Birthday

On Thursday we celebrated my mother's 90th birthday. After a family meal at a local hotel, we returned home for the cake..........

............ with more family members and friends.

More pictures on Flickr.

This picture was taken around her first birthday when World War One was still being fought.

First

My BSJ was placed first in the knitting section of the Albury Produce Show. Don't know what the competition was though as I didn't manage to go, my cousin entered it on my behalf. I also entered a photograph, but that wasn't successful.

Stash

I've had a good sort through my stash recently. The wardrobe is tidier.......

............ the boxes 'out back' are organised and some very old UFOs have been reduced to this......

My WIPs are neatly bagged up, and untangled, and are going to be completed in an orderly way.

I've sorted a box of odd balls to go to Freecycle and made a resolution to buy only quality yarns, with a project in mind, in the future.

So what do I do? Only order Texere's Big Box of Balls! Well it was a bargain, and will help to fill the gap my sorting out has left.

ASJ and Invasion.

Has it really been ten days since I last posted? Well, at least I haven't been idle. The ASJ is complete! I give you the front..........

and the back ...........

I've also been invaded, by insects. I live quite happily with ants in the garden and don't use any poisons, unlike my neighbours who are out spraying at the first sign of anything with more than four legs. Unfortunately, the conservatory has been built over an ants nest, and they swarmed inside the other day. I must admit they've done a great job disposing of their dead companions (the flying ants die after their nuptial flight) but there are still quite a few running around, so I've had to put some bait down which hopefully will solve the problem.

Rather more serious is this.......

........ a wasp's nest inside my cavity wall. They're going in and out next to the patio door so will have to be removed before they start to get aggressive in the autumn.

Happy 4th.......

........... to any readers from across the pond. Steven went off to day care suitably dressed this morning.

We had an early start this morning when three hefty young men arrived to turn this.......

...........into this............

Can you spot what has gone? Yes, the very large buddleia which was blocking my view is no more. I can see the Clee hills again, (when it isn't misty or raining.)The butterflies will miss it but I won't, and I can see a beautiful rose rambling along the trellis. Probably an English rose from David Austin. who is just down the road.

BTW, does anyone else get reminded of Monty Python when they encounter Tree Surgeons? NonPC now I suppose, but I do get the urge to start singing!

Thoughts on Terrorism

I heard on the news this morning that one of the men being held on suspicion of the recent car bomb attempts in London and Glasgow, was a hospital Doctor. It makes you wonder how someone dedicated to saving lives, could be plotting to kill people.

It takes me back to the 1970s, when I worked in a residential nursery, in London, and shared the care of six babies, with an Irish nurse, a pleasant girl, easy to get on with, kind and loving towards the children. She went on holiday and never returned. The next thing we knew was that the police were looking for her in connection with bomb plots. Her flat had been searched, and explosives found under her bed. As far as I know, she has never been found, although her boy friend was arrested some time later. I had great difficulty in believing that the person I had been working with was a terrorist bomber.

Back to more mundane matters. I have been working on the ASJ and made a little progress, the front bands are nearly complete and I've chosen the buttons. Just the sleeves to finish. Not much point in showing a picture as it hasn't changed much from the last time.

I got a little diverted by another BSJ (baby clothes are so quick to make!) This is intended for a village show later in the month. I used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.