Part 2

So to continue vinnies summer jaunts.

Once we got back from the lakes we dropped of emilidh and did a quick turn round, throwing out the awning and all the holiday stuff and loaded him up again with biking gear and the two bikes ...nancy our adorable full suspension tandem and Robs solo bike and nice wee orange....http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/
 Rob loves Orange bikes they are hand made in Halifax and he is very loyal...when we first moved up here none of the locals rode them and he had his leg gently pulled for owning one... However at last count the club owned at least 10 between them..... Perhaps he should get some sort of loyalty award...lol

Anyway we were off up to glencoe for a trail building weekend..organised by Scottish rids a great group of guys and gals who we had never met before but were sure that would not make for any awkward moments.  The evening was that lovely dry warm sort and boded well for a good weekend.   Because of the quick turn round we had to stop at The Real Food Cafe at Tyndrum on the way...now if you have never called into this superb place please rectify this very soon. http://www.therealfoodcafe.com/so we had to call in not that this is a problem at all we love it there and admire the lovely Sarah for creating such a wonderful place to call to eat and so ethically ran too...please follow the links to find out more.

So after stopping for a wonderful venison burger we made it to glencoe in the dark...now generally when we go biking we wild camp in a handy car park or grassy verge... Now at glen Coe we use the car park and eat in the cafe and pay for the showers..they have the most interesting hobbits (wee wooden huts/gypsy caravan like places)..  These are run by http://www.glencoemountain.com/accommodation-mobile.html a fairly new venture which having met Andrew should do very well...

So there we are surrounded by majestic mountains and swarms of the dredged Midgie, Rob valiantly  went out and placed the ramps so we didnt sleep on the slope.  Then when all sorted with incense burning we left vinnie and ventured out to the cafe for a nice coffee/beer and meet some of the fellow workers...

Next morning dawned sunny and after a bacon butty in vinnie we went up and met the rest of the party...this was the start of a really super weekend... Tom from http://bigmountainscotland.com/ issued us with our lift pass so we could all ride the course for the morning so we would know what parts would need our brute strength and energy in the afternoon.






We have nevere done this route so it was a voyage of discovery for us andthe lift operators getting nancy up the chair lift...it was awesome.  Here is Rob with Nancy on the lift and as you can see he is as excited as I am to be doing this.... woo hoo

So after throwing ourselves down the track a few times it was time for lunch and then the work really began... now the idea from Tom was for the party to walk up half the mountain to begin work... I had other plans as if I had walked up with my big trog and a spade I would have one needed mountain rescue and I would have been no use nor ornament to man or beast...so I took the lift up to the top and walked back down the the working party.... this perhaps sounds a lazy option but I promise you it was not easy walking down the trail I had just come down at speed... and if I am honest I think walkers are amazing because its much easier for me to ride down rather than walk... I made to the others without landing on my bottom which is a major achievement in itself....lol so we spent a busy few hours in the sun working, digging, lifting and placing stones into berms under the talented Roddy who wasn't a novice trail builder... 

Tom had brought up refreshments for a wee pit stop mid afternoon and never has pear cider and biscuits gone down so well with a group of people... I didn't eat the biscuits as I am still being very careful with my fat intake... By the end of work time ie 6pm we were all quite exhausted and trudged down the mountain again... this was something which again I managed to do without falling down but others didn't manage so easily...

So back down at the bottom we all went our seperate ways to either tents, campers or hobbits...the wonderful wee micropods that are available for hire at Glencoe.... 

After wonderful hot showers and placing our towels into the drying area we set off for dinner... now to say that our meal was well deserved is putting it mildly the day had indeed been rather physical and I was very hungry so when the dinner arrived.  We sat with the funny lad Roddy and had a really brilliant evening chatting and finding out each others biking experiences.... now being with Roddy was great however it did mean that Rob ended up drinking more than he has ever done in recent memory and here is the picture to prove said partaking...lol So it was a rather merry Rob staggered back to vinnie for sleep that night...

next morning was once again to be a working one but have to admit that I didnt make it to this session, I took the opportunity to have a wee lie in and chat to the other females on the weekend...none of the others ride or infact did the trail building but had come along to be with the rest of us... and what a nice bunch of ladies I met... from the wonderfully fit young lady who went off trail running (madness in my eyes I could hardly walk down the trail), to the brilliant Jill who had two gorgeous labs who were the focul of attention for a wonderful ............................. a amazingly gorgeous dog who was such a sweetie even if a rather over sexually excited male....poor thing was distracted with love and lust by the end of the weekend...lol but such a big soft hearth rug of a dog.

By the afternoon it was time to go up again in the chair lift to try out the trails which had been built.  On the trip up I managed to get this photo of the decal on Nancy and felt considering what we were about to do it was very apt...

We managed some more runs before I was spent for the day and so I left Rob to go and spend the last hour before the lift closed riding down on his solo.... 

I spent the time packing up vinnie and getting him ready for the trip back to Milton and so after a nice cuppa tea with our new riding friends we set of home again to our beloved home and we both kept smiling at each other not only because of the wonderful weeks holiday with wee Emilidh and our massive weekend biking but that we were going home to Milton our own refurbished home... all was well with our world...

Hard day but good job done

So today saw rob and I tackling the many trips to the tip with the stuff which was dragged out of Milton and dumped into the cottage and garages.... We knew most things where not recoverable but we weren't ready to let go.  Anyway we tackled it and amazingly in some containers things which shouldn't have been in them were so I have now got two sets of jewellery we thought had melted. :) also my dads harmonica survived and well the tears flowed but it seems to work not that I can play it..... Yet lol.  Would you believe that the we note which I wrote at his funeral has survived along with those of rob lindsay Ann-Marie and my mums.  So in the next day or two they can have them if they want them.  Never expected to find those things.  Also very soggy but may just be ok for scanning some photos of Lindsay as a brownie lol hope they scan and then she will have some of her childhood  photos again.  I am not sure yet if any of Ann-Marie have survived as didn't want to peel too many until scanner was fired up.  Guess what I will be doing this week.

