Zooming through the weekend

Saturday morning started with a zoom meeting with the

No Rules Textile Society. Here’s the view from my desk.

Someone’s keeping an eye on me.

I didn’t have a lot to offer with having had a busy birthday

and visiting my sister in Oxford for a week.

We chatted about what we’d been doing over the month and

members showed us what they’d been working on. Well those

who had done anything did.

We’ve got a new prompt for September. We are going to

look at and use one piece of fabric and create ten new designs

from it.

If you want to join the group here’s a link

NO RULES TEXTILE SOCIETY

We met up with friends at 2pm for a late lunch at one of our

favourite pubs in Todmorden, The Staff of Life. It’s an old

traditional hostelry with some of the best food for miles and

we’ve been going there for years.

I’m assured by the men folk that they sell some of the best ales

around, many from local breweries.

I can assure folk that they have gorgeous food. My choice this

time was a Cauliflower & Potato Curry with naan bread and rice.

Followed by Pannacotta with waffle and raspberry compote.

The fish & chips are some of the best around. In fact the whole

menu is worth a try.

The evnig was spent watching 50 years of Michael Parkinson

and nodding off on the sofa.

SUNDAY

In 1989 I was given the honour of being asked to be godmother

to my best friend’s daughter Emma

Fast forward to 2021 and here we are again this time at the

Christening of her own daughter Alyssa.

Where have the years gone.

It was lovely to be with friends that are like family.

Now spot the difference.

The wandering welder has got his beer goggles on and ended

up in a different jacket to the one he had on when he went out.

It’s been a lovely weekend.

Domesticity, books and blood

WEDNESDAY 

Back home from visiting my sister in Oxford and I went on a

cleaning binge starting with the utility room then stripping the

bedding and doing a pile of washing all before breakfast.

Maybe I need to go away more often if it makes me so domesticated.

Postman Sid bought me a lovely parcel. No it’s not cake, it’s a bar of soap,

a birthday gift from my lovely friend Julia, hubby Harry and Toby the Bassett.

THURSDAY

With a promising start to the day I took my morning cup of

tea out into the garden. I had a thank you letter to write and post,

then a blood donation appointment in the afternoon.

Im sorry to say it was a thumbs down for me on this book but if

you fancy a read about cloning and illicit organ donating I’ll send

you the book. Apparently it was made into a film. One I won’t be

watching it.

On my visit to the library on Friday I’ll be looking for something

a lot lighter than this book for sure.

Giving blood is a good excuse to eat biscuits and get out of

doing any chores for a few hours.  Seriously though it’s a small

thing to do that’s means a massive amount to folk and it only

takes a matter of minutes.  The atmosphere is upbeat, so is the

music and the nurses are chatty and caring.

NHS BLOOD DONATION LINK

I’ve a list as long as my arm of jobs and errands to do.

Hmm ! Maybe I’ll just go back down to Oxford it was a lot simpler

being there.  

Have a lovely weekend. I think the sun is going to

have his hat on. Yippee 

Lynn 

X

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Oxford we’ve loved you

No desk again this week, just me doing a bit of mindless stitching in my sister’s

back garden while she does a bit of dead heading.

One thing about being away from home is there is no “I should be doing”

this, that or t’other 

Its more doing what you want when you want.

Starting with Kefir yoghurt and fresh fruit pancake for breakfast sat outside

listening to the birds.

The last day of our little break was a second visit to Burford Garden Centre.

Philip insisted we park next to this beauty so he could give it a good coat of looking at.

We had another lovely lunch, bought Jill some plants for her garden

and I finished off with a look round their beautiful reading room bookshop.

That alone is worth a visit.  I came across a book written by a friend’s husband

who sadly died in an accident a few months ago.

Thinking of you Gilly. I’ve now got a memory of Christopher on

our bookshelf.

Yesterday we made our journey back up north stopping off to see

our lovely friends Vix and Jon in Walsall on the way up.

LINK TO VIX’S BLOG

It’s ages since we last saw them and it was so good to be in their

company once again and to take a look round at what they’d done to

their beautiful home and garden during lockdown.

Now they are getting ready for their first festival in a couple of weeks

down in Dorset.

Philip was gifted a fantastic Charles Church custom made jacket

from the Kinky Melon’s vintage stock.  I’ll get a picture of him wearing

it later

After a couple of cups of tea and cake, a walk round the neighbourhood

admiring the beautiful houses, we set off on the last part of our journey.

