Friday 28 February 2014

Oscar Weekend & lunch with friends

It's Oscar weekend this weekend and I have realised that I am lacking in my film watching of late (and looking at the list of films, I have quite a few to catch up on.  I suspect this task is going to take me a while to complete so I have made a new tab to keep up to date as I watch films.

I had a lovely lunch at my friend G's today.  C, G and I try and meet up once a month for lunch and to catch up.  We take it in turns to cook and host lunch.  I like going to G's.  At the end of the bus route, I have a 20 min walk, but on the way home, I get the walk out of the way first and the bus drops me off across the road from my house - I prefer the journey back!!!!!!  The only issue I have is that we all live about an hour away from each other so it never feels like we have long enough to catch up properly.

Today we had a gorgeous noodle dish and a custard shortbread cake - I do love a good cake.  Thanks G, I had a lovely day and sorry I had to blow my nose so much......  am hoping it won't be too red tomorrow.


Sunday 23 February 2014

Things making me HAPPY this week

I don't seem to have done so much this past week.  It's been one of those weeks that you look back and think what exactly did I do!!  Hubby is still off ill.  I am so ready for him to go back to work but I suspect we'll have another week to go, at least.  We are waiting to hear from a scheme to see if they will pay for him to take taxis to work for a little while to make his life easier.  It will definitely enable him to go back to work sooner if he doesn't have to drive there and back every day.  Still we'll have to wait and see.

Making me smile over the past week;

1) De-cluttering.  The Charity Shop was very happy to receive these board games this week.  I couldn't believe the smile on the lady's face when we walked in with the games below.  I need to de-clutter so we can get the house on the market.  I am such a hoarder unfortunately!





2) Knitting.  This is the new lap blanket for Hubby which I started a week ago.  Maybe this explains where my week has gone to..............  am happy with it so far and I think Hubby will be happy when he can wrap up in this when in his wheelie.



3) Baking.  I resisted and resisted and then randomly bought some double cream and didn't know what to do with it.  So I made a Victoria Sponge and also melted some chocolate and added mini marshmallows and rice krispies and made little chocolatey things to put on top.  Not sure which Hubby enjoyed more - the cake or the chocolatey things!!!!



4) Christening one of D's Christmas presents.   My friend L picked these up in New York when she had her Birthday trip last year.  Can you tell what it is?  It's a giant ice sphere.  Kept my Bacardi cold for a long time...........  think that gift is a stayer!






5) Seeing a surprise rainbow on my walk home from seeing the In-laws.  Can you see it?  I was tempted to go and find the end of it - but it was WAY too cold.




Sunday 16 February 2014

Things making me HAPPY this week

What a week.  I hope that you have not been bothered by the horrendous weather we've been having.  To be fair, the only thing I have been bothered with, apart from the cold is the gusting wind.  I hate the noise of the wind and to be in it yesterday being blown through the village - such fun.....  I haven't many photos this week as we've had so many hospital appointments and I didn't think it was wise to take the camera with me!!

Making me happy this week;

1) Well I haven't mentioned Anni B so much recently.  She is so gorgeous (and she knows it).  But she makes me happy.




2)  New bed.  Very happy with her new bed.  I looked for ages on the Internet and I could either have a n ugly,cheap bed or a REALLY expensive, pretty bed.  Erm,  I don't want an ugly bed in my living room but we all knows she'll eventually chew it so I am not buying her a really expensive one either.  Finally found an acceptable bed and at a good price too.  Arrived in 3 days.  She loves it - phew.




3) Flowers from Hubby.  Lovely.  Not something he normally does so a fab surprise.



4) Physio.  Hubby finally had physio on the knee he dislocated before Christmas.  Hoping that next week will be his last week off of work.  His MS seems to be settling and his knee seems to be getting stronger.  We also have to strengthen his ankle so he stops twisting it and we might be there.



5) Winter Olympics.  I am loving watching the TV.  Helps that I love snow.



Tuesday 11 February 2014

Colours and a bad dog!!!!

How do you choose which colour to add to your knitting?  Do you plan your colours before you start and then know which colour follows which colour?

