12th December - The canal that wasn't

When we went for our walk at Leasowes Park last Monday I noticed the canal just off the car park.  There are a series of canals all around the Black Country and Birmingham most are hidden from the busy traffic and unless you go looking you wouldn't know they are there.  This morning I decided to go again and explore the canal.  From what I can find out this is known as the Lapal Canal and is part of the Dudley No. 2 canal which once went to Selly Oak in Birmingham and was opened in 1798.

It turned out to be the canal that wasn't.  I've been reading a bit about it and apparently there is a Lapal Canal Trust who are raising money to do restoration work, the council cleared this small first section but the rest a few years ago but the rest remains overgrown.

Behind me was the Basin, (Hawne Basin), which is all overgrown

The further on you go the more overgrown it gets, but you can still clearly see where the canal was.

The pathway eventually comes out onto a duel carriage way which must have been built over the canal from what I've read the canal does start up again over the other side of the road way.  There is another interesting walk over that side which I would like to do some other time.

The pathway I followed today was Monarch's Way.  We have seen these signs often, there are two on the next street where we live, and we have often wondered what they were for but it wasn't until I was reading more about Leasowes Park that I found the answer.

Monarch's way is a 615 mile pathway that starts in Worcester and ends in Shoreham-by-sea and is an approximation of the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 when he was defeated in the Battle of Worcester.  History, literally on my doorstep :-) Love it!

I took a little detour off the canal path on the way back to walk round Breeches Pool on the edge of The Leasowes 

I'm so glad I re-discovered this area again and I'm sure I'll be back there again very soon.

Can you believe we are half way through advent already?  The day's are flying by but nowhere feels very festive despite the decorations in the shops and around town.  I do love opening my little packages each morning though :-)

These are today's gorgeous yarns, I had to smile when I opened the one from Jo, she had included a fox face mask :-)  Thank you Jo, I shall enjoy a relax in the bath with this on :-)

See you tomorrow

-X-

11th December - More stitched ornaments

 We got a new radiator fitted today, yes, that's just about how interesting today has been.

Our radiators are the old panel ones and not very efficient.  We are getting them changed a few at a time, they don't come cheep though! I love our wooden floors but it does mean that the rooms are not as warm as they would be with carpet, the front sitting room is the cooler of the two rooms in Winter so we have had that one done first and it does feel better in there tonight, although, it's not as cold today as it has been so we will know better when the temperature drops again.

I thought I'd share some more of my ornaments today.

The first two are the ones I bought from my trips to Yarndale in 2018 and 2019.  We were planning to go again this year but of course everything was cancelled

The next seven stitched ornaments are by Little House Needleworks and I stitched them all in 2010.

I can hardly believe Its ten years since I made these

The following two are also from Little House Needleworks and I stitched these in 2011

The next three are freebies I found online, can't remember when I stitched them but they would probably have been 2012 or 2013

This little strawberry I got in an exchange on Needlecraft Haven, I believe it was from Christine

And last but by no means least is this cute snowman that the lovely June stitched.   I think won this as a give away on her blog but I can't remember when, It's been a good few years ago, do you remember when It was June?  I remember that year you stitched lots of ornaments and very generously had give away's on your blog

This morning I remembered to take a photo of my advents in the daylight.  Jo included my favourite tea along with the mini today, I haven't tried this make, I do love my Earl Grey :-)

The Mr & Mrs Rabbit Yarns had two packages today, In the second one was a skein of thread and what I assume to be sweets but there is nothing to say what they are.  I might get Mark to try them to see ;-)

See you tomorrow

-X-

10th December - I have a tree

 I have a tree 🎄

I've wanted a new Christmas tree for a couple of years.  We drove round all the places we could think of a few weeks ago looking and the only one I liked was in Homebase. They had reduced the price of all the trees but the one I liked was still £126.  I ummed and ahhed but we came away with nothing.

To be honest, If our week away hadn't been cancelled I don't think I would have bothered with a tree this year, but as we are going to be here I wanted to put one up.

I was browsing online yesterday and saw that they had reduced the trees in Homebase again, the one I liked was now £95.  I ordered it on click and collect and when I got there it was the last one and I got another 10% off  :-)  Sometimes It pays to wait.

So here it is.  I faffed about with it last night and decorated it this morning.  I suspect that when Mark comes home on Friday he will think it's too big, but I did tell him I wanted a big one and this is about as big as we can get away with, lol.

