Well, this week I have been pretty productive, even though I say so myself!
A cot quilt which has already sold (yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!). It was cute though a patchwork of carebears....
Then I made a doll's sets. You know the sort with a quilt for a doll's bassinet and a matching Pillow. I used the My Little Pony theme - might be useful as a Christmas gift for a lucky little girl!
Then also made a bassinet patchwork quilt with Strawberry Shortcake theme - berry cute!!!!!
To finish, a couple of security blankies, one for a boy and one for a girl, just to be politically correct:)
Well, must away to my other blog to do another interview on http://preciousquilts.wordpress.com
See you soon!
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Maldives
Today, our kids talk about going for the ultimate luxury holiday to the Maldives a group of islands in the Indian Ocean. They spend thousands of pounds on accommodation which consists of huts on stilts in the ocean from which they can dive and snorkle etc. These packages include all food and drink. Sounds wonderful!
I remember when I went there in the late 60s early 70s but not on holiday. I used to fly in regularly to an island called Gan where there was only one woman who lived there on any sort of permanent basis whilst sharing the island with a few hundred men! Believe me, whenever a woman arrived on the island, everyone knew about it and that woman could look dreadful but always be treated like a million dollars. Gan used to be the safest place I have ever been to. I loved to walk out at night and do so on my own without any problems at all. Why??????????????????
This was Royal Air Force Gan and I then worked in the Royal Air Force as a Loadmaster on VC10 aircraft! As part of aircrew I used to fly in there roughly twice a month on a journey that took me from UK, Bahrain, Gan (transit) and onwards to Singapore and/or Hong Kong. Then the return journey departed Singapore/Hong Kong, Gan, Cyrpus - all RAF bases. In Gan we stayed for anything from 24 hours to 5 days and we were paid too! It was great for us who travelled regularly but for those men who had to spend from 9 - 13 months on an unaccompanied tour, it was hard. You can have too much sun, sand and beer.
Still, that is another story for another time!
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Double yellow lines
I just have to mention something that really bugs me!!!
This probably means more to those of you who live in UK. In some places we have double yellow lines painted at the side of the road by the kerb. This means you are not to park - reason being it is dangerous because the road could be narrow with loads of traffic and we all want to keep the traffic flowing, don't we? So, why or why do some people insist on parking on the double yellow line, obstructing everyone. AAaaaaaaaah, it's obviously OK, because they have their 'flashing' lights switched on! PPPPPPPPPPPppppppppppplease!
If you or I did that, we would have the long arm of the law upon us and rightly so. Some people just think it OK to flaunt the law which was made for common sense to prevail and try to make life easier for others!
What do you think?
This probably means more to those of you who live in UK. In some places we have double yellow lines painted at the side of the road by the kerb. This means you are not to park - reason being it is dangerous because the road could be narrow with loads of traffic and we all want to keep the traffic flowing, don't we? So, why or why do some people insist on parking on the double yellow line, obstructing everyone. AAaaaaaaaah, it's obviously OK, because they have their 'flashing' lights switched on! PPPPPPPPPPPppppppppppplease!
If you or I did that, we would have the long arm of the law upon us and rightly so. Some people just think it OK to flaunt the law which was made for common sense to prevail and try to make life easier for others!
What do you think?
Monday, 10 September 2007
The Prom in the Park!
After eight weeks of the very best in classical music at both the Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall, it's time for The Last Night of the Proms. For over ten years now, the BBC have opened the festivities out to thousands more people than can fit in the Royal Albert Hall by holding an al fresco party in Hyde Park.
The idea was so successful that it has been emulated across the United Kingdom at venues in all principalities. The Last Night Prom in Hyde Park has become something of an institution in its own right, especially as Terry Wogan is on hand to present the whole affair! The concept is simple: each outdoor venue has one of the BBC orchestras to play the first half of the concert live and then the famous second-half shindig, including all the traditional sing-a-long favourites, is beamed onto a massive screen direct from the Royal Albert Hall.
So many years of watching all the fun on the TV, we decided that this year we wanted to be part of it. So, we bought our tickets in May to make sure of getting them as they are sold out very quickly!!
We left home at around 2pm to meet up with our son and his fiancee in London. Travelling by car to London proved the best option bearing in mind that we had a couple of picnic cool bags with us crammed with food. When we joined up we managed to check out the food and make sure we had plenty of booze as well. More importantly that we had not forgotten anything!
At 4.30 pm the gates opened but we got there around 5ish. We couldn’t rush to find a space. We were carrying far too much in the way of refreshments! On entry to the Park, rubbish bags were handed out, jute tote bags per person. Each with a rainhat, plastic cloak and some paper bionolucars.
We learnt a lot this time and will make things a lot simpler next year. As we thought we would not be allowed any chairs we just brought a large blanket to place on the ground. Plastic plates, cutlery, wine glasses and larger ones to hold the Pimms. Next year, we bring the chairs because it was extremely uncomfortable sitting on the ground for any length of time - must be getting old. However, after a few Pimms and beers the ache seemed to go away :)
To be honest, it didn't really matter to us what musical acts are performing. Just as well as the first few warm up bands were not that brilliant. Most of the fun of the Proms in the Park is the friendly banter, and interaction that goes on with those around you, and of course, the last hour, when we join up via a giant screen to the Albert Hall where the main programme has been played, for the finale that everyone knows and loves.
