When You're Smiling...

At last all the dental treatment is completed [and paid for] My implant is in place, and I look forward to better eating experiences in the days ahead. I am not planning any more visits to the dentist till after Easter. 

Another bit of good news - my new satnav system took me on a different route, which was much better than either of the other two routes I've used in the past. Win-win!

I arrived in really good time and actually got my day's 30 minutes of knitting done before my appointment. 

Typing this at 5.30am, having been curled up in an armchair all night watching the "Race to the White House", drifting in and out of sleep. Right now it's looking very much like Trump has won. Not the result I was hoping for. Praying that whatever the final outcome, there will be no civil unrest in coming days. 

Autumn Stitching

My latest CoverStory Parcel arrived on Saturday morning [thanks K]

There was a cute little book of ideas for hand-stitched felt, a postcard with news and chat, the notebook explaining Kirsten's October stitching - and then, wrapped in tissue, the stitching itself.

Beautiful Autumn leaves, worked on Corinne LaPierre felt. Neat

Applique
All sorts of stitching, backstitch, stem stitch, French Knots etc. Behind the three leaves are trailing vines.
The bright red berries are pops of colour bringing extra life to the piece.
And the use of the print fabric is so much more interesting than just a plain beige background. This is a superb piece! It sums up 'Fall' so well

I took my October inspiration from a piece of fabric which came in an 'inspiration' pack from the Emporium in Wymondham . Printed in orangey-peach it is reproductions of vintage advertisements. 

There are ads for face creams, watches, typewriters and "Lime Water" [this was a very popular remedy for dyspepsia, mixed with a little milk]

I thought the clocks going back made this a good piece to work on, but during the month, I had problems with heartburn, and also an unexpected chat about typewriters. So definitely the Fabric of the Month. 

I decided to use 'slow stitching' to outline some of the pictures. I used a variegated thread in autu colours [red, amber, gold, brown and green] and varied thickness using both 1 and 2 strands. I outlined the whole piece with tiny blanket stitch.

I enjoyed this one. Our piece if fabric is getting covered with patches- we may not have room for twelve as originally intended.
My November idea is still 'in my head' but I know it will be smaller and narrower when I do get it done! 
More info on my parcel to Kirsten here

I am plodding away at my November Knitting Challenge - and thrilled to have had so much support from friends near and far- thank you all

Happy Birthday, Bob!

This year has certainly had its ups and downs - lots of great family times and celebrations, good involvement with the community, but also health issues. Through it all you have remained cheerful and positive.
I was talking with Rosie about people who inspire us - and she mentioned a few famous characters [contemporary and historical] and then she said "and Grandad"
Have a happy birthday - we all love you so much! God bless you today and always

Take Comfort...

My apologies- only when I went to turn the calendar to November, did I realise I had not posted the October picture!
"The Lord Will Provide!" was something I remembering parents and grandparents quoting to me since I was a young child. I am nearly 70 now - and I can honestly say God always has provided what I have needed 
That's not necessarily all I have wanted or asked him for. I love that quote from Ruth Bell Graham [wife of evangelist Billy] "It is a good job Gopd does not always answer our prayers by giving us what we have asked for. Otherwise I should have married the wrong man ...several times!"

The Play's The Thing

Board Games are enjoying a surge in popularity. At my conference the other weekend,someone brought a stack of about 30 for people to try out. When a strategy game like"'Carcassonne" will set you back about thirty quid, you want to be sure you like it before you shell out you hard earned dosh. The trad games,like Scrabble, Monopoly etc retain their popularity. In the summer, we enjoyed Cluedo with Julian one evening.

But I want to flag up a excellent company which produces games for children - and it's based just a few miles away from here, in the Norfolk town of Wymondham [pronounced Windham by the way] 

There are quite a few of the Orchard Toys which are enjoyed in our family. Shopping List is suitable for 3-7 year olds, with 2-4 players. 

And a while back, I picked up Greedy Gorilla in a CS. You often see these boxed games going for a pound or two and they are worth getting.

The great thing about these games is that they avoid using plastic wherever possible - perhaps a few counters and a dice, but certainly not many little plastic bits to get lost!

