While the cat's away....

Modelwidow is going to teach herself to spin

Well that's the theory anyway. DH and DD have gone on their annual Daddy/Daughter trip to the Lake District to 'bag some peaks'* so I thought I would take the opportunity of time to myself to try something I've always wanted to do. I've read the book, checked out all the threads on the Crafty Threads'n'Yarns Forum and watched some videos on Youtube, so now it is just a matter of actually doing it. The yarn on the spindle was already there, spun by the seller to start me off.
Watch this space ( or listen out for the bad language as I discover why the contraption is called a 'drop' spindle)

And now for a Meme:

Sarah has tagged me for the Peeps I Want To Know More About meme so here goes:

The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
Here are my responses.

1) What was I doing ten years ago?
I was a stay at home Mum, DD hadn't long started school and we lived on the other side of the village. In May I would have been busy on my allotment much of the time and though I was going through a spell of not knitting (shock, horror) I had recently taken up Patchwork and Quilting, and was sewing clothes for DD too.

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:
1.Spin
2.Knit
3.Bobbin Lace
4.Visit Mum and Dad
5.Make Cauliflower cheese for tea with a cauli from Dad, cut this morning. The others hate it so I don't bother when they are home.
Yes it's all self indulgent - but then I am having a little holiday at home this week.

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Fruit, especially bananas, and chocolate of course, and if I am trying to be good, then Salt and Vinegar rice cakes.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Tell work what to do with their job naturally. Then buy a nice place in the Lake District, with cottages/accomodation attached so I could let them out, just to keep the £££'s topped up and give me something to do, and have my friends and family to stay in them (for free).

5) Places I have lived:
Tunbridge Wells in Kent, and 2 villages nearby - and Northampton when I was at college.

6) Jobs I have had:
Forecourt attendant (in the days when we served the petrol) Shop Assistant, Office Admin, Life Assurance claims assessor, Bank clerk and now Health Insurance Adviser.

7) Peeps I want to know more about:
This is the hard part, sorry Peeps - (only do it if you want)
Knityoga
Mandella
Seahorseclaire
Blueadt
and
Helen

* there are 214 Wainwrights (fells described by Alfred Wainwright in his guides), and some strange folk DH and DD included try to visit every one. DH has about 50 left to go, and DD quite a few more, but then again she is several years behind him.

Along the Thames

(Picture heavy courtesy of DD)
As a family we like walking, we also like London, so the other weekend we decided to combine the two, and DD took her camera along to take some different shots of well known places.
We started out by taking a tube to The Millenium/O2 dome
and then made our way towards
Canary Wharf
It seems strange looking at it like this at the end of a road. We followed the Thames Path most of the time which takes you to
Greenwich Observatory
and through the Greenwich foot tunnel under the Thames which DD did not like one little bit, I have to admit when you are roughly in the middle it does have that damp cold eerie feel. On towards Docklands and
The Traffic Light Tree
I'm glad I was walking not driving - even though it is only for decoration I think if I came upon that in the middle of the roundabout it would throw me completely.
Further on, heading back towards Charing Cross we turned around to see
St Paul's Cathedral
The weather was perfect, warm enough to walk in T-shirts with just enough breeze to make it comfortable and en route we saw or passed so many other sites and things of interest, the Gherkin, the Cutty Sark (or what's left of it), some real Gin Palaces of Yachts in the docks, a Victorian Wooden boat waiting for the lock gate to get out into the thames etc etc, I could have made this the longest post in history, but all good things must come to an end and three tired but happy people made their way back to Kent, and of course DH couldn't resist taking this rather unflattering picture of the best way to pass time on the train.

I have been thoroughly spoilt

When I accepted Silvia's invitation to Pay It Forward I never expected to be this spoilt. Just look at this beautiful lap quilt.



I just love the 'rustic' look of this Rag Quilt (the name doesn't do it justice). The gingham is not the type of gingham I remember of school summer dresses, but much nicer than that, and the lighter coloured squares have tiny dots and little stars that complement the design so well.
I used to do patchwork and quilting several moons ago, but it is one of the crafts which have fallen by the wayside for me, and though DH brings me home a magazine each month, I read and wish but never make - now I have a quilt of my very own specially made for me.

And not only that, which on it's own is wonderful, but Silvia also included some of her gorgeous handspun BFL

I wish you could feel it, so soft and squishy. I'm going to have to find just the right pattern to show it off, but in the meanwhile, I'm happy fondling!
Thank you so much Silvia.

And now in the spirit of Pay It Forward :

The first three people to join the challenge on my blog will receive a gift handmade by me. I will have 30 days to make and send your gift. You must then do a post on your blog inviting 3 people to join your Pay It Forward and receive a handmade gift from you. Sounds easy enough right. The first three people who leave a comment saying they want to join will receive something made by me.

Please feel free to comment anyway, but if you would like to join the PIF please say, if you don't mention joining in then I'll know you aren't (iyswim - you have no idea how many times I have tried to phrase that so it makes sense. I hope it does because I have now given up trying!)