I haven't stitched myself any ornaments this year so I'll have to make 2021 the year of the stitched ornament so I can fill it next year :-)

I know I share these every year but I'll share a few of my favourites over my next few blog posts

These are a few years old now but If anyone would like to know the designers let me know in the comments and I'll look back and find out for you.

Here are the lovely advent's I opened this morning.  I will have to remember to take photos in the daylight as you just can't see the beautiful colours in the artificial light.

Thanks to everyone who is popping by and taking the time to leave a comment, I do love reading them each morning, it's like opening another lovely advent :-)

See you tomorrow

-X-

9th December - A lazy one

 I feel as things have been full on lately, December is like that isn't it.  I have been trying over the last few weeks to have a good sort out.  I find as I get older I just don't want all the 'stuff', you know, those things you keep just in case and then find and think, why did I keep that?

I've sorted and reduced the amount of Christmas decorations, some things I didn't want I've sold on Facebook and a large bag of things including some household items have gone to the charity shop.  I have another bag full in the garage to take when i'm going past again.  Mark will be happy that there is less to store :-)

I've listed another four things on fb this morning and sold three of them right away so I'm happy that they are going to be used instead of hidden in a box anything that doesn't sell by Christmas week I'll take to the charity shop.

I get overwhelmed when there is too much around, can't be helped this time of year though, our small bedroom looks like Santa's grotto with all the children's presents and I haven't bought as much this year! At least I know these will all be gone in another couple of weeks :-)

I've only dressed the mantles in each room so far, we have no Christmas tree to put up at the moment, yes, I got rid of that too, I'm being ruthless, lol.

We bought the two lanterns above for by the fireplace a few weeks ago, I've got lights and Santa in the larger one and I found out one of those battery candles for the smaller one.  I was confused last weekend, when I went to bed on Saturday I said to Mark don't forget to turn off the candle and lights before you come up.  On Sunday morning when I opened the blinds the candle was off, when I went in the room again on Sunday evening the candle was on.  I asked |Mark if he had put it on, he said, no, and it wasn't on for me to switch off when I came to bed last night either.  Strange.  

The same thing happened on Monday.  I mentioned to Joanne that we had a magic candle and it was a mystery, she said no mum, they turn themselves off, they are on a timer, whatever time you first put them on that's the time they will come on each day and they only stop on for a certain time!!! doh.  Neither me nor Mark had even thought of this, lol, we MUST be getting old😂😂

Here are today's lovely advent goodies

See you tomorrow

-X-

8th December - A new stitching start

I like to have a new stitchy start in December and while looking through my charts a month or two ago I  came across this Waxing Moon one.  To be honest I had started this one before but didn't like the fabric I choose so It was abandoned.  I had all the threads so just had to choose a different fabric, I'm much happier this time round.

I haven't made great progress and it's doubtful I'll get it finished by the end of the month but hopefully I can get it done sometime in early January.

The verse reads, 

Snow comes softly in the dark of night.  

When we awake the world is white.  

In January when there's snow, we get our sleds and away we go.

I've been watching a new-to-me podcast/floss tube recently, momma loves you GB and she mentioned a site on Esty that she buys from called Sub Rosa.  I had heard of Sub Rosa before but hadn't looked at what they were selling, well, I was very good and only bought two charts but there are quite a few that I would like to purchase another time.

Christmas again, I'm always drawn to Christmas stitching :-)  I love these two though and they were in pdf format, which is great.

I've already kitted a few charts up that I want to stitch next year but I think these will also have to be added.

So here are my lovely goodies from my advents today, Jo popped a lovely hot chocolate in today too, thanks Jo, I'm actually drinking that now :-)

 See you tomorrow, take care.

-X-

7th December - On our doorstep

I haven't been to Leasowes Park in a very very long time.  It's probably ten minutes away by car so I don't know why I haven't made the effort.  Whenever I go somewhere I like to google it and see if there are any interesting facts, turns out Leasowes is quite interesting.  Apparently it was designed by the poet William Shenstone and is considered to be one of the first natural landscape gardens in England.  I love how you can find history right on your doorstep if you look

There are various pathways running through but as I had a small person in tow today we didn't go too far.

I'll definitely be coming back to explore more again soon.

Joanne has picked up an extra day at work so from now on I will be having Bonnie each Monday, when she popped round yesterday I promised her she could open my advents today.

I think there may be an abrupt ending to the video because I had to go and get my glasses to see where No. 7 was on the candle advent, lol.

And here they are, minus the chocolate because Bonnie wanted to eat those after breakfast!

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment, it's very much appreciated  :-)

-X-