Tuesday 26 November 2019

Which way to vote?

If you voted to leave the EU, it seems you need to vote Tory. If you voted to remain in the EU, you need to vote for Labour or the Lib Dems.

Problem is, we are being asked to vote blind, again, just as we were in the Brexit Referendum. We have not been told the nitty gritty details of the Brexit deal so how do we know what the outcome will be, whichever way we vote.

I have voted Labour in the past but can’t stand Corbyn. I have also voted Conservative but don’t particularly like Boris. I have also voted Lib Dem’s in the past but also don’t like their new leader.

Basically I dislike the lot of them but I will vote.

Whatever you do, no matter how cheesed off with the whole lot you feel, please vote!

2/3rds of the squares done

I don’t think the interfacing making my sheet squares stiff will matter due to what I am making. Another element to this gift will need to be softer.

1/3rd of appliqué to do before I start to join things together. DB went up in the attic to bring down my three boxes of materials to see if anything would be useful as an edging, I think some is. It needs washing to freshen it up before cutting into long lengths.

A very dull day here, does nothing to lift the spirits does it?

Monday 25 November 2019

Slowly slowly catchy monkey!

After using lightweight interfacing behind my squares of cotton, the appliqué is working better. It is a little stiffer than I would like but time will tell. 7 more to sew on then I need to count to see how many more I need before I start sewing them together.

Hopefully onwards and upwards.

Saturday 23 November 2019

Appliqué - !

Is not something I am enjoying or want to repeat. My shapes were cut out and heat bonded to the squares. Then I tested the satin stitch I wanted to use to edge the shapes just to be safe. Turns out the sheet I bought to cut the squares from is a bit thin, it almost went like lace, not good.

Been out to get some lightweight iron-on re-enforcing material. That now needs cutting into squares and ironing on the back of appliqué squares. I shall do one as a trial, stitch it then decide if that is working. I may also need to re-enforce the non appliqué squares so everything matches. Time will tell.

Onwards and upwards!

Thursday 21 November 2019

Visiting

Just been for a quick visit to my sister, in the next county. She gave us some wonderful soup for lunch. We then popped into a local garden centre to have a coffee so I could say a quick hi to my niece who works there.

Got back, taken Ruby out for a walk and are all settling down for the night. Jacket potato and cheese for tea followed by suet roll and custard. Too many carbs but can’t be bothered to do anything else.

Tuesday 19 November 2019

Brrr...

Our coldest night though not as cold as some of you. It was -2.9C when we got up at 07:30, so was probably colder than that. We have a blue sky, the sun is out and melting the frost where it strikes. A good frost often helps the last of the leaves fall.

I have a massage later today so the frost will have gone by then and I need it.

Saturday 16 November 2019

Boxes of Life

My very essence is made up of multi dimentional and multicoloured boxes. A weird statement you have to admit but only recently, have I realised this. Its makes things so much easier to understand and deal with. It simply is who I am, what nature and nurture has made me. It doesn't mean I can't or won't change. After all, they are my boxes and I am in charge of what to do with them.

I figured this out during nurse training, it was reinforced during my Fine Art course. It hit me out of the blue, was slightly overwhelming to begin with, but has continued to make more sense as I age.

Think of it like this.

Life experiences, good and bad, are filed away into a series of boxes. They metaphorically live under the bed or rather in the darker reaches of the brain where a large torch is needed and holding the hand of James Bond or Indiana Jones wouldn't go amiss!

A lot of people ignore them once filed and just get on with things, seemingly unaffacted. Others ignore them for different reasons, that is up to them. Some people take them out, shudder at what they contain, allow them to fester some more before putting them back.

I examine all mine, almost routinely, when I feel I am not coping. I find my torch to see if I can find the box that is causing the problem. Boxes are opened, their contents dragged out and scattered all around me. Elements are filed away for when I am stronger or have the knowledge on how to deal with them. Others are dealt with, with newly gained knowledge and some thrown away. Anything else left in there is filed back under the bed. It can be very daunting but also very cathartic.

There are occasions when I simply can't find what I am looking for, what is causing the problem. Other occasions when I know what is causing the problem but simply don't know how to deal with it for the best. This is when my depression surfaces.

I don't find depression scary, it is what it is, it is part of me. It too is multi dimentional and multi coloured. For some, depression is caused by life events. For others a chemical imbalance in the brain is the cause. It can either be intermittent or permanently there.

I can live with and deal with my underlying depression quite easily most of the time because I don't let it define me. It simply simmers below the surface waiting for a chance to surface and cause havoc. It has surfaced, it will be dealt with and kicked back into touch. I might be able to sort it out, I might not and will need help.

Depression is a strange bedfellow but it is my bedfellow.



Friday 15 November 2019

Sunday 10 November 2019

Layered Cashew Nut and Mushroom Loaf

The recipe for this can be found here.

I must admit, her version photographed much better than mine. We enjoyed it but I didn't enjoy it as much as usual. There is enough here for 6 - 8 people. We had two slices each and used between 1/3rd and 1/2 of it.

Here it is after resting for 10 minutes from the oven:
Served with a few vegetables. We had stewed apple and cream later in the evening. A bit brown looking but everything from this era of recipe books, seems to look dark.

Saturday 9 November 2019

Busier than usual....

Saturday chores are usually to change bed and wash the bedding. Both those done. I have also belated harvested my last few beetroot. A few carrots remain so their tops have been covered to help protect again frost.

A loaf of bread is on the go and later today, DB mainly, with a little help from me is making a mushroom, parsnip and cashew nut loaf. I fancied something savoury for a change.

We also nipped into town to get more pants and jim jam bottoms for me and a few other things. We were home by 10 am, just as it was getting busy.

Thursday 7 November 2019

It’s a good job

I have 4 grand-dogs, I can call on their owners for advice.

Ruby started shivering about an hour after her walk, despite having a coat on after being towelled down. She kept running from room to room, kicking out one back leg as soon as she settled down. After conversing with DS, several times, he concluded it was either cramp or muscle spasm.  An hour later, she is asleep, almost shiver free and seems better, phew!

Thanks.

Wednesday 6 November 2019

Two little needlepoints

These were 2 for £3 yesterday at Hobbycraft, there were a few to chose from:
Whilst designed to be put into a card, we hope to make them into tree decorations. They won't get done in time for this Christmas but hey ho! Aren't they cute?

Tuesday 5 November 2019

The wallet is a few pounds lighter....

Frozen meat for Ruby, a bigger washable rug for the back door, 4 Christmas decorations. Thick evening socks for me, a calendar, flat cap for DB, a few things from Hobbycraft, more DB than me, and a not so nice lunch. Finally, two little cross stitch decorations to be stitched.

Pays not to go to the metropolis very often!

Monday 4 November 2019

Bugg-r

We have just found 15 tubes of thawed tubes of meat for Ruby that we bought on Friday:(

We always put them into our freezer box and bring it into the kitchen once home. For some reason we completely forgot and DB found them this morning. He lifted said box out to empty the car for a servicing and by the weight realised they were still in there.

If we had found them on Saturday, probably could have saved them or at least have cooked them. Ah well, just one of those things. We shall have to get some more this week. Gives us an excuse to travel to the city and visit hobbycraft as he wants some more of the frames he was using.

Congrats to Andy and Kim Murray on the birth of their baby boy last week.