Welcome to Ursh's Place

2012-02-08T16:03:00.000Z

Whoop Whoop
Yay, Steph's card has finally arrived!!

2012-02-06T12:12:00.002Z

A quick finish
Inspired by a post from Sally Wiles, I downloaded this Snowdrop freebie chart from the The Little Stitcher's blog and stitched in on Saturday!

Thanks Sally.

I can now also post a picture of the birthday card that I stitched for Sheila Craig as I know that she has received it:

Thanks for stopping by.....

2012-02-03T09:59:00.000Z

Grrr...
The card that I stitched for Steph has not arrived even though I posted it on Tuesday. I do so hate Royal Mail sometimes!!

2012-01-30T11:47:00.001Z

Belated Happy New Year!!
Extremely belated to be truthful! I do hope everyone has settled in to 2012 and that it is looking to be a good year. My 2012 started as 2011 finished, being very busy at work, which meant very little "Me" time, so I decided that that was going to be one of my New Year Resolutions - to have "Me" time and yesterday I succeeded!

I have been stitching but just not had time to do any making up so yesterday was the day I had decided to make up all my finished pieces.

The first piece to be finished was a birthday card for a work colleague of mine, Steph, whose birthday is on Wednesday.

Steph has recently started cross stitching again after a long break, so I hope she likes this card.

My next finish was a Tied Tuck Pillow.

This has been stitched for the birthday of a very dear friend of mine and is my first attempt at a tied tuck pillow. I am quite pleased with the result and I hope that she will be too!

I also finished off 2 Christmas ornaments.

Although I finshed stitching the pieces in December last year, I finally got round to making them up yesterday.

I have now completed my very first ATC as an exchange gift in the Cross Stitch Friends in the UK facebook forum that I am in. My ATC was stitched for Trish.

I also received a beautiful ATC in return from Sandra Andrews, which I absolutely love!!

Thank you so much Sandra!!

There has been one more finish but I cannot post just now as it is a birthday card that has not yet been sent out!!

Apart from my stitching. life has been quite hectic. My training schedule is just as busy as it was last year, but luckily all the venues have been within travelling distance, although I will be spending a week in Newcastle towards the end of next month. Thankfully, I will be staying with a friend, so won't have the hassle of staying in a hotel!

Well, that's it from me for now!! Sorry it's been a while, but I will post up more regularly in 2012 - another New Year's Resolution!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

2011-10-26T20:01:00.001+01:00

Clouds and linings!!
They do say that every cloud has a silver lining and I believe this to be true! My cloud - I have been diagnosed with Shingles. The lining - I can use my time to stitch.

It also means that I have the opportunity to post up the latest TUSAL picture, for today's New Moon.

2011-10-24T17:49:00.000+01:00

How quickly time files!

I have absolutely no idea where this time has gone. It doesn't seem that long ago that I posted that we were going on holiday and here we are more than a month after my return and I have not posted!

The holiday was fabulous although we did have a very bizarre start to the holiday. As a car had been included with the villa, we felt that it would be easier if the boys picked up the car and we would get a taxi to take us and all the cases to the villa separately. Imagine our reaction when we were taken to our transport. We had the whole 52 seater coach to ourselves!!

September is the hottest time of the year for Lanzarote and it was much too hot to sunbathe and so my S-i-L and I bought lilos and floated on the pool every day just to keep cool - we could not have stayed out in the sun any other way! On our first full day, the temperature at 13:00 was 41 degrees C and that wasn't the hottest time of day!

The villa itself had everything that we needed and was close enough to the shops to be able to walk - but not if you had a full load of groceries, so we were very grateful to have the car!

Whilst there, I managed to get some stitching done and completed one of my outstanding Catittudes Cats from a failed SAL that was started in 2003!

This is Contentious Cat. I have 3 more to finish off and once they are done I shall stitch them onto an afghan that I have had for a while.

