Gurkhas win the right to stay in U.K.

Gurkhas win right to stay in UK

A group of retired Gurkhas fighting for the right to settle in Britain have won their immigration test case at London's High Court.
They were challenging immigration rules which said that those who retired from the British Army before 1997 did not have an automatic right to stay.
Prominent supporter actress Joanna Lumley said it was a "chance to right a great wrong".
The government said it would now review all Gurkhas' cases.
'Debt of honour'
The regiment moved its main base from Hong Kong to the UK in 1997 and the government had argued that Gurkhas discharged before that date were unlikely to have strong residential ties with the UK.
That meant those who wanted to settle in the UK had to apply for British residence and could be refused and deported.
The judgement could affect some 2,000 former Gurkhas who retired before 1997.
The judge, Mr Justice Blake, said the Gurkhas' long service, conspicuous acts of bravery and loyalty to the Crown all pointed to a "moral debt of honour" and gratitude felt by British people.
He ruled that instructions given by the Home Office to immigration officials were unlawful and needed urgent revision.
Laywer Martin Howe said: "Today we have seen a tremendous and historic victory for the gallant Gurkha veterans of Nepal.
"This is a victory that restores honour and dignity to deserving soldiers who faithfully served in Her Majesty's armed forces.
"It is a victory for common sense; a victory for fairness; and a victory for the British sense of what is right."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7644441.stm - see full story and Joanna Lumley's video

The fight isn't over yet though - more petitioning is needed to change the law - and we owe it to the Gurkhas to do this...

Please sign the petition http://gurkhajustice.org.uk/

What year is it?

What year is it?

Ohh... I'm in the wrong time...

Fire

Because there are so many glittery things on this, it was rather hard to photograph and the colours might not show quite 'true'.
I needle felted the background, then on the middle part of the fire I put fused Angelina fibres, covered with red organza and then needle felted this in so that through the torn pieces of organza the glittery fibres showed through.

I then embroidered with a mixture of threads including glitter and finally - to show the white heat of the fire at the front - I fused silver Angelina fibres together and then stitched the pieces on - leaving them to stand out a bit at the top to give more dimension.

Finished - at last!

This seems to have taken me ages to complete - not that the time frame mattered, but I began to lose enjoyment three quarters of the way though. The petals seemed to go on forever, particularly as I'd decided to do them in different threads and ribbons. I do like the end result - but I'm so glad it's finished!

Generosity

Even when I may be feeling rather weighed down through life’s circumstances, the generosity of others never fails to amaze me - and allows me to rally my spirit..
Over the last few weeks I have had immense help from my Aunt in relation to my textile work. Not only that, but she has given me so many of her threads and fabric pieces to use - how can I thank her enough....
Lynn & Mary from America have been encouraging me and Myfanwy has offered kind advice.
Then - something non textile related! A neighbour (who is planning his escape!) has just given us 4 large tubs which contain 2 (currently fruiting) Blackberries, a Sweet Chestnut tree and a Walnut tree.
Also, as well as a brilliant husband and son, I have several very close friends and a best friend met 47 years ago...
Where would any of us be without the milk of human kindness?

Treasures from the past...

Decisions!

Now... I'm grateful to have a roof over our heads and enough food to eat and clothes to wear (not concerned about holidays - despite our last one being in 1978!) BUT... I feel so cross that this afternoon some youths have (again) run a key all along the side of our 'Motability' car parked in front of our house! (we have to park on the road)
This damage joins the existing cracked wing mirror and the dent where they put a boot in on the rear door. We have delayed having some of the previous damage repaired as it's likely that as soon as it's completed it will be targeted again.
Such mindless damage - and although the car is leased from the Motability scheme using my disability benefit, we are obligated to pay for repairs. This is perfectly acceptable for normal wear and tear, but this deliberate damage is so upsetting and expensive. Especially as for the last couple of years we have had to live on benefits due to my husband needing to give up work to care for both myself and our son.
We can't afford to move - and at this rate, we can't afford to stay!
Other cars in our road are also damaged but we seem particularly unlucky - probably because we have an estate car and the mentality is such that the people concerned seem to think that if they can't have a large car, then why should we... However, the only reason we choose an estate (certainly not the most economical to run) is because I sometimes need to use a wheelchair and that is able to be fitted in the back (and we are in a clearly maked Disabled Bay).
This latest event has caused me to consider - again - whether or not I should be trying to raise some extra income by selling some of my work?
This has been suggested to me - but I have several reservations.
1)When I compare my work to what I see on websites and blogs I realise that, although time consuming, they are very ordinary. I am regularly stunned by the amazing creations of other people.
2) I worry about the finish of my work - squaring up and backings etc (I have visual impairment; so perhaps I'm not as neat as I think/hope!)
3) Would the item meet with buyers expectations?
4) When unwell, it seems such a hassle to even begin to think about all that needs to be done to expose the items to the market - even selling on 'Etsy' fills me with fear!
Decisions, descisions - the older I get, the harder I find it to make them!

