End of the month finishing

 The last day of another month that has flown by, another four weeks and we will be halfway through the year!   Summer officially starts in a couple of days, someone needs to inform the weather gods of that because we need to see less rain and more sun, not necessarily for it to warm up too much, but some sunshine would be very welcome. 😎

I have four finishes today, three knitting and one stitching.  The first knitting is a little cardigan I finished in April, but only got round to sewing the buttons on this week.  Knit in Sirdar Crofter, Its lovely and soft with the added bonus of being able to machine wash, because what new Momma wants to spend precious time hand washing.  This will go into the gift box for now but, I have a new Great Nephew due soon so it may not be in the box for long.

Socks I finished at the end of March, but I forgot all about them.  These are the Thomasina Socks.

The pattern is so subtle that It's hardly noticeable, I'm sure a non knitter wouldn't even realise there was a pattern.  It is one of a trio of patterns from the Miss Potter sock club released a few years ago by Kay Jones (on Ravelry), not sure I would knit it again.

Another pair of socks, this one will go into the gift box too, for one of my daughters. 

The yarn is a Paintbox yarn called Stripes-Rainbow.  I cast on with a WYS before carrying on with the main yarn and also used WYS for the heels and toes.

This finish deserves a big TADAH!  It's my Bothy Threads Bunny.  

This chart was part of a Birthday gift from my eldest daughter in 2020 but I didn't get round to starting it until January 2023.  

I got so close to finishing it at the beginning of the year but I ran short on a couple of the threads, my own fault for miss-counting, Bothy Threads were very good and sent me some more threads within a few days of me contacting them but I just didn't feel the call to stitch on it.  This week I gave myself a talking too and in the end it took me three nights of stitching, two nights to put the last of the stitches in and one night to do the back stitching and the ears of corn.

Do I love it? Yes! 

Did I like stitching it? If I'm honest, not really.

Will I stitch another Bothy Thread?  Very unlikely. 

There is a lot of fudging going on, especially with those ears of corn, I gave up trying to follow what was charted for those and just did my own thing in the end.

I've already taken it in to be framed, there is about a six week wait at the moment but I will show you again once it's back home.

Take care

-X-

Book choices

Last months book club read was Middle England by Jonathan Coe, I managed to read about four chapters before giving up through boredom.  The group was split on opinions with three of us not enjoying, four really enjoying it and two thinking it was ok.   As a side note the gentleman in our group went to the same school as the Author and did say that his books aren't always very well researched.

This months book is The Stationery shop of Tehran.  As soon as these were given out we all commented that we had already read this as a book club previously.  The librarian looked very sheepish, hung her head but didn't comment.  We've seen the list of book club books and there are lots of titles on there so why have we ended up with a book we've already read!  Three of us said that we wouldn't be reading it again so that will make for an interesting discussion next month, (not).  So far this year I've only read two of the book choices, In one case I didn't have time but the others I just didn't get on with, and there are too many good books out there to waste time reading something you're not enjoying.

While I was there today I picked up my reserved copy of The Fury.  I've been on waiting list for this since January.  I read The Silent Patient by the same author last year and that was really good so I hope this one is worth the wait.

Have you read any of these? do you belong to a book club and how do you choose your books?  I must admit that I've considered quitting book club but I do enjoy talking about the books I've read and hearing about what the others are reading and I'd miss that.  I know you can't please everyone all the time, we all have our own opinions on what is a good read, but In the group I'm not on my own in thinking that the book choices are not always very good.

-X-

 

Stitchers Day Out

 Today was the Quarry Bank Stitchers day out, this is their third day retreat and the second one I've been to, they have been a great success.  The food was lovely, and the company even better, we had lots of laughs.  People got to show their finishes, which Is always lovely to see, there was a de-stash table and a freebie table as well as a couple of sellers, including our local needlework shop, Betty's.

I took my Carriage House Samplings girl, Mary Margaret to work on.   I'd made a small start a few months ago and haven't picked her up since, until today.

