I Promised You A Finish

First of all a very, very late posting of my latest TUSAL.

Most of the threads added this month come from my latest finish.

This is the first of six Santas that are a freebie design on the Gazette 94 blog. I don't know if I'll get them all done but I'm hoping to use this one as a Christmas Card for someone.

A Hard Day at Work

Yesterday I got an email asking for another walk for a magazine so today I had to go out and do the walk. Given the weather forecast for this week I certainly wasn't expecting to get shots like these.

This was my lunch spot, looking along the River Derwent towards Chatsworth House. If you click on the picture it should enlarge where you will be able to make out the Emperor Fountain on the right and Hunting Tower above the house.

These are the reflections I was lucky enough to capture in Swiss Lake.

More pictures from today can now be found on my website.

I do have a genuine finish to show you but as the light is fading now I shall wait until tomorrow to take a photo of it.

We Have A Winner

Congratulations to Fiona from My Stitching Corner who correctly guessed Ecru.

I sent you my email address Fiona so as that you can let me have your snail mail address. I'll get your prize into the post as soon as the postal strike is over and the backlog cleared. I don't fancy putting anything I don't have to in the post at the moment as who knows when it will get delivered if it ends up as part of the backlog.

A Finish of Sorts (Edited)

A rare event in this household. I have actually finished a skein of thread, it's only the second time this has ever happened to me. As I sat sewing with it I thought up a silly competition.

If you can guess what colour thread I have finished I will send you a small and appropriate (to the competition) prize. Naturally this will involve something stitched by myself.

The only clue is that it is a DMC thread. Not much of a clue is it.

Someone is close and you can guess again.

I'm Afraid .....

.... that this is one of those I'm still here posts.

Over the last few weeks I have been somewhat busy setting quizzes and meeting publishing deadlines for the magazines I write for. Just as I'd got on top of the quizzes the postal strike started so I've had to get further ahead in order to get the quizzes posted early to beat the strike. So far we have succeeded in beating the strike and getting the quizzes to the relevant towns and cities before they are needed. It has meant using the Special Delivery Service which naturally costs more but as I don't want to upset our new customers it's a price well worth paying.

After spending days slaving over the computer and reference books the last thing my eyes wanted to do was start sewing. In fact I was that fed up with being on the computer that I have only made a handful of comments on the blogs and websites I usually visit on a daily basis. I have been looking at them though as they have made a very welcome break or distraction when I was 'brain-dead' and couldn't think. You have all been my moments of sanity and inspiration over the last few weeks.

Mind I did find time to go to London with Daughter and watch the World Gymnastics Championship at the O2. Although we were up high we had front row seats and the view was fantastic. I've started saving for the Olympics already and I'm still considering getting tickets for the Europeans which are in Birmingham next year.

Now that things are back under control I've been able to pick up my needle and do some sewing. Sadly I can't show you it as it is all secret stitching, well it is that time of year!

Now did I say things are back under control, well I'm hoping it won't last. I had a meeting today that will hopefully result in paid employment, so that will make life even more hectic should I get it.

Not a Happy Bunny

I have just got in from a delightful walk around Carsington Res and jumped in the shower, to find there is no hot water.

Why.........

British Gas were here earlier and serviced our boiler and guess what, they left it not working.

No hot water, no central heating, just a flashing red light on the boiler

After Husband rang them and insisted they returned today and not tomorrow (which was what they wanted to do) they are coming back in an hour. They are not leaving until it is working, even if I have to hold them hostage!!

In the mean time I'm waiting for the immersion heater to kick in so as that I can get the shampoo out of my hair!!

British Gas returned later and discovered they had left a valve shut that they closed as part of their tests. I guess that's what happens when you decide to supervise someone instead of just letting them get on with the job. In this case two heads were not better than one.

Some Stitching

As I've said in an earlier post there hasn't been a lot of stitching done since I got back from the lakes but I have made some progress with Celtic Autumn.

I have started to work on the letters. For some reason I found them quite frustrating, probably because I'm now having to use my scroll frame and I had them too high up it. I can see a stand for holding the frame being added to my Christmas list. I saw the perfect one late last year but really couldn't justify spending the money on it.

I have also started my Christmas sewing. I know I have plenty of other things to finish but you know what it's like. This will eventually become a Christmas card and having started it I'm wondering how many of them I will actually get stitched this year.

I have also committed myself to a private Christmas Ornament swap with Angela at Hooked on Stitches I must get started on that soon as well. Later today I'm heading out to Alfreton to visit my LNS as I need some supplies but I also want to take the time to have a really good browse around the shop. I hope I don't spend too much!! On the way I shall have to a pass the shop in Heage where I get some of my supplies from. It's really aimed at people who make curtains and clothes but I spotted some lovely Christmas ribbon in there earlier this year so I shall go and purchase some before it sells out.

Finally yesterday a surprise package arrived for me in the post. It contained a cap keeper for my lens cover. Bilbo had read about me losing my wide-angle lens cover when we were at the top of Knock Murton during our holiday. If you want to know why I didn't go back and look for it take a look at the steepness of the hill on my walking website.

Right, time to head out to my LNS.

Don't forget to sign up for my PIF which is two posts down and closes on Tuesday.