I wish......

..........I had time to sit & sew without interruption; I could daydream without interruption about what I'd like to sew; I could wander at will on my own in my favourite places.
But life isn't like that is it?
I have managed to half complete a pair of cropped pants. The off white linen has become pants, not finished because they need lining & I haven't got around to it. I did some down & dirty sewing with a pair of PJ shorts for the holiday - I will be vaguely presentable if I'm seen outside the caravan, I already have a top that will match. I just want a cardigan type wrap to complete the idea! I have seen lots of tops that I like in Burda WoF & also some neat kids tops in Ottobre that I could grade to fit me. No idea if any will suit me but hey, you see some sights on holiday so I'll just fit right in! No, what I want to do is repeat a style I managed to carry off a few years ago when even the French mistook me for being French!! OK my accent is pretty good, the look was probably achieved more by accident than total design though.
DS received a Wii for his birthday & I have had to insist on getting out of the house to take a break from it, not just DS but DD & myself too. We took the new car out to Rusland which is my most favourite place in the entire world. We took the dogs for a walk through the woods & had a wander around the church yard where Dad's ashes were scattered in 2001 during the foot & mouth epidemic. The intention back then was to scatter them on a favourite walk of his but of course the fields were out out of bounds so the church yard it was. It is a beautiful place, so tranquil & peaceful. Today Joe & I had a look inside the church & it is as lovely inside as out. This photo was taken a couple of years ago on a bright December morning.I must try & go back on my own as there are more walks I want to do. We abandoned the planned walk as lifting two medium/large ageing dogs over stone stiles is a none starter!

Time Flies

Or so it seems. I'm not sure I've done very much but don't seem to have found enough time to blog. I have however got my sewing mojo back. At least when I get the opportunity to sew! I have committed myself to the June Capsule challenge over at Stitchers Guild
It is still at the planning stage but I should be able to manage one of my two ideas. Plan A,
Hooked on pink, is a capsule to wear on my fishing trips instead of boring old camo & just to annoy the anorak. I need to find some pink camo fabric for a waistcoat though & probably buy a baseball cap in pink camo. And I've some pattern drafting to do.
Summer Holiday is plan B, pinks & purples & beige pants.
I discovered I already have some tops that will go with either the jacket in the pink, or the trousers, in beige, although not necessarily both at once! Had I realised this I might not have bought the pink & blue batik but I do like it. The beauty of this colour choice is that I can make more capsules of clothes that will fit in with some of these colours & thus expand the options so I'll never be able say I've nothing to wear!!!! Black for example will go with the pink as a pair of trousers or capris or something, even a skirt, & black in a jacket will go with the beige pants, and both will go with the tops. Then I'll have a black base to add other colours to & expand the options. Or navy instead of black - another classic combination. You see sewing with a plan does work. SWAP. (Look at how it works when done right, scroll down the page for fantastic wardrobing skills.) Just split into smaller bite size pieces, hopefully easy enough to stick with, seeing as I didn't get going with the official SWAP.

Easter Break

Thank goodness there won't be another Easter so early in the year in my lifetime. At least not when we manage to get away for a few days. We drove to Suffolk in rain, snow, bright sunshine & more snow.
The next day we awoke to more snow. Well the others awoke to it. I saw it falling around 3 AM. In fact I was running around the site in it trying to catch a runaway dog! We hadn't mastered the heating controls in our rather damp chalet so it was way too hot for the older dog & she came to wake me with very loud, heavy panting. Clever me thought a little bit of fresh air would help. She could potter about outside the chalet while I stood in the doorway. Yeah, right. Sindy took off. Fast. I grabbed my coat & followed her, able to follow her tracks in the snow. In my dressing gown & slippers with a coat on top. The security guys thought it was hilarious when I finally caught her in front of them. No they didn't help.
We figured out the heating & the hot water & the weak shower the next day. We walked on the beach in the snow & Sindy took off again. She did every day. I think she's read that poem about wearing purple & pleasing herself. Well she is 15 now, that's 101 in human years?

We also went sea fishing, well the anorak & Joe did. I hung around & looked after the dogs & took lots of pics of the sea & waves crashing on the beach.

We went to the local wildlife park but as someone was shooting nearby we couldn't leave the dogs in the car so the anorak walked them back to the site. The younger dog, Jess, is gun shy you see. They wouldn't have been left alone for long anyway but it's not an option when she's panicked. Joe & I had fun watching the animals. Next day we went to Great Yarmouth & the anorak & son went to Sealife while I walked the dogs miles along the prom. We've had a good break with lots of exercise & by the last morning the dogs had got used to staying in the living area instead of trying to sleep with us. It's scary staying in a strange place when you're a dog. Obviously.



The pebbled beach. Just because I like pebbles.

Is it really so long since I last posted ?

Obviously this blogging lark takes some committment, I seem to have struggled to find the time! Never mind I'm here now! With news that is taking some time to get to grips with. But first the last few weeks have been crazy, no sooner had we booked the holiday than the car the anorak just bought for work broke down. Not major, easily fixable but had to be fixed under manufacturers warranty. After three weeks, no sign of the part, none available in the country apparently. What? Yes really, not one part. Anywhere. Now after three weeks of no income from the main earner in the family things were getting tight, really tight. Mortgage company contacted along with all the other people who demand a slice of the monthly income to see if we could reduce payments. That upset me more than anything else. Fortunately most were understanding & best of all the independant garage the anorak bought the car from retrieved the car from the main dealer & fitted a part that they "adapted" from another brand of car so that the anorak could start work again until the replacement branded part arrived. We're still waiting for its arrival. Lousy service from the parts division of **UK.

On the bright side the anorak has had a good couple of weeks & the bank balance is recovering & he has booked us a week in Suffolk soon. Not that he realised just how far away that is but hey we've never been to that part of England before so it will be a nice change. A six hour drive though & we're also taking the dogs so it will be an even longer drive. Whose car we go in remains a moot point. Will his be sorted properly by then? Currently the fitting of the temporary part means no working fuel guage amongst other things.

Now the news I can't quite come to terms with is that at the ripe old age of 49 & menopausal is that there is a chance I could be pregnant. I go for a scan tomorrow. The anorak is in shock & I just don't know what I think! Ho hum. I had been sterilised & had a D & C just over 10 years ago & then four weeks later I found I was 6 weeks pregnant with Joe. The realisation while with the gynae doc on Friday was that the sterilisation had never been checked after the op with the shock of discovering I was pregnant so the symptoms that I now have may not be down to being peri-menopausal.
The holiday to France goes ahead come what may - we've waited too long for this holiday.

Oh yes, there has been the chance of developing a clothing line for a local boutique & working for myself in the the last few weeks as well as an invitation to a "masterclass" for teachers of sewing. Do bear in mind that I haven't yet been told if I passed my teaching course!!