I think I may be weird. I don't do that.  I pull out a selection of colours and pick one and start knitting.  I then listen to what my knitting is telling me.  Yup, it tells me which colour to choose next.  No planning, no lists of order, I knit and it speaks.  See, told you I was odd.

So I've started knitting a little blanket for my flight to New York.  It started like this,

My lap blanket - beginning

I treat myself to 3 new balls of wool (the first 2 purples on the photo above). discarded the 3rd ball (too pink) and just took a few balls from my stash which I started to knit with.  I love the silvery grey colour.  Loved it so far.  Then I added the brighter pink, not so sure about it now (indeed I went to bed and slept on it before I added it).

What colour would you have added next ?  (I may surprise you with my next choice).  Am I mad?  Wise?


Wool

What do you think - would you have added blue?  So I loved it again, now not so much.  I am not worried though.  I was like this with the blanket I made Hubby.  It told me what to add (the odd colour out on his was red) and I listened.  By the end of it I loved it.  So I knit on in the knowledge (fingers crossed) that I will love it by the end.  It won't be too pink and I won't feel a twit using it in public.

My blanket - a bit bigger

I did feel a little odd waiting for Hubby at the hospital today as I stood in a corner knitting!!!!

So why is Anni is the bad books?  Not sure what she will sleep on tonight..............  the stuffing was EVERYWHERE.

Anni's ex bed!

Not that you would know she was in the bad books -


I prefer this bed!!!!


Sunday 9 February 2014

Things making me HAPPY this week

Hello.  Another week done and dusted and with hubby's health slowly getting better, the world feels a better place.  It helps that I have done more than look after him and walk the dog this week.

1) Jenny Jones getting a Bronze medal this morning.  You go girl.



2) Starting a new blanket.  I get cold on flights so thought I'd knit a little blanket to keep my warm on the flight home from NYC.  I love knitting stripes.





3) Catching the train to meet my friend S.  Why can't people clear up after themselves?  Grrrr.




4) Blue Skies.  A joy to feel the sun on my face - and the buildings aren't too shabby either.  I love old buildings.





5) My first Internet shop from Morrisons.  I will be using them again, thank you very much.



Wednesday 5 February 2014

Jan Roundup

So I have realised that I take a lot of photos of my dog.  I do not apologise for that.  I love Anni but I have decided that I MUST try and take more photos of other things which are going on.



Big Photo: A fabulous Birthday present for Dave
Top to bottom: D and his Dad celebrating D's Birthday, Birthday balloons (do we ever grow too old for balloons?), Birthday Cake, biscuits, trees on one of my walks.




Crafting for the month.  I haven't been as crafty as I would have liked as been busy looking after my ill hubby, but I had made many cards and it's been enough - just!!!

Sunday 2 February 2014

Things making me HAPPY this week

Making me happy this week;

1)



2)  Can you read what the sign says on the desk?  My Hubby is an IT technician so this cake is fitting.  Have you met Jeb? Jeb's Jobs Worth watching if you have 4 minutes to kill (click on the link).  I love Jeb.


Such a clever idea for a cake from D's brother.

3)

Cuddling up to watch a Birthday film.  She HAD to sit between us - to help D celebrate his birthday!!!!

4)


Card making. I'm really into owls at the moment, not sure why but I do like owls and spots (got to add spots).


5)

Never a bad thing to show a loved gift (even if I gave it to someone else).  The original photo of Anni below.


Saturday 1 February 2014

Celebrations

Final part of hubby's 40th birthday last night.  Phew.  But boy was he spoilt by our families and he still has the grin to show for it.

Meal at a lovely little local pub.  12 of us.  The bit I hate about so many people coming out to celebrate is that if you are unlucky enough to be on the end of the table you don't get to talk to everyone.  We were on the end, always feels like we haven't made the effort we should have.










Thanks for joining us everyone.

D was spoilt, money for New York (so jealous of that one), bottles of this, that and the other, wallet, CD, new coat, i-tunes voucher, cakes, and his favourite present.............

An original Wendy Hall portrait,



Our Anni.  We are lucky.  And I'm not yet 40!!!!!!