Solo Saturday outing

I haven't had a day out for a while, decorating and keeping on top of the garden have taken up any spare time I've had but I noticed that Much Wenlock had a Made in Shropshire market happening on Saturday, so while Mark was fitting our new bedroom lights and rehanging the door I took myself on a little outing.

Much Wenlock is a medieval market town in the Shropshire countryside, about forty minutes from us and is a pleasant drive with countryside views for most of the way.    I've passed it many times on my way to our Nimble Thimble meet-ups but never stopped to walk through.  

The main street was closed to traffic because of the market, there were about twenty or so stalls selling various handmade wares.  There are no big name stores here, just a few independent shops, gift shops and cafe's and a beautiful yarn shop called Ippikn.  I might have treated myself to a ball of sock yarn, (It would have been rude not to), but unfortunately couldn't get a photo of the shop front because there were too many people about.  You can find Ippikin on FB though if you are interested.

Holly Trinity Church, where there was a wedding happening, lots of people stopped to get a glimpse of the bride

The Guildhall is at the end of the main street, this holds various exhibitions throughout the year, on market day you can buy fruit, veg and flowers from the Buttermarket

After browsing what was on offer in the markets and having some lunch in one of the cafes I thought I'd have a stroll around the other streets and be nosey at the houses and gardens, as you do.  

Oh my goodness there were some super cute cottages and some rather grander houses, all beautiful, I'll let you have a look

The Police Station, built in 1864 is now a beautiful house and a grade II listed building, I love the blue brick brickwork.

I didn't get a photo of the whole of the next building, it was the name over the doorway that caught my eye.

 

Apparently Richard de Bastard owned the original Hall in the 13 century, that house was destroyed by fire and was replaced by the one standing there today.   I suppose the name is quite unique and that's why It's remained, still, not sure I'd like it as my address. 

There is an old estate agents listing from 2017 HERE, if you want to see what It's like inside.

After that I got rather obsessed with front doors and roses, but they are all so pretty so I think you'll forgive me :-)

Aren't they gorgeous?   Now of course I want roses growing around my door too 😁😁

I think I may try to go back to Much Wenlock for a visit again soon as there is lots more to see, there is an old Priory which I didn't have time for on Saturday and Wenlock Edge for wooded and scenic walks

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Before I sign off I'd like to thank those of you who left me a comment on my last post.  It means a lot that you took the time to write me a few words.  This first week without Millie in the house has been a strange one, It seems quieter somehow, even though Millie wasn't a very vocal cat, (neither is Molly).

 It was always Millie who greeted me at the door If I'd been out, I've missed that, a lot.  Molly has seemed a bit quieter too, she has lost her best friend and sleeping companion, they used to lie together all the time so she must be feeling her absence too poor thing.  Hopefully she'll perk up again soon.

-X-

Our Millie

 

I'm so very sad to say that we had to say goodbye to Millie on Friday.   

She had been getting steadily worse over the last month or so and last Tuesday I noticed she was having trouble with one of her back legs and that It was swollen.  A trip to the vets that night revealed it was fluid, she had it in both back legs but one was very bad.  We were told that there was nothing that could be done for that and it was probably time to think about letting her go. 

From then she didn't want to leave her bed much, only to eat, which was very little, and to lie in the sunshine on the step occasionally.  The swelling seemed to go down a bit but by Friday morning she was clearly struggling to walk very far at all and we could tell that It was time.

You can imagine how I felt, I was in bits. I wanted her to have her last hours in the comfort of her own home, and we were able to arrange that, but waiting for the vet to arrive was just awful.  In the end she was comfortable in her bed and had all her favorite treats, cake, some milk and a cheese triangle.  She didn't even notice the vet was there and I was right there beside her all the time.  

Millie chose us 19 years ago, running to us and climbing onto Stevies lap as we knelt down to look at a pile of kittens asleep on the floor, I remember saying to Stevie that we have to have this one because she has chosen us.  We have always been glad that she was the one that came home with us that day.  She had such a quiet gentle soul but could be oh so funny and very playful.  

We were blessed to have her with us for so long and will always miss her sweet little face.

