You know what I was thinking.....

I'm taking a break .......

........... from my blogging, well I'v downgraded to the bog standard free one for a while.  We have a lot going on at present and blogging is not high on my list of priorities at the moment. This free blog allows me to pop in if I want but has no pretty things to decorate it. If I do decide to start the pretty bloggin I will do it in grand style!!

Well, there you go .........

 ............. holiday over and back to the changeable weather in Northern Ireland.  After much deliberation and searching the internet we decided we needed to get away to the sun before September rushed in and leaves began twirling down from the trees.  We thought Portugal was a safe bet and a good chance of some sun, so we picked a hotel in a small city called Tevira an hours drive east of Faro. And we were not disappointed, the hotel was just above the city only five minutes walk from the the main square and very quiet.

                                                                                 

The pool area was huge with lots of loungers, umbrellas and a great snack bar to cool off and have a little sangria!!  We booked the holiday all-inclusive.......who wants to plan meals, cook or even go out to find a resturant when it's all right in the hotel??  We did go out for breakfast delicious crepes and freshly squeezed orange juice and a couple of nights we went into the city to mingle with the crowds of holiday makers and locals.  It was amazing to see so many people eating at 10-30pm in the evening ....quite late by our standards, I'd be worried I'd be up all night with heartburn and indigestion!!!

The hotel had a great rooftop bar where the view was amazing and a gentle breeze kept everyone cool

                                             

The sun shone every day from dawn to dusk and we enjoyed just relaxing, reading, playing cards and people watching.  We met folk from Scotland who hates everything to do with their holiday (including each other!) a great family from S. Ireland whose kids just had the best fun in the pool and we followed the progress of a cute little French girl as she learnt how to swim without her armbands.  We managed to fit in a little drinking too!

 

                                               

Tevira is a very ancient city dating back to the time of the Moors and has a foot bridge joining the two parts of the city built by the Moors

                                           

The white washed buildings and little narrow cobbled streets made the city a very interesting place to explore.  Every wee street had little resturants and shops to wander around in and the local people were very friendly.  Mr B took some lovely shots of the city...here are a few

                                                          

 

                                              

                                               

                                               
                                                                                           

And, of course the beautiful kaftans, floaty dresses and  harem pants that look great on the young slim tanned girls....so.....you are tempted to buy one and when you get it home you question your sanity because   A  it's too cold to wear it here  B it make you look fat and  C not suitable to wear going shopping in Tesco  so it ends up in the charity pile or dressing up box!!  And NO...I was not tempted!!

 

                     

                        

We certainly had a great time and I think the rest has done us both good and recharged our batteries.  Roll on the next holiday.......I'm ready any time!!                                        

 

 

This is the story of ..........

......... the three ipads!!  Just before father's day, my two daughters and I thought it would be a good idea to get Mr B an ipad as a combind father's day/birthday present.  No problem, we thought.....wrong!!  Everyone obviously had the same idea as us ... i.e. let's get an ipad....because suddenly they were as scarce as hen's teeth.

Firstly, I had my new son-in-law trailing round to the Apple store every day during his lunch hour, standing in a long queue only to be told, when he got to the entrance, that they were all gone.....again!! So, on to the internet I go and, to my delight, the on-line Apple store had them in stock.  Quick as a flash, I had bought one....hurrah....only problem, 1-2 week dispatch and that was getting close to the birthday deadline.

Then daughter no.1 texted me to say she had just bought one on-line from Carphone Warehouse ( do bear in mind that Mr B was oblivious of all that was going on despite the many texts and phonecalls) so, on to that website I dived and ordered another one, confident in the fact I could cancel  the first order.

No problem said the lovely girl on the Apple helpline, although it had already been dispatched, well ahead of schedule, I'll cancel it right away.....job done!!   NOT!! I went on the Apple site to check it had definitely been cancelled and, there it was still, winging it's way to my house.  Next time I looked ...it was with UPS and all I could think of was the wee UPS man delivering it when I was out.  Fortunately, he was sitting at my house (Mr B was out) just as I drove up, so I quickly took it from him and scurried upstairs to hide it.

