Slow But Steady Progress

The saga continues...Contracts were supposed to be exchanged yesterday and despite several attempts to speak to our solicitor this has not been confirmed.  The completion date has now been set for 10th March, much later than we had hoped but at least we now have a date to be able to work to.  Plans are afoot to find our new forever home.  I have in mind a whitewashed stone croft house with a large outbuilding that can be converted into my craft room, there are several that fit the bill.

Hopefully if all goes well we will have a wait for the paperwork to be done on our new home so we intend to fly out to Florida for a well earned rest.  On our return do a round robin of the family and then head North with the dog to start our new life.  We have told Mickey all about the changes to his life and that he his going on holiday for a little while but he doesn't appear to have any concerns.

 

He has found a new friend and is not concerned about the boxes that surround him and that all his favourite cushions are no longer around.  He is looking a little scruffy at the moment and is more than ready for his wash and brush up, along with a good cut.

 

We have a few jobs to do before we head off as Storm Doris hit with a vengeance here on the coast and caused a lot of damage.  Branches from a tree hit our daughters car and smashed the windscreen, thankfully they were all safe.  Here the wind took the shed door right off its hinges and blew one of the shed windows out.  There is a lot of debris that needs to be cleared but no serious damage thankfully.

 

There is not a lot of crafting getting done as my workroom has been packed up.  I have made a start on a wreath but cannot finish it until we have moved and unpacked.  It has been fun to do so far.

 

 

I have in mind some nice buttons and perhaps some beads for the centres of the flowers, it will be nice to experiment with a few ideas once we are settled.

 

 

It has now been put into the last box and sealed, I am now working from the bag that I packed for my travels.  Although I have already finished the baby quilt that was in there.  This could be the perfect excuse for a trip to town for some craft essentials....

 

 

There is a slow but steady progress on all fronts.  We now have light at the end of the tunnel and exciting plans for the next phase of our lives.  It has been a long time coming but our dream is now starting to become a reality.  Bitter sweet in that we are not as close to family but with lots of plans in place for visits both ways, we can make this work.

 

I am thankful for all your wonderful comments and emails wishing us well on our new venture and I am looking forward to sharing the beautiful Isle of Lewis with you.

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Weekend

We had little visitors this weekend filling our days with love and laughter.  We visited some old haunts adding to the wondrous memories already stored.  The majority of the toys and such  are packed but Bertie came prepared, bringing some puzzles and games for us to play.  We had some fun with the Tom and Jerry puzzle which I must admit thought was a little difficult for a 4plus child, even Grandad needed some help from super Granny...

 

Honey loved the horse as long as her big brother held her tight, he is such a lovely big brother.

 

 

He was so good taking her on the Hello Kitty ride too on our trip to the arcade and soft play.

 

 

He has certainly come along way from playing on the roll a penny...

 

 

Look at the concentration on his face, they are so good with technology these days.  I am in awe of his skill.

 

Growing up so quickly and yet not too big to still want a kiss and cuddle with his Granny.  He had made us a beautiful card for our new home drawing a castle on the front and writing his message all by himself, what a joy.

 

 

Honey chatters away but we do recognise some of the words, crawls around at the speed of light and pulls herself up and walks around the furniture.  She loved the dog, perhaps a little too much... he was happy to take a break in the kitchen now and again.  A lovely weekend with lots of memories to treasure.

 

Hector is one today, where has the time gone?  I am so looking forward to seeing him on skype later on today, they are having a day out at the Zoo hopefully the weather will hold for them it has been so Spring like all weekend.  I have just been looking at some of the photos that have been sent today, it is so nice to be included in the celebration. 

 

As always thank you for your comments and visits to my little place in blogland.  We decided to do a small shop and have takeaways this weekend so fish and chips were on top of the agenda followed by doughnuts and icecream with a stroll along Skegness beach, it is certainly on the list of things we will miss.

 

See you soon.

 

 

To Shop Or Not To Shop, That Is The Question?

Sadly the sewing in fairy did not pay me a visit so I had to sew all the ends in myself.  It was worth all the effort I really liked the end result, all ready to be rolled into a basket for those cooler evenings.

 

Using the same colour yarn I have made a start on what will become a large granny square, they seem to be making a revival.  it is one of the first things I made when I learnt to crochet many moons ago.

 

 

I have also made a start on another quilt to finish off the parcel for my daughters best friend.  The cute little woodland animals are a delight.

 

 

These are the little projects that I had ready for when we were on our travels so I am going to have to add to the travel bag once again. 

 

The freezers are now almost empty and the store cupboard is coming to an end, the uncertainty of exchange and completion dates I am now finding quite irksome.  To do a food shop or not, that is the question????  Our plans are now on hold once again...

 

See you soon.

 

 

Another Finish

Time seems to be dragging a little, but we are filling our days well.  We have been hopping around some of our favourite spots so that we have lots of cherished memories to take with us.  The home that we have known for 21 years is not recognizable anymore taking on the look of a warehouse.  Our home has become a house making the transition so much easier, we have taken the time to cut emotional ties.  Time will tell if that is true or not.  We are reading a lot, it so nice to be able to sit with a book and I am crafting.    Moving home is not for the faint hearted I can see why it is Number one on the list for causing stress.

I have finally finished Honeys quilt, it is already for when I see her at the weekend.