So now rob has a totally cleared man cave to put his stuff in over the next week he is a happy bunny.  Thanks have to go to Tom Butcher who inspired me to get on with it when he came on Saturday and I must say he really won't recognise the place now...

So as I mentioned at the beginning

This has been a really difficult task but now it is done I have got lots of wee reminders back and feel so lucky :) 

What we have been up to part 1

What to say?

So much has happened since we moved into Milton but having weeks and weeks of no Internet has not made it much fun so now what to chat about first....

Milton is beautiful and living back in her is wonderful, exciting, interesting, poignant, strange, but fun as ever. Rob is a tad worried as I am a bit anal about keeping her very tidy, he is being patient and thank goodness for that because I find myself actually not having something
Because I has just wiped the work
Tops lol. As you who know me this is very novel and I am sure it won't continue but in my defence I do feel that so many people will want to see her now she is finished ( relative finished some outside jobs by builders still not finished) and well
I want to show he at her best of course. So what have we been
Doing with ourselves

This last few weeks. Well we have had a few weekends away in vinnie and also been on holiday in the lake district with wee emilidh.

Our holiday was pure pleasure we bought just before we went a wee cube awning so that we could keep our space on the site when we went away each day and also so the table and chairs could be left and not packed away each time. The cube was awesome it made life so much easier for us and was really quick to erect and not much trouble to attach or detach when we went out and about.


Our routine on holiday was up. Breakfast ( rob does a mean bacon roll in vinnie) which was always tasty courtesy of the wonderful food from Booths. Then we went out for the day now as it was wet for the first half of the holiday we did fall back onto our wet day plans and so a trip to the illusion experience in Keswick was a great call. We had gone before with emilidh but this year she really got the illusions and it was so much fun showing and sharing the experience with her the laughter was loud and very frequent and also seeing the wonder on her face made me want to thank the rain. Now at the end of the day it would have been rude not to have gone to the swimming pool in Keswick
With its wave machine and so we went every day bar one and spent at least 1 1/2 hours jumping the waves each visit... The bruises I ended up with. We're all my own fault but needless to say if I had been taller I might have managed not to be dragged back and forth over the bottom of the pool.. Lol I went down my first ever flume and well it was fun but not sure I would do it again there as it was dark for some of it and I didn't like that part.

We then would head back to the campsite for a spot of tennis, frisbee and footie, usually while dinners was being made, then following dinner till the midges got us and then it was back to vinnie for hot tea and dunking biscuits whole we had a story and then we all turned in... These evenings times were special and I still get a warm feeling when I remember them. Thanks wee emilidh you were a wee star.

Now you will notice that there are not photos at the moment in his blog post that is because I don't have any on the iPad and don't yet know how to add ones from camera to it. Sorry but trust me they are great photos too.

Think I will finish now more of our summer adventures shortly

Milton has no internet

Sorry friends but Milton has no internet so its very hard to post blogs but hope to get a chance shortly.  This is a quick five minutes at my mums....

We are all well and more furniture is installed...just the last minute snaggs like dressing the internal doors and doing some outside paint work, the upstandings in the kitchen, these are the jobs left to the builders...then some carpets need fitting and B.T. needs to give us a landline for internet connection (this isnt due till near the end of August so it will be a time yet before normal life can commence)  Miss keeping up with you all... keep well, take care and remember smile and have fun I do...

We Are In..............Hurrah

Wow what a mammoth weekend we have had... It started on thursday with Rob finishing work at 4 and us dismantling and loading our bed into the wonderful Vinnie... erm ok so it took two trips and once the mattress was in we had to call on the Mossatron to help shift it out of the Vinster again.... anyway that done it was our first night at Milton... We celebrated in true F1 styly and shook a bottle of champagne and outside our own front door we popped the cork and drank from the bottle ( Fiona you said it was to be done and well we did it thanks).. then with full glasses we stood and took in the moment of moving back into our very beautiful Milton... was it emotional well yes it was but it was good emotion.  Then off to bed early to be ready for the next day.

Friday saw us up early and I managed to work our new microwave and make us porridge and coffee.  Then off to the flat after a quick visit to collect the van (ok so we had a wee hiccup there but nothing daft) we (as in Rob and Andrew) carried the boxes to the lift and then into the lobby at the flat and then I left them while the van arrived and went off to shop for supplies with Joanne and the children... we arrived at Milton at the same time as the van and so it was all hands on deck unloading shopping, boxes and for an hour I think it was chaos...however after that I got a handle on things and managed to direct the right boxes into the correct areas of Milton... We then all stopped for lunch.. the children sat wonderfully on the floor (no furniture moved yet) and had an impromptu picnic which they had earned carrying all those boxes in and up stairs for us... the grown ups (Rob and Andrew) had bacon butties and coffee and it was off to work again... By tea time the boxes were mostly moved and in situ so we waved a fond farewell with gratitude to Andrew who Rob informed me went of happily with a box of donuts...(Rob really doesn't understand how different they are to the wonderful baking Andrews darling wife Anne bakes...coals to Newcastle donuts aren't....lol)

So night two approaches but not until I had unloaded and put away most of the kitchen stuff and food and thoroughly did too much... still we went to bed then both shattered but armed with the tape measure as we needed to plan out what wardrobes etc we needed the next day on our trip to get furniture from Big cuz William... to aid this process it was obviously time for more champagne so we opened an nice bottle of moet rose (on offer at Morrisons thanks for that meant I bought double .....well it had to be done).. this time we decided to christen the back of Milton so we popped the cork out the upstairs window out over the roof.... and laughed liked children... so in bed champagne drinking deciding what would fit where... (recipe for disaster?  who knows the boxes are there now but we havent unpacked or put them together yet only time will tell)

