RETURNING TO MY ROOTS.....

No not another journey through my past, this post is far more literal......

I have finally decided to say goodbye to

 the brunette with the red fringe.......

farewell to the auburn bob.... and hello to whatever lies beneath...

Having dyed my hair for the past 25 plus years, I am now getting fed up of the four weekly badger stripe and just generally fighting what is obviously a losing battle!

Over the years I have gone from straight as a die long brown locks, through the beehives of the 60s, the perms (OMG did I really do that!, just ask my DD she will confirm this horror phase) of the 70s & 80s which cost me a fortune, only to find in my mid 40s having decided to opt for the 'easy' option of a bob that my hair had decided to curl on its own and I have been fighting this ever since.

So enough is enough...

Of course my vision is classic elegance ...

 Meryl Streep in 'The Devil wears Prada'

Or perhaps short and choppy.....

 Meg Ryan

but I fear the reality will be more....

so although I have taken the first steps......

don't be surprised if I take to the bottle again sometime soon!!!......

What do you think, cover it all as long as possible or go with the flow....it's an interesting debate!

Have a great week, I am working on another tutorial ready for those spring tea parties for next time, hope to see you then....

TTFN

Jenny xx

TIPTOE THROUGH THE SNOWDROPS......

OK so I know its supposed to be tulips, but I'm a little early for that!..
 We found our snowdrop walk here....

 Do you remember Doddington Hall , we first found it last year, although we live very near we had never visited before.... It looks a bit different in the snow...very striking ,very beautiful...

and an amazing amount of colour for the time of year....

and the snowdrops...bless 'em tried their best to stand proud against the snow!

Since we last visited a home decor store has been built alongside the farm shop and restaurant, which incidentally are separate from the actual hall and gardens. Which means of course that you can visit these without having to actually pay the entrance to the hall. The Farm shop is brilliant with a really good selection of local produce, preserves and cakes and the restaurant is excellent, both the quality of the food and the atmosphere.

I didn't succumb to any of the goodies though except these....

early Seville Oranges

 and so tomorrow I have a little job to do...not that I have been a slouch lately.......

Just a few of the latest girls wedding /party shoes that I have added to my on line shop. I have really enjoyed doing them and am now starting on some new cushions and needle cases with an Alice in Wonderland theme and some Union Jack goodies...Well you have to take advantage of 2012 don't you, we wont get many better opportunities to wave our flag!

Hope you all have an enjoyable week (especially those on half term break).

TTFN 

Jenny xx

CITY OF DREAMING SPIRES....AND COTSWOLD STONE..

Just before I tell you about our first travels of 2012 I want to express mine and my family's heartfelt thanks to every one who has contacted me here, via twitter and direct with their well wishes for my sister. She is making steady progress and though its going to be a long battle I know her positive attitude will help her and we are all praying for her. Thank you so much, your thoughts and prayers are really appreciated.

Our first outing of the year was a super long weekend away in Wiltshire. We were based in a spa hotel just outside Swindon, very nice I must say, with a view to visiting some of the beautiful surrounding villages and of course Oxford.

Well now as Matthew Arnold dubbed it, Oxford really is the city of dreaming spires, but I have to admit not quite as I had imagined it. Being a big fan of Morse and more recently Lewis, I somehow expected everything to be clustered together in the city not spread out so far. I still found it a beautiful place, the architecture is stunning, but not at all as I had pictured it....

I was rather relieved there was a tour bus or I don't think our ageing legs would have shown us all the delights there were to see..

Apparently Hitler was going to use Oxford as his capitol if he invaded which is why it was not bombed. There are few things to be thankful to him for, but I suppose this is one!

Of course I couldn't visit Oxford without paying homage to 'Alice'. I am still fascinated by the books but am not too sure about the 2010 Tim Burton film. Bit too weird for my liking..perhaps I am too traditional. However as a sewer I have to say the costumes were superb.

Some of the prettiest places were hidden away.....

and this really sums up the city for me....and of course now I know why they need them..........

On our final day before heading home we stopped off at Lacock the National Trust village. So very beautiful. It was bitterly cold and a bit misty, but still a delight to see. There was the Abbey, a pub, several shops and a super Antique shop where I could have spent a fortune, but I did resist on this occasion as I had already acquired some vintage fabric and a couple of  pieces of Rosedawn pottery!.....