We made it back in time to stop off at the local chip shop for

a chippy tea before beginning the task of unpacking the car

and putting everything away. 

It’s been a fabulous week away, lovely to be back at my sister’s,

the first time since 2017.  We’ve had a blast meeting up with Instagram

friends, visiting some lovely places in Oxford and finally seeing

Vix and Jon again.  Roll on the next time.

And all done in my sturdy stead, 18 year old VW beetle Frida.

Well done old lass, you’re a star

Have a good week everyone.

Linking up with

WHAT’S ON YOUR WORKDESK WEDNESDAY

The fun of meeting up with Instagram chums …

Witney News Update

FRIDAY

We headed off to Burford Garden Centre.  Last time we visited was 2017 and it didn’t disappoint.

It’s the best and most diverse garden centre I’ve ever been to.  It’s so big we didn’t even get to the

outdoor plant section.

If like me you love textiles and paper craft it’s like being let lose in a sweetie shop.

There’s even an amazing art gallery.

We had lunch in the cafe and the mackerel pate, three different salads and toasted ciabatta was

the nicest, tastiest food I’ve had in a long time.




After lunch we had a browse round the food and indoor plant section.


As beautiful and painterly as this plant is I wouldn’t pay £85 for it.  So that one stayed on the shelf.


Outside we spotted this stunning tree.  No idea what it is, the flowers are huge and look

like candyfloss.

There’s a return visit on the agenda to see the outdoor section and the book shop

before we come home.

SATURDAY 

We’ve, well me in particular, have packed a fair bit of activity into our

stay with my sister Jill in Oxford.

On Saturday morning I met up with fellow No rules Textile Society member Sarah.

After tea and cakes, lots of chat and chuckles we headed off for a shop in Witney Sewing Centre.

I was very restrained and only bought a thimble, some bias binding and a pack of needles.

Saturday afternoon was a wet soggy one as we headed out to visit more Instagram chums

C’EST TOUT INTERIORS

Kathryn of C’est Tout Interiors at Milton-Under-Wychwood and Brigitte owner of

Rhubarb Rhubarb Boutique, purveyors of fabulous Italian linen womenswear. 


Kathryn and her partner travel extensively to source rustic furniture from France to sell in their

amazing barn shop which also houses a coffee shop and Brigitte’s shop.

RHUBARB RHUBARB BOUTIQUE

We had good fun chatting and looking round and there may have been a purchase or three.

I’ll show you them next time.


All I’ll say for now is here’s the wandering welder saying to Brigitte

‘I don’t know how far she thinks the pension is going to stretch.  She’s not even got it’s yet’ 

THE GREEN EYED MONSTER

We’ve arrived. After a good drive down from the north west four hours later

we landed at my sister’s in Witney, Oxford.

And I’ll have to tell you there’s a touch of the green eyed monster

about as I sit here in my sister’s pretty cottage garden.

I really am quite envious even though I have my own patch.

The variegated rose has been flowering for years and has a lovely perfume to it.

It’s been in that long she can’t remember the name of it. After googling it,

we think it could be called ‘Sentimental’

I’ve not been used to driving long distances for quite some time and doesn’t my

back know it. I’m like an old crock. Happily Frida my 18 year old VW beetle

survived the journey better than me and like me she loves the bit when we get on

the toll road. It’s so nice after the high volume of traffic on the M6.

After a chippy tea we sat and had a relaxing evening chatting.

On Thursday we went into Witney and I treated myself to a browse around Waterstones.

It must be two years since I’ve been in a bookshop. It felt so nice and I treated myself

to this book. An author I’ve not read before but have heard good reviews about.

GOOD READS REVIEW

Jill called in the Sota Gallery to pick up a poster she’d had framed.

The range of artists and types of art was amazing and we chatted for ages with the

owners about the pieces and how they were created and sourced.

Philip was pretty starstruck when he found out that the clockmaker Steve is the very

same one who appears on the BBC programme ‘The Repair Shop’.

He even went in on the pretext of having his watch looked at.

We giggled when he came out sulking because Steve was on holiday.

On Saturday I’m off to meet one of the members of my No Rules Textile Society.

We are going to visit the excellent sewing centre in Witney and then go for coffee

and cake.

Have a lovely weekend

Lynn

x

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