fine linen and purple

Romp in the Woods

2012-02-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

Our youngest daughter and her family have gone home to Devon today but before they left we all went out to the woods, had hot soup in the cafe and then went for a romp in the snow. The house is very quiet again now..... and tidy

Birthdays

2012-02-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

Its been a busy weekend, yesterday Gilby turned 1 and today Mummy turned 33!

Here are some photo's of Gilbys birthday which was held at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

Maggie loves to bake and is showing Grandpa how to turn off the mixer

Caught in the act!

Mummy made the clown cake which had been designed by Primrose & Maggie

The following photo's were taken by Daddy (the paper was put up for the photo shoot...its not my wallpaper!!)

The Court of Coppola

2012-01-31T09:28:00.000-08:00

You know I have told you already, and probably more than once :) about my eldest son Ben who is a photographer. Well some time back he was asked to do a shoot of Sofia Coppola. Below is one of the photographs and if you click on the link you can visit the beautiful house where he carried out the shoot. He said that Sofia is a lovely lady and he enjoyed being there and getting to meet her father Francis Ford Coppola

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204542404577157283712086276.html?mod=WSJ_Magazine_LEFTSecondStories

Gilby Skipp

2012-01-30T00:41:00.000-08:00

I cant believe it but next Saturday Gilby will turn 1 year old! And the exciting thing is he is having his party at Grandma and Grandpa's house!!! Our eldest daughter will be here from SA and our other daughters school friend lives in London, so pretty near to us. She also has a little boy who is invited to Gilby's party so we thought it would be fun to have it here. We will have other family members here too so lots of fun will be had by all. I thought that as the trousers I made Gilby for Christmas turned out well I would make him another pair. This time I have recycled one of Grandpa's old denim shirts and lined them with nice checked fabric. The pattern is great for little children, lots of room for the 'proper' nappies that Gilby wears and not too tight around his little tummy. (lots of babies trousers are just too stiff and tight, I am sure they can't be comfortable). I placed the 'fold' side of the pattern on the side seam of the shirt and so managed to have the double stitched seam from the shirt going down the outer seam of the trousers.

My daughters lap top packed up and a young man from our church has given her is 'old' Mac book, So I made her a cover for it to protect it travelling back to SA. I didn't have a pattern and so it was a bit of a trial. I added a pocket to the front for the charger. I think it could have been neater but it will do the job

Hexie Quilt

2012-01-28T09:58:00.000-08:00

This quilt has been a long time in the making process. The hexies come from an aunt of mine who passed away years ago. My uncle asked me if I would like a bag of her 'scraps' Would I heck?? There was actually a couple of bin bags and an old hat box with all the hexies templated and colour sorted ready for sewing together. Over the years I have used them for lots of projects. These were put together by my daughter while they were staying with us waiting for their date to go to SA and begin their ministry. The blocks then spent a few years in a bag in my cupboard until I got around to making them into a quilt. I added the binding this week and there it is...finished and ready for my daughter to take back to SA after her visit to us next week

Homeless

2012-01-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

One of my daughters favourite past times where she lives in South Africa, is to go and visit one of the homeless shelters down on the sea front area of the city. Some time back I posted about how she helped deliver a baby over the telephone when a teenage girl had arrived at the shelter in labour. Last night she took a team of people from her church to go and 'hang out and make friends' with those who have found themselves in this desperate situation. I have never been with her to the shelter but have spoken in the past to a couple of ladies who have been with her. They told me that my daughter 'comes alive' when she is with these people. Above are photo's taken from last nights visit. Next Thursday she arrives in the UK for 12 days...her regular 6 monthly trip out of SA for visa purposes....I cant wait but really wish she was bringing my Grandsons with her too :(

Please check her blog post today

http://littlefingersandfrosting.blogspot.com/

Patchwork Cushion

2012-01-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

Back in the summer I posted this http://finelinenandpurple.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-treat.html about my friend who had given me a bag of 'bits' that had belongs to her late mother. I have used some of these to make a couple of gifts and now that my friend is about to move house to a cottage in Cornwall I have made a cushion from her mothers patches, for her new bedroom. I have enjoyed using these lovely old fabrics, I think they are probably from the 60's and 70's, and still have plenty left for future projects....might make myself something :)

Big School!

2012-01-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

Its been a big week for this little chap....he started 'big school' on Tuesday. In South Africa pre school goes through until the child is 6 years old and then they go into grade 1. Joseph has been at a Montessori pre school where he has been so happy and for his Mum and Dad its been quite a time to try and find the right school for him. All education in SA needs to be paid for even the local state school. They had decided that they didn't want for Joe to go to that school, their had heard from their friends how their adopted child had been bullied because although he is Zulu he had white parents.

The school that they eventually found for Joe is close to their home and very similar to the Montessori style of school. Lots of art, gardening and creative studies as well as the regular lessons. They have made a couple of visits as a family and Joe was very excited about starting this week. he was up before the sun on his first day (its summer in SA at the moment) ready and dressed before any one else.

It has been quite a challenge, as I have said before they are missionaries and on a low income. They have been without a car this week and so relied on lifts from their neighbour, however on Friday he had to be elsewhere, we prayed and Joe and his daddy walked up to the road to get a lift with a Zulu taxi which are small mini buses. However each taxi that passed was full, and then an elderly man stopped and offered them a lift, he then arranged to come back later to pick up our son in law and drive him back to school to collect Joe. He said whenever they needed a lift he could help them!

God is good!

A Brief Interruption

2012-01-18T00:24:00.000-08:00

I've been away from the laptop as hubby had a bit of a turn and ended up in

A & E for a couple of days...back home now and recovering so will be back later!

Funny Kids

2012-01-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

This top photo is quite a rare occurence because on the whole the twins don't bother much with their little brother, this may be because they have always had each other and not other child in their family...I don't really know. But occasionally one of them will go and give him a toy, a kiss or just a little pat on the head. He just loves them and gets so excited when he hears them coming.

I made Gilby a green garter stitch jumper for Christmas but the wool was a little too thick for an every day jumper and so I made this one with finer wool and I added a bit of a collar by picking up stitches around the neck and working a few rows in stocking stitch

I wanted to post this photo below that my son in law took when they went to cut down their Christmas tree. The people who sell the trees have a little stall with hot dogs and cups of tea. I love how the girls are just hanging out with the owners dog....they look so haphazard, Primroses hat is too small but I can imagine she insisted on wearing it because she likes it. Maggie's just standing, hands in pockets looking at who knows what? They really are a funny pair!

