Friends

Friday 19 June 2020

Catch-Up (lots of pictures!)

Well, time has passed since my last proper post, but I think it would be easier to just do a quick(ish) catch-up rather than try to cover the entire time...

I was working as a supply teacher until the school closures in March, and I have been furloughed since then.  I doubt I'll be working again until at least October...Groundhog Day every day!

At the beginning of lockdown (March 2020), I was stitching like crazy - finishing things in a couple of days!  It helped me cope with the heightened anxiety that the virus caused...Here are some of the things I managed to do:

Simply Wren by Heritage Crafts

Simply Autumn by The Drawn Thread

Small Things by The Drawn Thread

Choose Happy freebie by Hands On Design

Wild Salt Air by Hands On Design

Faith by Lizzie Kate

Needlework ABCs by Little House Needleworks

Simply Summer by The Drawn Thread

I Hear the Bells by Hands On Design

Hootzi Humbug by Just Nan

Wildflower Garden by The Drawn Thread

Cat Lovers Biscornu Pincushion by The Sweetheart Tree

...and the other side

Christmas Thoughts Sampler by The Drawn Thread

Stitching Feeds my Heart by Silver Creek Samplers

I also did some needlework and beading:









The needlework designs are all Sue Hawkins kits, and the beading items are all Spellbound Bead Company, except the starfish necklace, which is from Bead and Needle Designs on Etsy.

I have now got into a sort of routine, where I spend time on different crafts during the day.  I have been diamond painting and knitting recently - here are some of my finishes:

Green Tree Frog by Diamond Dotz

Bengal Magic by Diamond Dotz

Wraparound Cardigan in Stylecraft Wondersoft Stardust DK

Tearoom Elephant by Mary Jane's Tearooms (still knitting clothes)

Bolero Cardigan in Rico Baby Print DK

My knitting has basically been for my new granddaughter, Beatrix, who was born on 19th May.  My daughter, Rachel, lives near Cardiff with her husband and my grandson, Elijah, who is 2 (born in March, 2018).  We were supposed to go down to visit when she had Bea, but the lockdown stopped that.  We are now waiting for the time that we can go and cuddle our grandchildren!  We still FaceTime and speak on the phone, though.

My other daughter, Sammy, had our second grandson in September 2018, so we now have 3 grandchildren!  Sammy lives just down the road from us, so we have seen her a few times during lockdown (at a social distance, of course).

My son, Steven, lives with friends near Chorley, and he has refused to leave the house since the virus first hit the UK... We haven't seen him since February, but we do speak on the phone and have occasional FaceTime calls.

We lost my dad last August... He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and was given 6 to 12 months to live, but he only lasted 3 weeks...  He died suddenly on the 27th anniversary of my brother's death.  It was a very difficult time, but we got through it, and my mum is managing well with my brother and I supporting her as much as possible.  It made me reassess my priorities, and think about how I want to live my life in a more positive and less stressful way.

I have now got a focus for my stitching, as I am doing the monthly Acrostic Challenge on the #24hoursofcrossstitch FB group.  Each month you are given a phrase and you pick a WIP or a new start for each letter in that phrase.  You can link by the designer name, the name of the item, or something in the design, and you choose a time or stitch challenge.  It is making sure I do some work on my long list of WIPs/UFOs, and also start some new things...it also ensures I do some stitching every day!

June's phrase was 'Day and Night' and here is a montage of the WIPs I chose:






I also added new starts: Jolly by Mill Hill, Autumn ABCs by LHN and I am a Stitcher by Cherry Wood Designs.  My aim is to do at least 4 hours work on each design by the end of the month.  Here are the pieces I've already completed the minimum 4 hours on:

Foxglove by Nora Corbett

Toy Shop by Mill Hill (finished)

Welcome Baby by American School of Needlework (a very old UFO!)

Winter Jumble by The Drawn Thread

Autumn ABCs by LHN

I am a Stitcher by Cherry Wood Design Studio


I am currently working on Three Little Maids by Heritage Crafts...I'll post an update once I have finished the required time on more pieces.