And this is her after todays stitching

This was just what I needed to get me in the mood to stitch again, there's a long way to go on this one but I think I'm in the stitching zone again 😉

There was a lovely gift for us from the organizers, Karen and Annabelle, thank you ladies.

And I did make a purchase.  I've had my eye on this for a while and because I sold quite a bit on the de-stash table I went ahead and treated myself.

It's a kit, not something I usually go for but I really like it, not sure when I'll make a start but Sharon was offering a 20% discount on everything today so It was a good buy.

I've had such a great day today, being with like-minded people, chatting and laughing and seeing what others are stitching, It's just what I needed.  The weather has been glorious again, I have a couple more garden jobs planned for this coming week so fingers crossed the sun continues to shine.

-X-

What a difference a week makes

I've spent the day in the garden, everything had shot up so much in just a week, It was crazy.

I put some grass seed down on the lawn closest to the house the week before I went away, I was starting to think It wasn't going to take, but goodness, It had sprouted so much and Is so green!   

My potatoes, which looked like this when I went away....

Now look like this..

Strawberries and a pot of mixed flowers before..

And a week later

My alliums were just starting to come out when I went away, now they have popped out all over.

 Other things are doing really well too

My Hosta is doing really well this year.  I've had to move it today as we couldn't open the conservatory door, this beast is about 5 feet across, and possibly my favourite thing in the garden.

No roses yet but there are plenty of buds so hopefully soon.

My little wildlife pond has filled out nicely, no frogs yet though, which I'm surprised about because we have always had the odd frog or two hopping around the garden.  I've noticed the birds and the squirrels dipping in for a drink though, so perhaps frogs will find their way soon.

Peas, courgettes, peppers and tomatoes are all growing well, not sure the aubergines will produce anything.  I made a rookie error and planted too many seeds for everything and haven't got room to plant them all so will probably offer some up on our streets WhatsApp group, It would be a shame for them to go to waste.

My laptop has the black screen of death, It worked perfectly fine all last week so not sure whats going on, so I had to dig my old laptop out, nothing the matter with the old one except that It's rather slow, It takes about 20 minutes to fire up, once it's going it's ok, 

(a bit like me really 😃😃)  I'll take it in to be looked at next week and fingers crossed it can be fixed.

Have a lovely weekend

-X-

Last day away

 I didn't set an alarm last night so slept late this morning.  I think all the walking and fresh air finally caught up with me. According to the app on my phone I've walked 87,675 steps since I got here last Friday, way more than I walk in a normal week at home.  

I spent some time this morning packing up things I won't need today and taking them to the car,  I have to be out of the apartment by 10am so It will save me time in the morning, then I headed out for a walk.  I went across the promenade, down onto the pier then up to Happy valley where I stopped for a cuppa and a toasted teacake.  As you can see it was very overcast today and by the time I'd finished my coffee it had started to rain.  I was going to walk a bit further but decided to head back as the rain looked as though it was in for the rest of the day.

Happy Valley, It's much nicer on a sunny day

I've really enjoyed the break away from my normal routine this week, I feel so much better in myself for taking some time out just for me. 

 Thank you for following along with me this week and all your kind comments.  

-X-

Portmeirion

 Portmeirion is described as a folly tourist village and is just a little over an hours drive from Llandudno, in a place called  Gwynedd.  Although I've been in the area a number of times this was my first visit.

Portmeirion was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the Baroque style, no one actually lives there, the buildings serve as hotels or guest accomodation.  It has been the location for a number of films and TV shows, the most famous being the cult TV show The Prisoner. 

The place it'self isn't all that big, I walked around at least 4 times, you can go down onto the beach, although you do have to pay close attention to the tide times, (which are displayed), as the water does come right up to the walls.  You can also walk along the coastal path which starts down by the lighthouse.  There are plenty of places to stop and grab a cuppa or sit and eat a picnic, there are also a few shops selling the usual and one dedicated to The Prisoner merchandise.  It's a place to take your time, wander round and enjoy the peace and quiet.

I took a lot of photos so be prepared, lol

The Prisoner shop

I had a lovely day and It's another location crossed off my list of places to visit.

My last day tomorrow, not sure what to do with my time yet.

-X-