May Already!

What happened to April, where did it go?  

At the end of the disappearing month we went to our usual Calidad Gift and Craft Fair  at the Old Police Station, Lark Lane.   There’s always a lovely atmosphere and we enjoy meeting old friends both among the other stallholders and the visitors.    

On 27^th April we went to a great concert at the lovely Palm House, Sefton Park, by Maghull Wind Orchestra (www.maghullwindorchestra.co.uk)  – they get better each time we hear them.   It was lovely to see our grandson playing with them again – he was home on holiday from his music college in Manchester so he joined his mum and dad in the ‘band’.    I got some great photos of him!

The tidying up still continues but at last I’ve one little piece to show for it – a strip patchwork hanging wiwth some additional hand embroidery that I’m rather pleased with – I think I’ll have to put it on the website and see if anyone wants to buy it.   The other quilt tops are still waiting to be backed and quilted but at least I’ve been and bought some wadding now – so there’s no excuses.

On Bank Holiday we went to Scorton Bikes and Barrows Festival – another favourite venue of ours – Joanne and Nick look after us very well.   It was very busy and a good day was had by all.

We were supposed to be going to a craft fair at the lovely Alston Hall on 1^st June but, unfortunately,  it’s had to be cancelled because of building works that are still going on.   We’re really disappointed but we’re hoping that our application for the Summer Arts Market at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool, will be successful and then we’ll have that to look forward to.

Easter Holidays

I hope everyone has had a lovely Easter holiday – the weather here was beautiful on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.   In fact, on Friday, I spent a few hours in the garden carding some more alpaca fleece.   It takes ages – I will still be doing it this time next year.

 

As well as finishing a silk cushion and a bag for a mini ipad, I made a quirky bag for a friend to give as a gift – I was really pleased with it and so was she, she hasn’t delivered it to the recipient yet but I’m hoping she’ll be pleased too.   

Apart from the photography club’s Annual Award Evening and a concert at Chethams College of Music I haven’t really been anywhere exciting.   I’ve been trying to make progress with the tidying up I started weeks ago – that too is a very slow process.   It’s going to take months!   I have, so far, made 5 baby quilt fronts so I must have used up some of it but the pile doesn’t seem to have reduced at all.   How does that happen?  I’ve run out of wadding so I’ll have to go and buy some in the next week or so and get them backed, quilted and bound – watch this space.

I spent quite a lot of time, last week, arranging church flowers for the Easter Services.   It’s quite a big job and I’m a slow and very messy worker!   However, the results were quite pleasing and they still looked nice and fresh on Easter Sunday – I always worry that by the time they’re done and in place they’ll have wilted – it’s a toss up between having everything still in bud or past their best!  

Catching up3

It seems something has gone wrong with the first copy of this post - which has disappeared into the ether.   So, apologies if this is a copy of one you got on 8th April, but if you did get it, you were one of a very select little band!

That was a long break – I’ve been away on holiday (only for a week) but it takes me a long time to catch up with myself again – mountains of washing and ironing etc. as well as everything else.   So here goes………….

We had a lovely week in Fuerteventura – lovely and warm, although rather windy and, at times cloudy (even a bit of rain).   However, no complaints.   It was a lot warmer than here and we caught some sun as well as treating ourselves to some lovely food and lots of beer.

The day after we went away, was the first  Calidad  Art and Craft Fair of the season  so Liz took charge, ably helped by her husband.    Apparently, it was really busy and a good time was had by all.

The day after we came home, Liz and I went on a printing workshop run by Mike McNamee – it was great but we needed to really concentrate to take everything in.   Since then, there's been a camera club competition night in which I did reasonably well and won 2 categories. 
 

my old tatty ipad case

I’ve continued trying to organise my ‘stash’  but progress is a bit slow.   I did spend  some time making a case for a friend’s ipad mini – I was really pleased with it and took a photo to post.  However, something went wrong with one of my memory cards – I think I deleted all the pictures – so I can’t post it but it was similar to the one I made ages ago for my ipad – it’s taken lots of punishment so it is quite tatty now.

On Sunday, Liz and I and half a dozen other members of our club went to photograph owls and birds of prey.   A brilliant day, run by John Fairclough, a professional photographer,    www.fotographicimages.co.uk,  and Gareth from Hawksrus www.hawksrus.webs.com.   We spent the whole day outdoors – sometimes it was dry and cloudy and other times it was very wet and cloudy.   However, we were so engrossed it didn’t matter that we were getting wet – we’d all gone prepared for anything the weather could throw at us anyway.  We mostly photographed the birds perched on fence posts, branches etc. but we did also have a chance to photograph a couple of birds in flight – I knew it would be difficult but, for me, it proved nearly impossible, you don’t have much time to focus and they move very fast – I think I need more practice – so it’s a good excuse to go back again.  I've posted the two best photos but they leave a lot to be desired!

kestrel

kestrel

 










Since I last posted,  I’ve completed a small grey needle/wet felted purse, the patchwork strip hanging, a cream hanging with buttons, and another silk cushion - cream this time (picture to follow).   I’m also posting a picture of the red, hand-woven shrug I completed a couple of weeks ago too.

I might be conspicuous by my absence again for a couple of weeks – as well as the Club’s Annual Presentation Evening for which I need to do a lot of preparation – cups to be engraved, certificates to be printed etc., I will be making all the flower arrangements for my church’s Easter Celebrations so I won’t have as much time for ‘playing’ as usual.  Throw in a couple of concerts and one thing and another and it’s going to be another busy month.

