Afternoon Tea in the sunshine

To complete a lovely day yesterday Karen and I enjoyed a full afternoon tea at the Cotswold Lodge Hotel, a leaving gift from the PTA choir. We sat in a beautiful drawing room with sunshine streaming through the bay window and a roaring wood fire beside us! Once toasted right through we worked our way through the sandwiches, cakes and scones feeling very spoilt. There were even leftovers to take home to Mark. Don't tell Pete that he missed out!

Through the Solar Telescope

This is the one I am most proud of towards the end of the eclipse taken through the eye piece. We could see solar flares at one point and Duncan reckoned a darker sun spot. Then it was all over and everything returned to normal.

Eclipse through hazy cloud

It didn't go dark and the birds carried on singing but the colour did seem to drain out of everything around us for a while. Got this shot with my camera during a break in the cloud.

Eclipse Watching with Duncan

Despite not being very hopeful last night of the chance of seeing the eclipse, with a small patch of broken cloud reported in Duns Tew this morning, I set off with everything crossed to watch the eclipse through Duncan's solar telescope. Luck was on our side and we had a slightly cloudy but perfectly good view of this amazing cosmic co-incidence. Made all the more exciting with the addition of jam doughnuts and bacon butties.

Baby Harry

Well I think this says it all. The poor child is doomed for a pair every month if that's the reaction a delivery from the Slipper Fairy gets!!!!!

Slipper Fairy!

Do you believe in fairies? Well with one major work in progress (a big chunky cardigan) finally complete I decided to knit something small and quick before finishing yet another work in progress. Unfortunately for Harry I alighted on a book of baby booties in the library and took a fancy to these. I have decided to commission the Slipper Fairy to knit a pair every month for a year for the lucky little chappie! Whether he thinks he is lucky or not remains to be seen after April's pair is finished!

New month, New car

We were very excited that our first proper trip out to somewhere other than a hospital was to pick up our new car at the beginning of the month. It is a beautiful blue and lovely to drive as it is so much higher than the old one so we had a good view over the hedges as we drove to Millets Farm for lunch to celebrate. Now someone needs to read the manual to find out what all the different buttons do!

Finished Wetroom

Mark was home, the wetroom was finally finished and Dad could have a well deserved rest after an epic period of work, tiling and grouting! I bought the biggest clock possible for the wall and still when asked the time we all looked at our watches! If you look closely you will see us all in the mirror and the window refection.

Are you excited yet?........

Because I know that we sure were!!!!!!

It's time to reveal............

Fieldfares Galore!

This weekend was the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch and this year the birds didn't disappoint. We had seven fieldfares in the pear tree, (and saw a further 12 this morning), two goldfinches, the elusive robin, which Dad keeps missing and a variety of other birds including a wren, various tits and the blackbirds. Usually when I decide to do the survey all the birds seem to disappear but this year was a great success!

Mark Came Home!

Mark came home last Wednesday from the OCE having been discharged from his rapid recovery care. We soon had the car packed up with an amazing amount of stuff that he had managed to gather over the last seven weeks and made our way carefully home. No more hospital visits hopefully for a very long time!

Baby Blanket

Baby Harry is already quite proficient in sending emails and sent this photo of the baby blanket I made for him with recently developed crochet skills! This was a very thrifty piece made up from my ever increasing stash of wool that I have had to relocate to its very own chest of drawers as it was getting so large! Now what shall I make next?

Christmas with my LYFs!

Today we had a re-run of Christmas with the Loyal, Young Fans without turkey, tinsel or crackers but unfortunately not without the carol singing as we crossed the hospital car park on our way to see Mark! Fully stuffed from lunch in the local Hungry Horse we swapped presents, stories and plans for our next cruises before saying goodbye and the LYFs made their way back to Spalding.

Declutter Challenge Day 17

Now it is getting harder but am still managing to keep up with my daily totals. However I am having to resort to counting "things that I have used up" to keep up with the challenge. On a positive note am finding all sorts of useful things I had forgotten about, like these snow boots which I wore this morning for a walk in the fine layer of snow that we had. Also found a lovely pair of mittens from our trip to Norway which kept my hands toasty warm!

Baby Harry

So finally the waiting was over and here is Baby Harry wearing his fleece, doesn't he wear it well?! Now I just have to decide what knitting to subject him to next!

Waiting for Baby Sheppard!

First project off the needles for 2015 and I have knitted my first hoodie! As I write this is winging its way to Devon for the shortly expected arrival of Baby Sheppard any day soon. Can't wait to get news of a safe arrival. That's baby not knitting!

Declutter Challenge Day 5

Not sure if this really counts towards my total for the day as Dawn had already counted the two silver candles in her daily total for the 4th of January. However as she regifted the candles to me I am claiming them as two things for my total for the 5th!

It's catching on!

The challenge is spreading, in fact north to Duns Tew and east to Spalding where recycling efforts and cupboard turn outs are taking place probably as we speak! Loyal, young fans in Spalding (still loyal, though growing up quickly and not as young as they were when I last blogged for them from America) have recycled their Christmas cards and our Duns Tew Friends, (DTF's), encouraged by my efforts are starting on their cupboards! However my efforts were derailed slightly yesterday when I returned from a delicious lunch with DTF's with some candles and a Spanish tile that had been recycled my way! Now that's not in the spirit of the challenge, filling up someone else's cupboards with the contents of yours!

De-clutter Challenge Day 3!

To be sung to the tune of "On the first day of Christmas...." On the 3rd day of January my true love gave away, 3 old curtains, 2 pairs of shoes, 1 handful of DVD's and a partridge in a pear tree!