Sleep tight my beautiful girl

-X-

Day out and the Welcome Autumn chart winner

 Last Friday I went with Joanne and the two kids to Thomas Land at Drayton Manor Park.  We had a great time, Bonnie and Jacob really enjoyed themselves and were as good as gold all day.  Jacob is sometimes a bit of a handful, he isn't good at holding hands and has a tendency to bolt if anything takes his interest.  We had a little talk before setting off, If he started running around he would have to have his reigns on.   He must have taken notice because he held either mine or Joanne's hand all day.  I've never seen a kid so excited by all the rides we went on, he had so much fun and didn't stop laughing all day, it was lovely to see his excitement.  The only thing he was wary of was the massive T Rex in the dinosaur park, can't lame him, from a distance it looked very real!

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New stitching start... It's the last Wednesday in the month which means it's stitching group tonight, I'll be taking my new start, Pumpkin Spice Everything by The Scarlett House.   

I did sit and stitch for a while this afternoon, not many stitches, but it's a start.

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And finally, as promised I've drawn a winner for the Welcome Autumn chart.

Sue! (Sues-asifbymagic.blogspot,com) you are the winner!

Please can you drop me an email with your address Sue, (my email is in the right hand side bar) and I will get it in the post for you :-)

Enjoy the rest of your week

-X-

Fancy frock

I'm off to my book club in a few minutes but just had to pop in before I go to show you my latest sewing finish.  

I've been slowly plugging away at making this dress for a while and yesterday I finally finished it!

I'm really happy with how it came out, can't quite believe that I actually made something wearable!!

The  pattern is Hinterland Dress by Sew Liberated.  It wasn't difficult really, but I had the help of Holly at my sewing class for advice and help with anything I wasn't sure of.   I only worked on it at my weekly sewing class, which is one reason why it took much longer than It should have. 

The only criticism I have is nothing to do with the pattern and everything to do with me.  In the time it's taken me to make it I've lost almost a stone in weight.  At the moment I can get away with it but it will definitely be to big if I reach the weight I'm aiming for.

I chickened out on making button holes, (I don't feel confident enough to tackle those yet) so the bodice placket is false.  The wooden buttons I purchase at Holly's shop.

I'm already planning on making another one.  I think It will be good to repeat the process so that I can get familiar with some techniques, and also to make a smaller size.  I'm considering going down two sizes to give myself the motivation to get to my goal weight, watch this space!

PS.  Don't forget the giveaway on my last post is still open.  if you want to be in with a chance of winning the chart please throw your name in the hat, (if you haven't already) before the end of the month!

-X-

Welcome Autumn, a pillow finish

Back in October I was lucky enough to win a give away from Martina and chose this as the piece to stitch on at the last Nimble Thimble meet-up.  I finished all the stitching whilst I was away that following week and made it into a little pillow last week. 

 Welcome Autumn by Primrose Cottage Stitches

I really enjoyed this one and so I'd like to pass the kindness on and offer the CHART as a give away.

So, If you fancy stitching this for yourself and would like to win the chart please say so in your comment and I will draw a name at the end of May.

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After what seems like weeks of rain we are finally getting some sunny days at last, Saturday afternoon was spent in the garden tidying things up and today I've planted up the last of the bedding plants in the pots.   Everything is filling out and the garden looks a lot fuller than it did just a few weeks ago.

I know I post a photo every year but I'm just so proud of my Hosta It has to be done :-)

Just to give you an idea how big it is, that gap is about 5 foot across.  

I've never had a problem with slugs and snails because of the copper tape around the pot, it really does work, there is no need to change it every year, it's been on this pot for years.

That's me all caught up for now, I hope you enjoy what's left of the week.

