Hope everyone had a good day

Cheers everyone!

Its a tradition I have with some very good internet friends to light a candle on Christmas Day.
It connects us all in our various locations from Australia, Sweden, England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, South Africa and the USA.

I thought I would share the candle photos with you all, I have made so many good friends through the blog and the internet and I appreciate you all and all your comments and support.

DH has just come into the office with a glass of very nice champagne.

So cheers everyone! Have a great day!

Btw the door leads into my office which is where I sit and “talk” to you all.

Out for a walk on Xmas Eve

I was awake at 8am and was in the mood to get on with the chores so (in my Pj’s) I cleaned the bathrooms, hoovered, dusted and tidied up and was in the shower by 10.45am. 

That felt good.

Before lunch DH and I went for a short walk up the hill opposite us – you get a great view across to the Cheviot Hills. 
What you can’t see is the deep valley where our house is, it looks like a flat vista and its not at all.

Thanks to Tesco’s and our wonderful Fruit & Veg man we are now well stocked up to hibernate for the next few days.
The roads are truly horrendous and though I am disappointed that we had to cancel yet another trip out (The Snowman at the Sage) it was the correct decision.

The tooth is getting better – still aches, but much better than a few days ago.  one good result from all this is that I have lost 1/2 stone.

The painkillers are sending me to sleep though…..ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..

Hope everyone’s preparations are going well, travel safely, keep warm and enjoy the holidays!

DH - a rare photo of him on this blog!

More snow at Haugh Head, Wooler

Yes another few inches again today….

 

 

Solstice Greetings

Happy Solstice!

I was up early hoping to see the Lunar Eclipse but it was cloudy!
You can see a faint pink glow RHS… but lovely to see the sunrise and think that the longer days are returning.

Framed!

Calm before the storm at Haugh Head

This morning was beautiful, blue skies, no wind and an inch of white fluffy snow.
Perfect

This afternoon we've had about 4 inches of snow in an hour or so, lost the electricity for a few hours (very happy its back on!) and the road are chaos.

What fun again (note sarcasm!)

(As for the tooth issue – I now feel as if I have been walloped in the face along my cheekbone {along with the toothache} - nothing like doing something properly is there?)

Does size matter?

I asked the boys to come back with a sensibly sized tree.

I should have known better…

How am I supposed to get into the cupboards? Reach the saucepans and casserole dishes?  Close the blinds?

If my tooth wasn’t hurting so much I guess it would be funny.

 

Vintage style fabrics

Another trip to the dentist today, more antibiotics and another appointment on Christmas Eve.
 
Journey down was OK except for 15 mins of driving on a road covered over with iced up packed snow with a sheer drop on one side, then on the other. 
I think Northumberland council is trying to gain savings by killing us off.

It’s noticeable that when you leave Northumberland either north into Scotland or south into Newcastle that the road conditions improve.
I came back via a longer route through Alnwick and I saw GRIT on the ROAD! 
WOW. 
That’s a first this month (I joke not).
They had also filled in the potholes.  My car is very grateful.

Wednesday I made another trip – much more pleasant - I headed north through Coldstream and Kelso to Borderland Fabrics based in Jedburgh.
I did want some more fabrics, but really I just wanted to GET OUT before the next lot of snow hit and I was STUCK IN (again).

I came back with these…

In answer to the “what are you going to do with them?” question I answered “tea dye, tear and collage”…. I got some strange looks. 
Nothing new there.

Vintage Lace Collar

Here are the better pictures I promised. 

The background cottons are tea dyed, hence the shading – its not shadows.
I couldn't bring myself to tea dye the collar as its in wonderful condition.

General consensus is that it’s turn of the 20th century, more likely Edwardian than Victorian and hand made.
I’d like to think I’ve given it a new lease of life.

Working with lace

Today I feel back into my routine – with only four more days until the schools break up for holidays…. and tomorrow I am ….yes you can guess….. at the dentist again.

Here are two more lace collars – anyone any ideas of age?

   

Finished the collage with the (still in perfect condition) Edwardian lace collar.

Sorry about the bad photo of the final piece, the light is appalling at this time of year on a grey day.
Better picture to follow.

The final size is 50x70cm and is for sale.

Tree at Haugh Head, Wooler

We are thawing and dripping, the lane is pure ice and worse than snow to navigate.

Back to the dentist at 3pm, yes, its still aching….

Wednesday

Jack Frost has visited. 
There was ice on the inside of the downstairs cloakroom today…... and on the outside of the Studio
Brrrrrr………
 

The prayer flags are frozen

The house is looking beautiful

Pretty seed heads

Bunny and pheasant tracks all over the garden

Have set the heater going in the studio, hoping I can get it to a reasonable temperature….
Now I must go and get some work started I am weeks behind schedule (again)

From Alnwick to Wooler

Coming home…

Thanks everyone for the best wishes for the Dentist. 
I got there OK and the tooth is refilled….though still aching, I hope its feeling better tomorrow.
That Travelodge at Gosforth on the northern outskirts of Newcastle wins my “Best TL in the UK, visited by me award” and I’ve done a few over the years.

I came back via the A1 and Alnwick again… went to call into Sainsbury's for shopping only to discover the shop was shut due to a cracked roof (snow weight).  Lets hope Tesco get here tomorrow. 

This is the Church Hall where we usually hold our Embroiderers Guild meetings… last Saturday was cancelled.  You can see why..

I stopped and took a few photos from the car on the way home .
As you can see Northumberland council have been doing a great job gritting the road last night. 
Second gear the whole way back…. and there are some good short, sharp hills on this road.

A common feature of Northumberland's roads seems to be sharp corners with sheer drops off the side…. there are a few of those on this road.
Glad I know the road, its corners and hills VERY well.
And the pheasants seemed more suicidal than ever today, and there are a LOT of them along this road too.
They stand on this wall ready to jump off……

  

The slush is pure ice as the temperature was a whooping……

Brr!