I never needed................

justification for my hobby of patchwork and quilting.

The fact that it keeps me sane is good enough for me.

But here we are in black and white.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7896441.stm

The BBC website claims that participating in a hobby like making a patchwork quilt delays the onset of dementia.

Well that's good enough for me chaps :o)

Mixed blessings

Another hectic and not always pleasant couple of weeks...........


These are some beautiful flowers I received on Wednesday - a rare occurrence in this house as my husband is not a flower person under any circumstances.


However these were from his boss - wishing me a speedy recovery from what could have been a very nasty car accident last Tuesday


As I was heading to work another car left the roundabout I was slowing down to join, crossed the grassy central reservation taking out several road signs on the way and hit me on my front passenger corner eventually coming to rest about 20 yards behind me.

Amazingly both of us got out of our vehicles and walked away.

Luckily I was taking a different route that morning or else I would have been in the lane to the left of me and taken the impact head on which would have been altogether more serious.

Fortunately I was only sore and very shocked and have lived to tell the tale which is more than can be said for my poor car - but at least you can replace a vehicle and we hope it will be mendable. It has knocked my driving confidence somewhat though.

Onto stitching...............................

In and amongst the madness that has been car accident, flat completion, work, family and general busyness I've slotted in some stitching for others -

A handful of red and white blocks for Clare for her Leukaemia quilts

And a block for Tracey for an Australian lady who has lost everything in the terrible bushfires

By comparison what's a little car accident eh? I should get these posted off towards the end of this week once we've completed 'Operation Move the Outlaws!' - wish me luck!

Much excitement at Chez Bebbs

I've got quite a bit of stitching done this week in and amongst the taxi-driving

I've appliqued an entire panel of sunflowers for the garden quilt - this is the back of a recycled man's shirt so you can see how big these flowers are.

Plus I'm having a play at a surprise for a friend who lives a little further afield.

Sarah has spent plenty of time in the car this week.

Tuesday evening saw me taking her up to Bristol for her TDG (Talent Development Group) rugby training.

Nigel drove her over to Northampton on Friday for her England Colleges trial.

I took her down to Plymouth for Regional training again yesterday - she's subsequently heard she's in the starting 15 for the first Regional match next Sunday which is exciting enough.

But the most delightful news this week is that she has been selected for the England Colleges squad. She is the youngest in the squad at only 16 years and 7 months and because of this will not be able to play all the matches especially those against the older opposition teams.

But I know she will be so proud to pull on that white shirt (incidentally this isn't Sarah but a member of the existing England Ladies team - the picture is courtesy of the RFU website).

It's not quite her ultimate ambition - that is to play for England Ladies at Twickenham - but another big step along the way...................... and all in spite of that thumb :o)))

Woohoo the painting's finished!!!

We spent a good proportion of Saturday painting and got to within spitting distance of that wonderful light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Then, bless his little cotton socks, while I was driving Sarah the 85 miles to Plymouth and back again for her Regional trials, Nigel went back in on his own and completed the job.

What a hero!

On top of that, to cap the day nicely, Sarah has been selected for Regional again this year - despite her broken thumb earlier in the season.

She is one happy girl now getting ever so slightly nervous about England Colleges trials this weekend over in Northampton.

The other girls from the college will go up for the two day session early on Friday morning.

Unfortunately Sarah has a totally unmissable chemistry practical exam scheduled for 1.30pm on Friday afternoon. So good old Daddy is taking half a day holiday on Friday to take her up straight after the exam. She has been assured that only participating in one of the two days won't disadvantage her in the selection process. Another £50 on petrol though - can't even begin to think what our carbon footprint must be like.

I've managed a little more applique for the garden quilt.

I started the hollyhocks and got as far as two tall straight stalks - they're now sitting patiently for me to look at a few hollyhock pictures and decide how large the leaves and flowers have to be plus how to place them - work still in planning that one.

However I managed a couple of toadstools

An apple and a pear - coincidentally the symbols for the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, two English counties we just happen to have close links with.

And three flitting butterflies

Just a handful of blocks to add to the pot - or should that be potting shed :o)

Tonight I'm playing with some sunflowers and then I really ought to return to those hollyhocks but there's a watering can in my head just calling my name.

Three very different applique pieces

I've been fitting bits of applique in this week between everything else

Nigel has been over to the flat a couple of times but without me - tonight I drew the taxi service straw as Nick had football training.