Friend Or Foe?

My husband - a gardener of long experience - has just brought me in this small beetle to see, as it's not one we are familiar with. The beauty of it's golden shell is amazing! CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE

Pictorial weavings

Because I am in the middle of projects at the moment, I thought I would just show a few of my pictorial weavings I did a while ago. (My Gemini nature just won't let me do one thing at a time)

Wobbly edges on poor old Tom on the windowsill isn't quite right - and I desperately hope my husband can sort that out when he frames it!). However, I do admit that on my current felt work I have awful problems with things going out of shape!
I did this in Tom's memory - he died many years ago. He never had this view from our windows but I hope that he now has!

Berry Cold!

We went over to the Island today for a meal at our favourite place. The meal was lovely - the weather freezing!

In fact I was so cold I couldn't even stand outside the car long enough to pick Blackberries! Instead I just took a few photographs - not quite the same - but at least the birds and field mice will have full tummies.

Let's All Hug...

The world can be a sad and lonely place sometimes and it's up to us to spread the care!
I used to give people hug cards I'd made, in the hope that they would make good use of them by sharing them around - you have to hand over the card with the hug.
I encourage you to save this one I've made and create your own cards from it - it will fit into a business card template (I always found they look so much nicer printed on photographic paper).
Keep on hugging - and don't play safe and just give them to friends (though use with care!) some people never feel someone's arms around them,
One Christmas when I was on dialysis, a lady came into the unit and with a smile, handed us all a small lavender bag with a caring message on it - and that meant such a lot. Sometimes we just don't know what a difference we can make with only a tiny effort...

Remember when...?

I thought some people might be interested in some of my 'Collections'! Far too much china and glass to photograph so I thought I would start with textiles - and I began to wish I'd never started! Far too much needed pressing (so that put me off) and a huge sack of linen - of the lace and embroidered variety - seemed beyond my ability to even sort out.
And did you really want to see some of the clothes I was wearing in the 1960's - or various other vintage clothing that I wore - until I couldn't squeeze into them anymore. No... I thought not... so you are saved that!
My hats... sigh... I wear the black one (disregarding odd looks) and I do have a lot of interesting other ones (in the winter my husband always cringes when I pop on the one that looks like a 1920's servant's hat) All these ones are French vintage though (thank you Susan!)
And how could I resist the french vintage babies bonnets? Though my attempts to give them to doting parents of the new born did meet with bemusement - thinking of health and safety no doubt - weighing up the risks of strangulation with the chin ties....
So... I think that's it for the moment (thank goodness you can't see everything I have collected over the years) - and I have got rid of quite a lot.

So that really beggars the question " what is the point of keeping it all?" and of course there is no reason at all...

Bits & pieces and a some more work done on my sunflower project

I'm still plodding on with my sunflowers - not finished yet though!

The above is bookmark I made for my dear Auntie - whilst the 2 small pieces below are just what I practised on when I had to rest in bed. All very simple I know (I dry felted the base's in advance so I could sew on them at odd times). This is instead of knitting scarves (currently 4 on the go!) I'm sure no-one ever really wants my scarves, but I hate having idle hands!

I am also currently doing 2 other felt pictures and one silk one.

Just popped by... visiting loved ones and friends

Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.