One of the pastimes that we had in the evenings was a jigsaw puzzle which we completed on one of the tables outside as it was too hot to stay indoors. The jigsaw itself was gorgeous and we were so pleased to have completed it.

Since I've been back, there has been another new moon and here is a picture of my TUSAL for September

We have also had the start of Autumn which is my favourite time of the year. The trees always look so spectacular with their changing colours. I took this photo from my garden to show the effect on the trees of a stunning late afternoon sunset.

The middle of October also meant the Autumn Nuneaton meet up and a great time was had by all, especially those taking part in the left/right game who witnessed my complete inability to tell my left from my right!! The show and tells were stunning and I managed to add a little more to my fabric stash to help with my finishing!

So apart from the fact that the whole of this past weekend was spent in bed getting over a very unwelcome cold, that has brought me up to date.

November will see the posting of the various Christmas exchanges that I am involved in, so a few more finishes in the offing but none that can be posted here just now.

That's about it from me, so thanks for stopping by.....

2011-09-02T20:33:00.005+01:00

Happy Holidays!
We are off to Lanzarote in the morning to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's 40th anniversary! We have hired a villa for 2 weeks and I cannot wait! My biggest problem, however, was what stitching to trake with me. I had previously decided to take my Quaker Welcome but have now changed my mind.
A number of years ago, joined a Round Robin looking to stitch the original 12 Margaret Sherry Catitudes. Unfortunately, the RR fell apart after a couple of years and my piece with 7 of the 12 cats already stitched went MIA! Happily, it turned up a number of months later and has lain dormant in my pile of UFO's. At first, I hadn't got the heart for it and then I didn't know what to do with it once I had finished as all 12 designs were stitched on 1 piece.
Then yesterday, it came to me. Cut them up into individual pieces and stitch them on to an afghan! Simple really, but it has taken me all this time to think of it.
So, I have September, November and December to stitch fully and October is about half way there, so we'll see how I get on.
I promise to post photos when I get back!
In the meantime, take care and thanks for stopping by!!

2011-08-29T12:29:00.012+01:00

Very red faced!!
I am ashamed to say that it is 2 months since I last posted on my blog. The main reason for this is that having set myself a target to finish Autumn Abstract, it became an obsession and I have spent every free minute stitching on it!
It has paid off as I finished the piece on 15th August 2011. I have ordered the frame and am waiting for it to come back as I really want to hang it up in my dining room!
So what else have I been up to?
1st August saw us celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary!
Here we are as love's young dream all those years ago! To celebrate we had a bbq in the garden on the following Saturday and, this Saturday (3rd September) we fly off to Lanzarote for 2 weeks with my brother-in-law and my sister-in-law who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in May 2011!

A friend bought me some beautiful cut lillies as a present for our anniversary and I had to take a photo of them when they came out to full bloom. The smell that they gave off was wonderful and they lasted for ages.

Due to my obsession with Autumn, I forgot to post up a picture of my July TUSAL, so here it is albeit a little late!

However, on the positive side, I have remembered that today is also the next posting date,
so here's my TUSAL for August 2011, pictured with my Summer Exchange finished piece. The exchange was organised by Clare on the NH stitching group. I don't know who my partner is as the reveal is not until Thursday, but I am really pleased with the finish! The fabric was a gift from Dusty is the States in a RAK exchange that I organised for the NH group and as soon as I received it, I knew what I was going to use it for - many thanks Dusty!!

I also had a lovely visit from another of my stitching friends Sheila and her husband Pete. Sheila was attending the Festival of Quilts at the NEC and as such, very kindly took Gordon and myself out to dinner and a catch-up! What a talented lady! She shared some of her beautiful work with me and I have to say that it was stunning!

Lastly, I have also completed a small gift for two friends who have both retired from teaching this summer. They are currently touring Europe in their new motor home, so thought that this would be a nice reminder!

