A Walk for Wool

Well this has proved to be a very tough week.  Lots of functions at work and talking to contractors about the pitfalls of working in a medieval building - so much red tape.  Also little Bex had a minor operation in the middle of all this, so time this weekend for some crafts to get my work/life balance in some sort of order me thinks.

Before I could carry on with my granny stripe blanket there would be crucial visit to a craft shop in Springfields Shopping and Festival Gardens to buy some more colourful wool.  So, time to pick up Mumsy and have a lovely walk around the gardens that are at the back of the shopping outlet, which are truly beautiful at this time of year, also the weather helped.

Towards the back there is a forest which is quiet to walk through and imagine the fairies and goblins taking a peek at you.

Through one of the walks you end up by a lovely pond with the calming and cooling sound of one of their many water features.

There are times I wish I was a duck!  Mind you, with the awful weather we have had lately sometimes my wish is very close to the truth!

All we needed now was a lovely sit down in the sun...

Deck chairs are all well and good but after the week I have had, I couldn't risk the fact that I wouldn't have the strength to get out of one after five minutes!!

After a lovely walk around we went to the craft shop which unfortunately did not have the colours or the right wool, so back in the car and into Spalding to drag my poor Mumsy around the shops until we found the right type.  So now, have the right type and colours to continue my huge project in amongst the smaller ones.

I have volunteered to help Mumsy on a stall at a school fete in a couple of weeks, so I'm going to make some of my peg bags and flowery hearts to sell however I feel Mumsy's cards will be flying off the stall, she is so clever and skilled.  I will put samples of her cards on here soon.

Have also been trialling a new camera that is a film loaded one.  Remember them??  I used to use one many many years ago and loved the feel and quality of the photos.  I am getting reaquainted with it at the moment and can't wait to send the film off to be processed and receive back a 'present' of what I have taken and the excitement of whether the shot I was hoping for came to fruition.  Watch this space!

Peterborough Heritage Weekend

For once in this very bleak summer we are having, the sun is out on a Saturday!  Hubby and Mr Teenager decided on going fishing today, Mr Teenager's first time so very excited and up at the crack of dawn to tidy his room and get going (not bad for a 14 year old?!). 

With this in mind and with the housework completed last night and the house looking still tidy and clean, myself and my mumsy along with Miss Teenager and a friend, went into Peterborough to see the Heritage Weekend.  Well this has proved to be a fantastic event and one I would definately go to again.  It is held within the Cathedral precincts including the Bishop's garden and the Deanery garden.  And how wonderful to be met at the front of the Cathedral with a Spitfire.

So many wars were represented along with Tudors, Romans, Victorians etc, it felt quite serile walking amongst the different costumes, sights and smells.

I must admit the gunmen were my favourite, loading their guns and making the whole atmosphere jump when they fired.  It made me think how on earth you could fight a war with something so clumsy and time consuming.  The attention to detail was amazing.

And the noise...deafening!

This scene did make me laugh. The actors just taking a break - WW2 meets the Victorians over an afternoon tea!  However, the Victorians were the intruders because...

...the signs says it all!!

There was a jester, of course there had to be one, with his colourful costume and very greedy ferret which entertained the children and the adults alike.

All around was the wonderful surroundings of the Cathedral and buildings in the precincts.  The picture below is of the Bishop's orchard looking towards the side of the Cathedral.  So beautiful, and you completely feel that you are no longer in the middle of a busy city.

Of course, the Romans had to be there didn't they.  Even in costume they are intimidating and shouted out to everyone that as soon as they started marching, they weren't going to stop!

The Napoleonic War was represented and the soldiers looked fantastic in their refinery.

Of course, some members of the public had to join in.  We honestly thought that this man was part of the event.  No, he was a 'Medieval Biker' just come to have a look!!

The weather, albeit windy, was dry and the sun came out on occasion.  However the visitors that came to see this free event, were clearly enjoying themselves.  Miss Teenager and her friend went off to enjoy the shopping that Peterborough offers however they were soon pulled back in to the heritage experience and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  Myself and Mumsy?  Well we had a wonderful time, looking at Victoriana - our favourite! and eating from a vintage ice cream van.  Very tempted to have a banana ice lolly like those we used to have many years ago but held off and had 99's with chocolate sauce...of course.

As for the fishermen?  Not a bite.  They weren't downhearted though as the rain kept off them and they spoke to quite a lot of like minded people.

X <3 X

An Introduction

Hello!  I suppose I will start with an introduction.  My name is Chel and I live in the fens of Lincolnshire in a 10 year old house in a quiet village.  Now at the point of getting fed up with the plain walls of magnolia and thinking of putting a real mark on the place.  I do have some favourite places in the house:

This is my fireplace with my fabric hearts made after watching the fabulous Kirstie Allsopp and her programme last Christmas.  Instead of just making a garland to hang on the fireplace I decided to stuff them, add a button and prop them up, just to add some of my favourite colour to a rather bland area.  Oh, I love gardening too (as you may have gathered from the cut flowers on the coffee table) and the roses have really done me proud this year, they are a delight to see.  I have so many and one in particular has made its way to the top of my garage giving a wonderful display to my neighbours.  As a result, because of this wonderful summer of ours where it has done nothing but rain, I try to cut as many as I can on a Friday night when I do the housework after a hard week's work, and fill the house with the scent of roses and lavender.

Another favourite place is my chair in the hall way.  Here I can have a quiet moment with my hooky and have another chair upstairs where I disappear sometimes to watch my soaps and make the next project.  The cushion was made after reading the fabulous Attic 24 blog.  Lucy's designs and ideas as well as amazing instructions on how to create wonderful projects are a real inspiration.

My third favourite place is my kitchen window.  I love seeing the different seasons and am amazed each year on how much more everything has grown.  We have been here 10 years and came to a garden of rubble and chicken wire fencing.  My husband has worked so hard on the garden, front, side and back and it truly is a wonderful oasis.  Oh and yes, the stuffed hearts have made their way here too!

I am married and have two children, boy and girl who are your typical moany teenagers but I wouldn't swap them for the world.  They are very entertaining and, yes I will slap myself on the back as I have done a good job with them.

So that's a start on my life.  This is all new to me, but let's see how I go.  Take care XXXXXXXXXXX