 

I have finished another throw/lap blanket.  The dreaded ends need sewing in.  I was hoping that the sewing in fairy would come and help but as yet there has been no sighting of her.  So I will sew them all in today.  I intend to start another one later today and have decided upon a large Granny square using the same yarn.

 

 

I am sorry about the quality of the photos, we have dappled light everywhere at the moment making for some beautiful Spring like days.  The temperatures are rising too giving Mother Nature false signals, so many bulbs are emerging through the wet heavy soil early.  What a beautiful welcome for the next home owners, Mother Nature giving a helping hand.

See you soon.

Secret Treasures

It has been pretty dismal around here, weather wise.  Dark clouds are looming overhead as we speak, but I do have to admit to it making for some beautiful photographs, very atmospheric.

 

This is the view from my lounge window.  The views from this house are one of the major things that we will miss.  We did have a little flurry of snow several times yesterday, but thankfully it didn't amount to much and disappeared as quickly as it came.

 

 

The temperatures have dropped and we have been enjoying sitting in front of the stove, that is something that we will have installed into our new home.  We have started to make our wish list, so far we seem to agree on what we want.  We have been quite calm about the whole process but now we are getting a little fed up with it all.  I am not good with the uncertainty of it all. 

 

On a lighter note we have had so much fun planning our new life, rekindling the wonderful memories and excitement of starting our life together many years ago.  We had so many plans back then and have fulfilled so many of them.  The biggest dream of all to live on an Island off the West Coast of Scotland, we are now fulfilling our dream and can hardly contain our excitement. 

 

The packing up of all our belongings has been quite enlightening, we are definite hoarders saving something in case it comes in.  It was quite easy in the end to lighten our load and in the process help others despite the emotional attachment .  The furniture that we no longer need will be collected on Monday and will help families who have lost everything, uplifting to know that it will still be loved.

 

I am going to have a bake later today to make quiche, soup, scones and a fruit cake for the week.  The freezers and the store cupboard are almost empty, so we have done really well with the food budget spending very little for the past couple of months.  False economy I know as the money saved will need to be spent on restocking once we have moved. 

 

We did discover some treasure at the back of the shed that we have no memory of at all:

 

 

 

What on earth is it doing in the shed?  Your guess would be as good as mine, we have no  idea where it has all come from.  We certainly have no memories of ever buying it or been given it...  Secret treasure at the back of the shed, what a joy!  I love enamelware so it has been washed and packed up ready to start its new life.

 

Thank you for all your lovely and uplifting comments on my last couple of posts.  Hopefully I will have a definite date for the start of our big adventure next week.

 

See you soon.

 

 

Winter Project Link Party - February

February arrived with a gusto, strong winds and severe weather predicted.  Thankfully this didn't materialise and we have been blessed with a couple of spring like days thus far.  Sadly yesterday we woke to drizzle and mist so we hunkered ourselves down in front of the stove.  The perfect Winters day...

There has been some progress on my Winter projects, there was a delay when I needed some more yarn.

 

I finally managed to get into town and purchased this beautiful yarn to add to the mix, evoking beautiful memories of the flora and fauna of the Western Islands of Scotland.  There have also been delays due to a bout of flu and for all your wonderful comments and well wishes I thank you.  It is a comfort to know that so many people care.

 

I have a vision of having several lap blankets/throws in a basket which can be used when the family visit to I am adding a zig zag throw, perfect to cover the little ones when they nap.

 

 

It is such an easy pattern and crochets up so quickly.  I have used a the yarn in a random pattern and so far I am liking the results.

 

 

I would also like to do something a little more intricate and have made a start experimenting with Granny squares.  This is a pattern that I love but sadly I don't like the reverse.

 

 

I have also finished some more face cloths, all ready for when we move.

 

 

 

I am joining Jennifer over at thistlebearhome.com for the monthly link party.  Pop over and see what everyone else has been making.

 

See you soon.

 

A Week Of Flu

February arrived with warnings of a February freeze, I am hoping that the weather forecast is wrong and that we will be comfortable with the long drives that we are anticipating.  Although there is still no news of a date for completion, the majority of the packing is complete.  There is another couple of boxes for the charity shop and some furniture to be collected that we no longer need.  There is some garden rubbish that needs to be taken away and some plant pots that need to be sorted.  It has been a damp and miserable week so there has been no great enthusiasm to work outside.  The workshop has been sorted but not packed and the shed still remains on the list of things to do.  A start has been made on cleaning the rugs, there is only the large lounge one left to do.  I am hoping that I will be able to do that at the weekend.  Sadly I have had a week nursing a horrible flu like virus which has left me quite weak so I have no nice craft projects to share as I have spent most of the week in bed.  I am going to take things easy today and hopefully by tomorrow I will be able to potter a little.   We have been browsing properties on the internet and have come up with a possible eight so far that we would like to view, exciting times.  We are beginning to feel a little impatient but remind ourselves of the quote all good things come to those that wait.  At this time of year we are usually planning our garden so it seems a little strange not to be doing that.  Victoria took some pots with her at the weekend so we know that those will be cared for and loved.  We are looking forward to planning out a new garden, and learning from those around us what grows best.  I have started to research the Island of Lewis with regards to events and find there is a lot of activities that I would be happy to join in with.  I say again exciting times, let the adventure begin...