Update on the 50th on his 40th

A very short post to say that my younger son, Matt, completed the New York marathon in 3hours 40 minutes and looked in very good shape.  I followed the race online, but after about 3hours 30 minutes I gave up as I was so fed up with the advertisement breaks that seemed to go on for ages and all the interviewing of people rather than looking at the crowds of runners.

I think that the BBC report the London Marathon much better but maybe I am biased!

Well done Matt - 100th marathon when you are 50??!!

Spooky goings on etc .....

Apologies to my readers for the delay in writing a new blog and I have to say you are all lovely people for waiting!  This week has been particularly busy as I have had half term duties with my two Cambridge grandchildren and the normal weekly goings on which can be quite boring to write about.

However let me return to the two children; they arrived on Sunday evening for 'two sleeps' (see previous post) and though they hadn't slept much the evening before after Matt's birthday party, they still got up early on Monday morning.  I struggled out of bed and got going with breakfast which they always enjoy as I buy 'Variety' packs of cereals and they can choose what they want.  This is a treat!  Off to Stanwick Lakes to let off some steam with the strict instructions from me, that if they fall in the water they will sit in the boot of the car on the way home!!!

A great deal of rushing up to the top of the slide and then down they come.  Ellie loved this while B tried this out with the inevitable results -

No he didn't fall in, but wellies were full of water!

Next day we went to Irchester Country Park which has no water but has a very large sand pit, so wellies were full of sand this time!!

Wednesday morning saw me at Embroidery Class where I completed these two decorations and started a new one using Silk Dupion.

About 1" inch square (2.5cm)

Just a few French knots at present but a work in progress!!

Friday was Smocking Class and the lovely J had us all making smocked Christmas crackers and we have homework to do before the next lesson - she is such a slave driver!!!!

Definitely a work in progress

I really enjoy doing this craft and if anyone out there has a machine they don't want or knows of one please let me know with a comment below.

Last night saw me at Burghley House for one of their Spooky Tours on Halloween.  As we (the 50+ Adventure Club) didn't start the tour until 9.30pm it was very dark with a few candles about the place, ghouls and ghosties jumping out at us whenever we turned a corner and we went into places not normally open to the public.  The cellars were particularly spooky and at one time the lights went out completely so we were in darkness - scary!!  Lots of screams (not from us), doors banging, ghostly music playing and a very ghoulish looking compere for the tour!  I have never visited this stately home in daylight so it has whetted my appetite to go back, but not at night.  They even have deer which were grazing close to the house and could be seen in the moonlight.

A great evening.

50th on his 40th

Yesterday was the 40th birthday party of my younger son, Matt. Not his actual birthday because that is next Sunday and he will be in New York running his 50th marathon on his 40th birthday. Quite a milestone and I am so proud.

He had this wonderful birthday cake and everyone loved the lifelike trainers with their shoe laces. They were very heavy when we took them off the cake to cut it. We hardly saw any of the children, except for food from time to time, because there was a bouncy castle which they were on for most of the day. What a wonderful way of getting rid of energy!!

I am expecting Matt's two children later today for "two sleeps" with Granny and "I shall be bringing a shoe box to make an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb, Granny, so can we do crafts to put in it"!! Not quite sure what my grandson has in mind, but they like playing with my beads and buttons so we will be able to make something to go in it. After half term he has an Egyptian day at school and I have made him a braided headband complete with a pigtail, because young Egyptian boys had one which was cut off when they reached puberty. I am also going to help out in class as well.

Should be fun and I will report back in due course.

First thoughts of Christmas .....

After the last visit of my grandchildren this little chap was in need of some TLC. His body had come apart from his legs and all his insides could have spilled onto the floor! Yes he has rice inside him for weight.

A little poorly and needs TLC

So after a little First Aid of the doll type he was soon restored as good as new and quite happy to be sitting on the edge of these cushions viewing everything that was going on. However it did beggar the question - how long ago did we make these in a workshop? My sons say he looks like a malevolent gnome, but I think he is rather sweet just sitting around!!

Feeling better now and good as new!

I have also made another one of these and they are so easy to make.

They make useful letter holders.

Finally a slight panic as I was told that our "Angels" had to be finished by this week so after really concentrating I managed to finish this little lady that I have dubbed a 'fallen angel' as she has rouged cheeks, blonde hair, silver wings and a very shocking pink net petticoat!

The petticoat peeping out

She still needs to have her mouth put on but I don't have a red fabric pencil so that comes later.