I've worked four full days this week too - year end is creeping up on us and we have the added delight of nurturing in a new accounts package County wide - whichever clown decided to schedule that around year end really ought to be shot - the person's probably on 5 times my salary too!

But back to stitching..................

I promised to show the finished baby quilt top

and here it is - a little on the pale and delicate side but pretty for a little girl - I already have a blue one finished for the alternative eventuality.

Then completely different - an African style design for a block for the birthday swap - reverse applique this time - the black fabric is behind the orange. The blue borders are authentic fabric from South Africa just to complete the ensemble. I haven't done any reverse applique for quite a while - I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

And last but not least the hollyhocks had to move over for the quick fix of a row of apples - still for the garden quilt but an easy speedy contribution - the hollyhocks may well be next although there may be a design for some tulips germinating in my brain - if you'll pardon the pun :o)

I'm fitting it in somehow :o)

This picture belies the fact that I have actually completed the top for the baby quilt - this numpty forgot to take a shot of the finished top before downloading the contents of the camera

As my old boss used to say "Planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance." Never a truer word.

So this sneak preview only gives you the flavour of the quilt - you'll have to imagine the borders complete with further flower applique that I'll show you next time

Speaking of flowers our regular supply teacher at work has been having a torrid time recently.

After complaining to her landlords about an infestation of tiny little black invasive bugs, they gave her notice to quit. Obviously took exception to the Environmental Health Officer's report. Nice people!

The poor lady has been stuck between a rock and a hard place looking for somewhere else to live without the security of a permanent job. I won't go into the reasons for this employment situation but it's unavoidable at present and she's been frantic with worry.

Anyway to cut a long story short she's finally found a new place to move into probably during February half-term (lots of house moving going on then) but is very upset at all the plants she will have to leave behind in the garden at her old place.

So I thought a garden themed lap quilt would cheer her up

Here's a row of daffodils to make a start

I foresee lots of different flower and garden associated blocks separated by floral fabrics

Right, I'm off to see if I can design some hollyhocks...............

We watched President Obama's inauguration at teatime here in the UK - I made my kids sit and watch history being made.

A normally incredibly composed man stumbled over his oath showing an endearing human side to his usually polished exterior

But the most moving part for me was explaining the significance of all this to my children

As a 1960 baby I can only slightly remember the notable events of the 1960s

But I am still overawed at how far things have come in 40+ years

Long may that progress continue

A truly momentous day

Oops - spot the deliberate mistake

In between being busy painting countless walls and balancing monthly reconciliations at work (Month 8 balanced first time - yeah!!! Month 9 a WIP - mmmm) I have managed to start constructing the baby quilt centre.

For some reason though I only made enough 6" blocks for a 5 x 5 design - no idea why, I really wanted a 5 x 7 layout so I have 4 more flower blocks and 6 more QST's in the pipeline.

No stitching today though as both football and rugby were cancelled because of the torrential rain and high winds last night which had waterlogged the pitches. Not a good idea taking the girls or boys swimming!

So we left Nick and Lou to their own devices with friends and Sarah came along with Nigel and I to paint, paint, paint.

The flat comprises of lounge, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and large hallway.

The gloss is all in pretty good condition so as time is of the essence we decided not to touch that up so it's been emulsion, emulsion, emulsion

We've made such great progress this weekend that we now only have a final coat on the kitchen walls with once round their edges, plus once round the bottom edge of both lounge and bedroom and a final coat plus edges in the hallway left to do. It's so much easier painting an empty property with no furniture to move or carpets to protect.

Great strides - it's all starting to come together. Mind you I can't half feel my shoulders!

Sarah was a total brick today spending all day laid on the floor doing the first coat round the bottom of the lounge and bedroom - a job I hate as I'm such an ungainly lump that getting on and off the floor is a noisy and cumbersome operation - Nigel laughs at me grunting about down there - she just made the job so easy by comparison.

As for the baby quilt - well all was going great guns until..............

I realised the 'deliberate' mistake

The bottom left hand QST is orientated incorrectly - oh poooooooo!!!!!!

Guess that means some reverse stitching - oh how I hate unpicking :o(

Total glee!!!!!

Last Sunday Sarah and I spent a chilly windy afternoon near Plymouth in Devon watching her team mates trial for the Regional squad. Because of her thumb Sarah will trial on 25th at the first Regional training session. She should be assured a place as she's an existing member of the accelerated talent group but we're not counting our chickens yet.