Greedy Gorilla does need a battery though. Because as you turn over the cards, healthy foods go onto your playing board, but unhealthy stuff is fed to the gorilla, who then burps loudly! This makes the game very popular with small children.
Rosie's set has a flat battery - so on Saturday we all had to make our own burps [even more laughter]

You often see these games in Lidl and Aldi too - I got the Manchester boys a box of 3 dinosaur games in the summer.
When Liz and Steph were small, I tried to get them Ravensburger games, which were good quality, and designed to be enjoyable and educational. Orchard Toys are similar.

There are other benefits too 

• an excellent website, easy to find what you want, sorted by age and subject
• a blog with news and ideas
• lots of free downloadable printables
• a replacement service if parts do go missing, or you lose your instructions

This is a quite unsolicited recommendation - but in the run up to Christmas, if you have little ones to buy gifts for, please do take a look at this company. Their prices range from £3 stockingfillers to complex jigsaws  for £16 [designed for older children, these come with posters and fact books included in the box] Personally I'd rather buy something produced in Norfolk than shipped across the world. And I would rather sit round the dining table as a family playing a game than have everyone sitting playing on their own screens. 

A Girls' Day Out

Yesterday I took Rosie and Jess into Norwich on my own, the other adults were all busy. We had lots of fun. We began at The Museum Of Norwich [at the old Bridewell prison] where there was a lovely scavenger hunt, throughout the museum, following the orange clues from one exhibit to another. Nothing to write down or scores to keep, just a fun trip - and stickers at the end.
Then we went to one of the rooms where there was a 'make a black cat' activity - well organised with card, pritt, templates, safety scissors etc. Obviously Jess needed a fair bit of help, Rosie managed virtually unaided. The other family who were round the table with us clearly enjoyed it too. I got into conversation with the Gran, who didn't realise there were benefits to having her own Museums Pass, if she was regularly bringing grandchildren to the different Museums. 

Onto Bill's for lunch. The girl's food was free [half term offer] I only paid for our drinks and my  salad.

They cleared their plates, and enjoyed their desserts.

The Waterstones to look at books. I did not buy this family game. It was £13, and anyway the answer to the question is "It was probably the person who is taking Omeprazole meds for acid reflux" Jess is delightful - she enjoys 'riding' the vehicles in the Castle Mall even if nobody has put a coin in the slot to make them move! 

The girls bought some Lego and an Elsa Doll. Then we came home, via Aldi, where the scary assistant, with a white painted face and black horns, dressed as Maleficent was frightening small customers. No it wasn't fun, and quite unnecessary imho.

We had a lot of laughs together. As we walked back to the CarPark, I encouraged them to speed up so we would be back before we got charged for an extra hour. Jess was still pointing out things of interest as we trotted down the street.

"Come on Jess, hurry up. We've no time for pleasantries right now" declared Big Sister. I was flabbergasted at this phrase. Has she been reading Jane Austen??

Such a joy and privilege to be with them all day. Thank you girls!

No wonder my mice are not selling. These ones are only a fiver in a certain Danish Gift shop. They are imported from China. I cannot compete...

Did You Get This One?

It was only half a minute long, and to be honest, it didn't click at first. I read the final words on screen... Decorate it, cook it, eat your pumpkin. HUBBUB.

What's all that about? What is Hubbub?

It turns out that Hubbub is an environmental charity, and this is their campaign to avoid the annual Halloween food waste. Apparently 14.5 million pumpkins go to waste every year. Three in five ** people will buy a pumpkin, and half of those fruits will be carved and then discarded. HUBBUB has a whole website dedicated to encouraging people to keep their pumpkins whole, decorating the outside - then after Halloween, to peel them and use the flesh for tasty  meals. Eat them, not waste them. 

This Hubbub campaign has apparently been running all through October, but I confess I only came across it on Tuesday.

Carving pumpkins and dressing up for Halloween has never been my thing. However I the past I've found outlets actually giving away the unsold fruits on November 1st, and made soups, pies, cakes and curries. 

I wholeheartedly approve of the intentions behind Hubbub's campaign, but I wonder how many people are aware of it? 

Do your family carve pumpkins? 

And what do you do with the flesh? 

[**I'm not sure I actually believe this statistic]