TARRAGON & THYME

I nipped to my local charity shop for a bit of a nose around - I had to go to the chemist for some medication in any event and the Charity shop is before the Chemists.  One of the helpers in there R**** has been closely associated with high class furniture shops and the like and being a store Manager.  Has a keen eye for the auctions and for private clearances and he does what he can to raise funds for the Charity.  He is a lovely chap of pure heart and I always have a laugh and a joke with him when he is in the shop. Whilst he was in today he was preparing stuff for outting out and he called me over to show me his latest find which I fell in love with.  It was something that I have been looking for for a while an antique 100+ year old jewellery box.  It is quite a decent size is inlaid with brass fretwork shield panel at the centre of which is inlaid mother of pearl.  I have been advised to give it a good clean up with some beeswax.  It is also...

One of the plans that I have is to sort out all my charts and instructions for all my crafty stuff and that is why I have purchased all the storage stuff from Dunhelm including the magazine holders.  I thought it would be a start but I do have masses of craft magazines going back years. I managed to lose some of them recently due to a burst pipe but that was beyond my control. However what remains needs sorting and at least it is a start and at least it will keep all my Leisure Craft charts clean and safe.  I have cross stitch needlepoint embroidery crochet heneral craft magazines etc. etc. which I am loath to let go as many of the things I would still like to try and make. Oh for enough hours in the day.  Wherever possible I always try to plan things where I can i.e. if I know I am going to be starting something like the patchwork I try and get in place all those items and consumables and fabric that I will need before starting.  I have been collecting for some ti...

I knew I said I wouldnt start this project until the hot water bottle covers were done but this piece just spoke to me.  So I Just did a teeny weeny piece.  It didnt stop there though. Quite a bit more worked. I am not happy with the palest shade of blue provided it is more like a grey.  Not what I expected at all. But its working up reasonably quickly and I enjoy the rythm of the hand work. Its even relatively neat on the back for me. Its silly but this kit reminds me of the summer meadows that we used to play in as children going newting and tiddling with a butterfly net and chasing the butterflies with our nets and bumble bees popping them into jars to study ghem and then setting them free.  All of that is not politically correct these days but this is what children did.  I do feel so that subsequent generations have missed out on so much freedom.  If you double click on the pictures you will be able to see which areas I have worked thus fa...

I am being drawn back into the kitchen but am having to take my time what with the recovery of my foot.  However I am planning to having a little drinks session in the kitchen.  By that I mean making wine.  I have in mind to make some sweet house orange wine which is a beginners wine to start with. I also use the same basic recipe for lemon grapefruit wines as well.  I also have four wine kits two of elderflower one Black Cherry and a Strawberry.  Hopefully that will take place this coming Saturday.  The wine cellar has been bare here for a while and I aim to put that right for this year. So I thought I would have a session concentrating on this to get them underway.  It will also be nice to have a glass of country wine again in due course with my Sunday dinner.  Not that I drink a lot as I do not but its nice to have an occasional glass of something to drink with the Sunday lunch. So that's Orange wine from scratch Black Cherry a kit Stra...

For once it is quite peaceful here and it has been a steady day one for wandering into your own personal space but still companionable as well. Its at times like these that I start plotting and planning things for the future. I have quite a bit of ironing to do which needs sorting out over the next few days or so. We have had a simple tea as well roast chicken bread and butter  served with pickles and chutney has gone down very nicely. Will be watching a film shortly so will be putting my feet up and doing a little crochet as well. Still working on the hot water bottle covers when I get a few minutes  Taking longer because I am making two. Right off to get myself comfy.  Catch u soon Pattypan x

Oh cooked me a full English breakfast after letting me lay in for a while.  That is indeed luxury from my perspective.  Not that I am one for a full cooked breakfast but at least he made the effort.  The sun is out here it is glorious to see it especially after so many long damp and cold grey days.  I have a hot date with the washing machine yo look forward to. Ah well upwards and onwards I had better get a wriggle on.  Catch you later. Pattypan xx