I will be taking my Quaker Welcome with me on holiday and have yet to decide which of myt UFO's to tackle next. I am currently deciding between Miribilia Rose Arbour or Ink Circles Blackstone Fantasy Garden - what do you think??

Well, enough of me! Until the next time, thanks for stopping by............

2011-07-01T22:47:00.003+01:00

Very quick post

This is just a quick post with my TUSAL pic for 1st July. Looking at the orts, it seems I have been using darker colours this month - but the collection is getting bigger!

2011-06-28T00:29:00.006+01:00

What a great weekend!
I was in Cardiff at the weekend at the Millenium Stadium for the British Speedway Grand Prix with a group of friends. We had a fantastic time and saw some amazing riding! Greg "Herbie" Hancock of the US won and he was a deserved winner. Not only is he a wonderful rider, but he really is one of the nicest people I have ever come across! He is constantly smiling and never have I heard him have a bad word to say about anyone!
We stayed for the weekend at a lovely Bed & Breakfast called The Capel, in Bargoed, run by a wonderful couple called Joy and Tudor. They could not do enough for us - and the breakfasts were superb!! I am just sorry that despite Tudor's superb teaching, I still can't say that welsh place name...
llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!!
We got back on Sunday and had a really lazy day around the house. I had taken today off as holiday, so I decided to do a little tidying up in the garden. 9.5 hours later I finished after filling up my green bin and 4 black bags which Gordon will be taking to the tip tomorrow!! I feel so much better now that this is done - just the baskets and pots left to do. I am really kate with this this year. I'll post some pics up once all the baskets and pots are done.
On the stitching front, since finishing Strawberry Garden, I have been concentrating on stitching on Autumn Abstract and it is coming along slowly but surely! I have, however, found the BBD are releasing another Loose Feathers design, so have signed up for it :) If you would like to take a sneak peek, click here.
Well, better get to bed - work tomorrow!
Thanks for stopping by!

2011-06-05T22:28:00.002+01:00

Strawberry Garden
I have today finished stitching this piece that I started on my holiday last month. I have loved every stitch and can't wait to get it framed!

2011-06-05T09:07:00.001+01:00

Fancy playing Marco Polo??
The rules can be found here. Have a look, then play along!!!

Cat mom hugs baby kitten

2011-06-02T20:28:00.000+01:00

2011-06-01T20:06:00.002+01:00

TUSAL
Just a quickie to post up a photo of my ORT's as at today! I have had to change my container as the other one was beginning to get overful!!!

2011-05-30T16:45:00.014+01:00

Finally sorted!
We arrived home after an absolutely wonderful holiday on 17th May and it has taken me until now to get myself sorted!!

This is a picture of the
entrance to the hotel

and this is a picture of one of the pools!!

The holiday was just awesome and we have made some fabulous new friends - so much so, that it looks like about 20 of us will be back at the same time next year!! The weather was glorious and I managed to get quite a bit of my holiday stitching piece done.
I didn't start it until I got on the plane to go and then took a picture of it when I got home, so this shows the progress I made.
I have stitched on it since I got back and today finished all the main stitches, leaving just the lazy daisy stitches, so this is it now... I am hoping to have it finished this week. It is a piece which will always remind me of this holiday, mainly because it was stitched there but also because I got some of the people that we met to make a few stitches on the piece, so that they will also be a part of it!!

One thing that I did forget to do was to post up a picture of my TUSAL for 3rd May, so here it is:

What else is new? Well, since getting back, my car has been damaged for the second time by another hit and run driver. This time I think the culprit was a bus but once again, I was not in the car and whoever it was left no details. I am having to use my insurance to cover the cost of this incident - and I am getting rid of the car even though it is only 9 weeks old!
I have also been to see Midnight Tango which was on at the Birmingham Hippodrome at the weekend. The show is set in a late night bar in downtown Buenos Aires and features some of best Tango dancers in the world, including Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace. The dancing was truly amazing. If you do get the chance to see this, then please do - it really is worth it!
I think that just about catches me up with everything!

