MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hello! I am in a less petulant frame of mind this morning(1.26am!) Not feeling so tired now I have retired so I am still awake and have been browsing my old blogs and finding some of yours that I had "lost".Here are my Christmas decorations and I am quite pleased with my snowflake Christmas cake.....

I made the fairy on the pink tree and also put pink pom poms and tiny knitted decorations too.

PAMCHINAHOLIC: WInner

PAMCHINAHOLIC: WInner: Hi there a happy weekend to one and all.Last week I made a cake for the "bake off" at our WI meeting.It was a traditional Victoria...

WInner

Hi there a happy weekend to one and all.Last week I made a cake for the "bake off" at our WI meeting.It was a traditional Victoria sponge filled with my own homemade blackberry jam,berries picked from my garden.I decorated it with marzipan bees and a hive to represent our campaigns,and a keep Britain tidy marzipan litter bin and a little bit of knitting done on cocktail sticks!The band around it I crotched and embroidered 100 years onto mini bunting,to celebrate our centinary year.Lastly it was on a board covered with the music Jerusalem that I downloaded from my computor AND ta dah!I won 1st prize!! I was so amazed as I thought my efforts were quite naive!!My prize was tea for two at the Vintage tearoom in our town,Chesterfield.It happens to be my favourite tearoom so a double delight!!I shall take my elder daughter Laura Jo with me as we attend the WI together!

FREEDOM!!!!!!

I'm FREE!!!!!!!!!

After a long discussion with Hubby we decided it was the right time for me to give up my job.My health isn't brilliant,nothing serious just lots of aches and pains and a back problem which wasn't helped by the job I did,too much lifting and on my feet all day.The only thing I'll miss is the money as it was all mine to spend as I wished and I will have to cut back drastically,but one cannot put a price on better health and time spent with loved ones!  On my last day I couldn't bear the thought of the goodbyes and all that because quite frankly I didn't much care for some of the people I worked with.So at lunchtime I went out the backdoor as though I was going for lunch and went home! I felt so calm and free as I walked home and laughed with glee when I thought of all the suprised faces when I didn't go back! Hubby rang in to tell them I wouldn't be back though as he said it wouldn't be possible to just not say anything! So I can now rest and relax and do what I like!! I also had to give up my space in the antiques centre as my job funded that.I did it for well over a year and am not too sad about it as I need a break from all that is past and look to the future what ever it may hold. Tomorrow,weather permitting we are doing a car boot sale to get rid of some of my clutter and I am downsizing my "stuff" and trying to streamline my collections.I realise I am SO lucky to be in this position and thank GOD every day for all that I have. The picture is a recent visit to my favourite vintage tea room which I will be able to visit more often now I am FREE!!! Wishing you all a sunny happy weekend.

SUN TO SUN!

Hi,just returned from our annual fortnight in gorgeous Lanzorote.I have rested and read lots of books,eaten out and watched the sun rise over the sea and swam with hubby in the pool all to ourselves.We have had lots of sunshine and now returned to more sunshine in the UK,fabulous.Only  blip on the horizon is returning to work,but luckily not till Tuesday!!

BOUGHT AND PICKED!

Good evening,just a quick post before the drama of Coro! Bought myself some Stocks and Roses from M&S and picked Cow Parsley from nearby wood,quickly arranged them in a favourite jug and sent them for you to see and to celebrate a sunny day with me!.......................

FLOWERY CORNERS!

Hi,it's a rainy/sunny Wednesday afternoon,I'm off work today and after a busy morning I'm having a relaxing afternoon.I was inspired by pictures of pretty things on NIKI FRETWELL blog so took some pictures of my little flowery sitting room for you to see.................

