Get your baskets ......

.... it's market day, hope we can find somewhere to park.

 

 

We're nice and early so it's not too crowded yet.

Chrysanthemums everywhere because it's Toussaint on Friday when people

all over Europe remember the dead and place flowers on family graves.

 

 

How about a spot of Christmas shopping while we're here?

 

 

Not sure how much bread there is at home so I'll grab a baguette to be on the safe side.

 

 

No wonder most people buy on line these days.

This is the only DMC outlet for miles around!

 

 

An apple a day keeps the hangover at bay.

 

 

You'd never guess that she's an under cover drug squad officer would you.

Perhaps those black things on the stall behind aren't as innocent as they look.

Best move on sharpish.

 

 

Time for a quick coffee and a spot of people watching

but from inside the cafe today where it's warmer.

 

 

The mushrooms look good and are locally picked at first light

by teams of  starving OAPs all looking to augment their meagre stipends.

 

 

Geordie always finds market days particularly tiring.

Where he falls so shall he rest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Get your oilskins - Part III

Not much longer now to go,

This time next week you'll know

Just what I've been banging on about.

Why not get one for a friend

If you've spare cash you'd like to spend

And such a very thoughtful thing to do.

 

I'm certainly no daftie

In fact I'm very, very crafty

Because Christmas isn't very far away.

So drop some great big hints

Before everyone is skint

And put it on your wish list

NOW - TODAY!

 

With enormous apologies for the rubbish photography throughout or could the fuzziness

just be another of my ploys to make you look closer?

 

 



You are a funny lot!

I write you poems, I try to find something to make you laugh,

I change lenses to take arty farty photos in an attempt to please ...

... and then I show you a blurry snap of a piece of pum tart and

you suddenly come to life!

 

 

The clocks change this weekend so it's time to turn off my little fountain

for another year as I don't want it to freeze up.

A lot of the smaller birds bring their young here to drink

and it's where Geordie has his six oclock aperative each evening.

Winter drawers on!

 



It's not always what you know .......

..... in life, but who you know.

 

 

I just happen to know the lady who made this plum tart.

Something about me must have brought out her motherly instincts

because she gave me a slice!

It was finger licking good.



Get out your oilskins - Part II

Would you like to see some more?

It's not long to go before

RAIN DANCE could be on it's way to you.

Please try not to mock my turtle

Or his feelings you will hurtle

And, by the way - I lied about the "blue".

 

There are birds of vivid feather

Sorry chaps, but nothing leather

But lots of little fiddly bits all through.

Have you seen a chicken jump

Landing with a great big thump?

Well then, that's another treat in store for you.

 

Wait for next week's exciting episode or follow the adventures on Facebook.

You don't pay any money (yet) but you still takes your chance!

 



The message is finally getting through .......

.... and a tiny trickle of your photos has started arriving here at the Chateau.

In the past you've all either been too shy, too busy, too lazy

or all three, to share your magnificent efforts but at last the tide has begun to turn.

 

 

This proud beauty is Mouline Rouge heavily disguised in Royal Purple thread by Laura.

I can't tell you much else as Laura is something of a mystery woman who doesn't

give much away about herself (unlike some of you I could name).

 

  Where does she live?  Does she like dogs?  What colour material did she use?

Does she have a secret lover?  ... we shall probably never know.

But she does have the stamina and determination necessary to finish

 one of the big Long Dogs.

So welcome to the Mouline Rouge Finishers Club Laura. 

How many more of you are out there I wonder?

Get out your oilskins - Part I

The barometer here at the Chateau is forecasting stormy weather from

the 1st November onwards to coincide with the launch of a wonderful, awe inspiring, superb, must have,  FFT new design hot off my lap (but please don't let that put you off).!  The rain seems to have started already - I can smell wet dog x 2.

  

Close the curtains, light the lamp

For it's going to get quite damp

So there's really only one thing you can do

Settle into your best chair

Away from draughts and cold night air

And have the BRAND NEW LONG DOG sent to you.

 

It will be big and very bold

With autumn colours like old gold

And brown and black and then a bit of blue.

There's no time for hesitation

This one's off the reservation

So thunderbirds are definately go!

 

Kokopelli does the rain dance,

Plays his flute in a complete trance

Whilst he jumps all over poor Jack Rabbit's back.

Thunder, lightening and a downpour

Who could really wish for much more?

SO GET A COPY QUICK FORE THEY ALL GO!