Saturday morning saw us up early and on the 8 o'clock ferry and making our way to Dunes in the borders via Edinburgh Ikea........... OMG so this was the day that the heavens opened and we had a months rain in a day or so the weather men say we did... and well the Edinburgh bypass was not the place to be but we had no choice got stuck and well sat, I knitted, drove a yard, sat I knitted, sat some more for hours.... once we got to the Penicuik exit we dove off and thought lets get Ikea done, quickly and hopefully the water will have subsided and we will get through quicker... er nope... Ikea was the quickest grab and smash ever and we didn't buy a single thing not on the list not one ... what an achievement and it was back to the journey.  The roads to the bypass were gridlocked still and we did some more sitting but by this time were feeling the strain we had Cousin William and Kate waiting for us at Dunes both having travelled to be there.. Ok Kate from not far away but she had been away all week and William was making a flying visit from Brussels just to give us his furniture... Rob was really feeling it now but thankfully another hour or so saw the traffic moving and us back on track... albeit 5 hours later than expected... (enter phone call from big cuz William.... " How are you doing?  The A1 near us is now impassible we believe do you want to turn back?"..... lol er nope we were not going to turn round and retrace our very slow steps through it all again for hours but pushed on and made the rest of the journey in a respectable 1hour... phew yes there was some water about on the A1 but not as it had been and yes the rivers had burst their banks all around but the van and us Cooksley furniture movers battled through...(ok it was the easy leg of the journey now)... We arrived in time to spend half and hour with Kate before she had to dash then we sat and chewed the fat for another hour drinking coffee with William and then the task of filling the van began... We are enormously grateful William for the gift of your sofa's, shelving units, bistro marble table ( I adore!) and well the desk and wall shelves which are absolutely stunning and you are so fond of.  We have them in pride of place and well they are already our first family treasures and we feel very touched that you are giving us them on permanent loan.... (note permanent... think you will be fighting your wee cousin ...pistols at dawn and well he did teach you to shoot so may just win that contest...lol... if you want them back).. Honestly they are gorgeous and so us and Milton can't wait to get the pics taken to show you...thank you very very much...

We hope you neighbours in Dunes don't think we were the bailiffs but we did feel rotten driving off with all your lovely stuff when we left and not sure if you knew it but well I was crying... I know you will love being full time in Brussels but cuz we feel we have only just started to get to know you properly and now the channel is in between us again... oh well Vinnie does Brussels seems like a good plan for next year... good luck with selling at Dunes and buying in Brussels, we cant wait to see and share your lovely cosmopolitan life and well a wee bit of sun wouldn't go amiss...

Anyway we were back on the road and had a ferry to catch... so now as we drove off we suddenly heard these utterly load grumblings................oh oh we hadnt eaten since first thing...well Rob did demolish half a pack of hobnobs and some donuts but well I had some strawberries and some sour cherry haribo but we were hungry...now we were not more than 9 miles or so from St Abbs by this time and I know of a nice pub with excellent food in Coldingham visited each time we girls go to woolfish festival so I guided Rob along the narrow lanes to the pub... oh oh it was full to the brim and no tables for hours...not good... hungry movers here so we dashed across the road to the not so frequented pub and had a okish pub meal not the quality of my first choice but it was damn hot and filling and well we were starving... so thanks for that and I am sure the bar staff must have wondered at the couple who came in ordered instantly woofed down a meal and left again in less than 30 mins but wow did it make life nice in the van for the journey home to Milton which in the end was not exciting at all the flooding was gone and the roads were clear and we made excellent time... In,fact we were early so called in a supermarket and got supplies for the next days helpers..

So we made the 10.30 ferry and we we got to turn RIGHT as we disembarked.... Right is home to Milton and it felt good.

Straight to bed and although shattered and sore just not a sleep night for me and with no phone line or internet yet at Milton it was a long long night..

Sunday saw us up and ready for Lindsay and Chris as our helpers for the day aided by the gorgeous foo bear and my amazingly spritly mum... (omg have I worked her this last week...poor woman deserves a medal and also a big surprise..no idea yet what as its a surprise to me too)...lol

So first job was to unload the jigsaw puzzle of a van and then try to place the furniture in to Milton....lets just say some things have been moved around a few times...thanks for your patience Rob and Chris you two were stars...Afer the van was unloaded it time for first big flat load and well us ladies who couldnt do the lifting for various reasons just pottered around made some dinner and and well hung around... hard for all of us to feel so useless but well on this day there was little we could do physically....

A wee visit from Anne and wow she repaid the donuts Rob gave Andrew with a fine big box of cake and well the workers loved it all...thanks Anne was great to see you, you look so well and healthy for you sunny holiday and jealous me?  ok a bit your tan is lovely and you look so well... glad to see you and share our Milton and thanks for taking on altering my curtains to fit Miltons windows... you are a star and I am grateful..  

Lunch eaten and the boys off for another flat/garage trip (that garage at the flat was a nightmare filled but not organised and not had the weather to organise it since we moved from The Pier House) and Mum and I sat down for an afternoon of Tennis....Roger Federer and Andy Murray Wimbledon final... lots will be said and has been said but it was a good match Andy played great tennis and Roger did play better in the last set so he won but us Murray fans felt Andy was a great player and worthy of a win obviously it didn't happen this time but it will.... Go Andy you can do it and you will do it.

Mum skipped of home to watch in peace at her house as well we were still moving in and the too ing and frooing was not relaxing for her... Lindsay and I were very lucky to be able to share a bottle of Elderflower champagne with Catriona (maker of said champagne and inspiring us both to have a go next year..) the champagne hit the spot and well was wonderful too drink while watching the tennis even the wee strawberry you popped in from one of Miltons rogue bushes was perfect....

The tennis over was about the time the lads finished unloading etc and moving things etc so it was dinner on and then sit down and eat... Thanks to my wonderful mum who hates cooking but had provided a huge pot of mince bolognaise and quorn for the non meat eaters of us.... Funny remark of the evening was " granny made this?  too many vegetables in it for her cooking? " lol Chris priceless and true but it looked amazing and well she obviously used a char-grill veg jar too...lol

So Lindsay and Chris left with the foo bear and we looked around and well moved some stuff again of course.  We then got a wonderful visit from Alison and Peter and well what a hoot out came another bottle of champagne (thanks again Morrisons) and an hour of relaxation and chat and laughs...Thanks for such lovely present for Milton and well the baby camel is awesome.......Then it was time for bed this time I did fall asleep and well according to Rob it was instantly... all I know is that it was suddenly morning and the cleaning of the flat beckons along with a visit to the dentist and an email to the builders about all the things not finished in Milton..