Soup Maker

2012-01-11T04:37:00.000-08:00

One of my Christmas gifts was a soup maker. I am so pleased with it. We eat a lots of home made soup and home made bread so this is really useful. For those who haven't seen one before, you just chop up the ingredients and add with stock, put the setting to chunky or purée and in 20-30 mins you have piping hot soup Brilliant!

Joseph's Gotcha Day

2012-01-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

Today is a special day.....six years ago this beautiful baby boy came home to live with his Mummy & Daddy. The top two photo's were taken a few weeks later on his first trip to visit his family in the UK...that first photo is him with his very proud Grandma. They call this day Joseph's 'Gotcha Day' Joseph had been wrapped in a blanket and left on a bench at Durban railway station on the day he was born, he was found and taken to a lovely orphanage. When my daughter and her husband called the orphanage to see how they were to go about adoption they were put in touch with a social worker. The orphanage and social worker we all Christians. Within a couple of days they received a call to say that a baby boy was available for adoption and would they like to go and meet him. When they arrived at the orphanage they were asked to wait for the owner to come and speak to them. During this time they looked at and played with all the little babies is the play room. My daughter said she just knew that none of these babies was 'her baby', they had prayed before hand that God would make it clear if the baby they were going to meet was the baby He wanted them to have. When the lady came to speak with them she told them that the baby she wanted them to meet wasn't in the play room but still in his cot. They went through to meet him and knew instantly that this was 'their baby'. Thirteen days later Joseph Ukheta Downs came home. Back then we didn't have Blackerry phones with instant messages and photo's. They didn't have very good internet connection and we had to wait two weeks before we saw a photo of Joe....that was a long two weeks. When we saw him although there are some pretty obvious differences, he was instantly our Grandson. And when we got our first sight of him in the flesh at Heathrow Airport we could hardly contain ourselves. We thank God for the amazing blessing that Joseph is to us!

Remembering

2012-01-08T02:32:00.000-08:00

I have been reading the book of Joshua the last few days. 4:1-24 tells of how after the people had crossed the Jordan on dry land, God wanted them to build a memorial. He told them to have 12 men go and take 12 stones from the river bed, to bring them and use them to build a memorial . So in time to come, the people would be reminded of what God had done for them. I love this story, I love to look back over the years and see how God has blessed us, led us, guided us, challenged us and provided for us. .

God wanted the Israelites to be prepared, not to just go ahead into their task without focussing on Him and seeking His guidance. This is what he wants for us, to spend time with Him, reminding ourselves of what He has done for us and moving forward in faith knowing that He is with us all the way.

If you have a minute go to the blog below...The Journey.....there is an amazing story of a little girl who didn't want to forget where she had been and where God had now brought her

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

Bag

2012-01-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

Its my eldest daughters birthday next week so I decided to make her a tote bag. I bought an off cut of oilcloth from Laura Ashley and used some heavy gingham fabric that I have had for some time to line it. I didn't have a pattern and so copied a canvas bag that someone had given me.

I made pockets to add to the lining

Made the box shape corners for the base so the bag can stand up

Making the lining and outer bag both the same, I then folded in the top edge and held them in place with paper clips so as not to make holes in the oil cloth with pins

I made long straps so the bag can be carried on the shoulder and sewed them between the inner and outer bag (I am not so happy with the straps as they didn't sew as neatly as I had hoped)

But I was pretty pleased with the overall finished bag

Grandpa's Blog

2012-01-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

Grandpa has a blog, he's had it for a while and it is linked to our church website....the pastors blog. The problem is he isn't very good at keeping it up to date. But since I noticed that he has a new follower, our daughter and I and now someone else, he has decided to try and post more regularly. Maybe you would like to check it out http://www.ipressonphilippians312.blogspot.com/

Antique Patchwork

2012-01-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

One of the Christmas gifts I received from my daughter was these beautiful antique American blocks. They are very delicate and so I wont be sewing them but I will pay a visit to Ikea to buy some frames to display them

Table Runner

2012-01-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

I was given these vintage templated ( I think I made that word up) patches back in the summer and made them up into a table runner for my daughter for Christmas....couldn't post it when I made it in case she peeped!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

We have returned from our Christmas in Devon, having had a lovely time. The cottage we rented was in a beautiful location on an organic farm with sea views and lovely walks to the sea. We spent time with family and friends

This was the sunrise that greeted us some mornings

We spent Christmas day at our daughters house, the boys cooked dinner

Gilby's first Christmas

The twins playing on Uncle Ben's ipad

Heading for the beach

Our beautiful daughter in law

Sunrise over the sea

Christmas Greetings

2011-12-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we leave for Christmas in Devon. This year we are looking after my mother and so have rented a cottage not far from our daughter and her family. We will have my mother, youngest son and his wife staying with us and our eldest son will stay with our daughter.

We will spend Christmas Day at theirs and most of the rest of the week at the cottage.

We are really looking forward to our stay, the cottage is in the country with sea views and I hope to get to take some photo's. We will miss our eldest daughter and her family who are spending Christmas where they live in South Africa

I pray that you will all have a happy and peaceful Christmas, experiencing the love of God and celebrating the 'reason for the season'

Christmas Baking

2011-12-21T05:16:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I visited Gratefulprayerthankfulheart blog and found the recipe at this link

http://gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/2011/12/white-chocolate-cherry-shortbread.html

So today I got baking.....

I followed that task with Rocky Road Brownies

6 eggs

225mi vegetable oil

400g granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

100g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

50g cocoa

Topping

75g plain chocolate broken up

40g butter

75g mini marshmallows

40g chopped walnuts

Method

1.preheat oven to 180c/350f/gas4

grease 30x20cm baking tin

Beat together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla for 4 mins or until thickened and sugar dissolves

2. Sift together flour, baking powder and cocoa. Stir into the egg mixture until smooth. pour into tin and spread level

3. Bake for 30 mins or until cooked through

Put tin onto wire rack for 10 mins. Leave oven on.

4. For the topping, melt chocolate and butter. Spread a little over the brownie in tin. Scatter with marshmallows and nuts.

. 5. Bake for 3 mins until marshmallows are soft.