I picked up this beautiful what appears to be a hand painted picture of a doe and fawn before Christmas on a junk stall on the market. Total outlay £2.  The overmount has watermark damage.  The picture is painted on the same fabric.  I am not sure whether it is silk or not.  I absolutely love this picture and wondered whether any of you have any ideas about how I should go about this.  Its too good a quality to be destined for the bin.  Any ideas/suggedtions would be gratefully received. Look forward to hearing from you. Pattypan xx

I went onto the Dunhelm web site just as dangerous as going into the shop.  I have invested in some storage bits and bobs in an effort to organise my desk area a little better and also my crafting dies for my Big Shot and also my Go Accuquilt patchwork cutting system which I have recently invested in.  Expensive but my treat to me in a big effort to get to grips with the cutting of my fabric and getting quilts made. I have an irrational fear of the rotary cutter and the system sold itself to me on time saving issues.  When you have little time in the first place you try and make the most of what time you do have. Anyway back to the storage items I have a acquired in an attempt to sort myself out so that I can locate things simply and easily First up is a paper and drawer organiser.  I have two of these. Second is a set of two drawers handy for printing paper labels photo paper and specialist other sundries. Third four large boxes for all my folders an...

I was in two minds as to what to do for tea this evening.  I knew I craved a hot simple meal but Oh has been a bit difficult of late as to what he actually wants to eat.  He came home from work and was absolutely perished.  So that settled it despite him not wanting me to go to too much trouble. I quickly went to the shop and nabbed some sausages and came back and set too.  Oh does not feel the cold so for him to say that he was is highly unusual.  I take it as a precursor a warning sign that if he is not careful he will be poorly.  So comfort food to the rescue. We have subsequently had individual toad in the holes with mashed potatoes mixed veg csrrots broccoli cauliflower and peas with an onion shallot and thyme gravy.  I did individual toads utilising some older victoria sandwich pans that i had.  I put a little pork dripping in each pan with some slices of onion and then once frying added three sausages each and left them to cook a little t...

There's a litre bottle of Vodka on the side dresser and each time I pass it I think I really must do something with you. But what exactly. I have been fiddling about for many years now with infusions and specifically with alcoholic beverages such as Sloe Gin a lovely Winter warmer on a very cold day. Originally i had purchased the Vodka to do some Sloe Vodka but did not come across any sloes.  I am hoping that this year I will find some to put some much needed alcoholic beverages up and I intend to budget for the alcohol in the monthly budget so that I have a ready supply when I feel the need to add something else to the Pantry shelf. When I started fiddling with the Cherry Brandy, Raspberry Gin, Raspberry Vodka, Passionfruit Gin etc. Etc. there was a slightly different way of creating an infusion which mainly involved a bottle of alcohol a favourite sweet such as Bubble Gum pear drops whatever took your fancy popping the said sweets into the bottle or bottles of Vodka putting th...

Its been a quiet day here today.  Bright but very cold.  I have therefore hogged the house a bit and rested my foot some more.  A lot of the pain is now gone but it is incredibly sore and I have had tovput a fresh dressing on today. My big toe is very stiff and a bit pins and needley st times but I think I am slowly getting there although I am still not back into my normal shoes yet.  I am at the hospital this week and next week I think one is for a check up with the Rheumatologist. It gets a bit cibfusing when you are seen by three or four Departments. I am still in the very unsexy boot which is way higher than my right side so am still utilising the crutch. I have also popped myself on a short vitamin course as a bit of a pick me up as I have been seriously sleepy dropping off st the drop of a hat.  Now I have to start getting myself back into more of my normal routine as the precursor of getting myself organised in readiness ultimately for hoing back to work....