The wonderful outcome of the afternoon was that 6 of the 8 girls from our club at her age group who trialled have been selected - this is a huge step up from last year when 3 were selected and Sarah was the only one to go with the final squad to the National Championships in Lichfield.

As you can imagine, for a girl who lives, eats and breathes rugby, all this standing on the sidelines, keeping a smile on her face and cheering on her team mates has proved a huge personal challenge and character building exercise for her.

But last night Sarah got the chance to get back on the pitch for her first training session in 7 weeks

I wish I could have captured on film the enormous Cheshire Cat grin on her face as, covered in mud, she walked through the door with her father last night after training

I guess this picture gives you a little flavour

The mucky little pup!!!

As for sewing - very slow on that front as we've been wielding paintbrushes in any spare time we've had endeavouring to get my parents' flat ready for their move in about 5 weeks time - progress is slow but sure - we WILL be finished in time.

I have managed to sneak in a few QST blocks to join the appliqued flowers for the baby quilt - but precious little else

Right off to work and then the Salt Mines (or should that read Paint Mines?)

A bit of a wash up

In the post before last I showed you the Spring Fling Round Robin 2 quilt I received from this swap.

Looking at the SFRR2 blog it occurred to me that, because we weren't allowed to show anything other than a hint of what we'd added each time in case the final recipient managed to guess which quilt was hers, I hadn't shared with you the works in progress

So here we are:

The SFRR2 consisted of four rounds: a centre, two borders amd finally the quilting & binding

These are my contributions pictured in the finished quilts:

My centre which I thought was a little Delft like - it's just the white area with the applique.

My first round - more applique plus some triangles and a little butterfly

My second round - a saw-tooth star in the corner to echo its predecessors and some celtic knotwork applique. I rather enjoyed working on this as an off-set border which gave me lots more width to play with and fit in the knotwork.

Finally, one you've seen already - the piece I got to quilt and bind - this one was quilted to within an inch of its life

And last but not least the quilt I received after all the hard work and love and attention of four other stitchers.

But not just pink...........

I've been acutely aware over Christmas that I was behind with my Birthday Blocks - especially naughty as I received mine in and around August - I actually did only receive nine of my promised eleven but that's no excuse for not fulfilling my obligations.

You might remember the crazy hexagon I made before Christmas in the British summer colours of sand and aqua.

Well I then had to make a New York Beauty for Margaret which should have gone out to her during November - the spikes which look like pink in this photo are in fact red so a sort of pink free zone here.

and a yellow and blue block for Terri which was a December block posted out a few days late. - no pink here either

I'm definitely not a fan of curved piecing.

The applique blue and yellow block was like falling off a log for me except I tacked a circle around the circumference of a plate to use for the guideline for my placement. This was fine until I realised that eventually, once I'd got a good amount of the pieces done, the applique would sit outside the 12" block size. A quick lesson of unstitching and re-positioning required!

The NYB was a pig - I don't do accurate curves at all, strange when I used to do a lot of dressmaking with set-in sleevesm but I've obviously lost that knack down the years - in the end after wrestling with the centre quadrant for some time I resorted to appliqueing the outer curve onto the background - cheating - but the end result turned out okay.

I do have another NYB block to do for a later month - I think I can categorically state here and now that the block I've still to do will be the very last NYB block I ever tackle :o(

Pink will have to return to the stitching table though. I have a selection of pink and green QST blocks to do to go with the pink flowers for the baby quilt.

So not out of the Pink clutches yet it seems.

There's a bit of a pink theme going on here

If you hop over to Lynda's blog you could be forgiven for thinking that there's a great deal of pink in the air

I feel a tendency towards this colour lately at Chez Bebbs

Pink's not a colour I generally gravitate towards but quilting has a funny way of pushing you in directions you least expect

First of all there was the SFRR2 quilt I finished off for Margaret

You could say there was a distinct hint of pink in this

Then one of the teachers where I work commissioned me to make a couple of placemats for a Christmas present for her mother whose kitchen is green and pink

Once they were finished I received my SFRR2 quilt which also has a definite leaning towards the pink part of the spectrum - even DD2's PJs are pink!

And finally one of Sarah's rugby team-mates from last year is expecting a baby in March. She is only 17 and sadly, although her rugby career was very promising, young love diverted her off course and much to her parents' disappointment she has given up college and her sport to set up home with her boyfriend of a similar age. They now await that great step into parenthood this spring with precious little money and the less than ideal domestic arrangements of living with his grandmother.