Happy birthday dear blog

 You've been going exactly one year today

and I don't know what I'd have done without you.

 

There's been tears, there's been joy,

there's been moments of panic and moments of quiet pleasure.

 

There's been visits from the rat catcher,

phenomenal weather, little bits of rudeness,

a fair sprinkling of bad language and dog's hairs a plenty.
 

  

There's even been just a little bit of cross stitch here and there

 and then, of course, there's been you lot!

- well everything has to have it's down side.

 

THANK YOU - it's been fun.

I blame Wiliam Morris and his golden rule

I have come to the conclusion that the current state of affairs here at the chateau is all down to one man - William Morris.  No Alice dear, not the dodgey builder with the twitch from Peckham or the itinerant brush salesman who occasionally rocks up on our doorstep.

I am talking about THE William Morris of Arts and Crafts fame.  And what exactly is this "state of affairs" I'm referring to?  Well, in a delicately crafted nutshell, it's the echo, echo, echo .........

Old WM has been someone who's work I have admired for more than half a century.  In fact who hasn't drooled over his beautiful wallpapers, dreamed of living in his Red House or imagined being wrapped naked in one of his magnificent tapestries - possibly a fantasy too far, sorry.

However, where it all seems to have come off the rails a bit is when I recently decided to follow his advice to the letter.  Not given to me first hand, I might add 'cos I'm not that old, but words of wisdom which I came upon during my formative years when I was going through an arty farty phase, all liquorice paper roll-ups and "the Bird lives" - you know the kind of stuff.  But dare I actually tell you what he said for fear that you too will follow suit - yes I do!  He said:

 

 "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful,

or believe to be beautiful".

I like the way you think William, and so I've been up and down to the dump recently more times than a pair of whore's drawers (a favourite expression of one of my coarser forebears), but I digress.  With the Long Dogmobile loaded to the gunnels I have zoomed determinedly back and forth with all manner of ugly, useless objects which I have hurled into the skip without a backwards glance.

The boring pine kitchen table only remains by dint of it being "useful" while my greyhound collection takes pride of place under the heading of "beautiful in the extreme".  I seem to still have somewhere to lie down, a sofa, an armchair and a desk, a scattering of dog beds, some framed Long Dog's but really not much else apart, that is, from the echo, echo, echo .......

But not to worry - less to dust, more room for the dogs to play indoors during wet weather and plenty of space to fill when the brocante season gets going again next year.  What more does a girl need?  Thanks Will it's been truly liberating, liberating, liberating ........

Cast your minds back to last June ...

... because that's when Martha and Carl, a pair of intrepid Californian adventurers, paid us a visit here at the Chateau.  Of course you remember Alice dear, they left big ruts in my lawn with their wagon.

Since then Martha has been very busy with her needle and I can now proudly present, on her behalf, Tyler's Lion all bright eyed, bushy tailed and beautifully framed for your delight.

 

Martha's version was worked one over two on 40 count linen in Au Ver a Soie silk, a real labour of love.  Bravo my woman, job done - now onto the next one!

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Martha purchased the chart and all her needlework

requisites from the lovely Jean L Lea at

 

ATTIC NEEDLEWORK & COLLECTIBLES

Mesa, Arizona

www.atticneedlework.com

(That's one you owe me Jean!)

 

Keep them coming, we all love to see what you've been up to because

 there's a voyeur in all of us just waiting for a peep.

 

 

 

 

I have just been ....

.... standing out in the garden enjoying the sunshine

and watching my beautiful dogs just run and run,

there's a warm breeze blowing and

I'm wearing a t-shirt and a big smile.

 

 

Nothing hurts, I have no outstanding debts

and the walnut harvest this year is better than usual.

I am content - how good is that?

Show and tell time

No, I'm not going to say "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours" because things have moved on from all that childish nonsense - what I am going to do is show you Kathy A's instead so brace yourselves because here it is.

 

It's her finished Paradigm Lost all beautifully stitched on 32 count Antique White Lugano in DMC 502.  She's even managed to capture the shadow of the phantom photographer too for good measure.  Her home in the frozen wastes of Canada has been sub-let to a family of sleepy bears for the winter while she is jet setting off like a migrating snow goose to Arizona.   How cool is that?

 

Please keep your pictures coming - I do like a good laugh. Seriously, it's so nice to see what you've been up to, I love hearing from you and it's nice to share!  Must I beg?

It said on the label .....

"an apple tree"

 

 

 

and that's precisely what I got ....

"an apple"!