I went to my local Charity shop yesterday just for a look around and have ended up finding three mens shirts in pale blues and tourquoise. These at some point will now have to be stripped down to salvage the fabric for recycling into a quilt.   I also pop any buttons into my button box ans they are either recycled on clothing or other craft items. As a child I used to be given my aunts button box to keep me amused and out of mischief. I tend to prefer the larger sizes of shirt as you get more fabric out of them but I liked the fabric in each of these so there will be a little less to play with on these. Fortunately yesterday the shirts only cost £2 each which made a big change. I have also recently heard if another charity shop which is a luttle way off and an area I am familiar with as I used to live there as a child.  Will go and have a shifty ons day.  But at least yesterday I was able to acquire more fabric for the quilt stash which will be my first quilt. I kn...

Tonight I fancied something with a bit of cheese on a little pineapple and chorizo served with a side salad and a baked potato served with butter and coleslaw. I am of course talking about home made pizza. I did the pizza myself and it was just what the Doctor ordered.  OH had the same but did not fancy the salad leaves but had the rest and it went down very nicely. It made a nice change to have something later. I was completely stuffed but a couple of hours later I got the munchies and as we had not had fruit or a pudding I made a nice thick pancake with half a tin of Mandarin oranges and dome whipped cream.  Naughty in one sense but very delicious all the same.  I dont use sugar in the pancakes at all so not as naughty as ut could have been. Sometimes you just have to have a little something extra snd pancakes are always quick to make whether for an impromptu pudding for breakfast or savoury pancakes for a main meal. Needless to say it has gone down very well and fill...

This is the next piece of work on the agenda.  It is destined for my rocking chair and I am not sure whether it is a blue moth or a butterfly.  It is a larger gauge canvas than I am used to and worked in cross stitch rather than just in tent stitch but it should go with the poppy/meadow theme that I have in mind for my dining room. It seems to be working up reasonably quickly with what little bit I have already done. The first picture is a snap of what the kit should work up into. And the second photo shows the canvas with the tiny amount I have already managed to do.   I love the colours in the kit and may well at some future point make a throw to go with it.  It is for my pine Fiddleback Rocking Chair which came from the Lake District.  We were on holiday there when we found it in a shop there.  We therefore ordered it and went back up for a holiday to go and fetch it.  Barmy or what.  I had always wanted my own rocking chai...

I dont know about you but i have always loved and appreciated beautiful needlework items and have also used them liberally around my home over the years. Being a crafter myself i know how much time and effort goes into creating a piece of work. Over the years i have gathered quite a few kits and charts together which so far have not been touched.  Some lovely kits which i hope if not this year i will get to next.  I have a host of ufos to do in the meantime and i may be just a bit optimistic on timescales. But hey thats me all over and they do get completed eventually. I do every so often go onto ebay looking for unfinished work at reasonable prices and i also have these to do.  Needlepoint kits tend to attract quite a high premium but I was lucky recently in acquiring a Primavera kit called Indian Poppies. It has no wools so i am going to have to try and obtain a list of the colours used to complete it.  Why did i buy a part finished kit. I loved the Primavera k...

I have now managed to complete all the squares 24 in total w x6 for the back and 2 x 6 for the fronts x 2.  All loose ends have been woven in on each of the 24 indibidual squares. I have now started joining up the squares. Things are starting to come together although I still have an extensive amount of joining to do before yet more crochet. There is now stacked in my work box 2 different piles of squares. I have started with the back of the hot water bottle covers.  This part may take me a little time but i am being good and concentrating on the one item i.e the hot water bottle covers x 2 and it will be good to get them completed and popped up ready for use.  I have 2 new hot water bottles for the covers. Most importantly it has got my hands going.  In my real life i am a secretary and therefore typing all day long and as i have no internet connection to my main computer my hands have not been used for typing for the past three and a half weeks which is the...