Pipe the remainder of melted chocolate over the top

Christmas Wedding

2011-12-17T01:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon we went to the wedding of some friends. It was in the pretty village of Aldbury.

Only official photographs were allowed during the service and it was too cold to stand around outside at the end...so no photo's of the couple. The service was lovely with lots of candles and Christmas carols.

The reception was held in the Greyhound Inn, we were handed hot mulled wine on arrival, followed by a yummy three course meal and mince pies!

A great idea for place names, they are now hanging on our Christmas tree

Christmas Dresses

2011-12-14T04:09:00.000-08:00

I managed to get the girls dresses finished. The fabric is a very fine needle cord which I bought from http://www.dotsnstripes.co.uk/index.cfm I am really please with the fabric and it was great to sew with. The dress on the left is for Maggie and the other one for Primrose. They have different tastes in clothing, Primrose likes the bright pinks and Maggie like blues and is a little more of a tomboy :) Hopefully they will fit and the girls will be happy with them

Missing them

2011-12-13T01:59:00.000-08:00

I do miss these two lovely little guys.....my daughter just messaged me and told me that Joe (on the right) has been talking about when they visited last June and he sat next to Gwumpa on the train and how 'cool it would be to go on the train with Gwumpa today' It certainly would...really hope they can come and visit again soon!

Getting Ready

2011-12-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

If you visit my blog regularly you will know that every now and again I receive requests from my daughters for items to be made for my grandchildren. I have just made Gilby's trousers, I have finished one hat for the twins and am working on another one, same but different coloured buttons and I have cut out the fabric for their dresses, the cord that I am using is below. I have added photos of them going to choose and cut down their tree for Christmas, each year they go to the same place, romp around till they find the perfect tree.

Trousers

2011-12-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

I managed to get Gilby's Christmas trousers made today, it was a nice quick pattern which I downloaded for free and decided to make them reversible. The fabric also arrived today for the twins dresses which I am very pleased with too!

Advent Calendar

2011-11-30T11:57:00.000-08:00

I have made fabric Advent calendars for all our children, some from printed panels and one from scratch. Friends of our son and daughter in law saw theirs and requested one for themselves. They have been out in South Africa working with my daughter and son in law and will be home at Christmas. So I made the calendar below for their return. The night time photo's look a bit orange but you get the idea. The panels are a bit fiddly to turn in the edges and sew, I added wadding and backing and finished with hand quilting

This lovely fabric below is brushed cotton and bought from www.jbquiltingfabrics.co.uk. If you haven't visited their site, take a look they gave great service.

I will be using the fabric to make Christmas trousers for Gilby!

Christmas Decorations

2011-11-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

Next week our church is holding a Christmas Market to sell preserves, handmade decorations etc to raise money for our oversea missionaries. I have been making some felt baubles to hang on the Christmas tree.

Christmas Shawls

2011-11-28T02:07:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas I crocheted a little shawl for my Mother, she loves it and wears it all the time. So when I came across a pattern I decided to make her a couple more for this Christmas.

First Christmas Stocking

2011-11-26T08:03:00.000-08:00

Gilby requested a patchwork stocking for Christmas. So I used scraps left over from his baby quilt. Joined them together, backed with calico and quilted with the machine. I hope he is happy with it!

COP17.....Street Kids

2011-11-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

At this time COP17 climate change talks, are taking place in Durban, South Africa. I had never heard of COP17 until my daughter mentioned it. This is what I have found about it....

'Essentially it is a political meeting; a negotiating forum. Most world governments have accepted the scientific evidence that global warming is happening, mainly as a result of humans burning fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases. COP17 is the 17th annual meeting when world governments get together to negotiate tackling climate change. COP stands for Conference of the Parties, the parties being the 195 nations that signed the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.'

I am sure this is interesting to some...but at this moment my thoughts are on something else that my daughter has told me about that is going on in Durban as a result of this conference.

Street children, some very young, who have found themselves orphaned or abandoned or who have simply run away from a life of horror, have now been 'kidnapped' by the police, driven out into the bush and left there. Why? Below is a quote from a SA newspaper which will explain.

'The paper quoted the city's metro police spokesman Eugene Msomi saying all begging streetchildren and adults would be rounded up because they mugged tourists.

"We often remove them from the streets when there are big events like the World Cup and major conferences, because some of them mug tourists and damage the image of the country," he said."You find that tourists are unfamiliar with the area and would be intimidated and even mugged by these street beggars."The United Nations Climate Change conference (COP17) will be held at Durban's Inkosi Albert Luthuli convention centre from November 28 to December 9. The conference is expected to attract 20 000 delegates.'

When ever my daughter is able, she drives down to the city and visits a homeless shelter. She said many of the children who live there have been taken away and this happens each time something big happens in the city. She posted about this on Facebook and her friend in Denmark who said the COP17 is huge in her country, contacted the News program who in turn called my daughter in SA and interviewed her live on the radio today. Hopefully this will bring to light what is happening. What is the point in being concerned about the environment if we cant show love and concern for those for whom it was created ?

Christmas Gifts

2011-11-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas I knitted hats for my great nieces and nephews, this year I have crocheted scarves. I have added flowers for the girls and tassels for the boys.

Snoopy Party!

2011-11-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

We are home from Devon after a fun time at the twins 4th birthday party. The theme was Peanuts so Primrose dressed as Lucy (I was requested to knock up a quick Lucy dress when we arrived!) and Maggie was Charlie Brown, Mummy had that costume all done. The venue was Daddy's photo studio at his business. He had been busy making the Snoopy house and Mummy drew and painted all the characters that were around the room. She also made fantastic Belle cakes amongst other tasty delights!

Homestead Revival

2011-11-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

I have just come across this great blog....maybe some of you have visited it before, but I hadn't.

I have really enjoyed reading through and thought I would recommend it.

http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/

Where Have I Been?

