I have another Blog! 'The Sheep's Coat'

I have decided to keep my felting work - and related things, separate; so another blog seemed a good idea! See my left sidebar... or

http://feltingcreations.blogspot.com/

I've been busy - honest! More of my 'Heavenly Makes'

Gryphon (Griffin)

We have a new addition to the garden - a massive Gryphon ! (Griffin)

He is so large and heavy that he stayed in the back of our car for 3 days whilst we worked out how to get him out of the car and into position!

Milton - "As when a Gryphon through the wilderness,

With winged course, o'er hill and moory dale,

Pursues the Arimaspian who by stealth

Hath from his wakeful custody purloined

His guarded gold."

Last traces of summer...

Despite the cold weather and some frosts and light snow showers, there are still traces of summer flowers in the garden. We even have some tomatoes left in our unheated greenhouse. This topsy turvy weather is problematic as so many spring bulbs still haven't gone in as it seemed such a shame to take out flowers whilst they were still blooming.

In the back garden we still have primroses which have been flowering non stop since last spring!

Woo-lee Skarf's nest - rare!

Knitting felted by washing machine - never again!

I have so many projects I'm in the middle of:- knitting, sewing, dry felting, Christmas decorations, Christmas cards - then madly - I suddenly decided I'd knit with pure wool and felt it in the washing machine - an idea I picked up from browsing through etsy...

Well I won't be doing this process again!

I chose the most expensive wool (mistake), had to guess how much it would shrink and consequently couldn't make it into a bag before putting in the washing machine.

Due to the uneven nature of the yarn it became a strange shape and I had to cut the item to correct this - and it was so tightly felted (good) it was a nightmare to stitch together! Bag is 9" x 11".

At the end - although it does look fine - it doesn't appeal to me because I recall all the jumpers that years ago I ruined in the wash; so doing this shrinking process intentionally was a bit weird.

Also... in the 1960's and 70's I made many of these types of bags (by knitting or crochet) to give as presents when I had no money to buy anything else.

This isn't really my style of bag to use these days, so I'll just have to put this down to experience!

Last Friday...

I just couldn't choose what photos to upload from Friday's outing so I did collages instead. It was a lovely day...but... SO COLD!

Pinkness

This was my pink ornament for Deena's 'Jingle for the cure' pink ornament swap - http://deenasstory.blogspot.com/ but I've had post get lost to the U.S and as we are so near our last posting date for America I decided not to go ahead, but make a donation to cancer research here in the UK - but I'm with all 'the gals' in spirit!

J - 50 blood donations award

Husband J gave his 50th blood donation today today - and received his latest award. WELL DONE!

None of us ever know when we might need a blood transfusion and it's a very worthy thing to do if at all possible. We both started giving blood at the same time, but after a couple of years of struggling with my veins, which kept collapsing, I was told it would be best if I stopped attending! (and what awful problems those collapsing veins have given me in later years!)

Personally I have been a recipient of three separate transfusions of multiple units of blood - and of course... a kidney donation...

As a family we have all been on the transplant register for many years - even skin, bone and tissue can be used.

Everyone hopes they will never need any such medical treatment - but life can be fickle - and I can't tell you how much such donations mean.

http://www.blood.co.uk/

http://www.uktransplant.org.uk/ukt/

Homebound

On Sunday we went out late afternoon to do some food shopping - not that Sunday shopping seems quite right and I would prefer that there was no trading on that day... but...out we went - and got held up by the local Sikhs who were holding a procession for their founder - Guru Nanak.

It was very colourful, with floats, followers and their processional drummers. I would have loved to have taken photos, but it didn't seem quite appropriate to do that (even though I had my camera!) so I just watched them as they passed by.

They have a temple in the next town to us, so I presume that is where they were ending up; although I don't know where they started from (people on the side of the road had a table with refreshments on for the walkers, so they must have come a fair distance)

Soon to open - and a bit controversially - is a massive temple a bit further into Kent http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7719169.stm It cost £11million, but does look amazing though!

However, shopping finished, we returned home and, as always, came back through the road which intersects our woods. Dusk was edging in and fine rain was gently falling... There had been very few cars on the road that afternoon and as we stopped for me to take the photographs it was silent apart from the last birds coming in to roost...

As dusk falls...

We stayed out until dusk on Friday to see the birds come in to roost - then we had to cross the bridge back off the island to return to suburbia!

Just an old rope...

I think this looks so beautiful... we were over on the island on Friday and this was just one of the photos I took. It was SO peaceful everywhere - not even the sound of an aeroplane overhead!

Winter beach - watercolour

Money, money, money...

Luciana, a friend from Brazil, is showing this video on her site - and I thought I would pass the message on!

Make sure you stop the autoplay in top left corner before viewing this as the music will compete!