All babies need a quilt. I already have a 'blue' themed cot quilt completed so I thought I'd hedge my bets and make a pink one too so I have something suitable for the baby's arrival. Sorry the colour's not that good on this picture.

With rugby still in mind last summer Sarah took her Level One Rugby Coaching qualification and her Rugby Referee qualification.

Because playing the game is her first love she has not yet had the opportunity to actually referee a proper game.

Until yesterday that is............

Her thumb is healing beautifully, the pot came off on December 19th and she is almost back to full usage - she will be back to full contact rugby before the end of the month, probably another 3 weeks or so.

But yesterday as she couldn't play she reffed a triangular fixture between the Taunton Fillies U15s and their Exeter and Plymouth counterparts - she was very nervous but actually once she got into it she thoroughly enjoyed the experience even though she still says she'd prefer to be actually playing

I have it on good authority that PINK is THE colour for all the best dressed referees this season - well at least their shorts and socks although I'm not sure I can see this catching on for the Guinness Premiership :o)))

Ring out the old, ring in the new

2009 is almost upon us.

For some of my bloggy friends down-under it has already arrived.

For others across the pond you've a little longer to wait.

It only seems five minutes since we welcomed the new millenium soon it will be less than a year to 2010.

How can that be?

2008 was a busy year.

2009 will probably be busier still - at least to start off with anyway.

New Years resolutions hover in the back of my mind, I must lose weight, keep a tidier house, succeed in juggling kids, parents and work without forgetting my husband - my rock, my best friend.

But all in all tonight is just another night, a night where we're grateful to live in a prosperous, free country without having to worry too much about danger and fear.

May all your days through 2009 be peaceful and pieceful..........................

Happy New Year to you all!

Thoughts for today.............

I've just read Jeanne's version of this and thought I'd share mine



I'm feeling ... relieved that my parents’ move to Taunton is underway


I'm seeing ... a cold grey bitter winter day and wishing it was brilliant sunshine like yesterday.



I'm thinking ... how nice it will be to have my parents near enough for me to drop in for five or ten minutes instead of planning a military style operation to visit them


I'm appreciating ... a wonderful husband who spent this last weekend with his son travelling up to my parents, doing a pile of preliminary packing and bringing it back down in anticipation of their move south.



I'm cooking ... a very simple evening meal of oven baked chicken breasts, potato chunkies and oven roast carrots and parsnips along with beautiful bright green frozen peas - simple fare after all that rich and complex Christmas food.



I'm planning ... to spend the next few weeks wielding a paintbrush to prepare my parents’ flat for their arrival and also to try and blog a little more regularly in the New Year as I've missed it recently



I'm reading ... ‘The Tall Pine Polka’ by Lorna Landvik about 1950s Minnesota - I borrowed it on a whim from our local library along with her other two books, ‘Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons’ and ‘Oh My Stars’. I’m so glad I picked them off the shelf


I'm wearing ... easy to wear black trackies and a burgundy micro-fleece top - cosy and comfortablefor relaxing around the house


I'm creating ... a yellow and blue Birthday block for Terri - a hand appliquéd circlet of hearts and flowers



I'm hearing ... ‘The Railway Children’ on the tv in the other room - I keep catching snippets of it as I chip away at the ironing pile



I'm enjoying ... the knowledge that I don’t have to return to work for another week yet.



I'm sharing ... a picture of warmer times here in freezing cold Somerset - roll on Summer :o)

Much of this post is taken up with my thoughts on my parents' move so you can tell it is featuring prominently in our lives at present. We anticipate that we will be able to move them down during February Half Term (w/c 16th) so there is a lot to do before then. The New Year will be busy but productive I feel.

Merry Christmas to you all

I can't believe I've not posted in over a fortnight

Lots of water under the bridge

Christmas preparations a plenty

Mum and Dad have been down, viewed the flat, decided they'd love to live in it and so it's all systems go, once it's finally empty between Christmas and New Year, with carpet fitting and re-decorating ready for their move during February half term. Nigel is still playing 'Super-Hero' getting everything sorted for them.

Sarah's thumb is healing beautifully and she had her cast off last Friday - it will be another few weeks until she's up to rugby playing fitness but the best news is she will still get the chance to trial for both the Regional and England Colleges squads.

