Saturday 28 February 2009

Photo's

OK - Now don't laugh - but someone asked me to do this for her husband, who loves cows and is a dairy farmer - LOL

And Nanny, is not a card you can buy in the UK, Grandma and Nan, but not Nanny - Oh well, I can fill that gap in the market ....


Now, these are just a taster of what I've been creating - 43 cards later - phew!


I love little Orville the chick here...


and this one with the gem stones in the flowers is a favourite of mine

but I'm most please with my Mothers Day cards....

I need to give myself a little craft sabbatical now I think - a few days to recover before starting all over again.

OOPs! Sorry it's been a while.....

I know, I know - I've been very naughty and not kept you up to date on everything.....
Well I've been really really busy (just for a change)
We've designed and planned a new kitchen, and ordered it in the sales - It looks lovely on the sketches, but who knows what it will be like when it arrives.
We had a call on Friday to say it was all ready for delivery, however we have to wait until the 24th April as that's the earliest time slot they have from the distribution centre !!
I fitted in a sight test, and ordered new glasses - oh dear - another disaster no doubt when they arrive!
A couple of weeks ago I had a major card craft fest at home, and the girls at work talked me into taking them in to sell..... I did, then I sold loads, then I got stacks of orders!!!
I've been on holiday since I broke up on Friday 20th. We had a few days at BAH, then came back Wed evening as Paul had to work on Thur and Fri. I spent those 2 days making cards to cover the 40 odd that I was asked for.... Mainly Easter and Mothers Day cards. I worked away frantically and have finally completed the ones that I was asked for along with plenty for stock.
Meanwhile, it was Paul's 41st Birthday on the 22nd (whilst we were at the van), and bless him, I had to buy his card (mainly because he would have seen me making it, but otherwise because I just did not have time to go out and buy man type toppers for it).
He did have a nice day though, we went to Raleighs Cross for a meal again - as usual it was lovely.
The 22nd is also the anniversary of my Dad's passing - 9 years this year - I cannot believe that I have been without him for so long now, but I have to say that this year, for the first time, I did not cry, I just reflected on the good times and laughed about some of his antics...... Love you Dad x
We went to St Ives yesterday, as you have already seen.
So, it is now Saturday, and I'm planning a trip over to Trago in Falmouth for some more card supplies - the house is a disaster zone and Fred is feeling miffed that I am ignoring him, but considering my self confidence is non existent, it's nice to know that people 'like my work' so to speak.
Anyway - photo's will follow soon on the kitchen plans and some of the cards that I've been creating...
In the meantime - KEEEEEEP Crafting (in a Bruce Forsyth type voice style LOL)

Friday 27 February 2009

Friday avo in St Ives

Today we decided to go for a plod down to look at a camp site near Hayle, that the chap at Blue Anchor used to run before he took over the running of our site. He said it was well worth a visit - lovely views and lovely site.
Well...... we were not impressed, but never mind, as it gave us an idea, so off we plodded to St Ives for a mooch around.
As we arrived at the main St Erth/Hayle roundabout, I mentioned a nice train journey to St Ives, using the park and ride, that the girls at work had spoken about a while ago. That became the plan for the afternoon.
We parked up on the park and ride at Lelant Saltings, and a train arrived 5 minutes later - perfect timing eh!
When we arrived, we all had a mooch through the town and down the pier point, used by the fishermen...


This lovely weather vein took our eye....

and what a view....

and there it is - St Ives - the water was a lovely clear green, that you could see everything down to the sea floor and the sky was bright, despite it trying to rain, the weather held though.....
On the walk back to the train, we all had a much drooled after ice cream before enjoying the lovely coastal train journey back to the car, and home again.
After saying our goodbyes, we went off to get a good old English, well Indian anyway, CURRY ....It was gorg :)


Tuesday 10 February 2009

2 - 4 - 1

My eyes usually light up at a bargain, so when our friends said had we kept the two for the price of one voucher from the West Briton we jumped at the chance to use them.

It was for a meal at the local very posh chalet style holiday complex in Portreath, called Gwel-an-Mor.

We booked up, and used Paul's birthday as our excuse to go - not that we needed an excuse and his birthday isn't until the 22nd anyway, so we are sure to do something else in the meantime!

The meal was lovely - I had 8oz Cornish Aberdeen Angus
and Paul had beer battered cod

Sally-Ann had the Salmon with pineapple salsa

and Mike had the triple sausage with mash....

It was all really yummy...

Monday 9 February 2009

Australias Fire's

Sometimes I wonder why we all take the time to moan about our political problems, and the whole credit crunch thing when, at the moment, Australia really has problems.

The climate is doing it's thing and hitting them with 40-47 degree sunshine and heat every day, and to top it all they then have the dreadful fires that are currently raging, to content with...... and now it seems that some of them were started on purpose.... go figure, their fire fighters are all knackered no doubt, having been working pretty much non stop for a fair while now, and then some idiot decides to add to their workload.