Thanks for stopping by....

2011-05-02T07:34:00.004+01:00

Holiday
Sunny Turkey here we come!! Packing is done, dog is at the kennels, just some last minute tidying up and then we're off!

I have kitted up Strawberry Garden and am taking it with me on the flight, together with my kindle!

I have one finish to show, which is the NH Monthly Challenge for May. I know it's
very early, but I loved he design as soon as I saw it and knew immediately how I was going to finish it! I loved every stitch of it!

2011-04-27T21:51:00.002+01:00

A quick finish

Just wanted to share this. This is the Penelopis freebie that I stitched. I knew I had to stitch it as soon as I saw it and I am so pleased I did!

2011-04-27T18:17:00.002+01:00

50th birthday
Today would have been my brother's 50th birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1993, aged 32 due to a severe asthma attack.
Thinking of you today as always, Marek.

2011-04-25T09:27:00.012+01:00

Happy Easter!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter!
Mine has been a busy one as I have been getting stuff ready for our holiday in Turkey as well as preparing for Easter! As I have decided to take the BBD Strawberry Garden design on holiday with me, I ordered the suggested threads yesterday from Sew and So - and keeping my fingers crossed that they will arrive before we go away!!

On Easter Saturday, it is a Polish tradition that after the deprivation of Lent, a sample of the food we are to eat over the Easter period is taken to church to be blessed. This is a lovely tradition and I really enjoy seeing all the little ones going to church holding on to their decorated baskets! As far as the food is concerned, there is a meaning behind each item. If anyone is interested, they can read about it here and here is a picture of my basket:

It was also the opening day of the NH Spring Bookmark exchange
and here is a picture of the beautiful bookmark I received from
my partner - Lynn:

I can't post a picture of the bookmark that I stitched for my partner as she has not yet posted to say that she has opened it, so I will leave that for next time!

Easter Sunday was spent very quietly and allowed me to finish a couple of small pieces. The first was the NH April Monthly Stitching Challenge which I turned into a small table mat:The second was my NH April Christmas Ornament piece:

I have also started a new piece - a freebie from Penelopis - the Bird House - which I am really enjoying and hope to have finished soon!

Well, I'm off to get my holiday spending money, so thanks for stopping by!!

2011-04-17T18:04:00.014+01:00

Missing!!
I can't believe how many weeks have gone by without me updating my blog! Work has been manic and has seen me teaching for 3 or 4 days each week and at a variety of sites but never at the office! I have been to Newcastle, Edinburgh, High Wycombe and Central London. It's a great way to see the country but I do wish that I could have a little time to myself to actually "see" all these places!
Catching up on what has been happening with me, firstly here's a very belated picture of my April TUSAL.
It is really starting to fill up this year with lots of lovely orts and I hope to be able to do something with them once the year is over!
I have only had one stitching finish. This one was stitched as a mini SAL with my friend Jayne whilst I was up in Newcastle, but I have only just mounted it this weekend and will be looking to get a frame next weekend.The NH Nuneaton meet up was a great success and we all managed to meet with friends new and old, catch up with lots of chat and even get some stitching done! I also came away from the meet-up with a huge box of gifts (28 to be exact) after winning a raffle on Rachael's blog! There was a host of wonderful things from a beautifully stitched bookmark, buttons, Thread Heaven, threads, a ladybird brooch and on and on!!! Everything will be used and I know I am a very lucky girl.
The day started really well for me as I picked up my new car that morning, but whilst we were in the pub having dinner, some person hit the back of my car and drove off without leaving any notification. The pub did say that they had CCTV but when I went in to check they said that they just had the sign as a deterrent, so I couldn't find out who it was! Suffice it to say it cost me £560 to have repaired - but at least no-one got hurt!
As a result of the meet up, I have also finally acquired the Strawberry Garden BBD chart.
I was talking about it when Angie said that she had it and would let me use her chart - thank you so much Angie!! Here is a picture of it for those not familiar with the design:

I am saving this one to take with me on my holiday.