Nick has finished school and football for this year and along with his little sister, who is still valiantly practising her violin, is ready for the excitement that is Christmas

As for me - I finally completed any pre-Christmas stitching needed yesterday - the shopping's all done, virtually all the presents are wrapped (most unusual for me who usually spends Christmas Eve in a muttering, grumbling heap of wrapping paper) and we're almost there

I've received a couple of lovely quilts I will show you after Christmas along with two separate Secret Santa gifts which are nestling under the tree until tomorrow - I can save things until the day! - and only have two birthday blocks still owing - Sorry Margaret and Terri, I will get them to you asap - so I'm starting to feel more on top of things

Then it just remains for me to wish all of you, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, a happy, peaceful and love-filled time.

Somebody obviously doesn't think I'm busy enough!

Life is whizzing along here at break neck speed as usual.

Lots of stitching even if I haven't got round to taking any snaps yet - hence no blogging - but my Spring Fling Round Robin 2 is almost done, one Secret Santa offering is in the post with another very soon to follow, lots of crafty for sale things have been made and some even sold and I've worked on a couple of commissions too.

Preparations for Christmas are progressing - haven't written a card yet but feeling quite smug about getting all my long distance family presents to their recipients and the rest of the present shopping is nearly complete even if I haven't wrapped everything quite yet.

School is busy as ever plus the children are needing ferrying around as much if not more than usual.

Sarah's thumb is healing well and the Consultant tells us if all continues in the same vein her pot will be off for good on the 19th of this month - all is not lost on the rugby front.

Lou has started learning the violin so the ears are taking a little bashing too - as if life isn't noisy enough in this house!

Nick's knee is better and they won 5 - 2 on Sunday which means he's happy :o)

So lots of balls up in the air - one or two near drops - but not quite yet.

Then........................ two more are thrown into the equation in the shape of my elderly parents

Here they are back during Half-Term with five of their six grandchildren plus my niece Gemma's boyfriend Pete.

Whilst they stayed down with us we had some long and heart searching chats about where and how they would like to live out basically what amounts to the rest of their lives really

The long and short of it ended up with the decision that they should move into sheltered accommodation down here in Taunton.

I won't go into the ins and outs and merits regarding to which of their children they should live nearest - suffice to say we all felt it would be best if they came down here so we put their name on the local housing list and settled down for a probably long wait

This week a flat in a local complex has been sort of offered to them - they're second on the list.

I have been to look at it and although it is small it would suffice.

However we now have to wait until Friday to see if the first person on the list wishes to accept it

If that person doesn't we then have to arrange for them to come down, look at it and effectively be checked out by the complex manager - my word is not sufficient and rules are rules!

My lovely husband has offered to drive five hours up to Yorkshire on Sunday and return the same day with them.

I'll then take them to look round on Monday followed by Nigel taking a day's holiday on Tuesday to return them up north.

Life is certainly busy enough without this in amongst everything - but it is do-able especially with Nigel's good will. Boy do I have a tolerant and obliging man.

It will be lovely to have them down here and be able to see them regularly in bite-size manageable time spaces instead of intensive three week visits once or twice a year and I will be able to help them and be there for them in an emergency instead of mercy-dashing the length of the country.

But just one teeny weeny tiny little part of me is screaming out................

'Stop the world - I want to get off!'

PS A quick update - the first person in the queue has accepted an alternative property so it's theirs if they want it - we're on all systems go for the weekend with one small grain of sand in the oyster - they can only view it on Tuesday so I think that will be a particularly long day for Nigel :o)

OUCH!!!

Oh dear - I guess it was going to happen sooner or later

I know, I know - rugby is a dangerous sport

And I know Sarah is very, very lucky, over the past five seasons, to get away with a couple of sprains and a dislocation

But today her luck ran out

One broken thumb!

I know it doesn't sound much

But if I tell you that it looks on the x-ray that it's completely parted company, that is to say snapped clean off the rest of her hand and is held roughly in place only by ligaments, muscle and skin and now a plaster cast

And I tell you that as a result of this break she will be in plaster for a minimum of six to eight weeks

And I also tell you that as a result of this she will miss the entire County programme for this season - with the possibility of not getting through to Regional because all triallists are selected from that County programme

And finally if I tell you that she will also be unable to trial for the English Colleges Squad in two and a half weeks time

You will understand why her smile isn't its usual sunny self

It's a very, very long time since I've had to wash my baby's hair for her :o(

Nick also visited A & E this afternoon with a nasty football foul induced bump to the knee - thankfully this was only bruised ligaments - now that would have been a challenge - two out of three in plaster!