The village is now run in its entirety by the National Trust and has been used for several film and television series amongst which are the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice and the 2007 BBC production of Cranford. It was also featured briefly in a couple of the Harry Potter films.

We had a wonderful weekend and look forward to some more during the year. Of course we wont be going far if this snow hangs about for too long.
Hope you are all snuggling down and keeping warm, I'm just off to fill my water bottle and make some hot chocolate...with a little nip of something to keep the cold out.

TTFN

Jenny xx

CELEBRATION....and sadness

Well this has certainly not been the start to 2012 that I envisaged........

First a really big CONGRATULATIONS to our DD Heidi and her partner Steve (both in life and business) for picking up the Wedding Ideas Magazines award for the best 'Special Touches' on Friday night at their annual award ceremony. GiddyKipper was nominated last year and could not believe their luck when this time they won. I was able to watch on the live feed and it was brilliant.

Thank you to any of you that voted for them, I admit to blatantly promoting them at any opportunity, but I think the award shows that they have won on good customer service and brilliant products.


On a slightly less happy note, my posts may not be as regular as I had intended for the next few weeks as my beautiful older sister is very poorly in hospital. The awful 'C' word among other things and today she is having a big operation, so I have everything crossed for her and her husband Ted, who is an absolute brick and visits her every day, by bus, an hour and a half journey each way and has not complained at all. Sylvia has been in hospital a week now and will be there for some time, so my visits here may be a bit erratic. I will read any comments and thank you for them, but forgive me if I perhaps dont get to reply to you all.

Have a good week yourselves, I will try to keep popping by and reading your news. It does cheer me up.

TTFN

Jenny xx

A quick PS. Thank you for all the lovely comments, I am always amazed at the kindness of strangers here in blogland.
I am also very relieved to report that the operation has gone well, a first good step in a long journey.

I DID NOT FALL OFF THE EDGE OF THE PLANET.........

Well what a few weeks that has been!!
Nothing awful thankfully for us just lots of helping out with grandchildren, slipping in Christmas preparations in any spare few minutes culminating in a wonderful holiday filled with visits, beautiful gifts and all round Christmas spirit(even a little of the liquid kind).
I do hope you were all able to enjoy the season, although I know from reading a few blogs that some have been far less fortunate than us and I am thankful for our health and happiness and wish you all the same in this New Year!
So a bit of a round up of our activity since I last wrote a post.......

.......Our eldest grandson was in his first Nativity, O what a pleasure to be able to watch him. He was so thrilled with it all and the children did really well. They performed in our local Parish Church, the wonderful St Wulframs which is huge. Not a dry eye in the house!
We were fortunate to have both our wonderful boys to stay for a couple of nights too as our DD and partner slogged away at their business often until 4 in the morning to ensure their customers were not disappointed. They do not complain of course. In this time of great uncertainty they are more than grateful for their continued success, but with a business and a young family there are always compromises to make as I am sure so many of you know too well! We are the lucky ones who therefore get the chance to see more of them than so many grandparents......

I was involved in a couple of swaps, one run by Tiffany  The Curiosity Project  and I received some wonderful cookery bits and pieces and a book all about the larder (lots of super tips and recipes for storing food) from Karrie to whom I sent a cookie tin holding a few Autumn inspired bits including these

and the other the Christmas Ornament swap hosted by DolceVita . I was paired up with Dannyelle from www.lifeisaparty.ca  and received the sweetest mini bunting and vintage bauble.

I sent a mercury glass ornament and one of my gingerbread men.

I also managed to finish a sweater for my oldest grandson, (though still have to get one done for little one), make my own Christmas cake, mincemeat and Nigellas Chilli Jam...oooooooh..scrummy you must try it, but failed abysmally to keep up with you lovely friends, (and I didn't even have to make many slippers this year).
Still I hope that I will now be back rabbiting at you as usual, and if I get round to it am planning a blog shop. I am disillusioned with one of my on line shops since they decided to revamp and overhaul everything and although I do like change and technology there are times when I think things can be overdone and when you start to alienate your customers, which we shop owners are in this case, it could be you need to take a step back and review your actions. I am not the first to decide to pack up shop and I think there will be others following!
Anyway that's enough of that back to happier things.

We spent Christmas day at ours son and DILs, only the 2nd time in 44 years we have not been at home and it was super. We were well looked after and it was a really lovely change.
We visited our DD and family in their new home later in the week and were again royally entertained, not least by our grandsons with their new toys!
We had some fabulous gifts, all of them loved and appreciated,but one very special treat..tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show in May with first class travel as well......thank you Heidi Steve and the boys we are thrilled to bits!!

