Sunday, 6 February 2011

Ahoy Me Hearties......By Royal Appointment.......

.......well not really an appointment exactly....more of a visit to the flicks to see Colin doing his stuff in `The King`s Speech`.....which was very good, although I thought Geoffrey Rush was just as good, if not better than said King...but that`s just my opinion! I have to say, I came away thinking that it should be everyone`s given right to live in a palace, or at least a very big house with enough garden space to land a small light aircraft upon - I kept imagining how many times my very humble abode would have fitted into the Royals` modest appartment in Piccadilly! And those chandeliers!Anyhoo, it just so happens that the Royal Yacht Britannia is `parked` directly opposite the cinema complex....in fact, we had after-cinema supper at the restaurant which overlooks this magnificent ship...great pasta...great view! (apologies again for poor quality of night-time shots!).





......and this little boat was moored right in front of RYB....we thought perhaps it was some kind of `Staff` vessel, anyway she was very pretty all lit up and she was named `Harmony II`....

 ....and at the other end of the dock, a very large Russian Ship....

......and some kind of container tanker which was HUGE....and very bright!
**********
......and now for some loose ends.....

Birthday Swap Part Deux

.....sincere apologies to the very talented Clare@Weekend Crafter for not mentioning this sooner but I honestly thought I already had....clearly not when I double-checked my `Birthday Swap` pics......
......and this is the cute little bundle of goodies which were inside the parcel (the crochet cushion cover is my own)...I love the colours Clare chose for everything...so bright and cheery.....Thank You Clare....
......and an even HUGE-r apology must go to the lovely Nicky, aka Vera Amos@ http://alifelikevera.blogspot.com/ for not posting about the cute cowl which I won on her giveaway.....AGES ago....very remiss of me, I know so here it is now......

....the pic doesn`t really show up the true colour which is a delicious shade of blue and the yarn is very tactile and so cosy around my neck..and don`t you just love those pom-poms?....I subsequently crocheted a blue slouchy beret to match .....they make the perfect couple!Thank You Nicky.

.....and after all that, I`ll bid you Adieu until next time. x



Wednesday, 2 February 2011

Great Scott..........or `Bright Lights,Big City`.......

....poor Sir Walter, I felt so sorry for him up there all alone in the darkness of the night with nothing for shelter except an enormous great towering monument above his head.....I think someone ought to `yarnbomb` him in great swathes of multi-coloured yarn to keep him cosy......

......not a great pic (taken from the Grassmarket) because my camera`s flash doesn`t cope well when it`s really dark but in the background, if you peer really,really closely, you can just about make out the majestic shape of Edinburgh Castle.....
.......I found these in the window of a very posh shop in picturesque Victoria Street which hand makes and sells tartan stuff (at the other end of the scale from `See You, Jimmy hats`!).....
.......I loved the colour of this bodice and skirt. Also, it may look  like I`m very vertically challenged....the window was very high up!

Looks like just an ordinary vase but on closer inspection, it`s HUGE (look at the staircase behind and you`ll get an idea of the scale!)....too much dusting for my liking!.......
.......I have no idea how this blue pole came to be in the pic, it`s certainly not mine!
I took this pic of St Giles` Cathedral and when I downloaded it to my computer, it had this really ghostly effect .....
.....here`s another pic taken directly after the last one, sans apparition.......spooooooky!

This is where you go to book your tickets for The Edinburgh Military Tattoo.....be prepared for a looonnnnggg wait! Mary King is a ghost.
 I love quirky little shops like this one which sells lots of fabulous fabric....
.......and this one filled with globes of every different size...and a cheeky little vintage sports car!

.....and finally, for the culture vultures, a couple of `must see`s` on my `Things To Do In February` list.

p.s. after the excitement of the Birthday Swap last week, the only thing of any note which the Postman has brought me is a Bowel Screening Kit!Wonderful!

Friday, 28 January 2011

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Baubles,Bangles,Bright Shiny Beads...and Buttons.... or The Swap that Keeps on Giving......

....and I`m not going to gush on and on about it because that would sound extremely `Gwyneth Paltrow` of me, God forbid and that`s not my style so in a nutshell the Birthday Swap started off like this on Saturday....
...then by Monday it looked like this (excluding the flowers which were from my Boss....
and yesterday, I couldn`t see my Postman`s face for the pile of padded envelopes he was trying hard to hold on to because this is what he brought me....


....and I`ve been told there`s more to follow because of delayed post!Soooooo.......to each and every one of you Fabulous Blog Sisters, a million thanks wouldn`t be enough to say how grateful I am for all of these lovely gifts and cards and one things for sure, I won`t forget this birthday in a hurry!
p.s. there`s one bar of chocolate missing coz I ate it before I took pics! Sorry, Jackie!
A huge shout out must go to LaaLaa for organising such a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Swap. The girl done good!