I think that's all for now... Sorry for the lengthy post!

Happy Stitching!




Wednesday 17 June 2020

I'm Back!

I have finally returned to my blog..! I've been watching several Flosstube videos on YouTube recently (during the current pandemic) and while I don't have the confidence to make a video, I thought I would return to my blog after a long break...

I will post with lots of pictures later...

Sunday 6 November 2016

Let it Bee Progress

I seem to have got my stitchy bug back!  I have been stitching on "Let it Bee" by The Drawn Thread this week - just a little bit every day - and I've nearly finished it.

"Let it Bee" by The Drawn Thread (WIP)
This week has been tough at work.  Everything has felt like a hard slog, and my confidence in my ability to do the job has taken a bashing... Hopefully this week will be better!

Happy Stitching!

Sunday 30 October 2016

How Time Flies..!

I didn't realise it was so long since I last wrote on here...How things have changed!

Since 2014, I have stopped running.  I had an injury, which resulted in not being able to run for a few weeks.  I never really got back into it...as is evident from my current size!  I do walk regularly, though.

My job as a Functional Skills Tutor came to an abrupt end just before Christmas 2015, when the company went into administration.  It was an uncertain time, as I had to claim a month's pay from the Insolvency Service, and claim unemployment benefits over the Christmas period.  I signed up with a couple of Supply Teaching agencies, and managed to get a few days' supply work in January.  In February, I secured a long-term supply job at a school in Salford (Manchester).  It was in the Nursery class - not my usual age range, but I enjoyed it!  I applied for some teaching posts, and managed to get the second job I was interviewed for!  I have been working at the school since the beginning of September (in Year 4), and I am enjoying it, although it is taking a while to get used to the heavy workload again...

My stitching hasn't been so successful... I have only finished a couple of small items since my last post, and have been knitting and crocheting more than cross stitching.  I have still been adding to my stash haul, though - mainly through trips to The Nimble Thimble near Oswestry!  I was there yesterday with some stitching friends, and blogs were mentioned... I then realised it must have been a while since I had been on here, hence my new post!

My husband and I spent a week in Scotland last week (half term).  We started off on the Isle of Skye, where we had booked a cottage.  We toured the island, walking to Neist Point and the Old Man of Storr, and visiting the Talisker Distillery.
Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye

Neist Point, Isle of Skye


On Thursday, we decided to go to Inverness for our last night, as the weather had turned on the island, and we had done everything we wanted to there.  We drove the 100 miles across from Skye, and checked into a hotel for the night.  It was nice to have a phone signal and good TV signal whilst there!

I'm hoping to keep this up-to-date now, as I hope that my stitching bug has returned!

Happy Stitching!


Sunday 10 August 2014

When in Rome...

We had a lovely time in Rome this week!

We set off for the airport at 4am on Monday, and we arrived at Ciampino Airport at about 10:15am Rome time.  We had booked a self-catering apartment, close to Vatican City, for 3 nights, so spent Tuesday and Wednesday trying to ensure we saw everything we wanted to see:

Vatican City

Palatine Hill

Colosseum

Colosseum

Colosseum

Italian Ice-Cream!
Vatican Museums

Trevi Fountain...Big disappointment!
Vatican Museums
                                     
Vatican Museums
Fountain at the bottom of the Spanish Steps...All boarded up!
Spanish Steps

The Pope!
We had a fabulous time, but wish we had another day or two to spend there... We will have to go back one day!

Today I managed to cross off another item on my bucket list, as I ran a 10K race!  It was my first one, and considering I only started running at the end of March this year, I am well chuffed with my time of 1:25:54... My running buddy and I are now looking at half and full marathons for next year!  Once you have the running bug, you can't stop!

Running Buddies!

My first 10K medal

Sprint finish!
No stitching at all this week, but I'll be doing some next week, as I am off work for another week.

Happy Stitching!