Walk on the Beach

I hope to exercise regularly again. I've put it aside the last few months, needing that energy for major preparations for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

A container ship approaching the Tyne.

It got put aside again when we went to Chester to help Simon and Simone move into their new house (though I would say I got plenty of exercise on those three days!).

I knew I needed to start slowly and that anything is better than nothing, so one day I managed a walk on the beach. When the tide is out and I walk all the way end to end it is about 3-3 1/2 miles. 




It is usually breezy and cold but always beautiful. I sometimes forget to appreciate how lucky I am to be so close to something this special. 

Christmas Eve on the Canal at Christleton

As part of our trip to Manchester for Christmas Day we stayed with Simon at his house in the village of Christleton, just south of Chester. Spending time with Simon is always a good idea and probably the part of Christmas I most enjoyed. 

He was at work on Christmas Eve so Bill and I took the opportunity to have a wander along the canal, just a block or two from his house.   

I'm always rather envious of the people who live canal side, though there isn't much privacy in their back gardens. The water and the various arrangements they have to enjoy it always look magical to me. Houses on the other side along this stretch had long back gardens with hedges between them and the path along the canal; some had gates for access and others did not. I'm sure there is always a concern about security. In any case we have no plans to sell and move West.

 

We came along a man and his friend/son? fishing. We arrived just in time to see him pull out a large speckled pike. He was keen to make sure it wasn't injured and to get it back into the water safely. He said some people like to eat pike but he wasn't interested.

When all that excitement passed we wished them a Happy Christmas and continued on our walk.

What I Made

The few months between our return from the States and Christmas were truly a treadmill. Not altogether an unpleasant time, but definitely one where every morning I had a long list of deadlines to meet. Bill asked me why I'd 'left it all so late' this year. I mentioned that being away from home for the best part of six months this year kind of made it tricky to take care of some of this preparation. However, I do realise that travel is his priority and so I'm just going to have to get cleverer in addressing these projects.

Coasters

These are made by wrapping strips of fabric (about an inch wide) tightly around raffia clothes line and using a machine zig-zag stitch to hold it all together. They can be made by hand, but even with a machine they take me about an hour to sew one. They are great fun to make but quite fiddly.  

These green ones went to Vivien and Steve. It's sort of a joke that they get the green curtains they gave me back in bits. I'd really not planned to use the curtains this year but I actually ran out of green in my smallest scrappy bits (used to make these) and so ended up turning to the lovely linen, amongst several other pieces, to cut up and finish.

I made these in other colours for Lucy and Julia, for my uncle Pat, friends in Oklahoma Don and Doris, and for Simon and Simone. Simon was actually quite appreciative of them. He does works with wood in a seriously artistic way, mostly making guitars for sale. Anyone who loves their wood appreciates having some protection.

Tote Bag

Asked what colours she liked, Simone said 'Not pink'; these are colours I've seen her wear.

I made this for Simone and was lucky enough to get to watch her open it, the night before she left for Germany. She seemed to really like it, so I look forward to making more things for her and Simon.  





I did manage to at least start this when we were in the motor home in Scotland last summer. Bill was out hiking Ben Nevis in the pouring rain - I actually got a headache listening to the hammering on the roof. While he was out I cut fabric squares and stitched strips on my machine. It's generally not feasible to use my machine unless I'm alone in the motor home and can spread out or we're camping in nice enough weather (that means the continent) to eat and sit in the tent.

There is also a large pocket inside, but the picture was pretty boring... The first time I've tried attaching the handles between the outer and inner layers. I did a lot of hand stitching of the lining and the handles, but I'm much happier with this outcome. Obviously I'm still learning to make these!

This bag seemed to come together in record time just because I broke it up into steps. Something to remember in future. They take a long time, but I do love making these totes! 

Knitted Bag

This was for Vivien's birthday. I'd knitted most of it last year but it was my first experience of circular knitting and there were more mistakes than I knew how to correct. 

More purl than knit!

Though I learned a lot about fixing errors, some couldn't be corrected. So I pulled it all out and started over for this year. It's still not perfect but I gave it a lot more attention and was far more happy with the outcome. 

You can see my knitting is far from ...even...

