Tag Free......

....well, I usually am but when my new Bloggy Friend, Julie, asked if I would participate in the recent 'Around the World Blog Hop', I said 'yes'. The remit is to answer some questions and post a couple of interesting pics so here goes.......

1. How Does My Writing/Creative Process Work?

Well, I'm certainly not a writer by any stretch of the imagination but in the last 4 years since I've been blogging, it's given me a chance to hone my writing skills and better than that, has enabled me to 'meet' and keep in touch with the most interesting and talented people from all corners of the globe, who I may otherwise have never had the chance to connect with. If I had my own private jet, I think I would be pretty busy hopping from one country to the next visiting some of them - they know who they are! As for any creativity which I may possess, if you're talking about painting or drawing or designing, I don't own any of those skills but I think I've made a pretty good job of creating and raising two very fine and handsome sons and I also adore being a 'Nana', which some of you have probably guessed by now as I'm forever harping on about it! On the creative practical front, I love to knit and crochet and sometimes sew, skills which I learned at my Mother's and Grandmothers' knees and which have stayed with me for this long and which I now hope to pass on to my two Beautiful Grandaughters.......

......I can also be found somewhere out in the garden .....

...I like to do all my own decorating and 'upcycling'!

....revamped gigantic mirror and lampshade

....and I make award-winning marmalade occasionally too!...

...everyone's creative in their own little ways, right?

2. Why Do I Create What I Do?

A long time ago and in a galaxy far,far away, the sight of a good-looking man would have been enough to turn my head, now, with Winter approaching (or any time of year really!), an old woman's fancy turns to......WOOL SHOPS! Yes, I love nothing more than browsing the shelves and taking in the colour and textures and when something catches my eye, bringing it home and casting-on, either with hook or needles, depends which mood I'm in. I'm very flexible that way! I find great solace in the wool and hooks/needles and lately I've been making loads of baby stuff because they're a quick and easy fix to my woolly addiction! 'Ravelry' is your friend for hordes of inspiration and free patterns!

3. What are You Working on Right Now?

.....a latest test pattern for a lovely French Lady.....I'm calling mine 'Baby Claus'. Hopefully, the latest pretty addition to our Clan can wear it as part of her pretty Christmas outfit.

xxx

And that concludes my contribution to the 'Around the World Blog Hop'. Now I'd like to pass you on to Betty who has very kindly agreed to take part and if anyone else out there wants to have a go, feel free to join in and say that I sent you!

Thanks Julie for extending the invitation to join in. Hope I've done the 'hop' justice!

See you next time.

xxxXXXOOOXXXxxx

Strictly Saturday...........

...........yes, it's that time of year again...so drag out your sequins, feathers and sparkly stuff....choose your favourites, boo at the judges' comments and generally forget all about the doom and gloom around us for an hour or so........... nobody will EVER match these two though........

enjoy!


...and remember, as Ginger famously quoted she could do everything Fred could do... but backwards...and in high heels!!

 

Good Friday......

.....just past Thursday and far enough from Monday to simply not worry about that alarm going off. It's also been a good week for surprise packages.......

.....my Best Buddy Betty sent a parcel in the middle of August which just reached my letterbox last week, naughty Royal Mail! and not only did she send me a little something......

.....one of her own silk painted lavender sachets with pretty foxgloves but she also sent little packages for my two Grandaughters which were very gratefully received......then, because Betty thought the first parcel had got lost, she sent another one last week with even more goodies......talk about being spoiled rotten!...

.......cute wrapping paper.....

.....another adorable lavender sachet....it's so tiny,sweet and cute and of course, expertly painted...

.....and I love this book which has some really great projects in it like..... 

......wallpapering with lots of different pieces of paper.....a very precise art.....

...and if you're in the mood to think about it, you can make your own wirework Christmas Tree from an old lampshade....

.....or deck the halls with lots of pine cones.....

.....and I just love this dinky little lampshade....

.....and of course, Betty didn't forget about Grandaughter No 1 because she also included some loom bands - don't you just love those bright colours? 

Thanks so much Betty for everything and for making my week with two very special parcels! I could get used to all that spoiling!