So we are back in our beloved home and feeling great about it... Milton is very different now and that as it should be..... thanks to every single friend near and far who have made this last year bearable we couldn't have done it with out you all... special thanks to our families as they have been affected too by the devastating fire at Milton and you kept us going when at times it was hard for you all too.  Especial thanks to all our helpers and visitors this weekend you made what could have been a difficult/awkward emotional time fun and full of laughter and we are now happy to say that 1 year and 2 months since the fire to the day we are back HOME and stronger for the ride we have had with you all.

so this is summer?

Ok so officially here its summer as the children have finished for the summer hols and yep the weather is not nice its murky and wet and the midgies are ferocious here at the moment... However on the bright side by the end of the week Rob and I will be moved back into Milton and wow cant wait till that happens..

Its with very mixed feelings all good but understandably some trepidation and nerves and wow a bucketful of emotion..

We snuck in yesterday to empty the first load of Vinnie and well sat on the sofa newly donated and gorgeous just the correct colour for our new Milton colour scheme...thanks Karen its perfect.  This weekend will see us dashing over to Berwick for Saturday and Rob and his big cuz filling the van with some leather sofas and chairs and a wee side table or two for the lounge at Milton and that will be lovely.... He is selling his wee pad there and getting something else I believe.... hope its not any further away coz we love it when we meet up for lunches when he come back to Scotland from Brussels....

So this is a wee post just to say hi and that well after tomorrow not sure if I will have internet connection as the flat is supposed to be off and Milton on tomorrow but you know these things it might not happen quite smoothly...lol

I will be taking photos when ever I can and then post them with phone whenever a 3 g signal appears so have fun all and will catch up again very soon...

And normal life can start in the new Milton only 14 months since our devastating fire...We cant wait to start making new memories in Milton again... hope some of you can join us making them

Pictures from Woolfest

So here are some of the pictures from Woolfest...time to sit back and enjoy the pretties...lol


And we arrive and eat in house with a wee drink to go with it

 And a wee picture of jo enjoying it lol, she is going to kill me for this ...lol

As you know from the previous blogs the weather was aweful but here are my purchases... Firstly from the lovely vintage lady I have my new to me sewing box, this is to replace the one my Nana gave me years ago and got lost in the fire... in it was a load of buttons and also a couple of other interesting things one which I have no idea what to do with it...

 Here is something to do with weaving do you recognise it and know how to use it? if so would love to know more...it says speed weaver on the back















Here all the buttons in all the trays have been grouped together I am so looking forward to finding a nice old tin to keep them in so Emilidh and I can have lots of fun riffling through them sorting the best most unusual and threading them or placing them on cards...

















Here are the other bits some binding and couple of wooden bobbins and one with a wee bit of cotton on it.

I couldn't resist a wee set of red buttons to add to the box so here they are aren't they cute...

Then I visited the Wool Shed and well couldnt resist the Herring Girl shawl which is already cast on and is being knit in this lovely Shetland and Hebridean DK.  This shawl is based on the traditional gansey patterns and is worked in squares and a few half squares and is then stitched together in Herringbone stitch hence its name.. I am hoping to finish this and use it over a fleece when we are camping in Vinnie and it gets chilly in the evening... 5 squares down only another 44 to go..

After that I visited the lovely Natalie at Yarn Yard and I am happy to say that this year she had some fleece plaits again... Natalie is just so good at dyeing that her colours in both yarn and fleece are what dreams are made of... just look at this...

The fibre is hopefully going to become a lovely shawl and well the yarn who knows but love the colours so much...Natalie also had some lovely silks which I couldnt resist along with a couple of tatting cottons just look at the colours I bought















Then I found what was my bargain of the weekend and that is this lovely spun Merino/silk, the lovely man said he had blended it and spun it to use in his merchandise but it was a tad over spun but would be nice for handspinners and he wasnt wrong... So if Mr Arbon of John Arbon Textiles feels like he would make a mistake again we hand spinners wont say no...lol














I also bought a wee bit of organic Falkland as the Islands are in the news at the moment and I thought it would be nice blended a bit with the lovely alpaca I got from the Clyde Coast Guild outing...lol










After those which are regular people I like to buy from I also got a lovely plait of jacob and must say I will be putting this wonderful stall on my list of regular stalls for next year


Adelaide Walker had the most gorgeous array of beautiful natural fibres and so so reasonable I will be visiting again asap...









Then this wee sparkly fibre shouted I want to be spun and then knitted into a shawl to go with your very nice long dress for a your autumnal cruise... so of course I couldnt resist the call of a lovely fibre like this one













Nom Nom

Then the lovely Timbertops had to have a visit... and well these wee shuttles just had to be in my basket to come home... :)

Then a wee present for Emilidh from the lovely ladies at the Braid Society, this is the summers crafting fun collection started... not long now wee Emilidh only got to keep going till Friday lunchtime then you are on your holidays hurrah.....













Not all my woolfest was about spending and acquiring honest... I spent a long time listening to the band just resting and when the clogg dancers came on it fair made my day this ladies never broke a sweat and they didnt have move their feet...









We were then treated to a lovely bit of fun two of the musicians came to the front with wee puppets and made these do a wee clogg dance while the rest of the band played such fun and well very entertaining

Notice the two styles the man on the right used his whole fist to make his puppet jump on the wooden plank where as the man on the left only drummed his fingers and his puppet was doing all sorts of arm contortions as well lol

There was an amazing collection of wonderful artistic talent on show all around the show ground and I could have taken so many photos but if honest I am no photographer and I was shattered most of the time so here is more from the lovely artist who needle felts dogs amongst other things...

