now where am i going to hang the dressing gown?!

on pinterest recently was some cute crocheting, which i duly pinned and hoped would have a pattern attached. when i went to look into it, i found there was no pattern, just a link to an esty store. so i went to look anyway, but thought it would be in the US, and to much money to buy!. imagine my surprise to find it was in Holland and under £20 inc postage, so, i had to buy it!.

the shop is called TeenyWeeny Design and she has some lovely crocheted items!. i shall endeavour to take some better pictures of it today when the lighting is better!.

Kia Kaha Christchurch

the the first anniversary of the deadly earthquake i think of you and wish so very much i was home. I am attending a memorial event in south London tonight where the 'One Year On' documentary film will be shown. I dont expect to survive the evening without tears!. Remembering you toda Christchurch and my fellow Cantabs.

The Purple Bag.

Last week on my way home i decided to go to Libertys. In the 20yrs i have lived in london i have never been inside the shop, and have often wondered what treasures awaited me in there!. Well, i can honestly say not much!. i discounted 2 floors of fashion because they wouldnt have anything in my size that didnt require more limbs than i have to pay for it!. so i headed up to the haderdashery and homeware sections!. again, not alot that really grabbed my fancy!. however, having said all that, i did manage to come home with 2 purple bags!!.

in the bathroom section i found my favourite Italian soap, and amazingly, £1 cheaper than its sold for in Enfield!. so i got the last bar they had in the variety i like!. i also brought about hair turban, as the one i got in the States is fab, and still going strong, but having a spare is always a good idea. then the trouble started!!. i headed into the kitchen area....oh boy!. i had to really talk strongly with myself about just 'window shopping'. however i still managed to walk out with a large purple bag!. i spied 4 cereal bowls (all they had left), by Royal Doulton for £5 each!. not bad, and i love the soft blue on them.

then i saw the storage jars.....swooon.....i want more!. again, each was less than £5 each as well. i love that they are glass, and that they are different. i am going to get a few more of the jars, and also see if i can get relacement rubber seals and metal clasps. so, in conclusion, its an amazing building full of very helpful staff, but not alot in it that i desired or could afford.....picked up one flan dish....about 15cm diameter...£76 if you please!.

progress

i am making progress with my blanket and have stumbled upon a new way colourway for the squares, which i also like!. so now the blanket is going to have about 3, possibly 4 different patterns for the squares, while they still follow the overall master plan!. i say 4, cos as i was making the 3rd pattern i thought about another option, but have yet to try it!. since this photo was taken, i have made two more original pattern squares, using the 4 nonwhite colours. i'll photograph the squares again this weekend. seeing it laid out on the bed shows me how much i am going to need to make, if i want it to cover a double bed!. so i need to think what i want it for, to know how many more squares i need to make. then, and i keep saying this, i need to thinking about blocking and joining up the squares!!.

Basil Brush!

I walked into the kitchen yesterday afternoon and noticed at the end of the garden in a patch of sun, was a fox. he stayed for quite some time, looking for food i think has he tried to eat a few things. I ran upstairs and got my camera and took a bunch of pics thru the window of the back door as he would have gone if i actually opened the door.....which i did after the photo session, to throw out some bread. the fox legged it when the door opened, but when i checked back later most of the bread was gone - to the birds or the fox, i dont know!. you can see how cold our temperatures have been, this snow was from last weekend, and despite sunny days, it hasnt melted yet!. anyway, heres Basil enjoying some warmth from the sun!.

something nice for the kitchen!

there is a shop in London that i love....it has quirky different things, because, as i've mentioned before i really dont like the sameness that seems to prevail here in the UK. this shop is called Oliver Bonas, and they have opened a branch near my office......oh danagerous, very dangerous. they have been carrying the Pip Studio china which i cant decide if i want or not, so on monday while changing buses i decided to pop into the shop and lust after the Pip Studio and try and make a decision. well, my local branch isnt carrying it, so i had a look at the other things on the shelf and i saw these......oh my....me likely!. you can find them here

you're about 6wks to late!!

last night it snowed!. for the first time this winter we got a good dump of white stuff on the ground, and it sure does look pretty. would have been nicer to have had it for Xmas tho!. its going to make for a fun time getting to work tomorrow on the bus!. anyway, in response to a request for piccies to show my niece in Queensland Australia, what snow looks like, here are some piccies. the first 2 are taken 12hrs apart out my bedroom window, looking in one direction up my street.

this is looking in the other direction.

a snow wave!.

hopefully in this picture, you can see where the foxes have been running around the back garden like silly buggers!. noone else has been out the back til i took the pics, so all that churned up snow is from the foxes!.

a pic to show how much fell overnight...i reckon a good 10cm!.

finally, my allotment on the patio....there are leeks under that snow somewhere!!