We have also become owners of a Kindle - or at least I bought Gordon one as I thought that it might encourage him to read a little more if he had something where he could enlarge the font. It seems to have worked as he is reading a little more now, but the test will be on holiday!
I am so looking forward to the Easter break. I gave up chocolate for Lent, so I know that I now only have another 6 days to go and I am on a countdown! However, I have also said that I want to really sort out my threads and put them onto bobbins and box them, so have pencilled Easter to do this.

I have also made some progress on both Autumn Abstract and Quaker Welcome:

So much for me finishing Autumn in March :( My new deadline is 2011 - LOL!

I have also stitched a bookmark for the Spring Bookmark exchange on NH, but can't show a picture of this as the reveal isn't until next Saturday! I have received my gift from my partner and I have put it away, so that I won't be tempted to open it early!

The next couple of weeks aren't too bad for me at work as although I have 3 days training this week, only one is off-site and I have no days booked for the following week and then it's off to Turkey, so I will be keeping this up-to-date!
Anyway, off to do a bit more stitching.
Thanks for stopping by......

2011-03-06T22:02:00.019Z

A missing month!!
I can't believe that it is a month since I last posted! Things have been quite hectic over the past few weeks and I just don't seem to have had the time to update my blog.
Work has started to get busier and is finding me travelling a little more which is great as I tend to get a bit stir crazy being in the office all the time - I am a software trainer. Most of the travelling is manageable in one day, but I have had a few over-nights with a few more coming up. I have recently been a couple of times to central London, whilst last week I was in Southampton. This week will find me in Newcastle and I shall be in Edinburgh in early April!
The lovely thing for me is that as I have a number of "far-flung" friends,which means that I am able to stay with them and so combine business with pleasure. It also means that I don't have to stay in hotels on my own which is something that I don't really enjoy.
On the personal front, we have now booked our 30th wedding anniversary holiday. We shall be going to a villa in Lanzarote with Gordon's brother, Ray and his wife, Angie. The four of us have always got on and often go away together. They are also having a separate holiday at the end of May - destination secret - whilst we have just booked our "couple" holiday for the beginning of May. We are going to Turgutreis in Turkey. It is in the south-west of the country, about 18 km from Bodrum and we can't wait!! I have also been busy with my stitching.
This is the piece that I stitched for the NH February monthly challenge -

I decided to stitch this 1 over 1 and was really pleased with the result!

February also saw the reveal of the NH Valentine's Day Sweet Feet exchange.
This is the gift that I sent to my partner, Clare....

.....and this is the lovely gift that I received from my partner Rachael. The threads match exactly the colours in the socks - which themselves are a really bright pink - the photo doesn't do the colour justice!

I have also finished a birthday present for my friend in Northumberland but I can't post it here as it's not her birthday until later this week. As well as these finishes, I have also finished my March Christmas ornament:

and a name tag for the NH Nuneaton meet up on 19th March

There is also a small gift that I have stitched for the exchange at the meet up but again, can't post that until after the day as it is a surprise exchange!
My wips haven't had much progress on them unfortunately, but this month I shall try and concentrate on them as they are beginning to feel a little neglected!

I also have a picture of the March TUSAL, for the last new moon which was on 4th March

And finally, my football team, Birmingham City, won the Carling Cup final last Sunday, beating Arsenal 2-1! I have followed them since I was 5 and this is the first major trophy we have won in a very, very long time. It was a wonderful game and the result was fantastic - I was just sorry that neither my father nor my brother are here to have enjoyed the win with me. Anyway - Up the Blues!!!

Thanks for stopping by.....