And well of course I had to give the wee Alpacas another wee showcase they really are cute...lol

So this is only a wee taster of the amazing fibery pretties that were available at Woolfest but they did attract me enough for me to stand and buy even when feeling rather unwell... we are already talking about next year and I will have to start a fund very soon to help my poor hubby who funded all this trip... thank you very much Mr R Cooksley lol 

woolfest day 2

Well we had breakfast in the room and then headed out to be near the front of the queues again... The weather decided to be very very kind to us and not rain while we were waiting, the organisers also let us into the cafe to wait so I was able to wait sitting down a real bonus.. And the doors opened and once again the senses were treated to a massive dose of sensory overload... I went along with Jo and Ali for a we while each of us sharing something we found the day before and all of us hoping that what ever it was, was still there for us to share... I went along to YarnYard again so that I could add a few more silks to my newly gathering momentum stash of silks for tatting and braiding... Ange you enabler... lol.  I also went to the Braiding guild to purchase a braiding wheel kit for myself, Emilidh and of course Jo and Ali... It was then time to go and have a look along A aisle this was a whole aisle which was made up of stall from the Wool Clip ladies.  This is an award winning co-operative of 15 ladies  who formed in 2001 and run a thriving shop in Caldbeck and I believe where instigating in forming Woolfest


There are so many peoples work that I really should highlight but for this post I am going to highlight the work of only one artist..Joss Wrigg this lady does woollen sculptures and well I was totally in awe of her work http://www.wix.com/josswrigg/feltsculpture#!sculpture ... I have taken a couple of photo's of some of her work but they are not good on the phone camera so I advice you to follow this link and look for yourselves.

While wondering along this aisle I found and chatted to Janet Renouf-Miller....... the lovely talented spinner dyer who was instrumental in beginning my spinning career..she was volunteering at a stall and in return was promoting her book... This is a fantastic how to book on spinning and if I am honest the only book you would ever need...its put together in such a easy to follow way that you cant possibly not find the information you need and want instantly and is my bible for spinning I really cant recommend it enough. If you want to know more go along to Janets website http://www.createwithfibre.co.uk or buy her book from all the usual places its called How to Spin Just about Anything and the isbn numbers are:
 ISBN-10: 0956675107

 ISBN-13: 978-0956675101

I then couldn't resist a wonderful plait of Jacob fleece and well also a few wee button badges from a very nice man who had lovely fibre too... more on that with pics when I can get my stuff unloaded and pictures taken...lol

The rest of my time on Saturday at Woolfest was spent sat in the entertainment area watching the clog dancers and listening to the lovely music and just chatting to friends past and present... One of my favourite things about going to a wool festival is that you get the chance to meet with friends you only ever see at wool festivals and or through Ravelry.. I was lucky to meet up with quite a few who I hadn't thought I would meet but was hoping to and one of those had to be the lovely Kazz.  It was pure coincidence that the shawl I was wearing with pride was the one she made for me after our fire last year.  It was perfect for the coolness of the show ground/cattle market atmosphere of Woolfest and well it also meant she saw me from a distance and tracked me down... Kazz wish I could have chatted with you longer but knew you needed to go shopping and well you were not feeling the best I could tell.... hugs my lovely spoiler friend hope you feel brand new soon....

We then left fairly early so that Jo could go to Manchester to visit her brother in hospital who only the day before had a brain tumour removed.... But if honest was ready for a rest anyway so it was no hardship to go back to the travel lodge and have a wee sleep....Ok it was a big sleep both Ali and I slept till after 6.30pm ops.. We ended up having to eat at the travel lodge and well the food was passable at best but it filled a need so we are grateful to the lovely staff for serving us... We then found ourselves along at room 12 for a nice evening of spinning knitting and chatting, though a lot less chatting was had as everyone was bushed and also was concentrating on all the lovelies they had bought that day... Karen and Seona were off as the Football started as avid footie watchers they took their wheels down to the public area and sat spinning while cheering the game... have to say its not a sport I watch much or even enjoy but was so nice to see two lovely fibre loving ladies cheering a penalty...think it was anyway lol.

The evening ended fairly early and much more sedate than the previous one and then back to our room we went and followed shortly later by Jo who had made it to Manchester and back in one piece through all the flood warnings and although shattered seemed much happier for having seen and spoken to her brother in person... Isn't medical science wonderful he will hopefully be discharged from hospital tomorrow Monday to recover at home... amazing.

Sunday dawned a bit later in room 8 as we left Joanne asleep for a wee bit as she was going to be doing all the driving homewards..... As we were awakening one of our lovely band of ladies text to say her car had broken down and she was waiting for the A.A....Well thanks nice men from the A.A. not only did you come promptly followed them to Penrith where the fault appeared again and organise getting our lovely friends Moira and Kirsty home but you conveniently did a change over at the very services we were stopping at and we were lucky to have a wee catch up with the girls before we all made our way back up into Scotland and home....

I am now safely home in bed resting and smiling after doing a brief show and tell of all my purchases including the wonderful dresses from Gretna outlet ... and I can say that Rob approves of them all...

Oh and to top of an excellent bargain filled weekend I found waiting a nice wee parcel through the post of a dress which I bid on last week, won and well as it was only £1 and £3 package and postage... so I tore it open to find a label still attached Debenhams classic, a nice chiffon dress with burgundy piping swirls embroidered on...  which when tried on also fitted perfectly.. wow I am becoming the bargain queen must be getting lessons from my lovely Mother-in-law Janet.  


And crash....................

Woolfest day 1

This is a quick update on the mobile in the hope that concentrating on writing will aid sleep.

Wooooo hooooo I made it to woolfest. No way was recovery from gallbladder op going to stop me. Especially as my dear friends jo and Ali were happy to do the carrying of everything. Girls you two really rock thanks.... I owe you both big time...