So, one down and one to go!!  I went to our local Carphone Warehouse a few days later and collect the other one....by this stage I was mentally exhausted and running out of money in my wee current account but I knew I would have no problem disposing of the extra gadget.

However the crowning moment came when I got a phone call from our Local Shopper magazine asking me if I had recently entered one of their competitions.  I don't normally enter competitions but this was a simple text with a simple answer so I did it and forgot all about it.  Did I mention the prize was....AN IPAD and ...you've guessed...I won!!!  What a laugh we had, I could hardly speak, especially as I had TWO already stashed in my wardrobe..hillarious!!

However, at the end of the day, Mr B loves his ipad,a friend of ours happily relieved me of the second one and daughter number 2 has her beady eye on the one I won....no chance!!

 

 

Update .........

........... as promised!  Mr B's operation went well, he stayed overnight in the Ulster Clinic and our good friend Michael took me up to collect him.  Can I just say, private health insurance is very expensive, especially as you get older, BUT I'd gladly shoot the dog, sell my Hummel figures and my 2 Royal Doulton ladies plus my wrinkly body, before I'd cancel my insurance!!  Sadly, the national health is in a mess ..... ok if you just need a prescription or a wee blood test but it took Mr B almost a year to even get a scan of his shoulder and the prospect of his operation being performed somewhere in England before we decided to use our insurance .....silly us!!

However he is on the mend.  Can't say the same for me!!  I have to drive everywhere and as my darling husband taught me to drive, every time I get behind the wheel, I feel I'm having a lesson!! The Matron in hospital did warn him to keep his mouth shut when in the car and he does his best but I feel he is watching my every move, so I'm driving like a nervous wreck!!

I have to watch him like a hawk in case he tries to do something he shouldn't like lifting and carrying things.  He has to take the sling off to do his exercises three times daily and that's when he tries to have a wee sneaky waggle about of his arm or a little reach or stretch ... naughty boy!!

It's also difficult for him (and me) to get comfortable in bed and a lot of puffing and blowing acconpanied by flapping around takes place before he is settled ........ oh dear!! when will it stop I think, as I fear  I am in danger of being chucked right out of the bed!!

BUT he is being very brave 'cos I know he is totally fed up  wear the b****y sling and depending on me so much so roll on 20 June when he sees the consultant and the sling .... hopefully .... comes off!! Until then .... he's my hero!!

Ok,Ok! Iknow .......

............ I'm a rubbish blogger at the moment, you probably have forgotten all about me and I don't blame you one wee bit!!  And....I don't even have a good excuse.  However with all the gorgeous weather and the long extended Easter holidays PLUS the Royal Wedding I have been taking time to do some work in the garden.  The really hard winter had created havoc in the garden, killing lots of the plants we had so lovingly planted last year, so they had to be removed, leaving big gaps which now need filled ........again! 

We also decided to decorate another room and this involved stripping....no! not me....... the wallpaper!!  So, we had to drag all the furniture out of the room and stash it in the recently decorated boys' room.  Isn't it strange how you always need something out of the room that is stuffed to the gills with afore said furniture, two bags of "stuff" for the charity shop, bedding that has to be stored, a big empty cardboard box (might need it sometime?) and a discarded set of mixer taps from the kitchen........we had to change it 'cos it was just rubbish, the water just dribbled out!!  Mr B painted the bits that needed painting and we had a decorator hang the wallpaper and he did it in three hours, great worker.  Then in went all the furniture and room looks so different.  No shelves loaded with Harrods teddy bears, nick-nacks brought back from holidays, little vases and dishes and faded flowers from Janine and Michael's wedding!  I bought a pretty cover for the bed and, now, all I need is some art work for the walls.

This week, on Wednesday, Mr B is having an operation on his right shoulder.  Hopefully he will only be a day patient, but he will have to wear a body sling for five/six weeks and can only take it off to shower.  This will be tough for both him and me, no driving either, but the operation will give him the pain relief and mobility he needs.  So I will keep you posted on his progress and probably have the odd wee moan!!

