some of the hings I have made over the years

This picture is from the instructions I followed back in the late 1970s at woodwork classes in Torbay to make a brick trolley for Fi to enjoy - and she did!

 A phone pouch made recently which is big enough to hold the earpiece for listening to music when up at the allotment.

 Shopping Trolley revitalised, this was done at a class provided by the Adult Education Classes here in Paignton - a class called 'Make Do and Mend'.  This used a long denim skirt from a charity shop and a piece of leftover curtain fabric.

These are some of the many blankets and throws I've made over the years.   Some have been given away or gone to charity and there's a delightful, small one which I made once when Fiona was ill and crocheted as I sat by her bedside for a few days.  That rug will always be kept.  Will put a photo on here next time I'm up in the attic and come across it.


Below is a recently made crochet rug using an unusual stitch which resulted in a sort of round-square shape.  It's wonderfully warm and cosy and was fun to make.

Some sites to help to learn how to crochet:
http://crochet.about.com/od/learncrochet/u/learncrochet.htm

Site with excellent diagrams:
http://www.learn2knit.co.uk/crochet.php

This looks like a good series of videos to help learn to crochet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVBnFHGbeK4


Looks like another good site: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2kHo1g0kF0&feature=related




Malcolm on his rug

One of the no-sew cushions which Fiona made - 
everyone loves to cuddle into their shape.

Made for 11 March 1992 - Dorothy's 70th Birthday

Favourite other music

Juliette
Donovan: God on Our Side
Beatles: Let It Be and others
Unchained Melody
Stones: You Can't Always Get What You Want
Artisan: Misc
Coope, Boyes and Simpson: Misc
Manfred Mann
The Kinks
The Beach Boys - sign of mis-spent youth in Newquay?


Queen
The Fugees
Music from 'The King and I'

Memories - and many other Lloyd Webber tunes
Folk Music

David and Michael all dressed up and ready to go!

Classical Favourite Music - in sort of alphabetical order

Addinsell: Warsaw Concerto (or Walsall Concerto which I thought it was when a child)

Albinoni: Adagio
Allbinoni
Allegri: Misere
JS Bach

Bellini
Bruch: Violin Cncerto, Kohl Nidrei

Bizet: L'Arliesienne

Beethoven: 7th Symphony, Second Movement - actually, all the Beethoven's Symphonies - well really everything by Beethoven (Fidelio, Missa Solemnis,...)

Young Beethoven

Brahms: Academic Festival Overture

Cellini
Chopin
Dvorak: Symphonic Dances; String Quartet No 12 in F, Op 96 'American', 2nd Movement: Lento.

Elgar: Cello Concerto

Faure: Requiem
Gluck: Orfeo & Euridice
Handel: Messiah

Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite

Litoff: Symphony Fantastique
Lizst (some)

Massanet: Meditation

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Mozart: Requiem

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (orchestral and piano versions)

Preisner: Requiem for a Friend (esp track 8)

Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliette;
Puccini: Tosca; 

Rachmaninov - 2nd Piano Concerto; 3rd PianoConcerto;

Saint Saens: 1st Symphony (Babe); Carnival of the Animals (esp The Swan); Samson & Delilah; 

Schostakovich - 2nd Piano Concerto
Strauss, Rickard: 4 last songs (wonderful!)
Verdi: Rigoletto; Requiem
Tchaikovsky: Pathetique, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliette;

Wagner: Tristen & Isolde; The Ring; Mastersingers of Nuremburg; 

Ungar: Ashokan Farewell

Yellow River Piano Concerto

The Dambusters

Book Sorting

Today we've been sorting and cleaning books, then dividing into three piles: keep; store; give to the next Lions International book sale.  It's a wonderful feeling finding 'old friends' which had been hidden behind the huge pot plant for the past three years.  
What I do wonder, however, is whether books are now out of date, now we can access all the info we need from the internet or store books on iPad/Kindle.  
Or will books always have a place in our lives: the feel of a book in one's hand, the smell of old dust, being able to turn down the corners, being able to make notes in the margins and underline important bits.