So Thursday arrived and the food stuffs were bought essentials like sweets for the car journey and wine fir the evenings oh and breakfast and packed lunch items...lol. Then we were off first stop Gretna outlet village. We had promised ourselves m&s shopping... However I found a wee shop called klass... Omg kid in sweety shop does not start to describe my feelings, I loves so many dresses really loved the shapes and materials. So with a lot of persuading from the girls ( ok none) they carried a arm load of dresses into the changing rooms. And the fun began. Every one fit perfectly, I mean really well. I had a ball strutting my stuff really had a ball. I knew I looked really good when jo announced I was a bitch with a hugs smile on her face and shaking her head. Thanks girls really made me feel gorgeous. Then Ali asked me to try on a black slinky number just for her. So of course I did and well to say I was surprised by how amazing it looked isn't even starting to cover how it made me feel... It hung beautifully and well is totally drapey and swishey and well ideal fir a formal night on the cruise.. So yes I had a wee splash out on some brilliantly flattering dresses love them. Lol pics one day promise ...
We arrived at the travel lodge to a hiccup with our room but all credit to the staff the were great realised their mistake and sorted it with minimum fuss and a smile. Thanks

Friday dawned with torrential rain and if honest never stopped but we were there for the start ready to queue all was orderly and them we were off. First the lovely vintage nic nac stall, were we ooo,d and aaa'd at lovely itty bitty's from our past and I bought a wee concentina opening sewing box. It's not as beautiful as my nanna's lost last year in the fire but it's sweet and came with some buttons to start my collection off again. Ali found a sweet wee set of thread clippers and jo lovely antique silks and we were of on a wonderful frenzy of wool and fibre and art bliss or what?

To try and describe the colours smells noise well would be impossible but we loved it to say the least. The girls gad taken my new shopping trolley to the yarn crèche and the wonderful wee man was happy to let me troup pack and forth with my parcels. I now have the pattern and yarn for a herring girl shawl. Ideal for vinnie evenings and already cast on. ( my hap shawl is a disaster, but more on that in another post). I have a pattern for a lovely shoulder piece called ocean ...... Erm something. Ops maybe sleep is trying to overcome the pain finally as can't remember. I visited the lovely timbertops stall ( links when back on laptop posting) and well was greeted as a long lost friend... Our shared fire loss experiences have forged a bond which well let's just say I know they really understand how thus last 15 months have felt and I know how they felt watching their workshop burn down not an experience anyone should have to live through. But we both can only say that the family through Ravelry made us all feel humble with everyones kindness seriously people really cared and showed it. I know I am eternally grateful for my fibre/wooly friends fir their kindness generosity and support... My family it goes without saying rocked too. So 3 wee shuttles later and sone buttons and well a yearning to buy the Harris loom they have lovingly refurbished left me with goodies in my bag and a keen wish the insurance monies had been paid (that table loom moves like a dream and is 8 shaft and really would love to be re homed in Milton.... Lol

I then visited the lovely Natalie and Gavin at yarnyard and well have a gorgeous fibre plait, sone gorgeous yarn and 5 wee braids of tatting silks... Delicious. I then had the pleasure of touching and of Course buying some beautiful merino silk which really is gorgeous to touch and will be a dream to spin all 300g of it. 100g organic falkland had to be bought especially as the island itself is in the news at the moment.

Sleep has alluded me but meds starting to work so will add the rest if Fridays fun later. Off now for breakfast and more woolfest woo hoo albeit mostly sitting today much too sore fir standing much but what a wonderful place to sit and knit while people watch... Missing you Liz we watch people so well together

Excited who me....

Well its the night before I go off to Woolfest in Cockermouth.  I am so excited about going that I am almost unable to sleep, I say almost as I do feel my eyes getting tired now I have decided to write about it... typical...

Anyway Woolfest for my close fibre loving friends and myself is an annual outing and we generally manage to go to the theatre too in Keswick while down in in the Lake District... This year  due to various health issues with us we are not making the theatre but that is all good because it will mean we can sit around with other friends and just knit and spin along together and also we can partake of a little beverage or two....as you do.

So what am I expecting to see and buy at Woolfest.... If I am honest I am not sure really.  I would love to get a bit of fleece for spinning I still have only 200 grams of tops for spinning and also a wee bit 300 grams of Alpaca so my fibre stash is seriously empty.  So some nice mixes of fibre would be good to gather into my stash...

Yarn oh now that's a big one, I am always always wanting more yarn and I love going to wool festivals to enable this... What specific yarn to I really need............ well none really though I am after knitting at least a couple of shawls for my holiday in November and well I can always do with some extra mitts and cowls and well I am short of a shrug or two... so as you can tell I am wanting yarn for a few things... have I actually worked out what patterns in advance so I know what yarn to get... not yet maybe I will get that done tonight I am to try....

I would also like to get a few nice buttons to start a new button box to take back into Milton when she is ready for inhabiting in about 3 weeks... I am also about to do an envelope swap so will be on the look out for one or two items to place in that for my very special spoilee....

So here I am shattered and needing some sleep and yet I am so excited that I can't actually sleep lol would you believe that a 54year old woman could be so silly..................... OK you can because I think most of you who read my blog are knitters and well you really understand this fascination with all things sheepy...

Will see you all the other side and well I may have a picture or two  lol

It seems to have clicked today

So it is the week of Woolfest,http://www.woolfest.co.uk/ the wool and fibre event of the year for me and my knitting pals... we tend to all head down to Cockermouth for this annual affair and if I am honest its not looked like this would happen for so many of us this year what with hospitals and illnesses and bad backs husbands being ill and well many many other issues but here I am on the Tuesday with only 2 sleeps to go and its looking good...woo hoo..

I have adapted what I am taking, so no spinning wheel this year, unable to carry it so soon post operation, and also not even sure if I could spin yet anyway as concentration levels are at an all time low.... however I am now pondering what wee item to take with me to knit... I was going to start a Hap shawl but decided that it maybe a bit to heavy to carry around all day while looking at stalls then going and sitting down to rest and wiping it out would be good but well if it is too heavy well perhaps that isn't a good thing... So what to take with me to knit in the car on the way, and also to knit in the evenings while all partaking of some gin...or wine or what ever takes our fancy... it really is a quandary... I have also got lined up for future knitting a camper van doorstop and that might be an option....oh I am so indecisive... Any way I hear you all shouting what is this wee post about.... It seems to have clicked today...