Remembrance

The official Armistice Day, to mark the end of WW1 was the 11th November 1918 - and on the 11th November each year at 11.00am, 2 minutes silence is now observed. However, today is Remembrance day, being the nearest Sunday.

My family served in both the first and second world war - when family and friends were lost. My father survived the second world war - but, like many others, was forever scarred by it.

Let us today remember all those men and woman from all wars - both past and present - who are making the ultimate sacrifices...

Discover The Central Band Of The Royal British Legion!

The River

Just over a week ago my husband and I had a little trip down memory lane when we walked along the river path in our home town - so many memories came flooding back and I realised, once again, how important the river had been to us and how our memories of the past were wound around it.

I recalled that on the way to the church our our wedding day, my car had to stop on the bridge by the traffic lights - I looked over to the river - the church bells rang out - and then as we drove across I felt filled with excitement for the life that lay ahead - and I forgot all that the river had once meant to me...


Where my husband and I grew up, the river truly was the life blood of our town. However, the pleasure it gave to us was based on very simple things - and far removed from its true industrial importance.
The area itself was actually settled because the river was able to be forded at this particular point. Even as far back as Roman times it was an important crossing.
Many of the town’s names of roads and certain areas within the town have their origins in the activities that were carried on in the far distant past.
At one particular point on the river - around the middle of the 16th century - a water powered iron mill was first established, later a saw mill, and a flour mill (where my English grandfather worked)
Nearer the town centre itself, were other industries which also needed fresh, free flowing water - tanning, silk making, silk printing and in the 1950’s even us who were young children knew just how important the river was and that there were areas which we didn’t have access to. The depth of the river also changed along its course through the town
However, the river meant something quite different to children - We , like our ancestors before us, carried on the age old traditions of paddling and fishing
The industries did pollute the water though and unlike today, it was impossible to see what was on the river bed! I never had wellingtons - many children didn’t - and we just expected to emerge from the water with cuts on our feet. That was infinitely better than the leeches though! I don’t think any of us were bothered at the time, as we just knocked them off and watched with interest as the blood trickled from where they had been attached! This does make me shudder now though!
My husband remembers coming up with a horrendous blisters all over his legs after one episode of paddling - this was viewed with indifference - adults seemed much less concerned with such things in those day. Probably to be expected as they had all just emerged from the long years of the 2nd world war. The town also had an armaments factory - which was a target of enemy bombers. Cuts, rashes and blisters were trivial to what all the older generation had endured...

As teenagers all of us walked along its banks and stole kisses when we thought we were out of sight of other people! However, as everybody seemed to know each other in the town, there was very little that was unseen or unreported on! My dad would regularly tell me who had seen me - where - and what I was doing!



With the arrogance of youth, I hated the intrusion into what I thought was my own privacy .....

...but time changes all things ... and how much I now miss the town, the sound of the church bells, the river - and all those long departed people...

Decision day - the world awaits...

It would be almost impossible for me to let this day pass without making some comment about the American Presidential elections.

Certainly, what happens in America affects all of the world - the financial crisis certainly spread out in waves from across the Atlantic - although our own greedy bankers and financial traders have greatly added to our economical downturn.

Sadly, America also pollutes the world on a massive scale - and many of its inhabitants are veritably consumed by consumerism (those that have the cash to spend that is - there are many people who, even within a rich, developed, country, live in poverty).

BUT - before I continue, I should mention - in case this seems as if I am knocking Americans - that although the world (including Great Britain) has issues with many decisions made by their recent Presidents; this is not with the people as individuals.

Regarding Americans - I have many American relatives!

My father's brother and sister went to California in the 50's - and their numbers have now greatly multiplied! In fact, the side link of my blog for 'The Oaks Community Church' is where my cousin Gary is Head Pastor

I am also half English and half Scottish; so I am also very well aware of the divides within my own country and know that nothing is ever completely black or white and a country will generally act in its own national interest.

Whilst acts of terrorism are appalling (locally we have suffered both at the hands of the IRA and Muslim extremists) there is a general feeling here that we get pulled into acts of war simply because we are allied to America by so many historical ties. Not that we could ever rely on Europe during any sort of crisis! We have paid a huge price for being part of the Europe - with few obvious benefits.

So... If I were an American...who would I vote for? Well... I would vote for Barack Obama...

Would he be the right man? - well, history will certainly be the judge of that if he does succeed... and there are few who would underestimate the mammoth task ahead of him.

However, I do fear for him if he does win the election. Not just for the massive reforms he will need to implement within his country - but also for his own personal safety. Far too many American Presidents have already been assassinated - and the very fact that he is black could be reason enough for him to be a target. Let us hope that whatever the outcome, peaceful change will occur - and we will all begin to see more of what we all have in common and not just our differences...