31 December 2020 Photo Hunt - Own Choice

Once again I'm joining with Hawthorn in the last photo hunt of 2020.

I have struggled to find a theme for Own Choice that encapsulates 2020 as it draws to a close.  So there will be more than one photo!  Apologies if I've already shared these with you but they represent what I hope 2021 will bring.

Crafting - hope I never stop, be it crochet or quilting or anything!

For Project Linus.

For me!

For me too.

Nature - be it in my garden or out on walks.

In our garden.

Out on a local walk, he's called Red.

Outside the kitchen patio doors.

In our garden, Bull Finch.

In our garden.

One of my favourite birds in our garden.

Take care everyone and I wish you peace for 2021.

18 December 2020 Photo Hunt - Tree

Oooh, tree is the word this week.  Once more I'm linking up with Hawthorn so click here to return to see the other contributors.

It's the time of year for Christmas trees.  As a child my mother would have a real tree and decorating it was her job.

Roll on the years when I did not live at home and I never had a Christmas tree.  Either there was not the space for one or I found the cost too high for only a few weeks.  Many years ago my sister-in-law gifted me the cutest little tree with 12 miniature decorations.

Here it is, just over 12" high.

It comes out every year.

Some of the decorations feature little Teddy bears, so cute.

Roll on a few more years and we'd been in this house for about 20 months when a few people said I did have the room for a Christmas tree.  But I did not want an artificial one (no easy place to store it afterwards) and a real one, even if I put it in a pot and kept it for the following year, was not feasible as the tree's location is upstairs and I didn't fancy getting it up the stairs......  so I decided to make my own tree, an alternative but still joyful tree.  Yarn bombing events I'd seen on-line and locally got me thinking so here is the story of my tree.

It's November 2016 now.

First find my stick! Then carry it

back from the old house to this house

and noticing people giving me funny looks as I did this!

One of my dearest friends says I'm bonkers.....

Once home, I smuggled it into the house without Beloved seeing it and ......

My original plan was to stand it here next

to where I often sit but I felt this was not 

the ideal location so I moved on to 

preparing it while pondering where to 

display it.

I raided all my yarn stash and found bright, multicoloured

yarns and started to yarn bomb the branches.  I was not

spotted doing this in the small bedroom/my craft room!

I used bottle green for the main stem.

I ran some PVA glue down for a few inches and then wound the

yarn around; trying to support the stick as I did this was a

challenge and, yes, I found I had glue on my fingers and

occasionally my clothes.....

Here it is today, well the other week when we had a bit of snow!

I have bright red lights on it and it is decorated with a mixture

of shop bought, hand-made and gifted decorations.

Another view - I do love my tree.

Some of the decorations.

Can you see the fluffy robin?

And yet another view!

Of course some of the shop-bought

decorations are edible.

There's even gold coins to find...

When January 2017 rolled round I started to remove the tree but Beloved said it had to stay!  So now it is permanently here, with the lights on when it gets dark but the Christmas decorations are replaced with non-Christmas ones for most of the year.

But the tree saga continues!

December 2019 and I've got another

yarn-bombed stick.  Red lights again.

This just has various ornaments

hanging from it.

Recently my friend expressed a wish to have her own twig (her description) so I found one for her and she has yarn-bombed it too.  As she was doing this her grandchildren supported her but everyone else (adults!) thought she was bonkers.  Now the tree is finished with lights and decorations, the adults have changed their minds!

So until Thursday 31 (the next photo hunt) I hope you all have a peaceful Christmas and thank you for taking time to look at my posts.

Bye!

11 December 2020 Photo Hunt Baking

Yet another week has whizzed by but I'm still joining in with Hawthorn at I live, I love, I craft, I am me....  Do return to her post to see who else has posted photos, hopefully yummy ones!

I don't bake as much as I used to but every now and then I do bake.  I'm not a Christmas person as such but ever since being a small child I've been used to home-made mincemeat and home-made mince pies (I use the recipe from Delia Smith’s Christmas book).  I still do this as I love my mincemeat which is not as sweet or gluppy as the shop bought variety.  The pastry I make is a gluten-free one, which I made in advance and store in the freezer.  The night before I plan to bake, I take the pastry out.  So the actual making is easy!  I made the following in about an hour earlier this week.

Can you spot the odd one out?  I made 6 dozen mince pies but ran out of mincemeat

for the last one!  Apricot jam to the rescue.  The pies are small and the pastry is almost

like a biscuit.  They freeze well too!  It's so easy to eat 2 pies with a brew...

I use gluten-free pastry as the cut off bits can be re-rolled many times without getting tough!

Apologies for the poor light.

Another Christmassy tradition for us (well me!) is to make Cheese and Marmite Palmiers.  I've not made any this year, though I might.  Of course if you don't like Marmite, they are not for you.

They freeze well too!  Ideal just before our evening meal, slightly warmed and with a tot of port!

We have builders here at the moment putting down a base for my new greenhouse; the base will be 20' x 20' (roughly 6 x 6 m).  So I've been baking for them too!

It's so easy to make; just made another one now as the builders have almost eaten this one!

It's a Yorkshire Gin Tea Loaf'; click here for the recipe.  Don't have gin?  Use extra tea!