My family - and other animals

David C, Judith, Esther, John S, Dorothy Ned (Rob) and Jahn 

at 'The Cousins' weekend - August 2010

 Vicky, Steve, Dorothy and Fiona having fun

 David dressed as a tramp for fancy dress 'do' - not a lot 

of change from usual work clothes then.

 David bulding a wall, just before the summerhouse arrived.

How I feel today

 In the middle are lots of jumbled letters, making jumbled words, also numbers, like the cacophany in my head when there are too many ideas swishing around. There are lumps of stuff either side and mesh, like the sort you can see through but not quite get to something. This isn't quite finished yet as needs some refinement. 

Reused Rubbish Bin

Today's idea:

Do you have an old rubbish bin which is fraying at the top?

Cut it off and make a super addition to your craft table...

What is the difference between upcycling and recycling?

"upcycling is when you use something 

in the form it already is to make something else. recycling you change the form of the item before making something else out of it." - according to WikiHow.

Dartmoor

Italianate Garden - at Trago

 Stained glass window at Two Bridges Inn

"Kissing's in season when gorse is in flower"

Edinburgh Get-Togethers

 It's raining crochets at the Camera Obscura, Edinburgh

 Front Door 9 May

Heart of Midlothian

somewhere east of Edinburgh, looking north at the Forth

My 60th Birthday

This was taken on my 60th Birthday, quite an occasion as it was the first time I'd been out and about for over three months, hence the wan smile.

Vicky and Steve came down for the weekend and we had Dinner out on 

the Saturday - and Lunch out on the Sunday - what fun!  Having said that we usually love to have a meal out and a meal at home, cooked by us all, together, when they come for the weekend, as both are special. 

It would be even more special if one day all four daughters (and families) could be together with us but I don't think that even our large kitchen would be big enough for us all to cook in at the same time.

 Dorothy, taken actually on The Day.

An a blast from the past: Dorothy and me on my 22nd Birthday (taken  from an old slide) - note the skirt is only about 1" longer than the jumper!

Two brave souls emerging from the sea on Boxing Day
and posing, shivering for their photocall!




This photo was taken a couple of years ago when Steve and Dave took part in the Annual Paignton Lions (thus Lion outfit) Boxing Day Walk Into The Sea.  By this time they were very, very cold and looking forward to driving home and having a shower and hot drink.
The Lions raise money every year and give to local and international worthy causes.
It's also a fun organisation to belong to, this year we've had a skittles match, games evening and were to have a boat trip but the weather wasn't kind.  We have stalls at many local events and run an Easter Egg Hunt every year on Goodrington Sands.


http://torquayfansforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fansphoto&action=display&thread=7194&page=1
On this site there's even a pic of David in his Lions outfit!




21 July 2011
Last evening we had a fun social at Paul and Mary's - 
with lots of lovely food, drink and company. 
Then we played table cricket. 
As our names came first alphabetically, David and I were team captains.  
Our team won the toss so I chose second in to bat, so we could review the other team's tactics.  And it worked - as we won!!

Cats and other animals

Malcolm with his magazine ..............

 Tiger the Night-time Owl 

(especially when she swivels her head) 

and looks wise

Malcolm, letting it all hang out on a hot day

Below: Koala Bear in Tasmania

 Sooty, Jenny and friends - at the Sportsman's Arms, Menheniot - mid 1950s

Malcolm surprised by all this snowy weather on 

the English Riviera - probably next year's Christmas Card

 Wilf (after St Wilfred's Church, Kibworth) - one of the nicest ever cats!

 I can't remember his name - Judith Harrison brought him home
from a garden party in Saltash in the late 1960s - not one of the friendliest cats,
although very handsome.

 I found this pic on the internet and loved it.

Punch with Vera, Palace Hotel, Torquay

 Shoo Shoo, 1974, when very tiny.

Sooty the Derbyshire Bullterrier, Winter 1963, near Hessenford.

Suna (she'd sooner be with us) and Jenny, 36 Callington Road, Saltash, late 1960s.

Me with two Devon Rexes - in Devon - early 1980s

Two cats together, facing the same direction - most unusual 

as they don't usually deign to share the same room.