A view inside my crochet workbox for the Wip the crochet hot water bottle covers.  The front grannys have been worked jn white pink and blue and the backs just in white and blue. I just have one and a half squares of 24 squares to work.  Pnce they are done it will be a case of sewing in the ends and then joining the pieces to form the body of the cover.  I have akso to make white cotton padded inners to make on the sewing machine but will get the cover part done first. Just to keep it looking neat and tidy. I am pleased with how it is working up so far. As I have said before it is inspiring me to make a quilt in these colours and also a crochet blanket. Will have to see in due course.  These covers started out with me wanting to do something with my hands and utilising some remnants of left over wool. I also had no pattern and have made it up as I have gone along. Now to get the sewing up done.  Catch you soon. Pattypan xx

I am still nibbling away at my hot water bottle covers and instead of being one there are now two.  I have worked 12 granny squares starting with 6 chain joined i to a loop i use the msgic circle method and then 12 trebles into the ring. I then split  into e treble 2 chain on the corners and carry on working for four rows. I have just changed the colourways.  When working granny squares i tend to do so many of each working on the same row on each square until completed.  I have found it more oroductive this way. Now the fronts are worked i am concentrating on the backs.  So far i have r grannys worked and i have another 8 to go.  Once these are worked i will then join 6 of the squares into 2 x 6 panels for the front and the same for the back. I am chuffed with the way things are working up and have been inspired to do this years blanket in this colourway as well as a patchwork quilt. Will pop back again with an update once the panels have been joined. ...

They are here and the season is usually very short and serms to get earlier every year.  What am I talking about but Seville Oranges and I am chuffed to little bits. I paid a quick visit to the veg shop just for a few bits and bobs and specifically I had Seville Oranges in mind.  They did not have any outside but a big box of them inside.  The owners explained that a lot of new immigrants who hsve come into the area dont know whst they are and they think they are ordinary esting oranges which you and I know is not the case.  So to prevent any misunderstandings thry hsve thrm under their brsdyceyes. I was so chuffed to find them that 4kgs have come home with me at £2 per kg.  I have popped an order in for some more as well.  Do not worry I did not carry them home I had them delivered home for me together with some other bits and bobs. The owners brother kindly walked them home for me. I have in mind to make Seville Orange Marmalade some Seville Orang...

One of my main craft hobbies has always been crochet.  I am not perfect by any means but i have a go usually on the blanket or throw front. However i have for the past couple of months been looking at hot water bottle covers on different sites particularly at patchwork heart and other various sites as well and have decided to let my fingers do their stuff and hopefully a hit water bottle cover will evolve.  I am using a basic granny patch to start with and using some left over wool in pale pink pale blue and white.  I have managed to work the front granny squares this evening i still have the back to go. I just had the urge to do something with my hands tonight for a change.  Once i work my pattern out i would quite like to do a couple of covers with raised flowers on but lets get this one done first.  If it works out will be another line for the home made Christmas presents. So i am playing and letting my fingers do their thing. I like the colour choice so much...

The CoOp have had an offer on with some work boxes with a removable tray in so i have snaffled a few. My idea is to have a box for cross stitch a box for hand sewing and patchwork and other craft items so that i can stack and store what i am working on and readily find everything in one place. I usually manage to misplace things along the way and as my memory is not as good as it used to be i thought this might be a safer and less stressful way of working for me.  I thought if i worked on the UFOs in this fashion it would be a good way of getting them done and dusted. In reality i have only purchased three boxes but that is enough to be going on with.  I did go back for some more but they did not have any left ax they were on special promotiSson £7 each or 2 for £9. At least all the necessary items will be in one place as i work project by project.  The boxes at the moment just have bits and pieces in them that i have come across as i have been sorting bits a...

I am going to try and do a few sewing projects especially some of the UFOs. However in the run up to Christmas just gone I picked up a couple of reduced kits from John Lewis. Both are Christmas orientated and I thought I would start early for Christmas 2017. If any of you would like the instructions please pm me with your email address and I will forward to you a copy. I traced the pattern then scanned it. This particular kit is for a Poinsettia decorated felt stocking.  You can then start making your own versions for friends and family members utilising felt and fabric that you already have. I already have ideas for varying the same. Anyway I have been going stir crazy and have spent a good part of my time sleeping but I wanted something relatively straight forward and simple to do whilst also creating something personal for my own Christmas decoration stash. Well have started it and quite quick and simple to make up.  The pattern says to sew stocking up and then...