Sooo much to tell you....

I had so much to tell you, and then my internet connection went westward! Isn't that always the way!!  So starting with the most recent and working backwards here is a quick summary of what's been happening in the last couple of weeks.

Last week we went to hayling Island. It was a bit of a last minute decision (sorry Lin, I know I need to bring down those bookeeping files for you, but we'll be there again soon) But it was such a beautiful sunny day and the tide was out at a good time. I went to the huge Tescos just before you get on the island too, and also bought a sack of potatoes from a farm shop I go to on the island, so a very productive day all round.

The Sunday before that I went to see the Fantabulous Sheepwash Playboys at the Preston Cross hotel in Bookham. They have jazz there most Sunday lunchtimes, but I can't afford to go every week (shame!) but I can never pass up the opportunity to see the Bennett Brothers in action. They just lift your spirits and make you smile your biggest smile. Fantastic fun, and flippin good music to boot!



Then, the week before that I went to Ally Pally for the Knitting and Stitching show. Now up until this year I have only ever been interested in the knitting part of the affair. But this year there seemed to be a bit more patchwork and fabric about, and I got lulled into a false sense of security ambling along looing at all the pretties....... and then BAM!

I'd bought a sewing machine!!! - obviously then I had to go back around and buy fabric (oopsie) and now I have a whole new obsession!  Here are my other Ally Pally purchases:

A subscription to The Knitter and Simply Knitting (purely for the free gifts - one of which was the Cath Kidson sewing book on the left) A pack of Rowan Wool Tweed from Black Sheep and three bundles of fabric - 2 packs of 5 x Fat Quarters, and one roll of 5 x 1/2 metres.

The weekend before that had been my Grandma'a 90th birthday party! A surprise party of 100 or so guests (and I was related to every last one of them - WOW!), pie n mash for lunch, and a jazz band led by the inimitable Gentleman Jim Mcintosh. Mama (my Grandma) led the dancing pretty much all afternoon.... she is an incredible lady. There was an umbrella paradefor the kids too (a jazz tradition, I have no idea why but maybe someone will tell me?), and Mum had bought special little umbrellas for them all, and the mothers had feather boas (so the kids didn't have to do it alone!), and our final dance/song was a big round circle holding hands and singing "When the Saints" (sooo many childhood memories in that)

Lastly, and by no means least, When I had just returned from Scotland, I went to see Stephen Fry at the Royal Albert Hall.  He took questions from twitter and made a whole evening of story-telling around them. A true raconteur in the same way as Peter Ustinov used to be, complete with voices and jokes. Very, very funny and a little serious too, A very generous man, by which I mean that he shared his lifetime stories with a "no-holds barred" attitude. A lovely evening.

So there we are about up to date. I  have completed Girasole too, and started sewing my window quilts that I bought last year, but I'll pop photos of those up tomorrow or sometime this week. I really must get on with my work now! ;)

Three things

There are three things I have to tell you about

1  - Stephen Fry at the Albert Hall
2 - My Grandma's 90th birthday party
3 - Alexandra Palace Knitting and Stitching Show

Unfortunately I haven't got time! - but I will, eventually!

xx

Pink!

Noo's Knits has gone Pink for October.  So go on ladies - check your boobs!! ;-)

Why “being prepared” always means the inevitable won’t happen

Look at her little innocent face -

You’d think butter wouldn’t melt wouldn’t you!

Well I can assure you it would not only melt but it would probably cause belly upset and other unfortunate instances.

My Little Spot-dog is not so much of an angel – this photo taken this morning is her waiting for her morning biscuit (half a bonio if you’re interested) and that look is always present when there’s food about. To put it mildly the army of Spot walks on her stomach!

To this end I do have to be careful when we’re out walking. We walk in a large area of common ground, littered with wildlife (and strangely empty coke cans?) and as unfortunately nature does sometimes have a cruel course…. Some of the wildlife is sometimes – well…… dead! When I first got Spot she was partly trained as a gundog, and as such would bring me a dummy (cutely wrapped in a rabbit skin to mimic the real article) and drop it at my feet, sit nicely, and wait for me to throw it again. At some point the rabbit skin fell off, and whilst we still play the fetch game (particularly with my nephews who love throwing it and making spot bring it back) it is now a plain green dummy. I think this is possibly where my mistake lies? You see there was a time when if Spot found, how can I delicately put this? A portion of wildlife? She would bring it to me….. not the nicest thing to have to deal with but lob it deep into the woods, and tell your dog to walk on in the other direction and no harm is done. At some point tho’ and I’m not really sure when, the sequence of events changed. She picks up the “portion” I call her to me, she ignores me and runs in the exact opposite direction trying to avoid me and eat her prey. And thus it was last week….. only this time it was feathered, probably a pigeon (or what was left of one after presumable a fox or something had had their fill).
So I called her, she looked in my direction…… I called her a little more sternly…. She made a slight move towards me….. and then…… Swallowed the whole dam thing in one gulp. At this point I am thanking all that is good in the world (and my own common sense) that I have pet insurance, as I am pretty sure that an entire feathered wing swallowed in one go is going to have a pretty drastic effect on Spot’s stomach, and is likely to make an unannounced re-appearance at some time. Or possibly not, but cause an obstruction or illness (my mind was racing a bit!) I shouted! She knew she’d been bad and lay down looking up at me with her ears dropped – fat good it did being repentant then, as well she knew!...... I swear I actually saw her tail wag at one point!

Anyway, we came home, and I waited, I had my own dinner (which she showed more than a passing interest in!)……. And I waited….and I watched the tv,…. And I waited……. And I let her out for her late night ablutions, and I waited………. And I went to bed and barely slept as I waited….. and I got up the next morning… and she greeted me with a wagging tail and asked for her biscuit!

This was a week ago! She is fine and has been all that time. No upset stomach, no belly aches, no loss of appetite (!!), a little extra water drunk for a day or two, but that was all the evidence that something out of the ordinary had happened.

I think the moral of the story is, that if I hadn’t kept up the insurance, then surely all hell would have broken loose (possibly almost literally) and as she gets older and the premiums gets higher it is a hard decision to make sometimes. It’s not just about the illnesses that they can get, but for this kind of eventuality – an accident or something that isn’t really an ongoing problem…….. you can’t beat having that reassuring knowledge that any treatment would have been covered. I mean a dog is a dog and as well trained as they might usually be, they all have a weakness (in her case feather and fur!) and that can so easily get you all into trouble!