2011-11-08T00:15:00.000-08:00

Life has been so busy recently, work at school, work at church, making Christmas gifts and a little sickness has kept me from here. We live in a beautiful area and sometimes I just like to go for a short drive and see what's happening 'round and about. These photo's were taken about 2 weeks ago and the leaves have now changed and I need to go out with my camera again. This Sunday is the twins 4th birthday so we will be travelling to Devon for the party. I have made my requested mini cup cakes. All the family there have been unwell too so I think when I arrive Thursday evening there will be a fair amount of catching up to be done before Saturdays party

Back at the Laptop

2011-10-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have been away from my laptop for a while. We had a good time away last week, a few days in Stratford upon Avon at a conference then to Devon to visit family. Some of which came back up with us to stay for the weekend. I was hoping to get lots of lovely photos of Stratford, being the home of Shakespeare but the camera that I took stopped working and the camera on my new phone isn't so good. I did find a great fabric shop selling Liberty at less than half price. I have quite a lots of Liberty collected over the years and plan on making myself a quilt at some point. I also picked up an advent calendar panel which I have planned for making up for some friends. The top two photos are of my disastrous attempt at free motion quilting...thought Hadley from Flying Blind would like a chuckle :)

Absent from the Lap Top

2011-10-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have had a really busy week and not found time to blog for a few days, now this coming week I am off to a conference with hubby then down to Devon for a couple of days to visit my Mum and grandchildren. I came across this old photo which is taken at our eldest daughters wedding in 2003...take a close look. My son,while at university (when I am sure he should have been working hard) did a bit of swapping around of faces. It always makes us chuckle.

When the going gets tough.....

2011-10-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

My daughter below, has always been an outdoor, camp fire kinda girl so when her cooker stopped working a couple of weeks ago she turned to the garden. They live on a very tight budget and have chickens and grow mushrooms. They are hoping to grow more vegetables in the future. My daughter loves to cook and bake..hopefully she will have her oven repaired soon.

with one of he orphans that they help support in Kwa Zulu Natal

Mushroom Stroganoff was on the menu this week

Sleeping Bags

2011-10-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Firstly, Gilby's op went well, he can now poke his tongue out and enjoying his dinner...thanks for your prayers.

The twins turn 4 next month, while they were in the US they went to the Charlie Brown museum, they have always liked Snoopy probably because they have a lovely vintage Snoopy poster on their bedroom wall. So for their birthday they are hoping to receive a Snoopy each and Charlie Brown for Maggie and Lucy for Primrose. I was asked by Mummy if I would make them each a sleeping bag. I used fabric which I had bought in the Millie Moon shop while on holiday....I knew I had a reason for buying it :)

at the hospital...probably before as he looks pretty alert!

Some Photo's

2011-10-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

I am in the middle of a few sewing projects so nothing finished to blog about. I did do a free motion quilting course this last week, I have always hand quilted but thought I would try it out....I was pretty rubbish at it so we will see if I ever get around to doing it again. I thought I would post some photo's of Grandchildren that I have taken from my daughters FB page. Gilby goes into hospital on Monday to have his tongue tie sorted, please pray for him.

busy boy

rascals

one very tired daddy and one oblivious baby!

too cool for school

this one made me laugh...looks like the girls have banished Gilby away for some reason

Hexagons and Grandsons

2011-10-12T09:47:00.001-07:00

Years ago I inherited a dustbin bag and hat box FULL of hexagons already cut, sewn to templates and bagged in individual fabric designs. Over time I have used many of these hexies for quilting projects. I also taught an African lady who was visiting our church for a year, how to make a quilt from them, she returned to Africa with bags of them to carry on at home.

When my daughter and her husband were staying with us before moving out to South Africa I taught her how to join the hexies and she put together a number of blocks but they left before I got around to teaching her how to put them into a quilt.

So I have just got around to appliquéing them onto a sheet to then put into a quilt for her.

Lets see how long this takes me !!

I have just received the photo's below of my Grandsons so thought I would add those too

Patchwork Cushion

2011-10-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Back in the Summer I posted this http://finelinenandpurple.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-treat.html about the bags of sewing bits that were passed onto me by a friend. The bits included some pieces of unfinished patchwork that had been started by my friends mother Mary who died a few years back when she was in her 90's. Well yesterday was Mary's Great Granddaughters 4th birthday so I completed some of the patchwork and made it into a cushion for her birthday.

Cornwall

2011-10-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

On our visit to Cornwall when my mother in law died we took time out on our own and drove around some of the areas near where we used to live when we were young and later when our children were young and where we have visited many times over the years since.

We love the sea and when ever possible make sure we spend time walking along beaches, sea fronts etc. So below are some of the photo's I took on that recent visit, the first five are taken in Mevagissey, a small fishing village. When I was young I would go with my father on a Sunday afternoon and buy fresh mackerel from the boats and then go home and cook them for tea...yum! The rest of the photo's are taken further along the coast towards the West at St Mawes

South Africa

2011-10-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

I have posted before about the work that my daughter and her husband do in South Africa and also about Sean and Rachel Macnamara, friends who are out helping them for a while. Well here is a video clip of them working in Mcetshwa Primary School

Friday

2011-10-01T00:57:00.000-07:00

So our weather here in the UK has been glorious this week, the days beginning misty, the sun slowly appearing and then just as I walk home from school at one-ish the heat is on!

Friday is our day off so we lunched at Ashridge (they have a great little outdoor cafe) we then took a drive through the surrounding countryside, to the windmill at Pitsone, back through the estate and home. Really nice day :)

An Evening of Fun

2011-09-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Back in March of this year I read a post on my friend Judy blog.http://justalittlesomethingforyou.blogspot.com The post was about a meal that her church puts on for mum's with young children. I thought this was a great idea and so our Women's Group decided to do something similar.

In our church we have a lady who owns a book publishing company

http://www.makebelieveideas.com/ You may have seen her books as she sells them to stores in the UK and USA. She has recently opened up a coffee shop which is geared up for young families. They not only sell great coffee and food but also have lots of toys, books, story times, make your own sandwiches and ice your own cakes sessions for children. I asked if we could borrow her cafe for our venue. We had a great time, lots of mum's from church came along, they brought friends and family and also Mum's from our Toddler Groups came too. We took the opportunity to advertise the Parenting Courses that we run.We served different lasagne's, beef, chicken, wheat free and vegetable versions. Together with lots of lovely deserts. The evening was a huge hit and I am sure we will repeat it in the future.

Thanks Judy for the great idea!

Home Again

2011-09-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

We are back home from Cornwall and my mother in laws funeral which was lovely and we couldn't have been more blessed with how it all went.

Just before we went I managed to finish the baby quilt I was making.

