READING AND STITCHING

The past week or so has seen me happily doing some Christmas stitching. These are going to be made into special gifts for special people.

 

 

 

 

I am pleased to say that I have read 2 books this month and have started another one.. 

 

 

 

My last post ended with pics of Dublin taken 2 years ago. The next morning, 13th June, we caught a taxi to Dublin airport to catch a plane to Edinburgh, Scotland . We were quite taken aback when they told us that carry on luggage was not really permitted but they let us go through. We soon discovered why they were so strict as it was a really small plane. The trip only took 50 minutes and we were greeted by a dull and dismal cold day. We then took another taxi to our hotel which was a quaint old building in a cobblestoned street like I have seen in movies set in Edwardian times. 

 

 

 

We settled in and then went out in the drizzling rain to explore our surroundings.

 

 

 

 

This was a moving statue. Every minute or so she would move slightly into a different position.

 

 

Of course, what would Edinburgh be without the lovely sound of bagpipes .

 

 

 

I found it quite fascinating walking down the main street in the 21st century and looking up the hill across the road to see Edinburgh Castle in all its glory.

 

 

 

More about that next time.

 

I am off finish a couple of projects for OPAM.

 

Angel Blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HMMMM, WILL I MAKE IT ON TIME?

The end of June is fast approaching and I am hoping to have completed a couple of things for OPAM. This cold weather has found me sitting on the couch watching Netflix while crocheting. I started this single bed size crocheted blanket last year and it was coming along quite nicely until I ran out of some of the yarns. By the time I had restocked I received the wonderful news that I was going to be a grandmother so all current projects came to a grinding halt with baby projects being my main focus. Well, I picked up the blanket a few days ago and am now crocheting the 3rd border with only 2 more to go. Yey!

 

 

That little pretty stitchery designed by Jenny is in the process of being made into a heart.

 

 

 

And another Jenny design is being made into a table runner. I am just beginning to sew the binding strips together ready to bind it.

 

 

 

So, will I have them finished in time? Only time will tell.

 

So, I shall now continue with my overseas adventure this month 2 years ago.

 

On the 10th June we were up bright and early again for another big travel day. We walked from the hotel in Carcassone to the train station where we caught the train to Toulouse which was only about a

45 minute trip. We then hopped into a taxi headed for the Toulouse airport. We were 3 hours early for our flight to Dublin and they wouldn't check in our luggage until one and a half hours before take off. It was only a 2 hour flight to Dublin and we lost an hour in time. Once there we caught another taxi to our hotel. ( Yes you are seeing a little softie on the bed. My daughter took it everywhere).

 

 

 

 

The next day was a lazy day just wandering around Dublin and checking out where we needed to catch the Belfast tour bus next day. I just had to get a pic of the "Tart with the Cart", as Molly Malone is affectionately known.

 

 

 

 

We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe . This became a thing. We went to the one in Paris and London too.

 

 

 

 

!2th June was another early rise to meet the Belfast tour bus we had booked. The tour driver was such fun. He was a lanky Irishman who sang Irish songs and had the gift of the gab. And yes, some of it was blarney. We headed off to Northern Ireland where their currency is English pounds rather than Euros like Dublin. They regard themselves as British protestants. Not one bit of Gaelic could be seen. Our first stop was to see the painted murals which are done by local artists and keep changing. Very political statements.

 

 

 

There were peace walls separating the Catholic side from the Protestant side.

 

 

 

As we drove through the town centre of Belfast we could see evidence of where violence ran amok. There were bullet holes in a statue of angels! We stopped off at the IRA Museum which was very interesting . I found a hexie quilt that a prisoner had made. Sorry, I can't get the pic upright! An embroidery was there too.

 

 

 

 

After that we went into the town centre and wandered around City Hall where the Titanic memorial is.

 

 

 

The interior of City Hall is beautiful and we had lunch in the café there.

 

 

 

After that we visited St Anne's Cathedral and then we went to the Titanic quarter where we saw the slip that the Titanic was launched from. Then onto Inch Abbey which was called Inis Gumhscraigh in 800AD. It was attacked and plundered in 1001 and again in 1149. This part originates from 1118.

 

  

 

 

 

Then we headed to Down Patrick where we visited St Patrick's grave and apparently St Brigid is also buried there. ( I am not Catholic but I still found this really interesting).

 

 

 

Next was Dundrum Castle, 1172

  

 

 

Like the views?

 

 

 

On the way back to Dublin we went through a small village called Maghera and Bryansford where there was plenty of lush , green,  undulating landscape dotted with farmhouses. Apparently C.S Lewis spent a lot of time in this area and got his inspiration for "Narnia" from here.

 

 

 

Whew! What a long day it was. After that we made one more stop at a beautiful area called Mourn Way . We got back after 8pm and still had to find our way back to the hotel. Thus endeth our short  visit to Ireland.  Onto Edinburgh next. But not right now. Relieved? I hope you haven't nodded off . If you have stayed with me then I congratulate you. Thankyou so much for stopping by.

 

 

Angel Blessings.