The very last step of tacking together the knitted columns to form the decorative pattern was quite fiddly and time consuming. I've learned that when I'm able to practice the patience needed to do this sort of thing I feel my Mom's presence in the same way that I do when I make her and Grandmother's foods at Thanksgiving. 

The inside - loads of tacks. No instructions in Lucy's book about how to do this - just 'follow the picture'.

This is meant to be a cover for a hot water bottle, but mine turned out a bit bigger than needed. 

I figured it could be used for holding pajamas or hosiery instead, or for anything for which a draw string bag could be useful. 

The Tightwad's Choice

The last gift I'll tell you about (maybe) is one from Lucy. I wish I'd photographed the package before unwrapping it. We could tell it was a basket with items poking out of the top, but I was astounded at how simple the presentation. The whole thing was wrapped in what I would guess to be organza - perhaps starched organza? with the two long ends twisted and twisted until they formed what looked like a flower. I've seen 1980s belts twisted this way...

Anyhow, the items were astonishing until I read the book titles: a bottle each of olive oil, CocaCola ('full fat', so not something I'd ever drink) and vinegar; also a couple of tea lights, some dental floss and a small bag of kitty litter. Bill turned to me and asked why on earth anyone would give us kitty litter!

I found multiple uses for each of these in one of the books included:

The other book, a wonderful reference from Readers Digest, Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things, pulled me quite a long way into it before I realised I had about six books on the go at once and needed to finish one or two if I weren't to live with the whole stack beside me on the love seat. (Though now that I've typed it, I can't think of a better use for my love seat...)

I'm sure, as with Vivien's gift, pulling this together gave Lucy a lot of laughs and I'm really appreciative of her thoughtfulness. As I mentioned to her in my note, I now worry that (a) I'll never again throw anything away without first checking this reference and (b) we'll start buying odd things like cat litter and denture cleaning for their myriad uses in spite of having no cat but still (most of) our teeth...

Did you get anything 'special' for Christmas?

An EGGceptional Gift!

Bill and I saved opening our presents to one another and from friends for Boxing Day. He bought me mostly books of course and some of my gifts for him were more appreciated than others. However we bought got an eggnormous kick out of our present from Vivien and Steve. 

They had the eggstraordinary idea of giving us a half dozen items relating to cooking eggs. I didn't know most of these things eggisted and will have to have Bill help me eggsperiment in using these eggsotic implements. I believe that most may be eggsamples of how Brits eat their boiled eggs for breakfast. I just tend to fry, poach or scramble my eggs, so I shall have to eggsamine the eggciting recipes that are in the book included. I can't wait to eggspand my repertoire for cooking this eggcellent and ineggspensive source of protein. You might guess some of the terms I used in my thank you note; my only eggscuse is that Vivien 'started it'.

Imagine my eggnominy at having given them my usual selection of boring food and drink; I shall definitely have to eggsplore more interesting eggsamples of presents next year!

This Year's Stack

When I'd finished opening my presents on Christmas Day I had about 95% books, 4% chocolate and 1% hand cream.  I'd easily have traded the chocolate for more books, but on the whole I was quite satisfied. Bill remarked it would take me about a week to get through the books. That is a slight exaggeration, but only just. I have in fact polished off several already and am knee-deep in several others. 

I have in the past few years picked up the habit of reading several books at once, something I never thought I would do. I tend to make myself finish books I start, unless they are truly an awful waste of time. Some books are obviously easier to zip through than others, so I tend these days to read something fiction and something non-fiction (or several of each). Anyhow, here is this year's stack, nearly all of which I requested:

 1 The Glass of Fashion, Cecil Beaton

 2 Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cane

 3-5 The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and The Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins

 6 Empty Mansions, Bill Dedman &Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

 7 The Great British Sewing Bee Sew Your Own Wardrobe, Tessa Evelegh

 8 50 Fabric Animals, Marie Claire Idees

 9 Pretty Patchwork Gifts, Helen Philipps

10 Cooked, Michael Pollan

11 The Lost Art of Dress, Linda Przybyszewski

12 Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things, Readers Digest

13 Waste and Want, Susan Strasser

14 Tips for Meanies, Jane Thynne

There is one other small book you can't see at the top of the pile, but I'll tell you about that in my next post.

