When what I should be doing is ...

Been an up and down sort of day - but I am ok with it.

For a few weeks now, I have been getting reading for a show (along with a group of fellow arties) and today a couple of us plus Himself and Youngest went to the show grounds to set up our stands - we had a total of 11 tables between us and plenty of bunting, signs, banners and balloons to hang.

I dashed out in between heavy showers, loading the car, carrying paintings and sculptures and generally getting ready when I got the call to head to the grounds to set up.

Brollies at the ready and wellies on - we set off. The four of us, plus some lovely helpers from the show committee decked out our part of the marquee with jolly bunting and balloons and with the help of mugs of tea we soon set up. (Listening all the time at the torrential rain on the marquee roof).

We slid off the field and wished each other a happy evening......

Once home I carried on labelling and pricing up my art, wrapping them and generally getting ready for Sunday. 

And it rained. And rained. And rained....

Then, around 9pm, the call came - the show had been cancelled - the field was so drenched that the larger vehicles had sunk to their axles and had to be pulled off - this was the final straw - days of rain, marquee staff refusing to work, slipping and sliding and generally getting soaked .... I am not surprised.

Any hoo - tomorrow morning, we are going back to take it all down. 

The weather is promised to be reasonable. Tomorrow.

Sunday musings

The funny thing about walking - it is hard work.

However, the rewards out weigh the effort required.  The miles, as they pass beneath your feet, seem to help leave behind irks and irritants (you do have to factor in persistent flies who follow you as you trudge up a sunny hill side. They gaily flit around your hot face and crash into your ears or eyes and generally are annoying).

Then there is that hot airless pocket that needs wading through as you walk alongside the hill face followed by a blessed relief as you reach a point where the cooler air begins to move.

That feeling you get, when, once you have sat down and the view is laid out before you, that feeling of relief, of enjoyment, of quiet contemplation - does wonders for the soul.

It gives you the chance to allow the landscape wash over you, absorb you, refresh you. Your eyes drink in the different levels, the contrast of shadow and sun laden fields, the far pale shades of the horizon and the closer sharper greens and browns of the moorland fields dotted with sheep.

The sounds around you are of nature and not man - the sky lark, the curlew, the lapwing.  The distant continuous questioning and responding sheep bleats as ewe and lap separate and reunite across large grazing fields.  The breeze whispering past your ear, the tumble of water on rock, the swish of grass and rustle of leaves as the wind - hot and languid - lazily swirls over the landscape.

The exquisite pleasure of removing warm boots off warm feet and feeling your toes breathe! Or, even more delightful - lowering them into the stream.

So, yes, a plod, a puff and rather warm - but necessary, cathartic and so very good.

Hope you had a good weekend too x

Rain

It may have rained a little yesterday.

In which I waffle about misty things, crochet things and words x

Thank you everyone who joined in - I apologise for such a 'tardy' link up but {shrugs} with the vagaries of modern life and unreliable internet!

For the time being we seem to have been reconnected - but not sure who with! will find out when the bill lands :D, not going to miss up on the chance to say hello, thank you and waffle a little. It seems ages since I did that.

Thought I'd share yesterday's highs and lows.
The highs?
A rather misty and ethereal walk over the tops to Wycoller and back - incredibly atmospheric, incredibly wet and strangely warm.

 

And the lows?

My crochet blanket seemed to start so well, I was flying with it - regularly counting the stitches on each row to ensure all was well. Which it was for about 20 or so rows. Then I stopped counting, following the pattern but not the stitch count .... until the blanket was about a metre in height -  so about 58-60ish rows I realised I had lost a stitch or two...ok, better honest....I'd lost twenty (yes 20) somewhere along the line.

I rolled up my 'triangular' work and put in the basket and walked away.

Then the internet took a nose dive. The first day I scribbled and sketched like mad and borrowed the free wifi from the local library however eventually I returned to blanket.

Last night I unpicked over 30 rows - saved all the different colours and wound them up in little cute balls (had to make something positive out of it!) Any hoo, I have returned to the discipline of row/stitch counting and - guess what!? (sigh) it is straight.... lesson learnt.