Is it me .........

............ or am I just  getting odd as I get older.  Recently I have been taking stock of the important things and people in my life and have come to the sad conclusion that many of the people I counted as friends are, in fact, only aquaintances.  I think this is very sad.  Now, don't get me wrong ...... I'm not sitting at home like "Norma no-mates" ......... far from it and I do have a small group of real friends that I can call on, night or day.  But, it's the friends who say "ring me and we'll go for coffee/lunch etc that I'm struggling with.  The ones that send Christmas cards with a message inside saying "maybe we can do lunch this year ". Most of these girls I have been friends with for a long time, some from my Stranmillis days and others from my time as a teacher here in Bangor and in Belfast so I have known them for many years.

Now ..... here's my dilemma.  Do I put the bit between my teeth and ring or e-mail them knowing that they will probably be delighted to hear from me and be happy to plan a meeting, where we will doubtless chat for hours and catch up on all the news, share photos and reminise about the past.  We will part with promises not to leave it so long until the next time and go home really happy and even a bit teary remembering all the great times we had and the good laughs we shared. However, I am in no doubt, that it will be left to me to repeat the process in a few more weeks/months or even years.

Or, do I take a deep breath, remember the good times and just move on, concentrating on family and the few close friends I see regularly.  As someone once wisely said.....life's too short to stuff a mushroom!!  What say you??

I think ..........

 
.......... it's safe to say I have felt very uninspired lately.  Can't seem to get myself to do anything constructive, except buy beautiful wool and knit.  I'm knitting another tea cosy, this time for my sister with some colourful wool bought in my local wool shop in Bangor.  As you know, I have been knitting since primary school and always bought my wool in my nearest wool shop, mostly double knitting and occassionally 4ply and only in a main colour.  But the internet has opened up a whole new world of wool from all around the world.  Every shade  under the rainbow and the most stunning blends of colours  and texture just waiting to be bought and knitted into an item of gorgeousness!!  I know that I'm only a novice when it comes to a stash of wool (or yarn as it's called in USA) but with such a vast selection to choose from I plan to get me some more....soon!

 

                                                     

 When I'm knitting small items with multi-coloured wool, I cheat a little and take other colours out of the ball of wool (I just roll it on to the next colour)  so that the item has a variety of the colours.I have more wool coming this week and here is some ready to jump on the needles.

                                                      

Not too sure what I'll knit with these wee beauties but I'm sure I'll find something.  My friend Shirley and I have decided to make the teddy bears for the kids in Malawi this year again as we had a rest last autumn.  We know how much the children love to get something at Christmas and for some, the wee teddy is the only thing they can call their very own so it's the least we can do.

And something else I have been doing recently is a bit of clearing out ....you know those things we keep for sentimental reasons....and then realize you are the only one who cares about them!!  Like these.......

 

                                           

........ the pretty sugar paste flowers from Janine and Michael's wedding cake.  They were covered in dust after sitting for 10+ years on a shelf so I tried to rinse the dust off!!  Woops! all sitcky and yukky so in to the bin they went.  I wonder how long I'll keep the heart decoration from Lesley and Scott's cake?  Och, it's only 4+ mths old, so I've plenty of time!

Then, I came across these .......

 

........ a Holly Hobby beaker and trimket dish and a Strawberry Shortcake dish ......decisions, decisions, couldn't decide so put them back in the top of the wardrobe.  That can be for another day.  Isn't it funny that some thing you have no qualms about getting rid of but some useless piece of tat just grabs your heart and says "keep me" and you do!

What stuff can you not bring yourself to throw or give away? I hope you have a good week.

 

 

 

 

Phew!!! .........

............ I'm glad January is over!!  I think it is such an uninspiring month, full of dull dreary days with no sun.  The garden looks a sorry mess, grass is too long and dangly and the plants killed by the frost and snow are begging to be pulled out and put out of their misery in the green bin!!