I can already tell you that Cecil Beaton's book is a disappointment. He writes (wrote) well enough but given that he is known for his photography it is a blow that there are no photos in there. It will be to do with copyright or something so it probably couldn't be helped. I'd recommend you save your money, or spend it instead on The Power of Style, by Tappert and Edkins. Interesting stories and loads of photos. I've not yet finished Beaton's book, so I might change my mind. On the other hand, I can see I'll be re-reading and referring to The Lost Art of Dress often. 

The crazy thing is, I've already bought myself three more books off my impossibly long Amazon wish list...crackers, I know!

Happy Christmas!

I obviously haven't been able to make blogging any sort of priority this month! Sewing, wrapping, decorating, baking, cleaning and a little bit of shopping (and partying) seem to have taken all my time and energy.  

One of Mom's ornaments from her and Daddy's first Christmas together, in 1945.

Added to that (and perhaps a blessing in disguise) our internet connection hasn't been brilliant of late.

I believe she painted the stars on this one.

Anyhow, the tree is up, the gifts are wrapped and ready, the house is as clean as it's going to get for now (which is to say it's liveable). 

Mom made a bunch of ornaments one year with styrofoam
balls, pins, beads, ribbons and sequins. They are some of Bill's favourites.

Another of Mom's creations.

We are leaving this afternoon to go stay with Simon in Chester and to see Simone before she goes off to Germany for Christmas with her family. 

This one has a paper top, owing to a metal shortage during WWII.
I may try cleaning these when I take them down...very carefully!

Helen has decided that Christmas Day will be spent at her house this year instead of the three kids and partners coming to us on Boxing Day after Christmas Day at their mother's. 

My friend Joanne made several ornaments and sent them to me,
one each year for several years, after I left Oklahoma.

Another of Joanne's.

And several more of Mom's.

 

Bill and I are sad they won't be coming to ours but as they get older and form their own families it was inevitable that arrangements would change. 

We bought this fella in Stillwater, MN (where my Grandma grew up) on our travels up there.

His reaction when I pull his string always makes me smile.

On Christmas Day I gather I will be watching the Queen's speech, which I'm excited about. However, it seems unlikely that Simon will be wanting to watch the Downton Abbey Christmas special, so I'll have to hope I can watch on catch up TV! 

This monster was bought at Harrod's when Bill took me shopping in
London one of our first Christmas's together.

We briefly debated about whether to put up our 8' Christmas tree but I decided if I didn't I'd feel like the Grinch stole my Christmas!  Putting of the tree takes hours, but I enjoy seeing my ornaments, like visiting old friends.

Another from Harrod's.

We also discussed whether to take our presents to one another to be opened at Helen's. I could list any number of reasons not to do that and since we always used to open our gifts, or at least most of them, before our Christmas with the kids, we decided to keep that tradition. 

From the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (Cowboy Hall of Fame, when I was a kid) in Oklahoma City. There's a cowboy hat somewhere around here...

I'm not sure how it will go, joining in with Helen's arrangements. I expect I can cope with just about anything for one day - and I promise to make a real effort to be positive, but if it's not much fun I would like to have something nice to look forward to when we get home. So we have planned to have a special meal and to open our presents on Boxing Day. 

From our first trip to Prague, many years ago.

We are invited for a meal with Bill's cousins the following Monday. My tummy almost hurts in anticipation, Chris is such a fabulous cook and she pulls out ALL the stops for these occasions. 

Then we'll gather at one of the neighbours' house for New Years Eve. We'll all go out to sing Auld Lang Syne holding hands in the street. Then we'll wander around for nibbles and music at a couple of other neighbour's. Sooner than most, we'll come home and crash.

We got this Father Christmas on one of the ferry rides to Amsterdam. I always think he's so lovely.

Working my way through these holidays always feels like running a marathon; it's very enjoyable but one wonders at times where to find the strength. I find the first week of January very satisfying, looking back on what we accomplished and even more, making plans for what the new year might hold. I like looking back and also living in the present, but mostly I enjoy looking forward in anticipation!

Happy Christmas (as they say here in Britain) and Best Wishes for 2015!