My daughter and her family returned from their month in USA. My children are all great at choosing gifts and my daughter brought me some lovely treats back. A vintage cake tin and tea towels, corn bread mix which we don't get here in the UK and jam made on the farm where they stayed for part of their trip. There were also a couple of old postcards, one dated 1909 and the other 1915. I found the briefness of the addresses amazing...one was addressed,

Mrs U Parriott

Bayard

Nebr

If we only put name, town and county on our mail these days it would never reach its destination!

2011-09-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

This photo is of my mother in law, Julia and her husband John. Taken in a restaurant just before she set the menu on fire with the candle!!

You may remember my post

http://finelinenandpurple.blogspot.com/2011/07/more-jam.html

Well it turns out that Julia didn't just have a fall but there was a reason for her collapsing...she had cancer on her brain. She had had two previous bouts of cancer, both of which she had fought successfully but it turns out that she had secondaries and last week she passed away. She was a great mother, mother in law, Grandmother and great grandmother and we all loved her, we loved how she loved us and all those quirky little Irish characteristics she so often portrayed.

We prayed that she would have no pain and that the Lord would take her in His time and He did. My husband was able to go and spend a few days with her at her home up until the day she died. Although not able to speak or get out of bed she knew he was with her and responded to his words.

We have the funeral on the 23rd and my husband will be taking the crematorium service.

While I was going through my family photos to find this one of the two of them I came across the baby photo's below and got a bit carried away.......I am so glad that Julia was able to see her great grandchildren and two weeks before she died she met little Gilby and my daughter in South Africa had to make an unexpected trip for visa purposes and was also able to go and pay her a long overdue visit. God is good!

Joseph on his first visit to UK

Jesse the day he came home, Mummy is just on the phone to me telling me he had arrived, the photo came through on the PC just as I was talking on the phone!

The day before twins were born

Maggie & Primrose

Gilby loving the ride...Maggie not so sure

Photo Shoot

2011-09-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

I though I would post some mor eof my sons photo's. These have just come out in the October issue of Harpers Bazaar. He took them in Devon, near where he grew up. Some are on Dartmoor and some on Burgh Island. I love the natural locations of the shots

Please check out this blog post

2011-09-12T05:02:00.000-07:00

We were away at the weekend and I will blog about that at a later date. In the mean time please visit my daughters blog and read this amazing story. I had a message from her on my blackberry when she was called from the shelter...she was speaking on the phone, giving instructions to the girls there and then letting me know what was happening. The final message...

Its a boy and he's screaming his head off...Praise the Lord!

http://littlefingersandfrosting.blogspot.com/

Baby Quilt

2011-09-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

We have just had a new baby join our extended family, Levi James has been born to our daughter in laws sister and her husband. Both their sets of parents are good friends of ours too so there is a new grandchild is in the midst!

Look here to see a post about the families

http://finelinenandpurple.blogspot.com/2009/09/inlaws-day.html

I waited to find out the sex then went through my stash. I had fabric left over from Gilby's quilt and other fabric that goes well together. I used lilac Toile de Jouy for the backing and 100% cotton batting.

I have just recently used the 505 basting spray on a quilt I am making for myself which worked really well but decided not to use it on a baby quilt as I am not sure if it gives off any fumes or not.

I have just booked on a course to learn to use a walking foot in quilting, It sort of went against the grain as I love to hand quilt, but sometimes its just good to get the job done. However, with this little quilt I will get the needle and quilting thread out and enjoy myself putting it all together

Trip to USA

2011-09-04T01:11:00.000-07:00

My daughter and her family have taken a trip to USA, they began in Seattle visiting a church there and are now travelling down to SF. So I have taken some photo's from their blog. At the moment they are staying at Pennington Farms in Oregon. Each year they take a photo of the twins sitting on a hay bale and I think looking at the photo below they will probably be carrying on the tradition with Gilby

Evening Drive

2011-09-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

We are blessed with beautiful countryside around where we live. Thursday evening was the first time we had seen blue sky for some time so I went for a drive and took some photo's. Within a few miles I drove through Ashridge, past Ivinghoe Beacon and stopped by Pitstone Windmill

From Ice Cream Scoops to Scoops Ice Cream

2011-09-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Today we went into London to meet our son Ben. It was his birthday last week but he was working so we took him for lunch today. We stopped at Scoops for icecream afterwards

REALLY nice!!!

Ice Cream Scoops

2011-08-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

I expect most have you have been using these scoops in different sizes for some time but I have only recently bought the smaller scoops. They are ideal for scooping muffin and cupcake mixture into cases. I have used the smallest scoop for making mini muffins for the twins packed lunches and the middle size scoop for regular muffins and cup cakes. They are also useful for making circular whoopie pies instead of the irregular shapes that come from using a spoon

Camping with the Twins

2011-08-31T02:28:00.000-07:00

While on holiday the twins came and camped with us for a couple of nights, the weather wasn't great but we had fun. And of course Mickey's came too.

Running races in PJ's

Crabbing

Supposedly going to sleep

Montgomery Moose is ready for bed

Plum Chutney

2011-08-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

I love making preserves and make lots so I can give them as gifts especially at Christmas. Today I have made Plum Chutney. I have used a different recipe from usual and have posted it below these photo's

Ingredients

Makes 4 x 450g jars

1kg large red plums

300g Bramley apples

300g onions

2 fat cloves garlic

1 heaped tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp crushed dried chilli

600ml cider vinegar

500g light brown soft sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cut plums in half, remove stones and place fruit in large preserving pan.

peel, core and slice apples, add to pan

Peel and finely chop onions and garlic, mix into fruit

2. Add the remaining ingredients, plus one tsp of salt and good grinding of black pepper

Bring mixture slowly to boiling point to allow sugar to dissolve

Reduce heat and simmer steadily for about 1 1/4 hours until thick and jammy

3. remove from heat and set aside for 5 mins. before pouring into clean sterilised jars.

Cover immediately and allow to cool completely before labelling.

Store in a cool place for 2 months before serving.

Vintage Kitchen Ware

2011-08-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

I love vintage kitchen ware and always look out for items when in charity and second hand shops.

Here are a few of my recent finds.

The plates are part of the Home Maker range made by Woolworths i the 50's. The bowls come in sets, I bought them separately and so I am looking for more sizes to go with them. The measuring cups are stainless steel.

What a Treat!

