Well, I've been away from Blogland for an absolute age! And it seems even longer.

Life has a way of getting in the way, at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Today the man and I went "foraging", as I believe that's the latest "thing to do". Actually what we did was pick brambles (blackberries to some people) and scrumped some apples from an apple tree or two on the side of a country road. Since when did that become "de rigeur"? I've done it since I was a child, way before the likes of Kirsty Allsop, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, or (I'm sorry this is going to upset a lot of people!) Frugal Queen. I grew up the 3rd of 4 children of a wonderful set of parents who had a limited income, lived in a rented house in a village in the country and who topped up the food they bought with free bounties from the hedgerows around us. Blackberries were one of the most available free bounties, and was cooked in various ways. My Dad was lucky enough to be a keen gardener and to have enough space to garden a lot. He grew everything from potatoes to salad stuff to raspberries, and we even had an apple tree at the bottom of the garden. When I was a child the apple tree was for climbing, swinging from and jumping off, but for my parents it was a way to eke out our main meal with apple pies. I know this sounds idyllic and people might read this and think we were lucky. Well, we were. We learnt about seasons and nature, about where food comes from and about the value of things. We kept chickens and had fresh eggs and it was a treat to be allowed to collect the eggs from the hen house while they were still warm. I  helped my Dad to plant things and understood exactly where my food came from. I spent time in the garden learning about worms and slugs, greenfly and ladybirds. It sounds idyllic doesn't it? The down side is we lived in a house with no central heating or modern day "wood burners" and had one open fire which it was my job to empty the ashes out and light in the morning when I got up with newspapers and sticks. I remember when Jack Frost came to visit and painted beautiful ice pictures on the window glass - the inside of the window glass that is. But I used to love getting up and looking at the beauty of those patterns after a lovely warm night tucked up under blankets and an eiderdown. As a child life was so simple then, and I appreciated everything I had, and that included the natural world around me. We ate rabbit that Dad caught with a snare, pheasants from the local shoot (Dad used to go beating with the shoot and was paid with pheasants), sausages made from a single pig that we kept in a pigsty at the bottom of the garden and was shot and butchered at home, and very occasionally we would have trout but we knew never to ask Dad where it came from.

So I hear you ask, how old am I? Well actually I'm not in my 80's, nor my 70's, and not even in my 60's. In fact I'm 2 days off being 53 years old so this wasn't actually that long ago. And I hear you ask, why am I reminiscing about these times? Well today we were out walking our dogs in a local country park, along the edge of a river and we came across a father with two children, a boy of about 4 or 5 and a girl of about 6 or 7. The Dad and the little girl were studying something the little boy had in his hand and Dad was obviously instilling excitement about the natural world and all it's wonders. What was it? A simple earthworm. The boy and girl were fascinated and giggling and interested and wanted to know more. And I thought that was absolutely brilliant! Good for you that Dad. I wonder how many other parents would have allowed their child to hold a worm in the palm of their hands without getting all "Health and Safety"!! And if I've upset anyone who is "all Health and Safety" then as far as I am concerned you have my full permission to never read my blog again!!!

And tomorrow I'll post pictures of my foraged fruit - and maybe what I've done with it too. But don't start to file me as a frugal person, because that suggests that this is a new thing. It's not, I've always made jams, chutneys, wine, soups and food from scratch, because that's what I learnt was the right thing to do. And yes I sew, knit, recycle stuff and keep things in as usable form as I am able to do - although crocheting is currently beyond my abilities!!

But again don't think that you now know who I am. Don't pigeon hole me. I own a very expensive, top of the range digital camera with a range of lenses, spent my holiday this year in New York (okay with my wonderful son and equally wonderful daughter in law and her family) and have just ordered a new car (Thanks Mum!) but I know what is important to me and you know what is important to you, so let's just leave it there shall we....

Now this blog is supposed to be about my creative development and learning to make cloth dolls. They will still crop up from time to time, but my creativity refuses to be chained down and pinned into such a small area, so you'll see much more than that, and as it's my blog I'll write about whatever catches my attention whenever it catches my attention.

Until the next time
KJ xxx

This week...

 This week's been a real mix of highs and lows.The Valentino couture exhibition at Somerset House in London was definitely a high, work was definitely mostly lows, and then today I found this saying....

So I'm going to try really hard to believe that this is true....

Thought for the day

With thanks to Frugal Queen who I have "borrowed" the quote below from...

 

Kinda says it all for today...

Am I entirely mad?