And Lou has had a tough few days at school this week - don't you just hate the bitchiness of girls

This was a picture she rustled up after one particularly upsetting day - kind of sums up her mood. Fortunately school have been brilliant and I think the worst is over - hurray!

I've not been totally idle since my last post - lots of bits and pieces - some I can't show you as the man in the red suit is stalking about waiting to whisk off a couple of Secret Santa items

But I can show you a very belated - as in should have been sent off in October, not November - birthday block - different, but fun to do. My allotted month was August and the illustration was all sunshine colours and sunflowers but I elected to represent our somewhat damp English summer with cooler blues, turquoises and sands - kind of says it all to me.

Here's a pot-free girl showing off her newly completed (by mum) crocheted scarf (and snazzy new glasses)

And finally a little 6" block I rustled up this morning for the centre of one of a pair of large table mats I've been commissioned to make by a colleague at work for her mother's Christmas gift

I was actually stitching away quite happily before being rudely interrupted by a two patient A & E visit!

Testosterone Free Zone

Last Sunday we managed a rarity in the Bebbington household

Sarah had no rugby

Nick had football playing his match at Frome (rhymes with Broom) right over on the other side of Somerset and Nigel was playing taxi driver - they won 8 - 4 - hurray! and both got soaked to the skin for their trouble!

So we managed a girly afternoon..........

Mum was doing a mad 'quilt in one day' construction for her ALQS2 effort

Lou was keeping herself occupied with a little stitching of her own

And Sarah was keeping her nose firmly to the Geography coursework grindstone

A veritable testosterone free zone

And the result of all this peace, perfect peace?

One 20" square present for my ALQS2 partner a long way from Taunton

p.s. I must confess I finished stitching down the binding on Monday morning so it wasn't strictly a quilt in a day - however at least I got it into the post on time :o)

Lest we forget

In Flanders Fields
John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields

Ninety years ago today the signing of the armistice marked the end of the four most bloody years in recent history.

Our family were privileged to live close to this area for a short while - now the fields and hillsides show little of the horror and carnage as nature has reclaimed the battlefields into its modern green and pleasant land again.

My father has always told us that as a country we lost the cream of our timber, the cream of our horses and the cream of our men in those four short years.

Today, in London, the last remaining combatants from that terrible war paid their own tributes to their fallen comrades. Amazingly these three gentlemen, one each from the airforce, navy and army have lived to see this ninetieth anniversary. So many of their pals have not

May we and our children always remember and appreciate this ultimate sacrifice made by so many for our freedom.

The craft fair won!

Interesting comments from you all on my last post - as he knew I needed help it didn't even occur to me that he should go to the rugby - he'd obviously be a lot better off living with some of my fellow bloggers :o))

The bigger sickener is that I could've gone with him to use the other ticket - which, as I've never actually been to Twickenham, meant my loss was actually greater than his

Then sadly the fact that the craft sale was poorly attended and didn't net me anything as much as I'd have liked in my pocket meant we both rather wished we'd gone down the sports route

Never mind hindsight is always 20/20 vision

The day wasn't without gain - the lady on the next stall to mine told me of another sale at the end of November which could prove far more lucrative

So we'll see if I can book a table tomorrow - all my midnight stitching won't have been in vain.

If that doesn't come off I may well just explore the possibilities of Etsy...............

anyone for a Bebbington Original? :o)

Well what would your answer have been?

I consider myself very lucky to be happily married to a wonderful man - okay he drives me crazy sometimes but on the whole he's worth keeping.

But I ask you.............

What are men like?

The past two or three weeks I have been dashing around even more than normal - hence my blog silence.

I've had the half term week off work but also had my elderly parents to stay for two weeks

It was lovely to see them but they are quite high maintenance in the attention stakes

This is absolutely fine, it's been wonderful to have them stay.

But..........

I had also committed myself to taking a table at the local Craft Sale this coming Saturday and so in my usual 11th hour fashion I've also been manically trying to create stock.

The sale is Saturday

Yes the day after tomorrow

My dearly beloved husband will be needed for at least the start and end of the day to help with tables, put posters in the vicinity, look after our children etc etc etc and to be frank may well be roped in for even more of the day

He has willingly agreed to do this and I'm very grateful

But...............

This afternoon I received a text, and I quote:

"Nigel do you want two tickets for England v Pacific Islands Saturday Twickers. Can I go?"

Now without turning the air blue what do you suppose my response was?

Sometimes they push you just a little bit too far!