 

 

 

 

  

 

FINISHES, ALMOST FINISHES, AND CHRISTMAS STITCHING

I really don't know where the time has gone since my last post. I have been in hibernation for a while and I think that sometimes messes with my concept of time. Just a winter thing for me. Anyhoo, I do have a finish to show you. My little munchkin's jacket and hat. I put koala buttons on the jacket.

 

 

I finished the 2 stitcheries for the "Bountiful Bees" table runner. Hmmm, I wonder if I will get that done seeing as I still haven't sewn the binding on my other table runner.

 

 

 

 

I completed a cute little stitchery which is from Jenny's free BOM. I thought it would go nicely with the Tilda fabric I had in my stash. Just need to figure out what I am going to make with it.

 

 

 

 

I thought it was time to start making some Christmas projects and gifts.

 

 

 

 

So, what was I doing this time 2 years ago? Well, there is quite a bit to catch up with but I won't put it all in this post.  On the 8th June, 2015 my daughter and I continued our trip catching a train from Austerlitz  to Carcassone. Now, I would never have known about Carcassone unless my daughter had suggested going there. Both my daughters loved a book called "Labrynth" by Kate Moss which was set in Carcassone. After I watched the mini series about a year ago I realised we had stayed in the same hotel .

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we headed off on a beautiful long walk down lanes across a beautiful bridge to La Cite Medieval which is basically a fortress within a fortress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had lunch outside at this gorgeous café.

 

 

You know me with owls...had to take this pic.

 

 

We were entertained with medieval music.

 

 

 

 

I was in awe knowing I was standing in a courtyard where soldiers prepared for battle in the 1100's. I was constantly thinking about how many centuries of people had walked on the same cobblestones .

 

 

 

 Next morning we were up bright and early to catch a train to Toulouse, and a taxi to Toulouse airport where we departed  for Dublin, Ireland.  I think I have been a bit photo heavy so I will leave the Irish adventure for another day.

 

Thankyou so much for stopping by again.

 

Angel Blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT

Today I am being a little bit self indulgent. It was 2 years ago this month on the 3rd June 2015 that my daughter and I went on a trip of a lifetime. I had never been overseas before and I had talked with my youngest daughter about the possibility 2 years before. Well, out of the blue, I decided early 2015 that it was now or never. So, after chatting more seriously we booked our 4 week adventure and departed late on a very cold night ,3rd June 2015, to Paris via Hong Kong.  I have been thinking how blessed we were to have gone before the  terrible terrorist attacks in France and the UK.

We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport on 4th June and were greeted by 6 heavily armed soldiers with assault weapons while we waited for our shuttle. I guess things were getting bad even back then.
We eventually got used to seeing armed soldiers at all the tourist sites.

 

On 5th June we got up at 6-00am to collect our Paris Passes and catch a coach to Disneyland.

 

 

Thought this was funny.

 

 

 

Next day, 6th June, and headed off to the Paris Opera House utilising their wonderful Metro. It was there I encountered my first Gypsy pick pocket!

 

 

 

After that we headed off to The Louvre.

 

 

This was Marie Antoinette's ice cream plate.

 

The Egyptian Archaeology section was awesome. They even had sarcophaguses for cats!

 

On the 7th June our first stop was at the Conciergerie which was a former royal palace and prison until Charles V decided to house the law courts there in the 14th century. Marie Antionette was housed there awaiting her execution.

 

 

The main entrance is a huge hall with Gothic arches and beams where everyone congregated and dined. There are bolt plates on the floor where long tables were. 

 

 

Then on to Notre Dame Cathedral. There were an alarming amount of beggars here

 

 

 

After that we visited the Catacombs after queuing for 1 and a half hours in the heat. It was around 29 degrees C. No such thing as sunburn over there.  Unfortunately, I can't locate my photos of the Catacombs. Shall endeavour to seek them out

 

. We then headed off to La Tour Eiffel which is much bigger than I had thought.

 

 

 

Here is my daughter standing in front of one of the tower's feet.

 

 

It was getting late after that so we decided to do a 6-00pm cruise along the Seine which was delightful.

 

 

 

Another couple of train trips later we found the Arc de Triomphe. Oh my! It was quite scary taking photos as there were cars going in all directions. We found this when we first arrived in Paris. No such thing as lanes and 5 does go into one! With bicycles, mopeds, motor bikes and cars all sharing the same roads it is quite a freaky ride with cyclists touching the car and people swapping paint.

 

 

So, that was where I was back in 2015 the first 7 days of June. Only last year, 2016, Paris experienced heavy flooding which saw the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Seine closed. I am so glad we went when we did. We went by rail  on to Carcassone , then flew to Dublin , Ireland. From there we flew to Edinburgh, Scotland then flew to Cardiff, Wales where I picked up a car to drive to Chippenham, Wiltshire where my grandfather grew up , on to Penzance in Cornwall, then back to Cardiff to drop the car off before catching a train to Paddington Station , London for 7 nights. I am going to add more pics of my travels later. I intend to create a separate blog about our journey with heaps more pics but I just wanted to share a couple of pics of a beautiful city which is now under constant threat. May all those who have perished by the hands of evil be held by angels.

 

Angel Blessings.