Now I'm looking forward to sunny weather next year so I can be inspired to make the following!

It's another gluten-free recipe and is so light, that makes it so eatable!

The sugar bag is for scale.

Well, that's a summary of my baking; I no longer bake a Christmas cake, preferring mince pies!

I'm off to drool over everyone's baking photos.

Until next week then, take care.

Bye!

4 December 2020 Photo Hunt Decoration/s

Well. I like a challenge and Hawthorn has set us 4 throughout December this year.  Better still I'm not limited to one photo!  Click here to see what everyone else has posted.

I do like Christmas Decorations even if I am not a Christmas fan.  So let's see what I've found to share with you but being mindful that I can't show you every one!

This was made for me a few years ago.

Thanks Jak, I still love it.

A wet felted little hanging I made many years ago.

Beloved made a little stand for it.

Saw this kit at a craft show, possibly in 2010 so I saved

the idea and made my own version.

I saw this at a local craft show and I liked it so I came 

home and made my own version.

A close-up for you.  I do intend to make a spring

themed one, one day!

Final photo!  A gift from a work colleague

many years ago; hard to believe it's just

plastic milk bottle tops with some wadding

on the top and then fabric circles gathered

up and pulled tight behind the cap.

Thanks for looking and I know I shall enjoy viewing your decorations.

Bye!

PS  I suddenly remembered this last night as I was drifting off to sleep (ha ha).

It's the latest Donna Jordan quilt tutorial.

Click here to see it; free pattern too.

Guess what I started to make yesterday???

This is definitely the end of this post!  Time to publish it.

November 2020 Photo Hunt

Well, here we are again.  Hard to believe another month has gone by.  I find the weeks are slipping by so quickly these days.  Thanks to Hawthorn for hosting this once more.  So let's see what I can show you.

1   Houseplants

Many years ago I used to have lots of houseplants but no more (I no longer

wanted to be bothered with re-potting etc).  But I recently bought some 

white narcissus bulbs which did flower for me!

Now the narcissus have gone, I've replaced them with a pot

of  hyacinth bulbs; I gaze at them every day looking

forward (with a smile on my face) to when they will bloom

and hopefully be scented!  I'm already anticipating

being able to buy cut daffodil flowers in

late January 2021, if there are any.

2   Rings

Out on a local walk last year and I spotted these rings.

Possibly for electric fencing wire?

Beautifully made.

PS Just look at the lovely sky!

3   Harbour

This photo was taken just over 18 years ago.... we used to visit friends in Oban and then go out

onto the water and float around (taking nibbles and sherry with us.....).

Anyway, we often pulled in to a sheltered place called Puilladobhrain, pronounced Puldoran!

The boat in the picture must have been beached on a very high tide.

Click here to read more about it.

4   Window

So many possibilities!  I've managed to limit myself to 'two' pictures.

Having a brew and cake at Hawes Creamery; I liked the

window glass!

The window for the driver of the Flying Scotsman.

April 2017 she was at Oakworth and we managed to see her; what a lovely thing she is.

Top left you can just see the other window in the cab.

5   Sky

We have seen some wonderful clouds in the skies this month.  I have done my best to select just three.....

Looks like the pattern the retreating tide makes on a sandy beach....

The contrast between the very dark sky and bright sunshine was a delight to see.

In reality the sky was a lot darker.....

Driving home recently and I (as the passenger!) spotted this.  

We think it was a con trail but at a rather unusual angle.

Thankfully not a tornado!

6   Own choice

My original plan for this photo has not happened so I went to plan B!

I've started to crochet this blanket but it's not finished yet

but at the same time I've made a smaller version

for the kitty rescue charity.

Here it is.  It's not identical to the original pattern

but a smaller and adapted version!

Well, that's all for now.  I'm off to see your photos now and during the weekend.

Bye!

October Photo Hunt 2020

Can't believe I'm ahead of myself this month. I've had at least 2 weeks in which to change my mind about the chosen photos!

1   Sweet treat

We like to drive out to Ribblehead Viaduct calling in at Seasons'

Bakery to get a brew and piece of cake!  Sweet treat indeed.

2   Starts with W 

Walking!  We try to do a daily walk and I always take my camera with me unless rain is due.

Near our house is a very steep drive; there are lots of scrape marks

in the tarmac; on this day the wagon was stuck, the result of

having a long overhang at the back.  We watched as the

recovery truck arrived, assessed the job and then pulled the

wagon backwards.  

3  Reading now

I like murder mystery books.

4  Hobby/Crafting

Planning which one to make next after reading them both.

I'll go for the one on the right, scaling it down to a suitable

size for a Project Linus quilt.

Here it is!  I'm pleased with it.  Point A is the

start of the colour run and Point B is the

end; then I start with the colours from  Point A

and carry on.  All done on a wing and a prayer,

modifying the pattern as I went along.

5   Something Purple

A recent crochet blanket I made, destined for a cat charity that re-homes cat, each one

going to its new home with its own blanket.

6   Own Choice

I had heard there was a Barn Owl nearby and finally

a few month ago I spotted it from an upstairs window.

Since then I have seen it several times but it is

quite far away and I struggle to get a decent

photo but I'm sure you'll agree it is a Barn Owl!

Well, that's it for this month.  On to the next month.  Take care and stay safe.