Well that got your attention didn't it? Apologies for not posting sooner but I wanted to have some proper stitching finishes to show off and I finally have something. Was that a thud I heard???
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| Berry Christmas by Lizzie*Kate |
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| Mistle-toad by Lizzie*Kate |
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| Noel Squared by Lizzie*Kate |
Kettle's been on and tea has brewed so first up are the three ornaments I signed up for in our Christmas/Winter in July Challenge & Exchange over at Friendly Stitchers. I finally got my three ornies finished and although they are not made up yet at least they are stitched and ready to go. My partner was Frances and we agreed that we'd stitch our three and then we'd have our choice of the three from our partner. I have chosen a lovely pendible which will look lovely on my tree and I can't wait until it arrives! I'll post a photo once it gets here. All of my ornaments were from Lizzie*Kate; two of them "Berry Christmas" and "Mistle-Toad" are from the Tiny Tidings series and the other "Noel Squared" is one of their Snippets series. I am waiting for the berry buttons to arrive so that I can finish this off and then get it off to Frances so I will do an update photo of that to when its done.
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Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum (summer school
Spanish students in foreground) |
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| there is a heron in there somewhere! |
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Glasgow University from the grounds of
Kelvingrove Art Gallery |
I've been busy with the teaching lately; working mornings at the school and then afternoons at Strathclyde University where we had a contract to tutor 70+ Chinese engineering students up to a passable IELTS level. That finished on Friday and it was sad to say goodbye to the students - they were all so nice. They all looked so much more relaxed on Friday after receiving their results in the morning so we had a fun activities afternoon for them. They've worked hard these last 2 months and deserve a wee break now before their course starts proper at the end of the month.
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| and he decided to be friendly after all :) |
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| One of the locals! |
At the end of August I took myself off down to Yorkshire and Cheshire with a little detour into Welsh Wales to go visit with Mouse and Gillie. It was a very last minute decision - i.e. I decided pretty late on Thursday night and booked my coach ticket and spent all day (and I mean ALL day) Friday on a coach down to Sheffield where Mouse picked me up. I had completely overlooked the fact that it was the English Bank Holiday weekend and the coach company appear to have overlooked the fact too because they had vastly overbooked the coach and had to put on an extra coach at Edinburgh to cope with the amount of passengers. The extra coach was supposed to just go to Newcastle but it was the same story there and so it went on - until we got to Leeds where we were stuck for 40 minutes waiting for the other coach to catch us up which is failed to do - and I had to call Mouse every 10 minutes to say yessss we're STILL in Leeds!!!!
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| Me and Mouse halfway up the stairs ... |
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| The Three Amigos!! |
However, that aside it was a lovely weekend but way too short. Friday night was spent at Mouse's although we didn't manage to get any stitching done we spent the evening looking through her WIPs so there was lots to see. I also got to meet Master Bentley at long last and he is twice as cute as his photos! The following morning after breakfast we headed off to Cheshire for an overnight visit with Gillie and the WT. Its been a while since I had last been to the barn but it was just as lovely as I remembered it and of course I had to go off down to say hello to the horses too ... We played musical tables in and out of the courtyard as the sun alternately was blazing hot then cold and rainy. Needless to say much tea was quaffed but no stitching done :( although Mouse overlocked a whole load of fabric for Gillie and Gillie got on with a very pretty scarf she was knitting. We had our mods meeting there as Gillie won't make it to Harrogate this year :( (well not at the moment anyway!!)
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| One or two wee things from Nimble Thimble ... |
After lunch on Sunday, Mouse and I headed off to the Nimble Thimble which is in a very pretty rural location. It was my first visit there but it certainly won't be my last! Chris was so very accommodating, opening especially for us and we were only just in the door when the kettle went on. In between browsing around for stash I rescued a little fieldmouse from a little grey cat. The wee thing was in shock and I just hope it survived ...
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| and a close-up of that fabric!! |
I got one or two wee things but I was suitably restrained as I am saving myself for Harrogate in November. It was a lovely day out though and on the way back to Sheffield we stopped off for a lovely Sunday roast lunch at a local hostelry before mouse dropped me back off at the coach station in Sheffield to wend my weary way home again. Got in at 3am so I may rethink the overnight option next time lol!
I've been busy lately with work being done in the flat so that I can get it on the market. The bathroom flooring is down at the shower is up although the trouble and money that has cost has been no laughing matter. The console board is obsolete and even if we could get a replacement fuse to allow the shower to be hooked up it would be too powerful for the board so I need to have a new console board fitted. However Scottish Power will not let the work go ahead without them installing an isolator switch at the cost of £152! Only then can the electrician go ahead. So, what was a simple job has cost nearly £400 and has dragged on and on and on and on .... all I wanted was to have a shower in the evenings when I got home :(
The flooring is also down in the kitchen but the electrics are holding everything else up and until that is done then the rest of the work will have to wait.
I've also had visitors aplenty - with one of my Spanish students joining me for dinner last Saturday and another ex-student and now a good friend, Kasia from Poland coming for lunch yesterday. Next weekend is another busy with with an old work colleague coming for the weekend on Friday and staying till Sunday and then Maureen coming for lunch on Sunday. I love having friends to visit whether it is just for an evening or afternoon, or for a weekend.
Okay, I think I shall call it a day here and go do some stitching once I decide what I am working on! Thanks for stopping by and if you pop over next weekend there may even be some lemon drizzle cake. Just sayin .......
Hugs,
Ally xx
Oh and I received the most gorgeous ornament from Frances (no blog) in our Christmas/Winter in July exchange on Friendly Stitchers. It is really quite stunning and I am thrilled to bits with it and can't wait to place it on the tree this year. She also sent up a piece of Campbell tartan ribbon which I am thinking of using as part of a cushion at some point. I have never had a piece of Campbell tartan ribbon before - not even for my hair when I was little. I am proud of my clan roots so will use it sparingly and wisely! Thank you Frances so much!