We began the evening with the Bootleg Beatles, who had everyone rocking in the aisles. That was probably just as well, because it was a tade chilly! We had several orchestral pieces from the BBC Concert Orchestra throughout the night, beautiful singing from Lesley Garrett, the opera singer. She not only sang popular opera songs, but also a selection from the famous London Musicals, like “On My Own” from Les Miserables. She was joined by the equally talented Argentinian opera singer, Jose Curras, who was absolutely brilliant.
This year, the Park was wowed by the Ladysmith Black Mambaza singing group, who made 3 short appearances on the stage at various times during the evening.
The whole evening was held together by Sir Terry Wogan, who does a splendid job every year. An Irish man with a brilliant gift of the gab who is brilliant at this sort of thing.
Of course the highlight of the whole night is always the singing of the patriotic tunes when we join up with the Albert Hall. It is a wonderful sight to see all the flags waving, and people on their feet for “Land of Hope and Glory” and “Rule Britannia”, as well as “Jerusalem” and “Auld Lang’s Syne”. My voice was very hoarse the next day - so much singing!!!!
At the end, as everyone files out to the various railway and tube stations, the party continues, with the playing of “It’s such a lovely day….I’m glad that I shared it with you”. We also get a wonderful fireworks display, which of course they miss out on at the Albert Hall.
The Last Night of the Proms in the Park is definitely a highlight of the year. I am already looking forward to the next one.
Tickets go on sale in May for the current season’s event. We will book ours as soon as possible and it is best not to leave it too late, as there is a capacity limit of around 40,000, and every year it is a sell out.
This year, we booked our tickets on-line, as you can't buy them at the gate. Obviously there are the various ticket touts but the prices charged did not seem too bad. We paid £23 each which is avery reasonable amount to pay for a brilliant afternoon and evening out.
Of course, the weather plays its part. Luckily, it remained dry if a little chilly but we had all brought fleeces with us and what with the singing and laughing, we managed to keep warm.
One of the great things to do during an evening like this is to 'people watch'. Boy, do you see the sights!!! And I was fascinated to see what people were eating and drinking. We had far too much, quiche,cheese straws, olives, chicken pie, salads, cookies, cake. You name it, we had it!!!!
If, like me, you enjoy community singing, and fancy seeing the Proms in an informal setting, I don’t think you can beat the Proms in the Park. Indeed, I think we get a better variety, and a better atmosphere in the Park, than they do at the Albert Hall.
After all, 40,000 people can’t all be wrong, can they?
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Craftzooka!
Now here is a fun site to explore! This is a brand new website that acts like a social craft gallery. It is up to you to promote and publish crafts that you like most to the "Popular Projects" page. In doing so these projects will be seen by more people and will be considered the Top Projects on the site and in each catagory. Everyone that submits projects is encouraged to also browse and vote.
It is easy to use and very people friendly. You can upload your pictures directly from Etsy or another site. All you need do is provide a brief description plus a few tags with the photograph - that's all! No selling as such, just promoting - and it's FREE! Initially, this was a beta site meaning that it was only available to Etsy people so that any wrinkles could be ironed out. It meant that it was being tested and modified while it was being used as a live site. As of yet it has not been widely publicised or promoted but the site is growing fast - now 150+ strong and increasing by the minute. Go to the Etsy forums and you will find that it is being promoted there now.
It is a brilliant place to meet old friends and loads of new ones. There are categories into which to place your items so that others can find a particular product easily. Go have a look and you won't be disappointed! See you there craftzooka.com
It is easy to use and very people friendly. You can upload your pictures directly from Etsy or another site. All you need do is provide a brief description plus a few tags with the photograph - that's all! No selling as such, just promoting - and it's FREE! Initially, this was a beta site meaning that it was only available to Etsy people so that any wrinkles could be ironed out. It meant that it was being tested and modified while it was being used as a live site. As of yet it has not been widely publicised or promoted but the site is growing fast - now 150+ strong and increasing by the minute. Go to the Etsy forums and you will find that it is being promoted there now.
It is a brilliant place to meet old friends and loads of new ones. There are categories into which to place your items so that others can find a particular product easily. Go have a look and you won't be disappointed! See you there craftzooka.com
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Sale Corner!
Occasionally I will show items that are for sale from me direct which can be paid for using Paypal. Always check to see shipping charges which will need to be added to the item amount!
For regular prices check out my Etsy shop, as well as my sister shop on Etsy which also sells encaustic art http://onawhimsey.etsy.com
Some paintings can be bought directly from my website http://onawhimsey.com
For regular prices check out my Etsy shop, as well as my sister shop on Etsy which also sells encaustic art http://onawhimsey.etsy.com
Some paintings can be bought directly from my website http://onawhimsey.com
Some samples of my present & past work to give you inspiration for that special gift!
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