stuff and nonsense

I've been doing something to keep my brain activated and to stop it thinking about that other stomach-flipping horrid stuff. I can't really say it's relaxing though, as it generally gives me a headache,hurts my neck, strains my eyes and my thimble-less finger. It's rather time consuming, so I have to fit it in after work, putting the ducks to bed and making the tea but I have to say, it was quite good to be doing it when I didn't want to watch the nasty, eating bits in 'I'm a celebrity' on the TV.
No money in the entire world would make me eat that vile nonsense...although Pete did say he would in fact eat a poo sandwich for half a million quid..cheapskate. (He's going to kill me for sharing that, such intelligent conversations we have between us here at Shabby Towers)
Anyway, changing the subject quickly, this is what I have been doing of late, patchworky stuff. Patchwork is one of those things I have wanted to do for absolutely ages and ages and could never be bothered. It looked too fiddly and time consuming but all the inspiration on flickr and those clever, crafty people out there doing it on a whim has made me finally give it a go. I'm what you would call an impatient seamstress, so don't look too closely as my hexagons weren't too perfect. I normally want anything I make finished there and then but for some reason I have managed to beaver away with my hexagons and faff about with pretty fabrics for the past week or so. Here's a little peek of the ones I've already stitched together...It's eventually going to be a cushion cover, I dont think for a minute I could manage something bigger than that! I'll show you when it's finished.

One of my sisters brought this round today ...woopy-do! a proper Christmas tree with a proper Christmassy smell and sheddy needles..hooray.
Please can somebody tell me why cut trees are so expensive in Malvern (£40+) and so cheap in Gloucestershire (£8!) ? I was beginning to think I might have to decorate a house plant this year and my sister, Nikki has saved me with a present of a tree.
Then there was this surprise box of goodies posted from my other sister up northSo now the tree can do it's job properly and guard a present or two, it would have looked rather bare around the bottom otherwise! I bought these felty toadstools several weeks ago from the shop I work in. I knew they were destined to hang from our tree the minute I saw them, along with some teeny polka dot glass baubles. They're from Germany and I think they are fab!Harry decorated the tree again this year, it helps that he's at least a foot taller than me, as it's a HUUUUGE 8 foot one this year. Job well done stinky boy..Random baubles and a bit of madness thrown in for good measure, very 'us'...well, who else would think of having a plastic giraffe sitting in the branches of their Christmas tree?

Our other news is that Pete has obtained some work with an agency, it's odd days, poorly paid,very early starts and almost verging on part-time compared to his last job, but it's work and work pays bills.
I keep telling him to stop moping around with a face that looks like a slapped backside and think of it as time off to do much needed jobs like clearing out the guttering and painting rooms that so desperately need doing, as well as filling in application forms. I'm a bit of a slave driver but I think he would slip into a deep depression and become addicted to daytime TV if I didn't poke him with a stick now and again. We are trying our hardest to stay positive and think of it as something other than a horrid and worrying time. It's pretty demorolising having to borrow money off your kids for food but to be honest I'm past caring now!

Before I sign off for another week or two, I promised this lady I would tell you about her fab blankets. For those of us who aren't crocheters, she will make one for you if you'd like her to.She made all of mine and she made some of the gorgeous ones for the VW campers for hire on www.snailtrail.co.uk. Do drop her a line if your interested, she's lovely!

Cheerio for now xx