The current death toll is 130, and I pray that this will not increase further.

Whilst I was driving into work this morning, our local radio station, Pirate FM, played something that had been aired live the night before in Australia to the local radio station there.

It touched me so deeply, that I had tears falling freely down my face, whilst driving and once I arrived at work, continued to sit in my car to ensure the outcome was not what I feared.....

It was a telephone call from a woman called Rhona, I believe, who was in her property, with 8 children, 2 elderly adults and 4 adults. They were surrounded on all sides by fire, and it was only half a kilometre away from them and getting closer.

This woman was calmly explaining what was happening, so very bravely, and all of the time the chaps in the radio station were trying to hide their upset and talk to her, and trying to find out if any fire crews were in the area at all, s they could give her some hope.

She said their bathroom was in the centre of the house and they were planning on trying to survive in there when the time came, under wet cotton towels. They were advised to fill the bath with water and remove any synthetic clothing, and replace it with wet woollen items instead.

In the meantime she advises that she can no longer see the fire - only smoke. A woman then comes on air who is apparently related to Rhona and they begin to talk and then the line goes dead.

The DJ's are frantically trying to keep it together and hide their upset, as it seems that the house has just been engulfed by fire along with all of the occupants.

Then a chap is put on air and he advises that his son has just broken his way through the fire and trees in a tractor, from the next homestead. He has all the occupants of the house in the trailer or bucket (it was unclear) but basically everyone was safe......

I was never to relieved to hear anything.

I hold my hat up to everyone surviving and living through these terrible circumstances and am sure that there will be many more hero's that will emerge before it is all over.

Be assured of this - just because you are on the other side of the world - you are not alone - we care.

x

Saturday 7 February 2009

Tuesday 3 February 2009

Snow

When the snow started I did not think it would last very long, so I took a picture just to save it for prosperity....

but it just kep on snowing....

and snowing....

It came down......

and kept coming...

and Fred started to enjoy it....

When we got up this morning, it was still snowing heavily, but looked so beautiful

There was no way on earth we could have got the cars out onto the roads this morning after the fall last night, so we got up in plenty of time to walk to work.


On the way home again this afternoon I captured these pictures of the monument on Carn Brea, all covered in snow



Just beautiful

Monday 2 February 2009

Scones During a Blizzard

Whilst the snow came down outside, I was getting all domesticated inside. I'd decided to make some scones.
I've no pastry cutters and no baking tray so I had to modify what I had got to help - a pizza tray and some tin foil would do to bake them on and I'd have to use my hands to make balls of dough and squish them to shape. It appeared to work quite well, as they lasted all of 30 minutes! So much for taking some into work...
How to make my scones - and I've used this recipe since I was 14 - that's how easy it is:
8oz Self Raising Flour
Half a teaspoon of salt
1oz Sugar
2oz Margarine
1 Egg
Milk
Mix the flour and salt in a basin.
Melt the margarine in a jug (20 seconds in the microwave)
Stir into the flour, adding the sugar.
Beat the egg in the same jug the margarine was in (this saves on washing up), and add it to the mixture.
Using a fork bring all of the ingredients together, adding a little milk as required to get a doughy mixture.
(The gin and wine in the picture is not always a requirement of making the scones - LOL)
Bring the final mixture together with your hands.
Roll out on a floured surface to about 1 inch thick.
Using a pastry cutter, cut into rounds (or if you don't have a cutter make small balls of dough and flatten slightly with your hands)
Place each scone onto your baking tray
Brush with a little milk and sprinkle with a small amount of sugar.
Place in a pre-heated oven on 220 degrees for a fan assisted oven or gas mark 7-8.
Cook for 7-9 minutes, or until golden brown.
Then - hope you get a look in before the hungry hoards do.....

Sunday 1 February 2009

Fit and Forty!

Yeah Right!!!
No I'm not fit, but yes I am 40 - Time to loose some weight and tighten everything up again.... is that possible do you think LOL!


I decided the best thing to do was to get a new exercise bike, and then once I feel fit enough, I can start to use my mountain bike once more - yes that's right - the mountain bike I've had for 5 years and done a whole mile and a half on! HA HA!!!
Having done the rounds on Friday and found the cheapest at £79.99 I decided I'm far to fickle to spend that much money on one, as it will only end up being used for a couple of months and then I'd give up!
I was reading the paper on Saturday morning and spotted this one in Trago for £39.99 reduced from £89.99..... If i bought it on Sunday though, I could get it for £33 in their sale.
Bargain....
I called and reserved one, and Paul built it up for me - I managed to do 2k's on it and nearly collapsed - I have a long way to go before I'm fit again that's for sure - how embarrassing!