Remember me when no more day by day

You tell me of our future that you plann'd:

Only remember me; you understand

It will be late to counsel then or pray.

Yet if you should forget me for a while

And afterwards remember, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,

Better by far you should forget and smile

Than that you should remember and be sad.

'Remember' by Christina Rossetti

summer is fading away...

There is a different feel in the air now... much mellow beauty - but at this time of year I feel a sense of sadness. I suppose it is a feeling of things ending. Some years ago - when I wrote more - I wrote a short story called 'Saturday Night Soldiers' about three old men and their lives as yet another summer drew to a close... This was inspired by a small group of elderly men who sat on a particular bench in the park just below our woodlands.

Brilliant Blog Award - wow!

Goodness me what a surprise! - thank you so much Myfanwy - http://nuvofelt.blogspot.com/

Now there are other things I must now do:- (apart from worrying about the spelling on the award! Italian?)

Nominate 7 blogs

And the rules for the nominees are :

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you

3) Nominate 7 other blogs

4) Add links to those blogs on your blog

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

And this is where I must have a little time to think ! - for instance, I also follow a number of political Blogs - now if I nominate - The London Mayor - Boris Johnson's - is he in turn going to nominate ken Livingstone!!! I think not... Sigh... I will have to leave the political ones out - though it would have been fun!

Watch this space for my nominees....

I'm back! - I have made my decisions, but have born in mind that some of my nominees might not be able, or have the time, to fulfil the conditions... I am also a 'silent' reader for some of these blogs.

1) Susan - http://ateliersusan.blogspot.com/ Do you want a taste of rural France ?(with links to her amazing etsy shops also)- well, this is the place to go.

2) For a love of beauty and a joy for life which helps her deal with the challenges life has thrown at her - http://deenasstory.blogspot.com/

3) This artist does amazing work - and as a fellow cat lover she incorporates them into her designs http://thedyershand.blogspot.com/

4) A brilliant photographer from Brazil - http://artbylu.blogspot.com/

5) If you want to find peace - and still your mind - then please go here. - http://www.quillcottage.blogspot.com/ I can see the award is already present - but deservedly so...

6) Be amazed by this lady's work - http://beates-fabric-art.blogspot.com/

7) I love the way this lady shows various stages of her work and the design ideas she has - http://littleworksofart.blogspot.com/

needlefelting - Ice cream days...

I don't know why I am compelled to start something new when I am in the middle of so many other things - but that is what happened with this!

As I never really plan anything, when I start to felt the background it is always rather scary - in fact in the early stage of this one I could easily have called it 'worms on acid' - thankfully, it moved on...

If some of my recent work seems to have rather a lot of chain stitch embroidery - I can assure you that I can do other stitches - honest! I think it is just that what I work on rather dictates how I embroider - but I do confess that I now seem to be doing chain stitch mentally as I am dropping off to sleep!

Haystacks - Monet's - and mine!

Monet painted a whole series of hay stacks (stooks) and did so in various stages of light thoughout the day and evening. This is my felted and embroidered version at sunset. (the stacks are slightly padded out, but this doesn't show well in the photograph - also, a closeup proved impossible because of the light reflection on the gold thread)

The Autumn Harvest

We have so many tomatoes! they are being eaten in soups, salads, baked, fried and will be put into chutneys very soon.
Our freezer is filled with plums and blackberries waiting to be turned into jam.

We harvested the onions weeks ago and they are drying out and although we have potatoes in the ground, we are eating them as we go along. Green salad is being picked as needed - and we very quickly ate the raspberries, loganberries and strawberries as they came along! - the rhubarb is still growing well though.

We have dozens of heads of sunflowers and although we could save the seeds for ourselves, we leave them for all the finches to eat. Sometimes we walk down the garden and disturb dozens of greenfinches and goldfinches whilst they are feeding

The hops are a bit slow this year, but they are getting there...

We were a bit late planting the kale and broccoli for next spring, so we are hoping they will soon catch up. The runner beans already seem to be at their end and the borlotti beans have already been gathered for their seed.

We used to grow far more fruit and vegetables, but over the years we have altered areas of our garden and the chickens also take up quite a bit of space. Not bad for a London garden though!