Over the last couple of weeks an idea has been going round and round in my head. Last year a friend of mine raised money for the U foundation by going on a cycle ride. Sounds easy I hear you say. Not necessarily when the ride was from London to Paris and was over 4 days - 75-80 miles a day! Well as someone of advancing years, well, over 50 anyway, and definitely very unfit (at least 4 stone overweight) I remember being very impressed with this. The U foundation supports the provision of schools for children in Zambia - see link below.

www.theufoundation.org

Anyway this idea that's been going round in my head was that I need something to aim for, something to help me lose weight, get fit and feel better about myself, and just maybe this was what I needed to get involved in. The more I thought about it the more it appealed to me, and my friend Margaret tells me that it involves eating lots of cake en route to Paris - well I was hooked good and proper! I discussed it with the other half and we talked about all the reasons I wouldn't be able to do it - raising the money, getting fit enough, having the time to train, and actually completing the challenge - but something inside me is still saying go on, you can do it if you put your mind to it! In the words of Helen Skelton - all I'll  need to do is keep going forward. Well I've decided to follow the training schedule for one week and if I still feel the same by next weekend I'm going to go for it. So if anyone wants to take odds against me completing it I'll take your money any day - at least I'm going to do the best I can anyway! Below is the link to the information about the challenge - and remember that I'm the wrong side of 50, overweight and definitely unfit!!
 
  2013 London to Paris Cycle Challenge
The U Foundation is currently raising money to build nursery schools and support education projects in remote parts of Zambia

Another project finished!

I promised myself that before I could start any new projects I had to finish 2 UFO's. Well today I finished 3 things - although I'm not sure if they really count as 1 UFO! Months ago I started to make myself new bags for work. I wanted a small handbag and tote bag, so I cut out the upholstery fabric I had chosen, layered it with cotton wadding and lining fabric and off I went. I ran into a number of problems, primarily related to the fact that this made the fabric I was working with fairly thick and sewing over seams was very difficult with my modern sewing machine - obviously not designed for utilitarian objects or fabric. Anyway after a little searching I managed to pick up a second hand refurbished machine which is much more solid and sailed through my project with no problem - at least it did once I put in a needle that wasn't blunt!! My fault entirely I hasten to add.

And here's a picture of the new workhorse!! The only problem is that it weighs an absolute ton and I struggle to pick it up and put it on the table.

And here is the completed tote bag, handbag and I added a matching little zip purse (or does that count as a new project - hope not!!)

And although I could now start a new project, having finished my January CQJP square and the bags I've decided I'm going to finish the pony next. I have a new doll whizzing around in my head that I really want to get started on but I know that once I start it I won't get anything else done as dolls tend to take up my entire attention and I do nothing else until it's finished!! As a teaser it's steampunk based....

Until next time, keep calm and carry on creating!!

 

Spaniels and finished CQJP...

Today we left the spaniels on their own for about 2 hours and although I thought I had dog proofed the house, but when we came home it was obvious I'd missed something!!

Yes, I forgot to put the cushions away! And on top of that he had managed to remove more buttons off the sofa! I do love my spaniels but sometimes.....

On the plus side I have finished my first CQJP 2013 6" crazy quilt. It was my first ever attempt at a crazy quilt square and on the whole I was really quite pleased with it. More practice required and probably more planning before I start rather than just doing it kind of ad hoc, but I already have ideas in my head for what comes next...

"Spring"

 

Community spirit and my belief in human nature restored

Yesterday we got up to lots of snow and I ended up walking the last 2 miles to work as I couldn't get up the small hill because of the snow. Today we got up to the main roads being much clearer but the compacted snow on the road in our little cul de sac had frozen overnight and was solid ice. I started the morning by clearing snow and ice in the back garden to enable us to get to the gate safely. Then I went out to the front and cleared the front path and the bit of the drive (only about 6 feet) to the road. Liz across the road was clearing the snow on her drive too. We stopped to chat and were talking about the ice on the road and how I watched a car sliding sideways towards a parked care earlier on (it didn't hit it I hasten to add but more by luck than judgement). Anyway Liz and I decided to try to break up some of the ice on the corner of the road and before long we had 9 or 10 neighbours helping and within the hour or so most of the cul de sac road was clear of road. We can now all drive safely to the main road if we want to. One of the neighbours made us all tea and coffee and we spoke to people we'd never spoken to before. All in all a real show of community spirit - and let's be honest noone else was going to clear the road were they!!!

Later on in the day more snow as hubby and I went out with the spaniels! Throwing snow balls for them was funny as they really couldn't work out where they vanished too!

 
  A good time was had by all and with all the exercise who needs the gym!!

In the sewing room I have almost finished January's  CQJP 2013 entry and for a first ever attempt at a crazy quilt square - or any quilting come to that matter I'm quite please. Tomorrow a picture of the finished object... Then I have promised to complete the pony as my next UFO to do. That is then my 2 finished UFO's to match the new project of the knitting needle roll. So then I have to finish 2 more before I can start anything else new. Frustrating as I have new doll patterns cut out...but they will have to wait a few days..