2011-08-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

While on holiday I met up with a good friend, after we had eaten she handed me a couple of carrier bags containing 'sewing bits' that had belonged to her mother Mary. Mary died 2-3 years ago when in her 90's, she had been a great sewer and knitter and I remember her knitting clothes for my eldest daughter when she was small.

Well I didn't look into the bags until yesterday and what a treat!!

I am sure Hadley from http://flyingblindonarocketcycle.blogspot.com/ will love the look of the Hexies!

Sean and Rachel in South Africa

2011-08-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

Back in 2009 I posted about my friend Jacqui, her son Sean. Sean his wife Rachel are good friends with my son Dominic and his wife Alice.

Here is the post http://finelinenandpurple.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-just-had-couple-of-lovely-days-with.html

Well Sean and Rachel have just given up their teaching jobs in London and flown out to South Africa to work for a few months with Project O the charity that my daughter and son in law run supporting children orphaned through HIV/Aids. Sean and Rachel will be a great help to Vashti and Martin and we are so grateful to them for giving up their time to go out there

Please check out their blog and see what they are doing with the children in Kwa Zulu Natal

http://seanandrachelinsouthafrica.blogspot.com

http://seanandrachelinsouthafrica.blogspot.com/

2011-08-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Just back from our holiday, I thought I would post some photo's of out trip, beginning in Wiltshire then travelling down to the West Country.

Wiltshire

St Ives, Cornwall

St Ives

Dartmoor, Devon

Kingswear, Devon

View from Dartmouth, Devon

Sunset over the campsite in Kingsbridge, Devon

The holiday was fun but pretty busy, taking time out with both of our mothers and also having the twins camp with us for a couple of nights which they loved...and so did we!

South Devon Chilli Farm

2011-08-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

While staying with my daugher and her family this week they took me to visit the South Devon Chilli Farm Apart from the wide range of different chilli's, from mild Pimientos de Padron pepper to the worlds hottest chilli, the Bhut Jolokia, they also have a shop and cafe which serves great food. The plants were lovely and I bought some seeds to grow. I think we will be making another visit when we are in Devon again in a couple of weeks time

Millie Moon

2011-07-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

While we were away at camp we visited a little town in Somerset called Frome. We have never been there before and I didnt know that it is the town where Millie Moon is situated in the quaint little high street. I have been on Millie Moon website lots of times so I was very excited to find myself in the shop. However...as we had extra people travelling with us to camp I knew I wouldn't be able to buy very much due to lack of space so I just bought the fat quarters below. Not sure where I will use them yet but couldn't come away with nothing!

Home....briefly

2011-07-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

We are back from our week of Bible Camp...great fun and good time of worship and teaching. My mother in law is now safely in a hospital in her home town in Cornwall and her husband managed to drive home from Ireland alone. I am off to Devon on the train on Sunday for a few days to help out at my daughter...cant wait to see these scally wags doing their ballet class on Tuesday. Don't know why I couldn't enlarge the bottom photo..it kept going out of focus

More Jam

2011-07-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

At last school is finished for the summer. This week has been pretty hectic, we are due to go to New Wine Bible camp tomorrow, then my mother in law had a fall and has become quite unwell while visiting her family in Ireland so my husband flew out early this morning to bring her back to Cornwall tomorrow night. So this leaves me to tow the camping trailer which I have never done before. Thankfully I have a couple of friends travelling with me. When my mother in law has been settled into a hospital he will then join me. We are really hoping for a time of refreshing, relaxation and most of all meeting with God.

Last week a friend and I went fruit picking and I made some more jam, I love berries!

Elephant Mobile

2011-07-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

My daughter asked if i would make a brightly coloured mobile to go above Gilby's cot. So I looked at a few ideas on the internet and decided to use felt. I made a paper pattern, drawing an elephant outline, cut out the felt, top stitched the two pieces of elephant together, leaving a small gap to fill with wadding and then finished off the stitching. I now need to find fine wire to use to make the bars for the elephant to hang from. I will try and remember to photograph the finished mobile.

Prada

2011-07-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

I thought you might like to see a couple of the photo's my son took for his Prada shoot. They were delighted with how it went.

Basket

2011-07-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

If you read my blog you will know I have a bit of a thing for baskets! This is one I have had for years, I like it because it zips up across the top but it is deep and dark and things can be lost for ever on the bottom. So I searched through my fabric stash for some strong, light coloured fabric. I drew a pattern on paper and made a lining for the basket, adding some side pockets, putting it in place and hand stitching around the top edge.

Village Summer Fete

2011-07-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the twins went to their Village Summer Fete

Mummy made cakes for the cake stall

They enjoy pony riding

And chilling on the bouncy castle

Proud Mum part 2

2011-07-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

This is our youngest son Dominic, he is singing at their church's Easter Service

Proud Mum

2011-07-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is our eldest son Ben, I hope he wont check out my blog because he will be embarrassed . But I am very proud of him...I am proud of all our children but today Ben is in Milan doing a photo shoot for Prada. He didnt study photography at university but has 'slipped' into it as a career, he is now freelance and working for magazines such as American Vogue, New York Times, Harpers Bazzar etc and companies like Levi, Top Shop etc. Prada is an amazing job to land, he works very hard and it is often very stressful but he does a great job

Rhubarb & Vanilla Jam

2011-07-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

I love making preserves, especially if I am using fruit or vegetables I have grown, since we have lived here however that hasn't been possible. In our old garden we had lots of plum, apple and pear trees and I used them to make jams and chutneys. Anyway, this weekend I went to a lovely farm shop that I like to visit and bought rhubarb to make jam and when the season arrives I will find a 'pick your own' and pick strawberries and other fruit to make more flavours.

Knowing my passion, my daughter bought me the labels and jar covers that I have used here, for my birthday

Rhubarb & Vanilla Jam

1kg rhubarb, trimmed weight

1 vanilla pod

1 kg sugar (I use jam sugar)

Method

Prepare rhubarb and cut into short lengths

Put into bowl

Split vanilla pod lengthways and extract sticky black seeds

Add seeds and split pod to fruit

Stir in sugar, cover bowl and leave in a cool place, ideally not the fridge, for 8 hrs or more.

When you go back to it the suger will have drawn out the juice from the fruit and vanilla will perfume it

Transfer contents into preserving pan, heat, stirring gently until sugar has dissolved

Bring to boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached, remove pod.