What the title is referring to today was Emilidh (Gaelic spelling of Emily) my granddaughter, came this evening after school to do her homework which is her reading mainly but also can be her writing practice too... Anyway she is a bright wee thing and nearing the end of her P1 year... She is in the Gaelic medium school and most days when we do the reading.. (bare in mind my Gaelic is not the best and I rely on www.gaelic4parents.com for help with our pronunciation), anyway most days she has learnt the book really when they all read along together she is almost word perfect at times but it is rote to be honest as all learners are... well today she was most definitely reading every word... No it wasn't as fluid, yes she stumbled with part words coming out but she stopped looked again and read the actual words... wow was I proud of my gorgeous wee Emilidh...It Seems to have Clicked...

Thank you Ann-Marie and Andy for trusting your wee one to my care with reading and other homework I find this a privilege and such fun...


KNITTING

Well today like most of the last couple of weeks after my operation my concentration is low and well all I have managed today is to do.  The stitch picking up along one side of the Crow Waltz scarf.  This is almost finished it needs this side cast off and the stitches on the other side picking up and 3 rows of garter stitch doing then cast off too... with only the blocking to do after that... so tomorrow should see that project finished....

And a few rounds of Lindsay's leg warmers - which are still not really floating my boat and with that in mind I am tempted to do no more till I see if she is happy with what's been done so far because if she isn't its pointless to carry on... I am knitting them with Noro silk garden sock yarn but not really feeling the love this time.

So knitting today has been spasmodic but that's OK and I am OK with that as I am only 3 weeks tomorrow post operation and well didn't expect to be doing much more than this at this point... so all is good...

Now what to take to Woolfest?

What, I dont know that?

lol well what a surprising visit I had on Friday into the Bank... I went along to the bank to pay some money in for Robs business.  Thought I would be helpful as well as trying to do my bit of exercise...boy was it wet and windy let me tell you it was like a bad November Day not a day in June...for goodness sake


So I went in and handed over the paying in book as you do... and all was well I had done it all correctly phew... then the lady behind the counter...(more on her shortly) said very politely would you like to have your mortgage paid for a year by us?  er Yes please... Ok so fill in the competition form and post it here and you never know... and wee smile on her face ... bigger on mine... and I left the counter and then went to the ledge place you are supposed to lean against and write on... with pens which never are whole, this was well bent and the point was very long and bent too... thanks goodness now really need for signature else it would look forged....

Any way filled in name then came the difficult bit... here is how it went..


Where is you Mortgage held?...................... Don't Know

What amount is your Mortgage for?............I guessed a figure and when told Rob he blanched and said we have never ever had a mortgage for that large an amount ....ops

How long have you got left of your Mortgage to run?    Don't know

And What is your House worth? ......................Don't Know...

At this point I was stunned and finding it hard not to laugh really I didn't realise I know so little about my financial situation with regards to Milton....ops...

So decided that I had better say yes to the two questions I normally say no too...

Do you want contacting about any of our services?    Yes....(hope can opt out again very soon else rob will brain me when the inbox is inundated with info)

Can we use your email to inform you in the future about anything dah dah dah.... Yes...

Decided I needed to say Yes to those things else they wouldn't even put my form into the draw... I mean how could I not know that...

Oh well you really don't know what you don't know unless someone asks you the question..

Torch Saturday

We woke up early.............. well that's slightly untrue I was awake almost all night but Rob did wake before the alarm but that was probably because I was rather fidgety...lol  anyway we were up and into the shared bathroom asap... the person before erm.... either is daft or has a woman sort out all his mistakes normally.... Coz he had not shut the shower correctly and well had used 3 towels to mop up but then hung said towels without squeezing them out over the radiator and they were dripping everywhere.... I was glad rob came in with me else that would have broken my challenge not to do something not allowed before I even had my clothes on lol.   Mary at the B and B was wonderful all giddy with excitement like I was, her son had carried the common wealth games torch a few years previous and she still had his torch and uniform etc. so she understood exactly how I felt .....

The mums came early and we set off for Inverness the weather at Fort William was sunny and we entered less nice weather almost instantly we left but it was promised to improve and well we knew it would.   The traffic was surprisingly good considering all that was going to be happening this weekend in the highlands... there was the world cup in Fort William, Rockness at Lochness, and a round of woman's golf up in Nairn I believe along with the Olympic Torch relay.... busy weekend for one main trunk road... still we were on it early and it was nice and clear..

We made it to Drumnadrochit by mid morning and stopped mainly for a stretch for me... so we took a nice gentle wander around the area and came across the lovely castle centre piece in the gardens...now I am ashamed to say that I have driven past here numerous times and even stopped a far few times in the wee car park to visit the toilets but I have never noticed this up close... I will put a wee picture of mine here but also an image found on Google images so you get to see the detail better my wee camera phone isn't that good at getting lots of the same shade to show up well. and this was all wee succulent plants growing through a framework and looked brilliant.

So after looking in wonder at the cleverness of the gardeners we took a wee rest stop in the local cafe where I drank some lovely "Vale Of Belvoir",  ginger beer, which was needed for the settling of a not so happy tummy but was also so apt as Lindsay and Ann-Marie grew up in the shadow of Belvoir Castle and well it seemed appropriate on this Olympic torch morning....  After refreshments and a stab at the crossword see the photo of the Cooksley brains working hard.... we set off again for Inverness with me navigating with Robs blackberry phone sat nav. app.... Why that one and not my Iphone app I hear you saying... well because my phone is absolutely useless out and about when it has to rely on a phone signal... where as robs ancient blackberry never ever fails...which is a real pain in the proverbial at times I must say.... however we made it into Inverness and the road in also was the road which Lindsay would be running her leg of the relay so we sussed out the route and parking and where would be the place to plonk me and my chair down and went of to find the Theatre as this was Lindsay's rendezvous point with the Olympic relay coach at 2 pm.....