The more observant will have noticed a new list,  most of the works have a couple of different meanings - so it should be fun to see how you interpret them :)

Here is a reminder - a photo inspired by a word, words inspired by the photo. One from your archives, a freshly snapped one this month - try to think outside the box, we will share and show our photos and stories at the end of the month. Until then xxx

Mark

Straw

Arm

Duck/s

Window

My own choice

xxxxxxx

July's link up party

Better late than never!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Hawthorn's not quite complete photo hunt!

Still in between internet providers so a quick pop in to add my images and stories - hopefully this silliness won't last much longer.

I have not found ALL the photos I was looking for - but hey ho!

Paddle(s)

Alongside a jumble of narrow boats at Bank Newton Locks

Pink

Pretty begonias in half cooper barrels on Settle Station Platform

E for ....

Elephant Scarecrow tucked away in Kettlewell

Roof

A 'See Britain by Train' poster in Settle Station waiting room

My own Choice

Words for the end of July

Cluttered

Paddle

Pink

Starts with an E

Roof

My Own Choice

Modern technology can't live with it, can't live without!

With apologies, we are mid changing from one internet supplier to another and the latter in a fit of pique has switched out internet off earlier than expected! I am at present using the data on my cellphone but have no access to my photos or links.
Normal wotsit will return asap - til then...!

She sells seashells on the seashore (I crochet you not!)

A little bit of blankie spam ... Sorry ... (not)

Just loving the pattern (well - not quite- one week's instructions are a repeat - 

and I did not like it the first time round - so went off piste, but then I often do!)

Presently doing week 9 - rows of yummy shells

and as soon as I press PUBLISH

I shall be starting week ten's instructions :)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend,

here is to a happy Monday xxx

An attack of the crochets and how to get better

I might have done a thing....

with yarn.

I asked Youngest to do a bit of tough love on me and ensure I tidied a corner of stashed yarns and wools. He was instructed to make sure I cleared it all away......

He failed.
Well not totally, I did tidy away 90% of it, may be nearer 80% but I came across a bag of blues (fav colour ever!) and two large impulse buys of grey aran. Hmmmm

 So. Like I may have mentioned earlier - I did a thing. I started a stash busting blankie.
I have looked at this blanket CAL for nearly seven months now -however due to a combination of lack of mojo, downright apathy and the thought that I had.no.stash..... well....usable stash rather than picturesque piles of pretty yarns and wool 'saved for later', not much happened. Until now.

I have cast on and already done the first week's CAL and about to log on and start the second week's instructions - got me some serious crochet to do.

Pattern: Seaside Stash Busting Blanket

Yarns: mixture of aran yarn, alpaca, acrylic, boucle and other unknown 'stuff'

The 'Art' of an evening picnic

A most joyous afternoon and evening walk.

One that felt so so good.

We drove over to a neighbouring town where I'd had

three pieces of art hanging in an exhibition for a few days.

It was a really well organised event, the folk were kind and efficient

and I was made to feel welcome.

Then, yesterday, we had to all retrieve our work at the end of the exhibition.

To my absolute amazement, and disbelief I have to admit,

I'd sold one of my paintings.

Talk about being happily surprised.

Art safely stashed in the car, we continued our evening plans.

To have an evening picnic alongside a most picturesque 

and favourite canal lock. 

It was good to share the evening,

a shame to end it,

but we made plans that we'd do it again :)

Both my laptop and camera (with a flourish and a slamming of the door), have died.
so I am learning how to get on with their replacements,
surprised myself by getting these images up
with relative ease!

speak soon  xxx

Words for July

Thank you every one who joined in with June's scavenger hunt - some lovely stories and photos - once again it amazes me how we all work off the same list and although we sometimes have the same subject matter - each story is our own.

Thank you xx

Words for July ....

Cluttered

Paddle

Pink

Starts with an E

Roof

My Own Choice

Have fun - they can be a photo from your archives, or freshly taken this month. Just a few words with each to weave a story and if possible - think outside the box!

We'll share our stories and images From Friday 26th July - good luck!