Have a Good Weekend, Everyone

xxxXXXOOOXXXxxx

Prams in the Park..............

.......she likes pushing this one........

.........while I love to push this one......yes, she has a dummy/soother/pacifier!...she also likes to 'talk' to the little figures inside the hood!....thoroughly endearing.......'Good Grief', you're all saying to yourselves, 'She's Such a Nana'! to which I would have to reply 'Yes, and I LOVE it'!.....

.....and of course, once you've changed out of your school uniform and into your chosen outfit, it doesn't matter if nothing matches but the more bags you can carry over the handles of the pushchair, the better!......

..... those little hands grab at my heart!.....

Can't wait until I can do it all over again tomorrow,,,,,,,Wednesdays are my favourite day of the week!

xxx

Hope you're all having a good week and thanks for stopping by and taking time out of your busy days to leave your sweet comments,,,,YOU ARE ALL FABULOUS!..... and also thank you and welcome to my new follower!

xxxXXXOOOXXXxxx

It's All Over.....Bar the Shouting............

........in the Scottish Referendum Vote for Independence 2014....

....an important day in the History of Scotland....a momentous night.....Scotland Decided....You'll all know the answer to the Referendum question by now, so.....

I'm off to have some fun with my pals......

Getting away from it all here for the weekend

oh, yes.....!

Good Weekend to Y'all
xxxXXXOOOXXXxxx

Connecting.................

........through 'swapping' ................

...isn't it lovely to get home after a particularly fraught day and find an amazing parcel with lovely labels all the way over from the other side of the world, waiting for you?? and better still, the box is filled with all sorts of lovely things...

 and with my recent inclusion in my friend Betty's  'From My Home To Yours' Swap I was paired with a lovely lady in NZ called Julie, check out life in her Threadbear Cottage here and who makes the most delightful and expertly handmade items, one of which she sent me as part of our swap.......

 ......aren't these pantaloons and feet adorable???
and what about her wings??!!....

......and here she is in all her gorgeous glory, Dolly the Friendship Angel, lying in the box patiently waiting on me lifting her out and into the sunshine, which I'm sure she's missed on that long journey among the clouds.....

  .....cute hair.....

......look at her pretty 'Kiwi' necklace, which is  made from Paua Shell and that lovely dress with those beautiful NZ flowers which are called Pohutukawa and grow on a native tree, also know as the NZ Christmas Tree, The native birds  are called Tuis...

...she loved sitting in the tree and getting her pic taken.....

 ....and look at that big smile....I think she's going to like it here (I may have to knit her a new coat and hat for the Winter to keep her warm!)..... 
                                                                           
....and there were other lovely things in the box too, like this charming and colourful tea-towel with a map of NZ on it.....now I can see exactly where Julie lives and where my BFF is emigrating to in the New Year (but that's an enitrely other story for another time!)....

...what a cheery-looking Merino Sheep (I love knitting with his/her wool)...

...and lovely postcards showing some of New Zealand's wildlife....so much colour!...

...and you may get one of these notecards from me one fine day!....

....this pretty flower reminds me of a Scottish Thistle....

....and the soap Julie sent me, made by her friend, will be very good for my sensitive skin.....

....and lots of leaflets about interesting things to see and do in NZ (hope I get there one day)...

and that concludes our little trip around NZ, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed being Julie's Swap Partner - Thanks Betty for organising the swap and a million thanks to Julie for being such a kind and generous 'swappee'. I loved everything you sent me and rest assured, Dolly will be very well looked after and happy here, x

Time to Go

Love to All

xxxoooXXXoooxxx

 Footnote :    In my exuberance to publish some comments, I accidentally hit the 'delete' button! That's never  happened before so my sincere apologies to Meredith, Kris and John for sending them off into cyber-space without a by-your-leave!! I did manage to recover John's comment with the help of 'Blogger Help' but unfortunately, Meredith and Kris, for some reason, I was unable to get yours back. Please accept my apologies once again and rest assured, it won't happen again. Thank you for leaving your comments though - I did manage to read them very quickly before they disappeared!!!