Well although I am a bit late I wish you all

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

filled with good health and happiness

and finally I just want to say how much I have loved this past year talking to so many different people from all around the globe, wondering at their kindness and generosity, learning new crafts, following  some excellent tutorials, having a good old moan and sharing a few jokes and crazy moments and finding in all of this that it really is the little things in life that bring so much happiness.

Thank you for being one of those precious 'little things'

TTFN

Jenny xx

ON A MISTY MOISTY MORNING.........

Well it certainly seems that our Indian summer is over.... Yesterday we went for a walk by the River Trent at Gunthorpe and though it was quite foggy it was almost magical...

Looks freezing doesn't it....but that was foam from the weir, not snow...though it was barely 4 degrees!!

We tried to stay clear of the fairy rings....didn't fancy being whisked away looking such a fright!...walking jacket, boots, fleece hat....and dripping hair!....

And just look at this tree...how on earth did that happen......

We really enjoyed our walk though and finished off the day with a visit to one of our favourite garden centres where Christmas has already arrived  (reindeer - stuffed, skating rink and decorations from the bizarre to the downright tacky!!) and then a warm meal and home...

But it has got me thinking about my 'Christmas Theme' this year.....DO YOU THEME??...

I am rather taken with all these antique style decorations that resemble old mirrors where the silvering is flaking off, glass and white and white painted twigs....a veritable winter wonderland.....Whats your favourite thing this year.......

TTFN

Jenny xx

TYING UP SOME LOOSE ENDS.........literally

Hello lovely people

I do find it most heartening to read on the blogs of very talented people, who I consider to be very organised and methodical that even they have projects discarded for something new lurking in the bottom of their knitting basket or sewing pile.
I personally have to admit to flitting from one current 'love' to another with no shame at all!!
That jumper I have been knitting to wear when I go walking is still in my knitting basket 11 months later....., I have found baby hats unfinished, sewing projects all cut out and pinned and crochet started in a moment of boredom which is growing at a snails pace having found other more interesting projects..

so.... well I thought I had better start to do something about it...of course that was after I had just run up this latest project inspired by one of my recent birthday presents...

Remember this......

this delightful little gadget pouch was bought to hold my kindle, however as I already have a leather case for it which can remain in place when I am reading, I was rather torn what to do. The kindle will not fit in here with the leather case on, and because I absolutely adore the pouch I am loathe to use it for the kindle as I would have to remove it when reading and would be devastated if I left it somewhere!

And then I had a brainwave..... I had been sorting out my knitting basket (hence the discovery of the skeletons in the bottom) and there were all manner of small items..crochet hooks, stitch holders, circular needles etc. tangled up in there and I suddenly thought of a new purpose for my pouch...and of course the fabric was just perfect....and then my mind went into overdrive. I needed more of this fabric and quick....
A search on the Internet soon revealed however that this was not going to be as easy as I thought and in the end it was the good old US of A that came to my rescue. I managed to purchase just enough of a fabric which was now discontinued to make this....

Et voila......The knitting needle roll as excellently described in this tutorial has enabled me to tidy up the rest of the knitting basket, and encouraged me to finish some of the projects lurking there....and to tie in their loose ends.....

 my poor neglected tea cosy now takes pride of place in my kitchen....

and my crochet blanket looks like it stands a chance of getting done this winter!......

Of course there are still those baby hats, that jumper.....but come on I have made some progress you have to admit!!!

Well before I wish you good night I am going to make a plea on behalf of my lovely daughter and her partner aka 'GiddyKipper'. If you have not met them before you can see what they get up to here....I will let them tell you more.....

Giddy Kipper

As a Notonthehighstreet.com partner and being part of the award-winning Weddings at notonthehighstreet.com, Giddy Kipper are thrilled to have been nominated in the 'Special Touches' category of the Wedding Ideas Awards 2012. Last year we made it to the final 5 and would be delighted to reach the final again with your help! You don't have to be a bride to vote - we'd be extremely grateful for the support of our wonderful customers! (for any categories you don't wish to vote in, scroll down to 'no answer') Thank you!
http://www.weddingideasmag.com/home/the-awards/vote-in-the-wedding-ideas-awards-2012.html

 Thank you in anticipation

TTFN

Jenny xx