No Snow this Winter

We have a new family addition – we should be able to bring it home next week. 
Name to be decided.

Once we have paid the balance I can almost guarantee there will be
NO SNOW IN NORTHUMBERLAND
this winter.

Well, nothing more than an inch at most.

No, really, there will be nothing much at all…..because…..

 

It needs a new paint job and I want to add a few daisies…..maybe I can get a few on the back door without DH noticing???? 

Anyway I am not driving around Wooler in a camo-designed Land Rover!

But at least if my predictions are wrong
I WILL BE ABLE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE! 
Unlike last year …

Anyway its Spring here in Northumberland, forget winter. 
A windy spring day admittedly.

All the golden leaves have gone from the trees but the flowers are doing well.
Here are photos from this morning.

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Its been a good week - I’ve been away to the Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate – will show more next post.

Also we’ve got two nights out to look forward too – to see Dara O’Brien in May and Kevin Bridges in October. 
Maybe now we have the new toy I could book the ballet in February.  I didn’t dare as you know what happened last year when I booked winter evenings out in Newcastle…..

Owl calendar

Image from http://www.myowlbarn.com/p/owl-lover-2012-calendar.html

Didn’t realise I liked owls quite so much!

 “….you can select the images you love the most and create your own 

free calendar or you can simply download the pre-made version….”

Mines just printing now…..

How long?

Gosh, I just checked when I last posted here.  Where did the time go – I seem to be chasing my tail and getting nowhere really fast this month.

Last week I was lecturing and teaching in Castle Douglas for the Embroiderers Guild (Towers in a Day) and teaching in Newcastle for the Quilters Guild (Goddess wall hanging).  

Both great groups – I had a wonderful time and I really hope they did too.  

That's me done with teaching for several months – until the sun and the “warm” weather return.
(Well, we can hope).

I went to a vintage fair on Sunday and came home with some great lace pieces.

Tuesday I had a day out in Rothbury with stitching friends and laughed and laughed.

Today I went to the charity shop in Wooler and came home with the bargain of the week - £3 for a linen/cotton damask tablecloth.

You don’t get bargains like that at Vintage Fairs.

Today I also ventured out with the camera. 

I find it hard to keep the Photo A Day going in the winter, the light is only really good here from 10am-2pm – and that’s on a good day.

Sometimes the light is only good at 11.59am, for 10 seconds……..and I miss it.  Note to self; stop complaining and dig out the studio lights!

Have you ever really looked at fallen leaves?

No I means REALLY looked at them?

No, I mean REALLY, REALLY looked?

Nature presents us with such wonderful patterns.

And the moles present me with such wonderful chaos on the lawn!

Finally for todays post – I’m sharing these flowers with you.

Yes, for you lot.

To cheer you up on these cold and mostly grey November days (unless you are the other side of the world, in which case you are waiting on summer which I hope its a good one for you, please can you remind me what a good summer is?)

I promise to be back soon.

(PS the flowers are on my kitchen table and are cheering me up every time I walk past).

School holidays

Where did the first term go?  Feels as if we have only just started school again after the summer holidays and already the October half term has passed too.

We went for a walk….

Learn a new skill with Grandad…

And I got a beautiful bunch of flowers, home grown by my Dad.

Today I went and had my hair coloured – back to dark reds with a hint of purple. The hairdressers is middle right below.  Do you like the false moon?

Running slowly…

My laptop appears to be dying

Its going v..e..r..y  s..l..o…w….l…..y

Bad timing when I’ve just started a new Photoshop course!

Here are the results of turning an image taken this week into an old style polaroid.

(Stitching is on hold as its half-term holidays here)

 

Workshop info here

Open Exhibition in Berwick

 

For those without wonderful eyesight here are the details;

5th Open Exhibition 2011

22nd October – 17th December

An excitingly diverse exhibition of works of all mediums by artists and
designers living in North East England and the Scottish Borders.

You and your guest are warmly invited to the Berwick Gymnasium Gallery
opening on Saturday 22nd October between 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Opening times: 12:00pm – 4:00pm Wednesday – Sunday

Free entrance from the Ramparts

Wild Goats

Wild goats in a friends shed ready to have tracking collars attached by Newcastle University.  They live in the National Park – mainly on Yeavering Bell (hill fort).  I used to live at the foot of the hill – I miss it sometimes.

Coastal Themed Tower

New work based on one of my favourite places of all time.

Bamburgh Castle.

RIP Steve Jobs

The Man Who Invented Wonderful Gadgets

Where would I be without my iPhone and my longing for an iPad? How many of us invent something truly new and change the way the world works?

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.

Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice.

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Indigo

Something I’ve been stitching on and off for over a year (or possibly two). 

It uses Indigo dyed fabrics from the African Fabric Shop and Mulberry silk threads.

Sorry the full shot is not so good I had to take some quick pictures as I needed to get this into the post for my mums birthday.

 

Belated Equinox Greetings

Hello!  Over the summer I’ve not been blogging as much as usual – I’ve been so busy and have loads to catch up on.

One of the courses I’ve recently started is “Learn Something New Everyday”, I discovered this little gem from my friend Gill.

I’m using purchased cards and chipboard and trying not to be precious about using it.  This itself is a learning experience.

Melrose Abbey

Had a wonderful day at Melrose Abbey with Frieda.  We started with coffee and lunch and then headed across the road to the abbey where we spent a pleasant time marvelling at the architecture (its stunning).

We both took lots of photos.

This is my Blip of the day – a Blip of a Blipper in action

We spent time spotting old gravestones (fascinating) and looking around the museum - on a beautiful sunny day with the most gorgeous blue skies.