April 17th in 2014.  They seem to have amazing calendars built it! 

Finally I will sign off Happy Easter from us and the dogs.