2011-02-06T21:34:00.004Z

Great weekend!!
There's nothing better after a week's work than to have a great weekend to set you up for the coming week - and this weekend was exactly that!
On Friday, we had an indian curry and then we sat and watched the rugby whilst I was stitching. Great game and a great result!
Saturday was a pampering day and started off having a pedicure, then having my hair cut, followed by a little waxing (well, no pain, no gain as they say!!) and then some friends popped round to sort out our trip over to them next weekend. Saturday night was the rugby again and some more stitching.
Today was a tidying day with washing and shopping and trying to decide where to go on our annual holiday. We have finally decided on when, now all we need to do is to decide where. Decisions, decisions!
I have, however, decided on my finish for the Needlecraft Haven Monthly Challenge piece, and completed it today - just can't post it until 27th Feb. I have also take a picture of my start on the Quaker Welcome piece that I am stitching in the Quaker SAL on NH:

It's a lovely design to stitch and I am really enjoying stitching it and can't wait to have it finished!

I have also stitched a name badge for the NH meet up in Nuneaton on Saturday, 19th March. I would have posted a picture of it, but my photo taking skills are rubbish, so I will try again tomorrow and hope to have a better picture to post.
I am looking forward to this week. I have First Aid at Work refresher training tomorrow morning and will be working from home tomorrow afternoon, then I shall be in Warwick on Tuesday and Wednesday and the training in London on Thursday and Friday, so I will have to find myself another small to stitch. I have found a design that I am going to stitch for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for their 40th wedding anniversary, so might just kit that up and get it started - it needs to be finished by 24th May!!
Oh, and I forgot to say that I did do a little happy dance this morning, as my blue tit family have returned to their nesting box. We have a family each year and I get really excited when I know that they're back and I love watching them build up their nest and then when the chicks are born, I love to hear the chicks squawking and watch Mum and Dad flying in and out with a never ending stream of food. Happy days!!
Well off to bed now - thanks for popping by.....

2011-02-04T22:20:00.017Z

Quick catch up
Just thought I'd pop on very quickly to add a couple of photos.
The first is my TUSAL jar at the last New Moon which was yesterday, 3rd February.

As you can see, it's starting to get fuller - mainly from the frogging I have had to do recently :(

The next photo is of a card that I made to send to a friend
of mine for her birthday. Now that I know she has received it, I can post a picture of it:

I have done quite a bit of stitching this week and have finished the February Monthly Challenge piece. I need to come up with an idea to finish it, but I won't be able to post a picture of it until the reveal day on 27th February.
There is one more picture, but I will add that tomorrow and it is of my progress on my Quaker Welcome design that I am doing with the Quaker SAL through the Needlecraft Haven forum. I am really loving stitching this design, but it does mean that I have neglected my Autumn Abstract stitching, so this weekend I am planning to do some stitching on that.
Well off to bed - thanks for stopping by......

2011-01-31T22:01:00.012Z

Busy weekend....
After a quiet week at work, I had a very relaxing and productive weekend!
I took delivery of some stash from Sew and So on Friday, which included a stitched and beaded Christmas ornament. As I had never done anything like this before, I had to start it straight away and really enjoyed stitching it!
I finished it on Saturday and was really pleased with the result:
This does mean that I shall have to get some more of these kits!!

I then finished stitching a card for a good friend who is undergoing some long-term treatment in hospital.
I saw this in the latest WOCS magazine and knew that I had to stitch it:

I can now also post a photo of my finished challenge piece for the Needlecraft Haven (NH)forum that I belong to as yesterday was the reveal day.

The design is called Petit Chat, a freebie chart by Tra-La-La

As well as all this, I have also made a start on the Quaker SAL that I am stitching, but I haven't done very much , so will post a picture in a week or so.
The forum is also organising a Sweet Feet Valentine's Sock exchange and I had great fun during the week finding my sock gift for my partner. I can't show the socks that I got as the reveal isn't until Valentine's Day, but I have taken a picture of them so will post once the reveals have been made!
This week is another week in Warwick as my training days have been cancelled by the customer, so hopefully, I shall get a little more time for some stitching.
Reading time beckons, so thanks for stopping by......