Catching Up 2

It seems something has gone wrong with the first copy of this post - which has disappeared into the ether.   So, apologies if this is a copy of one you got on 8th April, but if you did get it, you were one of a very select little band!

That was a long break – I’ve been away on holiday (only for a week) but it takes me a long time to catch up with myself again – mountains of washing and ironing etc. as well as everything else.   So here goes………….

We had a lovely week in Fuerteventura – lovely and warm, although rather windy and, at times cloudy (even a bit of rain).   However, no complaints.   It was a lot warmer than here and we caught some sun as well as treating ourselves to some lovely food and lots of beer.

The day after we went away, was the first  Calidad  Art and Craft Fair of the season  so Liz took charge, ably helped by her husband.    Apparently, it was really busy and a good time was had by all.

The day after we came home, Liz and I went on a printing workshop run by Mike McNamee – it was great but we needed to really concentrate to take everything in.   Since then, there's been a camera club competition night in which I did reasonably well and won 2 categories. 
 

my old tatty ipad case

I’ve continued trying to organise my ‘stash’  but progress is a bit slow.   I did spend  some time making a case for a friend’s ipad mini – I was really pleased with it and took a photo to post.  However, something went wrong with one of my memory cards – I think I deleted all the pictures – so I can’t post it but it was similar to the one I made ages ago for my ipad – it’s taken lots of punishment so it is quite tatty now.

On Sunday, Liz and I and half a dozen other members of our club went to photograph owls and birds of prey.   A brilliant day, run by John Fairclough, a professional photographer,    www.fotographicimages.co.uk,  and Gareth from Hawksrus www.hawksrus.webs.com.   We spent the whole day outdoors – sometimes it was dry and cloudy and other times it was very wet and cloudy.   However, we were so engrossed it didn’t matter that we were getting wet – we’d all gone prepared for anything the weather could throw at us anyway.  We mostly photographed the birds perched on fence posts, branches etc. but we did also have a chance to photograph a couple of birds in flight – I knew it would be difficult but, for me, it proved nearly impossible, you don’t have much time to focus and they move very fast – I think I need more practice – so it’s a good excuse to go back again.  I've posted the two best photos but they leave a lot to be desired!

kestrel

kestrel

 










Since I last posted,  I’ve completed a small grey needle/wet felted purse, the patchwork strip hanging, a cream hanging with buttons, and another silk cushion - cream this time (picture to follow).   I’m also posting a picture of the red, hand-woven shrug I completed a couple of weeks ago too.

I might be conspicuous by my absence again for a couple of weeks – as well as the Club’s Annual Presentation Evening for which I need to do a lot of preparation – cups to be engraved, certificates to be printed etc., I will be making all the flower arrangements for my church’s Easter Celebrations so I won’t have as much time for ‘playing’ as usual.  Throw in a couple of concerts and one thing and another and it’s going to be another busy month.

Catching Up

That was a long break – I’ve been away on holiday (only for a week) but it takes me a long time to catch up with myself again – mountains of washing and ironing etc. as well as everything else.   So here goes………….

We had a lovely week in Fuerteventura – lovely and warm, although rather windy and, at times cloudy (even a bit of rain).   However, no complaints.   It was a lot warmer than here and we caught some sun as well as treating ourselves to some lovely food and lots of beer.

The day after we went away, was the first  Calidad  Art and Craft Fair of the season  so Liz took charge, ably helped by her husband.    Apparently, it was really busy and a good time was had by all.

The day after we came home, Liz and I went on a printing workshop run by Mike McNamee – it was great but we needed to really concentrate to take everything in.   Since then, there's been a camera club competition night in which I did reasonably well and won 2 categories. 
 

my old tatty ipad case

I’ve continued trying to organise my ‘stash’  but progress is a bit slow.   I did spend  some time making a case for a friend’s ipad mini – I was really pleased with it and took a photo to post.  However, something went wrong with one of my memory cards – I think I deleted all the pictures – so I can’t post it but it was similar to the one I made ages ago for my ipad – it’s taken lots of punishment so it is quite tatty now.

On Sunday, Liz and I and half a dozen other members of our club went to photograph owls and birds of prey.   A brilliant day, run by John Fairclough, a professional photographer,    www.fotographicimages.co.uk,  and Gareth from Hawksrus www.hawksrus.webs.com.   We spent the whole day outdoors – sometimes it was dry and cloudy and other times it was very wet and cloudy.   However, we were so engrossed it didn’t matter that we were getting wet – we’d all gone prepared for anything the weather could throw at us anyway.  We mostly photographed the birds perched on fence posts, branches etc. but we did also have a chance to photograph a couple of birds in flight – I knew it would be difficult but, for me, it proved nearly impossible, you don’t have much time to focus and they move very fast – I think I need more practice – so it’s a good excuse to go back again.  I've posted the two best photos but they leave a lot to be desired!

kestrel

kestrel

 










Since I last posted,  I’ve completed a small grey needle/wet felted purse, the patchwork strip hanging, a cream hanging with buttons, and another silk cushion - cream this time (picture to follow).   I’m also posting a picture of the red, hand-woven shrug I completed a couple of weeks ago too.

I might be conspicuous by my absence again for a couple of weeks – as well as the Club’s Annual Presentation Evening for which I need to do a lot of preparation – cups to be engraved, certificates to be printed etc., I will be making all the flower arrangements for my church’s Easter Celebrations so I won’t have as much time for ‘playing’ as usual.  Throw in a couple of concerts and one thing and another and it’s going to be another busy month.