If a scum has formed, gently skim it off

I test for setting point by putting a saucer or small plate in the feezer to cool it, spoon a small drop of jam onto cold saucer, wait a few seconds and then push gently with finger. If the jam wrinkles it is ready to pot, if it doesnt then boil for a little longer

Pour jam into clean strerilised jars, cover and label

Persistence

2011-07-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

I have been reading this morning about the persistent faith of the Canaanite Woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Jesus speaks on a number occasions about us being persistent in our faith, in our requests and in our Walk. Of course this isnt the only point that this story brings out but it is what has spoken to me today. Not to just be persistent when things are tough but all the time.
I was then watching a short video clip of the twins having a surfing lesson with daddy, persistence is required on all parts in this!
(I dont know what has happened to my font colour...will have to sort it later )

No Time!

2011-07-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Following on from my last post, the family in SA are still on the farm, I am not sure of all the details and neither are they but they didnt have to move out by Friday and we are continuing to pray that they wont have to move out at all. Thank you for your prayers too!

I have had such a busy week I havent had time to blog. I have just finished a quilt for a competition and now I cant email the photo in to the magazine....I am guessing everyone is sending their photos at the same time and the system is overloaded because it just keeps coming back and the competition ends tomorrow!!!

So I thought as I have nothing else to post about I would add some photo's of my beautiful grandson Gilby Skipp...pretty cute eh?

URGENT PRAYER

2011-06-27T04:37:00.000-07:00

Please pray for my daughter and her family...they have just returned to South Africa, click on their prayer blog below to find out what is happening......

http://outofsa-withlove.blogspot.com/

Progression

2011-06-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well the Ercol day bed has progressed from the garage to the utility room, a little more of the dark varnish has been rubbed off and I have a magazine picture on my notice board to give me hope as to whet it will look like...soon. (not with red covers thought) The little Ercol coffee table below was dark wood until this week and it has now been rubbed down and waxed and is looking pretty good, it goes nicely with our larger Ercol coffee tableFor those who don't know of Ercol furniture this is taken from the website and we have been collecting old pieces of this furniture to renovate, for a number of years now.

'In 1920 a young designer called Lucian Ercolani started his own business in High Wycombe, the chairmaking capital of England. Here he perfected the technique of steam-bending wood in large quantities to form the famous Windsor Bow, and discovered how to 'tame' elm; a beautifully grained hardwood other furniture makers considered impossible to work with.

Design and people were the cornerstones of his company. This remains true of the family owned private company that continues his beliefs in the 21st century.'

Pottery

2011-06-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

The twins have been having pottery lessons for some time now, Maggie in particular really enjoys it and now that Parpar has a pottery wheel in his garage so much fun is to be had!

(still waiting for the Ercol Sofa to be finished though)

Busy Days

2011-06-20T02:07:00.000-07:00

We have had lots of busy days, running, climbing, eating, kissing over the kissing gate (that took a while with everyone having to do a kiss!) I managed a few posed photos like the bottom one here...you want to know how? Well I have in my camara case some 'photo sweeties' and if we all sit nicely without pulling any silly faces and manage not to wriggle, then we get a chocolate button each!

Poppies

2011-06-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

The family are still with us, half leave tomorrow and the other half fly back to SA on Thursday...we have had a very busy time and so I havent been able to check out blogs for a while.This week on one of our trips out we came across this field of beautiful poppies.

Family

2011-06-10T00:19:00.000-07:00

Our family from South Africa have arrived and the rest are arriving this evening...not much time to post but I thought I would add these great photos. A photographer friend of theirs in SA did a lovely photo shoot of the family on the farm where they live and work with orphans....thought you may like to take a look at a sample of them

The Cotswolds

2011-06-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

We have returned from our trip to The Cotswolds and had a relaxing time. The rain stopped after the first night but as the sun didnt really shine until our last day, my photo's are a little dull. I love photographing achitecture and so a visit to this area is especially exciting for me. I hope you enjoy scrolling down through the photos below. We will certainly be planning another visit soon.

Jumpers

2011-05-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Even though South Africa is a warm country, during their winter season the weather can become a little chilly and so my daughter asked me if I would knit jumpers for the boys....here they are wearing them. The photos are taken with a Blackberry and then sent to me so they are not as clear as they would be taken with a camera. These two little chaps will be here on 8th June...very excited!

French Basket

2011-05-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for one of these baskets for a while, I could have bought one online but I didnt really want to pay the prices they are asking. My daughter has a number of these in different sizes, she uses them for carrying washing, toys and beach stuff as well as packing them full of their luggage when they come up to visit us. She bought hers in France.

Yesterday when we were out visiting a market town near where we live we found there was a French street market and I found this basket at a very reasonable price.

So today I went through my fabric to find something to line the basket with, I found some Toile de Jouy that I have had for some years. I used a piece of denim to make a pocket for each side. I will be packing it up on Monday when we leave for a few days trip in our little caravan we are travelling over to the Cotswolds

2011-05-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

I realise that I haven't posted on here for two weeks, I have, however, been taking a look at your blogs....just havent had the time to post. We went to Wales last weekend to spend a few days with my sister and her husband. I have posted before about my sister finding us here We had a lovely weekend and the first four photos below were taken in Wales.

On Wednesday evening this week some of our Women's Group went for an evening walk (4 miles). It was a lovely evening.

I am very excited at the moment, my daughter and her family are arriving in the UK from South Africa on 8th June, I have tried to stay calm until they had the boys visas in their hands which they have today! . We have had a couple of times in the past when these things have been held up in SA and taken ages or not come through at all.We havent seen the boys for nearly a year. My other daughter and her family will also be coming to stay and so we are hoping that we will have one day when the whole family are together which hasnt happened since our sons wedding in Sept 2008!

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Fuffly Marshmallow FIlling

2011-05-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. Yesterday we went into London and met up with our sons and daughter in law (its also her birthday today) We went and had lunch in Wahaca Mexican restaurant in Covent Garden. We have been before and its lovely!

Today we went to church, I then made these lovely little cakes from my new recipe book that one of my sons gave me The Whoopie Pie Book by Claire Ptak of Violet, a baking company in East London which is near where my son lives and pops in to get a coffee etc.