I'm fed up wearing my winter clothes but looking at any summer gear just makes me shiver.  So now you understand why I have not posted for ages....I've been too miserable.

HOWEVER ..... I have given myself a good talking to and ...off we go again!

There are many things I like to do in my spare time (no! not walking or keeping fit, I gave that up a long time ago) but I do enjoy knitting, any knitting from a baby blanket to teacosies, from a cute doll to a flower that was a disaster!  Sorry ....can you hold on a wee minute........I seem to have lost the photos I took recently so I'll have to go and have a poke around in my "pictures" section...back soon!!

Found them!!!.......of course it would help if I only had ONE set of pictures but I have TWO!!  How that happened I'll never know but I shall blame my new laptop.  Yes I did tell you that the lightning we had during the bad snow totally wiped out my laptop...it was plugged in to the mains at the time!..... but luckily my hard drive was ok so the wonderful Mr B got me a new laptop and restored everything but obviously the photo section is not quite right.  However the photo wizard (JB) was here this morning and hopefully has fixed it.  So let's try again!!....

                                                             

This is the new laptop and this ........

                                                            

....... is my new phone, the first new phone I've had as I always got Mr B's cast-off but this time I wanted an all singing and all dancing phone and this is a HTC Wildfire   ta, da!!

Back to the knitting..... I have just finished these cute things.......

                                                          

and if the bonnet is turned around, she has an awake face!!

                                                           

this is Miss Daddy Longleds!!

                                                             

and this is one of three little matinee coats just knitted for fun.  My next project is a tiny teddy bear and then a very posh tea cosy for daughter number 1.  I love going on to websites to look at the vast array of wool and yard that is now available and the marvellous things to knit.  And, now I'm looking at interchangeable knitting needles like these at www.knitdenise.com . This means these needles are compact to carry and are suitable for air travel, great for long flights!!

So.....clickity click........on to the next project.

PS I seem to have forgotten how to link (will have lesson from JB again!) so you'll have to "copy" and "paste" to see the needles.... silly me!!

 PPS  Oh, look, I've mastered the "linking" thing again...with a little help from the very patient JB!!!

 

 

 

And off we go .........

......... bravely into 2011! How was your Christmas? Did you love the snow? Is your water back on? Oh! the joy of living in N. Ireland!!  Anyway, it's the start of a whole new year so let's go!!

Do you remember the horrenduous thunder and lightning a few weeks ago?  Well, it KILLED my laptop!!  Really!! Dead as Hector!!  So I am using Lesley's laptop until the "laptop fairy" brings me a new one!! And, listen, my iPod has no sound so I think I'm a gadget disaster!! 

On the other hand, my wonderful husband, the dishy Mr B got me a new all singing all dancing mobile phone for Christmas.  Until now, I always took Mr B's hand-me-down but I'm lovin' this new baby. Obviously, I haven't yet mastered all the fancy things this mobile can do but with my trusty 188 page manual  beside me, it won't take me long!!

I'll give you an update later along with some new photos.  Have a great New Year!! 

Autumn ..........

........ season of mist and mellow fruitfulness ........memories of English classes at school with the best english teacher ever, Mr Auterson ..But, isn't Autumn just the most colourful season with late blooming flowers, magestic trees dressed in their multicoloured finery.  The wind blows and a whirlwind of leaves flutter and cascade to the ground. On a dry day, little children run through the crunchy leaves laughing at the fun of making a mess without the need to tidy up!!

In the garden, we have a beautiful japanese acer ...in the summer it is covered in a mass of greeny/bronze leaves, but it comes into it's own in Autumn .....first the leaves turn a rich brown...see

                                          

After a few more days, it changes to this....

                                         

Now........ how gorgeous and glorious is that!!!?  And this little kid is doing his best to join the big boys!!

                                         

Can you hear him shouting  "look at me, look at me"!!  Oh! by the way, the funny wee people came from a bar in Hong Kong...something to do with fertility!!