I'll stay at home then....

Gah, no car today as it's having another head gasket fitted. The head gasket went and was replaced by a garage up in Norwich, but apparently the silly boys forgot to 'skim the head' so the engine smoked like a good 'un and we were pouring oil in, which promptly leaked all over the floor - bad times:-( The Norwich garage said we could take it to our local garage to have a new head gasket done and they would reimburse us since this will cost another £300 plus, I do hope they stump up the cash.
Last night Himself and I went for a walk through the fields next to our house, usually it's just the two of us, but on this occasion Bagel decided to follow us. We were convinced he would give up after a few metres as he's not a cat who like exercise, but we were astonished that he just kept up with us - only stopping occasionally to look around and miaow loudly as if to say "I don't recognise this bit - lets stop now and go home" we carried on walking fully expecting him to either make his own way home or stop and have a rest, but he kept running and doing his level best to keep up with us (we did keep stopping to give him a chance). We decided we wouldn't go into the field where the cows were as that might completely freak him out. so we kept walking for well over a mile making the most of the mild evening. When we got home, poor Bagel flopped on the rug in front of the TV and barely moved for the rest of the evening, I bet he slept like a log last night!

So today I was going to do a few errands on foot, but this is what greeted me: 

I thought I might make a new ironing board cover instead. Two layers of 100% cotton wadding, steamed to shrink before cutting to size. The top fabric was a spare bit of jolly yellow fabric washed on a very hot white wash to make sure the colour doesn't run and it's finished shrinking.I used the old cover as a template and re-used the gathering cord. Using a zig zag stitch and the cording foot, I attach the cord to the raw edge (no need to hem) Gather up the cord smoothing the cover over the wadding layers. My sleeve board was made in the same way. Next I caught up on all the mending - boring but necessary

More Button Hearts

My Sister In Law saw my button heart and fancied one for herself, I offered to make her one if she trawled through her Mum's button tin and pulled out the ones she liked. My Niece asked me if she could have one too - so Himself, Chic Girl and Niece chose the red, purple and pink buttons.  

I have just finished making the hearts:

Here's how I did them: 

 Find a heart shape approximately 5" - 6" high and draw around the shape not forgetting to leave a space for turning the heart the right way around!

Fold up approximately 14" narrow ribbon and pin the folds but leave the ends free (this makes it much less likely to get caught in the seamsPlace the ribbon ends so that they sit in the dip of the heartpin in place 

Sew around the heart shape using a tiny stitch length - but don't forget to leave the turning gap. Snip all the curves very carefullyTurn the heart out  - remembering the pin in the hanging ribbon is still in there. Carefully push out the seams, stuff very firmly (I use a light polyester stuffing from Dunelm.) Do not use your scissors to push the stuffing in the point, I find a spoon handle or large wooden knitting needle works for me. Find a nice long but fine needle (mine is for doll making) and some strong thread sew on the buttons.

Sorry about the photos being all over the place, I can't seem to move them:-(

Sad times

My lovely Mother-in-Law, has been in Norwich hospital for three weeks and on Thursday she passed away aged 89. We will all miss her.

Look what I managed to grow.....

Every year I try and grow something to eat - some years I have better success than others - I usually do well with cucumbers but both last year and this year have been disastrous. Chillies are usually a doddle for me to grow (which is a laugh when I barely use them at all!) and I can usually manage to grow a tomato or two, courgettes last year didn't grow any sizable fruits they just rotted at the tips when they were only a few centimetres long - so it was a huge surprise to me when I spotted these fabulous babies growing on two different yellow courgette plants - though I don't know why two of them from the same plant have pointed tips? Please does anyone know why this should be.  There are a couple more yellow courgettes to come too - so I'm really pleased, although I don't think I'm going to get hundreds of courgettes. My yellow tomato plant has yet to produce a flower, never mind a fruit, so I'm not at all impressed with that. I think we also might get more than two figs from our fig tree this year, although I've probably jinxed that now!

Useful gifts

I made a couple of things for Chic Girl...
A stuffed button heart covered with vintage mother-of-pearl buttons from both of her Grandmothers  button boxes:

 

An oversized pencil case made with some of the Liberty fabric I was given on Mothers day

here is the bee fabric lining:
A large make -up bag, with a fish themed lining:

and finally, a passport cover:

Glastonbury 2010 part two

Ran out of time the other day, so here are some more Glasto photos:

Orange patchwork flags

Pink flags each one a patchwork quilt top!

Below: Pinwheel block flags

A Above: pond made just for Glasto in Green Futures

Below: Seth Lakeman in the Croissant Neuf tent - it was so bright the colour is a little washed out here - but in reality this was vibrant red, yellow and orange.

Below: The tower in The Park, we had intended to climb up the steps, but each time we looked there was a huge queue and we didn't fancy waiting! Maybe next year......

Twighlight in Arcadia, time to go as it all gets very very busy and incredibly noisy after dark.

The Edge with Muse performing Where The Streets Have No Name. Superb.

Glastonbury 2010

Apologies for leaving it soooo long in between posts - Life/work just got in the way.

We went to Glastonbury again this year and for the very first time since I've been going it didn't rain at all! Huzzah:-) Actually, if I'm honest it was probably too hot - but hey, better heat than mud we say.
 Here is the Whizz Kid, Champagne and Himself checking that our tent is all OK beforehand.

Happy 40th Birthday Glastonbury!

Patchwork '40' sign above the Park.

I was slightly worried about the ahem, facilities in all the heat, but clearly Mr Eavis had thought about it too and the emptying and cleaning was far better with small armies of blue t-shirted cleaners (poor souls, I do hope they got paid properly) I didn't gag once. Things are improving and about time too. There was also far more pathways, covered in a type of hogging, small stone type of stuff which I imagine in the (more usual) wet weather will be less likely to turn into the knee deep sticky quagmire we have experienced before. Of course the grit wasn't needed this year, in fact they had trucks sprinkling the pathways with water to try to keep the dust down! We even saw a few people trying to make some mud, presumably just so they could say they have truly been to  Glasto (they must have been first timers!)  The Whizz Kid and Chic Girl were kind enough to take our tent and pitch it for us on Wednesday morning as we couldn't get there until the Thursday. Just as well they did as the camping fields were all packed - seems virtually everyone arrived early so they could watch the England football game on the Pyramid stage  on Wednesday afternoon. Apparently the audience was a hundred thousand strong, so it was the biggest ever TV audience in one place. 

Above: The BBC Studios  - they were just to the left of the Pyramid Stage.

 Above: White flags at West Holts stage.

Above: Stripy flags at the Pyramid Stage. Below: Faithless amongst all the flags

: People carry flags and stand right in front of the stage,  it then makes it very difficult for the rest of us to actually see anything on the stages, I had to take so many photos to try and get a decent shot of anyone performing, and still wasn't really happy, it's not as if Glastonbury wasn't decorated enough already!Above: Wicker woman and flowers near the Green Fields. Below: Follow That Snail!

Himself and I with huge carved pine cones in Green Futures

Huge patchwork covered letters near the boundry fence above The Park Keane playing in the Acoustic tent.

Below: Kylie with The Scissor Sisters

Above: Lunch at Henrys Beard Cafe - our favourite eateryMetal machines in Arcadia

Muse - who were rather good:-)