Eden Court Theatre and Cinema complex was just around the corner to Lindsay's relay route so we parked there and went in to see if there was a suitable coffee shop restaurant etc... did we land on our feet or what.  The centre was a very modern looking one and was so welcoming and well we found a bay to sit in and that was it for most of the day we based ourselves there.... Lindsay Chris and Freya arrived about 30 mins later and we sat and had soup/bagettes etc for lunch.... as we finished eating along came Lucy (lindsays adopted sister) with her other family Linday John and Evie and so our support group were assembled.... Lindsay then went off to change into her uniform with Lucy and Evie as hand maidens or possibly calmer down/wind up merchants lol..... We then had time for some pre torch photo's before Lindsay and Chris went off to the Olympic Torch room to get briefed...


The photos show Lindsay and I then Lindsay with Evie, and below that Lindsay was obviously asking for something from Chris her husband...lol then a nice we shot of the both of them with Evie

Seemingly when Evie woke the family up that morning in their motohome she had informed everyone that today was all about Lindsay day.... she will go far I believe...lol

After checking in with the torch room due to the coach being a bit behind schedule Lindsay came back to our wee gathering and we all had another good hour of fun and frivolities laughing and joking but absolutely not letting Lindsay near anything which would definitely stray onto her nice white uniform.... This time was particularly special as we hadn't expected it and so was more treasured than ever for that... Then as we all were disbanding to do things till cheering time Chris called me outside to see Lindsay's coach group boarding the bus..
There were only 16 of them so it was a nice small group of inspiring people and they all got to know each other really well through the course of the afternoon... Lindsay felt really emotional when relating their wonderful journey to the torch relay...

And so it was time for us to go along the road to the route of Lindsay's relay to say I was excited is really not covering it at all... but I managed to let them stop on route for an ice cream and then we were there... I chose a spot not quite at the end of her run because I thought at the beginning once she was gone it was over full stop I wasn't capable of running along side as most of the others were planning to do and thought this way I would see her approaching with the torch and would be able to let rip with my cheering and flag waving to my full ability that way.... The waiting was not long and the outriders came along first these big police motorbikes with their policemen astride they were all waving and smiling and it was a lovely site...one stopped to speak to me and I was beaming with pride when I said it was my daughter who was running this stage, he was really sweet and gave me the advice that I was to enjoy every moment and if I felt like crying it was ok and well he was right...this policeman like all the others both on bikes and running alongside the torch are from the Metropolitan Police force and they were totally awesome, kind, funny, alert and relaxed together and well it was a pleasure to chat with those that I did...these guys were along for the whole torch relay and were definitely enjoying doing something which was mainly a fun event.

Then along came the sponsor vehicles with their staff whipping up a storm of excitment and giving out flags etc....









Here are the Coca cola sponsor staff mobbing Lindsay  one of their future flames... The Coca Cola places were won by people who are working for the future of sport and that was what Lindsay was nominated for... She has done untold amount of work promoting women in Mountain Biking and has also lead ladies only rides at Cowal Walking and Art Festival for the last few years...She is a very active member of Diva Descent which is a female lead group encouraging women in Mountain Biking sport to do more downhill events and with this in mind the Diva Descent group hold special uplift days for women at the various biking trail centres... The hardest thing for women in Mountain biking is there isnt many of them and so they are often over looked but these active group of women are changing this and we are getting to see many more giving it a go and well that is good... so after filling in her mission statement it went to public voting and well there were thousands and thousands who applied and the Coca Cola co-ordinator on the day told Lindsay what a hard fought place she had received... woo hoo Lindsay...

Then she was coming her came the car and coach of the torch relay carriers already run and it was wonderful to have them waving at me and shouting woo hoo Lindsay is coming now... it really brought all my emotion to the surface... and then suddenly I saw Rob charging along to me shouting she is here look her is your girl.... he was choked with emotion and just swollen with pride... and there she was my wonderful bright happy talented daughter running with the Olympic Torch I was jumping up and down shouting cheering and generally being all the mum I am... My dad was with me all through this amazing day he was one of the most brave men I have ever met and he was a sportsman through and through and he was proud too of his wee Lindsay...

Here she was just coming and then she heard me shouting I
think....lol












Then it was the next young lads turn and she was back here with us and wow was I proud... the flame was out in her torch but the flame in lindsay will never be extinguished she will always be passionate about getting more women into sport for the fun and challenges that that brings... well done Lindsay your challenge is really only just starting out and you will continue to be a future flame for women in sport and specifically Mountain Biking.

This may sound like the end but its is very much not Lindsay then was back on to the bus with her fellow runners and we were walking back to the Theatre to await their return..

 Then  the were getting off to all their proud families and supporters...









As the entourage returned guess who spotted me waiting ..........yes the lovely policeman and so he came over shook my hand and well................ gave me a kiss...he was gorgeous and well I am happy and ops Rob even captured the moment ...lol

As the entourage returned guess who spotted me waiting ..........yes the lovely policeman and so he came over shook my hand and well................ gave me a kiss...he was gorgeous and well I am happy and ops Rob even captured the moment ...lol

Then it was time for all the families and supporters to spend time with their very own special Olympic Torch Carrier.  This was a very special time we were all milling around having family photos and also the general public came along and various wee ones had the chance to talk to the Torch Carriers...hold the torch... and even have photos with them...it was very very special...

The following photos are a few of the many lovely wee moments captured and looking you can see the fun love and joy this wonderful event gave each and everyone of us...

Even the wonderful Freya Lindsay and Chris's rescue greyhound had a great day she ran along beside the flame when her mum was carrying it and even had a grand time sitting posing for photos... while we were doing this many other people came over and took photos it was very surreal... but so sweet and she was lapping up the attention....




So my thoughts of this day are very very emotional proud and what fun it was to be part of and event which had started a bit worryingly close to my operation but ended with a family day shared together with hundreds and possible a thousand or two people on the day but which stayed very personal and a privalage... Thanks to the sponsors Cocoa Cola for giving Lindsay her chance and to the many supporters who took the time to vote, thousands of them.  We all loved being part of your future flames and I know Lindsay was very honoured to be one of you Future Flames.


On a final note if you would like to see Lindsay's stage follow this link and you will see it on youtube.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zikbmxNcbyA