 The pink chair is my bargain of the week,it had been priced at £45 for ages at a local antique centre and then the other day it was reduced to clear at.......£5!!!!! I called hubby in my best Hyacinth Bucket voice"William would you carry this chair downstairs for me please dear" he replied "You REALLY want that tatty old chair?" " Yes dear PLEASE carry it for me" Whilst all the time thinking,hurry up before that woman over there sees what an absolute bargain it is and with her muscles grabs it and carries it downstairs herself!!! So with a wildly beating heart I hurried downstairs to pay and it was MINE!!!! The gorgeous roses jug on said chair was another bargain from my favourite seller on the flea market only.......£10,I was in heaven that day and had very achey arms carrying it home with a load of other stuff,as hubby had quite selfishly booked himself into the gym at 5pm on a Thursday flea market day.!!!I rather think he was hoping I would respect my bad back and NOT try to carry heavy things home,but as we all know when there's a bargain to be had we WILL struggle home and then have to lie down for an hour!!!

DAY OFF AND FLEA MARKET!

I lay in bed this morning,my day off work,debating wether to go to the market,the answer was YES! Here's my treasure for today.I LOVE the picture the best,just need to find space on my flowery sitting room wall to place it! ..............................

HAPPIER!!

Hello, I feel better now,thank God! The weather here has been marvellous over the last few days, which I have had off work. Had a lovely Easter and ate alot of chocolate! My floral arrangements are

delighting me at the moment................. I have the book of Vintage flower arranging by Vic Brotherson,I can HIGHLY reccommend it I read it from cover to cover the day I got it.Nikki Fretwell told me about it.Now I want to be a florist!!!

A TOUCH OF FEDUPNESS!

i AM FED UP TODAY OF EVERYTHING! Not many people read this blog so I feel quite justified in venting how I feel at this moment in time.Fed up of having a bad back and arthritic knees! Fed up of feeling fed up for no reason as I have a good life compared to others!But for the next 2 minutes I DO NOT WISH TO COUNT MY BLESSINGS! Just to have a vent to stop me breaking all my lovely china in a senseless rage! It's my birthday tomorrow and because of todays mood I have cancelled my birthday,don't want to open cards and feel guilty that well meaning family and friends have purchased gifts for selfish me.Rant over, do I feel better NO!!!!!!

LOTS OF PRETTY FLOWERS!

Hello there! I've had a lovely day off work! I went to the flea market and got some goodies (pictures to follow) and then over to Matlock Antiques centre.It's my birthday soon so I treated myself to an early birthday gift of a GORGEOUS flower painting! (pictures to follow) Then stopped off for lunch at Matlock garden centre,delicious soup.Then hubby bought me an early birthday gift of a Gertrude Gekyll rose and some primroses with what I thought were lovely vintage colours,I also got some flower seeds,cosmos,calendula and sun flowers from the Sarah Raven selection.I also got a teacup and saucer fashioned into a bird feeder! I won't write anymore 'cos it can be boring!!!............... P.S the last two little pictures were 50p each! It wasn't until I got them home that I realised they were by Vernon Ward,I have quite a few of his floral pictures,so I was doubly delighted!!The photo with the Daffodils is Matlock Antiques window of which they always make a marvellous show,can you see hubby peeping at the back,bless him!!

DAFFY TIN!

HI,just thought I'd post you a picture of the gorgeous Daffodils I was given by hubby for Valentines day,I displayed them in little jam jars in a gorgeous old tin that I purchased from a local charity shop.They smell divine and make my heart leap everytime I look at them!

FLOWERS TO CHEER ME UP.............

Hi, feeling fed up at the moment lots of reasons but not the place to" go on " about it. Went to Heanor Antiques on Sunday,not been there for ages.There's so much stuff there.I am mad about flowery things so here we are....................

CARRY ON CROCHETING!

Good evening, I discovered a new blog ATTIC 24 ,don't know how to link but I'm sure you will find it.Anyway she has the most BEAUTIFUL crochet items one being the "recipe" for a flowery heart.Being a novice I did mine without leaves as I could not get the hang of crocheting a leaf no matter how much I tried so I just did the flowers as I'm just about ok with doing them!! I can knit leaves but my fingers were tired after doing the flowers!!................

I took the photo with the heart hanging on my sewing room door,the bird in the second one is a string of birds that hangs on my door,it has little bells on too.