Visit

We have just had a lovely couple of days with my sister and her husband staying from Wales. She is ten years older than me but I didnt know, until 25 years ago that I even had a sister. It turned out that my mother had her when she was 19 and as she was unmarried, living in small

Welsh village when things were very different, she had no alternative but to have her adopted. A few years later my mother met and married my father and although she told him, they chose not to tell my brother and I. Twenty five years ago after my sisters adopted mother died, she decided to trace her birth mother. Well we have been close ever since, she and her husband have two daughters similar ages to our daughters.

We had a lovely day today, walking in the woods and then going for lunch at the Greyhound in Aldbury.

My sister with my husband

My brother in law and I

The Greyhound

My lunch of organic, freerange sausages (i think it was the pigs that were freerange, not the sausages!) mash and vegetable with onion gravey...delicious!

Joseph & Jesse

I thought I would post some photo's of the boys, for no other reason than they are just so darn cute!!

Joseph

Jesse

Jesse

Joseph

Coats

I finished the two little coats for Primrose & Maggie, using the chocolate cord fabric and using the fabric and buttons I bought in Liberty, London.

I am pleased with how they have turned out but I think they will probably fit them when they are five!! (they are two now)

I didnt have a coat pattern but used one I had for a shirt and took the hood pattern from a book.

Family Photo

I don't know about the rest of you, but getting a family photo always seems like hard work to me. First getting them altogether, facing the same way, smiling, or at least not looking grumpy, keeping still so they are all in focus etc etc. Well some friends have been visiting our daughter and her family in South Africa so I asked them to do the job for me...and I am very pleased with the outcome!

Coats

A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of a little coat I made from some left over fabric from the twins dresses. I knew that the hood would probably be a little short but I didn't have enough fabric to make it bigger. Anyway the coat fits but the hood isn't quite big enough to wear it up comfortably so I am going to make two bigger coats that will last until next winter. I bought some chocolate brown cord and will line the body with fleece. I mentioned in my last 'London' post that I had bought some fabric and buttons from Liberty and I am using the fabric to line the hoods and putting three odd buttons on each coat, using pink velvet ribbon hoops on one coat and turquoise on the other . No sooner have I a new project on the go, I have more requests coming in...apparently my grandsons are really enjoying the 'Where the Wild Things Are' story book and would like a 'Max' costume each!

BBC Documentary

I just realised that I could add this clip to my blog, it is a BBC documentary of my daughter and her husband in South Africa. It was filmed a couple of years ago and the BBC are in the process of doing an update, but I though I would post it anyway.They have completed building their first orphans house and have also just set up a feeding programme in a local school. Please click on the link below to watch the short clip.

BBC Documentary

Primrose Noelle

Because I felt a bit funny posting a photo of Maggie and not one of Primrose, here is one of her too. She is also wearing a dress that Mummy used to wear!

Maggie Boo

I had to post this photo that I have taken from my daughter and son in laws blog...not sure what she is looking at but looks like she is in a world of her own. She is wearing the same hat and coat that her mummy used to wear when she was little.

London

I had another trip into London today to meet up with our eldest son. He usually has to work on Saturdays but today he didnt and so it was nice to meet up. We went to Paul's Patisserie for lunch and had ham and cheese crepes with salad. Although we looked at the cakes and pastries in the window we didnt have one!. We had a stroll around Liberty's where he showed me all the pieces of furniture he would like and I bought a nice piece of Liberty fabric in the sale and some buttons. I will post later what I am using them for.

Nice Eames chair and footstool

Lovely sofa, spot the Eames Elephant in the background

This was an interesting character...she looks real doesnt she? But she's not, she was moving and talking too!

Birthday Girl

Today my eldest daughter is 33. I always find it hard not to be with her on her birthday and because they live in South Africa she is usually without any of her UK family or friends. But this year she has two friends from the UK and one from USA visiting and it seems like they have all had a great day together with her husband and boys as well. She has just posted these photo's and so I have copied them to my blog

Dinner at an African restaurant, Moyo

The boys chilling at the organic cafe

Crochet

Having been inspired by a new crochet magazine that has come out here in the UK, The Art of Crochet, together with Lucy at Attic 24 I have taken up crochet again. Not that I ever did much crochet before but I made a blanket years ago. I still have a long way to go before I am anywhere near Lucy's standard but I love the colours that she uses and the different designs. I bought this yarn at our local craft shop and got the pattern off a website...before I realised that Lucy has great tutorials on her blog. So in future I will be checking those out when I want to learn something new.

Looking Forward

Well, I have now had enough snow, its fun for a short while and then I am ready for the Spring. I came across these photo's from last year and then opened my Bible to add a scripture and low and behold this was the scripture I opened at! So yes there is a purpose for the snow.... to water the land and for God's Word to accomplish all that He intends it to.

That is my prayer for this coming year that we would see the Father's Word speak mightily into the lives of those across the nations

Isaiah 55: 9-13

9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

10 “ For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

12 “ For you shall go out with joy,

And be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills

Shall break forth into singing before you,

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,

And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;

And it shall be to the LORD for a name,

For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

For part of my Christmas gift my daughter and son in law gave me these lovely hand designed notelets from Rifle Paper Co. They also bought me the frames from Habitat so I could frame one of each design.

I made this little coat from the fabric I had left from making the twins birthday dresses. Using fleece to line it.

Cushions & Snow

I thought I would post some more cushions that I made for Christmas now that Christmas is over and no one can take a sneeky peep of their gifts!

Just as the snow cleared here in the UK...it returned. When it came before Christmas I was ready for it to go, we had family visiting and lots of things to do and as we live on a hill getting the car out and back was quite tricky. However, now it has returned, schools are closed so I dont have to go into work, there is just the two of us in the house, we have plenty of food and its quite restful being snowed in. My daughter in South Africa is missing the snow and asked me to go into the garden, make a snow angel and get my husband to photograph it for her...the things we do for our children eh?

The angel could have been a bit clearer...but I wont be trying again!

London

Today I went into London to meet up with my eldest son and do a bit of shopping, it is always great to meet up with our sons because they both live and work in London and so know all the best places to visit and eat at. We did some shopping then went to Fernandez & Wells for coffee and croissants. After we went to look around a shop in Regent Street called Anthropologie...this is a beautiful shop to wander around, selling home ware and clothing, it has some fascinating displays.

The wall to the left of the stair case is made up of live plants, I couldnt get a better shot because the security man was on the stairs and I thought he might stop me!