All the angels my patchwork group have made will be displayed in St Mary's Church in Higham Ferrers at the Angel Festival at the end of November. Some will then be sold but I want to keep mine.

Good to get some fresh air!

I haven't been Nordic walking for a few weeks because of either poor weather - I won't walk if it is raining at the start - or other things getting in the way.  However I had arranged to go out walking from Woodford Mill and what great weather it was after all the rain we have had.

Woodford Mill Tea Rooms for afterwards

 We all knew it would be muddy after all the rain, but this was the worst part at the beginning.

Rows and rows of plastic wrapped hay or silage and big puddles

Then the sun came out an we started getting hot!  The countryside looked great and it was so quiet, even with us there!!

The church at Woodford

River Nene through the trees

We stopped off at Woodford church and looked at some of its history.

Wooden effigies of Sir William Trailly and his wife dated from 1290

An embalmed heart!!

The embalmed heart is inset high up in a pillar and there have been reports of ghosts, but it is thought to be the heart of Roger de Kirketon, who died in 1280 and was buried in Norfolk and his heart brought back to Woodford.  It was discovered by workman repairing the church in 1866!!  Anyway, it was unusual to see.

Denford church

Poor Pooh and Tigger!!

I saw these two being used as fenders on a moored narrow boat and felt they may have been once loved toys!!  Pooh was in a worst condition than Tigger.

We crossed the old railway bridge but not before having a chat to these four very friendly lambs.  We decided that they must have been hand reared because we could touch them and they did not run away.  Not sure what breed the black and white ones are, but I loved the mottled colour of their wool!!

A lovely October walk and I am hoping to get a few more in before the weather changes.

Knitting and stitching!

What a lovely day it was on Sunday, when a coach load of us set out for the Knitting and Stitching Show in London and at the time we arrived (about 10.15am) it was not too busy. I was on a mission and had established where I wanted to go first - the Stylecraft wool stand where I knew that Lucy from Attic24 would be.

I managed to get a few moments with her and asked about her latest project, that is still a work in progress and will be a new blanket in Autumn colours. So I succumbed and bought the new pack of lovely autumny colours - 

My camera's not doing the coloours justice as they are lovely

The ball on the middle row extreme left is actually an olive green and not the grey that it looks like.

Oh how the members of the Crochet Club laughed when I got back on the coach with another bag of wool, but my blanket will have to wait until all the other crochet items are finished!!  Too many on the go at once.

You may remember these beautiful colours, also put together by Attic24 for the Coast Ripple Blanket that I bought - 

well, sad person that I am I asked Lucy to sign my pattern that came with the pack.

Double click to get a bigger picture.

Another excellent show and apart from this wool I did not buy much else, except for a circular foot to go on my sewing machine and will make flowery circles. It was quite inexpensive to buy which worried me a little, and I was assured that I wold be able to understand the instructions. Well they are printed in Taiwan and consequently seem to be full of jargon with a few strange words I have never heard before, but I shall persevere with it. I have already tried it out and will show you the results next blog, after a bit more practise!!

However whilst at the show, I had time to watch a fashion show sponsored by Coats and compered by Stuart Hillard who was a semi-finalist in the Great British Sewing Bee. The models were all stick thin youngsters modelling knitted items by well known fashion designers and I did wonder when the older models would come on stage. After all would these youngsters wear, or even make, any of these items, some of which I did covet? Would they not have been better on older people, of which I am one, because we are the people who might make them?

Food for thought?

The quilt!!

I mentioned that I have now completed my son's king size bed quilt and I am pleased that he and his wife love it.

The pattern is by Anne Williams in the May 2014 Popular Patchwork but I adapted it from her size to king size and I had to 'quilt as you go'. There are also two plain panels at the side as I ran out of colours.

All the fabrics were from Oakshott Fabrics and my daughter in law chose her main colours of 'Mallow' and 'White Sand' from the Colourshott range. I also chose 'Lilypad' because I needed a contrast.  

I made up about 200 rectangles using these main colours and others colours from the same range that I bought as a 10 inch pack. I sewed the rectangles into strips and then these were sewn together. I ran out of 'White Sand' fabric and decided to use just 'Lilypad' and 'Mallow' on the drop at the bottom of the bed. I realised from the start that I would need to quilt a quarter at a time to be more manageable and then I sewed two quarters together and finally the two halves.  

Hope you are with me so far!!

The long panels at the side were plain 'Mallow' that I quilted before sewing to the finished top and then it was bound and I spent two nights hemming the binding!!

Here is the finished quilt.

M and A love their quilt and are looking forward to the colder nights, when they will be lovely and snuggly under it.