2011-01-25T09:10:00.002Z

The wonders of technology!
Just really wanted to post up how great technology is and how lucky we are to have it at our fingertips!!
After eating my evening meal last night, I sat down at the computer to look something up and up popped a notification that one of my stitching friemds in the USA was online (you know who you are!!). So, I spent a few minutes chatting to her which was fab and then went back to doing what I had been doing. WOW!!

2011-01-23T22:57:00.020Z

A successful week!

I had a really good week last week. My trip to London with work was a delight. I really liked my delegates and we got on very well and I did get a chance to visit the Golders Green Crematorium as I had wanted to.
The crematorium itself is huge and beautifully kept. It is a privately owned concern and the buildings are listed. Here are a couple of pictures that I took of the building itself:

The gardeners were out working whilst I was there and they had obviously just dug over the beds, which were immaculate.
A number of very famous people have had their funeral services at the crematorium and whilst not all have their ashes there, there are plaques and dedicated bushes to a large number of them.
As a teenager, I loved T.Rex and was devastated when Marc Bolan died and I did find both his commemorative plaques and a standard rose bush dedicated to his parents and to himself.

As well as my visit to London, I have had a very productive weekend and have finished stitching and making up 2 Christmas ornaments and the January Challenge, both as parts of SAL's organised on the Needlecraft Haven forum I belong to.
Here are the pictures of my ornaments, but I cannot post a picture of my January Challenge until the reveal day which will be 30th January!!

I have also made some good progress on my Autumn Abstract piece and should have it finished by March (fingers crossed). Here is a picture of it as of today (23rd January).

I am at home all week this week, so will hopefully get more if it stitched, as well as stitching a couple of Get Well cards for 2 friends.

Well, time for bed (and my book).

Thanks for stopping by.....

2011-01-16T22:20:00.004Z

Another week flies by!!
Where does the time go? I remember being about 14 and wanting to be 18 and my mum telling me that after 21, the years just fly by. I remember thinking that that was rubbish as it was going to be soooo long before I was 18 and now here I am, just over half a century old, wondering where the time has gone!

Last week was a really busy week. I was delivering training for 3 days and luckily had the other 2 days to prepare. The group that I was teaching on Tuesday and Wednesday were lovely. 3 girls from Birmingham and we had an awful lot in common. On the Tuesday I had told them about meeting Anton Du Beke and we got talking about Strictly. They mentioned that they were going to see Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace in a dance production called Midnight Tango in May, which I said sounded fab and that I would love to see it. So, imaging my surprise when they came in on the Wednesday and said that they had booked me a ticket to go and see it with them! It was so touching - and I can't wait!

I have done quite a bit of stitching this weekend and have finished stitching 2 Christmas ornaments. I will post pictures up of them once I have finished them. I have also started the January Challenge in the Jayne's Attic and NeedleCraft Haven forums that I belong to. The idea behind the challenge is that we all stitch and finish the same freebie design chosen by the challenge host but we do not reveal the finished item until a given day. It is great fun to see all the different reveals - and some really inspiring finishing techniques! The chart that we are stitching this month can be found here

I actually had a bit of a brainwave this morning as I started the January challenge. I was struggling to see the holes in the fabric, so I picked up DH's £2.99 reading glasses and problem solved! This means that I can now take my stitching away with me. I had stopped doing this as I didn't want to take stands and magnifying glasses but now I can travel much lighter!

This is really good as the coming week sees me in Golders Green in London for 4 days and I do get a little bored at night once I return to the hotel after training.
I am looking forward to going to Golders Green and visiting the Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum! It sounds a little ghoulish I know, but it is very historic and is also the resting place of many famous people. If you would like to read a little about the site, click here
Well, I better get off to bed! I have the dentist at 08:30.

Thanks for stopping by..