Battery hens

With all this rain and bad weather we've been having lately, I really am beginning to feel like one.

I have finished stitching The Mermaid Inn. I even washed it and ironed it before taking a photo. As usual, you can click the photo for a clearer view.



I'm back working on Damask Roses, although it's not really honking my hooter. Maybe I'll start something new...

5 weird things and 7 songs...

I've been tagged by Margaret and Lisa. I have to say five weird things about myself or my pets and list seven songs I'm listening to right now.

5 Wierd Things

1) Nobody is allowed to look at my photos until they are in photo albums. While it annoys people eager to see my snaps, I really dislike fingerprints on photos.

2) I've been engaged for five years. We were six weeks away from getting married in 2002 when somebody (naming no names - but it wasn't me LOL) got homesick and had to go home for a bit! It's never been rescheduled.

3) I don't like to deviate from plans. I can get quite huffy if my plans don't go as planned.

4) My Dad used to call me 'Rumbletum'.

5) From a very early age (I was probably about 7 or 8) I was interested in Princess Diana. I used to joke that she was my real mother. Now if she appears on the telly or in a magazine, everyone says to me 'there's Mummy'. Even my own Mother!


Seven Songs

1) Welcome Home - Dave Dobbyn
2) Don't Cha - Pussycat Dolls
3) Superstar - Jamelia
4) You're Beautiful - James Blunt
5) High - James Blunt
6) Speed of Sound - Coldplay
7) this is sad, but I love the song from the 100% Pure New Zealand ad (although I think they've changed their campaign now)

It's a long weekend here this weekend (yipeee)... when Labour weekend arrives it always seems like summer is just around the corner. Here's hoping I get lots of stitching in (although our front garden is about to be ripped out, so I might have to help OH with that! LOL)

The Mermaid Inn

Thanks for all the comments on my last post. :0)

Sorry if you've checked back over the past week and found no updates (I'm a naughty blogger), but I've been working on 'The Mermaid Inn' and have found it hard to put down. Progress pic below.



The Mermaid Inn is an old (and I really mean old, it was REBUILT in 1420!) pub, situated in Rye, West Sussex. I've visited it on a number of occasions, and was able to pick up this kit in England when I was there on my recent trip. It is such a tiny pub... I'm 5ft7" tall and have to watch my head on the door frame and you'd be lucky to fit 20-30 people inside I reckon.

Come Christmas I'll be rid of nasty embroidery hoop marks (hopefully forever!), Santa is bringing me some Q-snaps. I'm really looking forward to trying them out.

What's better than stash? Free stash, of course! One of my sisters was having a clear out and has passed on a bag of evenweave fabrics for me. I'm sure I'll put them to good use in the future!

Margaret has tagged me. I have to state five things which are wierd about myself or my pets. Hmmm... I'll have to think about this one and get back to you... :0) If you can think of five wierd things about yourself or your pet, then consider yourself tagged!

Monday, Monday....

I had plenty of time to stitch over the weekend, and started and finished 'Watermelon' - which is a Little House Needleworks and Crescent Colours collaboration. I adore the colours in this. It was a really fun stitch.



OH must think he's engaged to an ever-increasing stashaholic, here's my latest monthly installment from Countrystitch. It's called 'Hokey Pokey'. I've been hoping for some more neutral colours, and this is just perfect.



I haven't posted any cat pics lately, so here's one I took a few minutes ago of my big fella 'Giggsy'. He's like so many large male cats... a real softy!



As usual, you can click on the photos for clearer shots (I'll work it out one day!).

Hope your week is off to a flying start...

I'm sooo excited...

I've just booked a long weekend away in February for OH's birthday - the highlight of the weekend being whale watching in the South Island.

While OH is a very generous gift-giver himself, he doesn't like receiving them. But surely I've hit the nail on the present-head this time!??


Image courtesy of
Whale Watch Kaikoura

Also planned is a trip to a winery (he lurvves wine) and some relaxing.

There's a fantastic stash shop in Picton called 'The Looking Glass' which I might have to raid while we wait for the ferry home. LOL. (Honest, there was no alternate agenda here!!... does anyone believe me?).

As for stitching... would you believe with all that new stash, I'm actually working on Damask Roses and feeling really motivated with this piece... so I'm sticking with it for now. Will post a progress pic soon.

We get high speed internet this weekend, so if I disappear for a while it's probably just high speed teething problems!