-X-

This week

I finished the socks I cast on when I was away while watching the coronation on Saturday.  The yarn is by Felt Fusion in the colourway Little Dancer on their hight twist zebra base.  In hindsight I wish I had used a contrast for the heel and toes, still, I think they came out fine and no one sees heels and toes when they are in your shoes do they 😉

 

Last Thursday Oliver and Arty had an inset day, Jenny was at work so dropped them here in the morning and I took them for a day out at Wightwick Manor.  It's somewhere I've been a few times, as  have the boys, the grounds are lovely, there is plenty of open space for the boys to run around and as it was a school day for most children It was fairly quiet.  Luckily the weather was nice enough for us to sit and enjoy our picnic outside where we could watch the baby geese.  Once the  boys had burnt off some energy running round we went to look around inside the house, I didn't take any photos of the interior this time but I've posted a couple times previously about Wightwick Manor, if you want to have a peek, here in 2016 and here in 2021.  In one of the final rooms was a dressing up box, they both had fun trying on different outfits, I managed to get Arty to stand still long enough to get a photo.

 The weather is a bit hit and miss at the moment, shame it rained all day for the coronation, although it didn't seem to dampen anyones spirit for celebrating in London, Sunday was a much better day, very warm and sunny, good job too as there were many street parties organised, including one in our little  cul de sac.  We had jobs to get done so didn't go, but I did send along a couple of bottles and our apologies for not joining in this time.

That's about all the goings on this week, I'll leave you with some photos of the lovely tulips we had this year.  I these bought these online from Farmer Gracy, on the whole they were great but a few didn't open and the head just went mouldy, never had that happen before so not sure what happened.

Thanks for popping by, see you soon.

-X-

Stick6in2023 - March and April

I hope your May Bank Holiday went well, however you chose to spend it.   It's been a busy one for us, nothing very exciting but something that has been in the planning for a while.  This morning we emptied and dismantling the wardrobes ready for the next stage of the bedroom decoration, and this afternoon was spent in the garden.  Everything is growing at a rate now, I really noticed the difference after a week away when I came back on Saturday.  We didn't sit down until after 6pm, hence the lateness of my post but, as it's the 1st of May I wanted to share my finish for the Stick6in2023 hosted by Martina and Manuela.

  I am choosing to take part in the easier option of  choosing six charts for the year and allocating each of them a number, 1-6.   The number 2 was chosen for March and April and this was my chart with that number allocated.

Oct 31 by Cottage Garden Samplings 

I stitched it on 36 count linen, 1 over 2.  I used the recommend threads with the exception of the black used in the raven, for that I used DMC 310 in place of overdyed called for.

I was drawn to the pumpkin on this chart, although I do think the raven is mighty fine too. 

And here it is all framed.

(Apologies for the poor photo It was getting dark when I took it and this was the best of a bad bunch)

I ended up ordering a frame from Amazon after trawling around various shops looking for something suitable.  I know a lot of you mention buying frames at charity shops for finishing, I do look but never seem to get lucky.

The number 3 has been pulled for May and June and have everything ready and looking forward to make a start at the weekend.

Part two of my day in Conwy 

The walls around Conwy were built between 1283 and 1287 as part of the defence system alongside Conwy Castle.  It takes around three quarters of an hour to walk and they can be accessed from three gateways at different sections.  Again, amazing views of the small town and in the distance the castle.  Some parts are quite steep and there is only a two bar railing on the one side, so not somewhere you would take children for sure!

Interestingly I found out that the castle when built was not the colour it is now, it was white, It would have been so much more visible then against the blue of the sea and the green of the fields behind it.

The wall finishes at the harbour, I loved how the little boats were all lined up along the shore, so pretty.

As I'd started my walk in the middle I re-traced my steps and then continued the rest of the walk.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day out in Conwy, although it's definitely a town for sight seeing, you would be disappointed if you went for the shopping experience.  

I promised myself that when I visited Llandudno again I would walk around the Great Orme.  It's five miles along Marine Drive, there are some sections with quite an incline but that was ok, I could stop and have a rest while taking in the wonderful views, I was in no rush.  

I didn't take many photos this time but there are plenty to see on a previous post, Driving The Great Orme.

Down on a section of beach I was lucky enough to see some seals too.  The beach wasn't really accessible so they were quite safe there. 

I can highly recommend a solo break, I've definitely come back more relaxed than when I went and wouldn't hesitate in doing it again sometime.

-X-