Edited 27/01/2011 to add More Gorgeous Gifts!
The Postman arrived this morning bearing even more padded envelopes!.....

.....full of lovely things.....


.....Love all of them...Thank You.....they`ve rounded off my week pretty well, I think!

Tuesday, 25 January 2011

FAIR FA` YER HONEST SONSIE FACES..........

.......Great Bloggettes of the Human  Race!

Thought it was appropriate to link to the Great Scottish Bard......

Image courtesy of `The List`
............... since it`s his birthday as well as mine (he was a lad, that Rabbie, loved them and left them he did, frequently! On the upside, once he`d ditched you, he immortalised you in either song or poetry, so he wasn`t all bad really!) and to say a HUGE Thank You to everyone involved in the Birthday Swap 2011 who has sent me my birthday gifts and cards. To say I was a little overwhelmed at and in awe of your generous spirits would be an understatement - what a fabulous time I`ve had reading all the beautiful cards and opening all the fantastic presents. I love each and every one.The spoiling of me just went on and on!

I will blog about everything tomorrow .....am off to a Burns Supper tonight and if any of you out there are in any doubt that Haggis doesn`t exist, here`s the proof!

......A Haggi Family!
Have a great night everyone, however you are spending it. x

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Two Steps to Heaven....

Some of you have had such lovely Xmas gifts that I thought it was about time I told you about a couple of mine. Well, my Mother in her infinite wisdom, decided that I really needed these....
....so she wrapped them up in the prettiest Xmas paper and put on the tag `This is your Practical Present`!....I`m still waiting on the `impractical` one!
At the other end of the scale, my two boys clubbed together and got me a Kindle, which I haven`t taken a pic of because I`m considering chucking it from the nearest window! Don`t get me wrong, I really appreciate the trouble they went to and the thought behind it and I would NEVER tell them that the Kindle and me aren`t really getting along! I suppose it`s just a matter of giving it a chance and getting used to it.  I have to say, though that I really like the whole concept of visiting my local library, choosing my books and getting them home and diving in! The Kindle, for me personally, just doesn`t have the same appeal but I`ll keep you updated with my progress.
I took part in the Pillow Swap organised by Corry and Heleen over at http://dutch-sisters.blogspot.com/. My partner was the lovely Alice from http://aliceinhobbyland.blogspot.com/ who is the most talented seamstress and knitter - take a look at her creations, they really are beautiful. Anyway, this is what Alice sent me as part of the swap and I must say, I have never owned such a beautiful piece of embroidery and now it`s mine to keep and treasure always......


...aren`t the flowers pretty? Thanks so much, Alice and thanks also for your patience (the bad weather held up the post so long, I was beginning to wonder whether Alice would ever get her cushion from me! You can see it on her blog since I didn`t take a pic of it before I mailed it to her). I made Alice`s cushion cover from a patchwork of Harris Tweed and corduroy and when I was in the newsagents last week, this magazine (I think it`s the Jan/Feb issue of Patchwork and Quilting)was on the shelf.....

.....always suspected I was ahead of my time! Harris Tweed is in!...and talking of quilting, I started this for my niece when she was born.....


....she`ll be 17 in April! I think I better get on the case and get it finished for my Grandaughter!Doesn`t time fly?!....
and while I was poking about the attic, putting away the Xmas decs and all the while balancing precariously on my new step-ladders, I found these...



....a little wallhanging which is approximately 20 years old now and was my first ever attempt at Welsh Quilting (all done by hand, I may add) at my then Patchwork and Quilting Group  (I had to give it up when I developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, an occupational hazard for crafters unfortunately).....
....and then I uncovered this little beauty which I bought many years ago but never really had the opportunity to use, mainly because it`s so old and precious, I didn`t want to risk damaging it or exposing it to bright sunlight. It`s already suffered a little wear and tear in its lifetime so I`ve kept it wrapped in tissue in a box for all these years! I`m not sure exactly how old it is but I love the fabrics and the colours which have been used in the hexagons, especially the velvets and tartan. It would be great if anyone more knowledgeable than me could put a date on it.





....and last but not least, I found this....

.....my first born`s first walking boots! My sister can`t believe I chose black patent bootees for my son but they were Russell and Bromley`s finest at the time and very de rigeur! Memories are made of these indeed!
Have a Great Week, y`all!
Back Soon.x


Moving Day

...in Blogland.   My new home is here Hope you'll join me soon. xxx