They are really yummy and the filling is like the Fluff you can buy in jars....I know to all you Americans these are probably nothing new, (it says in the book that they originated in the US in the 1920's probably by the Amish) but over here in the UK Whoopie Pies are the new Cup Cakes.

Here is the recipe of the pies I made today

Chocolate Whoopie Pie

Makes about 9 large or 24 small

175g plain flour

100g cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

125g unsalted butter, softened

200g sugar

1 lge egg

225ml buttermilk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 c/gas 4

line 2 trays with baking paper

In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, bicarb & baking powder. stir in salt and set aside

In separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy

Add egg and mix well

Add buttermilk and vanilla and beat well

Slowly add dry ingredients in 2 batches, mixing until just incorporated.

Chill for 30 mins

Drop 18 large or 48 small scoops of batter, about 5 cm apart, onto baking trays.

Bake in middle of oven for 10-12 for large and 8-10 for small whoopies, until the cakes ar impression when touched with finger.

Remove and cool on a rack left with a slight.

Spread or pipe a generous :) scoop of Fluffy Marshmallow Filling onto the flat surface and top with another whoopie. I found if you put a nice round dollop on the base and dont spread it out, just put the top and press down gently..it then looks really nice!! (making my mouth water typing it out)

Fluffy Marshmallow Filling

3 egg white

150g sugar

2 tblsp golen syrup

pinch salt

1 tsp pure vailla extract

Weigh all ingredients into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of boiling water

Whisk continuously by hand until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is frothy and slightly opaque (about 10-15 mins)

Remove from heat and whip the mixture on high speed in mixer until it is white and thick and holds shape

Use straight away

Nice Fabric!

2011-05-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

When it was Mothers Day in the UK my eldest son was working in New York (He's a fashion photographer) so I didnt get my gift from him until I saw him over Easter...he knows what I like, while in NY he visited some antique shops up state and he bought me this piece of 50's fabric. He suggested I use it to make a couple of small cushions for the Ercol Day Bed that we have in our garage...waiting for my husband to finish rubbing it down so I can make new foam cushions for the base and back. I have all the fabric ready and waiting but cant start until the woodwork is finished and I have bought the foam.

I love the 50's styles that are making a come back. I am not sure who has designed this piece of fabric but I especially like fabrics designed by Lucienne Day. Along with her husband and fellow designer, Robin Day and other designers including Ray and Charles Eames, Lucienne was part of a design movement that is now known as Mid-centry Modern.

I am really looking forward to the daybed being finished!

Lucienne Day

Prayer Request

2011-05-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

I am sending out a prayer request. As most of you readers will know, my eldest daughter and her husband are missionaries in South Africa. www.project-o.org.za They support and build homes for children who have been orphaned through HIV/Aids. Finances are always a constant battle. But we know from past experience God always comes through for them. At the moment they are having vehicle problems (this is a regular prayer request)...they are either breaking down or in this case the monthly installments are stacking up!

Hebrews 11:1 says

'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen'

Keith Hudson says " The few who are willing to stand in the gap praying will make the difference between and battle won and a battle lost"

Thank you for standing with us!

Dressing Up!

2011-05-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

I thought I would add some more photos as I havent had time to post about anything specific. I can only take credit for the bottom one as my son in law took the others.

The twins love the opportunity to dress up, today they went to the grand opening of the new playpark in their village and it was fancy dress, they went as Yogi and a bumble bee. My daughter had bought the main part of the costumes in a charity shop. They had been hand made by some clever person, and today she added the bee's head part with antennae and Yogi's hat, collar, tie and picnic basket. She did a great job!

Last week they went to their second cousins birthday which was held at a pony place so they wore their Woody PJ tops and hats.

The last two photos are of them having fun with their uncles!

The Royal Wedding

2011-05-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I drove down to Devon to spend a couple of days with my Mum and then one day and night with my daughter and family. I had arranged to sit with my Mum and watch the wedding, I took scones, strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream and made a cream tea for us to eat while watching!

We really enjoyed the coverage of the wedding, I liked the fact that the whole wedding had a stronge spiritual emphasis and that William and Katherine had written their own prayer.I pray that God will bless their marriage and life together.

When the wedding was over I took my Mum for a drive across Dartmoor where we found an ice cream van and stopped to eat a cone each in the car. While our children were growing up we lived in Devon and spent many a lovely day picnicing on the moors and paddling in the lovely cool streams. Such a great place for children to grow up. And now some of my grandchildren are enjoying the same upbringing, moors and beaches what could be better!

Lazy Saturday Afternoon

2011-04-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today we didnt need to leave the house, we had so much fun in the garden and hardly came in the house all day....even had a little nap out doors too

Bluebells

2011-04-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

We live in a beautiful part of the UK and near to out home is Ashridge Park, around the beginning of May the bluebells arrive, however because of the warm weather this April they have arrived early. This is the first time the twins have been visiting when they have been out. We had a lovely walk, the photos really dont so them justice and the aroma was amazing

Sabbatical

2011-04-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

We have just returned home after a weeks sabbatical in Sussex. We stayed at a Christian retreat place called West Watch, in the Ashdown Forest which is run by some friends of ours, we have been before and always have a relaxing time. There is no mobile phone reception or internet which adds to the relaxation. We stay in a little cottage, the gardens are beautiful and are visited by many different birds. The weather was lovely and we took our sports car and travelled around the countryside with the hood down!

We took a trip to Hastings and visited my cousin, walking from her hosue down to the Old Town for fish and chips and a walk along the beach

Another day we went further along the South Coast and visited Eastbourne, eating sandwiches on the beach

We are now home and ready (did I say ready?) for a busy week ahead with family visitng and the Easter programme at church

Trip to visit the President

2011-04-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

GuGu, the Presidents daughter

President Jacob Zuma

This is what I wanted to post about yesterday but couldn't because of my uploading problems.

If you check out my daughters blog she explains it all much better than I can

http://littlefingersandfrosting.blogspot.com/

My son in law is now on his way back from visitng and spending the night with the President of South Africa! Quite an odd thought really. I have only received a brief message from my daughter saying that Martin had had an amazing time, they had dinner together and stayed up chatting until after 11pm. I am looking forward to hearing more.

Back to Normal!

2011-04-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

Fantastic...I am back to normal thanks to someone who answered my question on 'help'. Just had to click the 'Compose' button and not the HTML one.

These are some chicks that have hatched on my daughters little farm...cute eh?